Happy Release Day to Lauren Layne – Steal Me is live! Check out my Q&A with Lauren below, as well as my review and a fantastic giveaway!
Author Interview: Lauren Layne
What would readers be surprised to find out about you?
That I’m a total science fiction geek. Star Wars is my favorite movie of all time, although my husband has slowly converted me over to Star Trek, and I’m a big fan of that as well.
Tell us about your writing process. Do you start with an idea or a character? Do you know what’s going to happen from the beginning or do you figure it out as you write?
I almost always start with the idea or the general premise; rarely does the character come first. And I’m a planner. I’ve gotten looser with my planning as I write more books and get more comfortable with the flow of writing a book, but I generally have at least a pretty comprehensive list of scenes that need to get written before I type Chapter One.
Who gave you the one piece of writing advice that sticks with you to this day?
I believe it was Nora Roberts who said, “I can fix a bad page, but I can’t fix a blank one.” I repeat that on almost a daily basis. I know that I just need to reach The End, no matter how messy the words might be. Once the words are there, they’re always fixable.
Is there one thing you have to have when writing?
Oh man. I’m going to be super literal here and say my laptop. I like music but don’t need it. And usually have my water bottle, but not always. Sometimes a notebook, sometimes not. I’m pretty bare bones and minimalist J
How did you choose the names of your characters?
The main characters I spend a bit of time going through name lists, trying to get the right vibe (and finding one that I haven’t used before, which is getting harder and harder). For minor characters, I use a “random name” generator on my web browser.
How has music played a role in your life and in your writing?
I make soundtracks for almost all of my books, there’s always one song that’s more vital than the rest. Name any of my books, and I can tell you which song I listened to on repeat while writing it!
When was the moment that you knew you had to be a writer?
Ha. I think I was born this way. For as long as I can remember, I was that kid that said I wanted to be an author when I grew up, and I always loved writing in school. Then college ended. I had no more writing to do for school, but I also didn’t think that writing could be a full-time career, so I entered the work force and put writing behind me as a hobby. What a mistake!! That all came back to bite me a few years later when the need to write was so strong that it was all I could think about. It took me a year or so to work up the courage, another year or so to stick with it, and then I decided to jump in with both feet. I quit my job, moved to New York, wrote about four books in two months like a mad woman, and got an agent/publisher.
What can you tell us about your couple, that we won’t find in the book?
Of all my books, Steal Me is the one that veered the most from my original outline. The original heroine was a feisty red-head named Kat who was the least suspect in a burglary case. I’m not sure why or when it changed, but by the time I’d finished Frisk Me (book one in the series), I knew that Anthony’s story and woman were entirely different than I’d originally planned.
Steal Me by Lauren Layne
Series: New York’s Finest #2 (full reading order below)
Publication Date: November 24th 2015
Publisher: Forever
IN HOT PURSUIT
Being a cop might be in Anthony Moretti’s blood, but protecting and serving the city of New York has always been more than just the family business. If that means his love life stays locked up, well then that’s just another sacrifice made in the line of duty. That is, until he sets eyes on the gorgeous new waitress at The Darby Diner and suddenly Anthony’s morning coffee is leaving him a whole lot more hot and bothered than usual.
Though waitressing at The Darby isn’t exactly Maggie Walker’s dream job, it pays the bills and gives her time to work on her novel. Now if only she could stop fantasizing about gorgeous Anthony Moretti every time he sits down at her table, she’d really be in great shape. But when he needs her help identifying a criminal threatening The Darby—and Maggie recognizes her ex-husband—she fears her fresh start might be a pipe dream. Faster than a New York minute, Maggie and Anthony find themselves in one perilous pursuit that only gets hotter with each and every rule-breaking kiss.
Buy Links:
Amazon • Barnes & Noble • iTunes • Kobo • Google Play
Reading Order: New York’s Finest series
#1 ~ Frisk Me: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#2 ~ Steal Me: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#3 ~ Cuff Me: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads (March 29, 2016)
A long-time romance reader, Lauren Layne thinks the only thing better than reading about happy endings is writing them. She now pursues a full-time career in Happily Ever After, a job she’s naturally suited for after marrying her high school sweetheart. A bit of a nomad, Lauren’s lived everywhere from Orange County to Manhattan, and currently lives in the Seattle-area. Her hobbies include coffee by day, wine by night, and lots of writing in between. She’s also a total website nerd and insists you check out laurenlayne.com!
5 copies of STEAL ME
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