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:
