April Dawn

Writes about a time when men were men and women wore gorgeous dresses!

Crushing Desire

April Dawn

Available from Breathless Press

Reena Harrison is anything but the fashion, but despite her flaws, she has several suitors. Unfortunately, the one man she has always loved is not one of them. After things go dreadfully wrong with a suitor and her family, she finds herself asking Joshua a peculiar favor.
Joshua Sinclair has long had a fascination with the tall beauty. After years of denying his feelings for Reena in pure military fashion, he finds himself thrown together with her in an out of control scheme. How can he possibly rule his emotions when he finds himself posing as the sensuous woman’s husband?

All About April

April lives in Northern California with her husband and two small children. In addition to spending time with her family, and writing stories of the vivid characters that come alive in her head, April enjoys travel, reading, and nature. 
She hopes you enjoy her novels, and the characters that run through her head.


Jillian: I'm so excited to have a chance to interview you April, where do you read and how often?
April: I read wherever and whenever I can. There was a time when I brought a book everywhere, just in case I might find a free moment to read. With more time spent writing and caring for a toddler and an infant, it's not so easy anymore. I still read a lot, but not as much as I'd like. I can say, though, that despite my loss of reading time, I've never been happier. I love writing and I love my children, so I'll never complain about having to spend time on either.
Jillian: What sound or noise do you love?
April: I love the sound of my children laughing. You know, that incredibly infectious giggle that gets more intense if you keep doing whatever silly thing amuses them. That's my favorite sound.
Jillian: What’s your favorite movie of all time?
April: Favorite movie of all time? That's a hard choice to make. I don't know if I could tell you my exact favorite, but I can certainly tell you the movie I've loved as long as I can remember.
Romancing the Stone. A romance novelist finds herself drawn into a dangerous blackmail situation where, to save her sister, she travels to South America. She's supposed to bring a map to the men who have her sister, but things go spectacularly wrong. As she finds her way to the men, she also falls for a man who seems all wrong, yet just might be her real life romantic hero. Romance, excitement, humor. I love that movie.
Jillian: What’s your favorite kind of story to get lost in?
April: As I'm sure you can see from Crushing Desire, I have a soft spot for crush stories. There's something so touching about a woman who's had a crush on a man most of her life, only to find it suddenly requited. That moment of connection, be it a first kiss, a look across a room, or whatever the moment of realization might be. That moment that makes you scream 'Yes!'. There's no better reason to read a crush story, in my mind.
Jillian: If you were given a chance to travel to the past where would you go and specifically why?
April: I would go back to the mid 18th century. I'd love to do some firsthand research on my novels. It would be great to know exactly what it was like with no false/mis-information mixed in. But I wouldn't want to stay. It's not because of the inequality, or the lack of proper plumbing. It's because I would miss my family. They keep me going.
Jillian: What do you do to unwind and relax?
April: Write. My husband can actually tell you with a great deal of accuracy if I've had time to write each day. When I start to get cranky and impatient, he often asks me if I need him to take the kids and give me some time to write. lol
Jillian: What dreams have been realized as a result of your writing?
April: The obvious one is that I get to write stories I enjoy, and they actually pay me for it. More than that though, I get to share my stories with my readers. I'm grateful that fans can have the chance to read the stories of some of my most beloved characters, and I hope to bring many more into the world of historical romance.
Jillian: What does it mean to love someone?
April: For me, loving someone means you care more for their needs than your own. True love is an unselfish act. Completely giving, taking little. In Crushing Desire, my heroine, Reena has a habit of biting her nail when she's nervous or scared. During one scene, the hero, Joshua, is being taken away to an unknown fate. When Reena bites her nail, he comes to her, takes her thumb gently from her mouth, and kisses it. Instead of being more anxious over his own fate, his greater concern for her fear shows his true love. Often men don't know how to share what hides in their hearts, and we women have to decode them. Actions like these show their feelings, even if they don't speak the words.
Jillian: Which era would you least (or most) like to have lived in, fashion-wise and why?
April: Most? There are so many great eras. I love the 40s, as long as I don't have to wear the dopey hats, and the 50s. The 19th century, almost as a whole, had some great clothes. Some of the styles in the 18th century were great, as long as I don't have to wear the wigs or the face powder that ends up killing you. And perhaps medieval, as long as I don't have to wear the pointy hats. They look so uncomfortable. The least – Perhaps the flapper era. My chest is far too large, and my hips too curvy, for those straight fashions. Egyptian clothes, with all that metal, look like they might be scratchy.

Jillian's Gotta Ask, April's Gotta Answer:

Jillian: As one historical romance writer/reader to another, what draws you to the historical category?
April: The manners, the courtly love, the rules, the clothes...everything. What's not to love about a time when men were strong, powerful, and polite and women got to wear gorgeous dresses all the time. Plus, all that inhibition makes for great sexual tension. Yum!

April has a question she'd like to ask readers and fans: What do you like best about crush stories?

Find out more about April and her books by using the following links:

http://www.aprildawnbooks.com/
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000160574030
http://twitter.com/#%21/aprildawnbooks

Allromanceebooks
http://www.allromanceebooks.com/storeSearch.html?searchBy=author&qString=April+Dawn
Kindle
http://www.amazon.com/April-Dawn/e/B004QXQIPS/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1