Ramblings From This Chick: Guest Post with Author Shannyn Schroeder and Giveaway

Sunday, July 6, 2014

Guest Post with Author Shannyn Schroeder and Giveaway

Meet Shannyn Schroeder, author of Catch Your Breath.

Shannyn is a former English teacher, who now works as a part-time editor while raising her three kids.

Even though she wrote from high school through college (mostly poetry), she’d never considered a career as an author. Writing fell by the wayside as she focused her energy on creating lesson plans and new and fabulous ways to torment her teen students. One group in particular dubbed her “The Torture Master,” a title she carried into motherhood.

After the birth of baby number two, Shannyn resigned from teaching and fell in love with reading romance novels. She read so many books so quickly that her husband teased, “If you’re going to read so many damn books, why don’t you just write one?”

So she did.

That first book is safely buried on her hard drive, but the process set Shannyn on the path to where she is today—agented with a debut ebook coming out with Kensington in late 2012.

She is recovering from her Diet Coke addiction, fears putting her foot in her mouth on social media, and has a renewed appreciation for the bad girls of the world.

Places to find Shannyn:

Catch Your Breath - Meet the Hero – Jimmy O’Malley

Jimmy O’Malley is the oldest of the five O’Malley kids who grew up across the street from the O’Learys. Jimmy is Liam O’Leary’s childhood friend. When Jimmy was ten, his mother was killed during a mugging. Jimmy stepped up to help take care of his siblings as best he could, but the emotional baggage he carries because of his mother’s death has followed him into adulthood.

Jimmy is a Chicago cop, like his father was. Unlike his father though, he wants more than to be a beat cop for his entire career. He’s a newly promoted detective, and he feels like his life is headed in the right direction, especially when he is given a special assignment linked to the mayor.

With his professional life on track, Jimmy is ready to settle down with a wife so he can start a family. His picture of this life revolves around having a wife who will stay at home and build a life for them. Moira O’Leary doesn’t fit that image at all, not to mention she’s his friend’s little sister.

He’s always held a special place in his heart for Moira. As a little girl, she could bat her baby blues at him and he’d give her whatever she wanted, but when she hit adolescence, he kept his distance because of an uncomfortable attraction to her. Moira makes him crazy because she’s impulsive and carefree, which makes her dangerous.

When his job puts him and Moira together, he does everything he can to fight the attraction, but it’s a battle he quickly realizes that he has no chance of winning. Being with Moira makes him question everything he thought he wanted and needed for his life.

Writing Jimmy was a little harder to write than some of my other heroes because he’s a quiet guy. He doesn’t like to talk, which of course makes him the perfect foil for Moira, who talks incessantly. But as a writer, I need to hear my characters talk, and Jimmy wasn’t cooperative. Digging through his personal baggage made me love him. He’s strong and loyal and caring, even though he has a hard time expressing it.

As kids they steered clear of one another–but now a beautiful, well-connected reporter and a sexy, driven detective are all grown-up and on the job. . .

Moira O’Leary’s work as a reporter gives her access to some of Chicago’s swankiest soirées. She knows how to navigate the jet-set crowd, and her style and confidence help her blend right in. But when her childhood crush starts popping up at posh events, her poise begins to falter–until she realizes she has the upper hand in a high-stakes game of secrets and seduction. . .

Jimmy O’Malley has always tried to avoid his friend Liam’s little sister. Something about Moira spelled trouble. But he’s out of his element working undercover in Chicago’s high society, and Moira is his ticket to the inner circle. As sparks begin to fly–and their chemistry heats up–Moira gets dangerously close to his investigation. Will Jimmy be forced to push her away to keep her safe–or will they surrender to a desire that could leave them breathless?

Purchase: | Amazon | B&N | Kobo | iTunes |