11/01/2013

BAREFOOT with Roxanne St. Claire

THE BAREFOOT BAY SERIES
BAREFOOT IN THE SAND
Barefoot Bay Series, Book 1
Excerpt
BAREFOOT IN THE RAIN
Barefoot Bay Series, Book 2





















Tucked into the northwestern corner of the fictional island of Mimosa Key, the area known as Barefoot Bay is one of the most beautiful, serene, and pristine beaches in Florida. Nearly wiped out by Hurricane Damien, Barefoot Bay is about to become home to a gorgeous all-natural spa and resort, called Casa Blanca. The plan is the lifelong dream of local resident Lacey Armstrong, whose grandparents were part of the 1940’s pioneers that settled this picturesque island and build a causeway from the mainland to connect Mimosa Key to the rest of Florida.  

Lacey is assisted by three of her closest friends and her teenage daughter...and one slightly younger, seriously tempting architect. Clay Walker’s plans for a lush resort intrigue and excite Lacey, but his designs on her heart are both terrifying and thrilling. Can she trust him to build something that will last forever?
BAREFOOT IN THE SUN
Barefoot Bay Series, Book 3
BAREFOOT BY THE SEA
Barefoot Bay Series, Book 4




Barefoot Bay is more than just a slice of paradise on tropical Mimosa Key. It’s a community of friends and family, a world of pain and promise, and a celebration of laughter and love.

Don’t miss a single book!



 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR
Roxanne St. Claire is a bestselling author of thirty novels of romance and suspense. A five-time nominee and one time winner of the prestigious RWA RITA Award for outstanding romantic fiction, her books have also won the National Reader's Choice Award for best romantic suspense for two consecutive years, as well as the Daphne du Maurier Award, the HOLT Medallion, the Maggie, Booksellers Best, Book Buyers Best, five Awards of Excellence, the Aspen Gold and many others.

Prior to launching a full time career as a novelist in 2003, Roxanne spent most of her professional life as a marketing executive and public relations consultant. She is a graduate of UCLA, an active member of several national writing organizations, and a lecturer on a wide range of writing-related topics. She lives in Satellite Beach, Florida with her husband and their two teenagers, and if you know her, you call her Rocki.

ALL ABOUT ROCKI
ANGI: How often to you get lost in a story?
ROCKI: As often as I can! As I’m sure writers will tell you, it’s hard to find a book that makes you forget you’re a writer and when that happens, it’s glorious.  Most recently, I read SANCTUARY ISLAND, a debut contemporary by Lily Everett and cried, laughed, lost sleep, and wanted more!

ANGI: What’s the first book you remember reading? 
ROCKI:  I still have it! The book was “Tales of the Arabian Nights” and it was a collection of stories like Sinbad and Ali Baba (and the Forty Thieves) and Aladdin’s Lamp.  The cover is gone, the spine is dry, and the pages are crispy in my 1965-printed version, but one sniff of that book and I’m transported to my childhood.  I also have my original version of Grimm’s Fairy Tales from around the same time in my life.  My favorite was Rumpelstiltskin!

ANGI: What’s your favorite “love” word?
ROCKI:  Not exactly sure how to answer that, but my husband rarely says ‘I love you’ unless I say it first.  However, I’ve never left the house in 25 years that he didn’t say “Be careful” and I know that is his way of telling me to come home in one piece because he loves me.  So I’ll go with ‘be careful’ -- it means the same as I love you to me.

ANGI: What do you like about the hero of your book?
ROCKI:  Everything.  He’s hot, of course, with tattoos, long hair, great body, and silver-blue eyes.  But what’s really sexy about him is that he’s the most tortured hero I’ve written in about seven or eight books.  And that is a blast for the writer and the reader.  There’s a scene in the book when he takes off on his motorcycle, completely torn up by the situation he’s got himself into.  He’s fallen in love and he CANNOT reveal his true identity or it could cost him his own life or, worse, that of his children.  (He’s in the U.K. version of the witness protection program.) In that scene, he ends up in the middle of the everglades, contemplating how easy it would be to let the alligators eat him.  He howls in internal pain and falls to his knees in utter resignation.  I cried writing the scene because I truly felt his agony...and at that point in the book, I did NOT know how it would end.  Honestly!

ANGI: Is there a playlist you’d recommend for reading your latest release?
ROCKI:   There is one song that I heard a lot while writing this book and it completely captured the essence of the story for me:  Daylight by Maroon 5.  There’s a moment near the end of the book when the hero and heroine wake at pre-dawn and know this is probably their last night together.  Every time I hear that song it takes me to that moment in the book.

ANGI: Where do you read and how often?
ROCKI:   I read in bed on a Kindle every night.  I usually start with a quick game of Word Shuffle, catch up on the news, and then whatever book has my attention at the moment.  I do read a lot of non-fiction, especially when I’m deep in a book and don’t want to even think about any story but the one consuming me.  But when I’m not in the thick of writing a manuscript, then I read romance and lots of it.

ANGI: What sound or noise do you love?
ROCKI:   The list is long! The ding of a text from a dear friend. The rustle of palm trees in my back yard. The sound of one of my kids coming in from school and calling out, “I’m home, Mom!” The sigh of my little puppy when she curls up next to my desk. My agent starting a phone call with “I have good news.” My family’s laughter at my dinner table. The pop of a wine cork. And...absolute silence when it’s time to write.

ANGI: What was the first story you remember writing?
ROCKI:  I wrote “fan fiction” as a little girl -- most of it based on TV shows I loved.  The earliest I remember was a story based on “Here Come The Brides.”  I don’t remember the plot (hah - as if there was one!) but I think the character based on me ended up kissing Bobby Sherman.  Shocker!  Also, I used to write short stories in 8th grade for my best friend where we would have adventures and boyfriends...definitely FICTION in those days!

ANGI: Is there a “Blooper” in your story (it may have been changed before printing)?
ROCKI:  I don’t know if this counts as a blooper, but I have two COMPLETELY different endings written for BAREFOOT BY THE SEA.  I mean not just a page or an epilogue -- the whole story outcome is totally different in each.  I submitted one with a first draft, then revised it, then went back to the first concept.  Early readers of this book have all said they didn’t know how it would end or how I would get these two out of their romantic predicament.  I know why are saying that...I didn’t know either.  I had a choice to make and I love how I finally worked it out.  I hope readers do, too!

ANGI’S GOTTA ASK: With more than 30 books behind you, do you have a favorite or a new special project coming up?
ROCKI'S GOTTA ANSWER:   Of course! I am writing and releasing three Barefoot Bay novellas this winter in ebook format.  The trilogy is called “The Billionaires of Barefoot Bay” and features three sexy, wealthy, positively delicious men who come to Barefoot Bay with a plan...and, boy, do their plans get turned upside down when they meet three women who change their lives.  The stories are called:  SECRETS ON THE SAND, SEDUCTION ON THE SAND, and SCANDAL ON THE SAND.  Watch my website or newsletter for exact release dates, but they will be soon and all three will be released close together for very attractive prices!
  
FIND ROXANNE St. CLAIRE:
Contact   Website   Facebook   Twitter @RoxanneStClaire  
Rock of Pages  Previous GLIAS feature

UP NEXT for ROXANNE
The Billionaires of Barefoot Bay novellas.

The Complete Booklist of ROXANNE St. CLAIRE
You can order autographed copies of BAREFOOT BY THE SEA

ROXANNE is giving away AUTOGRAPHED COPIES OF THE FIRST TWO BOOKS IN THE BAREFOOT BAY SERIES:  Barefoot in the Sand and Barefoot in the Rain!  North America Readers are eligible.

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 Wednesday when the fabulous Donna Kauffman returns. And come back Monday for a sneak peek of Clover's new release. ~Angi 

ROXANNE WANTS TO KNOW: Do you ever read the ending of a book first? If so, why? If not, good for you!

16 comments:

  1. It looks like a great series. I have checked the ending of a book before but I usually don't since it is much better to be surprised.
    mce1011 AT aol DOT com

    ReplyDelete
  2. GOOD MORNING AND WELCOME, Rocki !!!
    I only check the end to see how many pages I have left. I never read the end before I'm finished. I love surprised.
    ~Angi

    ReplyDelete
  3. I love all of Roxie's book but the Barefoot Series has a special place on my shelf!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Unfortunately, I have read the ending first for many books..... I couldn't wait till the next day to find out what happens! I always regret it though because reading the ending does ruin the surprise a bit.

    ReplyDelete
  5. No I don't read the ending first because it would ruin the story for me.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Only time I would read the back is if the book is REALLY dragging. Other than that I wait until I get to that point.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Sometimes, to find out what happens

    bn100candg at hotmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  8. Never read the ending first. This series sound fabulous and I would love to read it.

    quiltlady110 AT gmail DOT com

    ReplyDelete
  9. YES!! If it's a paperback book. I'll look at the last page in the store when i'm browsing too. If i could do it with a ebook i would but i'd mess it up and lose my spot i just know it lol I have been known to be reading for a while and randomly check out a page a few chapters ahead too lol


    Lisa B

    ReplyDelete
  10. Very rarely, harder to do with a kindle.

    ReplyDelete
  11. I used to read the endings first but I broke myself of that bad habit. It's easier now with the internet and blogs/excerpts to decide beforehand whether I'll like a book before I buy it. Also, it's not as easy to read the end first on an e-reader. LOL

    Marcy Shuler
    bmndshuler(at)hotmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  12. I loved all of the Barefoot Bay books... there's gonna be more!!!
    Every one of the girls Lacey, Jocelyn, Zoe and Tessa have their own unique very well developed story. Every one pulled me in and I resented each time I had to put it down!
    I'm giving 2 of my friends a 4 book series for Christmas!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Congrats on your new series! Good to have you with us today :)

    ReplyDelete
  14. I never read the end first. I like to be surprised.
    I love these books. This series is written with great characters and great stories. I feel as though these 4 mail heroines are my friends as we have laughed together, cried together and even felt emotions together.

    Don't include me in the giveaway because I already own them.

    Fun interview. Can't wait for the Billionaire series! ;)

    ReplyDelete
  15. I NEVER, EVER, EVER read the last page first- or at any point while reading. I don't even like to know how many pages there are unless it is listed on the cover!

    I love this series and I am so glad there will more. This is a series I will read over and over. Each story is unique and has depth and emotion. You can't help but fall in love with all the characters and Barefoot Bay!

    ReplyDelete
  16. I never read the ending first, but at some point during the book, I might check it out, but not always. I loved the Barefoot Bay series and I'm pretty sure I didn't check out any of the endings!

    ReplyDelete