Books-n-Kisses is pleased to welcome back Maya Banks to the blog.  We are chatting a little about life, not working well with others and her newest release Taking it All.

1. Maya, Can you please share with us a little about yourself?

I’m a wife and mother of three teenagers and we live in SE Texas. We’re very active in sports, hunting and fishing and we love traveling! But my favorite place on earth is home with my family and just being together.

2. Have you always wanted to be an author? If not what did you want to be?

Well yes and no actually. I was writing full length novels in five subject notebooks using front and back of the pages and cramming as many words onto a page as possible from a very early age (6^thgrade) And I wrote purely for the love of being able to create a story I knew I would love. Being an actual author was a total pipe dream and I never even gave it a passing THOUGHT that I was good enough or lucky enough to actually BECOME an author.

It wasn’t until after my third child was born that I even gave thought to pursuing a career in publishing. I began writing with that intent in 2002 and contracted my first book in 2006 so it took me four years or very hard work, a lot of persistence and a lot of patience to finally achieve the goal of becoming a published author.

3. What is your most interesting writing quirk?

I wouldn’t say it was “interesting” but I’m not an anal person as a rule. I’m very laid back and disorganized and don’t have a “system” for writing. The only thing I am super anal about is HOW I format my manuscripts as I write them. I’ve done it for every single book I’ve ever written and I’ve written over 60! And I just refuse to change my “system” lol

I create a folder for the series. Then a subfolder for the book IN the series I’m writing and then within that subfolder I then have a separate document for every single chapter and I also have a file called “Working Full”

As I complete a chapter I save the individual file but then I also copy and paste it to the “Working Full” document so I have the entire book in one file and then individual chapters in the folders as well.

Now I sound crazy! Lol

4. Can you please tell us about Taking It All?

Taking it All is about one of my absolute favorite tropes. Marriage in jeopardy. The hero and heroine have been married for 5 years and I focus on the bumps in the road that couples encounter after the HEA. I love the idea of a couple having to work to KEEP the HEA and not just having it come easy.

5. How did you come with the idea for this story?

A scene literally just popped into my head of a husband who in one moment of inattention put his wife at great risk and she came to harm and is the breaking point for her and he realizes that he’s going to have the fight of his life to get her back.

6. Can you share with us your current work(s) in progress?

I’m currently working on a book from my upcoming SLOW BURN series which debuts this October. The first book is KEEP ME SAFE.  The 2^nd book is IN HIS KEEPING and releases in January. The third will release in March.

7. Who is one author that you would love to co-write with and why?

I honestly don’t play well with others lol. I’m a control freak so I don’t think I COULD do it even if I desperately wanted to. I’m very stubborn. I would be a nightmare to work with I’m sure and I can’t imagine ANY author signing up for that gig haha

8. What is the best piece of advice you would give to someone that wants to get into writing?

Be patient and vigilante. Stay true to your voice. Never let others change who you are as a writer. And be persistent. Writing is HARD WORK.  It’s a job and one that requires a LOT of hours. So treat it like a job and work accordingly.

9. Can you share with us something off your bucket list.

I want to one day go to Finland and stay in their igloos with the glass dome ceilings where you can see the Northern Lights in the sky 🙂

10. What is in your To Read Pile that you are dying to start or upcoming release you can’t wait for?

I literally have thousands of books in my ginormous TBR pile! A book I can’t WAIT for is the next wolf story from Kresley Cole that was excerpted in MACRIEVE. I thought it was next and was crushed that a different story was next!

Learn more about Maya and her books here Website | Facebook | Twitter @maya_banks| Goodreads

Here is a look at

Taking it All

Amazon|B&N

Chessy and Tate have been married for several years. In the beginning, their relationship was everything she wanted. Passionate. All consuming. She offered her submission freely and Tate cherished her gift with a tenderness that made her feel safe. Content. Wanted. And loved beyond all measure. But as the years have gone by, Tate has become more immersed in making his business the success it has become, and Chessy has taken a back seat to his business obligations. Growing unhappier with the status of their once blissful marriage, Chessy knows that something has to give. Or they stand to lose it all

Tate loves his wife. Has always loved her. Providing for her has always been his number one priority. But lately she’s seemed unhappy, and he’s worried. Worried enough that he arranges for a night together that he hopes will reignite the fire that once burned like an inferno between them.

But a business call at the wrong time threatens everything. Chessy’s safety, his concentration, his wife’s faith in him as her husband, a man sworn to love and protect her above all else. Gutted with the realization that he’s going to lose her—has already lost her—he readies for the fight of his life. Whatever it takes, he’ll get her back. And prove to her that nothing is more important than her love. And that if she’ll allow him to prove himself one more time, he’ll take it all. Everything. But he’ll give far more back. Himself. His undying love.

Don’t forget to check out my review HERE