Author Spotlight: Alexa Bourne

I'm pleased to welcome Alexa Bourne to A Whole Latte Romance today. 

Alexa Bourne is a teacher by day and a romantic suspense writer by nights, weekends, and all school holidays. She also teaches online classes for writers throughout the year. She is thrilled to be writing for Decadent Publishing and to have the chance to share her love of Scotland with readers everywhere.When she's not concocting sinister plots and steamy love scenes or traveling and exploring new cultures, Alexa spends her time reading, watching brainless TV and thinking about exercising. She loves to interact with readers. To find her, visit www.alexabourne.com, http://facebook.com/AuthorAlexaBourne,http://alexabourne.blogspot.com, or follow her on Twitter @AlexaBourne.And now on to the interview :-)

1.            Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?

I’m not the average writer. I didn’t read a lot until I got to high school and then it was all about Vietnam soldiers. I didn’t write my 1^st romance until I was in college. I’ve traveled a lot, taken risks a lot (some worked out, some didn’t), and I’m always looking for ways to improve professionally and personally.

2.            What do you do when you are not writing?

I like to watch TV, movies, read, exercise, travel when I have the money, hang out with friends and family.

3.            Do you have a day job as well?

Yes, I’m a teacher. I’ve worked with pretty much every grade from 2^nd to 8^th and believe it or not I LOVE 6^th grade best. I think it’s because I’m as crazy as the kids.

4.            When did you first start writing and when did you finish your first book?

I’ve been writing for as long as I can remember. I wrote plays for my friends to perform in grade school. My 1^st book was fan fiction for my favorite show, The A-Team, when I was in middle school. It was my first story over 100 pages. 

5.            How did you choose the genre you write in?

I think my genre chose me. J The very first TV shows I remember watching were The Bionic Woman and The Six Million Dollar Man. The only Disney movie I remember seeing as a child was The Rescuers. These all revolved around suspense/mystery and the bad guys getting what they deserved.

6.            Where do you get your ideas?

I get ideas pretty much everywhere. Once when I saw a cop car turn into a hospital parking lot, I came up with a complete plot for a novel about a guy who escapes on his routine hospital visit, puts the heroine in the hospital and proceeds to torture the hero.

7.            Do you ever experience writer’s block?

LOL! I think I go through that with every book.

8.            Do you work with an outline, or just write?

I just write. I start with a character and maybe one scene idea. My rough draft is where I find out about the characters and the conflicts. (I usually write 4-6 drafts per book.) I once tried to write from page one with an outline, but I got bored by page 20.

9.            Is there any particular author or book that influenced you in any way either growing up or as an adult? Stephen J. Cannell was my inspiration. He created all the TV shows I got hooked on as I was growing up and he inspired me. As an adult, I was inspired by Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander. When I read that first book in her series, I knew I wanted to share my stories, and I wanted to move readers the way Gabaldon moved me.

10.        Can you tell us about your challenges in getting your first book published?

LOL! How about that I began submitting in 1999 and I only signed my first contract in December 2011. I’ve had all sorts of ups and downs in getting to this point, plenty of rejections, plenty of people who didn’t believe in me, but I kept at it because I wanted it.

11.        If you had to go back and do it all over, is there any aspect of your novel or getting it published that you would change?

I would’ve liked to have my father and my grandparents around to see my first book come out. I remember sitting in my grandparents’ house during summer vacations. My grandfather would come in from work, see me sitting on the living room floor with my notebook and ask, “Aren’t you done with that story yet?”

12.   How do you market your work? What avenues have

         you found to work best for your genre?

I’m still learning all about marketing. (Anybody got some great advice????)

13.   Have you written a book you love that you have not

         been able to get published? Yes. I have one that came close to selling, but ultimately got turned down. I’m still submitting it because I really believe in the story, the characters and I believe it’s a story that deserves to be shared. It’s about a woman whose brother goes missing on purpose and he asks his old Army buddy to keep the heroine safe. The hero is reluctant to do it, but he’s a hero so he does protect her and help her uncover why her brother had to disappear.

14.   Can you tell us about your book?

Her Highland Champion, a contemporary Scottish romantic suspense, came out March 30^th. Heather Winchester leads a charming life. With good friends, a beautiful flat in one of the most amazing cities in the world, and a promising future once she finishes her Ph.D, she is finally pursuing her own dreams instead of catering to everyone else’s…except she doesn’t remember any of it.

15.   Is anything in your book based on real life experiences or purely all imagination?

The story is all imagination, but the setting is based on Glenfinnan, Scotland, which is my “happy place.” I

got great assistance from the manager of the Glenfinnan House Hotel (www.glenfinnanhouse.com) when I emailed her questions about the place, plus the hero’s bed and breakfast is based on this hotel as well. I’ve been fortunate enough to vacation there a couple of times.

16.   What was your favorite chapter (or part) to write and why?

I had to rewrite the ending to fit this current storyline so this was my favorite part to write. The heroine, Heather, who has lost her memory must choose between her ex and the hero. She sort of comes into her own.

17.   How did you come up with the title?

LOL. It was actually the title of a different WIP, but it fit this story. Malcolm is Heather’s knight in shining armor, her champion.

18.   What project are you working on now?

I’m working on revisions for my 3^rd story in my UK trilogy. Right now it’s called Novella #3 (Isn’t that genius?) and is set in Edinburgh during Hogmanay, or New Year’s. Hopefully my publisher will want this one too! The hero for this one is Ian MacKenzie who makes an appearance in Her Highland Champion.

19.   Will you have a new book coming out soon?

         Yes! I just signed my 2^nd contract with Decadent 

        Publishing for another Honor Guard story. It’s called

        Fractured Paradise and I’ll be working on edits for it 

        soon! J

20.   Are there certain characters you would like to back to, or is there a theme or idea you’d love to work with?

        I would love to have the chance to write Meggie MacDougall’s story. Meggie is the town gossip                       in Her Highland Champion, but she’s got such a good heart and is fiercely loyal. I think she deserves a happily-ever-after.

21.   What has been the toughest criticism given to you as

         an author? What has been the best compliment?

         Oooh, this is a tough question. I think the toughest criticism was from an editor. She wanted to buy the book (not this one), but her senior editor didn’t agree. At that point I was so close and it just hurt so much to hear another “no”. Best compliment? I appreciate every single compliment I get because it’s validation that I’m doing something right, I’m affecting someone in some way.

22.   Do you have any advice to give to aspiring writers?

Don’t give up if it’s really what you want. Like I said before, I started submitting in 1999 and 12 years later I sold. I kept at it, kept learning, and pushed myself because I wanted it more than anything else in the world.

23.   Is there anything that you would like to say to your readers and fans?

Thank you to everyone who reads this interview, comments on it or reads my story. I appreciate your time and effort! And thank YOU for having me!

Thank you for being here Alexa! It's been a blast.

If you'd like to buy yourself a copy of Her Highland Champion (Which I'm sure you all do) you can find it at the following:

Decadent: http://www.decadentpublishing.com/product_info.php?products_id=508&osCsid=ecnbq681ktqk85kmebfp80bva3

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Highland-Champion-Honor-Series-ebook/dp/B007PJ1GM0/ref=lp_B007PQQMRC_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1334376834&sr=1-1

All Romance Ebooks: http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-herhighlandchampion-769535-149.html

Thank you all for being here and visiting us today. Alexa and I appreciate it.

All My Best,

Kayla 

Review: House of Saints by a.c. Mason

Title: House of Saints
Publisher: Decadent Publishing
Publication Date: February 24, 2012
Genre: Paranormal Erotic Historical Romance with multiple partners, interracial/multicultural and including m/m/f, f/f/m, m/f, and discipline
Received for Review from Author


The Blurb:

In 1890"s London, young Simone Baden is left with responsibility of her two brothers. Being a woman of color with very little experience, she cannot provide for them through honest means and is soon desperate. From the women at the boarding house, she hears of a brothel that caters to the unusual- supernaturals. WIth the ache of hunger growing in her brothers' bellies and the threat of eviction looming, she has no choice but to barter her body and freedom.

Eravas Lilu is an ancient spirit of desire who excels at what he does- teaching the arts of pleasure to women- but Simone is different. With a male and female helper, decadent instruction follows to mold his charge into Magdalene. Enthralled by her inner beauty, he finds himself at a crossroads.

Shall he let her new profession take her soul, or give up his own in exchange for hers...?

My Take:

I loved this. It's as simple as that. It's a very quick read and I couldn't put it down. Many people may have issues with the heroine simply for the reason of her choice of profession to save her family, however despite her profession she never ends up giving herself away for money and for me, this is why I didn't have a problem with the heroine. She was put into a predicament that many people can sympathize with and living in different times, she does what she has to to make sure her little brothers are cared for.

I love how right from the start Eravas is enthralled with her though he won't admit it to her, flat out telling her that he will undoubtedly grow tired of her after a while as he does with each of his new charges, but Simone refuses to believe him. She brings out a side of him that Eravas didn't know he had and shows her the ultimate pleasure that one can experience.

I love how Simone brings out the good in Eravas that he never thought he had and I loved the ending very much.

The only problem I really had was how easily she accepted her new calling in life, yes she was shy with different things at first, but I would have liked to see a little bit more of an inner struggle with her and her new occupation and with what she is now meant to experience.

I recommend this story to anyone looking for a quick and sexy as all hell read and look forward to more of a.c. Mason's works.

My Rating: 4/5 Lattes




All My Best,

Kayla

Review: Almost Perfect by Jenna Jaxon

Publisher: Decadent Publishing
Pub Date: December 7, 2011
Contemporary Erotic Romance- Short

Blurb:

Pamela Kimball’s birthday present, a 1Night Stand adventure, promises jump-start her life, put a new man in her bed, and help her forget her past.  Unfortunately, movie-buff Pam’s Pirates of the Caribbean fantasy takes an alarming wrong turn when she’s abandoned on a not quite deserted island—with ex-husband Roger Ware.

Forced by hunger to accept Roger’s offer of dinner,  Pam realizes the geek she married has transformed into one of the most charming, sexiest men she’s ever met. His newfound confidence—and hot body—re-kindles old fires.  A simple kiss leads Roger to challenges her to discover how much his lovemaking skills have improved, leaving Pam torn between self-preservation and burning desire.

With time running out before they’re rescued, Pam must decide if her heart can survive the consequences of becoming Roger’s “almost” perfect 1Night Stand.

I'm a fan of rekindled love stories such as this. At the start of the story, Pam is so excited to be on her way to her birthday present, a one night stand fantasy, what she wasn't expecting was to find out that the matchmaking service used to determine her one night stand has chosen none other than her ex-husband Roger who she hates.

A troubled marriage that ended in divorce makes for a heated encounter between the two of them when they finally, after two years, see each other again, but alone on a deserted island, the once-couple is forced to take shelter together and in turn discover that the past doesn't necessarily equal the future as long as both parties are willing to work on their problems. One such problem was their sex life, which is definitely renewed in this story. A very hot and steamy short that will leave you breathless and hopeful that the once-couple can renew their marriage again and this time succeed. 

You can't forget about the little "show" the 1Night Stand service provides for the two of them to help make Pam's fantasy a little more reality, it was a cute and sweet and hot and I enjoyed the story very much.

At times, the story read a bit stilted to me, but I was able to easily overlook that and at some points throughout the story the playful banter between the couple came across as a little immature, but for the most part, Pam and Roger were great together and I really enjoyed them as a couple and am glad they were able to find each other again and start their relationship over. 

I expect some great things from Jenna Jaxon in the future and can't wait to read more of what she has to offer.

My Review: 4/5 "Steamy" Lattes

All My Best,

Kayla