1) Who is your favourite author and why?
I fluctuate on this
one, but I’d say my favourite author is Heather Graham. She also writes romantic suspense and I
simply love her mastery of character development and plot twists. She also incorporates humor into her
stories, which is a great way to offset the tension involved in a romantic
suspense novel.
2) When did you first consider yourself a writer?
Hmm...interesting
question. Good one. I “considered” myself a writer when I
started writing feature stories as a journalist. Although I’d done news stories before that, they were more
straight facts (yes, there was a day when journalism was still based on facts!)
and feature writing gave me an opportunity to draw on my descriptive and
creative skills to an extent. That
was about twenty years ago. Seeing
my first novel, Kiss Me Slowly, in print last November sealed the deal, though,
and catapulted me to “author” status.
Now that was the true rush of my life.
3) Describe your writing space?
a! Well, right now it’s
very cluttered, but I’m not gonna lie...it’s usually like this. My office space is in the back of our
long, narrow family room. I have
it blocked off with a dark, wooden room divider that has slats in it that I can
open and close (to spy on the kids when they’re fighting). There’s a wood burning stove to my
right backed by a river rock wall.
Every other wall is covered with a bookcase. To my left is my giant wall
calendar that’s supposed to keep me on track with deadlines but doesn’t. I have
pictures of sexy men, cards I’ve gotten from friends and fans, pictures of my
now deceased grandparents and inspirational messages on the bulletin board
above the giant calendar. I’m sitting at a rolltop desk facing a 26-inch screen
iMac computer that the kids say I treat like a child. All around my desk are
papers ranging from bills to my latest work-in-progress that needs revision.
Behind those papers are more books, including my favorite book of love poems
from Rumi. On top of the desk is a
picture of me kissing a sea lion in Cancun, Mexico, bamboo, a picture of me
with some friends in Hydra, Greece and a ceramic bowl that says, “Joy and
Laughter” on it.
4) What are you reading now?
Divine Openings by Lola
Jones.
5) How many books have your written? Which is your favourite?
Well, I’ve written
four, but only two are published right now. The other two are in the cue for
publication in 2013. Ooo...asking
me to choose a favourite novel of mine is like asking me to choose between my two
children. Ha! I’ll say Riptide is my favourite only
because it has a lot of emotion in it that I used from personal experiences. I
cried when writing certain scenes because I connected so strongly with the
emotional journey of my heroine, Lauren.
6) What comes first, plot or characters?
Characters always come
first for me. They are the
strongest and truly drive the plot to places I had no idea were possible.
7) Do you ever suffer from writer’s block?
No. I write every day. Let me explain: If I happen to be stuck
on one story, I jump to another work in progress. I have multiple projects going at once, which makes it easy
to avoid writers’ block. However,
I do get stuck on one story every now and then and find that taking a break
from it to focus on something else frees it for me later.
8) What do you like to do when you’re not writing?
Belly dancing, hiking,
socializing, hanging out with my teenagers at their sporting events, going to
movies, reading.
9) Tell us about your latest book?
Riptide is a story
about Lauren Biltmore needing to start over after one violent act shatters life
as she’s known it. She resigns and escapes to her brother’s home on Grand
Cayman to sort it all out.
Although she’s raw and untrusting, she’s attracted to Noah Reynolds who
has seen more than his fair share of tragedy, too. In each other, they sense an
understanding born out of common sadness and hot, hot attraction! Kindred
spirits. But the island is far
from peaceful--Noah has a stalker of his own and Lauren begins to question
what’s real or what’s imagined.
Her scars run deep and create a lot of self doubt that she needs to
battle as she and Noah fight for their happy ending.
You see, I was once stalked an attacked
by a stalker--not nearly to the extent of Lauren!--but my experience motivated
me to write about starting over, the paranoia that’s always whispering through
your mind as you heal and the courage it takes to be happy despite the past.
10) What’s next for you?
Reckless
Endangerment is my next novel due out this winter. It’s about a wounded marine, Colonel Michael Cedars, who
returns to Denver, Colorado after being discharged from Afghanistan. He
struggles with PTSD, the fact that his left leg is paralyzed and adjusting to
his identity as a civilian. He’s married to Hope Shane who is a celebrity
journalist on the trail of human trafficking ring. She’s fighting for her marriage because Michael’s wanting to
give that up, too...and eventually, she’s also fighting for her life. Michael
is tested both physically and emotionally as he realizes that life does go on
after the war...and that he is just as valued and necessary in his new roles as
civilian and husband.
Title: Riptide
Author: Amber Lea Easton
Publisher: Siren-Bookstrand
Length: 98,000 words
Genres: Contemporary
Romantic Suspense (Adventure)
Heat Level: Steamy
AVAILABLE
AT:
BLURB:
One
violent night shatters Lauren Biltmore’s life. As an anchorwoman, she's
accustomed to reporting the news rather than being the lead story. She
escapes the spotlight by fleeing to her brother's home in the Cayman Islands.
Haunted by nightmares, all she wants is a distraction from reality.
Distraction
arrives via sexy screenwriter, Noah Reynolds. His take-me-to-bed looks mask a
past ripe with scandal. He knows he should stay away from Lauren, especially
when the worst night of her life unlocks his writer's block and while he's
dealing with a stalker of his own, but ethics are his weakness.
Attraction
sizzles beneath Caribbean sunshine. As their relationship grows, Noah's stalker
intensifies her torment. Lauren wonders if her paranoia is justified or a
carryover from her past. What's real? What's imagined? Tentative trust is
tested as their love is swept up against a riptide of deceit, murder, and
revenge.
EXCERPT:
His two days on board the
Angelfish with Larry had been good for him. Larry had convinced him of the
absurdity of his theory that Alicia still walked the earth and assured him that
he’d help find out who was bringing up the past. Sometimes there was nothing
better than an old friend, even one who tended to piss him off more often than
not.
He toweled himself off, his
thoughts centered around Lauren and their last date. It hadn’t exactly gone as
planned given the dead guy face down amidst the fish. Not that he’d helped the
situation with his not-so-smooth-moves-on-the-beach later. The past two days had
given him perspective. He wanted her. Right or wrong, mistake or not, he needed
to see where this could go. He couldn’t get her out of his mind. Maybe tonight
he’d get another chance if he could track her down.
“Noah.” Lauren cleared her
throat from where she stood outside the open bathroom door. She leaned against
the wall in a Caribbean blue tank dress that hugged her body in all the right
places, legs exposed from midthigh down, ankles crossed, long hair glistening
over lightly tanned shoulders, gaze averted to the floor and smile playing
across lips he desperately wanted against his skin. “Sorry to barge in. You
left the deck door wide open.”
“No problem.” He cinched
the towel around his waist and wondered exactly how long she’d been standing
there. The thought of her watching him shower and dry off did crazy things to
his nervous system. “I’ve been looking for you.”
“Erin told me.” She leaned
her head back against the wall and dragged her gaze from his toes upward.
“Heard you were on private charter for the past few days.”
He leaned his shoulder
against the doorframe and let her gaze soak him up. He liked the way she looked
at him as if he were dessert.
“About the other
night...I’m sorry. Can I make it up to you? Dinner tonight? Etcetera?” he asked.
She caught her lower lip
between her teeth, gaze lingering on his chest. “Are you sure this time? No
running away when things get hot?”
Electricity zapped in the
three feet separating them.
Damn, the woman did insane
things to his rational thinking. He’d decided on the boat that he needed to see
her, make things right, take it slow, get tangled up in some strings. Seeing
her live and in person threw common sense out the window.
“I can’t decide if you’re
hotter when wet or dry...I’m thinking it might be a tie,” she said.
Oh, what the hell. With an
opener like that, how could a man resist? He crossed the space between them,
slipped his hand behind her neck, and kissed her on that mouth he’d been
fantasizing about all week.
Her hands slid over his
damp chest while her mouth moved slowly beneath his, her teeth lightly catching
his lower lip. Eyes open, they smiled against each other’s mouths.
“Miss me?” he asked.
“It would be very uncool of
me to answer that.” She slid her hands over his abdomen and lingered on the
towel. “Are you still wanting to back off, or have you come to your senses?”
He braced his hands over
her head. The only thing he wanted to do was kiss her slowly and make her beg
for more. He looked into her eyes. “You’re making me forget all of the reasons
this is a mistake.”
“A sexy mistake.” Her
fingers touched his chest in a featherlike caress. She licked her lips.
“Good point.” He smiled.
“We’re headed into the danger zone.”
“You have no idea how
dangerous.” She tugged on the towel, a wicked grin in her eyes.
Oh, he had an idea about
the level of danger. He’d thought of nothing else for the past forty-eight
hours and ranked this situation a solid Level Red. Despite that, all he could
think about was how good it would feel to have her long legs wrapped around his
hips while her nails clawed against his back. He needed to pull the emergency
brake. Slow, he reminded himself. Slow.
He leaned against her,
enjoying the way her body arched toward his like a magnetic pull. He tangled
his fingers in the hair at the back of her neck. “What do you want, Lauren?
After the other night, you know I’m more complicated than I seem.”
Her gaze flicked up to his.
“I know what I’m doing.”
“You have no idea what
you’re getting yourself into.”
“Show me. Let’s make some
mistakes together. We’re both consenting adults. What the hell?” she whispered,
her teeth pulling at his lower lip.
“You’re reckless.”
“Does that scare you?” she
asked.
He paused a fraction over
her lips and looked into her eyes. Yeah, she was scary reckless, but that
turned him on more than he could say. So what if she wanted to use him for a
distraction from her own demons? He knew that had something to do with it—the
woman oozed intensity.
BOOK TRAILER:
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Amber Lea Easton is a multi-published fiction and nonfiction
author. For twenty years, she's worked in the fields of journalism and
advertising with a brief detour into the financial industry. Although she
holds a BA in Communications & Journalism, she is a perpetual student of
life who enjoys taking post-graduate courses on a wide variety of subjects when
time allows. Smart is
sexy, according to Easton, which is why she writes about strong female
characters who have their flaws and challenges, but who ultimately persevere.
Easton currently lives with her two teenagers in the Colorado Rocky Mountains where she gives thanks daily for the gorgeous view outside her window. She finds inspiration from traveling, the people she meets, nature and life’s twists and turns. At the end of the day, as long as she's writing, she considers herself to be simply "a lucky lady liv'n the dream."
Visit Amber at:
Email - amber@amberleaeaston.com
Website - http://www.amberleaeaston.com
Twitter - @MtnMoxieGirl
Link to Schedule:
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