6/19/2012

Irene Preston Gets Lost in a Story



Please help me welcome another new Crimson Romance author, Irene Preston! Irene's first book came out June 4th. In the time we've been friends, she has been so very supportive, and I'm thrilled to give you a chance to get to know more about her and her writing.

THE STORY BLURB
What happens when a Hollywood socialite falls for a conservative soccer dad?
Everyone knows Jessica Sinclair.  She’s that girl on the cover of all the tabloids. As a Hollywood insider, Jessica has spent her life partying with A-list celebrities, shopping on Rodeo Drive, and living through scandal after scandal. When her estranged husband offers her a second chance at the ‘All American’ lifestyle she can’t pass up a shot at real happiness.  Back in suburbia, Jessica spends her nights in sexy role-play hoping Morgan will overlook her deficiencies as a homemaker.  She spends her days attending  P.T.A. meetings, burning cookies, and asking herself "What would June Cleaver do?"  More to the point, what will Morgan do when she winds up back in the tabloids--with his teenage daughter right next to her?

Read the full 1st Chapter HERE!


          Irene Preston has to write romances, after all she is living one.  As a starving college student, she met her dream man who whisked her away on a romantic honeymoon across Europe.  Today they live in the beautiful hill country outside of Austin, Texas where Dream Man is still working hard to make sure she never has to take off her rose-colored glasses.


          ALEXA: Welcome, Irene.How often to you get lost in a story?
        IRENE: Ha! The better question would be, when am I not lost in a story.  Unless you actively distract me, I am either reading or dreaming up new stories.  I used to get in trouble in school for reading while the teacher was talking.  If I didn't have a book, I was usually staring into space - daydreaming.  I just do it professionally now!

ALEXA: Whats the first book you remember reading? 
IRENE: Dick and Jane.  Seriously. See spot run.

ALEXA: What turns you off like nothing else?
IRENE: Mean people.  I've never understood women who are with men who don't treat them well. I don't care how sexy you think you look, it stops dead if you aren't a nice person.

ALEXA: Fairy Tale or Action Adventure?
IRENE: Yes, please!

ALEXA: What is your biggest vice?
IRENE: Just one? I can't back down from an argument. I have others, but that one gets me in the most trouble.  My husband's a saint. Seriously. 

ALEXA: Is there a Blooper in your story (it may have been changed before printing)?
IRENE: Okay, here's your scoop.  Yes, there is a pretty big one.  It made it to print, and it is right on the first page (early on the first page, can you believe it?).  So far, only one person has caught it.  Run on over to IrenePreston.com and check out the free chapter.  If you spot it, I'll give you a double-entry into the book drawing!

ALEXA: Hhmm, I didn't find that blooper. I'm going to check again after this interview. For now, what's your favorite fairy tale?
IRENE: I'm not sure if this exactly counts, but I'm going with The Princess Bride.  It really does have everything.  Love, betrayal, swords-fights, a giant.  I read the book ages ago and still have it.  If I am channel surfing, it's one of those movies I can't flip past.

ALEXA: Hey, I'll accept that! (As you wish!) Is writing or story-telling easier for you?
IRENE: Writing, by far.  I'm a horrible story-teller.  I ramble indefinitely, go off on tangents, forget my point.  I need the structure of writing to tell a story effectively.

ALEXA: Do you write while listening to music? If so what kind?
IRENE: I don't listen to music while I write.  It affects my mood and my writing too much.  When I'm not actively writing, music can really inspire me though.  There's a scene in Infamous that I wrote after listening to Jack White's Love Interruption.  I'm also very inspired by dance.  I love So You Think You Can Dance (maybe because I can't).  It's inspired a character in another novel I'm working on.

ALEXA: Do you read reviews of your books? If so, do you pay any attention to them, or let them influence your writing?
IRENE: I do. I also love taking my work to critique while I'm writing. I have a hard time evaluating my own work, so I like to know what's working and what's not.  I'm a big girl. I know my writing won't be for everyone and some people just won't like it.  I look for constructive ideas and try not to focus on people who obviously aren't on the same page.

GOTTA ASK, GOTTA ANSWER: 
ALEXA: Jessica's not the type of woman usually found in a traditional romance.  What inspired you to write about a tabloid celebrity?
IRENE: Didn't know any better?  Seriously, we've all seen those girls, Lindsay Lohan, Paris Hilton, Kim Kardashian.  They are everywhere - the evening news, the radio, the check-out stand.  We know about their lives whether we want to or not.  For most of us, they are hardly the role-models we want for our daughters (or ourselves). But I’m a romantic at heart.  I believe, at the end of the day, we all want the same things – friends, a family, people to love who love us in return.  I started to wonder, what would happen if Paris Hilton met this great soccer dad. . . . .  So I wrote Infamous. 

ALEXA: GOT A QUESTION YOU'D LIKE TO ASK YOUR FANS?
        IRENE: Okay, the djinn just popped out of your shampoo bottle and he wants to make a deal.  With a wave of his hand, you can trade lives with a tabloid queen like Jessica.  Do you take the deal?  Remember, no choosing Kate Middleton.  It has to be someone at least a little notorious - we're talking Paris Hilton, Kim Kardashian, Lindsey Lohan types (Charlie Sheen if you're a guy).  Who would you pick and why?

        Folks, one commenter will receive an e-copy of Infamous, so think about it and leave your answer (and your email address)! 


Thanks for joining us today, Irene, and good luck with your book!

             Note: Offer void where prohibited. Prizes will be mailed to North America addresses only unless specifically mentioned in the post. Odds of winning vary due to the number of entrants. Winners of drawings are responsible for checking this site in a timely manner. If prizes are not claimed in a timely manner, the author     may not have a prize available. Get Lost In A Story cannot be responsible for an author's failure to mail the listed prize. GLIAS does not automatically pass email addresses to guest authors unless the commenter publicly posts their email address.


33 comments:

  1. I can't believe that you actually got in trouble for READING while a teacher was talking! Many of my students act as if they're allergic to books. I'm so happy you turned your reading "problem" into a wonderful writing career.

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  2. Great interview. Bloopers, I'm assured, happen to everyone. All you can do is roll your eyes and make note not to do it again. Hang in there. Congratulations on your book with Crimson. May you have many, many more.

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    1. Thank you! I'm a little embarrassed because it is a factual error. I'll probably live through it!

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  3. I agree with you Irene: nice is sexy! Even bad boys need to know how to treat a woman. I read Infamous and loved Jessica!
    About trading lives with a celebrity? You might guess the answer to that because of my own Crimson novel, One Hit Wonder. I'd do exactly what John and Audrey did.

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    1. John and Audrey are so great. You created a really nice guy in a place where there was so much potential for a*holery!

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  4. Great interview! It's nice to learn more about you. I'm off to find the flaw. So sorry it made its way in there but happy you're making lemonade! Many happy sales!

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  5. Nice is soo sexy, Irene! My English Lit (high school) teacher would just roll her eyes when she caught me reading non-class books...she's the only one who ever 'caught' me, though. I was a pro! :)

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    1. Novel propped in lap, cleverly disguised inside of open textbook?

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  6. Good Morning Irene and Welcome to GLIAS. Blooper or not, I'm certain the book is wonderful !! Best of luck with it. As for answering your question...never. Won't switch with any of them...I couldn't stand to have that reputation.

    ~Angi

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  7. I would not switch with any of them either, I like my private life.

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  8. As a former English teacher, I understand your reading in class. I had one kinesthetic learner who couldn't sit still and read so I'd always send him out in the hall so he could read and walk at the same time. Worked like a charm! Great interview, Irene. I have your book on my Kindle and now I'm going to go look for the blooper. Oh, and my answer is never. Like you I'm living the dream with my Sweet Baboo.

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    1. Ohhh - you must have been such a great teacher! That is a stunning solution! I hope you enjoy Infamous!

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  9. Wow. I can't believe no one wants to trade places with Paris Hilton! I'm starting to feel a little sorry for her. Think of the SHOES, ladies!

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  10. Must be the street names--are they parallel? So there would be no corner? Loved "Infamous" regardless.

    And getting in trouble for reading? Wow. Tough teacher.

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    1. Peggy - you nailed it. SECOND LINE! I'm sure I was thinking of the area around the Royal Sonesta, but those streets don't meet!

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  11. Irene! I love your answers and I love the blurb for your story. Talk about outside the normal romance. Well done. Regarding your question, I would ask the djinn for do-overs. I don't follow the celebrity stories except of course when their blasted on the tabloids, but I'm not going to buy it to read the tawdry details. I'm sad for people like them--and angry at the papparazi who trail them -- go figure. Which is why I love the idea of your story. Because when a tabloid girl gets a taste of what's really important, love and the happy after, she'll never look back.

    Thanks for joining us on Get Lost in a Story! Good job, Alexa

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    1. Oh, I'm having such fun being here - thank you so much for having me! You are exactly right about Jessica. She has this life that many people would envy (apparently none of us here where we all know what's *really* important) - but she has no role model for how to get the things she really wants. Thankfully, she has Morgan and Kinsey to give her a little help!

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  12. I wouldn't change places with any of them.

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  13. hi irene,
    i read novels all thru grade 6 math class (they had this idea to let students go at their own pace. turned out for math, i didn't have a pace. i just didn't do it) i caught up in math the next year, but grade six was my favorite year in school...
    as for changing lives with paris hiltonites, much as i'd love not having to worry about money, i don't think i could take people staring at me. i'd keep thinking i must have a zipper undone or spinach in my teeth...

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    1. Lol - if you only knew the struggle it is for me to get out of the house without a stain. . . .!

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  14. Hey Irene,
    Even though *I* wouldn't trade places with the celebs you mentioned...I admire that you've turned one of them into a heroine for INFAMOUS ! Bravo !

    ~Angi

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    1. I blame a random news story I saw. Paris Hilton was apologizing for the grief she caused her mother with the sex tape scandal. No matter how big a media hound you are, that had to be. . . awkward. After that, I wanted to reform her.

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  15. Good on you for handling the 'blooper' thing so graciously. I found I had a blooper in my first time travel novel, but three thousand readers didn't spot it before I did. Thankfully with e-books, you can easily update, so I fixed it. Good luck with your book!

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    1. Fix it! ::headdesk:: You mean the right thing to do wasn't to post it all over the InterWebs!?!

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  16. One of the more notable romance novels I read — and this was a LONG time ago — was Jilly Cooper's "Octavia," which featured a former model who thought a little bit too highly of herself. The hero knocks her down several pegs and then builds her back up, and this changes her entire character.

    Keeping in mind that I have such eclectic tastes, I'd have to say that I'd LOVE to read more romance novels about women like Jessica. We all love stories about the "redeemed man," right? Why can't we enjoy the same when our heroine is the one who needs a little saving? ;)

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    1. Oh, thank you! There is a scene in Infamous that I debated pulling. It is a club scene and it brings home the point that her reputation isn't all just a big misunderstanding (you know those books, where the heroine is vilified but turns out to have been lily-white all along). I was so glad Crimson didn't have a problem with it because Infamous is exactly about "saving" Jessica!

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    2. I'm glad Crimson didn't play it safe, Irene. I think a lot of publishers would have. Personally — and this is just me, of course — I like reading about out-of-the-box h/Hs (hey, one of my own heroes is a shock jock!). I can only brook X-number of 99 percent perfect, cookie cutter characters! :)

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  17. Everyone - thank you so much! I've had a wonderful time here today. I pop back in tomorrow to check final comments and pick a book winner!

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  18. I guess I would like to be Kim K. and have her have one day out of the media's eye. Just because everyone, deserves some peace.

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  19. Congratulations on the book! I would probably say Kim because of her travels around the world.

    bn100candg(at)hotmail(dot)com

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  20. I saw a blooper in mine, too...sigh.

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  21. Tessa Berkley, YOU are the winner of the e-copy of Irene's Infamous! Please email me at alexa AT alexabourne DOT com so we can get your prize to you!

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