4/08/2016

Get Lost with ERIKA KELLY and TAKE ME HOME TONIGHT

I'm so excited to welcome another Golden Heart sister from the class of 2014 - The Dreamweavers.  Her Rock Star series is awesome!  Welcome Erika!

Reminder:  Don't miss a chance to win a signed copy of TAKE ME HOME TONIGHT by commenting on her question. (North America only)

Meet Erika Kelly

Award-winning author of I Want You to Want Me and You Really Got Me, Erika Kelly has been spinning romantic tales all her life—she just didn’t know it. Raised on the classics, she didn’t discover romantic fiction until later in life. From that moment on, she’s been devouring the genre and finding her true voice as an author. Over three decades she’s written poems, screenplays, plays, short stories, and all kinds of women’s fiction novels. Married to the love of her life and raising four children, she’s lived in two countries and seven states, but give her pen and paper, a stack of good books, and a steaming mug of vanilla chai latte, and she can make her home anywhere.


Let's talk about Book 3, the latest tasty offering in your Rock Star series-- TAKE ME HOME TONIGHT!  (I can't wait to read this one.)

THE STORY BLURB
Calix Bourbon might seem like a free spirit, but that’s all a front. In reality he’s just trying to keep his fractured family together while working as a session musician. When Blue Fire hires him to replace their keyboardist, Calix is determined to make the most of the opportunity—but he can’t help being distracted by the band’s sexy personal chef.

Mimi’s temporary gig is great, but she has her heart set on auditioning for a televised cooking show. There’s just one problem: she only has a week to acquire the skills necessary to survive the competition. Luckily, the band’s new keyboard player can teach her exactly what she needs, in the kitchen and in the bedroom...
fractured family together while working as a session musician. When Blue Fire hires him to replace their keyboardist, Calix is determined to make the most of the opportunity—but he can’t help being distracted by the band’s sexy personal chef.

Nan - sounds delicious!

BUY THE BOOK

You can find links to buy Erika's books on her website Erika Kelly Books.

READ A LITTLE
The moment he turned, he saw her.
On the covered porch, the early morning sun tipped its light onto her, turning her russet hair a fiery mix of golds, reds, and light browns. She usually wore her hair straight and sleek. This morning it tumbled around her in a bounty of curls.

Huddled over the table, she focused on her project. Wearing a long-sleeved T-shirt and pajama pants, face free of make-up, she looked like an ethereal creature, and it made him want things he couldn’t have.

 Nan:  Oh yum!

A LIGHTING ROUND OF Q&A With ERIKA KELLY

NAN: How often do you get lost in a story?
ERIKA: I am a voracious reader. I probably read 3-5 books a week, mostly contemporary romance.


NAN: What was the first story you remember writing? 

ERIKA: The first book I ever wrote still haunts me. It started out as a creative exercise and turned into a 650-page novel. The story was about two kids from broken homes who become inseparable in private but avoid each other in school. He loves her with all his heart, but he knows he’s a bad influence on her. By the end of high school, they can no longer fight their attraction and finally get together. But his self-destructive ways have her running across the country to start a new, healthier life. When she comes home many years later, she runs into his childhood best friend. This guy’s home was her refuge. His loving parents and a stable environment offered her a glimpse of what a clean, normal life looked like. It doesn’t take long for these two to fall in love—until her ex finds out she’s in town and is determined to win her back.
Nan: I'd read it!

NAN: What 3 things are in your heroine’s purse right now?
ERIKA: Daisy Charbonneau has the half of a cinnamon roll wrapped in a napkin that she was too busy to finish; the bandana that one of her biker godfathers left in her Camaro; and her Wanda Jackson “Queen of Rockabilly” CD that she didn’t want to leave in her car in the August heat.
Nan: Biker godfathers?  Love it!

NAN: High Heels or Hiking Boots?
ERIKA: Flip flops! Originally from LA, I’m a summer girl. No matter how many years I’ve been on the other side of the country, I’ll never get used to the cold!
Nan: I'm with you on flip flops.  Except when there is snow on the ground.  Sigh ....

NAN:What’s the first book you remember reading?
ERIKA: I read so many I can’t remember my first. Phantom Tollbooth, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Doctor Doolittle, James and the Giant Peach…those books utterly captured my imagination.

NAN'S GOTTA ASK: How is it working with hot guys and sexy women all day?
ERIKA: It’s funny because while my hero and heroine always start out based on an actor, the spark is never about the actual actor himself. It’s the character he’s playing that triggers a reaction in me. I’m too embarrassed to tell you how many heroes I’ve based on Taylor Kitsch—but, again, it’s not Taylor, the man, or even Taylor, the actor. It’s Tim Riggins. The vulnerable bad boy who struggles with his moral compass. The actors are just prompts, though. Once the story comes to life, I lose sight of those images altogether, and my characters become real to me.

Nan: Thought I would throw in a visual for you!

THANKS for joining the crew to celebrate your release, Erika!

FIND ERIKA KELLY
Website: http://erikakellybooks.com 
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/erikakellybooks
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ErikaKellyBooks
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7568925.Erika_Kelly

ERIKA WANTS TO KNOW: In TAKE ME HOME TONIGHT Mimi Romano gives up trying to be the woman she thinks her dad wants her to be to become the woman she was meant to be. Was there something you always dreamed of doing but something held you back?

One commenter will be eligible to win an autographed copy of TAKE ME HOME TONIGHT.


22 comments:

  1. Hi,

    I can't think of a time when I was held back from doing something I dreamed of. I may have postponed, but I do think you can make dreams come true.

    marypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com

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    1. I agree wholeheartedly, Mary! Thanks for commenting!

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    2. Thanks for joining the crew today, Erika! (I had to get Fluffy Top fed before she let me log on!)

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    3. She's adorable! And I'm so glad to be here--thank you for having me!

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  2. Great interview! I love how Erika summed up Tim Riggins' appeal as "the vulnerable bad boy who struggles with his moral compass." I absolutely love your writing, Erika! There's a raw honesty that just grips me. I sat down to read just a few pages of YOU REALLY GOT ME and ended up reading straight through for hours. Can't WAIT to delve into TAKE ME HOME TONIGHT!

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  3. Wow, thank you, Lenora! I'm excited to see all the buzz surrounding your debut--what an amazing start to a great career! Thank you for stopping by!

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  4. Erika, I'm such fan and am so thrilled that Take Me Home Tonight is available! LOVED reading about how you create characters!

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    1. Thank you, Julie! You're on my list of all-time favorite authors, so thank you for stopping by and commenting!

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  5. For me it was writing. I always thought (and was told many times by many people) I was an awful writer which is why I never wrote a thing until my late thirties. But I keep telling myself it doesn't matter how old you are. It's never too late to go after a dream. My mother (78) and her husband (82) are off to Peru next month to climb Macchu Pichu. They're living proof it's NEVER too late.

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    1. I think we're lucky to be in the arts--because age just doesn't factor into it at all. Also, there's a time for everything in our lives. If we had all the things we wanted at once, we wouldn't be able to appreciate each one quite as much. Thank you for commenting!

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  6. I am a timid person, so I have held myself back on things... but I do things for myself that make me happy like drawing... greenshamrock ATcox DOTnet Thanks for sharing!

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  7. That's what matters, right? That you do the things that make you happy! Thank you for commenting!

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  8. Erika, The book sounds great!! As for holding back on things...not so much when I was young, but these days it's different. It sucks being a responsible adult.

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  9. I don't know if it's being responsible as much as my interests changing--staying in and reading has become really appealing over the past few years! Thank you for commenting!

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  10. no

    bn100candg at hotmail dot com

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  11. Thank you so much for having me today, ladies! Hope you all have a great weekend!

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  12. another great interview Nan! Erika, I have my paperback copy of TAKE ME HOME TONIGHT, and I'm so ready to read it on vacation next week-- congratulations on your new release! When I was a kid I wanted to be an Indian princess, but my lack of Indian-ness hampered me. :) Then I wanted to be a singer with my own TV show with ice skaters, but Marie Osmond beat me to it! All of this adversity only made me stronger, though. :)

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    1. You've suffered some serious blows, but you seem to have overcome and created some new--maybe even more satisfying?--ones! Proud of all you've accomplished!

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  13. I've never let anything held me back although it didn't happen instantly and my parents are very supportive of my decisions so I got encouragement to pursue my dreams

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  14. You're so lucky to have that kind of support, Natasha! Thank you for commenting!

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  15. No, I have always followed my dreams

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