Interview with Autumn Piper + Trouble Won't Wait review

Hello and welcome to my stop on this tour. Today, I'm interviewing Autumn Piper! Please help me welcome Autumn to the blog today.

Autumn, thank you for hanging out on the blog today and for answering my questions.

 tell me about yourself, and your writing.

I’ve done my time in cities (Houston, Tulsa, L.A.) but really prefer things local and friendly. Still, I get a real kick out of movies that make fun of little towns, rural communities, or city slickers who just can’t cut it in a tight-knit village (My Cousin Vinny, Runaway Bride). I’m also a firm believer that, next to church, the beauty shop is the best place in town learn what’s going on. Many of my stories bend "the rules" of traditional romantic fiction (or flat-out ignore them). Some of my heroines are young, single women, whereas others are mothers or recently divorced. Some of my lead gals are tough as nails, others need an alpha guy to sweep them off their feet, and a couple are confused and trying like hell to make the best of a tough situation. Whatever the case, my characters will get their happy ending. Because they deserve it, and so do my readers.

How long have you been writing? How many published books do you have, and what genres?

I’ve been writing for about 7 years, published for about 4 years, and I currently have 4 contemporary romances published as Autumn Piper.

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

Some of my books crossover to women’s fiction, and I also write erotic romance as Piper Denna.

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

I’m mostly a pantser, though I am trying to mend my ways and become a plotter (this after writing myself into a corner on more than one occasion—I learn from mistakes, but not always the first time, LOL).

What is a typical writing day like for you?

I get up at 6, make sure the teenagers wake up on time and bicker their way out the door for school (my son drives, so I get out of that now, and yes, I love it. It’s one small joy to offset the many headaches of parenting teens!). Next I put out fires, as the Executive Editor for Lyrical Press: answer any emergency emails, answer questions from training editors, maybe write a blog post and check in on Twitter. I’ll spend some time doing invoicing for my husband’s electrical contracting business, taking care of bank stuff, etc, run errands as needed. Then I edit (usually 2 books per months) until lunch time, followed by a short workout, writing time until the kids get back home… This is on a perfect day, where hubby isn’t home doing paperwork, nobody else is sick and stays home or has an appointment, I don’t have to help out with babysitting… Not many days are typical.

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

Nora Roberts, Lisa Kleypas, Lori Foster, Diana Gabaldon, Julia Quinn, Meg Cabot. And Stephen King. (you know you’re a product of the 70’s if you started singing “Which one of these things does not belong?” LOL.) Yes, Mr. King is quite different from the others on my list, but he never disappoints me.

What is something you'd like to accomplish in your writing career next year?

This year I need to complete at least 3 books, and I’d like to triple my current sales numbers.

If you could have one paranormal ability, what would it be?

I love this question! I’d want to fly. (But if I could have that pet in the next question, then I’d choose super-vision as my paranormal ability)

If you could keep a mythical/ paranormal creature as a pet, what would you have?

Pegasus, or a hippogriff. I’ve always loved horseback riding, but how much cooler would it be if your horse could take you for a flight?

Tell us a little about your latest release.

Trouble Won’t Wait is a lighthearted take on how one woman handles her husband’s infidelity, her relatives’ unsolicited advice, a kooky marriage counselor, and a hunky stranger who makes her feel attractive again.

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

Sunshine. I really have a rough time on cloudy or overcast days.

Could you ever co author a book with someone? If so, who would you choose, and what would you write?

Maybe. I have a friend who writes about the same speed I do, and in (at least I like to think) similar veins of contemporary romance. (Her characters swear about as much as mine do, too, which is more important than you might think.) Her name is Sutton Fox.

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 tried to come up with something that would make me sound thoughtful, like Amelia Earhart. She’s cool. But you know, if I had this chance, I’d totally go for spending the day with George Strait. I’d probably spend the whole day moon-eyed, with my mouth hanging wide open, looking like a complete dunce and sounding even more dunce-y. But hey. I sigh deeply just thinking about it!

What are some of your other hobbies outside of writing?

In the summer, I love to garden—vegetables as well as flowers, and I grow big hulking jungle-native houseplants. I like to sew, and arrange real flowers as well as silk. I also like walking, reading, and playing Jigsaw World on Facebook. And this is probably lame as a “hobby” but I religiously DVR and watch TMZ. I love that show, as much for the staff as the stories.

If you were on the staff to have a book adapted to movie, what would you pick?

I just finished reading Connie Brockway’s The Other Guy’s Bride, and I think it’d be a fun movie. It’s set around 1910 in Egypt. The heroine impersonates the fiancée of a British Army captain so she can get a safe escort to where she believes she find the lost city of Zerzura. Her hero is part American cowboy, part English gentleman, completely sexy, and living in social exile. The poor guy gets punched out by everybody there for a while, and seldom deserves it. With the awesome setting and a host of barb-sharing characters, this book would be a great movie.

What is a talent you wish you had, but don't?

Sketching. Even my stick-figures are tough to decipher when I play Draw Something.

Favorite color?

Red.

Weather: Hot or cold?

Hot.

Favorite place to read?

In the sunshine. Either outside when it’s warm, or in a patch of sun streaming through a window in the winter.

Favorite meal

Crab legs…No. Enchiladas. Cheese enchiladas, with plenty of chips and salsa. Followed by cheesecake. Or sopapillas stuffed with cheesecake. Somebody should make that! With Cool Whip on top. No wonder I need to exercise daily, right?

Favorite non-alcoholic drink.

What is this non-alcohol you speak of?

Kidding. Probably the old stand-by, iced tea.

If you could travel anywhere and do anything, no limits or money holding you back, where would you go?

You know those huts on the water you see in the Pacific Islands? I’d probably start there, for a few weeks. Then I’d want to take a trip through the UK, dawdle in Ireland awhile, check out France, Germany, Spain, Venice. Spend some time in the Best Place Ever: Jamaica. Maybe visit the Great Coral Reef down under, and return to the hut on the water for a year or two. No time limit, right? I also wouldn’t mind seeing the Mayan ruins, and Yellowstone. But only in the summer…

Autumn Piper

Got romance?

On Best of 2012 USA Today list: http://usat.ly/Z1PRUV

Autumnpiper.com

Twitter: @AutumnPiperAuth

Trouble Won’t Wait                     

Good things may come to those who wait, but trouble waits for no one…

Cheating is a dealbreaker...or so Mandy’s always thought. But when she catches her husband getting some “strange,” she realizes how hard it is to cut and run, or even file papers. She agrees to a month of counseling, which will give her time to grieve the loss of her marriage before she has to tell the world—and the kids. Then she meets Adam, who gives her a hunky--if mysterious--shoulder to cry on, and that thirty-day waiting period seems like an eternity.

Adam has no problem confessing that he’s watched Mandy from his window for months as she runs by his house. If he told her why, though, she’d freak out for sure. He knows they’ve got a future together, if he can think of a way to explain his past. And he’s sure the rat-bastard who cheated on her is putting the moves on her again, but he won’t be the revenge guy. The month-long cooling off period she agreed to is lasting forever, and might just be indefinite, if trouble keeps getting in their way.

WARNING: Eccentric old lady pushing salt-of-the-earth advice, bossy big brother, kooky counselor, super-secretive hunk, and perfect justice served amidst adult situations and language.

EXCERPT:

I snap the phone shut.

Adam pats my back.

I’m feeling a little proud, and a lot sick. A wicked combination of nerves, exhaustion and barely eating has me shaking, my heart racing, legs suddenly weak.

“Hey, you okay?” Adam’s voice is soft, worried.

I can only nod. If I speak I’ll be sick all over my shoes. After a minute or so, I’m not lightheaded anymore, and stand. God, how embarrassing, to go all weak in front of him!

“You’re pale.” He strokes my cheek with his fingertips. I must look awful, but he seems concerned, not disgusted. “You’re freezing. Come on.” He leads me toward his house.

Halfway to his back gate, it comes to me: I cannot go in there, not in this mood.

“Adam. Hold on.”

He stops and faces me.

I press my eyes with the heels of my hands. “Do you want to be my revenge?”

His laugh is warm, lusty. “Would there be opportunity for advancement? A possibility for a permanent position?”

“Probably not at this point. Revenge would be a temp position only.”

“Then, no. I’ll keep arms’ reach away from you, Scout’s honor.”

Arms’ reach, rather than arms’ length… Freudian slip?

BIO:

I write contemporary romance and women's fiction/mom-lit. My stories often have a high heat index to match their American southwest settings. Known by my writing buddies as "Angst", I have a penchant for making my characters suffer. My novels may be tributes to the old saying, "No pain, no gain", but my hero and heroine always get the happily-ever-after they so deserve.

I love sunny days, hot bread, the ocean, and that fluttery feeling I get inside at the first spark of a great romance. In between being a wife, mom of two teens, writer, and editor, I like to read, take morning walks, make people laugh (this probably happens when I break into a jog!), garden, and play Jigsaw World on Facebook. (sad but true)

For me, an excellent book has characters you can sympathize with or hate (sometimes both at once), a story you simply must see through to the end, and realistic dialogue. Give me those key elements, and I'll read any genre or time period, any author.

REVIEW RATING: 4 LIGHTNING BOLTS

Review: Life is never perfect. It has it's ups and downs. Even when you think everything is smooth sailing, a little curveball is tossed your way that makes you think "Hey, that's not fair!" 

For Mandy, this is the case. As her world spirals in a strange direction, now is the time she's going to live and learn, and find ways to move on.

Trouble Won't wait is a light, heartwarming novel that really makes you think. With compelling characters and witty dialog, the story really has it all. I was engaged the whole time, rooting for Mandy and hoping for the best. There's just one thing after the other for this woman, but her strength and determination shines through. 

- An Amazon gift card of $15 will be awarded to one lucky commenter from  Media Page at the end of the 8 week book tour.