Blog Tour: Fierce Temper by @neilarocks #interview

Fierce Temper (Ozark Magic #2)
Menage Erotic Suspense
Date Published: August 3, 2016
Publisher: Evernight Publishing

Tessa Lawson has a secret… actually, she has a few. Not only did she used to be known as adult film star Temper Jazz, but she is also on the run after witnessing a murder and stealing $250K from a drug lord. She moved to Magic to hide, but will she be able to hide her heart?

Milo Livingston has his own demons. His guilt over a horrible accident that injured a friend has left him thinking he doesn’t deserve happiness. He surely doesn’t think that Tessa could ever love him.

When Milo’s friend, DEA Agent Archer Collins comes to town searching for Tessa, the trio’s world is thrown into upheaval. Archer is intent on bringing down the drug cartel responsible for his sister’s death. He never expected to fall in love with the key witness he’s been searching for.

After an attempt is made on Tessa’s life, Milo and Archer join forces to protect the woman they care about. Will both men be able to overcome their own demons and trust Tessa with their hearts? And will their love be enough to protect her from the dangerous people who want her dead?

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Interview

Is There a Message in Your Novel That You Want Readers to Grasp?

I started writing ménage not only because that is something I love to read, but because I really enjoy writing about love (couples, trios, or whatever the combination) that are somewhat unconventional. As long as my main characters are in love and committed to each other, it really doesn’t matter if their situation is unconventional. Love is love is love is love. And that’s all that matters. If my readers grasp nothing else, I hope they get that.

Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?

With kids at home, my biggest challenge is carving out that time to write, and getting in the mindset to write some steamy sex scenes even when the setting isn’t optimal. Because sometimes, I need to hit a deadline, and it doesn’t matter if my daughter is shoving her tablet in front of my face trying to show me the latest Disney video while I’m trying to write a BDSM scene that takes place in a sex swing. The writing has to get done one way or the other. Sometimes, that results in late-night writing hours, lots of coffee, and the Fifty Shades of Grey soundtrack on repeat, but hey, whatever works, right?

How many books have you written and which is your favorite?

I have written a total of eight books. This includes the anthology I was part of (Dark Captive), and it includes two books that are completed, but have not yet been released.

I think my first book Double Down will always hold a special place in my heart because it was my first. In fact, the Ozark Magic series is very dear to me because the four main women in the series are based on the personalities of myself and my three best friends. So far, you can read the stories of Izzy (Double Down) and Tessa (Fierce Temper). Tessa has been my favorite character to write by far. I’ve had the most fun with her than with anyone else, as I’m sure you can tell when you read Fierce Temper. Next up in the series will be Andi’s story and then Jillian’s.

If You had the chance to cast your main character from Hollywood today, who would you pick and why?

Fierce Temper is an M/F/M ménage, but out of the three main characters, there is only one whom I had a very specific person in mind while writing it. Readers first met my hero, Milo, in book one of the Ozark Magic series. From the second I wrote about him, I visualized Joe Manganiello. You may know him from Magic Mike, but I still think of him (and probably always will) as Alcide from True Blood. Since he is who I’ve always had in my head when I write about Milo, he is who I would definitely cast in the Hollywood version of Fierce Temper.

When did you begin writing?

I have been writing since I was a kid. In college, my focus was poetry and short stories, and that somehow morphed into a career in technical writing, marketing, and public relations. Once I hopped off the Corporate America train, I came back to the writing I really wanted to do, which is fiction. I have now been doing that for about two years, focusing on erotic romance, romantic suspense, and mystery.

How long did it take to complete your first book?

I can answer this in a couple of different ways. If you want to count the number of times I started, stopped, started over, had a different idea, and started over again—it probably took 6-7 months. If you start counting when I had nailed down the idea I wanted to go with, started writing, and ran with it until I was finished, then it was about 3 months.

Did you have an author who inspired you to become a writer?

I have a few authors who I find truly inspiring, but the one who I really credit with giving me that kick in the butt I needed is Nicole Michaels (Start Me Up, Win Me Over, Draw Me Close). She’d read some of my earlier, unpublished stuff, and she encouraged me to quit pussyfooting around and submit my work. She’s given me some great advice and tips along the way. I really look up to her as a mentor.

What is your favorite part of the writing process?

My favorite part in the writing process is when I hit that sweet spot, which for me is about two-thirds of the way into the book, where I feel like the characters leap off the page and almost start acting out of their own volition. After the initial setup of the book, that first half can be tricky, just making sure you connect all of the dots for your readers. But when you get to the point where it feels like your book is almost writing itself… there is nothing better.

Describe your latest book in 4 words.

Secrets, Suspenseful, Unfiltered, Sexy

Can you share a little bit about your current work or what is in the future for your writing?

I have another book coming out in November. Explosive Desire is the fourth book in my Love With A Price series, and it is the story of Luke Price and Harper Love. It’s a romantic suspense book, which is a little different for that series, but I am really excited about this one, and I can’t wait to share it with everyone.

Aside from that, I have completed a dark romance novella, which is a bit of a different turn for me, but I became inspired after writing a dark romance for the Dark Captive anthology. This dark romance is entitled Trusting the Criminal, and I will be submitting it within the next couple of weeks.

I’m currently heading off the beaten path and writing a cozy mystery. I’ll be using a different pen name for that, but cozies are another genre I really enjoy, so I wanted to explore that as a writer.

I'm a Midwestern girl and a lover of coffee, live music, and horror movies, not necessarily in that order.

I've been writing all my life, and I honestly can't remember a time when I wanted to do anything but write. After many years spent suffering the trials of corporate America and writing about everything from financial risk management to software user manuals to website copy about radiators (sadly, I'm not kidding), I decided take the plunge and start writing books.

I love a good love story with super hot alpha males, strong heroines, a little humor, and a lot of suspense. Sprinkle in some sexual fantasies and a few BDSM aspects, and Boom! These are only a few of the themes you'll find in my books.

When I'm not writing, I'm probably at Starbucks, or fighting evil with the help of my husband, two children, and our houseful of animals.

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