A fiery romance novel deserves a flaming cocktail to
accompany it and USA Today bestselling author Abby Green’s new tale, FONSECA’S FURY, is no exception. The
book has the perfect ingredients for a steamy love story—a Brazilian stud who
happens to be a billionaire, a sweet and charitable heroine and a passionate
anger that ignites them both. This cocktail is FONSECA’S FURY in liquid form.
The Flaming Fonseca
1
oz. Dark Rum
2
oz. Pineapple Juice
2
oz. Apple Juice
½
oz. Bacardi 151
Gold
Cocktail Rim Sugar
Lime
Run a lime along the rim of a highball glass and dip
into gold cocktail rim sugar to coat. Pour dark rum,
pineapple juice and apple juice into the glass and float Bacardi 151 on top and
carefully light the top layer using a long match.
Q&A with Kathleen Eagle
author of
NEVER TRUST A COWBOY
1.
What
about cowboys inspired you to write this romance?
Like most of the
girls I knew growing up, I fell in love with Hollywood cowboys. I loved the way they dressed, the way they
lived, really loved their horses, and
I loved their stories. Fast forward a
dozen or more years to the summer I spent in a volunteer program in South
Dakota when I met a real working cowboy.
He dressed the part, rode the horse, talked the talk and walked the
walk. After I finished college I
returned to South Dakota and married that cowboy. He inspired me to write Romance.
2.
You’ve
published more than 40 books. How do you continue to come up with such original
plotlines and characters?
We live in
Minnesota now, but with family, horses, and land in North and South Dakota, we
make lots of trips there. I’m all about
writing what you know, especially the setting.
Real people inspire characters for me, too. Those Hollywood characters I loved when I was
a kid were created by somebody else. I
have to come up with my own characters, draw from my own experience. As for a situation or setups for plot
building, a news story might spark my imagination—the all-important what if?
Sometimes my husband will show me something that caught his eye. He’s the one who spotted a story about 21st
century cattle rustling. The first seed
he planted in my brain for NEVER TRUST A COWBOY was a picture of a tricked-out
horse trailer used by thieves.
3.
What
are the three ingredients for the perfect hero in a romance novel?
A hero has to be
skilled, confident and committed to something—a goal, an ideal, a person or
people—and he has to be honorable. But
he’s never perfect. You see him on the
flip side of those qualities as well. He’s
made at least one serious mistake. He’s
human, which makes him flawed. He’s a
warrior, protective of women, children, animals—you want to see him in that
role—but he’s also vulnerable. His
gentle side melts your heart.
4.
If
you could make any literary hunk in history come to life, who would it be and
why?
Since the Starz channel truly brought Jamie Frasier to life in the movie version of Diana
Gabaldon’s Outlander, I’ll wish for Christian
Langland from Laura Kinsale’s Flowers
From the Storm to come walking up my driveway. His journey from arrogant rake to admirable,
caring hero makes him a man to sigh for.
5.
How
did you come up with the personalities in the book? Are they inspired by real
people?
I started with a
basic story setup. I wanted the heroine
to live on a ranch and the hero to be involved somehow with cattle rustling. But how?
Can he be a thief? Del Fox had to
be a man who’d worked through some tough times, learned some hard lessons, and
reached a point where he can be putting his experience to use. He just can’t tell anyone who he really is. His match would be a woman who’s living in a
shell of her own making. Circumstances
have shaken her confidence, but she’s trying to rebuild herself and her life. They
both have to be hard on the outside and hungry on the inside. Trust is the
heart of the matter with these two loners.
6.
What’s
on your reading list right now?
I’m enjoying a beautifully
written non-fiction book—Buffalo For the
Broken Heart: Restoring Life To a Black Hills Ranch. By Dan O’Brien. Next up is
Windigo Island, a mystery by William Kent Kruger.
7.
Do
you have any writing rituals or quirks?
I write on a
laptop, but when I get stuck, it’s back to pencil and paper. Pencil because I have to be able to erase.
8.
What
is the first book you remember reading by yourself as a child?
The Real Mother Goose. I knew most of the rhymes, and I remember
following the printed words with my finger and saying them aloud. I said I was reading, and pretty soon I
really was.
9.
What are three things about you that might surprise your
readers?
I can do the Texas Two-Step, but I’ve got a Rock ‘n Roll heart. I’ve finally, finally, finally stopped biting my fingernails. And while they might have a tastte for me, vampires
or zombies aren’t my cup of tea.
10.
What
are you working on for your next book?
A woman buys a
South Dakota town in an internet auction.
A whole town. It’s nearly dead, and its few residents have
put it up for sale. It’s going to be a
four-book series.
Q&A with Andrea Laurence
author of
SNOWED IN WITH HER EX
1.
Do
you think it’s possible to have a rekindled romance with an ex be successful
the second time around?
I absolutely do
believe in second chance romances. It’s actually one of my favorite stories to
write because there’s all that history together and suppressed emotions under
the surface. I think they key in its success is that both characters have grown
since the last time and don’t make the same mistakes over again. I know I’ve
made plenty of dumb choices in previous relationships that I regret, or would
never make a second time.
2.
What
drew you to set this romance in a remote mountain cabin in a blizzard?
It was actually
inspired by my editor. She really loves those natural disaster books where the
couple is stranded together, so I promised her that I would do a blizzard book.
I even named the storm after her. Since the series was set in Nashville and
I’ve spent a lot of time at a Gatlinburg cabin in the winter, it was easy for
me to set it there.
3.
What
are the three ingredients for the perfect hero in a romance novel?
For me, the
perfect hero always has to have a vulnerability, especially where the heroine
is concerned, a sense of humor and a great smile. It doesn’t matter whether
he’s a cop or a billionaire, if he can laugh at himself and show a tender side,
I’m hooked.
4.
If
you could make any literary hunk in history come to life, who would it be and
why?
Wow. I have read
so many different types of heroes over the years. If I had to choose one that
really stuck with me... Jamie Fraser. The Starz series has certainly brought
that character to life. Why Jamie? Because he has that vulnerability, yet he’s
tough as nails when he has to be. He’d do anything for the woman he loved,
including calling her on her crap. He was a bit of a smart-ass. And, well, he
was tall. As a tall woman, it takes a really tall man to make me feel dainty
and feminine and I think Jamie would do it, easily.
5.
How
did you come up with the personalities in the book? Are they inspired by real
people?
For the four
main females in the series, I started off by giving them their roles at the
chapel — the photographer, the caterer, the decorator and the wedding planner —
and then let them sort of develop into unique people with their own quirks.
Part of that comes as their stories evolve and you develop their conflicts and
backstory. My characters are always part fiction, part mix of different people
I know. They’re never 100% anyone in particular. Bree, for example, ended up being
anti-technology, a trait I modeled after my editor, but it fit her character to
want to lose herself in her art without cellphones, etc., interfering. Ian’s
musical career ending was inspired by a speech I heard by JT Ellison. Her
college advisor had told her she didn’t have what it took to be a writer, so
she quit for years before returning to it. The coffee shop musician in Ian was
made up a little of a guy I knew in college named Ben. With that acoustic
guitar, all the girls swooned after him.
6.
What’s
on your reading list right now?
I recently
devoured Gone Girl. I was intrigued
by all the hype surrounding the movie. I certainly got more than I’d expected
out of that story, including a three-day mental funk when it was over. I’m
anticipating a big box of RITA books to judge soon, but if I get a chance
before they arrive, I’m excited to read Nerds are From Mars by Vicki Lewis
Thompson. I love nerdy heroes.
7.
Do
you have any writing rituals or quirks?
Not any
interesting ones that I can think of. I’ve been given magic mojo beads and salt
lamps to stir creativity and my office is filled with fun, creative things, but
more often than not, I end up writing in bed with my dogs. No magic there,
sorry. I try to work consistently to keep myself in a story. I always read over
the last scene I wrote to refresh my brain, then pick up where I left off.
8.
What
is the first book you remember reading by yourself as a child?
When I was
little, my mom bought me all those Disney books and Golden books that came with
the little record in the back. I would play the records on my little record
player and follow along in the books until I actually learned to read. Earliest
would probably have to be The Pokey Little Puppy. Maybe that’s where I
developed my love for dogs!
9.
What are three things about you that might surprise your
readers?
This one is
hard. Three things that would surprise my readers... I’m painfully shy. It
actually comes off as quite stuck-up or snobby in person. I’m much better
interacting with readers online. I’m just extremely introverted. So be kind if
you ever meet me and I look either bored or mildly terrified! Number two — even
though I live in the south, I grew up in Las Vegas and had my senior prom at
Liberace’s Mansion. Three, I’m excessively educated and use almost none of it
for writing. I have an associate’s degree in computer programing and web
design, a bachelor’s of science in political science, a master’s in human
resources management, an engineering certificate in systems engineering, and
I’m both a qualified Myers-Briggs Personality Type instructor and a CMMI
assessor. (Note: it might sound interesting, but it’s all incredibly boring.)
10.
What
are you working on for your next book?
I just finished
book three in the Brides and Belles series — Gretchen’s story. It doesn’t have
a title yet, but it will be out in November. With that turned in, I’m starting
to plot the final book, Natalie’s story, which will be out in December of this
year.
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