Hey all!
We're the next stop on the Sugar & Spice blog tour and it's our absolute pleasure to have these amazing ladies on our blog today.
These lovely ladies were kind enough to answer a few questions for us so up first is our interview..enjoy!
What or who inspired you to become a writer?
AMBER: I’m not sure anything particular inspired me. I just always recall wanting to be one, before I could really be sure what it entailed, I told my mother that’s what I’d be when I grew up.
ELENA: I’ve always been an avid reader, but never had a dream of being a writer. When my sister passed away, I started to journal my struggles with the loss of my best friend. Once I started writing I couldn’t stop.
KELLI: I’ve always had a vivid imagination. I grew up with no siblings, so I had to learn how to entertain myself. When we learned about Edgar Allen Poe in school, I was inspired to start writing poetry. It eventually stemmed into writing stories.
Who is your favourite Author & what is it that really strikes you about their work?
AMBER: That is a seriously difficult question. I adore anything by Julia Quinn or Johanna Lindsey for historical romance. I’m a total Twi-hard and reread the books when I need inspiration. For a good laugh and mystery, Ann Charles is an easy go to, especially her Deadwood series. Then for paranormal, I’m a huge Carolyn Crane fan.
ELENA: As far back as I can remember I always had a book in my hand. My first introduction to romance was sneaking Johanna Lindsey and Kathleen Woodiwiss’ books from my mom’s collection. Now I love their work, because of their sexy alpha males. Back then it was probably the excitement of reading something I wasn’t supposed to.
KELLI: I love Tolkien. His work fascinates me. I love the detail and imagery. But I adore Johanna Lindsey. I enjoy reading about love and romance from long ago. I wish I could write historical.
AMBER: I’m not sure anything particular inspired me. I just always recall wanting to be one, before I could really be sure what it entailed, I told my mother that’s what I’d be when I grew up.
ELENA: I’ve always been an avid reader, but never had a dream of being a writer. When my sister passed away, I started to journal my struggles with the loss of my best friend. Once I started writing I couldn’t stop.
KELLI: I’ve always had a vivid imagination. I grew up with no siblings, so I had to learn how to entertain myself. When we learned about Edgar Allen Poe in school, I was inspired to start writing poetry. It eventually stemmed into writing stories.
Who is your favourite Author & what is it that really strikes you about their work?
AMBER: That is a seriously difficult question. I adore anything by Julia Quinn or Johanna Lindsey for historical romance. I’m a total Twi-hard and reread the books when I need inspiration. For a good laugh and mystery, Ann Charles is an easy go to, especially her Deadwood series. Then for paranormal, I’m a huge Carolyn Crane fan.
ELENA: As far back as I can remember I always had a book in my hand. My first introduction to romance was sneaking Johanna Lindsey and Kathleen Woodiwiss’ books from my mom’s collection. Now I love their work, because of their sexy alpha males. Back then it was probably the excitement of reading something I wasn’t supposed to.
KELLI: I love Tolkien. His work fascinates me. I love the detail and imagery. But I adore Johanna Lindsey. I enjoy reading about love and romance from long ago. I wish I could write historical.
What was the hardest part about writing your book?
AMBER: Sticking to it every day, even when the characters are giving me the silent treatment and my muse is on strike. Doubts always sneak in, no matter how many books I’ve written and I’m pushing twenty at this point.
ELENA: Rewriting it. This was originally part of an anthology and I wanted to expand it into a novella.
KELLI: A character from one of my other books kept talking to me, telling me his story. It made listening to my other characters difficult, but we pulled through...once I found the duct tape.
What was your favourite chapter to write and why?
AMBER: I adore the scene with the fireflies. Sara and Crew have so much sexual tension and heartache between them. It’s a scene filled with both plus the wonder Sara experiences as she waffles over if he’s really there with her or not.
ELENA: I think the scene where they are at the hockey game. Ethan is able to see a more relaxed side to Gwen.
KELLI: Without giving part of the story away, I’ll just say it’s the part where Ally ‘sees’ things from Jonah’s perspective. It’s a big reveal. I love the big reveals.
What was the most surprising things you’ve learned in writing your book?
AMBER: In researching Savannah, GA, I got to learn a lot of interesting local flavor that shows up in Twila, the shopkeeper of the magical wares, in particular.
ELENA: Trying to come up with multiple sexual innuendos is not easy.
KELLI: I can function on very little sleep and LOTS of coffee.
Do you ever experience writer's block?
AMBER: Yes! I hate it. I think of it more as writer’s doubt than block, though. If I can tamp down the doubts, the story always whispers back through.
ELENA: All the time! When I can’t put two coherent sentences together, I get up and walk away. A shower usually helps spark an idea, but when that doesn’t work, I turn to Amber or Kelli for a brainstorming session. It works every time.
KELLI: Oh yeah. When I get stuck, I normally go to my thinking spot. On warmer days, it’s deep in the woods. On colder days, it the tub.
What is the last book you read?
AMBER: Besides Only in Time and Sweet Serendipity, I adored Devil’s Luck by Carolyn Crane. I’d read her Disillusionist series through a hundred books if she wrote them. I love the premise and her writing.
ELENA: Besides Amber’s and Kelli’s, I just finished Ascend by Amanda Hocking.
KELLI: Does Captain Underpants count? LoL. Not counting Amber and Elena’s books, it would be Hidden by PC and Kristin Cast.
If you could trade places with any other person for a week, famous or not famous, living or dead, real or fictional. with whom would it be?
AMBER: Do I get to pick what week, too? If so, I pick to be Bella, the week she and Edward get married. I’d never leave the bed!
ELENA: It would have to be Elena Gilbert. Who wouldn’t want to be in a love triangle with the Salvatore brothers?
KELLI: Daenerys Targaryen from Game of Thrones. That chick is bad a**.
What do you like to do when you're not writing?
AMBER: I run, swim, read, daydream about my books and get every cuddle in with my kiddos that I can. They’re growing up far too fast.
ELENA: When I’m not running around with my boys, I love to make jewelry.
KELLI: Through the week, when it’s just me, I’m on Facebook a lot, but that’s where my readers are and I love chatting with them. I have four kids that keep me on my toes during the evening and weekend.
**********
Thank you so much ladies, fantasic answers!
You can find and keep upto date with these lovely ladies by following the links below..
Elena Gray links:
Here's some info on each of their books and also the authors have graciously given us a little excerpt from each story, just too entice us more! ;-)
Sweet Serendipity
by Elena Gray
Silence is golden. Honesty...not so much.
Gwen Palmer's saucy mouth gets in the way of her heart's desire...again. Just when she is about to trade her baker's hat for a nun's habit, she comes face to face with her idol, Ethan Reynolds.
Ethan isn't immune to Gwen's loose lips. Nor her quirkiness. And something about her smile tugs at his heart. Will he look beyond her outrageous remarks and see the truth inside? Or will Gwen lose her one chance at true love?
Excerpt
His mouth brushed hers. Gwen's lips tingled at the contact. Ethan drew away, his eyes questioning. Had he felt that, too? He didn't give her time to ask as he pulled her mouth back to his. She parted her lips as his tongue swept inside.
Her fingers gripped his shirt to keep from falling. Lava flowed through her veins when his tongue grazed hers. His hands drifted down her sides until they settled on her hips, pressing them against his.
His mouth left hers, burning a trail of kisses down her neck and back up again.
"Do you smell that?" His warm breath tickled her ear.
"Smell what?"
"It smells like something's burning."
"I think it's my panties." Liquid fire burned inside her. At any moment she would burst into flames.
But Ethan held too still. Opening her eyes, she sniffed the air. Something was burning. Pushing him away, she ran to the oven where smoke flowed out of the vent. Grabbing two potholders she flung the door open, smoke stung her eyes and scorched her lungs. Coughing, she waved her hand in front of her face. Grabbing both pans, she dropped them on the counter. The cookies had burned beyond recognition.
He stepped behind her resting his chin on her shoulder. "Looks like it wasn't your panties after all."
*fans self* Damn!!! Loved the panties part, lol! :-)
**********
Only In Time
by Kelli McCracken
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Jonah McCabe made a horrible mistake six years ago that cost him his chance at happiness. Then fate interceded.
A last minute favor has him coming face to face with the past. Every beautiful inch of it. Her laughter still echoed in his mind. As did the pain in her voice the day she left.
Can he make things right in a race against the clock or will time continue to work against him?
Excerpt
A last minute favor has him coming face to face with the past. Every beautiful inch of it. Her laughter still echoed in his mind. As did the pain in her voice the day she left.
Can he make things right in a race against the clock or will time continue to work against him?
Excerpt
The shrill sound of a whistle startled him as he turned just in time to see the end of the train pulling away.
“Hey,” he shouted. “Hey, stop!” Zipping past a crowd of onlookers, he made it to the end of the pad. But not soon enough to reach the train, though that didn’t stop him from protesting. “I need to get on that train! Please! I need to…”
His pleas fell on deaf ears. The only patrons remaining were those who’d seen off their family or friends. While a few shot him glares adorned with folded brows, most just ignored him.
He’d ignore himself, too, had the roles been reversed.
The one thing he couldn’t ignore…the ache in his chest. How it built near his heart, spreading like a deadly virus through his arms, legs, even his head. Everything ached. His lungs burned when he tried to take a breath.
As his hands fell to his sides, the slip of paper he’d been holding fell toward the ground. He didn’t bother catching it. He didn’t need it anymore. Everything he ever wanted just disappeared, along with the taillights of the train.
Wallowing in the pain, he wanted to make sure he never forgot how bad this hurt. To breathe. To think. To stand and watch his life go down the drain. That way he’d never make this same mistake, again. The mistake of giving his heart away to a woman. A woman who would never know how much he loved her. That he’d come to stop her. To give her the reason she’d been searching for.
Too bad time hadn’t been on his side. Would have been if he hadn’t—
Damn her mother.
**********
A Love Soul Deep
by Ambor Scott
A gold locket catches her eye and her heart. Inside the tiny gold frame is a picture of the man she compares all others to. The one that got away..
Can this locket, one wish, bring back the love she lost?
EXCERPT
He waited for my answer, or maybe for some sign that where he’d go, I would
follow. My free hand went to the locket. Maybe holding it would prove something. I
suspected that if it was Crew, he couldn’t stay here forever. “You know, I made a wish
the other night.”
He glanced around us, leisurely, his gaze going to our clasped hands, to the moon in
the sky, and back to me. “I like wishes.”
Words like magic and wish and love spread tiny wings inside me. If he was Crew,
I’d stumbled onto magic that couldn’t possibly last forever. I pushed his hand in mine to
tell him, go. I’m in.
That crooked, boyish grin of his just about tickled my toes. He set off and led me
through a myriad of graves flanked by tall trees and concrete blocks. I should have
shivered despite the warmth of the night. I always had before. That summer night of our
third week together, we’d trekked up to peer over the cliff at midnight. My belly hadn’t
quieted ’til morning light. How were rows upon rows of the dead any less scary?
I didn’t have time to analyze the thought. Crew stopped near another gate. His gaze
held mine. A part of me wanted him to admit who he was, but I feared breaking this spell
between us. “You okay?” he asked.
follow. My free hand went to the locket. Maybe holding it would prove something. I
suspected that if it was Crew, he couldn’t stay here forever. “You know, I made a wish
the other night.”
He glanced around us, leisurely, his gaze going to our clasped hands, to the moon in
the sky, and back to me. “I like wishes.”
Words like magic and wish and love spread tiny wings inside me. If he was Crew,
I’d stumbled onto magic that couldn’t possibly last forever. I pushed his hand in mine to
tell him, go. I’m in.
That crooked, boyish grin of his just about tickled my toes. He set off and led me
through a myriad of graves flanked by tall trees and concrete blocks. I should have
shivered despite the warmth of the night. I always had before. That summer night of our
third week together, we’d trekked up to peer over the cliff at midnight. My belly hadn’t
quieted ’til morning light. How were rows upon rows of the dead any less scary?
I didn’t have time to analyze the thought. Crew stopped near another gate. His gaze
held mine. A part of me wanted him to admit who he was, but I feared breaking this spell
between us. “You okay?” he asked.
**********
Here's the tour schedule, don't forget to follow along to each blog.
2/10 nelycab.blogspot.com
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Good Luck & HAPPY READING!!
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