MY INTERVIEW WITH ASRAI DEVIN

Here it is!  My first interview!  I was nervous as heck when I hit the send button, but when I got the answers back, I couldn't have been happier!  Thank you again Asrai Devin!  What an honor!  Enjoy this interview!

1)  First off, I would like to thank Asrai Devin immensely, as she is giving me the chance of a lifetime and letting me interview her.  And it so happens that she is my very first interview.  So, welcome and THANK YOU!!!!!

Thank you!! I'm so excited. I only squeed a little bit. I'm sure they only heard me a few doors down. 
How often do I get a chance to talk about myself? I'm there!!

I also apologize for any Canadian spelling. Old habits die hard.
 

2)  Hockey players.  Yes, they're hot.  They're sexy.  Why?

Don't forget rich!! LOL.
The idea came from two places. Partly from Suzanne Brockmann's series about Navy SEALS. I thought I'd love to do a series about hot sexy men. But I didn't know what group to hit.
Of course, at this point I had never actually finished a novel. 
Then I spent a romantic evening with my husband watching the Calgary Flames play. I think around this time Craig Conroy just came back to the Flames. And it hit me, hockey has a bunch of sexy men who probably have lives full of drama and strong women. You rarely see their wives and girlfriends, but they have to have lives beyond hockey. 
At the time I chose Calgary because my husband is a big fan and I never thought it would get beyond NaNoWriMo 2006. 
I grew up in a small prairie town. Hockey has always been part of my life. My younger brother played hockey until I was a teen, I attended many games. As a teen, watching the senior hockey team was the only thing to do on weekends. 
 

3)  Out of the three books in the series so far, is there one that is loosely based off of how you and your husband met, with a hockey twist?

Actually no. LOL. My husband and I met under very unglamorous circumstances.  Through a weird quirk of fate he ended up in the small town I grew up in. We actually met when I was working at the grocery store, but we didn't get to know each other until we both worked at a pig barn together. Oh yes. I am not kidding.

4) Are any of the hero's in your books that are based off of your husband?  Or are they all straight from your creative mind?

My husband is one of a kind. I couldn't have dreamt him up if I tried.

My hero's are from my fantasies. I have admitted on my blog that the name Corey came from a old high school crush. He was a hockey player I watched as a teen. There are some elements of him in my heroes. 

5)  How about with the heroine's, any of them loosely based off of you?  

 There are elements there. I worked for three years as an educational assistant, which is why I wrote about teachers. Write what you know. 

6)  When reading Complications Over Coffee, you mention Doug Black often.  Is his book next?

His sister and Scott Jones are next. He is after that. In the original version of Complications over Coffee, Doug's sister was paired with Corey and then Doug's story came next. I had his book planned before Complications, but too many people demanded Corey. Okay, I just really wanted to write his story. I love Corey. 

7)  Can you give us a little teaser about what that book entails?

 Love Can't Wait stars Amy Black-Johnson who is divorcing her famous hockey husband, Adam Johnson. One night she feels unworthy and goes to the bar to assuage herself. She winds up having an one night stand with Scott, who she finds out in the morning is her ex's team mate and also her brother's best friend. But then she needs a favour and then he needs one in return, and they can't seem to stay away from each other.

I can give you a sneak peak of Doug's book. Doug has retired from hockey, and is considering what he should do next. A coaching offer comes in from Saskatoon where Doug's crush, Sophia Clark lives. Sophia was Mandy's best friend from college, and was widowed about two years before the story takes place.

8)  How about a release date for the book?  I know I want to know!  I'm anxious to read it!

Love Can't Wait is already out, everywhere except Barnes and Noble, which is why I haven't said anything about it. Barnes and Noble has a self-publishing program for anyone in the US. Outside the US, you have to through Smashwords.

9)  What kind of books do you like to read in your spare time?  Who are you some of your favorite authors?

I just recently read ALL of Alexis Morgan's Paladin series. Total brain candy. So fast and easy to read. With great alpha men!! If only Blake Trahern were real. 

I also love Suzanne Brockmann's Troubleshooters series.

I re-read Bet Me by Jennifer Crusie every year.

And I read a lot of non-fiction. New age spirituality, self-help, crocheting, parenting.

10)  What got you into writing?  Were you walking the halls in high school reading random reports?

I have always had a NEED to write. When I was too young to write, I would record stories on my parents' cassette recorder while my mom napped with my little brother. I wrote all through high school. Oh there is some bad poetry in my closet and probably some decent stuff but I think it will stay there. 

11)  When you are not writing about hockey players, what do you do for fun?

Chase around my two children. one is 9 and one is 2. I entertain my husband with my wit and charm. And I play a lot of video games. I adore Bioware's Dragon Age series. Dragon Age: Origins over DA2. That's a character thing, I'm in the middle of a playthrough where I _didn't_ romance Alistair http://dragonage.wikia.com/wiki/Alistair It is breaking my heart. My 2 year old, Sunshine Boy, is crazy about Mario Kart. And my daughter enjoys the Just Dance series on the Wii. 

Right now we are all playing our own games of Skyrim, another RPG. It's pretty addicting. 

I spent a lot of time on Twitter, reading blogs and reading emails. My guilty pleasure is Yahoo Answers Parenting section. I'm addicted to being right.

12)  Paperback books or E-books.  Which do you prefer and why?

Ebooks except in the tub. I learned that lesson early on in life when I tried to take my Speak and Read into the tub.

Ebooks are more convientint. They take up less space. And there is so much more available.  

13)  Ever planning on releasing any of your books in paperback?

I tried through CreateSpace early on and I didn't have my US tax stuff in order yet. It's daunting. I do have to order a copy of Second Chance Romance from Lulu for my grandmother. 

14)  Who is your favorite hockey player

Mikka Kippursoff. I'm a sucker for the Norse guys and goalies. He's from Finland and he was the best goalie in the league a few years ago.

Craig Conroy has the best smile in the league however. He's retired now however. 

I'm horrible at picking just one favourite. 

15)  That's about all the questions I can think up.  Again, thank you so much for the opportunity and for allowing myself and Every Turn of the Page to interview you.  Any last comments to the readers of this interview and your books?

Gosh thank you again for interviewing me. This was such a blast.

To everyone who has my read my books, it's such an honor that you used your free time to read one of my stories. It amazes me and I am just so grateful for the opportunity out of all the ones someone could have chose. And then that people actually enjoyed it, stuns me on a daily basis. Not becuase it's horrible, but just that it's possible!

Thank you to Shannon for having me.

Complications Over Coffee, by Asrai Devin

In Complications Over Coffee, Asrai Devin’s third book in the Up In Flames series, hockey player Corey Porter finds himself in a situation that nobody ever wants to be in.  And he finds help in the beautiful Nicole Wilkes.

Nichole Wilkes is in the middle of a divorce from her cheating husband, who is making life difficult for her.  In the agreement with her soon to be ex-husband, Nicole gets to keep the house, but she needs to find a job in order to pay for the mortgage.

Corey Porter, while on the road, finds himself homeless when his apartment burns down.  And while watching Kip and Mandy’s kid, Colton, he is introduced to Nicole at a playground after school.  They get to talking and there you go, Corey finds a place to live, in Nicole’s basement.

Of course the attraction is there.  Nicole doesn’t want a relationship as her divorce is still fresh, and Cory is a player.  They both strike up a deal for it to be strictly sex for the time being when living with each other. 

In Complications Over Coffee, the sex is always phenomenal.  And that we get a peak at what is going on with Kip and Mandy, the original couple from the first book in the series!  This book is a great read!

Ever have a coffee date with a guy that you thought was hot?  What did you have to drink?

Summer Fling, by Asrai Devin

This is about  Summer Fling, the second book in the Up In Flames book series by Asrai Devin.  The story is about the hot and sexy Kyle McLaughlin goes home for a two week sabbatical after him and his team won the Stanley Cup the previous season.  He knew that his parents had taken in a woman for a roommate, but little did Kyle know that this woman, Serena Miller, would be staying in his childhood room.

Summer Fling takes place in Bow Island, where Kyle grew up.  He goes there to relax for a little bit before he has to go back to Calgary (Cow-town according to Corey Porter) for the next NFL season.  He arrives to an empty house.  Thinking that everything is cool, he heads downstairs and dumps  his things in his old bedroom, only to find out that Serena had taken over.

The tension between Kyle and Serena is so thick, you can cut it with a knife.  He wants her, she wants him, but no way are they going to let it known.  It just takes one backyard party with some liquid courage to make Serena make the first move.

Living under the same roof, as well as volunteering to mentor young kids during the summer, their relationship takes off.  At first, they tell each other it is just about sex.  But, as the days and weeks go by, they both fall hard for each other.

Summer Fling started out as just that, a summer fling.  Kyle and Serena really bring home the message that you do not have to be in a relationship for very long to figure out if you have met the right person or not.  Sometimes, you just know, and that sometimes can take a matter of months.   The story with Kyle and Serena is a beautiful thing, reminding me about MY whirlwind relationship with my then boyfriend, who later became my finance three months later.

Did you ever have a Summer Fling?  Did you ever wish it kept up after the summer ended?  Tell us the name of your Summer Fling and if you wished it lasted!

Second Chance Romance, by Asrai Devin

Second Change Romance, the first book in Asrai Devin’s Up In Flames series takes us on a fourteen year “trip” throughout the relationship between Kip Turned and Amanda “Mandy” Greene.

The books starts out in high school.  Kip Turner, the hottest guy in school and a great hockey player, gets bored in math class and starts to wander the school halls.  He comes upon a display from an English class with other students essay’s on what they want to do when they grow up.  He reads an essay and is floored.  He had to meet the author of that essay.

Turns out he didn’t have to go far.  Mandy Greene was in his math class!  Trying to track her down, he corners her in the library where he starts to flirt with her.  One thing leads to another and bam! a relationship.

Once in college, they reach the fork in the road.  He’s been drafted to the NHL, she is still continuing her education.  Not wanting Kip to regret something, Mandy tells him to go follow his dream, and their dream relationship is no more.

Fast forward eleven years and the wonderful world of Facebook.  Kip ‘friends’ Mandy.  After much consideration, Mandy accepts the friend request.  They talk on the phone and decide to have a date.  Turns out, their feelings for each other are still there, and they are just starting to wake up after all that time away.

They start their second chance romance again, traveling the distance between their homes to see each other.  With eleven years of baggage in between for them (Mandy is a single mother), they test their love for each other and try to make it work for a happy ever after.

Being a hockey fan, this book was a no brainer, it needed to be read.  Loving the way how they came back together after all that time apart, this love story can stand the test of time.  

If you had the opportunity at a second chance romance, who would it be with?  What went unsaid between the two of you?

INTERVIEW WITH ASRAI DEVIN!

Hey everybody!

Come back on Saturday for all three reviews of her Up In Flames series books, PLUS my interview with her!  We'll be giving away a copy of her newest book, Love Can't Wait.  See ya there!

~Shannon

One Night Rodeo by Lorelei James

Kyle and Celia had one hell of a night.  After a night in Vegas, they wake up to find themselves, gasp! Married!   Realizing that their marriage was due to too much alcohol, Celia wants an annulment right away.  Kyle has other plans.

With the news that Kyle has a father, his plea’s with Celia to go with him back to Wyoming to meet this long lost father.  Finding out Kyle’s father died while they were on their way, they meet with the lawyer instead and find out that Kyle inherited a ranch, something he has always wanted.

Knowing that Kyle has next to zero ranch experience, Celia agrees to stay with him for six months to help get his ranch up and running, all the while still married….

Spending 24 hours a day with each other in such close space, they both realize that they do in face love each other and that they want to keep the marriage intact.  They should live happily ever after, right?

Both Kyle and Celia find out something that they keep from the other.  When it all comes to a head, Celia gets upset and leaves, while Kyle wears his heart on his sleeve.  Celia helps a friend out in dire need and Kyle then shows up, profession his love, and his apologies, AND THEN they live happily ever after.

Knowing the background of each character from the previous three Blacktop Cowboys books, this book was semi predictable.  However, the sex was electric, bickering entertaining, and the story of the ranch dilemma.  Bring all those together, and you have another excellent book by the lovely Lorelei James.