2/04/2011

Tessa Radley

Growing up, Tessa Radley suffered from two addictions--to books and chocolate. Fast forward a couple of decades and the only thing that has changed is that Tessa finds that her To Be Read Pile has grown to staggeringly high proportions as she juggles the demands of writing with keeping up with a madly active family.

A lawyer by training, Tessa always dreamed of becoming a writer and finally decided to Just Do It. She discovered that she likes to write books with a little edge and a lot of emotion—the kind she loves to read. Her favorite kind of characters are those caught in seemingly insurmountable circumstances and Tessa wrestles all day long with how to get them in and out of those impossible situations.
THE BOSS’S BABY AFFAIR

Baby Deception


Widowed billionaire Nick Valentine should have known the new nanny was too good to be true. And when Candace Morrison revealed her hidden designs on his baby daughter, Nick was ready. The sexy schemer would definitely get what was coming to her, but that wouldn’t include Nick’s child. Candace knew Nick had been deceived—but not by her. She was stunned by her boss’s fierce response to the truth—and to their undeniable chemistry. Now she’d stop at nothing to prove her shocking claims about the little Valentine heiress. But would it make them a family…or tear them apart?

Billionaires and Babies:
Powerful men—wrapped around their babies’ little fingers.

EXCERPT

I'm thrilled to welcome Tessa to Get Lost In A Story.  Not only is she an incredibly talented author, but she has generously offered to mentor the lucky writer who wins the Valentine's Secrets Harlequin Mentor Challenge.  After reading her books for years, I am delighted to have gotten to know her as a friend.  

Cat:  How often to you get lost in a story?
Tessa:  I live in stories all the time. So I must be permanently lost <g>. But I love losing myself in a book and finding a whole different world in there. Nothing beats that pleasure…not even chocolate.

Cat:  What’s your favorite fairy tale?
Tessa:  Beauty and the Beast. As a child I loved Snow White and Rose Red but I haven’t red that for years—not even to my kids.

Cat:  Be honest, when reading 1st person...do you miss the hero’s POV?
Tessa:  Yes! Although I have read first person heroine with third person hero POV thrown in…very interesting way around the problem. Huge generalization here, but I find first person novels tend to be about the heroine’s journey first and foremost, rather than the romance. Not about the hero either L. Not really. Although that’s not to say that she’s not thinking about guys, love and sex….of course she is. But, even though she might be talking about guys all the time, the first person heroine tends to be more concerned about sorting out her self, finding happiness—and discovering the meaning of life!

Cat:  Do you write while listening to music? If so what kind?
Tessa:  I’m UTTERLY addicted to SSQ (http://www.sowetostringquartet.co.za/albums.aspx). At the moment Our World is my fav album, I adore the SSQ version of Summertime.

Cat:  Do you read reviews of your books? If so, do you pay any attention to them, or let them influence your writing?
Tessa:  Sometimes. And then I curse like crazy when the first sentence gives away the twist I begged my editor to keep off the back cover! Why bother reading the book when you can read a line of review that sums it all up? Aside from fuming over spoilers, I love reading that a reviewer enjoyed one of my books. For me, readers form a kind of Secret Society…and we all love to know what others enjoy reading. It gives me a very special kind of buzz when that turns out to be a book I wrote.

Cat:  What sound or noise do you love?
Tessa:  I love the sound of rain on a tin roof.

Cat:  What do you do to unwind and relax?
Tessa:  Pick a glorious day, set myself up on the beach with a lounger, sunscreen, a cold drink AND most importantly a big, fat paperback. I’m solar powered, I run on sunlight. Just doesn’t happen often enough…

Cat:  What color would you make the sky if it wasn’t going to be blue anymore and why?
Tessa:  Orange. I love sunsets…and I love the energy!

Cat’s GOTTA ASK – Tessa’s GOTTA ANSWER
If you were a t-shirt, what color would you be and why?
Guess ;) (Clue above!)

GOT A QUESTION YOU’D LIKE TO ASK YOUR FANS?
You’re Cinderella. Two guys—identical twins except one’s wearing black jeans and a black T-shirt and the other is wearing a tux--pitch up at the kitchen door to invite you to the ball, what do you do?

Tessa would like to offer a copy of 10 Best Love Stories of 2010 – which includes her RBY finaling book, Million-Dollar Baby Bargain.**

Tessa loves hearing from readers. Contact Tessa through her website at www.tessaradley.com, visit her at eHarlequin or friend her on facebook.

**Note: Offer void where prohibited. Prizes will be mailed to North America  addresses only. If an Advanced Reading Copy (ARC) is available, the author may utilize that option for International participants. Odds of winning vary due to the number of entrants.

Stop back and visit us this weekend when we are joined by Tawny Weber and make sure you come by next week when we celebrate the release of Angi Morgan’s second Harlequin Intrigue, .38 Caliber Cover-up.

25 comments:

  1. Tessa, welcome to GLIAS. I gotta admit your question left me in a bit of a quandary. Nothing sexier than a man in a tux. Unless of course, he's wearing jeans and a black T-shirt. Oh, the tough decisions we have to make. I'm going to say jeans and a black T-shirt. No, the tux. I can't have both???

    Your answer about reviews reminded me of what I love so much about your stories. The twist you put in them. I love a little mystery in whatever story I'm reading. Adds another element of tension to the plot.

    Thanks for joining us today!

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  2. Tessa, I loved the excerpt! Poor Nick certainly has the weight of the world on his shoulders, doesn't he? I can't wait to read the rest of the story.

    The gentleman in the T and jeans, please. We would go bowling. Or buy a pizza and a bottle of wine and have a picnic on the beach, after the ball. :)

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  3. Play them off each other and take my time deciding, like Stephanie Plum :)

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  4. I agree with Simone, keep those two dazed and confused, while you hire little mice to make you a ball gown!

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  5. WOO WOO WOO !! Tessa, it's me !!
    LOL
    So glad you're here and best of luck with the new book. Tessa and I go way back...and she's been full of advice and encouragement for me!

    You're question only has ONE possible answer. You hook your arms through BOTH of theirs and you dance the night away.

    ~~Angi
    (who has more pictures of Tessa at the 2010 RWA conference on her Facebook page)

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  6. Hi Tessa! I love the idea of being permanently lost in a story. I guess, in a way, aren't we all lost in our own story? (I'm now hearing the movie narrator in my head..."She types a not-so-witty response on the blog")

    I'm a tux girl, all the way :)

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  7. Tessa, welcome, and I LOVE your excerpt. Thank you for sharing with us. As for dark T-Shirt and Jeans over a Tux. No fair. Guess if it's a function, I'm a conformist, but I like the idea of the black T-Shirt and jeans very much. Off to download The Boss's Baby Affair ;)

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  8. Cat, thank you for inviting me. I look forward to seeing your first DESIRE on the shelves.

    BTW adds tension is probably the BEST compliment you could give me!!

    Me, I was trying to decide which guy Cindy would pick too...the bad guy or the ruthless millionaire. And which is which? Hmmm...

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  9. Glad you enjoyed the excerpt Gillian!

    So what's Cindy going to wear? Her rags? Jeans? A Ballgown?

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  10. LOL Simone! That's definitely an option. Okay, if Cindy's the heroine in a Stephanie Plum world, then I want to know what she's doing in the kitchen dressed in rags. Is she undercover?

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  11. Gillian, I love the visual of those two dazed, confused guys and the mice scurrying around. She's got spunk that girl, no self pity here.

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  12. Angi! It's always GREAT to see you! Glad I couild encourage you, you were so damn close for so damn long. And I don't know of any one with more determination.

    As for Cindy and her guys...dancing the night away definitely works for me. Let's Party!

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  13. Aw Tessa, you're so sweet. I still pinch myself on a daily basis that I sold to Desire.

    I'm a Cinderella fan. In all it's incarnations. I love Gillian's visual about the dazed and confused boys and all those busy mice running around.

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  15. Dropped in to say hi from subcare! The excerpt is fascinating.

    Well I do have a thing for jeans!

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  16. Hi Nas! Thanks for coming by. Isn't Tessa awesome!

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  17. lol... this sounds like a Valentine, secret baby to me... Now I must, must read it.
    I love being lost in a book when I forget all the stuff I'm supposed to be doing.
    My vote - Jeans. And boots...

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  18. I'll have the bad guy billionaire in jeans and a t-shirt please!

    Tessa, love you books!!

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  19. Tess, nice to see you here. Love the excerpt. T-shirt and jeans? Tux? What a decision! But I think I lean in the direction of the guy in the T-shirt and jeans.

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  20. Heather, there's something about a tux, isn't there? Visual cue of Daniel Craig in Casino Royale...definitely Tall Dark and Dangerous...

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  21. Donnell, glad you liked the excerpt!

    We're in business. We have conflict. Cindy's a conformist...but she's eyeing the rebel - the bad guy in the jeans and black T-shirt. She's got the mice scurrying around making her ballgown...but the hero's not the Tux type. For this guy there are no rules. Her conformist life is going out the door. I foresee fireworks!

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  22. Nas, glad you liked the excerpt. Good to see you.

    Jeans, black T-shirt....and BOOTS. omigosh, Linda how could I have forgotten the boots? Wow! Fanning self...

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  23. Amy, thank you. You just made my day!!!


    Sheandeen, lovely to see you here too. I love parties where I keep bumping into people I know. And another vote for the bad boy.

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  24. Tessa,

    I think I'll go for the guy in the tuxedo. My schooling was in music and I can't resist the guys in the orchestra :) Especially the brass players!

    I'd love to win the book

    cathy underscore shouse at yahoo dot com

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  25. Cathy, you're the winner!

    Happy reading every one. Don't forget to pick up a copy of Angi Morgan's latest book this month.

    'Til next time!
    Tessa

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