Turnbull House
by Jess
Faraday
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:
London
1891. Former criminal Ira Adler has built a respectable, if dull, life for
himself as a confidential secretary. He even sits on the board of a youth
shelter. When the shelter’s landlord threatens to sell the building out from
under them, Ira turns to his ex-lover, crime lord Cain Goddard, for a loan. But
the loan comes with strings, and before he knows it, Ira is tangled up in them
and tumbling back into the life of crime he worked so hard to escape. Two old
flames come back into Ira’s life, along with a new young man who reminds Ira of
his former self. Will Ira hold fast to his principles, or will he succumb to
the temptations of easy riches and lost pleasures?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
EXCERPT:
“Well…” As I
searched for the right words, he quietly set his drink on the polished wood
floor. “It’s funny you should—”
The kiss came
as such a surprise that I scrambled backward across the divan and almost
tumbled over its rounded arm. Whiskey sloshed over the rim of my glass,
splashing silently onto the Chinese rug. What remained I belted back in one go
before setting the glass on the floor and wiping my shaking fingers on my
trousers.
It wasn’t
that I was averse to the idea of kissing him, but I really hadn’t expected it.
In fact, if I’d seen him start toward me in the first place—he was remarkably
quick for a man in his mid-forties—I’d have assumed he was going for my throat.
Goddard
chuckled under his breath. “Sorry. Did I startle you?”
“You might
say that.”
I was also
taken aback by the presumption. I had always liked it when he took control, and
the hard, whiskey-flavored slickness of his mouth had left me aroused. All the
same, I was no longer his plaything. Part of me felt as if he should have at
least asked permission.
I forgot my
objections when he leaned in a second time, slowly, and cupped my face in his
smooth, muscular hands. Now that I was expecting it, the kiss felt like coming
home after a long, unpleasant journey. For just a moment, all of my troubles
dissolved, and nothing existed except his fingers in my hair, the traces of his
jasmine and bergamot cologne, and the smooth, familiar contours of his mouth.
And then as
suddenly as he had moved in, Goddard pulled back, leaving me confused,
disappointed, and blinking in the gaslight and shadow.
“Why did you
come, Ira?”
“To ask you
for money,” I said.
I know. I
know. But every drop of blood in my head had surged to my cock, and I found
myself incapable of the higher functioning required for either diplomacy or
deceit.
Perhaps that
had been the idea.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
What is
your story's heat level? How do you approach the sex scenes?
I’d put the heat level at 1 or 2. There is sex in my books, but
most of the action takes place behind closed doors. Quite a bit is hinted at,
foreshadowed, or thought about briefly in retrospect, but the most I’ll usually
describe outright is a really hot kiss or some minor groping.
How do you maintain activity as a writer when sitting at a desk all day?
I’ve always had a hard time sitting still at a desk. So now that
I’m spending all day writing and editing, I do it standing at the kitchen
counter. Or sometimes dancing there. And I break up the workday with running,
walking the dog, and martial arts. I have a second degree black belt in Tae
Kwon Do and am on a competition poomsae team, so that keeps me pretty active.
And on weekends, my favorite thing is to go hiking, biking, or just running
around with the family. It might sound like there’s no time to write with all
that, but in reality, the activity keeps my body healthy and my mind sharp, so
that when I’m working, I’m working at peak efficiency.
What is it that you loved about the main characters in your story?
They’re all terribly earnest. Even the villains. And the world
often isn’t kind to earnest people. But they keep doing the best they can…kind
of like all of us.
What do you feel is your strongest type of writing? Humor? Angst? Confrontation scenes? Action? Sex? Sensuality? Sweet Romance? And why?
I think I’m pretty good at humorous angst. Finding the absurdity
in a bad situation—a bad situation of one’s own making. Because in my real life
I’m awesome at making mistakes. And if you can’t laugh when the world is
crashing down around your ears (and it’s your own fault), how else are you
going to get through it?
Are you social media savvy? If so what do you suggest for others? If not, why not?
I’m pretty savvy. I do Facebook, Livejournal, GoodReads, and
Twitter, and have my own site (http://www.jessfaraday.com). But social media
can suck up all of your writing time if you let it, so I try to set limits.
What are some things from your life or things you have observed that you've infused into your stories?
One of my characters, Bess Lazarus, is an American married to a
Brit—like me. She’s also ready to kick butt and take names when it comes to
protecting those in her sphere. Her husband, Tim Lazarus, tends to take on too
much responsibility and tries too hard to please everyone, then gets really
irritable about it. Like I do. The main character of my mystery series, Ira
Adler, has, as a friend said, “honorable intentions with fallible
instincts”—this is also me. And I have to cop to a certain cold-blooded logical
streak, like my villain, Cain Goddard, who can’t quite seem to get his head
around the idea that people don’t always make
sense, and that emotions can’t be figured out absolutely like mathematical
equations.
If you had an unlimited budget, where would you like to visit for story-related research?
I’d build a time machine and go everywhere!
Any fun facts about the research for your book?
Sugar refineries were dangerous and filthy!
Food safety regulations are a Very Good Thing.
Things Can Always Be Worse.
A little careless chemistry can cause a lot of destruction.
The Victorians might have been stuffy, but they also really knew
how to enjoy themselves!
Finally, tell us a little about your newest release!
Turnbull
House is the second book of the Ira Adler mysteries. In this book,
former criminal Ira Adler is now a solid citizen sitting on the board of a
youth shelter. When the shelter’s landlord threatens to sell the building out
from under them, Ira turns to the past—crime lord Cain Goddard—for a loan. But
the loan comes with strings, and before he knows it, Ira is tangled up in them
and tumbling back into the life of crime he worked so hard to escape.
It’s getting some great reviews, so I hope readers will give it a
try! Turnbull House is available
through Bold Strokes Books, and at all the usual outlets.
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Jess
Faraday is the author of the Ira Adler mysteries and the standalone steampunk
thriller The Left Hand of Justice. She also moonlights as the mystery editor
for Elm Books.
Twitter:
@jessfaraday
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/jess.faraday
Giveaway:
Informative interview
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