Welcome Wild Rose Press author, Tara Mills...

Guest Blogger Interview

1)   What is your writing routine?  I’m laid off over the winter months so I get most of my writing done then. As soon as hubby leaves for work, I rush through the breakfast dishes, tidy the house, then I’m upstairs, writing away until it’s time to start dinner. Sometimes I don’t even remember to eat lunch.

2)   Which is your favorite romance subgenre to read? To write? I prefer reading and writing contemporary romance. I think there’s a lot more to explore topically and heroines have an opportunity to be more complicated and independent. I love a woman who doesn’t need a man in her life, but chooses one anyway. My tastes are also trending older as I age. I’m very okay with single parents and heroes and heroines who’ve already passed the thirty mark. They bring maturity and interest to the table. My second choice? I do enjoy paranormals, though my tastes run more toward characters with magical powers rather than shape shifters and vampires.

3)   What do you expect from an editor?  Excellent question. I want to know when something doesn’t ring true. If I’ve written a scene that ends up creating a hole or discrepancy somewhere else, let me know. The last thing I want to do is leave something unresolved or the reader dangling. Another set of eyes is critical. Point things out. I’m a big girl and very reasonable. I don’t want to fill in my own blanks myself. Sometimes it can be very hard to see things in our own work because we know what we’re saying. We have a clear picture in mind. If I’ve failed to communicate something to the reader, that’s definitely something I want to address. 

4)   What are you working on right now?  I’m trying to finish a short super-heroine story, tentatively called, Sizzle. I’ve also got two other contemporary romances in the works; In the Mood and Soothe Me Baby. Both have title pages on my website with blurbs and the first chapter. Soothe Me Baby is the follow-up to my new release; Accidents Make the Heart Grow Fonder. I thought Jackson’s brother, Rob, deserved to suffer a little for love. He’s such an awesome character. I also recommend the Pinterest boards set up for both stories. Love those.  

5)   Your biggest piece of advice to aspiring novelists?  I never waver on this. Read. Read anything and everything you can get your hands on; fiction and nonfiction, most certainly outside your favorite genres. Explore and seek elegant writing wherever you find it. Take time to truly appreciate graceful sentences and lovely imagery and learn from it. If you’re a writer, reading is more than merely an exercise in pleasure; it’s also an invaluable and essential tool in refining your own skills. We can always improve. There is no finish line, no tape to cross. You simply have to push forward and cheer yourself, even if no one is cheering from the sidelines.

6)   Tease us with a blurb or short excerpt.  Rachel, I believe I already sent you something you can insert here.

7)   What was your favorite subject in school and why?  Anything related to reading and writing was always a favorite. I’m also artistic so that was recognized at a young age. I love to sketch.

8)   What is your favorite dessert?  Apple turnovers.

9)   High heels, sneakers or flip flops?  Actually, I have these really comfy Keen sandals that I bought for a trip to Kauai. I wear those every day. Love em. I want another pair.

10)         Where can readers find you?

Please visit my website, Tara Mills Romance to learn about all of my titles, read my short stories, musings, blog, and more.

You can also find me on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and Pinterest.

BLURB:

Sabrina Eckhart is losing it. Oasis, the restaurant she manages is getting battered by a trendy newcomer, and with everyone looking to her for ideas, you could say she's under a little pressure. But wait, that's not all. Her evil landlady has given her until the end of the month to vacate her crummy apartment. And her thirtieth birthday is looming, reminding her of the milestones she's missed. No wonder she’s distracted and driving off the rails…down the sidewalk, and nearly running over the man with amazing glutes.
 
Jackson Murphy is an avid jogger, and the local television station’s scrumptious news director -- if he can keep the job. Unfortunately, he has one year to resuscitate their wheezing news department or the owners are going to pull the plug.  His hands are already full even without Sabrina dropping into them. The last thing he needs is to be involved with a publicity stunt.
 
The road to love is bumpy. It’ll take all of Cupid's arrows, and a lot of interference from friends, for these two to win the Dating Game.

Accidents Make the Heart Grow Fonder is available in ebook and print at; The Wild Rose Press, Amazon, Amazon UK, and Kobo. 

EXCERPT:

Here we catch up with Jackson in the newsroom the morning after he was the involuntarily propelled on stage to take part in a Dating Game and inadvertently paired with the woman who’s been causing him so much trouble.

“I love it.” Jackson chuckled and walked away as the two girls sang their hearts out to KBHY’s handsome young anchor in a You Tube video.

Van caught up with him. “Listen, I’m sorry about last night, but you’ve gotta admit, she was worth the humiliation, right?”

“Van, step into my office.”

“You’re still pissed, aren’t you?” Van asked, following his boss, his mounting dread evident.

Jackson sat in his chair and looked up. “Shut the door.”

“Shit, you’re going to ream me out now. I knew I should have called in sick.”

“Do you know who you fixed me up with last night?”

Van slowly dropped to the chair in front of him, his eyes wide with disbelief. “No.”

Jackson nodded.

“You never said she was hot!”

“What’s that got to do with it?”

“I don’t know. Any other guy would have mentioned it.”

“Sorry. I was too busy protecting my family jewels to notice.”

Van chuckled. “I’m really sorry. So what happened to you last night?”

“We went out for drinks, then back to my place, and she spent the night in my bed. Nothing special.”

“And you’re still walking? I’d be afraid she was going to break my boner off at the balls.”

“I was more worried about my back.”

“No kidding?”

Jackson rolled his eyes and said sarcastically, “She passed out in my car. I didn’t know where she lived, couldn’t wake her, so I had to take her home with me. I crashed on the couch. There was no hanky-panky.”

“Another nightmare.”

Jackson shrugged. Why spoil the convenient impression when even he didn’t know how to read what happened between them yet?

“Anyway, I figured it was safer to keep a close eye on her.”

“I’ll bet.”

Jack fixed him with a steely eye. “Don’t ever do anything like that to me again.”

Van held up his hand and made an oath, “Never again, I swear.” He smiled cautiously. “Well, I’m glad to see you were able to come in this morning on your own two feet. She could just as easily have put you in a wheelchair next.”

“Disasters come in threes. I’d like to think I’ve had all the run-ins I’m going to have with Sabrina Eckhart.”

“Sabrina Eckhart, huh? Pretty name.”

“It is,” Jackson agreed. “You know, she manages the Oasis.”

“No kidding?”

“I’m never setting foot in there again.”

“I don’t blame you. So can I have the dinner for two you won last night?”

“I won a dinner for two?”

“You didn’t know?”

“I was out of there too fast to care.”

“That’s the prize.”

“Take it.”

BIO:

Tara Mills:  I write stories I like to read — contemporary romances with identifiable characters and themes. Life is hard, love makes it bearable.  If you like stories with heart, heat, and humor, I have a title for you.

I’m a pampered wife, lucky mom to three amazing sons and one wonderful daughter-in-law, and I just became a very young grandma. I should probably underline the word very. Oh heck, why not the word young too?  Nah, you get the picture. I’m also the daily monitor of one naughty dog with attitude.

Please visit my website—Tara Mills Romance, or find me on Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, and Pinterest.