Interview with Author Tessa Bailey and Giveaway

Meet Tessa Bailey, author of Chase Me.

Tessa lives in Brooklyn, New York with her husband and young daughter. When she isn't writing or reading romance, Tessa enjoys a good argument and thirty-minute recipes.

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A la Twitter style, can you describe your book (or series) in 140 characters or less.

CHASE ME; funny, feely and hot to trot. Be prepared for the #LouisEffect ;)

Tell me, is there anything that we would be surprised to learn about you? 

When I was eighteen, I had a panic attack while camping with friends, proving definitively that I was not cut out for the great outdoors. I was positive some crazy mountain dweller was going to slaughter us and I would never see high school graduation. There was a Linkin Park album playing the entire trip and to this day, every time I hear Linkin Park, I get uncontrollably nervous.

What are the things that influence you the most as a writer?

My girlfriends and their stories about online dating, workplace drama etc. One of my friends’ stories is even in CHASE ME (the scene where Roxy runs through the movie set and tries to blend into the scene). That happened to one of my best friends down at the South Street Seaport. I’d say the Brooklyn neighborhood where I live and the characters I pass on the sidewalk have lot of influence over what I write, too.

If you could be a character in any book (yours or another authors) what book would you choose and why?

I’m like a broken record, but I would totally be a character in Kresley Cole’s Immortals After Dark series. Maybe Nix, so I could know the outcome of everyone’s stories. If I had to chose a character in one of my own books? Hmmm. Probably Willa from UNFIXABLE. Or Hayden from ASKING FOR TROUBLE. And I certainly wouldn’t mind inhabiting Roxy’s body in CHASE ME so I could experience the Louis Effect up close and personal.

How was writing this series different from what you’ve written in the past? 

There are a lot of similarities between the Broke & Beautiful series and what I’ve written in the past. It’s hot. Physical attraction is front and center. The heroes are goners for the heroines at first glance. Those are my comfort zones and you’ll see them echoed in all my books. But I had to THINK younger for CHASE ME. I took my thirty-year-old heroes and subtracted five years of life experience. The same with my heroines, although I don’t think the change is quite so drastic with females. Bottom line, I decided to add more fun in this series. I think that’s what your early twenties are about. Fun in between bouts of struggle.

What are the scenes that are the hardest for you to write? Why? 

Hmm. I think the dark moments were the hardest to write for this series. When the inevitable blow up happens and they’re facing life without the amazing love they’d JUST found. That hurt. I felt protective of these characters and didn’t like seeing them downtrodden. Although, since I wrote the books, I guess I’m protecting them against myself, which is kind of spooky.

Please share 3-5 facts about Chase Me or the characters in Chase Me that fans would be surprised to learn.

The opening scene begins with my heroine, Roxy, delivering a singing telegram in a pink bunny suit. The models on the cover are almost exact depictions of Louis and Roxy in my head. Roxy’s ringtone (“Moneymaker” by the Black Keys) is one of my favorite songs.

I know you like to create playlists for your books, what song reminds you of Chase Me/Louis & Roxy that when you hear it, you are instantly transported into their story? 

There is one song that reminds me of the entire series – “Pompeii” by Bastille. It makes me think of young people coming to terms with their triumphs and failures. Having to get up every day and live the same situation all over again, but desperately trying to find variations. Sometimes there’s magic and sometimes there’s a crow to eat. “Carry On” by Fun. is another one that calls the series to mind.

Describe Louis in 3 words. 

Generous, persistent, sexual.

Last question, what are you working on right now? Can you share any behind the scenes info? =) 

I’d love to! I just finished the final book in this series (book #3), which is Russell and Abby’s book (Ben and Honey are book #2). I couldn’t be happier or more fulfilled with how it ended, although you won’t find out until August. Now, I’m working on a book in my Crossing the Line (antihero) series. The hero is a con man and I’m loving every second =)

If you could sum up your early-twenties with one amazing night, which night would it be?

College drop-out, Roxy Cumberland, moved to New York with dreams of becoming an actress, but her dwindling bank account is quickly putting the kibosh on that fantasy. To make some quick cash, she signs up to perform singing telegrams. Her first customer is a gorgeous, cocky Manhattan trust-funder if she ever laid eyes on one. And what could be more humiliating than singing an ode to his junk, courtesy of his last one night stand? Maybe the fact that she’s dressed in a giant, pink bunny costume...

After a night out to celebrate winning his last case, lawyer Louis McNally II isn’t prepared for the pounding in his head or the rabbit serenading him from the front door. But the sassy wit and sexy voice of the girl behind the mask intrigues him, and one look at her stunning face—followed by a mind-blowing kiss against his doorjamb—leaves Louis wanting more.

Roxy doesn’t need a spoiled rich boy who’s had everything in life handed to him on a Tiffany platter. But there’s more to Louis than his sexy surface and he’s determined to make Roxy see it...even if it means chasing her all over NYC.

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Check out the Broke and Beautiful series:

Check out what's up for grabs.

Up For Grabs:

• 1 Print copy of Chase Me

To Enter: 

• If you could sum up your early-twenties with one amazing night, which night would it be?
• US shipping ONLY.
• Please fill out the Rafflecopter form.

Good Luck! 

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