EM: Welcome to My World, Carly. Thank you so much for stopping by to play
twenty questions with me :-)
Before we begin, could you tell us a little about yourself?
I am a wife,
a mother and a slave to Nicky the dog.
I love to laugh, and think chocolate and wine should be
considered their own food group. I also wishes Christmas happened twice a year.
Three years ago, I decided to take a break from writing business
material and dip my toe in the fiction pond, and I have loved watching my
imagination come to life on the page. I is the author of contemporary and
fantasy romance.
EM: Are you ready to play 20 questions? *rubs hands
together*
CF: I am! Bring it on!
Which do you find harder to write?
1. First person POV or Third?
First person.
First person.
2. As a male or female?
Oddly enough, as a female. I do well with an alpha
male voice, but finding the voice of a female that is his equal is a bit of a
struggle for me. She either comes across as a wimp or less than feminine.
Finding that line is a challenge for me.
3. Beginning, middle or end of the story?
Definitely middle. I do plot out my books, but
sometimes the characters have their own ideas and we take detours. Eventually we end up where I want to be!
4. Fight scenes or smex scenes?
Smex. The act itself is very base and doesn't change
much, so finding new ways and words to describe it can be a little bit of a
challenge
5. Synopsis or blurb?
Both. I would rather write sixty novels that deal with
either.
As a writer, do you prefer:
6. Writing in the morning, afternoon or evening?
I'm a morning person, so I do like to write then,
however, life sometimes has other ideas. So, I write whenever I can
7. Writing with music, or in peace?
I like to listen to ambient music where it blocks out
what's going on in the house.
8. Planning, or Improvising?
I'm a planner
9. Juggling a few projects, or concentrating on one at a time?
I'm definitely a juggler. I should be in the circus
10. Sticking to one genre, or exploring many?
Currently, I write fantasy romance and contemporary.
My plate is pretty full with those two, but I won't rule out other genres in
the future.
As a reader, do you prefer:
11. Story being told from female view or male?
It depends on the scene. I love when an alpha male is
brought to his knees by a woman, and I love when a woman is loved hard by that
male. I guess a little bit of both :)
12. Good guys or bad boys? Bad boys.
The badder, the better!
13. Fesity females or fragile damsels?
Fragile damsels make my teeth grind. Feisty females
all the way.
14. Stand alone stories or series?
I like both. Sometimes a good book is just what I
want, but I also love getting lost in a great series.
15. Quick reads or long stories?
Again, it depends on my mood. Sometimes a quick read is great, other times
a good novel is what I like.
16. Romance as a side dish or the main course?
Main course, dessert and a late night snack as well!
17. Erotica or soft romance or something in-between?
Usually in between
18. More action or humor?
Probably humor. It depends on the book. I've seen some
epic fails at humor.
Just for fun:
19. Vampires or Angels?
An angelic vampire?? I love them both.
20. Werewolves or Demons?
Give me a smelly dog any day!
What are you currently working on?
I am currently working on the fifth installment of the
Six Saviors Series, a fantasy romance.
Do you have any current release?
Yes. It is a short Valentine's Day contemporary
romance titled Time or Money that came out on February 11 through Bottom Drawer
Publications.
Blurb:
better life for them. But things are reaching breaking point; he and Bridget are more like roommates than a married couple. He needs to think of a way to get their marriage back on track and what better way than to make Valentine’s Day, Bridget’s favorite holiday of the year, a new start for their marriage? Mason puts in place plans for an elaborate evening designed to surprise Bridget.
Bridget is miserable in her marriage, and often longs for the days when they were dirt poor. They may have struggled financially, but at least she had her husband around. Mason is always working, and Bridget feels that he has chosen his work over her. She’s tried to talk to him about the way she feels, but he doesn’t seem to hear her. He just keeps telling her that once he makes partner then
everything will be all right. But Bridget is sick of Mason forgetting the things that are important to her … like their anniversary a few months ago. She is at the end of her tether and decides that if he forgets Valentine’s Day, her favorite day of the year, then divorce just might be on the cards.
At the end of the day, this couple has only one decision to make: Time or Money?
Purchase link: The book can be purchased at www.bottomdrawerpublications.net/
under their Book Catalogue tab
~ * ~
Excerpt:
Mason Jackson finished with the last
loop of his striped blue and black tie and shimmied the knot up to his throat.
He ran his hands over his gray button-down shirt and tucked it into his black
pants.
Mason studied his reflection in the
mirror. His eyes were blue; the same ocean blue as in his tie, and his thick,
black hair needed a trim. There were a few gray hairs at his temples. He
reached for the tweezers to pluck them out. He wasn’t quite ready for the older,
distinguished gentleman look yet.
His nose bent slightly off-center, the
result of a break when he played high school football, and his just-shaved skin
was tanned from weekends on the golf course. He stood at six foot two, and his
wife had described him as “ruggedly good looking.” What that meant, he wasn’t
sure, but as long as she was happy with it, so was he.
Not quite as muscular as he had been
in his twenties, at thirty-five he was trim and looked pretty good; there
wasn’t a sign of that gut that seemed to plague many of his male friends and
colleagues who were the same age. Even with his grueling work schedule as a
chartered accountant, he managed to find time to exercise a few times a week.
Checking his watch, he figured he
would make it to the office by seven. He was trying to make partner at his
financial firm, and had been told that the more hours he put in and the more
money he made for the firm, the better his chances. So for the past six months,
he had been getting to the office early each morning and staying late.
He turned and looked at his bed where
his wife, Bridget, or Ms. B, as he sometimes called her, slept soundly,
oblivious to his gaze. Wrapped up beneath the dark-brown comforter in the fetal
position, and looking as if she were trying to avoid the approaching morning,
she reminded him of Pigs in a Blanket, his favorite breakfast from his
childhood.
She definitely wasn’t a morning
person. The sunlight that was starting to peek through the blinds glistened off
her short, blonde hair. It looked a little lighter than usual, but he hadn’t
noticed until now. He wondered when she had gotten it colored and chastised
himself for not seeing the change sooner.
As Mason stared at the shining tips,
he smiled as he remembered the first time he had laid eyes on her, which was at
an AC/DC concert of all places. She was seated two rows ahead of him and had
caught his eye right away. During the concert he had paid little attention to
the band, his focus being on her and her then long, blonde hair that swayed
across the middle of her back as she danced. At some point during the concert
she turned around and smiled at him. When their eyes met, he knew he was a
goner. After the concert, he asked her out, and they had been inseparable from
then on. A year later they were married, and she had given him the surprise of
his life on their wedding day when she had all of her hair cut off into the
sexy blonde spikes she wore now. He loved the short hair more than the long,
blonde waves.
His smile faded as he thought, yet
again, about how long it had been since they’d spent any quality time together.
They hadn’t made love in over two months. Their respective jobs kept them both
so busy; it seemed like there wasn’t time to do anything but work, eat, sleep,
and do it all over again the next day.
He’d been at the office until nine the
previous night and had come home exhausted. He and Bridget had a stilted
conversation in the kitchen about their days for ten minutes over a glass of
wine, and then they had gone to bed. Mason was asleep within seconds. It seemed
as though if they weren’t arguing, they had trouble talking about anything.
There was so much tension and strain in the relationship, he felt like he had
to be careful with every word that came out of his mouth. Frankly, sometimes it
was just easier to not say anything at all.
Right now they were more roommates
than a married couple, and roommates that weren’t getting along very well.
There wasn’t the connection that they used to share.
Marveling at how far they had grown
apart, he recalled the first months of their marriage when they lived in a
small studio apartment. They were happy with macaroni and cheese for dinner,
boxes of wine, and each other. He looked around the huge bedroom with its
expensive Southwest decor; done in warm browns, rust colors, and deep yellows.
The travertine floors gleamed white. It was about the size of the small
apartment he grew up in. He was proud of his success and having risen above the
poverty that plagued his childhood, but as he stared back at his wife, he felt
utter loneliness shudder through him.
Mason loved Bridget now more than the
day he married her five years ago, and he couldn’t imagine his life without her
in it. His heart literally hurt to think about that scenario. However, he did
know that something had to give in the relationship. They had to find some way
to reconnect, to become a couple again. Four years ago they had talked about
starting a family, and he still wanted that. But for a family to happen there
had to be a set of loving parents.
If they kept this up, Mason knew they
were destined for a divorce that he didn’t want.
He sighed, running his hand through
his hair. Yes, they needed some time to talk, some time to get reacquainted
and, dammit, he needed to get his hands on her sweet little body and make love
to her.
Any upcoming releases?
Yes. The fifth installment of the Six Saviors Series
will be out this spring.
Where can readers find you on the internet?
EM: Thank you so much for joining me!
Thank you for having me today, Elizabeth!
ReplyDeleteNot at all, hun. It was a pleasure. :-)
DeleteWhat a great post, Elizabeth. Thank you so much for taking part in our Valentine's blog tour.
ReplyDeleteBDP
My pleasure. Glad you enjoyed the interview. :-)
DeleteHey, I'm a morning person, too, but I try to write whenver I have a spare moment. All the best, Carly!
ReplyDeleteYou have a valentine book. I wanted to do one of those, but it didn't work out. Sometimes I get too strange for publication.
ReplyDelete