1.What was your inspiration behind this book?
I love writing about dystopian worlds because you can basically
create your own version of the future. And since I happen to like writing about
women who don’t know their own strength, this genre lets my imagination soar.
2. Do you ever find yourself
slipping away and becoming so immersed in your
story it affects how you relate to others?
Yes. I’m an introvert to
begin with, but when my brain is filled with how to write the next scene I can
go for days and forget to call my mom or put off grocery shopping until the
next day, and then the next day after that.
Before I know it, a week has gone by without shaving my legs. Gross.
3. Are you in any of your
books?
There’s a little bit of me in every book, I
think. Maybe it’s just a random thought
or a gesture, but something of me is in all my characters.
4. Are you a plotter or a pantser?
Total pantser, although in my mind I do have an idea of where the
story is headed. My characters always
surprise me when they make a one eighty from where I thought the story was
going. But as a writer you should always
listen to your characters, because they’re basically your muse talking to you.
5. What is
your favorite line, or scene, that you wrote in Come With Me?
I had a
difficult time coming up with a title for this story. I wanted something clever
but one line kept jumping from the page: Come with me. Nolan says it several
times to Lainey. I eventually reached a point where I realized that one phrase
meant everything.
6. If you could choose, which
published author would you like to brainstorm with and why?
Lisa Kleypas
because I love how she paces her novels and I’d love to pick her brain on how
she plots them out. Or Julia Quinn because she’s hilarious and I have a feeling
she likes wine like I do.
7. When you were little, did you ever think you'd be a
published author? What was your "dream" job as a child?
My dream job as a
child was being Indiana Jones. When that
didn’t pan out, I became responsible by going into the medical field. Being an
author was always in the world of fantasy. I grew up in the early Eighties in
the backwoods of Missouri, so no, I never thought in a million years I’d be a
published author. Thank holy heck for
modern technology! Ebook publishing
opened up doors to me, and to many talented authors, to make our dreams
possible.
8. What was the worst job you ever had while working towards
being a published author?
I worked one day as an assistant to a
urologist. I thought seeing penises all day long would be cool but come to find
out, there’s a big different between thirty year old penises and seventy year
old ones.
9. And last, do you have anything you would like to say to
your current readers or to those that haven't yet read your work(s)?
First, I’m a really
funny person but my humor is dry, bordering on sarcastic. I put a lot of that
in my stories, usually in the form of a sidekick or secondary character.
Second, I write stories because I want people to read them. I write for the love of writing. And I love feedback. Yes, I’m trying to make a living but nothing
makes me happier than to get an email from someone saying they liked something
I wrote (or if you didn’t like it, please nicely
tell me why it sucked). So drop me a
line anytime to say hi…you can find me on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram:
Name 5 pet
peeves that simply drive you insane.
My 5
writing pet peeves…
1. My
job. When I go to my day job I have to put my writer brain on hold and
sometimes that is so irritating, especially when I get an epiphany about the
plot.
2. Insomnia.
You’d think staying up at night would be a great time to write, but insomnia
turns your brain to mush and renders it unable to string coherent words
together.
3. Social
Media. Need I say more?
4. My
muse. I’m hard at work trying to write
out a complicated and scene and she’s like “Wait! I’ve got this awesome idea for another
story!” Most of the time she wakes me up at three am. Bitch.
5.
Character changes. Most of the time I
can envision the beginning and ending to a story, but every once in a while the
ending slips away, due to the direction of where the characters take me. When that happens I struggle a lot to
maintain the plot. I’ve shelved some
great stories because of this.
BLURB:
Those Who Survived Part One
Lainey is one of the few that survived
the virus that ravaged the human population. In order to remain safe, she stays
away from people, preferring to live on her own. Not trusting anyone. Until one
night she’s attacked and rescued by a stranger who insists that there’s still
good in the world.
Nolan has a fantastical story of a new
civilization in Canada, and urges her to go with him. Lainey doesn’t know if
she believes him or not, but the unknown is enough to scare her away. Yet day
after day he slowly breaks down her walls, opening her up to the possibility
that she might be strong enough to take a chance not only on him, but herself
as well.
PG Excerpt:
“You’ve
amassed quite a bit of provisions.”
“I
scavenged the homes of people who left. I never went into the ones where the
dead were.”
“Because
the houses had become tombs?”
She
sat down on the couch. “For a while, when the wind would blow a certain way, I
would catch a whiff of the dead. It made me want to throw-up. I think the
remaining people made an exodus out of here because of the smell.”
He
sat down next to her. “Why didn’t you go with them?”
“Didn’t
really have anywhere to go,” she replied with a shrug. “I’ve thought about
leaving for a long time but always wondered where would I go? What would I face
out there? Without a solid plan, it just seemed too risky.”
“And
you don’t take risks,” he concluded.
“No,
I don’t.”
“I
was a risk.” He tapped his chest. “Bringing a stranger into your sanctuary was
a huge risk.”
“You
had a dozen times you could’ve hurt me,” she said, taking a deep breath.
“Something tells me I can trust you and my instincts are rarely wrong. You can
help me put the fence up so I’ll be protected, and then you can continue on
your journey.”
“There’s
another option you know.”
She
cocked her head. “What’s that?”
“You
can come with me.”
This
was the second time he’d mentioned that, and like the last time, she shook her
head. “I’m not cut out for that type of unknown. Besides, I don’t know you.”
“You
know me more than you think you do. Come on, name three things you know about
me.”
“I
don’t-”
“I
bet you could quote just about every
English lit novel ever written,” he said, interrupting her. “You don’t trust
that easily, but when you do, your devotion is complete.” He folded his arms
across his chest. “And your least favorite color is red because it reminds you
of blood.”
She
blinked, completely taken aback. “How could you possibly know all that?”
He
shrugged. “Observation. Come on, say three things about me now.”
“You…used
to be in the navy. And you’re from Arizona.”
He
nodded. “And?”
“I,
uh, don’t know your least favorite color. Or your favorite.”
“I
like green and hate purple,” he said. “But you got two out of three. That’s a
start.”
She
admired his confidence but didn’t hold out much hope he’d be around long enough
for her to learn anything else about him. All the while, ignoring a little
voice that had been gaining volume in her head, pushing her to do that very
thing. To run. Escape. Yet fear held her back.
“You’re wrong,
you know,” he murmured. “The person who would bike ride all the way
from Malibu to Sherman Oaks is completely
up for an unknown adventure.”
R Excerpt:
Sex
had never been that big of a deal for her, and the couple of men she’d slept
with never rocked her boat. It became easier and less messy to ease the
occasional sexual need herself. Draping her knee over the ledge, Lainey wished
she had thought to bring a toy with her. So instead she closed her eyes, slid
her fingers between her thighs, and imagined Nolan watching her as she
pleasured herself.
She
glided her fingertips over her skin, starting at her throat and letting the
backs of her fingers trail down her chest. Between her breasts. Over her flat
stomach. The water sloshed gently against her labia, providing its own
stimulation.
Gently,
with featherlike touches, she brushed her fingertips over her pussy lips. The
tease made her hips undulate and her climax rise sharply. She wanted to come so
bad, but just as she was about to let herself fall, a slight noise startled
her. She jerked her eyes open and saw Nolan in the doorway, staring intently.
Embarrassed, she pulled her hand from between her thighs and lowered her leg
back into the water.
“W-what
are you doing?” she asked, her voice dry. Heat burned on her cheeks.
“You
didn’t have to stop,” he murmured.
“Uh,
yeah, I did.” She tried sinking lower in the tub to hide herself. “Please.
Leave.”
He
nodded. “I’m sorry for bothering you. But there is absolutely nothing to be
embarrassed about, Lainey. We all need to find comfort in our lives.”
She
wished the earth would open up and swallow her whole.
“Oh
my God,” she muttered. “Just go!”
He
did, leaving as quietly as he had appeared. Rising from the bath, she quickly
dried off and rushed to put on clothes, all the while chastising herself for
being so vulnerable. She should never have brought him here to her home. How
could she ever face him again?
That
night she hid in her room, unable to go down for dinner and sit across from
him. To see the smirk on his face, knowing he caught her pleasuring herself.
She spent the evening writing him a letter so she could slip it under his door,
asking him to leave. Hours later, when it was all quiet, her stomach kept
growling with hunger. Opening her door to make sure the coast was clear, the
house lay completely still and silent. She looked down the hallway and saw
Nolan’s door was closed. Moving slowly, quietly, she headed downstairs for a
snack, finding a granola bar and some chips. Not the healthiest, but enough to
take away the hunger pangs.
Going
back upstairs, she took the letter out of her back pocket, ready to slide it
under Nolan’s door. However, it was no longer closed, and a low moan came from
inside. The voice in her head told her to run away, go back in her room and hide,
but that devil riding on her shoulder urged her forward. Step by step, until
she stood at the entrance of the darkened room. Outside light filtered in,
highlighting the big man lying naked on his bed. His hand gripped his cock,
stroking it from base to tip. The sight captivated her, the letter forgotten in
her hand. His big body arched in his pleasure, and she couldn’t help but
realize he did this for her. To show himself in the most vulnerable light just
as he had seen her. Lainey stepped further into the room, unable to stay back.
He turned his head, their gazes locked.
“I’ve
been thinking of you,” he said, his voice almost guttural.
He
held out his hand and she stared at it for a moment, the conflict inside her
mind came roaring back an in instant. She knew what taking his hand meant.
Come with me.
Buy Links:
Bio:
I began reading my
mom’s Harlequin Presents in the fifth grade, and from the first story I knew I
wanted to write romance novels. I like writing about the very ordinary girl
thrust into extraordinary circumstances, so my heroines will probably never be
lawyers, doctors or corporate highrollers.
I try to write characters who aren't cookie cutters and push myself to
write complicated situations that I have no idea how to resolve, forcing me to
think outside the box. I love writing
characters who are real, complex and full of flaws, heroes and heroines who
find redemption through love. You can find me on the web at:
