And one more congratulations on the awesome honor of being a 2017 RITA Finalist for Book 1 in the series -- TALL, DARK and DAMAGED. And you talked about it here on the GLIAS Blog.
Don't forget to comment below. Sarah is giving away a digital or signed paperback copy of Capturing the Queen.
MEET SARAH ANDRE
Sarah Andre is a
2017 RITA® finalist, which is Romance Writers of America highest award of
distinction. Sarah’s novels include: Capturing the Queen (2017), Tall, Dark and Damaged (2016) Locked,
Loaded and Lying (2015), plus a short story in an anthology, From
Florida with Love (2016.) She lives in serene Southwest FL with her
husband and two naughty Pomeranians. When she’s not writing, Sarah is
either reading romance or suspense novels, exercising to rude alternative rock
music or coloring. Yes, you heard right. She’s all over those coloring books
for adults.
Let's hear a little bit about CAPTURING THE QUEEN.
THE STORY BLURB
Restoration artist Sean Quinn
is perfectly content spending his downtime devouring classical
literature, while keeping his OCD and fourth-degree black belt under
wraps. But when his FBI agent brother coerces him into
investigating stolen artifacts, Sean becomes the target of a ruthless smuggling
ring that funds terrorists.
Gretch Allen, a beautiful
man-magnet, hides a world of hurt under her icy exterior. When Sean rescues
her from a stalker, she discovers her co-worker has an alpha-hot
fire burning beneath his geeky exterior. As barriers
between them begin crumbling, however, she accidentally places herself in much more
extremist danger.
Unable to stop the unraveling
events from turning deadly, Sean must
conjure his inner hero to save his city and capture the heart of the queen.
Nan: Love the trailer.
READ A LITTLE, BUY THE BOOK
Gretch kicked her
leg around and sat up. Her heel struck the pavement with a sharp click. “Why
were you at Teeny’s Martinis last night?”
Sean lowered the
mug to the table, turning it in microscopic increments until the café logo
faced him squarely. “I overheard you tell Hannah where you were going.” He
traced the logo with his thumbnail. “Thought I’d check it out. Buy you a
drink.”
“Then why didn’t
you?”
He paused, because
he’d braced for: “I’d have to be awfully
drunk to accept a drink from you.” No way would he tell her he’d lost his
nerve, bumped into the other woman slinking his way out the backdoor, and ended
up agreeing to her lewd proposition. “Turns out I’m not into that scene.” Any of it. But because Gretch hadn’t
battered him with the sentence he’d expected, he added, “So…would you’ve had a
drink with me?”
She didn’t answer.
Sean glanced at the patrons, the bustling square, the long shadows easing
toward their table, while she cocked her head and examined her nails. He
retraced the logo, jiggling his knee. Her silence strained every muscle in him,
stretched him like some medieval torture rack. Five more seconds and he’d beg
for mercy.
“You’re a nice
guy,” Gretch finally said in that awful kind
tone his brothers’ girlfriends used. He braced for The Adjectives. Weird. Strange.
Peculiar… She rested her arms halfway across the table, fingers splayed, still
looking at them instead of him. “I was so sure I couldn’t tolerate any man this
afternoon without going ballistic, but you’re…different.”
Hope rose.
Different wasn’t bad! “Maybe we can—”
A faint smile
appeared on her face, and his vocal chords seized. Hope swan-dived off
Kilimanjaro, the free fall stealing his oxygen.
“You’d never
survive me, Sean.”
The nerd panicking
within wholeheartedly believed her. The fourth-degree black belt took
exception. “You hardly know me.”
“I date a certain
kind of guy for a certain kind of reason.” She reached over and twisted the mug
in his hands so the logo slanted at an unacceptable sixty-two degree angle.
Immediately his skin crawled with the need to right it, but she stuck her chin
in her hand and waited, like a cat watching a cornered mouse.
He folded his
arms. “What insurmountable feat does it take to be that guy?” His jiggling knee
made the table quake.
Gretch laughed,
and the throaty sound washed over him, almost capturing his attention from the
mug that needed turning. Desperately.
“It’d take a
miracle.” She rose gracefully. “See you at work.”
Sean multi-tasked
dragging the cup into position, watching the smooth sway of her hips, and thinking
up a miracle. He inhaled until his lungs hurt. Amid the dominant aromas of
coffee and gas fumes, he could still catch her peppery scent.
She’d called him different. That was huge. His smile hurt
his cheeks.
Nan: What a great excerpt. Thanks for sharing!
ORDER THE BOOK
A LIGHTING ROUND OF Q&A WITH SARAH ANDRE
NAN: How often do you get lost in a story?
SARAH: If I had a dime for every book I got lost in, I’d be as rich as JK
Rowling! Reading is my crack. I would prefer it over any other form of
entertainment. Unfortunately, since I’ve become a writer I rarely have
guiltless opportunities to sit for long periods of time and indulge in my
addiction.
Nan: Oh I would love to get paid to read!!
NAN: Cast
your book using fairy tale and/or cartoon characters.
SARAH: The premise is Beauty and the Geek. Sean and Gretch are co-workers;
he’s an introvert, lover of classical music and literature, and has annoying
OCD tendencies. She’s got a supermodel bod, an ex-personal trainer energy and a
short temper. The snark is off the charts between the two. They had bit parts
in Tall, Dark and Damaged and jumped
off the page whenever they were together. I had to see where it would go. I’m
really pleased with the result.
Nan: What a great premise. Can't wait to read it.
Nan: What a great premise. Can't wait to read it.
NAN: What
will always make you smile, even on a bad day?
SARAH: Easy! My four-year-old Pomeranians, Bo and Taz, aka The Boyz.
I told the breeder I didn’t want males, but due to a mix up she only
had two littermate brothers left. I even considered taking the one I was
holding (Bo) and coming back another month (a 4-hour drive) for a girl, when
the other little pup skidded around the corner. One look at his naughty face
and I turned to my sister and said with love and loathing: “Oh, God, I have two
boys.”
Nan: LOL!
NAN: What’s the last show you binge watched?
SARAH: My husband and I just
finished watching a British cop series called Happy Valley. Intense plots, amazing dialogue- I highly recommend
it! We have two more episodes (still to air) of Better Call Saul, which is the prequel to Breaking Bad (which I haven’t seen.) We store a few episodes up at
a time, because in true binge form, one hour isn’t enough. I think it’s the
best show on television.
NAN: Benedict
Cumberbatch or Chris Pine?
SARAH: Oh, Benedict- that moody,
broody, lion’s face and those glinting blue eyes? (Fanning myself!) Don’t get
me wrong, I wouldn’t kick Chris Pine off my island, but when a beta’s
personality is so massive he becomes drool-worthy, that’s a deeper attraction
for me than a pretty face/hot bod combo.
Nan: I just watched Dr. Strange. Okay - I'm a fan. But I still love Chris Pine.
NAN'S GOTTA ASK: What
would you say is your most interesting quirk?
SARAH'S GOTTA ANSWER: The
split personality that emerges when I exercise. 😦
Any
other time I’m a fun, kind, considerate daydreamer. But the only way I can push
myself at the gym or on a running path is to turn into a snarling beast who
listens to deafeningly rude alternative rock and mouths all the swear words.
I’m
quite horrified, and would like to issue a blanket apology to anyone who’s seen
that other me.
Nan: That is so funny -- and I can relate.
UP NEXT
A
Savage Trick, Damaged Heroes, Book Three, hopefully June, 2018
Nan: Another great title.
PREVIOUS RELEASES
Tall,
Dark and Damaged, Damaged Heroes, Book One (2017 RWA RITA® finalist)
From
Florida with Love: An Anthology by SWFL Romance Writers
Locked,
Loaded and Lying
FIND SARAH ANDRE:
Contact: Sarah@SarahAndre.com
Website: SarahAndre.com
Facebook: Author Page
Twitter: __@SarahRSWriter
Goodreads: GR Page
SARAH WANTS TO KNOW: Everyone’s got a little OCD in them.
(Confession: I only eat one food item on my plate at a time. All my potatoes
before I can eat meat…) What’s your odd quirk?
Sarah is giving away a digital or signed paperback copy of Capturing the Queen to one lucky commenter.iNG Make sure you leave your email address
I have a lot of quirks, but my biggest one would have to be my morning routine. If that gets messed up - or out of order - my whole day feels like it's out of sync. ( I am really not a morning person and the routine helps.)
ReplyDeletemarypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com
I agree. Being rushed or having a super early morning flight always makes me feel 'off' the rest of the day. Thanks for commenting, Mary!
DeleteJust have to say how thrilled I am for your RITA nomination! Now, let's see...which quirk to mention...well, since you're talking about food, I always save the best on my plate for last! I'm a delayed gratification girl!
ReplyDeleteYou're a better woman that me, Erika! That's the first portion I eat, while it's hot and yummmy. :) Thank you for stopping over today!!
DeleteMornin', Sarah :) I'm sitting here reflecting on quirks...I think, for me, it's always those things that are just a little "off". I can't stand crooked pictures, and all my accent pieces have to be positioned the best way...things like that. Once I get the placement right, I'm good though...the more casual side of me comes out :) ('Scuse me a moment, my monitor isn't angled right, have to make that puppy flow right in the mix) lol I enjoyed the excerpt, and the interview :) And if I ever get near you on the running path, I'm scootin' over, sugar...I recognize "The Eye of the Tiger" when I see it! :)
ReplyDeleteYou crack me up, Loretta! I agree about the crooked picture thing though. Visually I need balance.
DeleteThanks for stopping over-
Congratulations, Sarah!!! My OCD quirk is so more of a habit that I make my family follow. I like to keep my spices in alphabetical order. And I like to shelve my books by cover color. Maybe that's why I left my job as a librarian! LOL!!! Hope you have a great release day!!
ReplyDeleteSee now, I'd have expected you to say you had a Dewey decimal system- I know you. The amount of books you probably posses could start a new library! :)
DeleteThanks for commenting, Sharon!
This beta hero's gonna beat them all, Sarah!
ReplyDeleteHa! Right? First time for everything. We'll see if Amazon reviewers like it. :)
DeleteThank you for stopping by, Kerryn!
Sp glad you could share this day with us Sarah!!
ReplyDeleteI prefer to think of my OCD tendencies as organizational skills -- spice racks alphabetized. Spreadsheets and color coding. And who doesn't eat Skittles by organizing their colors and making sure they are eaten by color evenly. Saving the best for last!
Have a fabulous launch day. Hope there is prosecco waiting for you tonight!
Thank you so much for hosting me, and the well wishes (and Prosecco!)
DeleteI do eat gummies and M&Ms by color. I hadn't thought about that until you mentioned it. I'm more OCD than I thought- everyone who has commented is adding to my list of "uh oh, I do that too."
:)
Love the interview, Nan and Sarah! And love the new book excerpt!
ReplyDeleteI also have to eat all of one thing on my plate before moving to the next. Spices are alphabetized. But my desk is a mess.
My desk is a mess, but when I worked in an office it wasn't. Ever since becoming a writer this desk is a IED war zone. I wonder what that means...
Delete:)
I loved Tall, Dark and Dangerous, so I'm really looking forward to this new one. And yes, I think almost EVERYONE has a few OCD tendencies. My house is a disaster, but the towels have to be hung straight in the bathrooms!
ReplyDeleteOh, thank you so much, Meg! Hope you enjoy Gretch and Sean and the tremendous amount of snark flying between them.
DeleteI know it was them, because I'm not that witty. :)
So many quirks it's hard to provide just one--my chai tea has to steep for *precisely* five minutes. The water must be measured not eyeballed, and the creamer and sweetener must be meticulously measure as well. I have to make my own tea. :)
ReplyDeleteSara, this sounds like another amazing book. Can't wait to read it and here's to much success.
XO,
McCall
Aw, thank you so much. I would pay to see a YouTube video or live FB post of you making that tea, girl! :)
DeleteThanks for stopping by.
Sarah,
ReplyDeleteBo and Taz are too cute for words. I can see how they'd keep you smiling 'round the clock. Congratulations on your RITA final. I'll be watching the live stream on awards night.
Thanks, Sheri! They're a handful for sure.
Deletecan't think of any
ReplyDeletebn100candg at hotmail dot com
Great post, Sarah. I look forward to reading this newest installment in your Tall, Dark and Damaged Series. :) Hmm, one quirk is definitely saving whatever is on the plate that's my favorite for the last and eating in order of "like the least" to "like the most." ;)
ReplyDeleteYou and Nan! How funny. :)
DeleteCongrats, Sarah! So excited for you!
ReplyDeleteAfter 23 years together my husband has totally cured me of my former OCD tidiness, but I still get nervous as soon as the low gas light comes on in my car. I have to head straight to the gas station to fill up.
Good luck on CTQ!
Thanks, Lark.
DeleteI don't even wait for that light- I'm panicking at 1/4 full for some reason. Hubby likes it on empty before filling, and I hyperventilate when I borrow his car- and am in a hurry- and get the ding-ding signal. :)
Congrats to Erika Kelly- random winner from yesterday's commenters! You've won a copy of Capturing the Queen. Hope you enjoy!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing rekease day with us!
Delete