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Lauren Sevier and A. Smith will be awarding a $10 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
Author Interview
1. How did you choose your genre? What made you write this book?
We sort of fell into this genre by accident. The first novel in this series, Guns & Smoke, started as a short story on a girls night. We both enjoy westerns and thought it would be fun to play into some of the tropes, but it molded and changed into the dystopian/western romance it is today. It blossomed from a single scene into a four-book series. Leather & Lace in particular was written as the direct sequel to the first novel. We had a lot of plotlines to continue and add as we build The Fool’s Adventure world.
2. Writers write what they know, and must observe the world. Are you a firstborn, middle or last child, and how does this shape your view of the world?
Abbie: I am the last child in my family. I have a unique perspective because my older siblings are five and seven years older than me, so a lot of times, I felt like an only child. I think that plays out in my characters, because I feel I’m responsible for taking care of the people that I love and making sure everyone is safe and happy.
Lauren: I’m the middle child… AKA: Chaos gremlin. I think being the middle child can feel a lot like you go unheard, or your voice doesn’t matter. So sometimes you have to scream, act out, cause a fuss, just to get a little attention… and usually, it ends up being negative attention. I think as I’ve grown and matured, realizing how I felt like I was shouting into a void at times… it’s made me a much better listener and very intuitive. So I pay a lot of attention to details. The things people say, and the things they don’t.
3. Where is your favorite place to write?
Abbie: I enjoy writing in my office at my standup desk while I’m walking. There’s something really great about the endorphins that come while one is being both physically and mentally active.
Lauren: Ha! I’m not that healthy. Or that blessed with time. I have a wild and wonderful four-year-old boy who keeps me on my toes. So, I write whenever, wherever, and for however long I can. I like to take my bluetooth keyboard and write on my phone while I’m in the carpool line to pick him up from school. In my office when I have free time. Or lazing in bed, all by myself, in the blissful silence.
4. How do you feel about killing your darlings, and what do you do with the remains?
Abbie: NOOOO! Let me keeps them all. *wraps them in bubblewrap* I do acknowledge at times there is a necessity to kill my darlings, but I usually wait until the most impactful time and make sure that their death(s) impact those left behind.
Lauren: I try to kill them all. And Abbie threatens to disown me. Her bubblewrap is strong people. Please be glad she’s got a chokehold on me or you would all be sobbing into the pages as we speak. LOL!
5. You are introduced to your favorite author. Who is it, and what is that one burning question you must ask them?
Abbie: Sarah J Maas. Give me the Nesta/Cassian/Azriel scene your publishers made you cut!
Lauren: Leigh Bardugo. Can you make Kaz Brekker real for me please? (No, seriously, I love Kaz Brekker. He’s maybe my favorite sociopathic evil genius of all time.)
6. Inquiring minds want to know…tell readers something about you that no one knows.
Abbie: I’m double jointed and my bones crack like rice krispies. 🙂
Lauren: Uhhhh… Way to make me work for it. I’m a pretty open book. Good. Bad. Ugly. There’s just no mystery to me. It’s all out there. Ummmm… I’m allergic to strawberries, but I didn’t used to be when I was little so sometimes I wake up crying after dreaming about eating homemade strawberry ice cream??
7. You are stranded on a deserted island with only a backpack for company. What three items are in your survival pack?
Abbie: a satellite phone, a life vest. and snacks. Because I am not staying on that deserted island!
Lauren: A lifetime supply of pina coladas, sunscreen, and a secret library full of REALLY good books. I’m on that island for a well-deserved life of relaxation.
8. If you could have one superpower in your existence, what would it be?
Abbie: Teleportation. I’ve always wanted to travel the world, but that can get quite expensive. I’d save so much in flights if only I could blink and be somewhere else!
Lauren: Time Manipulation. I need like four more hours in the day so if I could just… accidentally steal a time-turner from the Ministry of Magic or be able to manipulate time… I’d be set.
9. Favorite snack?
Abbie: Chocolate, all of the chocolate!
Lauren: Boiled peanuts or chips and salsa. I’m not a big fan of sweets as a snack.
10. Indy 500 – Do you know how to get where you’re going or do you drive the speed limit?
Abbie: I usually go enough above the speed limit to avoid a ticket–unless it’s rush hour and I’m on the highway, then all bets are off!
Lauren: I FEEL THE NEED FOR SPEED! Ask Abbie. I live like my life is a nascar race. Or well, I used to in my younger days. Now I have a kiddo and have grown up and learned to live responsibly. Dangit.
Leather & Lace
by Lauren Sevier & A. Smith
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GENRE: Dystopian/Western Romance
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BLURB:
Three years wandering the desert is enough to drive anyone insane, and the limits of Bonnie and Jesse’s minds and hearts will be put to the ultimate test.
A deadly showdown with a murderous outlaw ripped Bonnie away from the relative peace and ragtag family she’d built at the end of Guns & Smoke. In the thrilling next chapter in The Fool’s Adventure series, we finally get the answer to the biggest question: What happened to Bonnie?
After three years of fighting to get her back, literally, Jesse James finds her in the most unlikely of places– New Orleans high society. With the help of his rival-turned-friend Will Ellis, and a sassy staff member, Jesse’s tasked with infiltrating the house of the man he believes was responsible for killing his parents in order to get her back. Jesse’s biggest challenge yet will be learning to fight for Bonnie in a way he never expected before: by fitting in.
Mired in high society politics and scheming, Bonnie is at the epicenter of one of the most ruthless gangs in the world. Years trapped in a gilded cage of wealth and lies has irrevocably changed her from a crass outlaw into a southern debutante. Gone is the dangerous glint in her eyes, replaced with suspicion when the devilishly handsome street fighter named Montana suddenly joins her father’s staff.
Can Jesse remind Bonnie of who she really is in time to keep her from giving her heart and hand away or will he discover that the wild, beautiful outlaw he fell in love with is truly gone?
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Excerpt:
Staring at her now, knowing that I’d desperately fallen for her all over again sent a stark jolt through me. This feeling between us wasn’t some average infatuation. Most people could live a lifetime and never experience the raging, all-consuming need to be close to another person, no matter whether you knew why.
My soul called out, and hers answered.
Everything that I’d lost three years ago was suddenly before me. In the span of a breath, I closed the distance. I clutched her hips, a smile curling over my lips at the little gasp she let out as her back met the steel door and my mouth covered hers. I reached behind her, flicking the lock. Too many times we’d been interrupted. I’d be damned if I let it happen now. Not when she loved me again.
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AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Lauren Sevier and A. Smith are longtime friends and co-authors from southern Louisiana. Guns and Smoke, their first joint publication, began as a “short” story after having too much wine on girl’s night. Nine years later it is now the first novel in a Dystopian/Western Romance series. The duo has plans to publish several series together in the future. A. Smith spends her time with her two rescue dogs and rescue cat surrounding herself with books and Labyrinth paraphernalia. Lauren Sevier collects antique tea cups and tries to stay sane, though as the mother of a toddler she fails brilliantly most days. She also has a growing collection of crowns and tiaras and likes to act silly on Tiktok. Look for more thrilling novels from The Fools Adventure series in the future!
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58767973-leather-lace
https://www.laurensevier.com/newsletter
https://www.youtube.com/c/laurensevier
https://www.instagram.com/laurensevier
https://www.facebook.com/authorlaurensevier
https://www.tiktok.com/@lsevier
https://www.abbielynnsmith.com/newsletter
https://www.facebook.com/abbielynnsmith
https://www.instagram.com/abbiewritesx
http://www.tiktok.com/@abbiewritesx
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I do like this cover.
Thanks for hosting!
Thanks for hosting°
Lauren Sevier and Abbie Lynn Smith make a great writing team.
It’s a pleasure to have you here Abbie and Lauren! Congratulations on this exciting release!
I liked the interview.
Sounds like an interesting story.
Thank you for sharing your interviews, bios and book details, I have enjoyed reading about you and your work and I am looking forward to reading Leather & Lace. I can never quite wrap my head around the logistics of co-authoring a story. Can you tell me what that process was like for you?
Sure! There are a ton of different ways to co-author. So Abbie and I really wanted to focus on work patterns that would help the story be as immersive as possible for readers. We knew we were going to write in 1st person perspective, so to give the characters their own unique voices and syntaxes, and to make sure they were fully developed characters with wants and goals and flaws we each took ‘ownership’ of writing a character. When the first/zero draft was done we edited together to make sure the story flowed really well and the transitions between characters weren’t jarring or strange for readers at any point. We have several series planned for the future and a few of those we may choose to workshop differently, but for now it’s working quite well for us. 🙂
The book sounds very interesting. Absolutely love the cover!