Searching for some new biography and memoir books to add to your library? There are so many new releases this week that you’re bound to find a new favorite. You can pick up new novels from J. Pearl-Wisdom, Mimi Swartz, Catherine Oxenberg, and more. Enjoy your new biography and memoir books. Happy reading!
What can you tell us about your new release, Escaping Quicksand?
Escaping Quicksand, is a collection of 33 true short stories. Some stories are about the glory of an old-fashioned childhood, playing outside, cross-country road trips in the station wagon, holidays in pajamas and homemade chocolate cake. Some stories are about incredible people in my life...ever travel the United States in an RV with a hot air balloon on the back? Some stories are about being a wife, mother and career professional, but all are about finding humor and moving forward in life especially in the face of extraordinary circumstances with practical tips and survival lessons.
What or who inspired you to become an author?
Without question, my oldest son. He is just like me and I had to share the stories of Escaping Quicksand, to give him an understanding of who I am, why and what I want him to know about life. And, because, the weakest ink is better than the strongest memory -- Chinese proverb
What's on your top 5 list for the best books you've ever read?
Dan Brown's DaVinci code because it was the first book I read for pleasure after college and my first experience of staying up late because I had to read another chapter.
Buddha's Brain by Rick Hansen because I was a stressed out over anxious control freak when I started reading it and able to teach myself how to relax my body and calm my mind when I was done reading it for the fifth time.
Henry and Rigsby by Beverly Clearly. My two boys and I listen to it during car rides. I love the simplicity of the time period and gaining insight into the mischief of young boys.
1984 by George Orwell. Even in school I knew I was reading something really important, a warning to not give up the power over your own life.
Blink by Malcolm Gladwell. I love the chapter on predicting marriage success. It was so important because I was a really resentful person, but had a lifelong goal to have a long, happy and successful marriage.
Say you're the host of a literary talk show. Who would be your first guest? What would you want to ask?
Diana Gabaldon, author of the Outlander series. How much of the storyline of the entire series did you have in your head before you started writing Outlander?
What's your favorite thing about writing?
I love when the point or feeling of what I want communicated is clearly coming through, especially if it is remotely funny.
What is a typical day like for you?
Five days a week I am at my client's office by 7am for a full day of technology implementation support. I am a Certified Public Accountant, I have a Master's degree in Tax Law, but I found a niche in helping organizations implement change (everyone LOVES change, right?) via technology. There is never a dull day.
I am welcomed home by my two kids, the golden doodle and my husband before dinner. After bedtime, I am collapsed on the couch with my laptop to either write or promote Escaping Quicksand, while the tv is on.
My weekends begin with a walk around the lake, youth sports and ends at Sunday dinner with my husband's family.
What scene in Escaping Quicksand was your favorite to write?
Chapter 13 of Escaping Quicksand is the shortest and my favorite. It still makes me chuckle. It is about my childhood trip to the grocery store with my sister on our bikes to buy a can of something. Spoiler alert: we came home empty-handed.
Do you have a motto, quote or philosophy you live by?
J. Pearl-Wisdom is the author of the new book Escaping Quicksand.
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What can you tell us about your new release, The Betrayed?
The book is set in the posh oceanside city of Newport, RI where forbidden desires, money, power, betrayals and murders tangle.
We have an anxiety-plagued protagonist struggling to trust herself again, an unscrupulous wannabe mobster from Federal Hill in Providence, love interests with both Gilded Age old wealth and new money, and a secret affair between two men.
I think of myself as an armchair sleuth and this book is intended for someone like me, trying to figure out ‘whodunit’ through motive, means and opportunity but with plot twists to keep one guessing until the very end.
What or who inspired you to become an author?
My undergraduate degree is in English, so I’ve always enjoyed writing. However, the inspiration to write a book came when, by chance, I picked up a murder mystery book by a well-known author whose work I had not read yet. The book was set in Newport, RI where I’ve lived. Upon finishing the book I was frustrated as the ending was predictable and the setting could have been ‘Anytown’, USA with only a couple of Newport reference points thrown in. That’s when I decided to write a book that would give the reader a strong sense of place, a bit of history, some romantic tension and a lot of mystery.
What's on your top 5 list for the best books you've ever read?
Night Shift by Stephen King. It was the first Stephen King book (technically a collection of short stories) I had ever read. I was in the sixth grade and I was indelibly impressed by the master of macabre, suspense and thriller. I could name many other Stephen King books as favorites but I’ll move on.
The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. The only book I have ever read where I felt so invested in a relationship that it actually made me cry.
The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown. I really enjoy his style of fast-paced story, historical context and description of place.
Harry Potter, the entire series, by J.K. Rowling
Say you're the host of a literary talk show. Who would be your first guest? What would you want to ask?
It will have to be a supernatural talk show. Perhaps employing the Ouija Board (which, fun fact, is made by Hasbro in Rhode Island) so I can interview Charlotte Bronte. Often time writers base their characters on real people. I would ask her if there was a real person inspiration for the character of Jane Eyre.
What's your favorite thing about writing?
The freedom to explore ideas, identities and actions that might take you deeper into self-reflection or be completely incongruous to your own life.
What is a typical day like for you?
The day starts with a ritual of making coffee in a French press, I sit at my desk and check news headlines, emails, social media. At some point daily projects like grocery shopping, gardening, laundry and cooking get done. I am a bit of an obsessive cleaner, so that takes place daily. I try, emphasis on try, to exercise. To be honest, most days I consider cleaning to be a workout, which then justifies my having a glass of wine. Oh, and I write.
What scene in The Betrayed was your favorite to write?
Without giving too much away, the final confrontation where all is revealed.
Do you have a motto, quote or philosophy you live by?
Yes. It’s an oldie but a goodie.
“And in the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.”—Abraham Lincoln
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What can you tell us about your new release, Claimed by her Cougar?
Claimed by her Cougar is the first book in a brand new shifter romance series I’m writing called Cougar Creek Mates. Cougar Creek Mates is set in the same world as my Eternal Mates series, but because it focused on one pride and the stories of the four brothers, I decided to make it a separate mini-series. It’s a great introduction to my Eternal Mates world too.
Claimed by her Cougar is all about an alpha shifter who has lost a lot because of humans and a hunter organization, so he’s very wary of humans now and wants nothing to do with them. He’s busy with life at Cougar Creek as the mating heat is coming into full force and there’s a pride gathering about to happen and it’s his job to oversee it and make sure everyone is protected while they’re all a little… distracted. He’s not looking for a mate, but when Ivy, a human photographer, strays onto his land, it isn’t a need to drive her away that he starts feeling, it’s a need to make her stay because she might just be his one true mate.
What or who inspired you to become an author?
I’ve always loved reading, and I’ve always been creative. It’s in my blood. I used to channel a lot of that creative passion into drawing, but it evolved into another form of painting, this time with words. I stumbled into writing, starting in school when my English teacher set an assignment to write the opening chapter of a gothic horror as we had been studying that genre of writing, and she ended up reading mine in class. It was both embarrassing and inspiring, and I wrote more for the book before schoolwork stole all my time and focus. I found my way back to writing when I was in my twenties, starting out in writing fanfiction for a favorite TV show before being encouraged by another fanfiction author and also by my husband to write original stories with my own characters and worlds. I was reluctant at first, thinking I wouldn’t enjoy it as much. Boy was I wrong!
What's on your top 5 list for the best books you've ever read?
This is going to look like a strange list for a paranormal romance author, but these are my favorite books:
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte.
Lord of the Rings by J R R Tolkien.
Persuasion by Jane Austen.
North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell.
Ashes of Midnight by Lara Adrian.
Yes, that’s actually a paranormal romance at the end there. I was torn between it and another classic romance novel, but it does have a spot in my heart so it deserves to be on the list.
Say you're the host of a literary talk show. Who would be your first guest? What would you want to ask?
I think I’d be getting all my favourite paranormal romance authors on since I can’t get my favourite classic romance authors or Tolkien. I’d definitely start with Elisabeth Naughton, because I really want to know if she’s ever going to write any more Eternal Guardians stories, and then I would get Gena Showalter on to ask her why she just had to lead us on for years with the whole William / Gilly pairing and then end up placing Gilly with a completely new and different character. Biggest disappointment ever.
What's your favorite thing about writing?
I love the planning part. I love it when an idea or character comes to me and the whole creative process starts. There’s a lot to it, especially the world building. I’m very serious about world building. I’m planning a new series right now and it’s exciting. Thrilling. I love playing in a new world and figuring everything out, building a picture of everything so the world becomes immersive for my readers. I always aim to give them a world that feels real and one they can lose themselves in when reading my books, and it’s satisfying when readers email me to say they could see it all playing out like a movie for them.
What is a typical day like for you?
I try to start the day on the treadmill. Having a job where you work from a home office is a challenge when it comes to exercise. At the moment, I’m producing audiobooks of all my books, so I’ll jump on the treadmill to walk for thirty minutes to an hour while I listen to the audio and read along to check it all, noting any corrections as I go.
Then I hit the office for writing time. I have to get all my writing done first. If I tried to do any marketing or creative work before writing, I would engage that side of my brain and then the day is gone! I find it hard to switch back into writing mode if I do anything else first.
In the afternoon, after I’ve written as much as I can manage without causing my RSI in my ulnar nerves to flare up, I tackle all the other things I need to do. I handle all my own advertising and marketing, design all my own graphics and book covers, and do the paperback and ebook file formatting myself so there’s always some creative or marketing work to do each day. It’s non-stop.
What scene in Claimed by her Cougar was your favorite to write?
I’m going to have to say that one tiny moment where Rath, the hero, is fly-fishing and the heroine, Ivy, is watching him from a distance as the sun sets over the forest and mountains beyond him and the river.
I wish I could magically transport myself into Ivy’s shoes in that moment and just watch Rath as she did.
Do you have a motto, quote or philosophy you live by?
When it comes to writing, there’s a Dean Koontz quote that I read in the back of Strange Highways a long time ago, and it touched me and spoke to me then, and it still does now.
“Have fun, entertain yourself with your work, make yourself laugh and cry with your own stories, make yourself shiver in suspense along with your characters. If you can do that, then you will most likely find a large audience; but even if a large audience is never found, you’ll have a happy life. I don’t measure success by the number of copies sold but by the delight that I get from the process and the finished work.”
This goes with my philosophy of I don’t write books for others, I write them for myself. I believe that if I don’t enjoy the book I wrote, why would anyone else?
Felicity Heaton is the author of the new book Claimed by her Cougar.
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Are you a fan of fantasy and science fiction novels? Are you looking for some new additions to your summer reading list? We've made a list of some of our new favorites and think you'll love them as much as us. The list includes authors Velvet Davis, Cristelle Comby, Zach Kraft, Michael Anderle, Joshua Dalzelle, and Shannon Mayer!
Release Date: June 1, 2018
A forest beckons. It hides a relic in its roots. And provokes a perilous quest... Ceera Kestlyn is a scribe in Semadon's orderly society. She fears for her reputation when a shadowy forest summons her through a vision and her dreams. Three men go missing in a remote wood. Is it her duty to find out why?
Release Date: August 1, 2018
A mysterious beast has been savagely mauling residents of Cold City. The police assume the killings are by a rogue wolf but private investigator, Bellamy Vale, isn't so sure. She has been ordered by Death herself to investigate and this boss is not someone to disappoint... if he wants to keep breathing.
Release Date: May 25, 2018
In the wake of alien conquest, humans have learned to live with Election—the unpredictable and irreversible abduction of its citizens. It can happen to anyone: young, old, rich and poor. Four years after his wife and daughter were taken, Private Detective Alan Riker is called to Bug territory to investigate the murder of a young girl.
Release Date: July 22, 2018
Tyler has figured out a new way for Brownstone to make money. But Brownstone must agree to it first... Brownstne has received a request from his hacker support after a job he did for the Professor. It looks likes she may have made someone upset close to home. Will Tyler end the bar's neutrality or has the Professor found someone with enough magic to take Brownstone out?
Release Date: July 20, 2018
Jason Burke is broken. He has been in a downward spiral of rage and self-destruction ever since he lost his friend and crewmate on an ill-fated mission to a Pillar World. But what if Lucky didn't actually die on that planet?
Release Date: July 31, 2018
My name is Penelope. I am a witch that has no equal. Well, that's what I thought... It's been three years since the Destroyer sundered our world. Our land is now broken into many pieces, technology is gone, and new monsters have arisen. Through this, humans fight to survive, as they compete with the supernaturals for food and resources, as well as their own kind.
Catherine Coulter is the New York Times Bestselling Author of mystery and thriller novels. With over 75 novels, she is best known for her FBI Thriller series, which just had the 22nd release, Paradox. If you are eager to dive into a new mystery novel, check out these books to read if you like Catherine Coulter!
Release Date: July 30, 2018
Finally, things are starting to go well for Emma Frost. She has a sweet boyfriend, finished a new book, and her daughter Maya is doing well in high school. Even Victor is thriving and playing with his best friend, the strange girl who fell from the sky. But then a woman is found murdered in her bed with no obvious signs of being killed.
Release Date: July 28, 2018
The third book in the bestselling Eddie Grant series... A bomb has shattered the midnight silence. Mark and Kate only had seconds to escape before their sailboat turned into a flaming hell. Meanwhile, a wrecking crew breaks into their shop to steal a crucial tool. A tool the CIA needs to prevent a neo-Nazi takeover in Eastern Europe.
Release Date: July 16, 2018
Maddie Marcelle is an unexpected heiress. Despite being emotionally crippled by a devastating betrayal, she's now ready to date again. She is unaware that the man she has allowed into her life is hiding a dark secret. Now a brutal killing has occurred at the Marble House mansion and Maddie becomes entangled in the investigation.
Release Date: August 1, 2018
During Operation Iraqi Freedom and the war in Irag, two powerful men play a high stakes game with a soldier as their pawn. One is working on the side of good but is corrupted by the realization of what he could gain by using his position to his own advantage. The other has been patiently waiting for years for his chance to possess his prize.
Release Date: July 24, 2018
Estranged friends Ashley, Natalie, and Lauren are ready to heal the wounds between them. There's no better way to repair severed ties than a girls' getaway to the paradise of Tulum, Mexico. But even when they reunite, no one is being completely honest about the past of the secrets they are hiding.
Release Date: July 31, 2018
Clay Edison 's phone rings in the dead of night. A wild party in the East Bay neighborhood has resulted in gunshots and chaos. For Clay and his fellow coroners, it's just the beginning of a long night and the first of many to come. The victims keep piling up and what started as a community tragedy soon becomes lurid fodder for social media.
What can you tell us about your new release, Shadows at War?
I am glad to have it done! This is the first book that I came up with in my foggy head. It has been bouncing around in there for more than 30 years. It is an amalgamation of everything that happened to me as a Marine from day one. All the stories hearken back to things I have seen, done, laughed about, and cried over. I started it and then put it away because I couldn't come up with an ending. And when my very best friend in this whole world, Lieut. Col. Mitchell Bell shined a bright light in my eyes, it just came to me. As in I mean the ending came to me. And it wasn't going to be easy either. You as a reader of this book may think you have it figured out, but you have no idea. I am the only one who knows how the series ends. Which is strange because if I get the right amount of high octane liquor in me I tell everything I know. Not even my lover knows the truth about what my characters are up to.
What or who inspired you to become an author?
I had a friend corral me into saying it was the money and for a short time I believed that, but it's not true at all. The fact is I don't give a shovel full of dirt about money and never will. Chasing money is like chasing a rabbit in a field full of holes. I have seen what money, or is it big money does to people. I write to express myself. I get bored easily and try not to have any idle time on my hands. Now I know that is one sorry answer to the question but the truth is I don't see myself as an author, writer, or anything else but me. Just me, little old happy me.
What's on your top five list of best books you've ever read?
Now you're going to think I am throwing the interview. I don't read. I am serious. When I was a little kid in school reading was extremely difficult for me and I didn't find out until later in life that I am somewhat dyslexic, and extremely easily distracted both mentally and physically. I can think about a turning wheel in my head and what it can do and then be severely distracted by something moving outside of the window that I so desperately want to be next to or out of. To this day I am the same way. Anything and everything I write is extremely difficult for me. I can't spell, again very seriously, I can't spell at all. If it weren't for writing programs you would never see my works. I am very embarrassed when people pick up something I've written that has not been edited and they realized how bad it really is. When I turned 50 I decided I was old enough not to give a damn anymore. I wanted to write. So I pushed through it and I will continue to push through it. It is not a secret I keep anymore is the reality that is me and I am comfortable with it.
I have only read a handful of books. And most of those were shoved in my face in some sort of class at school I attended either in high school or the Marine Corps. There was a time I did a little reading to pass the time but I couldn't tell you who the authors were. The only time I read anything is if it involves a cooking recipe or assembly instructions for some expensive item I had purchased. However even then I skipped the reading unless I crammed myself into a mental conundrum during the assembly process, but let's face it there are lots of pictures in the diagrams.
Say you're the host of a literary talk show. Who would be your first guest? What would you want to ask them?
Okay, now you're stretching it. I would never do such a thing or be qualified for that matter. I barely got out of high school. My grade average wasn't enough for a trade school. So needless to say I didn't have colleges knocking down my door begging me to be their poster boy. I'm a bit of a renegade and have a tendency to “tell it like I see it.” I’m not politically correct, and carry a gun with me at all times. However in order to humor you I will wade into the waters just deep enough. It would definitely be Harper Lee. I am very fortunate to know her caretaker before she died. I asked her if she would give Harper one of my books not to have her sign it and return it, I just wanted her to have it. She informed me that Harper rarely reads people’s books and it would just be put in a box that would eventually be shipped off somewhere. I did receive an update from Harper Lee's caretaker saying that she is reading your book. I see it move from coffee table to end table to bedside table so she is definitely reading it. That was good enough for me. If I can ask her one question it would be did the tears of joy fall from your cheeks onto the pages of the original copy of To Kill a Mockingbird when you realize how wonderful of a story you had written?
Or perhaps I would ask a famous author that lives up the river from me if he remembers the person that put out the fire in his garage that almost burned down his multimillion dollar mansion. I don't need to tell you his name he doesn't need any more fame crammed into his head.
What's your favorite thing about writing?
Freedom. The total freedom to express my imagination. When I write a story I am very selfish. I do it to make me happy. It makes me happy. If someone else likes it, then all the better. I don't do it for the money, I know I've said that before and if you've ever written a book thinking you're going to get rich you're a fool. Yeah, yeah I know that is a BS answer but it is the truth someone wants to psycho analyze that in order to say I am wrong, well you go have a good time with that one.
What scene in Shadows at War was your favorite to write?
That would be the one where Anita asks Scott what it was like to kill someone. I went to a place within me that was vulnerable, emotional, and extremely honest.
Do you have a motto, quote or philosophy you live by?
This one comes straight from my mother and father, who just celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary last week. Never sleep with the bitter taste of a lie on your lips. If you do your tongue will have to dance around it in the morning and tell two more. I have done many, many stupid things in my life. And I have told the truth about them when asked. It cost me a lot and set me back in many ways, but I was always able to overcome and keep on heading down the road because I got a good night’s sleep and didn't have to remember the sequence of lies told to cover up my stupidity.
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Avery Flynn is a USA Today Bestselling Author of contemporary romance novels. Some of her novels are steamy and some are sweeter, but you can be guaranteed to find sexy alphas heroes and feisty heroines. Some of her popular recent books include Butterface, The Schemer, and Trouble. If you're looking for some new romance novels to fall for, check out these hot new books to read if you like Avery Flynn.
Release Date: July 26, 2018
Ben Hayes was the gorgeous bad boy next door. My brother's best friend. Then for six of the happiest years of my life, he was my boyfriend. That was until he dumped me on social media in front of millions of people and became my worst enemy. Now, three years later he's returned to town. But I won't let him break me again.
Release Date: July 17, 2018
Sophie is an intelligent and independent woman. Her parents divorced when she was a child and ever since she's tossed the idea of a happy ever after out the window. When her best friend Bryson reunites with her soulmate Hart, Sophie is forced to allow his friends into her world. She likes her new friends, except for one handsome buffoon named Doug Truman.
Release Date: June 16, 2018
Katy and Steven were the loves of each other's lives. That was until a tragedy drove them apart. They share a son but have moved on with their lives. They haven't seen each other in five long years... That was until he comes knocking on her parent's door after learning she was back in town. Now Katy is forced to face her estranged husband and the love that broke her heart.
Release Date: July 29, 2018
It started out as just a game. But then I found out who he was. Gambler, famous playboy and... my best friend's soon-to-be brother in law, Cullen Carmichael. He needed a good luck charm and I needed a distraction. So we made a gamble and set off for Vegas.
Release Date: July 19, 2018
I love only two things: my family and playing football. I may not understand why people get married, but I'd go anywhere for my brother, even his friend's wedding. Now that I'm here, I realize our Bronx upbringing has left me unprepared for the world of old southern money. It's a life I don't relate to. Then I shock not only myself but the bride when I stand up and object to the wedding.
Release Date: July 31, 2018
He's sexy and irresistible but I've done my best to ignore the magnetism between us. I don't need any more complications in my life. I don't want to get wrapped up in his world. I can't get attached to a professional athlete. I don't have the time for heartbreak.
What can you tell us about your new release, Counting the Ones We Kill?
In the near future, the world's been conquered in a bloodless invasion. The all-powerful and enigmatic invader, floating in vast ships at the edge of orbit, has never said a word to the masses. It speaks only through Election--the inexplicable and relentless abduction of young and old, rich and poor.
Against this backdrop a young girl is found murdered on the territory of the human agency that oversees Elections. Fearing reprisals, nobody has the courage to investigate—nobody but Private Detective Alan Riker, whose past indiscretions have left him with little to lose. He soon finds that to solve the crime, he’ll have to confront the ugliest parts of a despairing world. Counting is the first in a series of novels. Including Counting, four of these novels have been published to date. All are available on Amazon. Two more, to be released by 2019, will complete the series.
What or who inspired you to become an author?
Compulsion, mostly. Writing a novel is one of the most foolish things a person can do. It’s kind of like spending a few hundred hours for the honor of buying an expensive lottery ticket that has virtually no chance of paying off, and when it does it nearly always pays off meekly. And yet we do it anyway, because when it’s going well, it’s one of the most fun things in the world.
What's on your top 5 list for the best books you've ever read?
True Grit by Charles Portis. A book written by a young man using the voice of an elderly spinster recalling her days as a whip-smart firecracker. I’ve never seen so much delightful richness in the telling of a story.
Darker than Amber by John D. MacDonald. No thriller writer beats MacDonald on comprehension of the world and the people who inhabit it. And his musings on Florida and its money-obsessed degradation are as cutting today as they were in back in his day (1960s and 70s). But as often than not, when I read him I get depressed. He sets a standard that is all but impossible to match.
Master and Commander by Patrick O’Brian. Any installment of this series belongs among my favorite books. Patrick O’Brian is unequaled in his ability to transport the reader through time. He writes with unqualified authority on life and death in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars, and he does so with an understanding of human psychology that rivals the finest novelists of any era.
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. The best book on vain ambition I’ve ever read. And I’ve spent plenty of time on vain ambition. The last two paragraphs alone are nearly enough to earn placement on my list.
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. What can I say? The ludicrous prejudices of our world as seen through the eyes of an unforgettable girl. It may be the best American novel of the late 20th century.
Say you're the host of a literary talk show. Who would be your first guest? What would you want to ask?
First thing I would do is surreptitiously disable all of the transmitting equipment in the studio. Then I would send all the support people home, without pay. Then I would bring in James Patterson, and as I pretended to interview him for the masses, I would privately interrogate him on how to survive in this racket.
What's your favorite thing about writing?
For me, the inspiration for a book typically comes with a concept for a few thrilling scenes. Often enough these scenes appear at the climax of the story, but not always. In all events, writing this stuff is the most fun part of the job.
What is a typical day like for you?
My days are spent in the attempt to conquer procrastination and distraction. I’d say my record is fair at best. I’m fortunate to work from home and to have a great deal of flexibility in how I fill my schedule. I try to fill as much of that schedule with writing as I can.
What scene in Counting the Ones We Kill was your favorite to write?
I enjoyed a particular moment of realization that takes place toward the end--one that I can't disclose for fear of spoilers. Suffice it to say, nothing is more satisfying than the shock of a character.
Do you have a motto, quote or philosophy you live by?
I believe it was Hedy Lamarr who said something to the effect of, “if something isn’t working—change it.” Such a simple instruction. I wish I followed it more often. Not that I should necessarily look to celebrities for guidance on the life well lived...
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What can you tell us about your new release, Crazy Sexy Love?
Crazy Sexy Love is my very first romantic comedy. It's an enemies, to friends, to lovers story about Doug and Sophie, who we first met in my novel, The Dance. Doug has annoyed and turned on Sophie for years. She's attracted to him physically. It's when he opens his mouth to speak one of his Doug-isms is where the problem comes in. Plus, starting an enemies with benefits relationship is just too complicated. As in any great romantic comedy, circumstances throw these two together. It's a fun and flirty read with some swoon and steam tossed in.
What or who inspired you to become an author?
The death of my father. Focusing on my first novel guided me through the grieving process. I truly believe my dad helped me write that story.
What's on your top 5 list for the best books you've ever read?
To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Making Faces by Amy Harmon. Hopeless by Colleen Hoover. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. Stone Soup (1968), written by Ann McGovern, mom used to read this to me all the time.
Say you're the host of a literary talk show. Who would be your first guest? What would you want to ask?
I'd have Harper Lee on my show. I'd ask her while writing To Kill A Mockingbird, did she know it would have such an impact on society and that it would be the only novel she would publish.
What's your favorite thing about writing?
I like creating characters and unique stories that surprise the reader.
What is a typical day like for you?
Most of my day is spent taking care of my 85-year-old mother. I write at night when the world is nice and quiet.
What scene in Crazy Sexy Love was your favorite to write?
I have two actually. The first is when Doug needs a place to stay because his condo is unlivable and begs Sophie to let him stay with her. The other one is the first morning after Doug moves in. Honestly, any scene with Doug and Sophie verbally sparring is a favorite.
Do you have a motto, quote or philosophy you live by?
Stay hopeful and keep moving forward.
Alison G. Bailey is the author of the new book Crazy Sexy Love.
Connect with Alison:
Author Page
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