Tuesday, February 24, 2015

AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT - Allison Merritt


I am getting back in the groove and have some great authors lined up for the next several weeks. We are kicking of the Author Spotlight 2015 with a recurring author, Allison Merritt. Last we visited with Allison, she introduced us to Wynstan. This time she brings us a more modern cowboy Good Ride from the boxed set -  COWBOY UP2.

Before we get into the story, I asked Allison five writing-related questions. She offers up some great tips!

Welcome, Allison Merritt!


1) Why do you write?
Because I'm bad at math. No, really, I think the main reason is because it gets me away from the day-to-day problems like gas is high or groceries are expensive or the world can be a terrible place. In fiction, I can create anything from horrible problems for the characters to solutions that end in happily-ever-afters.

2)  What is your ‘Daily Mantra’ for writing? What gets you to your keyboard above other activities? “They are waiting.” I try to leave off at a chapter end so I can propel myself forward into the next scene, but sometimes that's not possible. Sometimes I have no idea where the story is going, but it's important to remember these characters—who often take over everything in my brain—are waiting for me to sit down so they can tell me where they're going next.


3) What is the best writing advice you ever received?
Penmonkeys love to write, not to get published. That's Chuck Wendig. He's extremely foul-mouthed, so take care when you're reading his blog, but the man is a writer encouraging genius. Erm, and I am published, but he has a point. The writing thing isn't about what comes after I've finished the story, it's about the build up while I'm writing it and the satisfaction when I can close a document and say, I finished something I thought I'd never get through.

4) What is your favorite genre to write and why?
Romance, over everything else. I need that happily-ever-after. There's nothing more satisfying to me than knowing two characters can overcome serious odds and make it through. It gives me hope, not just in my own love life, but in everything.

5) What is the one key career you remember from your childhood of wanting to be when you grew up? I seriously wanted to be an oil baron. I don't know how I thought I was going to get an oil field, but I was thinking, gee, you could make a lot of money doing that. On a more realistic note, I wanted to be a writer from the time I was 12, and that's worked out pretty well. Not quite as lucrative as an oil baron, perhaps, but definitely satisfying.


Here's the blurb for the box set, Cowboy Up 2, coming March 1, 2015.

Saddle Up with the best-selling authors who brought you Cowboy Up... And fall for six more Cowboys ready to steal your heart!
Authors in this box set: Allison Merritt, Leslie P. Garcia, Melissa Keir, Autumn Piper, Sara Walter Ellwood and D’Ann Lindun

And from Good Ride, Cowboy:
Thanks to her ex-boyfriend, Sommer Allen's life is in shambles. She's headed home to Courtland, Texas for her sister's wedding, but when a quick stop at a gas station ruins her plans, she's left stranded and at the mercy of a handsome cowboy.

Perry Glidewell is on his way back to Texas after winning another championship in the arena versus a bull. When he finds Sommer having a meltdown in the middle of a parking lot, he knows he can't leave her alone. Since her hometown is near his, it makes sense to hit the road together.

Sommer never imagined falling for a cowboy. His manners and gallant attitude win her over quickly, but with her future uncertain, she's not quite willing to give her whole heart to Perry. He'll do whatever it takes to break the walls around Sommer's heart, because beneath her tough-talking exterior, he sees she's the type of Texas girl he's always dreamed of.

Excerpt:
Perry opened the door. “What the hell are you doing? Are you trying to steal my truck?”

She glowered. “Of course not. You snore. I thought I'd be able to sleep out here. I was asleep, until I  turned a little and set off the alarm. I'm so sorry.” She handed him the keys and knocked something off the dash.

A lacy bra landed on his bare feet. His gaze shot straight to her chest. Sommer's t-shirt was tight around her breasts and her nipples made perky bumps in the material.

Perry clenched his teeth. Of all the damn things to notice. He bent down and picked the bra up by the strap. “Think you lost something.”

She snatched the bra out of his hand. “You try sleeping in one of these.”

“Not really my style, sweetheart.”

You can follow Allison Merritt through her: