I am so pleased to introduce you to another fabulous author!
A Seattle-native, Lauren's also tried on the Bay Area, Orange County and Manhattan for size. She's currently writing from the Pacific Northwest, but is always looking for the next place to call home. Texas? The South? New England? Suggestions welcome.
1. Tell us a little bit about the book:
After the Kiss is the first in my Stiletto series about three women who write about men and relationships, only to learn the hard way that when it comes to their own life, they're completely clueless.
The series kicks off with Julie Greene, the flirty, dating guru of the group who gets assigned to write a story about what happens after the puppy-love stage. Mitchell Forbes is a straight-laced Wall Street type who should make the perfect boyfriend, but little does Julie know, Mitchell happens to be in the market for a no-strings-attached fling . . .
2. How long have you been writing and what do you love about it?
I attempted to start my first novel about six years ago, but I had a lot of false starts and "this is too hard" moments before I forced myself to sit down and write a book from beginning to end in 2009. It didn't get any agent-love, so I wrote another book in 2011, and that's the one that got the attention of my lovely agent (Nicole Resciniti) in 2012.
What do I love about it? I can tell you what I DON'T love. The first draft. It's arduous. Sometimes I'll be riding high after a great writing day only to realize that may word count's only at 12,983 and it needs to be at 70k, like . . . yesterday.
But it's all worth it once I type The End on that first draft and get to the good stuff, which is going back through and layering in the humor and the emotional moments.
3. What hobbies/interests do you have?
Hmm, I've always listed writing as a hobby in the past, but I suppose that doesn't count now that it's also my job? Seriously though, writing is both my day job and what I choose to do in my free time, so I'm very lucky like that.
When I need a break from the computer, I love a good book and a glass of wine. My husband and I also love to cook, so you'll often find me hunting for recipes.
4. Something people would be surprised to know about me is…
Hmmm . . . I don't own a television. That always seems to throw people for a loop.
Or, ooh, better one . . . I am a huge sci-fi fan. Star Wars in particular, although I've recently let my husband coax me into the allure of Star Trek, and I heartily recommend Old Man's War to anyone with an open reading mind!
5. If you could invite 4 people (real or fictional, living or dead) to a dinner party, who would you invite and what would you serve?
Lisa Bloom: This woman single-handedly convinced me to stop clicking on the Entertainment section of my news feed in lieu of the real news, and inspired me to start thinking and talking about things that MATTER. Hint: it's not the Bachelor or the Kardashians.
Nora Roberts: How do you do it, woman?!
John Galt: Fictional, but fascinating . . .
Plato: I would love to talk to this guy about The Republic. So many questions!
What would I serve them? Well, I would say steak au poivre with this delicious cheesy potato recipe I got from my mom, but I'm pretty sure Lisa Bloom is a vegan, so I'd probably try to whip up something fancy with portobello mushrooms and truffle oil.
6. I can’t live without…
Probably my MacBookAir. Maybe that makes me a slave to technology, but I don't write very quickly by hand, so my laptop is sort of my story-making machine.
7. What's next for your writing?
I just wrapped up the third book in my Stiletto series, and although I do have another contemporary romance in the works, first up is another new adult novel that I probably can't talk about yet :)
8. How can your fans stay up to date with what you are doing?
Well, Twitter, for sure (@_laurenlayne), but I've recently been dipping my toe into the scary world of Facebook pages, and loving it, so come on over! Lots of giveaways and pretty pictures . . .
In the first book of a delightful new series from Lauren Layne, the star columnist of Stiletto magazine will do anything for a story. Anything . . . except fall in love.
“AFTER THE KISS is a knock-your-stilettos-off, total page-turning treat that had me fan-girling up within the first chapter. I absolutely loved this read!”—USA Today bestselling author Mira Lyn Kelly
AFTER THE KISS: Sex, Love & Stiletto Series by Lauren Layne
A Loveswept Contemporary Romance
On sale August 26, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-345-54725-5
Book Blurb:
In the first book of a delightful new series from Lauren Layne, the star columnist of Stiletto magazine will do anything for a story. Anything . . . except fall in love.
Julie Greene loves flings. Loves steamy first dates, sizzling first kisses, and every now and then, that first sexy romp between the sheets. Comfy pants, sleepy Sundays, movie nights on the couch? Shudder. But when Julie gets assigned the hardest story of her career—a first-person account of that magical shift between dating and “I do”—she’ll need a man brave enough to give a total commitment-phobe a chance at more.
Normally, Mitchell Forbes would be exactly that man. A devastatingly hot workaholic who tends to stay in relationships for far too long, he should be the perfect subject for Julie’s “research.” But what Julie doesn’t know is that Mitchell is looking to cut loose for once in his life. And the leggy journalist notorious for avoiding love is exactly the type of no-strings fling he’s looking for. In other words, Mitchell is the polar opposite of what Julie needs right now. And, at the same time, he’s exactly what she wants.
Order your copy of AFTER THE KISS:
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