Showing posts with label Kristen Strassel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kristen Strassel. Show all posts

Friday, February 20, 2015

Friday Fun - Meet Author Kristen Strassel

How cool would it be to share the same birthday as Steven Tyler and Diana Ross? Our guest today certainly does! I think the stars were in a musical line for her when she created her rock-n-roll stories in the Night Songs Collection and the Spotlight Series. A member of my street team loves her just because they share BonJovi as their all-time favorite band.

Give a special welcome to author Kristen Strassel!

Thanks for joining us today, Kristen. Many know you write New Adult (NA), comtemporary, and paranormal stories. Love those hot vamps and shifters! So tell us a little about your work. 
How long have you been writing? 
I’ve been writing all my life. My writing partner, Julie Hutchings, and I grew up together. I won’t say that I’m old, but there was no internet.  We used to entertain ourselves by passing a notebook back and forth, each adding a couple of paragraphs to a story.  I’d tried to write the book that became Because the Night for years. I even moved to Vegas to do it! But I didn’t know how to write a book yet. I couldn’t get past the first few chapters.


 Fast forward to the summer of 2011 when Julie told me she’d been working on her first book, Running Home. We worked together, and both books are now published.

How many books have you published?
The voices in my head talk a lot. There are four and a half books available in The Night Songs Collection: Seasons in the Sun (novella), Because the Night, Night Moves, We Own the Night, and Silent Night. Secondhand Heart is the first book in my contemporary series, The Spotlight, with The Trouble with Bree (novella) and Too Many Reasons both releasing in the first two months of 2015.  I also have a couple of shifter novellas available: Lion and the Doe and Doe and the Hunter.

Gotta love those voices, they can get pretty demanding at times or throw curves at us.  Now let's get to the dirt of things. How naughty do you get with your writing?  
 Pretty naughty! I think one reviewer recently called one of my scenes “downright dirty.” I’m not sure if she meant it as a compliment, but it made me smile. Even better, the reader never “saw” what she was referring to. While some scenes, like that particular one, do fade to black, the reader does come into the bedroom with my characters. My characters explore some very light fetish type stuff, but most of it is good old fashioned sex.

It sounds like the love and romance in your stories will appeal to a wide range of readers. Tell us about something that stands out more than others. What’s the best thing you’ve ever written—the best line? 
I still enjoy “I’d just had unprotected sex with the world’s most irresponsible vampire.” But a new favorite of mine is in Too Many Reasons, wrapping up a sex scene: Like we’d entered the eye of the storm. That beautiful, peaceful place that we could lay together in the soft breeze and watch the thunder and lightning go off all around us.

Ahhh.... sorry, I was carried away for a moment. Say, if you could have any movie star take on a role as one of your heroes, who would it be? 
I actually have no opinion about this!  I’m totally oblivious when it comes to movie stars. I know, I’m weird.  Even better: I work in the film industry.

Oops, I almost feel off my chair laughing. Don't feel bad, I can never remember names of hotties and their movies. Maybe our brains just don't catalog hotness like some do. 
What are the hardest scenes to write for you?
I struggle with the beginning of every book. I don’t know my characters yet, and I find the place that I start writing isn’t always the beginning of the story.  Once I figure out what the characters are trying to say, things flow much better. If a scene is really a struggle, I consider how much value it actually adds to the story. Everything happens for a reason, right?

I'm a firm believer of that! 
Many authors do a bit of research for character building or story lines. What is the strangest thing you’ve Googled while working on a story?
I’ve googled the color that people turn when they’ve been strangled, a lot of things about witchcraft and freakshows, premature babies, what would cause a person to die from a car accident, weaponry….whoever’s been assigned to watching over my file in the CIA is definitely entertained.

Oh, I'm sure. LOL 
One of our readers just tweeted a question for you. "How close in real life have you gotten to one of your fantasies?"  
I have to plead the fifth on SOME things. LOL I’ve lived a pretty cool life so far. I do makeup for film and television. I’ve had a chance to meet some really cool people and see some really cool things. I’ve never been shy, and I’ve always been ambitious, so if I want something, I go for it.

You go girl!!!  Whoot-whoot!

And finally… anything you would like to share with us, an excerpt, a tidbit, or anything else about yourself?
Let’s see…two things I still want to learn: how to read tarot, and roller derby.

Fun stuff:
Favorite drink:  Coffee. I’m also a fan of wheat beer.
Favorite candy: dark chocolate covered cherries.
Favorite food: Lobster. But I will brake for avocado.
Favorite article of clothing or jewelry:  I love wearing boots, and I also always wear hoop earrings.
Favorite place to read: Laying in the sun. Heaven.
Place you want to visit some day: Iceland and Morocco. 

Thank you so much author Kristen Strassel for joining us today. I have a brand spanking new box of dark chocolate covered cherries here. I say let's put our booted feet up and enjoy a little decadence. 

Please visit Kristen on her website, Twitter and Facebook.

Check out her latest books for your weekend reading.
The trouble with Bree is... 
Bree Farrell is ready to turn her life around. A twenty-one-year-old mother of two, she's not sure where to start. She could use a little help, but her string of horrible ex-boyfriends keep setting her back. First step: she's swearing off men forever. Or at least until she gets back on her feet. 

Josh Maxwell got a second chance at life, and now he wants to help kids who are in the same situation he was in. His new job as the coordinator at a preschool for underprivileged kids is the perfect place to do that. 

On paper, the school policy for staff not to get involved with the families of the students makes perfect sense. But when Bree meets the new coordinator of her son's school, she and Josh learn that some rules are made to be broken, no matter what the consequences.

Abby Gauthier is close to getting everything she's worked so hard for. The band she manages, Sinister Riot, has been offered a major record contract. But it comes with a catch: the band must add Eli Jamison, winner of the talent show The Spotlight, to the lineup. 

Devon Sinclair is the singer of Sinister Riot, and he's Abby's best friend. She's in love with him, but fears she'll lose him if she makes the first move. Devon thinks adding Eli to the band is dangerous, and he's right. Eli's interested in more than just making an album. He wants to take control of the band, and he wants to get to know Abby better. A lot better. When tensions between Devon and Eli threaten to destroy Sinister Riot, Abby must act on her true feelings or lose everything she's ever wanted. 

Monday, February 9, 2015

NEW RELEASE - Too Many Reasons, A Spotlight Series Novel by Kristen Strassel

Kristen Strassel is one of my fav NA authors. Toss contemporary romance with some paranormal and add a dash of rock-n-roll is her usual recipe for an amazing book. This year she is releasing two new stories. Today she releases the second book which happens to be a full length novel in The Spotlight series, a collection of stand alone books that all feature a contestant from the Spotlight Talent Competition. 

Abby Gauthier is close to getting everything she's worked so hard for. The band she manages, Sinister Riot, has been offered a major record contract. But it comes with a catch: the band must add Eli Jamison, winner of the talent show The Spotlight, to the lineup. 

Devon Sinclair is the singer of Sinister Riot, and he's Abby's best friend. She's in love with him, but fears she'll lose him if she makes the first move. Devon thinks adding Eli to the band is dangerous, and he's right. Eli's interested in more than just making an album. He wants to take control of the band, and he wants to get to know Abby better. A lot better. When tensions between Devon and Eli threaten to destroy Sinister Riot, Abby must act on her true feelings or lose everything she's ever wanted. 

EXCERPT

“That’s why I think you should just start a label, Abby. We wouldn’t have to deal with this sneaky bullshit.” After Devon strained the macaroni and stirred everything together, he sprinkled hot sauce over it and handed me a bowl.

“Someday, maybe that will happen. But I’ve got to go work for the big guys, too, so I know what I’m doing.” I hadn’t realized how hungry I was. Maybe it wasn’t so bad that Devon came back with me after all. “But I’m not going to get any job if I fail that test and don’t graduate.”

Devon put his bowl down on the counter. “Shit. With everything that happened, I forgot all about that.” Yeah, right. I was familiar with his work. He smiled sheepishly. “Do you still want me to go?”
Fuck. “No. You can stay.” I hated myself for giving in, again. He’d probably be able to figure out another place to sleep, but that sucked. It was almost midnight.

He squeezed my shoulder on his way back to the bedroom. “You’re the best.”

I was an idiot. “I know.”

“What can I do to help you study?” he asked. “Is there a quiz or anything?”

“Yeah.” He took my bowl and went back to the kitchen, then came back to my bedroom with a pot cover and big spoon. I brought up the app on my tablet, and handed over to him. It was going to be impossible to concentrate over the noise of the party, but I didn’t have a choice.

Devon scanned the screen, looking for the right question to start with. He asked me the questions like he always did, in his best cheesy game show host voice. “What was the cause of the Vietnam War?”

Man, I wasn’t prepared for this test. “America wanted to keep it from falling into a communist state.”

“I’ll accept that. Who was the disagreement with?”

Easy. “The Soviet Union.”

“Yes! Those Commie bastards. Vietnam was formerly a territory of what country?”

“China?” They had something to do with this.

“I’m sorry, Miss Gauthier, but your answer is wrong. So very wrong.” He hit the spoon against the pot cover, the gong echoing through the room. I’d never not find it hysterical. “Please rephrase your answer with the correct information.”

Now all I could think about was that contract laying on my nightstand. “Give me a hint.”

“New Orleans was also a settlement of this country.” Devon pretended to look at a watch. “Time is running out for your answer.”

“France!”

“Very good. You do realize, Miss Gauthier, those who don’t learn from history are doomed to repeat it?” It was a lesson I was all too familiar with.

Finally I got everything right, and Devon was satisfied I was ready for the test. Of course, none of that would matter if I slept through it. “You need to get to sleep.”

“Yeah, about that.” There was no telling Mallory to quiet down. “Are you still staying?”

Devon ran his tongue over his lip ring and looked toward my curtains, the little lights twinkling and swaying in the breeze coming in through the window. He slid down under the blanket, and motioned for me to join him. “Are you sure it’s all right for me to stay?”

I snuggled against him. Every reason I should tell him to go rattled inside my head. “Yeah.”


“Soon, we’re not going to have to worry about any of this.” He started playing with my hair, lulling me to sleep. “We’re going to get everything we want.”

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Monday, January 19, 2015

NEW RELEASE - The Trouble With Bree by Kristen Strassel

Kristen Strassel is one of my fav NA authors. Toss contemporary romance with some paranormal and add a dash of rock-n-roll is her usual recipe for an amazing book. This year she is releasing two new stories. The first is a novella about a young mother who is lucky to find the right guy releases TODAY!
The trouble with Bree is... 
Bree Farrell is ready to turn her life around. A twenty-one-year-old mother of two, she's not sure where to start. She could use a little help, but her string of horrible ex-boyfriends keep setting her back. First step: she's swearing off men forever. Or at least until she gets back on her feet. 

Josh Maxwell got a second chance at life, and now he wants to help kids who are in the same situation he was in. His new job as the coordinator at a preschool for underprivileged kids is the perfect place to do that. 

On paper, the school policy for staff not to get involved with the families of the students makes perfect sense. But when Bree meets the new coordinator of her son's school, she and Josh learn that some rules are made to be broken, no matter what the consequences.



EXCERPT
Josh accepted the paperwork but put it aside without looking at it. He smiled so easily, I didn’t think much of it when it was meant for Landon, but now it was all for me, and it was dangerous. My heart stuttered a couple times, confused by all the messages in my brain that were telling me it’s never gonna happen.
“Our goal at Head Start is to get kids ready to learn. We evaluate each student to make sure they’re in the best group and get them prepared to start school. We’ll have kids from a lot of different backgrounds, and they’ll all have different strengths, but the cool thing is they’ll usually work together and make each other better.”
“I like that approach. Do you teach at all?” He’d be great at it.
Josh shook his head. “No. I coordinate the programs and make sure they all go according to plan.”
“With a room full of four-year-olds?” I asked. “You must be new at this.”
“I am.” Josh laughed, running his hand through his hair and leaning forward, his voice hushed. “Don’t tell Landon this is my first time.”
I looked back at the boys and bit my lip. “I can’t make any promises.”
“I guess I’ll have to stay in your good graces.” Josh raised an eyebrow. “Do you have any other kids?”
“Oh God, no.” That sounded really bad. I laughed. “I didn’t mean it like that. But my hands are full with two.”
Everyone I knew who had two kids agreed with my theory. After the first baby, there was this euphoria. I made a human being inside my body. I managed to keep him alive for almost a year at that point. It was an invincible feeling. If I could do that, I could do anything, right? Including have another baby. But the level of difficulty when I added another child to the mix multiplied exponentially. And the finesse I needed to handle it didn’t come right away.
Josh nodded. “I get it.”
“Do you have any kids?” He wasn’t wearing a wedding ring, but then of course, neither was I.
He shook his head. “Just the sixty that will be here.”
“You look fantastic for having so many kids.” I giggled. Crap. I went from zero to flirt without even thinking about it.
“So do you.” My eyes widened, and he backpedaled. “I mean, for having two.”
“Thanks.” My cheeks flushed, and I looked back at the boys.
“Do you have any questions, Ms. Farrell?” Thankfully Josh was wrapping this up before we got ourselves in trouble.
“You can call me Bree.” I don’t think anyone had called me Ms. Farrell before. I thought about his question before I answered. I didn’t want to miss anything important and put Landon behind because I thought the school coordinator was hot. I had no idea how old he was. He didn’t seem that much older than me, yet his shit was so much more together than mine.
I wanted to know what made him tick.
 “I do have a question, but it’s not about Landon. I’m starting school this semester, too, and I was wondering, how did you decide you wanted to do this?”

“That’s a great question, Bree.” Josh’s eyes lit up. “Maybe I could tell you about it over dinner?”



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