Hi Andrea! Great to have you here and to be a part of your ongoing tour - I'm looking forward to learning more about you and your work. Let's get started...
1)
Did you
set any goals for 2015?
I
love New Year’s Resolutions. It’s like getting a clean slate to wipe away all
past failures. I tend to make a lot of resolutions every year, most of which I
completely ignore! A few of them will stick though. One year I made a
resolution to wear more cute shoes. That sounds funny, I know, but it was one
of the best resolutions ever. People, even guy friends, were sending me pictures
of shoes, shoe ads, etc. all year long. Everyone got into it!
My
writing goals for 2015 are mostly to do with my new series Sweet Life in
Seattle. The first book Year of Living
Blonde is coming out next month and then I have two more books coming out in
that same series later this year.
Fire Down Below
is a stand-alone, but I keep having ideas for a book about one of the minor
characters (the gorgeous, but cold Nina) so she might get her own book too.
We’ll see!
2) How long does it take you
to write a 50,000-60,000 word manuscript?
Forever. Lol! I’m a slow writer and I write long books. My average
word count is about 130,000 words. Fire
Down Below was even longer, but I cut ruthlessly during editing. I did
NaNoWriMo successfully a couple of years ago where I tried writing as fast as I
could without editing anything (that’s why I’m so slow, I edit like crazy.) It
was an interesting experiment. I basically wrote 50,000 words of garbage! I
know for some people that fast stream-of-conscious kind of writing really
works, but apparently I’m not one of them. Interestingly, word sprints do work
for me. As long as they’re short, and as long as I can go back and tinker with
things before the next sprint.
3)
Tell us
about a new author you’ve recently discovered.
George
R.R. Martin. A friend of my husband’s loaned us the Game of Thrones HBO series a few months ago and we were immediately
addicted. I finally understand what all the fuss is about. As a result, I
started reading the books and they are fantastic, even better than the show.
He’s a really imaginative writer and every character has something that draws
you in. The Khaleesi is my absolute favorite. Love her!
4)
Name two
romances you’ve read more than once.
I started
reading romance years ago when a friend at work loaned me a copy of Robin
Shone’s The Lady’s Tutor. I remember
finishing it, and then going back to page one to read it all over again. Laura
Lee Guhrke is a favorite author of mine. I think all her books are great, but And Then He Kissed Her is one of the
books I’d want with me if I were stranded on a desert island.
5)
Tell us
about your first car
My
first car was a blue Renault LeCar. I think it cost ten bucks to fill my gas
tank. It had a manual transmission and a groovy little sunroof. Unfortunately,
it didn’t hold up well. The head gasket cracked after only about a year.
6)
Tell us
something you’ve lied about?
I
seldom lie. I’m sort of pathologically honest, which has its good and bad
points. The good thing is I never have to worry about being caught in a lie.
The bad thing is if you ask me if those pants make you look fat, I’ll tell you
the truth. (So don’t ask, unless you really want to know!)
7)
Kissing
in public? Yes or no?
In
Fire Down Below, Ben, one of the love
interests, is totally against any kind of PDA. He won’t even hold Kate’s hand
in public. She sees it as a flaw, and I have to say, I do too. I don’t think
deep tonsil-licking kisses are appropriate, but I don’t have a problem with
people showing affection with each other. I kind of like it. (Of course, like
many writers, I have voyeur tendencies!)
Fire Down Below
by Andrea Simonne
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:
Choosing between two hot guys? Not a bad way to turn
thirty-five….
Running into an old boyfriend is bad enough, but why does it
always happen when you look your worst? Kate Alexander is wearing gray sweats,
no makeup, and feels as glamorous as a pile of dirty laundry when she runs into
her hunky ex, Ben Mathews. Ben is the only man who’s ever asked her to marry
him. And now still single, and closing in on her thirty-fifth birthday, Kate
suspects her shelf life is nearing its expiration date. Though Ben once broke
her heart she’s convinced fate has brought them together for a second chance at
love.
The problem is Declan O’Connor, a sexy Irishman. Kate
considers him a friend—except she’s been having some very un-friend like
thoughts about him. They shared a hot kiss one night, before Ben reentered her
life, and now she can’t stop thinking about it. Despite the attraction with
Ben, Kate is remembering her old resentments all too well. But then Ben asks
her to marry him again, and her second chance has finally arrived. Is this what
she really wants though?
From Seattle to Dublin, from the old to the new, Kate is
caught between playing it safe or playing with fire.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
EXCERPT
“I’m glad we’re together again,”
he murmurs, kissing me softly. His fingertips trail down my body creating
little sparks on my skin.
I’m still aware that we’re
outside naked. Ben obviously doesn’t care though and I wonder if he sleeps out
here a lot. It would be just like him. He’s like a dog that refuses to be kept
indoors.
“What are you thinking about?” he
asks, sensing my distraction.
“You. I was wondering if you
sleep out here a lot.”
He chuckles softly. “I do. Crazy
huh? Sleeping on my deck. You’re finding out all my secrets tonight. I love
sleeping under the stars.”
“I don’t think I’ve ever slept
under the stars.”
“Are you serious?” Ben looks
shocked. “Never?”
“I was a Girl Scout when I was a
kid and went camping with them once, but that’s the only time.” What I don’t
add is that I hated it. All the bugs and dirt. It was awful.
“You were a Girl Scout? I’ll bet
you were cute. But I can’t believe you haven’t gone camping since then.” He
buries his face in my neck. “We’ll have to fix that. I’d love to go camping and
sleep under the stars with you in my arms every night.”
“Sounds great.”
“Really?” He strokes my cheek.
“Let’s do it. We’ll go when I get back from California.”
He kisses me slow and deliberate.
I wrap myself around him, dizzy from wanting him again. The past fades away in
a smoky haze and the present is bright and clear. There are stars overheard,
and I have to admit, the view is beautiful. I decide that I’m even looking
forward to going camping with Ben.
Sort of.
AUTHOR Bio and
Links:
Andrea Simonne grew up as an army brat and discovered she had a talent
for creating personas at each new school. The most memorable was a surfer chick
named "Ace" who never touched a surf board in her life, but had an
impressive collection of puka shell necklaces. Eventually she turned her
imagination towards writing. Andrea still enjoys creating personas, though
these days they occupy her books. She currently makes her home in the Pacific
Northwest with her husband and two sons.
You can find Andrea at:
Website: http://www.andreasimonne.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/AndreaSimonne
You can buy Fire Down Below at:
Andrea will be awarding a $25
Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour,
and a $25 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn host.
Follow the tour and comment; the more you comment, the better your chances of winning. The tour dates can be found here:
Comments??
Thank you for hosting me on your blog today! :)
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