Monday, August 18, 2014

Interview & Giveaway - All In by Autumn Stark


All In

by Autumn Stark 

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BLURB: 

Jay Markham, a wildly popular actor and a chronic womanizer, has become bored with his life. Jay decides to take a break and goes to visit his life-long best friend and famous romance novelist, Anthony Tate. But just because Jay decides to take a break doesn’t mean his fans will let him. The fans and the paparazzi follow him to the small Washington town and, in an effort to escape a particularly dogged fan, Jay ducks into the first open door he can find. 

Parker Hardisson is a fairly normal, if self-contained, woman in her, ahem, early thirties. Relatively happy with her life as a freelance translator, she gets to work out of her own home and enjoy her life as quiet and drama-free as possible. So what if she’s a teensy bit lonely? So what if there’s some part of her that wants to explore the world? Things are working out just fine. So, when a mega-movie star comes slamming into her house, she wonders if she’s finally cracked. 

Parker seizes the opportunity to make the deal of a lifetime. No strings, no questions. The problem is, Jay is playing this game by his own rules. 

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Excerpt: 

It seemed like a million years, the fall. It went in slow motion. Parker saw the glint of the sun on the kitchen window panes. She heard Jay Mason yelling behind her. She could hear the sound of a siren somewhere. In the mix, she would swear she heard a bird and even some wind chimes.  

Parker didn’t remember the actual moment she hit the ground. One minute she was streaking through the air, the song of chaos and the bright morning sun guiding her down, and the next she was laying in the grass, curled in a ball. The damp grass clung to the side of her face and Parker’s eyes didn’t seem to want to open. She thought she heard her name being called. 

She tried harder to open her eyes and realized that the wet grass wasn’t what wet her face. It was blood. She saw a flash of light through the red and could swear she heard Gabe’s voice calling to her, but then it all went black again. 

The next thing she remembered was the repeated flashes of light and the sound of too many people talking at once. Someone rudely shoved a light into her eyes. Parker groaned and tried to move her arm to shove the light away. 

“Parker? Parker Hardisson? Can you hear me? Can you open your eyes to tell me you hear me?” Parker fought through the haze in her head. She wasn’t sure why the voice wanted her to open her eyes, but she knew it was somehow important. She fought to open her eyes, squinting against the light until her eyelids briefly rolled up. Then she remembered what was so important.

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Let's Learn a Little About Autumn Stark!

What is your writing environment?
 
I write in a lot of different places. I have a desk in an office in my house that I spend a lot of time at, but when I sit down for the writing long haul, I usually plunk myself down in a big comfy chair with my computer. Ironically, when I’m writing sex scenes, I find writing in public places works the best for me. I have no idea why. I’m judging myself. Coffee shops are usually where I end up.


Who is your perfect hero and why?

I try to hide my nerd most of the time, but if I had to go with a “perfect” hero on a fictional level, I’d have a hard time deciding between Wolverine and Ironman. Truth is, I like my heroes flawed with hearts of gold. I don’t like them too perfect because then they’re not very attainable or real, are they? Wolverine and Ironman are flawed and rough around the edges. They’ve got bite to them, but they’re also the ones willing to sacrifice it all in the end.


What authors have caught your interest lately and why?

Lately, I’ve been really into Christine Warren. I love Paranormals, but I’m in awe of her ability to create such a believable world of sensuality, humor, and adventure. I have to give her serious props for her latest series. Heart of Stone was a pretty great read. Who knew “gargoyles” could be so hot? Truly though, I love her way around making me love each and every one of her characters.


What type of book have you always wanted to write?

The kind of book that makes the reader feel good about life and question what the possibilities might be for themselves. I want my readers to fall in love with my characters and, in the process, fall in love with their own possibilities. I want to write about real people because they’re the most interesting to me--real life often is, I think.


Top 3 things on your bucket list?

1.  Live in Japan

2.  Become fluent in a foreign language (Japanese would be helpful with #1)

3.  Establish a scholarship for women pursuing writing as a career.


How did you get the idea for this particular novel?

It started as a question: if your dream or fantasy were right in front of you, would you be able to reach out and grab it? I think a lot of people spend time daydreaming about if they won the lottery or met Mr. Perfect, but they never consider what might be right in front of them (hence the In Plain Sight Series). All In is really about coming right up against the fantasy and turning it into reality. It’s also about the kind of sacrifices that come with choosing to make a fantasy into reality, too. In this case, it’s a normal small-town girl who likes it that way and a hollywood hottie who glows in the spotlight. If what they want is each other, what does that mean for who they are individually?


What is your favorite scene in your new release?

That’s a hard call, but I think one of my favorites is really a scene where Parker is forced to have a very public discussion with Jay about an awkward situation they’ve gotten into. They’ve both kept their relationship pretty hush-hush up to this point, so when the news their confronting explodes into the small town Parker lives in, there’s all kinds of misconceptions. What I love about this scene is that there’s so much going on at the same time that it becomes a comic tragedy. Jay and Parker are arguing about the town’s misconception of Parker’s relationships (in the town square by the way) while members of the town are passing by congratulating Parker on the very thing. Jay is so pissed off he accidentally reveals his cards and the whole thing goes to hell. It’s a beautiful domino effect.


What are you working on now and when can we expect it to be available?

Right now I’m working on the fourth book in the series, Woman on Top. It’s the story of Jay’s little sister, May, and Abby’s youngest brother, Nicky. Fireworks for sure. It should be available the end of this month!


What do you like to do when you are not writing?

I’m a glutton for Korean dramas, TV shows, and reading. I love stories of all kinds. But I’m also a huge fan of keeping active. I have three pets, so I spend a lot of time entertaining them. I try to keep involved in things like running, biking, and yoga when I can. I also spend a lot of time studying Japanese (my bucket list, remember).


What would you consider a perfect date?

Honestly, I think my perfect date would be the kind where I don’t really remember what we were doing, just the conversation we had. The perfect date is the one where the world disappears and it’s only me and him enjoying each other.


What is one interesting fact about you that readers don’t know?

I’ve lived in five different countries!

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AUTHOR Bio and Links: 

Autumn Stark writes Romance with a sense of humor and a whole lotta steamy fun. Doesn’t mean there aren’t a few whips every now and then, but she’s a sucker for a happy ending. Autumn has been writing in one capacity or another her entire life, but Break Me is her debut novel.  

Autumn Stark is the pen name for author and publisher, April Oglesbee. (http://apriloglesbee.com/) 


All In is the second book in the All In series. Book 1 is already available on Amazon, B&N, and iBooks. Book 3 will be released in June 2014.
 

 

Twitter:https://twitter.com/AutumnStarkAuth
 
Goodreads:https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7562617.Autumn_Stark
 

This is the second book in the All In series. Book 1 is already available on Amazon, B&N, and iBooks. Book 3 will be released in June 2014. 

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21471824-i-want-crazy?from_search=true

 

Buy Links: 


B&N 

Giveaway:
 
Autumn will be awarding at each stop a signed copy of All In to a randomly drawn commenter (US ONLY), and a Grand Prize of a $25 Amazon/BN GC plus a signed copy of All In will be awarded to one randomly drawn commenter during the tour (US ONLY). 
The more you comment, the better your chances of winning! 
Follow the tour HERE

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