Wednesday, January 18, 2012

GFP Tour Stop & Interview with Lisa Scott



Lisa Scott is a former TV news anchor who now enjoys making up stories instead of sticking to the facts. The first book in her Willowdale Romance series will be released by Belle Bridge books in November 2012. In the meantime, she'll be releasing short stories linked to the Willowdale series, in addition to her Flirts! collections.

When not begging her husband and two kids for a few minutes of peace to write her stories, she works as a voice actor and putters around in her koi pond and garden in upstate NY.

Blurb: Every volume of the Flirts! Collection features five sweet, funny romantic short stories, linked by a loose thread. It all ties up in a fab, fun ending, bringing together characters from all the stories in that collection. Each short story is 8,000-12,000 words long--the perfect length to squeeze in during your lunch break or kids' practices. Sometimes you need a little love!



Welcome to BK Walker Books Etc. I'm so happy you could join me to kickoff your tour today from your well-worn recliner with the dog’s chin resting on your laptop. For those of you joining us today, you will also have a chance to win a $10 Amazon Gift Card which Lisa will randomly draw from those that leave a comment during her tour. The more you comment, the greater your chances are of winning!

BK: Please tell us a little about yourself...
I work from home as a voice artist and writer.  I’m a former TV news anchor and it’s great fun not to be constrained by the facts anymore when telling a story. I’m married with two kids, two cats, a dog, and a pond full of koi fish.  

BK: Please tell us a little about your book.... 
My latest release is Fairy Tale Flirts!  It’s volume number four of my Flirts! Collection.  Each volume has five linked short stories that tie up together in a fabulous happy ending. My readers love how characters appear in other stories and usually make an appearance at the end.

BK: What inspired you to pen this particular novel?
I thought it would be fun to write modern love stories inspired by fairy tales—without any magic. So, I put together Fairy Tale Flirts!  Hopefully, they’re infused with a bit of real-life magic.

BK: When did you first consider yourself a writer?
Probably the first time I sold something for publication. I’ve sold a few essays and even greeting card verses.  When my children were little, I wrote a humorous parenting column online. I didn’t start writing novel length fiction until 2007.

BK: How do you keep your story flowing?
I just push through that first horrible draft, no matter how bad it is.  I love the revising process, polishing it up with humor and description.

BK: Do you ever run into writer's block, and if so, what do you do to get past it?
Oh yes, writer’s block is a beast.  But usually if I take a walk, things work themselves out in my head and I’m ready to get back to the keyboard.

BK: What is your writing process like? 
Do you have any quirks, or must-haves to write?  I usually have to have the main characters’ back stories all worked out before I can sit down and do serious writing.  Once I have that in place, it flows nicely.  Then I need to perfect the first few pages so when I’m in the middle of the project, convinced it’s horrible, I can go back to those first few pages and remember why I love it.

BK: Where do you hope your books/writing will be in the future?
I hope more people discover and enjoy short stories.  I’d love to keep writing these collections.  It’s great for someone like me who comes up with loads of ideas for stories.

BK: What do you hope readers will take away from your books?
I had a reader write in a review that they were in such a good mood after finishing one of my books.  I’d love my books to be the bright spot in someone’s day.

BK: What is one piece of advice you received that you carry with you in your writing?
Write what you love to write.  While erotica is a hot seller, it’s just not me.  But I do love sweet, funny romances, and while my audience might be smaller than that for erotica, this is where I feel comfortable writing, and have a lot of fun with it.  I wouldn’t start writing something just to chase a trend.

BK: What is one piece of advice you would give to new and aspiring writers?
Not everyone is going to love what you write.  Don’t be discouraged by that.  It’s just not possible to please everyone, so please the audience you’re targeting.

BK: Are you currently working on any new projects?
What can we expect from you in the future?  I’m always working on several projects. I signed a two-book deal with Belle Bridge Books for my Willowdale Romance series.  Think fun, contemporary romance with a southern twist. No Foolin’ will be published in November 2012.  A small town girl poses as a movie star’s girlfriend so no one will know why he’s really in town. Tricking the press they’re in love is one thing; fooling themselves they’re not is getting harder each day.   I’ll be preceding that book with a few Willowdale short stories, and of course, more Flirts! Collections. Wedding Flirts! And Reunion Flirts! are coming soon.

BK: Where can readers find you?
www.Readlisascott.com Read Lisa Scott on Facebook and on Twitter.

Flirts! 5 Romantic Short Stories to squeeze into your busy life. Fun, flirty, sweet, and sassy—always with the perfect happy ending. Discover the link that ties the stories together.

Each story is 8,000 to 11,000 words in length (approximately 32-44 typical book pages in length. 53,000 words total, or 210 typical book pages.)

The stories include:

“The Hot Girl’s Friend” 
How can a plain Jane find love when her best friend is a curvy blond man magnet? 

Jane usually busies herself during a night on the town, fending off the men lusting after her gorgeous friend Miranda. When Brady the bartender overhears her inspired, ludicrous excuses, he resolves to hook up Jane with his friends. But Jane would be quite happy with him. Pine along as Jane tries to find her own happily ever after.

“Wrong Place, Right Guy”
She’s in the wrong place at the wrong time. Can the guy who saves her be Mr. Right? Or will his past keep them apart?

When Kristen is jumped in a parking lot, Tony jumps in to save the day. While she thinks her hero could also be her heartthrob, Tony’s worried his past is reason to stay apart. Will the good guy get the girl in the end?

“Not You” 
One night with a stranger…gets even stranger the next day.

Single, lonely Carly thinks the best way to handle her mother’s third wedding is by throwing her own bachelorette-party-for-one the night before. What’s the harm in her first one-night stand ever? She’ll find out the next day.

“Desperately Seeking Cupid” 
Does she finally have the key for finding love?

Brianna has tried everything to find love—with no luck. So she’s turning to feng shui to bring romance to her world. Too bad the guy she’s after thinks its bunk. Will her formula for love work—or blow up in her face?

“Never Been Dumped”
It’s a relationship with an expiration date and it’s going to go bad.

Rachel hates breaking hearts. She’s never been dumped, and she’s tired of being the one to walk away. But a handsome stranger in town for the summer promises he’ll dump her after their summer fling. Will they be able to say goodbye?

Flirts! Five Romantic Short Stories to make you smile and swoon—buy the collection now for 2.99 or buy single stories for .99 each. Look for Beach Flirts! 5 Romantic Short Stories due out in late summer 2011 and Holiday Flirts! in early November 2011.



excerpt: from "Washed Up" story #4 in the Beach Flirts! collection

He woke to darkness and pain, with a pounding head and churning stomach; but soft lips crushed against his, so the night couldn’t have been that bad. His mouth moved in response, and he reached to find the body attached to those remarkable lips. He wrapped one hand around the back of her neck, while the other trailed further south over her collarbone, cupping a round, firm…

Slap! His eyes opened to an explosion of light. Then he sat up and puked. Seawater spewed from his mouth and someone rolled him onto his side.

“He’s okay, but get the lifeguard!” a woman shouted. She rubbed his arm. “You’re fine. Everything’s fine.”

This wasn’t exactly his definition of fine. He blinked away salty brine and fell back on the sand. “What the hell happened?” He looked up at the woman—petite, with dark eyes, and long hair that glowed in the sun.

“I’m not sure. I found you washed up here.”

He winced at the familiar phrase. Just ask his agent, who hadn’t been able to land him so much as a mall opening in the past three years.

“And then you kissed me?” he asked. Crazy fans had tried worse. At least duct tape and handcuffs hadn’t been involved this time; an actor without his sense of humor might have pressed charges.

“Kiss you?” She rolled her eyes. “Ever heard of CPR? I was a lifeguard in high school. You kissed me, and then you tried…” she winced.

excerpt #2 from "The Hot Girl's Friend" story #! from the Flirts! Collection

We boogied to the hip song of the moment and soon enough, a few gutsy gals left the security of the scattered tables and joined us. Then the drunker of the men crowded the floor, probably wondering if they should shoot for the top and approach Miranda or pick one of us “lesser” girls—like they could flatter us into bed by flirting with us first. For the most part, men at bars are idiots. Newsflash, I know.

“You with the hot chick?” a short, curly-haired guy asked, bumping his hip into mine in some pretense of a dance move.

I bumped back hard enough that he had to catch his balance. “If you mean the tall blonde, yes, I am.”

Out came another bad dance move, with him jiggling his hands like he was shaking a Martini. “She available?”

I shook my head and gave him the bad news. “Not exactly. She starts her prison sentence tomorrow. This is kind of a last hurrah.”

His bushy eyebrows scrunched as he recalculated his plan of attack, not quite ready to give up the chase. Perhaps prison stripes are a turn-on for some guys.

I shrugged. “I suppose she could use a pen pal. Although her ex might be writing to her, too. He seems to have gotten over the whole stabbing thing. You really only need one testicle, right?” I boogied away from him and started getting my excuses ready for the string of men who would soon be lining up to meet the second most appealing woman in the bar—the hot chick’s best friend. Always a good girl to know when trying to make your move. At least, that’s what the men seemed to think.

excerpt #3 from "Spooked by Love" story #1 from Holiday Flirts!


“So, I’m invited to a grownup Halloween party next weekend. Would you like to come? We’ve already got fabulous costumes.” He waggled his eyebrows.

I blew out a long breath. My heart was shouting ‘yes,’ but my brain stamped its foot ‘no’—kind of like Chelsea often did. “I don’t think so.”

Jeff snapped his fingers. “Wait, just a minute. I know what the problem is. I’ll be right back.” He dashed over to the big cauldron of candy and goodies set up on a banquet table, dug through the treats inside, and hurried back. He sat down and stared at me, all serious. Then he smiled, showing off neon-green vampire teeth. “Do you ‘vant to go out ‘vith me now?” he said, with a deep, sultry, Dracula accent.

I laughed so hard I thought I might hiccup. “Because you’re wearing fake teeth?”

Frowning, he lost the accent. “I heard women are really into vampires these days.” He shrugged. “Did my sister lie to me about that?”

My lips twitched into a smile. This guy could’ve been a new hot member of the Cullen family from Twilight, but I still wouldn’t go out with him. “I’m sorry, not even the sexiest, pointiest, vampire teeth could tempt me.”

He leaned across the table towards me, lowering his voice. “I’m a police officer. Are women into police officers these days? I’ve got the uniform and everything.”

I giggled—and I am so not a giggler. “I’m sure plenty of women have a thing for police officers.”

Thank you so much for taking time to chat with me today. It's been a pleasure having you and I wish you much success in the future.





Thank you to our sponsor:


Goddess Fish Partner

9 comments:

Goddess Fish Promotions said...

Thank you for hosting Lisa today.

Lisa Scott said...

Thanks for hosting me today! I'm busy working on the next volume as we speak, (Wedding Flirts!) but I'll be popping in throughout the day to answer any questions.

Anyone have a sweet "how we met" story to share? (You might inspire my next story!)

Lots of my stories are inspired by real life. Like "Never Been Dumped." I have a friend who was sick of dating, because she was always doing the dumping, and I thought hmmmm....there's a story there.

Unknown said...

Hey Lisa, I loved your interview. Good luck with your tour. When I met my wife, it was love at first sight. I asked if anyone knew her and they all said that she worked at H&R Block. So I got all dressed up and went to get my taxes done. But she knew why I was really there and I asked her out to dinner. And then, when I picked her up, she wanted to skip dinner and go somewhere to be alone. We have been married for nine yrs. Thanks for bringing back the memories. I look forward to reading more of your work.
Arthur. highwayman99c@Aol.com

MomJane said...

yea!!! I love series so I don't have to let my fondness for the characters go away.

Unknown said...

Your welcome and thank you so much for taking time to chat with me. I am excited about your books and they are on my TBR. Can't wait. Thanks to you all for stopping in.

BK

Lisa Scott said...

Arthur! What a sweet story. And she was just as interested. (insert little kitty growl noise here.) Where did you first see her?

Unknown said...

Hey Lisa, glad you liked the story. I first saw her when I was getting my car washed, there was a Sonic restaraunt and some other shops and hangouts in the plaza. She approached me first and said hi and turned and walked away. As I saw her leaving, my heart started beating rapidly. I went back every day and kept asking if anyone knew her. Finally someone told me her name was Paula and where she worked. She later told me that she had been there looking for me, too. Thanks again.
Arthur

Lisa Scott said...

Awww. Sometimes real life beats fiction. And you're still together. Love it! Thanks for sharing.

Mary Preston said...

I'm most surprised I have not heard of the FLIRTS stories before. I will have to chase them all up. I have a lot of catching up to do.

marypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com