Interview of Sandra K. Marshall, RBRU Member Author

It's my honor to interview a good friend, Sandy. I've known her for all of my RWA and Mid-America Romance Authors years, and she's one of the people who motivated me when I felt like quitting. Happy to have her here today!

Sandy, tell us about yourself!

Marianne, thank you so much for having me here today. I've really enjoyed myself in this relaxed atmosphere.

Bio: I worked for a major airline for thirty-six years and did extensive travel during that period. In 1999, I retired to write full time and seriously worked toward publication.

I had an idea for a book at the time the riverboat casinos were starting up in the Mid-west. To write this book, I did research by working for nine months at a local riverboat casino. After I started my first book I knew I had enough information for more books. Fortunately, there were secondary characters who wanted their stories told to.

Here's the title of my latest book, buy link, video link.
"ADDICTION" is my latest book, the buy link is http://www.eirelander-publishing.com/addiction.htm and my video link is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e684nldayz0

Q: What’s the first thing you did when you received word you’d sold a book?
A: I was totally numb. I had worked so hard for so many years that it was hard to believe it actually happened. Who did you tell first? I was on-line so the first person I told was my mentor and critique group, and then my hubby.

Q: What part of the book is the easiest for you…beginning, middle, end. Why?
A: The beginning is the easiest for me. Those first few scenes just come to me, and I have to write notes so I won't forget them.

Q: What part of the book is the hardest for you…beginning, middle, end. Why?
A: The hardest part of writing a book is the end because I know what the end is going to be, but I have a hard time getting there. I think it's because I'm in a hurry to finish, and I need to take my time and get it right.

Q: If one of your books became a movie, which celebrity would you like to star as one of your heroines? Tell us about your heroine.
A: I'll use the heroine from Addiction. Sandra Bullock looks like Jolene Dubois except Jolene is taller. My heroine is an alcoholic, so she battles that addiction every day of her life. She also is fighting for her life because someone is stalking her.

Q: If one of your books became a movie, which celebrity would you like to star as one of your heroes? Tell us about your hero.
A: I'll use the hero from Addiction here. Jake Farrell is a black-haired blue-eyed Irishman who has an ornery grin. I'm not sure who I would want to play him. An Irishman for sure. lol

Q: What hobby do you enjoy when not writing?
A: I love to read when I have time to. Also, I love to travel.

Q: Tell us where to find you: website(s), publisher’s page(s), blog(s), Facebook page(s), etc. List them all!
A:

http://www.skaymarshall.com
http://www.eirelander-publishing.com
http://www.myspace.com/s_zinn_marshall
http://www.facebook.com/sandramarshall
http://www.sandramarshallblog.blogspot.com
I'm also on Twitter as SandraKMarshall

Q: Anything you’d like to add?
A: Here are two review sites for Addiction:
http://bkwalkerbooks.weebly.com/1/post/2009/12/-read-review-of-addiction-by-sandra-k-marshall.html
http://ddrreviews.blogspot.com/2010/01/addiction-by-sandra-k-marshall.html

I was pleasantly surprised by them. It gave me validation that I could be a writer.

BLURB for "Addiction"

Two men are after the same woman but for very different reasons.


Dark-haired beauty, Jolene Dubois has a serious problem, and it's not just battling alcoholism. Late at night, she receives whispered calls. "Jolene, I want you. I'm coming for you." Shivers climb up her spine and ice flowed in her veins.
What does he want? She must figure it out before she trusts the wrong person.


Jake Farrell, the handsome rogue is an operator with women, but is he hiding something dark and sinister under his cheery facade. The detective, Andy Martin, who investigated her father's murder, continues to ask her out. Les Voodré, an alcoholic she met at AA follows her everywhere, and Ron Keisler, her AA sponsor is always there when she needs him. Could her caller be one of these men?


To further complicate her life, she fights a host of addictions, alcoholism, smoking, gambling and sex.Jolene is determined to beat the alcohol and to stay out of the clutches of the fiend who phones her.


EXCERPT:

Jake pulled into Parma Woods Conservation area off FF Highway across the road from the Missouri river
“I’m glad the weather cleared for our target practice."


“Yeah, it’s a nice sunny afternoon.” Jolene jumped out of his dark blue SUV. Twenty minutes in the vicinity of Jake had put her through pure torture. She wished she could’ve thought of a way out of the demonstration with a reasonable excuse but none came to her during the day. How did she get herself into these situations? Because the man drew her to him like bees drawn to nectar with his laughing eyes, his daring manner, and that body.
  
Glad she kept some extra clothes in the office, she’d changed into a pair of jeans and a long-sleeved green t-shirt before meeting Jake. Leaning inside, she pulled her Smith and Wesson out of her purse, and pushed the lock on the door before she closed it.  

“Let’s go inside and pay for our hour.” Jake headed for the office. 

Well, so much for courtesy. He just walked off and left her. She surveyed the row of covered booths briefly, and hurried after him.  

Coming out the door as she reached it, he asked, “What took you so long? I thought you’d run off.”  

“I was looking around.” Damn, she would like to slap that impudent grin off his face. “There’s no way I’d miss showing you up.” 

“Hmm, we’ll see, won’t we?” Jake arched a black brow with a lopsided smile. 

She shrugged. “Yes, we will.” If he kept his distance and didn’t upset her hormones, she’d hit the target.  

“I’ve set up a target for you.” He pointed. “I’m going to try you at different distances, and we’ll see if you can really shoot.” 

Jolene squinted a bit and saw a human shape of white on black. “I’m not used to this type of target. Where am I supposed to aim?” 

“Aim at the heart for the kill.” He placed his hand at her waist, steered her closer to the object and stopped about thirty yards away. “Is this close enough for you?” 

“Fine.” Just get away from me, she screamed mentally and shook off his arm.  

Jake stepped back. 

Jolene raised her gun, clasped in both hands and sighted, then pulled the trigger. Smiling, she set her sights on the heart again and fired until she emptied the clip, released it then put another in. 

“Wait a minute, let me go check to see if you hit it.” He jogged toward the target. 

Scowling, she resisted the urge to see if she could make him dance. With the gun to her side, she yelled, “Well, how did I do?” 

As she watched him shake his head, dismay clawed at her. Could she have missed? Fool! She’d been so sure she could repeat the ten in ten bulls-eyes. Jake would think she was just a big bragger. 

“Come and see for yourself,” Jake yelled.  

You would think he would just tell me if I missed or not. Jolene walked briskly from the covered shooting range and strode up to him. “Well, did I hit the target?” She’d never live it down if she missed.  

Jake glanced at her. “Hey, where’s the confidence you had earlier today?” Taking her arm, he pulled her forward and pointed at the silhouette’s heart area. “This guy’s dead. There are ten shots right here.” He directed his gaze to where the testicles would be on a man. “I only see one miss.” 

She looked down at the crotch and laughed. “Oh, I didn’t miss. I meant to hit there.”  

“Remind me not to piss you off.”  

She heard a discharge, then a whishing sound as a projectile whizzed between them. It sliced through the target removing any evidence of the head. Shocked, she crouched down, staring all around, and then Jake shoved her to the ground and dropped on top of her.  

Someone had shot at them. Was it Rutherford’s friends? Trembling, she laid still until slowly realizing her face was in the dirt, and she couldn’t breathe. Panting, she turned her head gulping in air. All quiet. She wiggled. How long did they have to lay here? It had to be safe by now. 

In the distance, she heard a motor roar to life, and tires spin on gravel as the vehicle took off. Could it be the person who shot at them making a getaway? 

“Don’t you think they’re gone?” She humped her bottom up. Not a good idea, she realized when she felt something hard in the front of his pants. She flattened her body to the ground. “Did you have to jump on top of me?” She struggled against the hand Jake pressed on her head.  

“Shh,” he whispered in her ear. “I want to hear if anyone moves, so I’ll know where the shot came from.” 

Spitting out dirt, she just wanted to make a run for it. Bushes rustled on the bluff and a deer leaped from them. 

Jake waited a moment then removed his palm from her lips.  

She listened for more gunshots. Would someone pepper them with bullets? Her heart pumped frantically, and she wanted to run, not lie there like a willing target caught right in a potential killer’s crosshairs. When nothing happened she squirmed under him. “Get off of me.”  

He hugged her body a minute longer before he slid to lie at her side. His hand stayed firmly on her back and held her in place.  

After a few seconds, she asked, “Don’t you think it’s okay to get up now?” 

“He was on the bluff across the road.” He stared at the high steep bank across the road. “I don’t see anyone there, but let’s go in a zigzag to the nearest cover. Do you think you can do that?”  

“Yeah.” Anything would be better than waiting for something to happen.  

Adrenaline pumping, with the gun in her left hand she put her right one in front of her chest ready to push up. Would someone shoot them before they had a chance to run? Her stomach knotted into a thousand little nerves. At the same time Jake grabbed her around the waist and jerked her up. Her feet hit the ground running with Jake’s arm guiding her.  

As they neared the Conservation office building, Jake pushed her next to the wall and peered around the corner. “I think it was a warning, or otherwise we would both be dead.” 

“Warning of what?”  

“I wish I knew.”  

Jolene struggled loose of his grasp and peeked around the bend, too. “What are we waiting for? I don’t see anything.” 

“We’re staying here until I determine no one’s still there. He could’ve moved to a new place and be waiting for us to come out of hiding to pop us off.” He crouched down. “Just in case, I’m going to make a run for my SUV and bring it around for you.” 

“No way, I’m going with you. Besides, you don’t know if that shot was for me or for you.” She bent over and took off. A hand grabbed her around the waist, and Jake forced her to his side away from the road and half-carried her to the SUV. 

“What the hell do you think you’re doing? Trying to get yourself killed?” He pushed her down next to his vehicle, unlocked the door with the clicker and opened it. “Get in and stay down.” 

Jolene did as she was told. Crouched on the floor, nerves screaming, she waited for Jake to open his door. What in the heck was taking him so long? He should be on the other side by now. She raised her head to see if she could see him. 

Not detecting him, she started to exit the vehicle just as the driver’s door opened. 

Jake climbed in. “Where the hell do you think you’re going?”  

She slid back onto her seat and closed the door. “I was coming to look for you.” She stared at his taut jaw as he started the engine. “I was worried because you took so long.” 

“When I tell you to do something, do it.” He clenched his fingers around the steering wheel, backing up and driving down the long driveway. 

“Well, aren’t you the bossy one.” She’d worried about the stupid man for nothing. “What were you doing?” 

“I let the guys inside know about the shots because they might need to call the police.” He turned east on FF highway. “I gave them our names and phone numbers in case they needed to contact us.” He glanced at her. “It could’ve been hunters who strayed off their grounds, but even if it were the next person might not be so lucky.”  

Does he expect me to fall for his story about hunters? The tautness of his forearms told her he didn’t buy what he was selling either.

Thanks to Sandra K. Marshall for doing this interview. She can be found at this blog's Yahoo Group:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/romancebooksrus