Thursday, October 16, 2014

Surprise Author Number One.

Okay let me start this blog off as being one of the most grateful people on this earth!  I have asked two Authors to answer some questions for my blog. The fast response time was amazing from both.

So today I am starting with ... a new author. Her first book was published in May 2014 who is she? 
Well here you go! I hope you enjoy! My questions will be in purple.

      1)      Can you please introduce yourself to everyone?


  HI! My name is Susan Stoker! I currently live in Texas, but because I married a military man 15 years ago I’ve lived all over the US in the last 15 years! 


 (Ok yes I got an interview with one of the author's I love!)


        2)      Would you like to share any work you have done or doing?  


I write contemporary romances, that always have a HEA ending. It’s a personal thing, but I don’t like cliffhangers and won’t write a book that has one. 
I have 2 series out right now. The first is more of a “sweet” series. It’s a trilogy based on reality shows. It’s called the Beyond Reality series. The first book, Outback Hearts is set in Australia and features two contestants, the second, Flaming Hearts, is set in Arizona and features a contestant and a “non contestant”. The third, Frozen Hearts, is set in Alaska and features two camera operators.






Outback Hearts


Flaming Hearts



Frozen Hearts






The second series is currently in progress. It is called the SEAL of Protection series and revolves around a team of Navy SEALs. The first book, Protecting Caroline was released in September, the second, Protecting Alabama, will be released Oct 31st. There are 7.5 books planned in the series, (including a novella released in time for Valentine’s Day). There will be a book published every other month so my readers don’t have to wait too long to get their SEAL fix



                                                         
                                                         Protecing Caroline


                                               
                                          Protecing Caroline


                                               
                                            Protecting Alabama


(I promissed you teasers and hot guys.)

    
     3)  Do you have a favorite genre?


Romance of course! I read all types. As long as it has a HEA, I’m good.

4)      Did you always want to write or what inspired you to do it?

Not really. I write for my own pleasure. It wasn’t until this year that I thought that others might also like to read my stories. I get “ideas”  5)      Do you need a nice quiet space to write or are you blasting your music and writing?
 A quiet space? What’s that? Lol. My husband and I don’t have children, but we do have three dogs at the moment, and it’s never really quiet in the house. I can’t lock myself away because the dogs will get into trouble. What’s the saying? A quiet dog is a dog in trouble. Ha! So I write in the office that is off our living room. Right in the middle of all the action.

6) If you could give one tip to someone who wants to write what would it be?

   Go for it. No one is stopping you. But if you want to be successful, make sure you get an editor and a proofreader and make your work as professional as possible before you publish. There are SO many books out there in today’s digital age, that you want yours to stand out…in a good way.
Also, do it for your own satisfaction. It’s highly unlikely you’ll make it rich on one book, or even two…I’m not being a downer, but it’s true. Sure there are new authors that write a kick butt book and make a ton of money on their first book, but making a living off of writing is a marathon, not a sprint. You have to keep at it. You have to market. It’s hard work. 
 7) What is the big dream? In other words where would you like your writing to take you to in the future?

Reference the answer above. J Yes, I’d love to be able to stay home and write all the time. If I could make a living full time I could write more, I could workout more (no time now with full time work), I could spend time with my doggies, I could learn to cook, I could clean the house more…but then I’d also have to pay my own health insurance, I’d probably get bored and eat more and thus weigh more, I’d get even MORE addicted to facebook…hummmm.

         8)     If you could meet anyone living or dead who would it be?

You know what, I’m weird about this stuff. I’m always afraid my expectations of meeting someone will be way higher than the actual experience (And I’ve had that happen! I was so excited to meet a famous author once, and when I did it was a huge letdown). The THOUGHT of meeting someone is so much better than the actual deal I think. 
BUT, If I could meet someone…let’s see…Cary Elwes. You know, the guy in The Princess Bride…but I’d want to meet the OLD CE, and not the current one. Ha!

Now the fun questions!!!

1) Pizza or salad?  

 Salad…as long as I don’t have to cut the veggies. I hate that.

2) Cake or fruit?  

Cake all the way!

3) Favorite kind of music?  

I like country, but not the “old” twangy country. I also like 80’s and 90’s pop music.


4) Favorite Author?

 Right now…probably Kristen Ashley


5)Vampire, Werewolf, Fairy or shifter?

 Werewolf


6) Do you have pet's? 

 Yup, 3 dogs. Basset named Rosie, Bloodhound named Henry, and a basset/terrier mix named Annie


7) Favorite animal? 

 dog


8) City or suburbs? 

Suburbs



Because Susan won't brag I will brag for her.
Here are some stats of Protecting Caroline is still in the top 10 in all military romance books.

Protecting Caroline right NOW (it changes ever hour of course)
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #342 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)




#34 in Kindle eBooks > Romance > Mystery & Suspense > Suspense
#38 in Kindle eBooks > Romance > Mystery & Suspense
#38 in Books > Romance > Romantic Suspense
#88 in Kindle eBooks > Romance > Contemporary


Gizmo wanted to get into the bloging to. So I asked Susan if one og her dog's woud mind doing an interview.




1. Hi, I am Gizmo and you are?
Woof! I’m Rosie the Basset Hound!
2. What is your favorite store?
Store? What’s that? I like when I get to ride in the human’s car and they stop and talk into this box, then we pull up to a window and another human hand’s my human a bag of food! It’s a magic window!
3. What is your favorite toy?
Toy? What’s a toy? OH! You mean those things my brother and sister hog and tear out lots of fluffy stuff from? Yeah, I’m too tired to play with those things.
4. Do you like Lassie or Benjie better?
Actually my favorite is Hooch…my human calls it a movie where some guy named Turner is in the movie with Hooch, but I love watching that drool fly when he shakes his head. Classic!
5. Do you chase cats?
Nah, I leave the chasing to my brother and sister. Most of the time I don’t even SEE the cat before it runs out of the yard. Besides, my legs are too short to chase anything.
6. Do you like off the leash parks better than walks?
Walks are better. Most of the time we run into other humans that I can con into petting me. And there are more smells and such when we walk than only at the park.
7. Do you enjoy belly rubs?
Oooh, belly rubs are my favorite! And ear rubs, and dewlap flaps, and butt scratching. They’re all my favorite!
8. Do you have a favorite season?
Season? Like light time or dark time? I like both. I can sleep in the light time and the dark time.
9. What is your favorite treat?
FOOD! Anything. I snarf it up before it can languish too long on the floor. It’s my job to keep the kitchen floor clean when the humans are making themselves something to eat. I take that job verrrry seriously.
10. Do you like to sleep on a human bed, your bed, the top of the couch or the floor?
I like to sleep period. On a human bed, on my bed, in my crate, on the couch, in one of the 1.4 million dog beds in the house, on the floor…it just doesn’t matter. Sleep is good.
11. Are you a lap dog?
Of course, aren’t ALL dogs?










Thank you Susan Stoker. Now she was kind enough to let us get a sneak peek at her next book cover. A Book cover only those on my blog get to see until Sunday!!


                                  
                               Protecting Alabama, will be released Oct 31st

Ok I want this book!


Susan Stoker Social Links

Newsletter Sign Up: http://eepurl.com/1layP

 

Thank you Susan, thank you Rosie. Thank you all for reading my blog. I hope you enjoyed it!

I am E.J Babcock enjoy your day!

1 comment:

  1. Thank you Elizabeth! I had such a good time with your interview! -Susan

    ReplyDelete