Joining me today in the Nook, on what will be a regular post is a very good friend of mine, quite possibly a best friend, Doris O'Connor. She has had several erotic/paranormal books published by Evernight, Noble and Breathless Press. We have lunch together twice a week, so I thought she would be the ideal woman to launch Tuesday's Tit Bits!
Im really chuffed that she agreed to be my Guinea Pig so to speak, and please, if anyone reading this would like to take part. You would be more than welcome just email me.
I am a reviewer for the Women's Literary Cafe, and also review books on Goodreads, WHSmith and Amazon. Again email me for details.
So onto the interview......and here she is give it up for Author of the week (drum roll guys) DORIS O'CONNOR.
Thank you Doris, for joining me today, please take a seat and have a slurp of coffee. Kisses her on the cheek. Mwuah!!!!!
What novel be it romance or otherwise sticks out in your mind?
Gone With The Wind – it's the first book I read, where I fell head over heels in love with the hero. I was a teenager at the time and I have lost count how many times I've re-read that book since then.
Would you contemplate writing a historical romance/erotica novel some point in the future?
I would love to write a historical, but the amount of research involved puts me off a bit.
Ideal hero, bad boy or nice guy... and any influences?
The heroes in my books, lol. I love them all, but Sven from Scandinavian Scandal will always hold a special place in my heart. He was the first hero who ever sat on my shoulder, bugging me to tell his story. Not once, but twice, because having completed the original version, he then bugged me to completely re-write it from scratch and turn it into an Erotic Romance, making me into the Erotic Writer I am now.
Bad boy every time, but he needs to be tortured and redeem himself.
Real life influences, it would have to be my hubby. A little bit of him is on all my heroes. Soppy I know, but he is my real life hero. We have been married for 23 years and I couldn't imagine life without him.
And then there is the obligatory eye candy…err…I mean research of course. Such a hard job, but someone's got to do it ;)
What is your pet peeve when writing?
Constant interruptions and lack of time. This is an incredibly busy household and writing has to fit round so many other things.
What are you currently reading?
To Please A Lady by Raven McAllan and am itching to start the new Maisey Yates.
Apart from your husband, who would you most like to bring you a morning coffee?
Eric from True Blood, no contest. ;-)
Not including chocolate, what do you snack on during writing?
There are other snacks than chocolate? Really?
Do you have any advice for aspiring authors?
Never give up. Write every day, hone your craft, find a good critique group, and write, write, write. Write the way you want to, find 'your voice' and don't let rejections get you down. They are an inevitable part of the process. I lost count how many I received, before I landed my first contract. Dust yourself off, listen to any feedback, and try again. Most of all enjoy what you do. If I never published another book, I would still be writing. It's what I do
Out of the books you have written, do you have an all time favourite?
Scandinavian Scandal will always be my personal favourite. It's that Sven, though I fall in love with all of my heroes, much to hubby's amusement. He just rolls his eyes and mutters to himself.
Am a doing a recipe of the week, do you have one to share?
Now you're asking. I'm one of those cooks that don't do recipes. It's literally a handful of that, a dash of this, lol.
Yay, DORIS' APPLE PANCAKES: THEY ARE SERIOUSLY SCRUMMY!!!!
A firm favourite in this house are my German Pancakes. Take three eggs, milk, sugar and water and mix it all together. Quantities depend on how many you want to make. I feed 10 so usually make a huge bowl. The mixture needs to be quite thick, not too thick, just pourable. Heat frying pan with plenty of oil to achieve the nice, crispy texture of this pancake. Cut cooking apples in slices. Pour mixture into frying pan and add slices of apples. When one side is cooked, turn over to brown the other one. These pancakes are not flippable, lol. You should end up with a nice thick pancake, if you've done it right.
You won't be able to eat more than one! Be warned and enjoy
Can you tantalise the readers with an excerpt please?
Overview: When firefighter Alex Giovanni returns to his old neighborhood to fulfill family obligations, he is reunited with the woman inhabiting his dreams. The sexy siren ran out on him after one explosive night many years ago. Hiding behind her sensible clothes she portrays the perfect image of Miss Prim and Proper and Alex vows to unlock the passionate woman he remembers. Mixing business with pleasure has never been so much fun.
Kitty Jenkins’ orderly life gets turned upside down when Alex walks into her school. Their passion filled night four years ago has left her with a secret that threatens to tear them apart. Giving into Alex is out of the question, regardless of how much her body craves his touch.
When secrets spill and disaster strikes, can their passion turn into love?
Kitty Jenkins’ orderly life gets turned upside down when Alex walks into her school. Their passion filled night four years ago has left her with a secret that threatens to tear them apart. Giving into Alex is out of the question, regardless of how much her body craves his touch.
When secrets spill and disaster strikes, can their passion turn into love?
Excerpt
Alex knocked the brandy down in one go. All his, was she?If only that were true. But she was here, and she was making arrangements to have Noah looked after. She was so damn hot in the prim-and-proper skirt and blouse that she wore to school. Just watching her had him shifting in his suddenly tight jeans. Down, boy. She wanted to talk, remember.But then, they could always talk afterwards. He closed his eyes, recalling the way she had trembled in his arms earlier, and his smile turned wicked. This was long overdue. What he needed was to lose himself in her soft curves, and maybe then he would be able to sleep tonight without reliving that damn fire every time he closed his eyes.
****
Alex’s gaze scorched her back whilst she was on the phone getting Noah’s care sorted out for tonight. Thank goodness for her neighbor. Gwen readily agreed to get Noah from nursery.
“Don’t you worry about a thing, my dear. Noah and I will be just fine. You take your time with that fire fighter of yours. I will make sure Noah has some dinner, and he can stay with me as long as it takes. All night if need be. I do love having him here.”
Heat rose in Kitty’s cheeks, and she heard Alex’s low chuckle when she answered Gwen.“He’s not my fire fighter, and I’ll be over as soon as I can. I have no intention of staying the night, Gwen.”
“Now that is a shame.” Alex’s low whisper right behind her made her jump. When had he gotten that close? She felt her hair lifted away from her neck, and replaced with Alex’s firm mouth as he rained kisses on the sensitive skin, whilst one hand reached around her to take the phone off her.
“Hey, Gwen. Alex here. Thanks for this…. Yes, I will. Don’t you worry…. I think so, too.”
Before she could stop him, he ended the call and threw the phone on the leather settee just in front of them. She turned around to look at him. “What do you think you’re doing, Alex?”
“I’d have thought that’s obvious.”
“Alex, we need to talk.”
“Talk is overrated, Kitty”
She took a step back from the intense heat she saw in his eyes and swallowed nervously as Alex chuckled.
“Thought you were all mine.”
Oh, me and my big mouth!She spotted the bag of cards she had brought over and, sidestepping Alex, hastily grabbed it. She held the bag in front of her as though it was a shield.
“Urm, you haven’t looked at these. The kids made them for Lewis’s family, and—”The words stuck in her throat when Alex stopped where he was, and the sadness that suddenly came off him in waves was almost palpable.
He stepped away from her and poured himself yet another glass of brandy, one hip balanced on the kitchen counter, his knuckles white where they grabbed the decanter.
Kitty’s heart went out to him, and she dropped the bag. She crossed the distance between them and put one hand on his arm. “I’m sorry. Was it truly awful?”
Alex nodded grimly.“He shouldn’t have died. He was so young, Kitty, so goddamn young, his whole life in front of him. He was their only son. Imagine that. And I was the one who sent them into that building. I underestimated how unstable that side was. This is my fault, and there they were looking to me to tell them how he died.”
He reached once again for the bottle, but Kitty wouldn’t let him.
“It was an accident, Alex, a tragic accident. You can’t blame yourself; you were right there with them, weren’t you?”
She almost didn’t see Alex’s barely-there nod.
“And you said the initial investigation showed that it could not have been prevented. You told me that only yesterday. So it’s not your fault. It’s the fault of whoever the thug was that set fire to that lot in the first place. Think of all the lives you did save. All those neighboring houses that would have gone up in flames, too. All those families whose homes you saved. All the lives you’ve touched over the years, Alex.”
She moved closer still, taking his head between her hands to make him look at her. She was not going to let him take the blame for this, no way.
“You’re a hero, Alex. You all are, and I’m sure Lewis’s family will get some small amount of closure over this. He will never be forgotten.”
****
“I wish I could believe that.”
Alex was stunned by the sincerity in Kitty’s voice, by those green eyes willing him to see her point of view. Not in his wildest dreams would he have thought anyone would ever fight in his corner like this.
“Believe it, Alex. Surely your family—”
“Did they look supportive to you, when I had to leave the party?”
“Well, no, but that’s only because they love you and don’t want to see you get hurt. That’s understandable, isn’t it? And Francesca and Nonna seem supportive, and your mother, well, she is just being a mother. I can understand that. You just want to keep your baby safe, can’t blame her for that, Alex.”
“I’m not blaming her, Kitty. I just don’t like her methods.”
“Which are?”
Alex sighed to himself.
“Alex, tell me what’s going on.”
Enough of this!He did the only thing he could do. He pulled her towards him and shut her up with a kiss.
****
Buy Links: Evernight http://www.evernightpublishing.com/too-hot-to-handle-by-doris-oconnor/
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Thanks for having me today Kooks
Anytime my darling friend. Wishing you all the very best of luck in your career. I shall see you Thursday for lunch.
I'd like to thank you all for joining me today, and hope to see you all again next Tuesday when my Author of the week will be.........announced on Sunday!
Keep it Kooky xxxxxx
congrats !!! i love it ! very awesome and moving. <3
ReplyDeleteThanks Lynn, so glad you liked the excerpt :-)
DeleteCongrats Doris and Manda on a great post :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Karina :-) x
DeleteThanks again for having me, Manda x
ReplyDelete