Danita Minnis

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Welcome Chandra Ryan to the blog with her science fiction erotic romance novella Ulterior Motives. Chandra will be awarding a $20.00 Amazon gift card to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour. Get a closer look at Chandra as she answers my ten.

 

Chandra Ryan Interview

Woohoo! You are a published author. Describe a strong character trait you possess, good or bad, and how it helped you become a published author. Persistence. I often tease that if you have enough persistence you can accomplish anything. It might not be the way you initially envisioned, but you will eventually get it done. Have I ever mentioned that it took two years of flirting before my now-husband asked me out on a date? I’ve always considered that experience as a warm-up to getting published.

Sometimes an author begins writing a story before they are aware of its genre. Did you choose your genre, or did it choose you? I choose the genre. I need to know where and when a story is set before I start writing in order to get the mood and characters right. My fantasy stories have a different tone and different character types than my urban fantasy. And my urban fantasy has a different feel than my scifi stories have.

 The plot thickens, or does it? Which one are you, a pantser or a plotter? I’m a bit of a hybrid. When I start a story I have a beginning, an ending, and a couple of mid-points in mind. But then I kind of figure it out chapter-by-chapter as I write. For me, that helps to keep the characters’ actions and the dialogue real.

Fear 101: As writers it is our duty to make our characters face their fears. Have you ever included one of your own fears in a storyline? I’m writing a story right now that features spiders in a rather terrifying (for me) fashion. Creepy crawlies really get to me.

Fear 102: Yes, deadlines are terrifying. Have you conquered the juggling act between writing and the rest of your life? What do you do when it feels like the balls are dropping all around you? I think I am getting much better at the juggling act. I had a release in July, one in August, and I’m scheduled to have one in September. Right now I feel like I’m in the middle of a writing 101 final exam. That doesn’t mean I’m acing it, though. When the balls are dropping around me, I tend to let the housework slide. You should see the piles of clothes I have in laundry baskets right now. On second thought, maybe you shouldn’t.

Switch positions with one of your main characters in a scene. What is the outcome, disaster or divine intervention? In Ulterior Motives there’s a barn fire on Kat’s ranch. Kat, being the strong rancher that she is, isn’t phased in the least by it. She knows what she has to do in order to save her livelihood. For me, it would’ve been an absolute disaster. The entire barn and the livestock still inside probably would’ve been a complete loss had we switched places for that scene. 

Where is your favorite place to write? Add that one comfort food that you can’t do without. I always write on my living room couch. It’s comfy and I can listen to music as I type. As to the comfort food…  Hmm… Wait! I only get to pick one? That’s really hard. I’m kind of stuck between pizza and queso. Oh! And cheesecake. I can’t forget that one. Maybe I’ll cheat and just say cheese in all its glorious forms. Not that I’d eat it on the couch. We have rules about that kind of thing in our house. So if you’re ever visiting and find crumbs on the couch, it wasn’t me. Honest!

Writing inspirations? Life. You’d be surprised how many times a story I’ve written has come from a random stranger I’ve seen at the grocery store. Or a news story I read. Ulterior Motives started when I read an article on eminent domain abuse ages ago. The idea has just been spinning in the back of my head ever since.

You are introduced to your favorite author. Who is it, and what is that one burning question you must ask them? Laurann Dohner. And, to be honest, I’d probably be too nervous to ask her anything. I’d be the stammering idiot in the corner.

I’ve gone mad – why don’t you come with me? Some people just don’t understand us writers. Name a quirky, writer-thing you do that friends wish you didn’t. I’m an obsessive email checker. I know it must drive my friends nuts because it drives me crazy. I hate that I’m always checking my email, but this is a 24/7 kind of business and with submissions, contracts, and edits one has to stay in contact.

 

Blurb:

Universal Defiance, Book One

On a rural settler planet, Kat must resort to putting out an ad to find a husband. She doesn’t expect to find love—that’s a dream in these parts—just a partner to help work her ranch. Then the devastatingly handsome Jasper answers her ad and turns her on in ways she never dreamed possible. Too bad he’s not who he says he is. 

Jasper doesn’t know what he’s getting into when he ventures undercover to investigate a legal claim against Kat’s ranch. But after a toe-curling night under her roof and in her bed, he’s willing to do anything to stay there. He can’t say no to the tough-as-nails businesswoman who makes his body come alive.

When people start getting hurt, though, both Kat and Jasper have to decide how valuable one piece of land is. And the ranch that brought them together might be the very thing standing between them.

 

Excerpt:

“Excuse me, sir.” Her calm words broke through the chaos of the port station and gained his undivided attention. This close to him, staring into his rich, brown eyes, her stomach began to churn with nerves. She quickly pushed through the sensation, though. She didn’t have the time for silliness. And it was the height of absurdity for her to be uncomfortable around her soon-to-be husband. “I’m Katarina Maxim. My friends call me Kat.”

She held her hand out to him in casual greeting as she tried not to fidget. She’d debated how to greet him as she’d driven to the station. A kiss seemed rather forward. But she did want him to feel welcomed. A handshake seemed like the best idea at the time. Now, as she waited for him to take her hand, she started second-guessing herself.

“Katarina, that’s a lovely name.”

She noted that he’d called her Katarina but tried not to let that color her first impression of him. She didn’t hate the name nor did she hate being called by it. It just didn’t fit her. Not anymore. Katarina sounded soft, delicate—refined, even. Like she’d been before her family had moved here. She could only hope that he didn’t see her as any of those things. If he did, he would be sorely disappointment when he got to know her better. “Kat. Only my mother called me by my full name,” she pressed.

“Kat it is.” His smile seemed genuine but his palm was as soft as new leather when he finally took hers. If he stayed, that would change. This planet demanded calluses and blisters. Her hands were proof of that.

 

 

Author Bio and Links:

Being from a rather nomadic family, Chandra Ryan loves to travel and meet people. But she’s found that sometimes, like when you’re stuck inside because of a good old-fashioned Southwestern heat wave, you have to make do. Fortunately for her and her loving family, who don’t like seeing her suffer from cabin fever, she’s found creating new people and places equally as fascinating. Also, you’re a lot less likely to spill your ice tea.

 

Web site: www.ChandraRyan.com

Twitter: @ChandraRyan

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chandra.ryan

Buy Link: http://www.ellorascave.com/ulterior-motives.html

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