A Flaming Sensation ... Molly Kate Gray

PLAYING WITH FIRE

Book 1, Welcome Home Series

Crimson Romance Suspense

ISBN:  1440555869

Della Chambers, an FBI field agent, left Pearson Crossing when she was 18 years old and never looked back – at least not until now.   When a string of suspicious fires draws her back to her hometown, she comes face to face with Camden Gibson.  He saved her life once – and she’s never forgiven him for it.

Now the pair is forced to work side by side, and they discover the heat between them has nothing to do with fire.

FEEL LIKE PLAYING WITH FIRE?

“Delia?” The barista stood, steaming cup in hand, as he looked out over the Saturday morning crowd at the coffee shop. As was typical during First Monday Trade Days, the room was packed with a mixture of red-hatted women bused in from assisted living centers in neighboring towns alongside young women pushing strollers seeking relief from the surprisingly oppressive October heat. Fall may have arrived in the rest of the country, but no one seemed to have alerted Texas to the news.

No locals could be found among the crowd. They were smart enough to leave Pineville before the tourists descended each month. “Delia?” The high schooler called out louder over the din of the crowd.

“Close enough.” Special Agent Della Chambers walked to the counter and reached for the cardboard cup.

“Extra large mocha with a double shot of espresso?” The young man’s pierced eyebrow shot up in question.

Della’s fingers wrapped around the cup. “That’d be me.” Taking her drink, she smoothed her coral camisole down over the waistband of her black Capri pants, very much aware that her rumpled business attire made her stand out in the crowd of bargain hunters. As she walked to the table filled with sugar packets and three flavors of creamers, she made one last, futile attempt to find a seat in the filled-to-capacity shop. She definitely should have driven thirty more minutes until she’d reached the next town. Of course, it had been a very long time since she’d been in the area; she’d forgotten the insanity that accompanied Trade Days.

After searching for a non-sticky spot on the table, she set down her drink and reached for the sugar packets. As a tendril of hair fell loose from the bun on the nape of her neck, she quickly spun it back into place as she fought back a yawn. Normally she’d spread a trip from Jacksonville to north Texas over two days, but Philip had told her time was of the essence. When she’d hung up the phone from her conversation with her boss, she had only allowed herself a half hour to prepare for the trip. As the reports Philip sent her printed, Della hurried through her apartment, tossing only absolute necessities into the bag for what she hoped would be a very short trip.

Now she was paying the price for her haste. She should have allowed herself a night’s rest in Louisiana, but now, with just four hours left on her trip, she couldn’t justify taking a break, especially not after her boss had called her with the latest news. Her guy had struck again while she was on the road.

Copyright © 2012 by Molly Kate Gray

MEET MOLLY KATE GRAY

A fan of things that go bump in the night, Molly Kate Gray writes romantic suspense with a Southern drawl. Now raising her two children in the same town she grew up in, she knows just how difficult it can be to escape a small town’s gravity.  When the Texas heat gets to be too much, it’s time to cool off with sweet iced tea and a good book.

DID YOU KNOW

ANGI: How often to you get lost in a story?

MOLLY KATE: Hmm….with my kids' extra-curricular schedule combined with how often my husband is out of town, I don't have as much time to read as I like. I tend to focus on books I know I'm going to enjoy, so I'd say that when I have time to read, I get lost in a story fairly often. I recently read a young adult book (Anna Dressed in Blood) that swept me so deeply into the story that I was literally dreaming about it.

ANGI: What’s the first book you remember reading?

MOLLY KATE: When I was about 8 or 9, my dad would read me a chapter from a book every night. He'd sit on the floor, and I'd read over his shoulder. The problem was, he wasn't a very fast reader. One night, I took "My Bodyguard" out of his hands and finished the chapter on my own. From there on out, I was almost always in the middle of a book.

 

ANGI: What’s your favorite cartoon character?

MOLLY KATE: Scooby Doo. What can be better than a Great Dane who solves mysteries?

ANGI: EXACTLY !! Nothing better than a scaredy-cat doggy who loves snacking!

ANGI: What do you like about the hero of your book?

MOLLY KATE: I like Camden's quiet stability. He didn't want to be the fire chief for the town, but he stepped in when he was needed. He's solid and dependable (and currently sounds like a golden retriever). He also really loved Della back when they were teens…and he never found any other woman who measured up to her.

ANGI: Is there a playlist you’d recommend for reading your latest release?

MOLLY KATE: My daughter calls my writing playlist "all the emo angst." I tend to gravitate toward songs you might hear during a Twilight movie.

ANGI: Where do you read and how often?

MOLLY KATE: Sadly, I don't read as much now as I once did. I read my Kindle over breakfast, and I can normally get a chapter or so read while waiting to pick my kids up after school. I once could read 2 or 3 books a week, but now I'm down to 1 or 2 books a month.

ANGI: What sound or noise do you love?

MOLLY KATE: I love the "white noise" of a Starbuck's. Something about the low hum of conversation combined with the music they play just really helps me relax and focus.

ANGI: Fairy Tale or Action Adventure?

MOLLY KATE: Action Adventure, but I think it's because they tend to have better soundtracks/scores. Don't get me wrong, I love "Beauty and the Beast," "Mulan," and other Disney movies. They just don't hold my attention quite the way that action movies do.

ANGI: What was the first story you remember writing?

MOLLY KATE: Ha! I wrote a story about a haunted house that turned everyone into giant balls of rubber bands. I was a fifth grader, and I won first place in our school's creative writing contest.

ANGI: What’s your favorite movie of all time?

MOLLY KATE: My tastes are really eclectic, so it kind of depends on my mood at the time. If I want a comedy, definitely "Father of the Bride, Part 2." If I'm judging my favorite based upon how many times I've watched something, then I'll have to say "Star Wars: Return of the Jedi." I can say most of the dialogue along with the actors.

ANGI: Who’s your favorite villain?

MOLLY KATE: I had to think about this one for a few days. I think I'm going to have to pick Voldemort because of his complete lack of redemption. I like my villains to be bad - I'm not a fan of redeeming the "misunderstood" villain, and Voldemort was just twisted from the start.

 

ANGI: What is your biggest vice?

MOLLY KATE: I'm a huge "The Vampire Diaries" fan. Nothing (well, few things) interrupt Thursday nights at 7 pm for me.

ANGI: Is there a “Blooper” in your story (it may have been changed before printing)?

MOLLY KATE: I'm not aware of a memorable one in "Playing with Fire," but I can tell you about one in "Small Town Secrets." I love the cover dearly. It really is my favorite of my two covers because it does such a good job of representing the overall feel of the story. But….the book went through a rather extensive round of edits after I'd filled out all the requested information for the cover art artist. The scene pictured on the cover actually was cut from the final version of the story.

ANGI: How is it working with hot guys and sexy women all day?

MOLLY KATE: It can be interesting. One day last fall, I was on my publisher's Pinterest page and my daughter walked into the room. There are a fair number of hunky, shirtless guys on that page, and she was horrified at what I was looking at. I had to point out the website I was on so she didn't think I was visiting sites not appropriate for someone who has been married for 20 years.

ANGI’S GOTTA ASK: Hey Molly Kate, thanks for joining us on GLIAS today. You mention in your bio that you know “how difficult it can be to escape a small town’s gravity.” Did you spend time away from your small town? Or did you stay? And can you share what your favorite thing about it is?

MOLLY KATE’S NAME GOTTA ANSWER: I left for a short time while I was in college. Then when I graduated, I ended up getting a job offer from my hometown's school district - so it seemed I was destined to go back home. I've often wished that I'd stretched my wings a bit, but I'm definitely not alone in not being able to "escape." Three families live on my current street where one spouse or the other also went to my high school. Staying in my small town has been a nice safety net. It's familiar.   

KEEP THE FIRE GOING

FOLLOW MOLLY KATE

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UP NEXT for MOLLY KATE

FADE TO BLACK

Book 2, Welcome Home Series

Crimson Romance Suspense

February 2013

PREVIOUS RELEASES

SMALL TOWN SECRETS

Crimson Romance Suspense

ISBN:  1440551553

MOLLY KATE is drawing from those leaving comments (and their email) for a $10.00 Amazon Gift Card.  (International if $10 from Amazon can be done)

Note: COMMENTERS are encouraged to leave a contact email address to speed the prize notification process. 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.

DON’T FORGET to FOLLOW us on Twitter #GetLostStories or LIKE us on Facebook  to keep up with all our guest authors and their prizes.  Join me Sunday and Monday when I host my “down under” buddy, Bronwen Evans. And come back tomorrow when I host my on-line buddy and the hostess of Just Romantic Suspense, Maureen Miller. ~Angi  

MOLLY KATE WANTS TO KNOW: My next release, FADE TO BLACK is heavily influenced by my daughter's love of musical theater. Since I'm doing this interview fresh on the heels of seeing Les Miserables twice in as many days, I'd like to know what your favorite musical is.