Get Lost in a Story: Meet PJ Fiala--our newest GLIAS Crew Member!

Hi GLIAS friends! This is Lizbeth and I have the wonderful task today of introducing you to a brand new Get Lost in a Story crew member. Have you ever met someone brand new and hit it off immediately? That was my true pleasure when I met Patti Fiala at a book signing event this past summer. Patti, who writes as PJ Fiala, is vibrant, energetic, and super creative. She’s also lovely, friendly, talented… well, you get my fangirl picture! So when she expressed an interest in joining the GLIAS family, we jumped at the chance to get her on board. I know you’re going to enjoy the authors she brings in for us to meet. And you’re going to get to see her fun personality when she blogs here with the crew.

We put Patti through the same interview rigors that we put our authors through so you could get to know a little about her and her books. She’s the co-creator of the exciting Chandler County world, which I introduced you to last week, and which you’ll learn more about this month. So say HELLO to the newest crew member PJ FIALA! Welcome!

FROM PJ

Hey everyone, I'm thrilled to be here on Get Lost in a Story and thank you so much for joining us. I met Liz last year in Deadwood at Wild Deadwood Reads, and I honestly feel like I made a lifelong friend. I'm hoping that will be the case moving forward with everyone here, too! Let me tell you a little about myself:

My upcoming new book is MISSING DESIRE (A Chandler County Novel). It’s up for PRE-ORDER right now and will release on November 2^nd! This is my second book set in Chandler County, a world I hope you’ll all come to know more about.

(LIZ’S NOTE to GLIAS FANS: There are multiple authors writing in the Chandler County world—stay tuned to GLIAS to learn more about all of their books—coming the end of October!

Writing has been a desire my whole life. Once I found the courage to write, life changed for me in the most profound way. Bringing stories that I'd enjoy reading to readers, and creating characters that are flawed but lovable, is such a joy. When not writing I'm with my family doing something fun. My husband, Gene, and I are bikers and enjoy riding to new locations, meeting new people and generally enjoying this fabulous country we live in. I come from a family of veterans. My grandfather, father, brother, two sons, and one daughter-in-law are all veterans. Needless to say, I am proud to be an American and proud of the service my amazing family has given. In trying to give back, I've started a foundation, Authors4Veterans, with my friend and fellow author, Stacey Joy Netzel. Our charities will rotate but will always support our military and their families.

HERE’S A LITTLE MORE ABOUT “MISSING DESIRE”

Nita Brown is a big, beautiful, resilient woman. She’s endured the loss of a husband, the trials of raising three kids, and the joy of purchasing and running of her own business. But dealing with the issues her son has brought home, and at the same time meeting a man who sees her for who she is, now this just might bring her to her knees.

Chuck Layton is new in town. He followed his boss, Levi, to Bourbonville to continue working in his newly-found profession. Learning the security business has helped him overcome the insecurities his father drilled into him his whole life, and this new case is honing his skills. But, just as he’s figured out what he wants to do with his life, he finds he must weigh his livelihood against his growing love of Nita. Chuck has some decisions to make.

CHECK OUT MY WEBSITE LINKS TO PURCHASE SITES AND AN EXCERPT!!

http://www.pjfiala.com/books/missing-desire-a-chandler-county-novel/

Our own Angi Morgan put PJ through the same rigors we put all our guest authors through. PJ had some fun answers to Angi’s “tough” questions! Get to know our newest crew member with her CRAZY Q&A!

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

PJ FIALA: As we all know, time is a limited commodity and I still work out of the house part-time, so to get my stories written, blogs written and all the other things that go on behind the scenes that most people don’t think about, covers, promo, teasers, etc., leaves little time for reading. But, I do allow myself to get lost in a story in between writing each of my books. It’s my escape.

ANGI: What’s your favorite thing about your book’s hero?

PJ FIALA: My upcoming release, MISSING DESIRE, is about a big man, who was made to feel bad about his size (he’s 6’4”, broad and brawny). His father called him names and beat him as a boy so he has insecurities about himself. After he meets Nita and he has success at Bluegrass Security where he works, he opens himself up to love and feels proud of himself. My favorite thing about him is that he overcomes his insecurities.

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

PJ FIALA: A Knight’s Tale with Heath Ledger. I just love, love that movie. Heath was a hottie for certain, but the movie mixes knights and jousting and medieval ways with modern music, and of course there’s the HEA.

ANGI: What’s your perfect day?

PJ FIALA: Oh, sleeping in (I usually start my day before 5:00, so sleeping in is usually until 7:00 am). Checking what happened in the world over-night, checking in with social media, drinking lots of coffee while I do this. Have breakfast and then take off on the motorcycles for a nice long day ride (my husband and I are bikers). Stop to eat somewhere we’ve never been and then make our way home. Perfect weather, perfect company and an enjoyable day riding. A quick supper of something snacky, like wine & cheese and then read a book until bed.

ANGI: Salad or soup?

PJ FIALA: Salad!

ANGI: Would you put yourself in a Fairy Tale or Action Adventure?

PJ FIALA: Hmm, I love fairy tales but think I’m more of an action adventure kind of girl.

ANGI: Favorite TV rerun you watch every time you channel surf?

PJ FIALA: Anything Friends or Seinfeld.

ANGI: Favorite date night…fancy or at home?

PJ FIALA: At home. We’ll have a nice plate of cheese, fruit and seasoned beef and a bottle of wine.

ANGI: Champagne or Soda?

PJ FIALA: Champagne – yum.

ANGI: Geek or Jock?

PJ FIALA: Geek. Jock. Geek. Jock. Can’t decide.

ANGI: The most daring thing you’ve ever done… Care to share?

PJ FIALA: Well, I’d have to say getting my motorcycle license. Since that time (1998) I’ve driven more than 30,000 miles on my own, and I’ve stepped out of my comfort zone more than you can ever imagine. I’ve ridden up mountains, through the dessert, on gravel roads, in places unknown, driven in snow, rain, sleet, hail, you name it I’ve driven a motorcycle in it.

ANGI’s GOTTA ASK: What’s your favorite pair of shoes & why?

PJ FIALA’S GOTTA ANSWER: My motorcycle boots. I’ve had these same boots since I began riding in 1998. They’ve been wet, dried, hot, cold and everything in between. I add new liners each year and I’m good to go. I’ve even hiked in these boots more than once as we’ve stopped at parks as we’re riding and decided to hike a few miles. They aren’t glamorous but they mean fun for me.

WHAT PREVIOUS RELEASES CAN YOU SHARE WITH YOUR NEW FANS?

MISSING THE POINT (A CHANDLER COUNTY NOVEL) #1

BONUS EXCERPT:

Telling herself to be ‘cool’ and hoping her hands didn’t shake. Well, that he didn’t notice that her hands shook. She slid her hands through his thick soft hair. He had great hair, except it was too long, but she was taking care of that. As a hair stylist, a man with a full head of hair was sexy. As a middle aged stylist who was single and horny, it was way sexy. As if her hands had minds of their own, they kept running over his scalp and when she touched a spot and he moaned, she’d add a bit of pressure and softly smile to herself when his eyes slid closed. Totally sexy.

Strong jaw, clear tanned skin, light blue eyes and a hint of a dimple on his right cheek, and a dimple in his chin, be still her heart. But, the sheer size of him was a sight to behold. He was big, guessing around six foot four and well over three hundred pounds. She couldn’t wait to get her hands on him. Squeezing his shoulders was both a way to relax him and to feel the strong firm muscles beneath, and she wasn’t disappointed. Broad shoulders firm corded muscles in them and his neck, damn her panties dampened and she was glad she had the opportunity to explore him covertly. She’d be lying awake at night for a while remembering this right here.

“Did I hear you say you’ve only been here in town for four months?”

His baby blue eyes opened and locked on hers and she had to stifle the gasp that threatened. Her dammed nipples continued to be a problem. As if he knew what she was thinking, his eyes slid to her chest in the mirror and then back to hers. She swallowed the lump in her throat and tried acting normal, whatever that was, but Terri and Shelly were sending her sly glances and tittering like two old women. She tried hard to ignore them, but the salon wasn’t big enough to do that, yet.

“Yeah. Came here to work with Levi, Sage, Sam and Dirks at Bluegrass Security.”

Be still her heart. He worked security. He was big and handsome and sweet and he had a full head of thick soft hair. Holy crap.

“That’s nice. Must be busy for you all if you haven’t had time to explore much.”

“Yeah. A couple of weeks after I got here the horse poisonings started and now I’ve got a special assignment keeping me busy. It’s all good though.”

“Yes, that was bad news, and thank goodness Stevie and Sam were able to stop anymore horses from falling victim.”

“They’re a great pair.”

She continued to comb and cut and for some reason, she felt tongue tied. Her cheeks stained pink again as she wracked her brain to think of the next thing to chat about. “So tell me what you’ve seen in town and what you like to do in your spare time and maybe I can tell you some places to start getting to know us here in town.”

His grin grew across his face and dog gone it, there was that dimple. Her heart fluttered again. “Well, I’ve had Ethan’s chicken from the Brass Rail, it’s about the only place we’ve been. I also like his bourbon, though I’m a bit more of a beer drinker. I like watching action movies, though I do that at home. I love dogs, taking a ride on my bike when the weather permits. Other than that, I’m pretty simple really, spending time with friends and eating good food while having a few brewskis is what I do.” He fidgeted. “Oh, and I love football, but mostly the Green Bay Packers.”

“Go Pack.” Terri hollered and Shelly chimed in, “Woo Hoo. Packers and Football. Wait till you taste Nita’s beer dip and mini hotdogs. They’re to die for.”

Her cheeks burned pink but she was proud. Her beer dip was the best and the little mini hotdogs were to die for. “I thought you liked my barbeque chicken pizza?”

Shelly turned to her, hands on her slender hips and giggled. “Chuck, wait till you take Nita’s barbeque chicken pizza. It’s like no other.”

His face flamed bright red and she smiled when even his ears turned pink. His eyes caught hers in the mirror and he responded, “It’s a date.”

CHECK OUT "MISSING THE POINT" HERE

SECURING KIERA’S LOVE, Second Chances Series #2

CHECK IT OUT HERE

MOVING TO YOU, Rolling Thunder Series #5

CHECK IT OUT HERE

Thanks so much, everyone for welcoming me to Get Lost in a Story. I’m excited to share one of my books with a GLIAS fan today. I have READER’s CHOICE for you! That is, a copy of any e-book from my backlist, for one commenter.

Here’s my question for you all!

I’d love to know what part of the romance novel is your favorite. Do you love the first kiss, the meeting, slow build or busy couple? What’s your pleasure?

Happy Reading, everyone!