Books-n-Kisses is SUPER excited to have our pal Kendra Elliot on the blog again to help celebrate her 3rd book BURIED!!!!

Kendra, can you please share with us a little about yourself.

Thanks for having me, Kelly! Last spring, I became a full time author, leaving behind the dental industry and late night writing sessions. My debut romantic suspense, HIDDEN, was published last summer along with my second book, CHILLED.  I have three daughters, 11, 13, 15, and an insufficient hot water tank.  I live in the Pacific Northwest with my husband and the state’s cutest Pomeranian.

Can you please tell us about your newest book?

BURIED is Michael Brody’s story. Michael had a large role in HIDDEN. Now I’ve found a woman who can put up with his level of cockiness and confidence. Michael’s younger brother vanished with a group of children twenty years ago and today a group of children’s remains have been found. But why isn’t Michael’s brother with them?

Open your book to a random page and read us a few lines.

Jamie’s stress level floated somewhere close to the ceiling. A night alone in a room with Michael Brody. Hormones had bounced between them since they met, and now they were going to be trapped in a small space with a bed?

Can you share with us your current work in progress?

I just turned in the fourth book in the Bone Secrets series. It’s Victoria Peres’s story.  While editing BURIED, my editor, Charlotte, said this was the character I had to write about next, because she made her curious. I said, “No. She scares me.” And I already had a loose plan for the next book. Turns out I couldn’t get my editor’s words out of my head. Three chapters in, Victoria took over the book.

Can you share with us something off your bucket list.

I’ve never been to the UK. I want to go with a small group of people who already know all the awesomest places to go.

What would you do if I gave you a box that had marshmallow cream, duct tape and binder clips?

Slip the binder clips in my pocket…I love all office supplies and then trade you the duct tape for a spoon.

What do you say we do a little Fact or Crap our home state?

Oh, crap. I’m fourth generation Oregonian. I’ll  be embarrassed if I bomb.

A little Oregon Fact or Crap Time:

#1 Oregon is one of only 3 states without self-serve gas stations

I’ll say crap. I think it’s two states? Or am I thinking of states with no sales tax?

#2 Oregon’s state colors are baby blue and yellow

Crap. I think it’s dark blue and yellow.

#3 The Chinook salmon is the state fish

Fact.

#4 Oregon’s birthday is February 14^th

Fact.

#5 Oregon’s Mt Hood is over 13,000 feet tall

Crap. It’s closer to 11K, I believe.

#6 Eugene Oregon was the first city to have a one-way street

Hmmm. Nothing about Eugene surprises me.  I’ll guess Fact.

#7 The Oregon State Flag only has a beaver on it

Crap…I think there are gold stars, too?

#8 The Oregon Sea lion caves are the largest in the world

No idea. Fact.

#9 Oregon has more ghost towns than any other state

No idea. Crap.

#10 Crater Lake is not the deepest lake in Oregon

Crap. Isn’t it one of the deepest in the world?

What to know how well Kendra did?

Here are the answers:

#1 Crap-It only Two.  Oregon and New Jersey are the only states without self-serve gas stations.

#2 Crap- Navy blue and gold are Oregon’s official state colors.

#3 Fact- The Chinook salmon is Oregon’s official state fish.

#4 Fact- Oregon’s state birthday is on February 14, Valentine’s Day.

#5 Crap- At 11,239 feet Mount Hood stands as the tallest peak in Oregon. Mount Hood is a dormant volcano.

#6 Fact- Eugene was the first city to have one-way streets.

#7 Crap-Oregon’s state flag pictures a beaver on its reverse side. It is the only state flag to carry two separate designs.

#8 Fact- In 1880 a sea cave was discovered near what is now known as Florence. Sea Lion Caves is known to be the largest sea cave in the world.

#9 Fact- Oregon has more ghost towns than any other state.

#10 Crap – Crater Lake is the deepest lake in the United States It was formed more than 6,500 years ago. Its crystal-blue waters are world renowned.

*****

Buried

A Bone Secrets Novel #3

Release Date:   3/26/2013

Order here:  Amazon | B&N | Powell’s

Twenty years ago, a small private-school bus of children and their driver completely vanished on the way home from touring the state capital building of Oregon.   No clues were ever found. Two years later, a boy near death, Chris Jacobs, walked out of the Cascade Forest as the sole survivor.   Brain and physical trauma left him unable to help police find the other children and the investigation went cold. Today, multiple gravesites of children have been uncovered at an abandoned dairy farm and investigators determine they are the remains of the vanished children from the bus.

Investigative reporter Michael Brody anxiously awaits news of his missing brother’s body. All the lost children’s remains, except for Michael’s brother’s, are recovered. Desperate for answers, Michael reaches out to Chris Jacobs to see if Chris has recovered any memory to create leads for the investigation. Unable to locate Chris, Michael goes to Chris’s only relative, his younger sister Jamie. Attraction is instantaneous between Michael and Jamie. But so is utter frustration with each other’s attitude and opposing positions on Chris’s whereabouts and his inability to help the police. Michael and Jamie hunt for Chris, racing against a tattooed stranger who wants to find Chris and silence him permanently this time.

Learn more about the Bone Secret Series HERE

A little about Kendra: 

I decided to try my hand at novel writing after I read a newspaper article about NaNoWriMo. Heck, I can do that. I sat down and wrote a contemporary romance but kept tripping over dead bodies in each chapter. I got the hint and my stories evolved into romantic suspense.

I joined my local Romance Writers of America chapter, the Rose City Romance Writers, and found a fabulous community dedicated to educating its members about writing and publishing. Book purchases are tax deductable?? I also belong to International Thriller Writers and the Kiss of Death Chapter of RWA.

In 2010, my manuscript, Stronger Than Bone, was a finalist in RWA’s prestigious Golden Heart® contest. This same manuscript caught the attention of Jennifer Schober of Spencerhill Literary Agency and she became my agent. The book is now published as HIDDEN.

I grew up in the lush Pacific Northwest and still live there with my husband, three daughters, two cats, and a Pomeranian. In the real world, I’m a dental hygienist who is fascinated with forensics, refuses to eat anything green, and loves a good Mai Tai on the beach on Kauai.

GIVEAWAY TIME!!!!! 

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GRAND PRIZE:

Kendra is offering up a $40.00 Amazon Gift Card.

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