Interview with Bestselling Author Sandra Brown

I’m delighted my first interview is with the prolific, bestselling author, Sandra Brown. I hope you enjoy getting to know her better. She’s generously agreed to do a giveaway, so make sure to read all the way to the end to find out how you can participate!  

 

Q:        Have you got an interesting story to share about your journey to publication?

A:        At a writers’ conference I met Mary Lynn Baxter who owned an independent book store in Lufkin, TX.  She offered to read a manuscript. I sent it to her, she read it, and recommended it to Vivian Stephens, the editor who started Dell’s Candlelight Ecstasy line. She bought it and asked if I had another finished, which I did. I sent her that one, and she bought it thirteen days later. Lesson: don’t wait for a book to sell before starting the next!

Q:        Do you plot your novels in detail or are you a pantser?

A:        A combo. I know where I’m going, but not the route I’ll take.

Q:        Do you draw on real life experiences for your plots and characters?

A:        No! I enjoy “play like.”

Q:        Is there a genre you’d like to write in, but you haven’t yet?

A:        I think I would enjoy doing more historicals. I’ve written four, the last one being RAINWATER, and I loved the change of pace. Maybe one of these days.

Q:        What advice have you got for aspiring authors?

A:        Read, read, read. Write, write, write.

Q:        Which form of social media do you prefer for book promotion?

A:        I’m doing a lot on Pinterest because it’s fun to me. It’s more visual than other forms. I call it “working on promotion,” but I get hypnotized and, before I know it, I’ve been on there for hours!

Q:        Have you made any career decisions you regret?

A:        I wish I had started earlier.  I was 30.  But, if I had, I probably wouldn’t have been ready to try and make a career of it.

Q:        What are your top 3 guilty pleasures?

A:        “The Borgias” TV series

            Fritos

            Gin and tonic

Q:        If you could travel anywhere, to a place you haven’t been before, where would it be? Where have you been that left a lasting positive impression?

A:        I’d like to visit Scotland.  Most lasting impression – Afghanistan when I went on a USO tour in 2011 with four colleagues from International Thriller Writers. Certainly not the most scenic! Definitely the most arduous itinerary! But also the most memorable trip.

Q:        Which of your own books is your favorite, and why?

A:        I can’t pick one. Favorites include: ENVY because it’s about writers, and I had fun writing the book within the book. The TEXAS! TRILOGY because they were fun to write and the characters were so endearing. I miss them!  SLOW HEAT IN HEAVEN because I really liked Cash Boudreaux. LETHAL because I liked everything about it – setting, hero, heroine, and the plot. 

Q:        What 3 things are almost always in your refrigerator?

A:        The aforementioned tonic! Limes. (Also essential for a gin and tonic.) Blueberries.

Q:        What’s your most romantic personal memory you can share with us?

A:        When I made the New York Times bestseller list for the first time, my husband, Michael, surprised me with a Lear Jet and several friends. We flew from Dallas to Houston to go to dinner.  Black tie, roses, champagne. Awesome night!

Q:        What are your non-writing hobbies, or what do you do to relax?

A:        I read, of course -- several hours each night before bed. I watch a lot of series TV because there are so many good dramas now, and I don’t have to be worrying about the plot! It’s some other writer’s problem. My husband and I travel extensively. We’re very social, but we like small gatherings or dinners out with good friends. We make family time for our two children, their spouses, and our four grandsons.

Q:        If you were stranded on a desert island and could choose one person and one thing to be stranded with, who and what would they be?

A:        I won’t commit to print the individual and item that immediately came to mind!

Q:        Tell us a secret that nobody knows about you and we’d be surprised to find out.

A:        I can’t blink my left eye independently. 

Q:        What’s your favorite food?

A:        Chili and Fritos. (You didn’t specify health food! But I do keep blueberries in the fridge and eat them throughout the day.)

Q:        What’s your favorite movie?

A:        Out of Africa

Q:        Do you prefer oceans, deserts, or mountains?

A:        Forests. I like growing green things and prefer them blooming. 

Q:        What trends do you see coming to the book industry?

A:        The trend I fear is losing readers. I don’t care what format one reads in, I just want people to read. I want to see parents cultivating in their children the “habit” of reading. 

Q:        Tell us about your new book.

A:        Mean Streak goes on sale September 2014. I’m superstitious so a title is all I have for you at this time.

Q:        What’s on your agenda in 2014?

A:        My besties and I arrived at a motto for this year: If not now, when?  We’re gonna do it all!

It sounds like you have a lot of fun in store for you this year, Sandra. We wish you all the best with Mean Streak, and thanks for visiting us.

GIVEAWAY ALERT!
Sandra is giving away three copies of her re-released book, Best Kept Secrets, to three randomly chosen visitors. So go leave your comment no later than 48 hours from the time of this posting, and include your email address so we can contact you if you are a winner.

Best Kept Secrets 

Alexandra Gaither is an attorney who finally has the power to get the justice she needs. Twenty-five years before, her mother had died a scandalous death. Alex believes one of three powerful men murdered her. Each is charming, each is a suspect, and each tries to shield her from his past. But not one of them can stop her passionate search for the truth. Like her mother before her, Alex sparks controversy and excitement in this remote Texas town. Now, as she investigates her mother’s former lover, his best friend, and the father figure to them both, she will risk everything to uncover their best kept secrets.

Buy Links are found on Sandra’s website: http://sandrabrown.net/books/best-kept-secrets/ Sandra’s backlist is now available in ebooks.

NOTE: Find out more about Sandra Brown on her Romance Books '4' Us author page at: http://www.romancebooks4us.com.

Twitter at @sandrabrown_NYT

Pinterest: sandrabrownnyt

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorSandraBrown

Did you ever want to just shake things up?

“I aim to misbehave.”

                  Captain Malcolm Reynolds

One of my favorite quotes from SERENITY the Joss Whedon movie that wrapped up the loose-ends left dangling when people of limited vision cancelled his television show FIREFLY. Celebrating the idea of a band of independent-minded citizens that challenged an authoritarian government who cared nothing about individual freedoms, sort of seems fitting this month. I know, I’m a day late for the real party but I celebrated by having a FIREFLY/SERENITY marathonJ.

I get a kick out of people who challenge authority or simply the status quo. I like characters that push the envelope and aren’t afraid to explore the question “what if”. About a year ago, I looked at some of my erotic romance stories and as much as I still loved them all, I thought it might be time to push the envelope and delve into a subject that might challenge me and inspire something new and different.  

Nope, I didn’t stray into the BDSM realm, I leave that for authors who have taken the time to research and understand the practice. I have a wonderful critique partner, Francesca Hawley. She explains whatever I don’t understand but alas, my muse has not supplied me with any BDSM story ideas. I will however, keep you posted. With her, I never know what to expect.

I thought that D/s was where she was going when she suggested BEND OVER, COWBOY. How was my audience going to react to a hero who was willing to let his girlfriend use a strap-on to fulfill one of her fantasies?

My muse had the audacity to flip her feather boa at me before she told me to suck it up. Then she dared me to write the story without straying into the realm of D/s. Did I mention she knows how to push my buttons?

I have to tell you that before this story was released I was a little worried about my readers. They were used to an entirely different kind of story. I didn't need to worry. Apparently, readers thought any man who loved his girl-friend and was up for a little experimentation was their kind of hero. 

As a reader, have you ever been tempted to read something outside your comfort zone? As an author, has any subject outside your comfort zone tempted you to write a story? Leave me a comment and as part of my ongoing celebration of the month, I’ll award someone one of my back list titles.

An Excerpt From: BEND OVER, COWBOY

Copyright © PARIS BRANDON, 2012

All Rights Reserved, Ellora's Cave Publishing, Inc.

Whether he was wearing jeans and a denim shirt or the tailored tuxedo that covered his lanky frame tonight, from the top of his wavy, pitch-black hair to the tips of his custom-made, size-thirteen, hand-tooled leather cowboy boots, Tyler “Tall” Garrett was the sexiest man Kitty Jones had ever come across.

She’d “bought” the rodeo cowboy two years ago at Marcy Pennington’s Auction for the Arts benefit. It had been lust at first sight and it had taken every penny in her checking account to outbid Livy Winthrop. But damn. The man’s smile could light up a room and it didn’t hurt that he was four inches taller than her five-foot-ten. He was one of the few men around whom she didn’t dwarf when she wore her favorite stiletto heels.

She could still call up the memory of the sparkle that had lit his baby blues that first time, when the gallery lights over the temporary catwalk weren’t shining in his eyes and he could put a face to her voice. The dinner date she’d purchased had turned into breakfast and before the month was out she was pretty much staying at his ranch outside of Fort Worth every weekend.

She got wet every time she thought about sex with Tall Garrett. She got even wetter when she thought about bending her very tough, pleasure-seeking cowboy over and riding him until he screamed for mercy. Less mercy than he might need at the moment, cornered by Livy Winthrop and her herd of dutiful sorority sisters.

She’d bet money that the clueless woman had asked him once again what size his feet were while her little clique tittered. Any minute now she and Tall would be wishing everyone happy Valentine’s Day and ducking out for some real fun. As much as she loved the gallery owner who’d thrown so much business her way, Marcy’s party had become more about tradition for them than a social obligation and she couldn’t wait for their private festivities to begin.

And that would be as soon as Tall flipped a coin to decide which one of them would be rewarded with the fantasy of their choice. All she had to do was win. He finally broke away from the group and as he strode toward her his scowl was something to behold. “I need me a longneck beer and a woman who knows how to behave herself in public,” he announced as he sidled up to her.

“Poor baby, all I have is this,” she said, holding up her champagne flute. “And don’t you dare ask me to snag you one of those imported frou-frou beers that Marcy serves because I don’t like wrapping my tongue around the names and having waiters look down their pointy little noses at me,” she grumbled good-naturedly and smiled when he stepped closer.

His gaze latched on to the top half of her bare breasts. The other half was held up by a glittery silver swathe of some space-age material that was supposed to be as sturdy as chain mail. “I like that dress,” he drawled and stayed focused on her very generous cleavage, peeking out of the scooped neckline of her slinky gown.

“Grabs your attention, does it?” she asked, not bothering to suppress her grin. Hell, she wore her gowns low so he would look. The test was if he brought his gaze back up to hers and was polite enough to look properly appreciative. Which he always did. No woman wanted to be under appreciated, whether she wore a training bra or needed miracle support for her double-Ds.

He was looking around but no one was paying them any mind and she grinned full-out because he’d moved slightly to block her from view. “Uh…yeah.”

“This woman who knows how to behave herself in public—would you want her to do that in private, too?” she asked sweetly.

“You plan on misbehavin’ anytime soon?” he asked, sounding hopeful as hell. His sexy grin made her want to drag him into the nearest dark corner and rub up against him like a cat but she’d just caught Livy’s confused what-the-hell-does-he-see-in-your-big-butt glare.

For someone as astute as the beautiful marketing executive usually was about business, she didn’t have a clue about personal relationships. Livy, with her lithe little cheerleader body and her surgically perfect profile, was a trophy hunter and she couldn’t seem to wrap her mind around the fact that Tall didn’t have any interest in being part of her collection.

Bless her heart.

Kitty had had about all this party she could politely stand and she could tell Tall was getting itchy when he reached into his pants pocket. “I think it’s time for our annual coin toss,” he suggested, pulling out what she knew to be the same quarter he’d used the first time they’d cut and run from Marcy’s annual to-do.

She knew because he kept it on the dresser in his bedroom. “Toss away, cowboy. I call heads,” she said sweetly and watched him flip the coin into the air, catch it and slap it down on the back of his hand.

His lips twitched after he lifted his palm and she knew she’d won again. “You are the luckiest woman alive.”

“Don’t I know it,” she bragged and couldn’t resist winking at him. She’d been flirting with the idea of how this night was going to end since last summer’s Fourth of July impromptu photo shoot when she’d posed him naked except for his chaps and boots. And that raggedy-ass cowboy hat that was almost as battered as he was after surviving riding bulls and anything else he could get his hands on during his ten-year stint on the rodeo circuit.

She smiled and he looked wary, but as usual, very eager. “Are you going to tell me what I’m in for or are you just going to smile all night and make me guess?”

She leaned in close and breathed in the sharp tang of his cologne that reminded her of crisp, dry leaves, earthy moss and sun-warmed leather. “I want to take you to bed and not let you out for days. I want to tie you up and watch your face while I take you every way you can imagine and some I hope you haven’t even thought about yet…

I hope you enjoyed the excerpt! Don’t forget to leave a comment and until next month,

Happy Reading!

Paris Brandon

http://parisbrandon.com

Bend Over, Cowboy-5 Stars, Guilty Pleasures Book Reviews

Petting Kitty-Ellora’s Cave

Cross My Heart-NOR Top Pick

Head Over Heels-5 Hearts, The Romance Studio

Assassin’s Kiss-4 Stars Romantic Times Book Review