A Win-Win Proposition and The S Before Ex Heroes and Heroines dish on each other

Let's start off with the guys.

SEBASTIAN:  You and Clair were apart for a lot of years apart, what was it like to see her again?

RYAN:  She took me by surprise all right. I mean, I’d thought it was over. Thought I was over what we’d had and what we’d lost. And then there she was, and I just couldn’t wrap my head around it…

She’d been sitting there in that legs-crossed, half-turned pose of feminine recline that extended all the right lines of a woman’s body—hands moving animatedly with her chatter, smiling beneath the warm sun. Smiling. Bursting with life. So different from the fragile thing she’d been the last time he’d laid eyes on her. He’d never expected it. Hadn’t been prepared for the sight of a woman he’d thought lost along with his marriage in a Boston emergency room almost nine years before. But there she was, radiant. Smiling while some lothario gave her his best go. 

SEBASTIAN:  Was she different from when you first met?
RYAN:  In almost too many ways to count. But the first thing I figured out… she’s independent as hell now. Successful and strong and so damn stubborn. The girl I married didn’t know who she was yet. Back then, she’d been more than content to let me take the reins in everything. But not anymore. I didn’t know how to deal with this woman who was tying me up in knots and turning everything I thought I knew up-side-down. And it almost cost me my second shot with her

RYAN:  You were Missy's boss for four years and never once noticed she was attractive?  What changed?
SEBASTIAN:  I never really looked at her that way.  And she did a pretty good job hiding her assets.  What changed?  She put on that dress...

His gaze traveled downward. She'd traded her amorphous pantsuits for a figure-hugging dress that framed and flaunted the creamy curves of her breasts. Had her skin always been this pale, this flawless? Or did it just appear that way in contrast to the black of the dress?



And speaking of skin. Had he ever seen her bare this much?



The Missy he knew was modest and reserved. The woman occupying the stool beside him reveled in her sensuality.

RYAN:   How long did it take you to figure out you weren't going to let her go, no matter what it took?
SEBASTIAN:   Too long.  In fact, if my dad hadn't intervened and got my brother to offer her a job, she might have left the company before I came to my senses.


And now the girls get to dish on their guys.


CLAIRE:   What were you thinking when you made that wager with Sebastian?
MISSY:   I'm pretty sure I wasn't really thinking.  I'd had a thing for him for years, but he never saw me as anything but an efficient employee.  Then suddenly he was looking at me like I was something delicious he couldn't wait to taste.  What woman wouldn't go for it?

“Tell you what,” she began, feeling audacious and desirable beneath Sebastian’s keen appraisal.  Mad impulses had been driving her all day.  Maybe turning thirty wasn’t the worst thing that could have happened to her.  Start a new decade with a new attitude.  “I’ll make you a bet.”

Sebastian set his hands on his hips and looked resigned.  “What sort of a bet?”

“Last call,” the dealer announced.

Missy heard the wheel begin to spin and the ball start its journey around and around.  From reading up on roulette, she knew she had a forty-seven percent chance of winning.  Those weren’t such bad odds.

“If the ball lands on black and I lose, I’ll keep working for you.”  She gave a rueful smile.  “I’ll have to, won’t I, because I’ll be five thousand dollars poorer.”

Sebastian’s eyes locked with hers.  The winds of change had begun to blow.  Storm clouds loomed.  Dangerous for the unwary.

“And if the ball lands on red?”

MISSY:  Clair, you and Ryan had a pretty intense relationship before things went wrong, how was it seeing Ryan again?

CLAIRE:  Brutal. Shocking. You have to understand, I’d spent years trying to get over our past. The only way I was able to rebuild my life was by putting everything I’d lost completely behind me. Refusing to look back or let myself think about what might have been. And then suddenly, the biggest loss of all was right there in front of me…

She didn’t like being this close to Ryan. She hadn’t wanted to meet with him at all. Hadn’t wanted to know what changes so many years had wrought in the man she’d once loved beyond measure. She’d seen the headlines. Heard the rumors. Hated the idea that he could be so different. And yet, here and now, a part of her was hoping everything she’d read was true. That the man he’d been was gone and the all that remained was a body vaguely reminiscent of the one she’d known. It would be so much easier to defend this heart she’d painstakingly pieced back together against a body alone.

The pity of it was, she wouldn’t even have to try.

MISSY:  I'm curious, with those obstacles, how were you two able to come together at all?

CLAIRE:  While most everything about and between us had changed, some things were simply too much the same too ignore…

The things she forgot. Like his admiration for lingerie… and high heels. Together.

Wear this for me…

A frisson of nerves rippled through her, spurring an odd clench low in her belly. The seductive echo from another time teased through her mind, spurring a hundred memories to life. Each flash of skin and heat more vivid, more dangerous than the one before—

Ryan taking her in the hall when they hadn’t been able to make it to the bedroom three feet away… In the kitchen… the closet… the car…

Our couples--Sebastian/Missy and Ryan/Claire--hope you enjoyed the interview.   

Mira Lyn Kelly

Mira Lyn Kelly gives us The S Before EX

Mira Lyn Kelly lives in rural Minnesota with her husband and four children. Writing for Harlequin Mills & Boon, she is at work on her fourth book for the Presents Extra/Riva lines.

Mira loves to hear from her readers on Twitter and Facebook

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THE S BEFORE EX

“Oh, my God, isn’t that your husband?”

Claire Brady stiffened at the urgent whisper. An instant before, she’d been basking in the afterglow of a deal that, now struck, concluded her business for the next week—mostly. The gallery was too much a part of who she was to ever truly be put aside, even for a single day. But in that moment, her phone had been quiet, her mind at peace, her senses drifting with the gentle breeze as she’d absorbed the bustle and beauty of Rome’s Piazza Navona while light circles, courtesy of a dishy Italian seated to her right, stroked over her palm.

It felt good. She felt good. And she’d wondered if maybe this time…

Well, so much for that.

She shook her head apologetically at Paulo, the dishy Italian under consideration, and then shot Sally, her best friend, assistant, and perpetual alarmist, an emphatic no.

She’d known sharing the secret of her ex would come back to bite her, but the balanced against the isolation of holding herself apart for so many years, Sally’s occasional false alarm was a price she’d been more than willing to pay. Still, this was the third “Ryan” sighting this month alone.

“The man lives in California. The United States. Besides, if he were traveling abroad, we’d already know about it,” she promised with a nod toward the newsstand at the corner of the piazza.

When all else failed, fell short or slipped away, there was one thing in her marriage to Ryan Brady that Claire could count on. And that was the media keeping her abreast of every sordid detail of his liaisons, financial conquests and daily adventures. No waiting by the door with a cocktail at five for her. She had the world news to tell her how his day had been and with whom he’s spent the night. And in this case, she had it on reliable authority that as of fifteen hours ago, Ryan Brady had been meeting with his lawyer in downtown L.A.

To read the full first chapter go to The Book Link.

CAT: If you won the lottery, what’s the first thing you’d buy?

MIRA: Oh this is a question I’ve spent much time contemplating. AFTER setting aside a portion to pay for the kids’ college, I would totally indulge my hermit tendencies and buy a mountain retreat dedicated primarily writing. An important clarification, this lottery we’re talking about paid out an obscenely huge jackpot, for which I’m the sole winner (Dream big, right?!). So the retreat is spacious and spectacularly tricked out with all the amenities. There are enough rooms for all the kids to have their own…which means when (instead of bringing them with me) I leave the family at home for my week off, I can take several of my writer BFFs and we can all write together!

CAT: Do you have any hobbies?

MIRA: I actually used to have tons of hobbies. Knitting, crocheting, photography, scrapbooking…writing. I’ll let you guess which one got greedy and did away with the rest J

CAT: Where’s the one place you’ve always wanted to visit, but haven’t yet gone?

MIRA: Las Vegas. I just love the spontaneity and possibility of the place and have a million story ideas that I’d love to flesh out with some real life experience…Well, okay, I’m already married and not really into breaking the law…so waking up hitched to some gorgeous billionaire who’s name I don’t recall, isn’t the kind of real life re-enactment I’m after. But the shows, the hotels, the strip…I’d love to do some people watching and experience the vibe of the place first hand!

CAT: Do you have a large or small family?

MIRA: We’re a family of six (three boys, aged 9, 8, and 6, and a girl, also 6). At times our family feels very big (I’m thinking specifically of the way we’re outgrowing the seating in our living room!) and at other times feels pretty small. We’re a tight knit bunch, who all like to laugh and spend time together.

CAT: Are you a dog or a cat person?

MIRA: I’m a dog person. Mostly because we grew up with a standard poodle who wholly believed she was a real dog. Chased Frisbees, wore her hair shaved short and without adornment, pulled me around on my skateboard like she was a sled dog… But also because I have ridiculously bad allergies and living with a cat would put me in an iron lung (hence the poodle, lol)

CAT: Paper or e-books?

MIRA: Ahh, the age old debate. Honestly, I’m more of an e-book girl these days. It’s the convenience and the instant gratification and the downloading a sample to see if you’re really interested. I still enjoy lazing through a bookstore…but because of where we live, I really only get into one about three or four times a year…and usually with four surly kids in tow. So the whole browsing experience isn’t what it once was.

CAT: Do you reread your books after they’re published? If yes, do you find yourself wanting to revise them?

MIRA: I do EVENTUALLY reread my books, but it takes a REALLY long time before I’m ready. I usually spend about a week revving myself up to finally do it. I’m just terrified of what I find! Then after all that angst, I fall back into love with characters and story I haven’t seen in all too long. When I start thinking about the things I woulda, coulda, shoulda done differently, I try VERY hard to step back and let it go. Then I make a mental note to check that manuscript I’m subbing just ONE MORE TIME, lol!

CAT: Favorite form of exercise?

MIRA: I walk on the treadmill (so I can read while I do it, lol) and I LOVE yoga. It’s a workout that stretches and tones and can be modified to whatever fitness level you happen to fall in. And it doesn’t require the coordination of something like step aerobics which usually leaves me humiliated and more often than not sporting some injury I didn’t have before I started the class.

CAT: Which character did you think of first?

MIRA: Definitely Claire. I loved the idea of a heroine so desperate for emotionally distance from the hero, that she puts herself on another continent to get it! The opening line for the book is actually the “idea seed” I started with on this one. I just kept playing with it, until I had Claire. Separated from her husband Ryan for six years, she’s filed for divorce—ready to put the heartbreak of her past and the life she can never have behind her. Only bringing Ryan back into her life—even just to hash out their settlement—means coming face to face with a few things that haven’t changed at all.

THE S BEFORE EX is available through the RIVA line in the UK now (Link: http://www.millsandboon.co.uk/books/Riva/The-S-Before-Ex.htm ) and will be released as a Presents Extra in October.

Mira is giving away one copy of the UK edition of THE S BEFORE EX (US residents only).

Mira Lyn Kelly

Mira Lyn Kelly grew up in the Chicago area and earned her degree in Fine arts from Loyola University. She met the love of her life while studying abroad in Rome, Italy, only to discover he’d been living right around the corner from her for the previous two years. Having spent her twenties working and playing in the Windy City, she’s now settled with her husband in rural Minnesota, where their four beautiful children provide an excess of action, adventure and entertainment.

With writing as her passion and inspiration striking at the most unpredictable times, Mira can always be found with a notebook at the ready. (More than once she’s been caught by the neighbors, covered in grass clippings, scribbling away atop the compost container!)

When she isn’t reading, writing, or running to keep up with the kids, she loves watching movies, blabbing with the girls and cooking with her husband and friends. Check out her website for the latest dish!–

FRONT PAGE AFFAIR

Payton hasn't seen Nate Evans in years—not since he used to hang out with her brother in high school. But now she and Nate are guests at the same wedding where the notorious millionaire offers her a wild proposal—a sexy, scandalous and irresistible affair!
Nate's outrageous proposition was supposed to stay only paper-thin; it was merely a ploy to distract the tabloids from another, all-too-real scandal. But neither he nor Payton expected such a very public affair to prove so very hot in private…
Or to have such lasting consequences….

Excerpt:

        

Today, I’m thrilled to welcome Mira Lynn Kelly, a fellow Midwest Fiction Writer chapter mate and Harlequin Presents Extra author.  With our love of alpha heroes and sexy, passionate stories in common, it's no surprise we hit it off right away.  I'm so glad she decided to share a little about herself with us.

CAT:  Where do you read and how often?

MIRA:  Since writing is now a full time gig, I do it every day. Which means every night I need a way to break out of whatever story I’m currently toiling over…and I’ve found getting lost in someone else’s polished to a high shine writing is the best way for me to accomplish that. So I read every night. Usually on the couch in the living room, while I do my best to ignore Hoarders or Tool Academy or whatever compelling reality drama my husband is currently hooked on. (Also explains why I turn to a book rather than TV, lol!)

CAT:  Do you write to music?  If so, what kind?

MIRA:  Sometimes, but it really depends on where I am in a story. When I’m fine tuning, or working through a particularly sticky scene I need SILENCE. But when I’m dirty drafting…a little dirty music (Maroon 5 is always good) can be a great mood setter.

CAT:  What was the first story you remember writing?

MIRA:  I started writing stories in high school and the first one was about a woman in a nursing home who believed the man visiting her was her husband, when in truth he was married to her daughter. It wasn’t a real romance, lol, that’s for sure.

CAT:  What’s your favorite movie of all time? Mr. and Mrs. Smith. Totally. MIRA:  Aside from Brad Pitt being one of my favorite flavors of man-candy, this movie is just sexy and hilarious and action packed.

CAT:  Be honest, when reading 1^st person...do you miss the hero’s POV?

MIRA:  Yes. I love to get a look inside the hero’s head. Guys have such a different way of looking at things, such a sexy and unique take on what’s happening around them. I always like to be a part of it…for at least a while anyway.

CAT:  If you couldn’t be a writer anymore, what profession would you take up?

MIRA:  Hmm, I think I’d like to be a professional book reviewer, making six figures off it, and only reviewing romances…with happy endings…and no closed door love scenes.

CAT:  What’s the first thing you do when you finish writing a book?

MIRA:  Slump down in my chair and let out breath of relief that feels like it comes straight from my toes. Then there might be some aimless staggering around the house as I let go of all the million little details I’ve been trying to keep at the forefront of my mind for the past two months. A bit of delirium maybe. And finally, I pour a glass of wine and curl up next to the man and watch whatever he’s got on (at this point I’m sufficiently brain dead to tolerate the reality du jour). I usually wait until the next day to start the new project.  

CAT:  If you could interview one person (and it doesn’t have to be a writer) who would it be?

MIRA:  George Clooney. I figure an interview would be a legitimate means of getting within cheap-feel distance, right? Definitely better than just out and out stalking.

GOTTA ASK -- GOTTA ANSWER  J

CAT:  If you were a T-shirt, what color would you be and why?

MIRA:  Black because then I’d be versatile and go with everything. I love that I’d be a T-shirt though because I’m all about the casual…but in my mind a plain black T is sort of the dressier end of casual and can be spiffed up without too much effort…as opposed to the mustard yellow variety that says “I’m with stupid ===>”

GOT A QUESTION YOU’D LIKE TO ASK YOUR FANS?

Thank you very much to Cat and Get Lost In A Story for the opportunity to join you today and share a little bit about myself. But after answering all these questions for you, I feel like I kind of want to ask one of my own. So here it is…

What’s your favorite flavor of romance? Do your tastes run towards something light and funny? Heavy and heart-wrenching? Tart and fresh? Hot and spicy? Or super sweet?

Me? Most often I like mine fresh but with enough heat and complexity to maintain a slow burn throughout and keep me hungering for more…but the truth is I’m a sucker for any romance I can get! I’d love to hear what you crave when you’re looking for a HEA…and even who you think serves it up like no one else. (Yes, I read every night…which means I’m always looking for new authors to add to my must read pile!)

One commenter will be chosen at random to win a copy of my current release FRONT PAGE AFFAIR.**

Wishing all of you a wonderful year!

Mira

For more about Mira, visit her at:  www.miralynkelly.com

**Note: Offer void where prohibited. Prizes will be mailed to North America  addresses only. If an Advanced Reading Copy (ARC) is available, the author may utilize that option for International participants. Odds of winning vary due to the number of entrants.

Join us tomorrow when Angi hosts Rebecca York.