Monday, September 22, 2014

Worth The Fall





 I'm so excited to be on the Worth The Fall tour. I've got an interview with the author, and I will post my review for this amazing book later today!


Tell me about yourself, and your writing.

Hi. Thank you so much for having me. A little about myself...I majored in Early Childhood Education and taught kindergarten and first grade on and off for ten years. I married my first love and we have three daughters. Three teenage daughters. Yes. Say a prayer for me.

How long have you been writing? How many published books do you have, and what genres?
I never considered myself a writer or even wanted to be a writer, BUT I’ve always had stories in my head. I see them in a flash like I’m watching a full color movie. I’ll catch myself staring out the window, smiling. Or even crying. One day I described the above to my friend, thinking everyone did that. She gave me a really strange look and said, “No. That’s not normal. Maybe you should try writing it down.” So I did. :) Worth The Fall is my first book.

Do you write in multiple genres or just one? If just one, do you ever consider straying outside your genre?

Contemporary Romance is my only genre. I do have some romantic suspense stories percolating, heavy on the romance.

Are you a plotter or do you write from the seat of your pants?

Neither or both, I’m not sure. I don't really feel like I come up with anything or create anyone, as odd as that may sound. I only try my best to write down what I see, fill in any blanks the characters leave, and hope I do them justice. (Though sometimes those blanks are more like craters, black holes.) I was talking to my husband about book two recently, noticed him staring, and I said, “What? I’m not making this up!” He got a very scared look on his face and said maybe this was a conversation better had with my “writer friends.” LOL I can be scary.

What is a typical writing day like for you?

I get my kids off to school and usually start working around seven, after I finish my tea. ~ I recently switched to black tea in my Keurig after a trip to Europe. LOVE it. ~ I take a short break for lunch, no more than ten minutes, then back at it until the kids get home at 2:15. They’re teenagers, so there isn't much talking before they disappear to their rooms for homework and post-school decompression. I go back to work until I need to drive someone somewhere around 5. Most days I put in a few more hours after everyone’s asleep, until around midnight. If I don't feel time crunched, or I’ve had a particularly good day, I’ll reward myself with a good book.


Who do you love to read? Favorite authors, favorite books?

I love pretty much any sub-genre of romance as long as I like the characters. Absolutely nothing matters if I don’t care about the characters. I like some angst. Danger is good, and I prefer the characters to have some really deep issues. And, obviously love. Not just we’ll be happy together HEA love, but if I can’t be with you I’d rather drive off a cliff kind of love.

I have TONS of favorite authors. Let’s see…Kristan Higgins, Susan Elizabeth Phillips, Linda Howard, Sharon Sala, Catherine Anderson, J.D. Robb ( Nora Roberts), and Christine Feehan, just to name a few. Oh, also, Judith McNaught. Julie Garwood, especially her historicals. Suzanne Brockton, JR Ward, I could really go on and on.

What is something you'd like to accomplish in your writing career next year?
Becoming a New York Times best seller would be cool and might finally convince my mother this isn’t just another hobby in a LONG line of hobbies. :)

If you could have one paranormal ability, what would it be?
Teleportation for sure. I like to go places.

If you could keep a mythical/ paranormal creature as a pet, what would you have?
A unicorn, or maybe a pegasus. And I would teleport him with me.

Tell us a little about your latest release.

Okay. Worth The Fall is a love story, plain and simple, though love is never simple. Abby and Matt are two people who have no other reason to be together and many reasons to be apart. Abby is a woman who’s been left all her life and knows she can’t watch another person walk away from her. Matt is a Navy SEAL hero with skills, badassness and an intense sense of responsibility, but he’s also a man with so much love to give. He’s just never found anyone he wanted to give it to. Until now.

So it’s about falling in love, making choices and taking chances. It’s also about believing you’re enough, believing you’re worthy of what’s being offered. I absolutely LOVE these characters. I spent three years with them before I ever considered writing their story, then almost three more years writing it. Any minute of any day I can pop into their lives, be a fly on the wall. I’m lucky because for me it’s like watching your favorite movie that never ends.


What is something that you absolutely can't live without? (Other than family members)

Okay...I’ll be honest. I sleep with a little pillow, affectionately known as Baby Nino. It was in my crib when I came home from the hospital and I can count on one hand the nights I’ve slept without it. Where I go, Baby Nino goes. That includes every spend the night party, backpacking across Europe, and yes, even my honeymoon. I can not sleep without it.

Could you ever co author a book with someone? If so, who would you choose, and what would you write?
Hahaha...I’m laughing, picturing the looks on my critique partners’ faces. If they had to describe me in one word it would probably be difficult. I ask the same question over and over until I either work my way around to their opinion or decide on my own that I don’t agree and can move on. And I frequently say in a very whiny voice, “But that’s not the way it happened!!!” So, no. I don’t think I’d make a good collaborator.

If you could spend a day with anyone from history, dead or alive, who would it be, and what would you do? What would you ask them?
I thought a really long time on this question and the one answer that stuck was my dad. And we would go fishing and hunt for muscadines. They’re wild berries that my mom would make preserves out of. Everyone should try it.


What are some of your other hobbies outside of writing?

I love watching TV. My husband and I have gotten into a habit of finding a show then watching the entire thing straight through a couple of episodes each night. We recently flew through every season of Game Of Thrones and just finished both seasons of Vikings. Now we’re sad. My all time favorite show was Alias. Oh, the ROMANCE!!! I own that and have rewatched with each of my daughters when they hit their teens. I LOVE going to movies. Gladiator is my all time number one favorite movie. I think at last count I’d seen it 14 times. If you haven’t seen it, GO NOW. I promise you will thank me!!! And of course, I love to read. Though there aren’t many hours a day, not even on the weekend, that I’m not working, thinking, plotting, rewriting, or driving my children to activities.


What is something you've always wanted to do, but haven't done yet. Why not?
I’ve always wanted to sky dive. Not sure what I’m waiting on. :)

If you were on the staff to have a book adapted to movie, what would you pick?
Hmm...I’d really like to see Worth The Fall made into a movie. If not that, I think all of Julie James’ books would be awesome movies.

What is a talent you wish you had, but don't?
Hip hop dancer, so I could do be a back up dancer for JLo.

Favorite color? blue
Weather: Hot or cold? hot
Favorite place to read? on my raft
Favorite meal? Nacho Trio. Chips with quac, fresh salsa, and queso. Yep, that’s my perfect meal.
Favorite non-alcoholic drink? Diet Coke

If you could travel anywhere and do anything, no limits or money holding you back, where would you go?
I would cruise around the world seventeen times.


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Worth The FallThe McKinney Brothers # 1
By: Claudia Connor
Releasing September 9th, 2014
Loveswept

  
Blurb

Prepare to be swept away by a talented debut author with a passionate, powerful story to tell.
They meet on a beach. . . . Abby Davis isn’t wearing a skimpy bikini or sipping umbrella drinks, not when she’s busy chasing around four little ones. And Matt McKinney isn’t looking for fun—he’s a Navy SEAL, a grown man with a long list of missions . . . and fallen brothers.
They only have a week. . . . Abby has brought her children to this beach to start over, to give them the enjoyable memories they deserve. Matt’s been sidelined by a combat injury, and haunted by the best friend he lost and the promise he made: to remain a SEAL—focused and dedicated. This leaves no time for what he’s always wanted: a family.
But a week is all it takes. . . . Matt opens her heart while Abby soothes his soul. And though they plan to say good-bye when the week is over, something magical happens on that beach, something neither can forget. Something utterly, completely worth falling for.



Buy Links



 B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/worth-the-fall-claudia-connor/1120019663?ean=9780553390919


 
Author Info   

Claudia Connor attended Auburn University, where she received her undergraduate and masters degrees in early childhood education, and completed her studies in Sawbridgeworth, England. Always a lover of happy endings, she enjoys movies, reading, and spending her days putting on paper the stories in her head. She lives near Memphis, Tennessee, with her husband and three daughters.Author Links




2 comments:

  1. This sounds good! Thanks for the spotlight- and interview - I'll be adding this book to my tbr

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thank you so much for hosting me and the fun questions!!:))

    ReplyDelete