Books-n-Kisses is excited to welcome first time guest Toni Anderson to the blog.  

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

First, thanks for having me here, Kelly. When I was a little girl I always wanted to travel. After I left home to go to university I got my wish in spades and I’ve since been all over the world. But when I was younger my only escape was through other people’s stories. I was a voracious reader and that’s something I’ve never lost. Thank god for libraries! I grew up in Britain and now live in the Canadian prairies, which always feels weird to say, but it’s home now. I like it—except for the crazy winters J.

Have you always wanted to be an author?

No—I was a Marine Biologist for many years and then I had kids. I found it hard to be part of a scientist couple and to raise kids the way I wanted to raise them. Science isn’t a 9-5 career and I did a lot of fieldwork. I started trying to write a novel to give my brain an escape from being home-with-the-baby syndrome, but I got hooked.

What is your most interesting writing quirk?

I don’t think I have any quirks but I do have a favorite mug I use when I start a new story. It’s from a Highland pottery. I ♥ it.

Can you please tell us about your latest book(s)?

My latest release is called DANGEROUS WATERS. It’s a Romantic Suspense novel set in a remote town on Vancouver Island. It combines a strong female lead, RCMP Sergeant Holly Rudd, who becomes involved with a former elite soldier, Finn Carver, who is now the dive master at a world famous marine lab. The story encompasses a modern day murder and a thirty-year-old mystery and I’m hoping readers enjoy both the mystery aspect and the sexy romance.

How did you come with the idea for this story?

Oddly it started as a dream (wow, just flashed to Hot Chocolate’s ‘It Started with a Kiss’ in a weird 80’s moment) and then developed from there. I’ve visited the region where the story is set—Bamfield, BC—and it’s amazing. The dream and the setting clicked together to spark the plot. It all came from there.

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

I’m working on a follow up book to DANGEROUS WATERS featuring some secondary characters from that first story. The next book is tentatively titled DARK WATERS and is another Romantic Suspense.

Who is the one author that you would love to meet someday and why?

I’d love to meet Nora Roberts. She’s an amazing spokesperson for the romance genre and just so smart and savvy.

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

Write. It seems so obvious but people put it off for some unspecified time in the future. Do it now. Write every day. And read. Every day. You have to train those muscles.

Can you share with us something off your bucket list.

Funny. I was talking to a friend of mine about bucket lists as he’s training to do a marathon to cross off his. Needless to say a marathon doesn’t feature on mine. My bucket list tends to be places. I’d love to go to New Zealand or Africa.

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

ICED by Karen Marie Moning. I’m not into paranormal or urban fantasy but I loved the FEVER series. And SCORCHED by Laura Griffin. Then THE ART OF INTELLIGENCE: LESSONS FROM A LIFE IN THE CIA’S CLANDESTINE SERVICE by Henry A. Crumpton. So many books. So little time.

Is there anything else you would like to add?

Just thank you for having me here today and that I love hearing from readers. I’d like to offer a copy of SEA OF SUSPICION from my backlist to one lucky commenter that you choose.

Check out Toni’s website and Amazon Author Page for a list of current titles, her blog and Facebook Author Page for writing news. She also has a very infrequent newsletter for special announcements. If you like dogs or weather talk there’s her personal Facebook page, and Twitter (@toniannanderson) for up-to-the-minute chatter.  And she’s on Goodreads.

DANGEROUS WATERS

 Available from Amazon USA or UK. Also, Canada, France, and Germany.

Also in print from Barnes & Noble (US) and McNally Robinson (Canada).

Audio from Brilliance Audio.

Known as the Graveyard of the Pacific, Barkley Sound is notorious for surging swells with the power to pull helpless victims into its merciless abyss…

Sergeant Holly Rudd arrives in the coastal community of Bamfield after local divers discover a body with a knife jutting from its chest in the waters of Barkley Sound. As she investigates the crime, Holly soon realizes the sleepy town is rife with secrets. But what unsettles her most is the residents’ insistence that she bears a striking resemblance to the victim of a murder from three decades earlier. She shrugs off the uncanny likeness as a coincidence. But her simmering attraction to Finn Carver, one of the divers who discovered the corpse, isn’t so easy to ignore.

Finn, a former Special Forces soldier, knows it’s best to keep his distance from Holly. Yet it isn’t long before they both give in to the consuming desire they share. And as the danger escalates, Finn and Holly must rely on each other to thwart the plans of a cold-blooded killer who’s intent on keeping the past buried.

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Soraya, can you please share with us a little about yourself

I’m a busy mom, wife, freelance journalist and author. I’ve been writing since I was a little girl, so I’m still thrilled by the fact that I write books for a living!

Have you always wanted to be an author?

Yes. My husband asked me years ago what my dream lifestyle/job would be. I said without hesitating that I’d be an author. He gave me a weird look and said: Why don’t you write a book then? So I started writing again and many years later I became published.

Who are some of your favorite writers? Who do you feel has influenced your writing?

I like to read books that are completely different to those I write. My absolute favorite author is Nalini Singh, and I also love Harlan Coben, Rachel Vincent and Nora Roberts.

How did you get into writing in this specific genre?  Have you ever thought about writing in a different genre?

I have experimented with writing paranormal YA, but I love writing contemporary romance for adults. My self-published work is a little “hotter” than my sweeter books for Harlequin Romance.

What are some of your writing rituals?

Before I had my son, I stuck to a more set routine, but now I just write as fast as I can, when I can.

Can you please tell us about your latest book(s)?

The Navy SEAL’s Promise is a story about love finding you in the most unexpected of places. A Navy SEAL on his way home for some R&R, and a soldier flying home to see her son for Christmas… things don’t turn out as either of them had planned, but it’s 48hrs they’ll never forget.

How did you come with the idea for this story?

I admire the many men and women serving their countries, and was inspired by the brave mothers fighting for what they believe in, even though it must break their hearts to leave their children at home.

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

I’m currently finishing off the first in an upcoming series – Montana Reunion. The Montana series will be four books in total, all to be released in 2013. I’m so excited about it!

What would you be if you were not an author?

A veterinarian.

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

I’m actually dying to buy the next installment in Nalini Singh’s archangel series.

About the Author:

As a child, Soraya dreamed of becoming an author. Fast forward more than a few years, and Soraya is now living her dream! Working as a freelance writer and now a professional author too, she writes every day and loves her job. Soraya describes being an author as “the best career in the world”, and she hopes to be writing romance for many years to come.

Soraya loves spending her days thinking up characters for books, and her home is a constant source of inspiration. She lives with her own real life hero and son on a small farm in New Zealand, surrounded by animals and with an office overlooking a field where their horses graze.
For more information about Soraya, her books and her writing life, visit www.sorayalane.com or follow her on twitter @Soraya_Lane. She would love to hear from you.

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The Navy SEAL’S Promise

Soraya Lane

 Amazon

With only 48 hours back on home soil for Christmas, United States Army Corporal Saskia Cullen is desperate to spend every minute with her young son. So when heavy snowfall closes JFK airport and she misses her connecting flight to Buffalo, she’s devastated. Until Navy SEAL Luke Gray offers to keep her company… and then personally escorts her home.

Luke is back in the US on leave, waiting to hear the details of his next mission, and Saskia proves to be a pleasant distraction. And when he hears that she needs to get home to see her son, he’s prepared to do anything to help the sexy single mom. Trouble is, he hadn’t planned on falling for anyone, let alone a beautiful soldier about to return overseas.

Excerpt:

“Luke?”

He raised his eyebrows but didn’t look at her again, the snowflakes suddenly falling with more insistence on the windscreen, making it hard for him to see.

“Shit, hold on.”

She did as she was told, obeying Luke’s command. “How the hell can you see through that?” she asked.

He grimaced. She could see a tightness in his face that hadn’t been there before.

“I can’t, but I need to find somewhere safe to pull over.”

Her heart dropped. They weren’t even half way there and the storm was coming in so bad she was starting to think they could be snowed in for the rest of the day. Or worse.

Luke had slowed the vehicle to a crawl, but now they’d come to a dead stop. He opened his door and jumped out before she could protest, disappearing into the whiteout without a jacket on, before reappearing and leaping back into the truck.

“Luke you must be frozen.” She unbuckled herself and reached out to him, hand hovering before closing over his arm.

Luke stayed still, his body no longer shivering like it had been when he’d stepped back in. She hesitated, stayed still, wondering if she’d done something wrong.

“I don’t think we’ll be going anywhere for a while,” Luke told her, his voice husky and low, turning away only to flick the hazard lights on.

Saskia swallowed then nodded. “Okay.”

They both stayed still, staring at one another. Until Luke reached out a hand, broke the silence and stillness and reached for her, his palm cupping her cheek. “I will get you home, Saskia. No matter what happens, I promise.”

She gulped again, not able to break their gaze, staring into the depths of Luke’s dark chocolate eyes like a spider trapped in its own web. Saskia didn’t answer him, just slowly nodded. He still hadn’t moved his hand, and it was no longer cool, warming up from its connection with her skin.

It seemed like she wasn’t breathing, like she couldn’t have breathed if she tried, as if there wasn’t enough oxygen to even make it possible. Until Luke moved closer to her, his mouth hovering over hers, and suddenly all she could do was suck back short, silent bursts of air.

“Saskia…” As he murmured she leaned closer, couldn’t help herself.

But it was Luke who kissed her. His lips grazed hers so gently, so carefully, that she thought she’d imagined it. She reached her hands up, cupped his face with one, mirrored his action, and clutched at his shoulder with the other. A shiver licked its way down her spine, made her lean closer into him, and Luke didn’t need any further encouragement.

“Hey,” he suddenly said, pulling back slightly and looking down at her.

Saskia knew she was blushing – her face was burning. “Hey,” she whispered back.

They stared at one another again, like they had before. Not saying a word, but Saskia’s mind was racing. Was she actually doing this? Making out with a guy she’d known for less than 24 hours, and ready to rip her clothes off it meant staying close to him?

“We might be stuck here for awhile,” he said, voice low as he glanced out the window. They were surrounded by white. “Maybe quite a while.”

Luke cleared his throat, but Saskia didn’t miss what he was trying to hide. His eyes flickered past her, only for a second, but not fast enough for her not to keep up.

She glanced over her shoulder, made certain there was nothing else there, that he was actually thinking what she was. That he was struggling to look at her for the same reasons she was struggling to look at him.

Luke’s eyes said it all. They were inquisitive, mesmerizing… hungry. And her fingers were itching to touch his face again, her lips tingling, ready to be covered with his.

She was having that problem with not enough air again. Because she wasn’t this kind of girl. She’d never had a one-night stand, never done anything reckless with a man before, never done anything risqué in her personal life. Not ever.

Screw it.

Saskia flicked her tongue over her lips, nervously moistening them, before closing the distance between Luke’s body and hers. She leaned in closer, kissed him full on the mouth, and pushed back his shoulders as she landed in his lap, straddling him.

She’d flown halfway across the world for a 48 hour trip home, and she was damned if she was going to waste it. She might not be able to make it to where she was supposed to be going, but she sure as hell could make it a trip stuck in the snow that she’d never forget.

 

 

Books-n-Kisses is pleased to welcome Kim Carmichael to the blog.

Kim, can you please share with us a little about yourself

I spend my days selling to doctors and my nights writing romance.

Have you always wanted to be an author?

No, I always wanted to be a rock star!!  Writing happened after I realized I couldn’t sing worth a damn.

What is your most interesting writing quirk?

I have test songs for every story.  I know my story is done when I have a scene that goes with these certain songs.

Can you please tell us about your latest book(s)?

Hands On Me is part of the Tramp Stamp Series from Keith Publications.  It deals with one night in the lives of two spies who share a passion and a past.

How did you come with the idea for this story?

The story had to have a Tramp Stamp, but I wanted it to be a functional part of the story, not just a tattoo.

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

My book Closure was just released about a woman confronted with her high school crush and he doesn’t know you.

My book Eternity will be released from Keith Publications for Valentine’s Day and is the flagship release of their Hearts and Arrows Line.

The anthology I edited, MILF & Cookies is due out in December.

Who is the one author that you would love to meet someday and why?

Isaac Marion who wrote Warm Bodies, cause he made me love a zombie.

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

There are always going to be naysayers and people who try to take you down.  Many people are wolves in sheep’s clothing.  Surround yourself with people you trust and never stop.

Can you share with us something off your bucket list. 

I want to spend the night with Steven Tyler

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

The sequel to Nathan Squire’s Curtain Call

(Did I tell you he wrote a scene with my two favorite characters just for me!! Le Swoon)

Is there anything else you would like to add?

Thank you for having me here today!