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What can you tell us about your new release, Night Shift?

Night Shift is the second in the Nightshade series featuring men and women in the security industry from various backgrounds and walks of life. It’s a romantic suspense kind of read that continues with my trademark contemporary romance with and erotic flair.

In this read, we have Shane Peters, a police detective for the Jacksonville PD who also moonlights for his buddy Dalton Kippers’ (Night Break, Nightshade #1) as an investigator. He’s a single father having lost his wife eight years ago due to a horrific murder; a murder that began a string of similar ones over the years. This provides him with an unwavering obsession to get his man and solve the crimes before more women’s lives are lost.

Pulled away due to his jobs, Shane’s daughter develops a relationship with Emberlyn Roth, a fairly new neighbor that lives across the street to which the man takes notice…and interest in.

Emberlyn Roth has barely escaped a disastrous and abusive relationship, and not without scars—both physical and emotional. She falls almost instantly for the nine-year-old little girl who visits her often, but the attitude that Shane throws at her…she definitely could do without.

Having developed a relationship with a cop, you would think that it would offer Emberlyn a sense of security, but somewhere in the shadows lurks an evil waiting to pounce. And Shane is left with figuring out how to guard those that mean most to him.

What or who inspired you to become an author?

I can’t really say that any one person inspired me to be an author. I’ve always enjoyed writing as well as reading, and my parents have always encouraged me to chase my dreams and make them a reality—and so I did!

In later years, when my oldest child was two (she’s now nine), I fell in love with writing even more, and with my husband’s encouragement I took a leap of faith and began my publishing journey. By then I’d already had four manuscripts written.

If it weren’t for Mom, Dad, my husband Nick, and our two girls, not to mention many dear friends, I doubt I’d have found the courage so quickly (if at all) to put my work out there for the world to enjoy.

What books are currently on your nightstand?

At the moment, I’ve got both Lacey Black’s My Kind of Mess which has yet to be released (I’m doing some Beta reading) as well as Lydia Michaels’ La Vie en Rose (Life in Pink). Both these authors are amazing in their own right. Now, if you asked me what books are on my bookshelf that would be one very long conversation!

Say you're the host of a literary talk show. Who would be your first guest? What would you want to ask?

I’d say James Patterson. I fell in love with his works in my teens and still to this day enjoy reading (and rereading) his Alex Cross as well as his Women’s Murder Club series.

My questions would be geared toward his Susan’s Diary for Nicholas, a story in a woman’s point of view that tugged so much at my heartstrings. Optimally, if I could, I’d stick both Mr. Patterson in the same room as Nicholas Sparks and do a comparison on how they go about to writing their amazing stories with a female voice. Being an author who has written books in the perspective of the opposite sex, it would be nice to know if their thought processes mirror or are remotely close to mine.

What's your favorite thing about writing?

BAM. You're a superhero. What's your superpower?

Teleportation. It’s seriously flipping cold where I’m at right now. I’d love to just snap my eyes closed, and then imagine a scene. When I open…Voila! I’m there! Imagine the amounts saved on traveling too.

What scene in Night Shift was your favorite to write?

It’s difficult to pinpoint one simple scene, but if I had to, I’d say the opening scene to the book. I don’t recall ever writing anything from a first-person POV that was so dark before. Trust me, as an author, our minds can be warped, but even I spooked myself getting into a serial killer’s head. I enjoyed this the most mainly because it offered me more of a challenge. Anyone who knows me well, knows that I usually never back down from trying something new and pushing my writing boundaries. Of course, I wouldn’t publish anything I wasn’t entirely happy with, so thank goodness it all worked out!

Do you have a motto, quote or philosophy you live by?

My favorite quote is from a fellow Canadian author, Lucy Maud Montgomery: “Tomorrow is always fresh, with no mistakes in it.”

I fell in love with those words while watching Anne of Green Gables as a little girl, and then read the words in those same books. They kind of stuck. Playing on the old adage of “Tomorrow is a new day”, I try to live my life thinking that no matter how tough a day may turn out to be, tomorrow is always a new day to make things right…better.

Carey Decevito is the author of the new book Night Shift. 

Connect with Carey:
Author Website
 Twitter

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What can you tell us about your new release, Bargaining with the Boss?

I like to think of it as "an almost fling that turns into the real thing". After her brother sells the family's seaside hotel out from under her and her long time boyfriend leaves her for someone more "exciting", sensible good-girl, Kinsley Roberts is having more than just a case of  bridesmaid blues. Fortunately, she finds a sympathetic ear in a sizzling hot wedding guest and thinks that at least her romantic future is looking up. Until she comes face to face with the man the next morning when he's introduced as the cutthroat businessman who bought her beloved family's business and learns he's now her new boss!

What's the last book you read?

Holiday in the Hamptons by Sarah Morgan. I'm completely devouring her From Manhattan with Love series. Such sweet, feel-good stories about a group of women friends finding love in New York. She's becoming my new go-to author.

Who is your favorite couple from literature?

As a romance writer, you won't be surprised to hear that it has to be Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy! "My feelings will not be repressed. You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you." Swoon!

You're hosting a literary dinner party. Which three writers are invited?

Ooh! I can't believe I can only choose three, but here goes… 1) Harlan Coben because he is absolutely the funniest man on earth. He could do stand-up. Follow his Twitter and you'll see. 2) Nora Roberts because she is the QUEEN of romance and I would love to pick her brain. And 3) George R. R. Martin because he is so creative. It would be amazing to hear his thoughts on writing and world-building.

What's your favorite thing about writing?

My favorite thing is to have written. LOL And editing. I love tinkering with words and figuring out how to make my story stronger. If I didn't have deadlines, I'd probably never stop fiddling with sentences and would never be published!

If you had an extra hour each day, how would you spend it?

Honestly, I'd read. I always feel I never to get to read as much as I'd like to with all the other responsibilities in the day.

What scene in Bargaining with the Boss was your favorite to write?

Do you have a motto, quote or philosophy you live by?

Actually, it changes from year to depending on goals or resolutions I make. For 2018, I've been loving a quote by Jim Rohn: Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment.  It's a quote I'm keeping taped up on my desk wall.

Jennifer Shirk is the author of the new book Bargaining with the Boss. 

Connect with Jennifer:
 Author Website

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What can you tell us about your new release, Dirt?

Dirt is the first book in a new series where I tackle the most devastating event a couple can face. I decided to write this book because, as a former helicopter parent, this is the sort of thing I’d read about in the news and always wondered how I would react in this situation. In this case, we have two characters, Jack and Laurel, who react very differently to the same event, and their coping mechanisms simultaneously tear them apart and bring them together. As they fight to get back to being the couple they were before, they begin to wonder if that's even possible.

What's on your top 5 list for best books you've ever read?

I hate answering this question, but I’ll give it a shot. Many people know how much I love Gone Girl. I love books with unreliable narrators, which, for me, translates to liking books with tenacious characters in possession of questionable morals. Plus, I love an unexpected twist. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak is another favorite, and the only book where I was pretty much inconsolable when it was over. I must admit that, after writing so many happy endings, I love a book with an ambiguous or unhappy ending, which is why I love The Giver by Lois Lowry and 1984 by George Orwell. In keeping with my love of characters with questionable morals, my favorite romance novel is still Unteachable by Elliot Wake (formerly known as Leah Raeder).

You're hosting a literary dinner party. Which three writers are invited?

This is going to be an exceptionally boring answer, but I’d invite my friends. While I love the idea of picking the brains of some of my favorite writers, I would probably be dumbstruck in their presence, drink too much to loosen up, then make a total fool of myself. I’d rather invite any three of my extremely talented writer friends.

What's a typical day like for you?

I wake up after sleeping at least eight hours (I need at least eight hours to function), then I put on a pot of coffee and eat breakfast while I check email and social media notifications. Afterward, if I’m not immediately inspired to write, I get business stuff out of the way and chat with friends on Facebook for a bit. I like writing later in the day, when all errands and social stuff is done, so I can focus better.

What makes your world go round? Why does it bring you joy?

BAM. You're a superhero. What's your superpower?

This is where my true evil will be exposed. I would like to be able to control people’s minds. I’d be able to change foreign policy to improve the world, and I’d never get another one-star review.

What scene in Dirt was your favorite to write?

People who know me know that I’m not particularly fond of writing sex scenes. When I started writing romance in 2012, I couldn’t afford internet, so I had to go to Starbucks to write. Whenever it was time to write a sex scene, I was constantly blushing and looking over my shoulder to make sure no one was reading the words on my screen. I think that experience ingrained in me a sort of aversion to writing sex scenes. Which is why it is very surprising that my favorite scene to write in Dirt is the sex scene in chapter 19. This is the first book I’ve written where the sex is actually very important to the plot, as sex is used as a coping mechanism by two of the main characters. So I really enjoyed writing that scene because it showed the crux of their problem, how they only communicate during sex. It was a lot of fun to write.

Cassia Leo is the author of the new book Dirt. 

Connect with Cassia:
Author Website
 Twitter

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