Interview with Author Roni Loren and Giveway

Today I am happy to welcome back to RFTC, author Roni Loren. Roni is currently on tour celebrating the release of her newest book, Melt Into You. Roni has allowed me to ask her some questions, but before we get to the interview lets get to know a bit about Roni.

Roni wrote her first romance novel at age fifteen when she discovered writing about boys was way easier than actually talking to them. Since then, her flirting skills haven’t improved, but she likes to think her storytelling ability has. After earning a master’s degree in social work from LSU, she worked in a mental hospital, counseled birthmothers as an adoption coordinator, and did management recruiting in her PJs. But she always returned to writing.

Though she’ll forever be a New Orleans girl at heart, she now lives in Dallas with her husband and son. If she’s not working on her latest sexy story, you can find her reading, watching reality television, or indulging in her unhealthy addiction to rockstars concerts. She is the National Bestselling Author of The Loving on the Edge series from Berkley Heat.

Places to find Roni:

| Site | Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Tumblr |

First off, can you tell us a bit about you?
I’m a mom, a wife, and the author of The Loving on the Edge series. I drink too much iced tea, eat a lot of cheese, and am slightly addicted to the internet. I’m also probably one of the few people you’ll meet who has a music library that includes the greatest hits of broadway, Marilyn Manson, the New Kids on the Block, Nirvana, and Reba McEntire. (And that’s about the most random bio I’ve ever written.)

Did you always want to be a writer?
Yes and no. I wrote my first novel when I was fifteen. Back then, I was convinced I was going to be a writer. Then I got older and more practical. :) I went to college and got my masters in social work and worked in that field for a while. But the urge to write always sat there in the back of my brain, waiting. After I decided to stay at home with my son, I gave writing another go and fell in love all over again.

What kind of writer are you? Panster or Plotter?
I started off as a total pantser, but now I’m a bit of a combination because once you’re under a publishing contract, your editor wants to see a synopsis before they buy the next book, so you have to have some plan before you start the book. I now use the Save the Cat technique (a screenwriting book), which outlines the major turning points. Then I just get to writing and let the story surprise me. My initial outline rarely matches my final product.

Where do your ideas come from?
Everywhere. The weirdest thing could set off my story brain. MELT INTO YOU started with me having the random thought about--what if a popular relationship coach (a la Dr. Phil) turned out to be gay? Would people still take his marriage advice? That’s how I got the idea of Evan’s faux fiance in this book. Then recently I got an idea from a food reality show that I’m going to use in book 4. So I never know where something is going to come form.

A la Twitter style, can you describe your book (or series) in 140 characters or less.
MELT INTO YOU: Her first love has returned and he’s brought a friend. Add in BDSM, an exclusive resort, and old hurts, then mix vigorously. :)

What are some of your favorite kinds of stories to read?
I’m a sucker for romance and a happy ending, so that’s the majority of what I read. As for specifics, I like books that have characters with a lot of depth and angst. A book that’s just a lot of plot and/or sex scenes won’t do it for me. I need to feel connected to the characters.

Do you have a favorite book and if so what is it?
It’s impossible for me to pick a favorite now, but my favorite as a kid was A Wrinkle In Time. That’s the book that made me want to be a writer.

What are the scenes that are the hardest for you to write?
The big action scenes with villains or antagonists. I keep telling my agent to not let me write anymore suspense subplots because they kill me every time, but I keep coming up with storylines that include them. Gah.

If you could have dinner with any three authors, who would you choose and why?
I’m super shy and get starstruck easily, so I probably would be freaked out to have dinner with authors I thought were rockstars, lol. So if I had the choice, I’d probably just want to have dinner with author friends that I don’t get to see often because they live far away. That way I could have a dinner where I could dish on writing and be totally comfortable. :)

Last question, are you working on anything right now?
I’m always working--which is a good thing. Right now I’m writing CAUGHT UP IN YOU, which will be book four in this series.

Her first love has returned, and he's brought a friend...

After running away from home and the boy who broke her heart, Evan Kennedy has kick-started the perfect new life with her celebrity fiancé. So what if said fiancé prefers guys? She knew the deal when they got engaged. And with her ticket to The Ranch, an exclusive resort where any fantasy can be satisfied, she can find someone to fulfill her less-than-traditional desires on the side.

She just never expected that man to be Jace Austin, her old heart-breaker—all grown up, hard-bodied, and holding out a collar. She knows it’s a world-class bad idea—especially since Jace has brought along his buddy Andre, who’s every bit as irresistible. But if they can stick to the no-strings rules, so can she.

Too bad Jace has never been so good with rules. Evan is convinced “forever” is a word used only in greeting cards, but Jace and Andre have one last fantasy of hers left to fulfill. It’s time to go big or go home. And neither man has ever been a fan of going home.

Places to Purchase:

| Amazon | Kindle | Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository | 

“Thanks.” She took her shirt and towel from him, pulled the first over her head, then got to her feet and knotted the beach towel around her hips. She tilted her head up to smile at him. “So, Mr. Humble Hero, you have a name?”

He stuck out his hand. “It’s Jace.”

Her body froze, the world seeming to tip off balance for a moment. Had she heard right? She stared at him for a moment, taking in every nuance of his face, the earlier whispers of déjà vu now becoming shouts.

Was it really him? His hair was longer, his body harder and more mature, the green in his eyes more wary, but the resemblance was there. It’d been years—twelve actually. The nineteen-year-old boy she’d known had become a man. “Jace Austin?”

***

Oh, shit. The recognition that flashed in the woman’s blue eyes had Jace dropping his hand. This chick knew him? He frantically flipped through his mental Rolodex, starting with the girls-I’ve-slept-with file.

When they’d locked gazes earlier, he’d felt a nudge of familiarity but had dismissed it. Surely, he’d remember this dark-haired beauty, especially if he had gotten the privilege of touching that lush little body. But something about her was poking at the recesses of his mind.

He rubbed the back of his neck and offered an apologetic smile. “Uh, yeah. Jace Austin. I’m sorry, have we met?”

She flinched a bit—the move subtle, but not lost on him. Damn, well now he felt like a jackass. Had they slept together?

She recovered quickly, the corner of her mouth tilting up. “Don’t worry. I’m sure I look a little different than I did at sixteen. Especially without that god-awful bottle red hair and eyebrow piercing.”

Sixteen? Red hair? The flashing list of names in his head suddenly flipped back over a decade and landed on one he hadn’t thought about in years. One he’d purposely tried to block out. No, couldn’t be. “Evangeline?”

She shrugged and looked out at the water, the wind whipping her hair around and disguising her expression. “It’s Evan now. I stopped using my full name a long time ago.”

“Wow, I don’t even know what to say,” he said, shaking his head. “You look great. I’m so glad to see that you’re . . .” Okay. Alive. “Here.”

She turned back toward him and smiled, though it didn’t light her face the way the earlier smiles had. “It’s good to see you, too. But, if you don’t mind, before we go down memory lane, how ’bout that vinegar?”

“Oh, right,” he said, his mind still whirling. “Follow me.”

And she needn’t worry. The last thing he was going to do was initiate any reminiscing. No, some things were better left buried. And how he’d destroyed the girl he’d sworn to look out for was A-number-one on that list.

Check out the other books in The Loving on the Edge series:

Click on cover for more info.

Want to win some goodies from Roni? Check out what's up for grabs.

Up for grabs:

• 1 lucky commenter at each stop will win an eBook copy of Still into You
• 1 lucky commenter from the ENTIRE tour will win a Book Grab Bag filled with theses titles: autographed copy of Crash into You by Roni Loren, Raziel by Kristina Douglas, Blood Stains by Sharon Sala, The Summer Garden by Paullina Simons, and Deadly Valentine by Justine Davis and Cindy Dees

To Enter:

• Please leave a meaningful comment or question for Roni. 
• Please leave your email address along with your comment to be entered. 
• Giveaway ends July 13th.

Good Luck =)