@GoddessFish Book Tour Interview & #Giveaway with Andrea Stein - Rough Harbor

Welcome to BK Walker Books Etc. 

I'm so happy you could join me today at my ‘home office’ – really it’s a little piece carved out of barn. There’s light and heat, but not much else. And everyone once and awhile there’s some odd rustling –but the kids can’t get in.

BK: Please tell us a little about yourself...

I live in New Jersey, in a surprisingly country-like part of the state. I used to live in New York City and now I get nervous because there are too many people and too much traffic when I have to go to the mall. I have three young kids and a husband, and in a former life I used to be an IT (information technology) consultant, but I spent all my time in meetings daydreaming about stories.

BK: Please tell us a little about your book....

Rough Harbor is about love lost and regained. High school sweethearts Noah and Caitlyn parted on bad terms and find themselves thrown together when Noah returns to town to take over the family company. There’s a wrinkle – Caitlyn wants the company too, and now they have to decide what’s more important – business or romance.

BK: What inspired you to pen this particular novel? 

I married my high school sweetheart, but I know many people who didn’t. Still there’s always that feeling of “what might have been” about the one that got away. Or maybe you’re glad they got away…And nothing quite compares to your first love, especially when both characters have had time to grow apart into different people. Are you still compatible? Or do you just need to figure out the answer to that question – was he/she the one?

BK: When did you first consider yourself a writer?

I always wanted to be a writer pretty much from the get go. I used to write in journals – most of which I still have, but I am afraid to read them, too much teenage angst. UGH. And then I got my first word processor (not a computer) but a word processor, and I started to bang out a story inspired by Out of Africa…. And then I felt that I needed to do something ‘real’ with my life so I focused on getting a real job and writing took a back seat. Along the way I got married, had three kids, and then I realized I’m not getting any younger, so about four years ago - I got serious about writing. I started to sit and do it on a consistent basis. And that’s when the books started coming.

BK: How do you keep your story flowing? 

Frying pan into the fire – romance isn’t necessarily an adventure story where you need constant action, but pretty much if you stop and think about the worst thing that could happen – even if it’s a phone call interrupting the first kiss, then that creates tension and excitement. Basically, just remember “the course of true love never did run smooth…”

BK: Do you ever run into writer's block, and if so, what do you do to get past it? 

It’s not so much writer’s block as it is distraction. I rarely run out of things to write, but I do have trouble focusing and carving out time to write – with three young kids and a husband, there are a lot of things nipping away at my time –from email, to school notes to write, to troubled sleep that all cut into productive writing time.

BK: What is your writing process like? Do you have any quirks, or must-haves to write? 

I am definitely a person who writes on a computer. My handwriting is terrible and trying to write long hand is mostly useless – I cannot not read what I write, so I write on a computer. And music helps – I’m tone deaf, so I don’t really care what it is so much as it just kind of creates a white noise barrier to the outside world.

BK: Where do you hope your books/writing will be in the future? 

I would like to myself with a study backlist of books. And as my kids get older, I envision my writing process and time to be more like a daytime job – as opposed to early in the morning or late at night – because I’m unfortunately not a morning person or a night owl.

BK: What do you hope readers will take away from your books? 

That every love story is special. It doesn’t always take a ravishingly handsome bazillonaire to whisk us a away – and that there’s a place in romance for strong, career minded women

BK: What is one piece of advice you received that you carry with you in your writing? 

Bum glue. You can dream stories, and think about characters but unless you sit in a chair day after day and type or put pen to paper you’re not going to have much more than a head full of talking characters.

BK: What is one piece of advice you would give to new and aspiring writers? 

Use an outline.

BK: Wow. I think that's the first time I've been given that piece of advice. I like it. Are you currently working on any new projects? 

What can we expect from you in the future? I am working on another romance, Ivy Cottage, also set in Queensbay, featuring a new couple – Chase and Phoebe whose grandparents once had a torrid affair and very public . Phoebe inherits the Ivy Cottage, location of said affair and Chase wants to buy it. They find themselves attracted to each other, but wonder if their recreating their grandparents “Affair of the Century” or if it’s true love.

BK: Where can readers find you? 

Www.andreasteinbooks.com is the best place to find me and on twitter: Twitter.com/andreasteinbook

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.

THANKS

About The Author:

Hi, I’, Andrea Stein an author, mother, wife and blogger and a certified mom-chauffeur. I have been scribbling stories for as long as I can remember, including my first adventure story, inspired by an obsession with Out of Africa (book, movie and biography) about a young girl stranded in Kenya. It was serial fiction handwritten, given to my sister, who couldn’t read my handwriting. That story dies after one installment, but the next year I got a word processor (not a computer, but an ACTUAL WORD PROCESSOR) that showed about twenty lines of text at a time. This was before laptops were widely available and this allowed me to be able to type to my heart’s content in the privacy of my own room. Which I did. I think I spent the time writing stories about my “frenemies” to amuse myself. I also listened to a lot of the Cure and New Wave music. I have since moved on to a happier place.

Even though I read lots of different types of books, I write romance novels with a twist. More like contemporary romance than romantic suspense (I don’t write about serial killers or FBI agents) but I usually like to include a puzzle or mystery for my hero and heroine to solve.

Rough Harbor is my second novel, set in a small New England town. Coming soon is Ivy Cottage, also set in a small New England town on a river.

Other than writing I spend most of my time reading, watching TV, cooking, cleaning, taking care of kids, trying to keep the house clean and folding laundry. I love Twizzlers, chocolate and shows on the WB. For me, reading has always been an escape, a way to escape the ordinary and dive into a world that feels real – but with all of the ‘boring’ parts edited out.

As for the rest of my life, I grew up on Long Island, spent a lot of vacations in small New England towns, went to college in New York City, married by high school sweetheart, worked, had kids, stopped working, and kept on writing. Now I live in rural New Jersey (yes, there is such a thing), and though I don’t own any horses, I do have a barn, which I share with squirrels.

There’s something successful writers always tell new writers about their secret to success. Just do it…Bum Glue…write 1ooo words a day…write for two hours a day….Keep writing. And they’re right. I got more successful with my writing when I started to do it consistently. I don’t write every day, but I shoot for five days a week. This means that the words and pages pile up — and I have stories to shape, make and mold…and share.

I hope you enjoy my books, currently available at www.amazon.com

Links – Website:

www.Andreasteinbooks.com

http://www.facebook.com/AndreaSteinBooks

https://twitter.com/andreasteinbook

BLURB:

After a bitter break up and professional set back in London, twenty seven year old Caitlyn has returned to Queensbay to work for Maxwell Randall, an old family friend, at his financial management firm. So far, bit by bit, Caitlyn’s been rebuilding all she lost after Michael St. John broke her heart …and tried to ruin her professional reputation.

But her past comes back to haunt her when Maxwell unexpectedly turns up dead. Not only does Caitlyn find her career in jeopardy but her heart is too, when Noah Randall, Maxwell’s son, and her first love, returns to Queensbay. Once, ten years ago, Caitlyn was sure Noah was the one for her…but the tragedy of her grandfather’s suicide and Noah’s decision to leave town left her bereft…and determined never to trust him again.

Over the past decade, she’s managed to do her best to forget about Noah Randall and the lingering questions surrounding her grandfather’s suicide. But now that’s he back in town – rich and more handsome than ever, and she can’t help wondering what if? What if Noah really was the one?

Noah Randall left home ten years ago to seek his fortune – vowing never to return until he’d made a success of himself – and show Caitlyn Montgomery just what she’d given up. He returns to find that Caitlyn Montgomery has only grown more alluring with time. Noah’s always wanted he couldn’t have…and now he wants Caitlyn again. But she’s determined not to make the same mistake twice.

While Noah and Caitlyn are revisiting old ground – and forging a new relationship, there’s trouble brewing in Queensbay. Old secrets and new lead Caitlyn to believe that perhaps her grandfather didn’t kill himself – and that Maxwell’s death was no accident. But just how far will someone go to keep her – and Noah – from finding out the truth…and will Queesbay prove to have troubled waters after all?

Excerpt Two:

Noah leaned in closer, his lips hovering above hers, his arms moving around her, pulling her closer to him, so he could feel his body next to hers, feel the swell of her breasts, see every freckle on her nose.

“I have people for that,” he murmured, letting his lips feather across her. Her eyes opened wide, and he knew that she was feeling, that he had gotten to her.

“Noah…” It was more of a moan than a whisper.

“Shh, I know you’re not after my money. Just shut up and let me…”

Kiss you. And he did, their lips touching. Softly at first, so he could taste her, smell her perfume, something spicy, and her shampoo, something fruity. She moved in his arms – not away, but closer – and he took that for an invitation, an invitation that his attentions were wanted.

He deepened his kiss, letting his tongue explore, letting his hands slide from her shoulders down to the V of her neck, skimming lightly over her breasts, feeling the fabric of her bra, then the hard nub of her nipples which sprang to attention under his caress.

She moaned, answering his kiss, her hands running through his hair, pulling him towards her as their embrace deepened, grew more passionate, his hands roaming feeling, possessing her.

Until. “Stop, Noah, stop.” She broke free, her head moving away from him, her hands still twined in his hair. She lowered her eyes and leaned against his shoulders.

“What, what is it?” His voice was husky, raspy, and he could feel desire, the sheer wanting of her flowing through him, all the way through it. She felt it, too, and took a step back.

“Noah, you’re the boss. And we barely know each other. I mean now. I just can’t get involved right now.”

Giveaway:

Andrea is awarding a $50 Gift Card to winners choice of Starbucks, Amazon, or Walmart. Winner will be randomly drawn from this tour.

Follow the Tour Here