Good morning. It’s Meet and Greet Monday! 

With us today is Romance Author, Bethany Kris.

Welcome, Bethany!

Thank you for having me!

What beverage would we find you drinking at 10a.m. on any given day?
Coffee, usually. But occasionally, if I’m in a mood, Pepsi.

Describe a typical writing day for you.
Busy, mostly. My two young boys keep me up and running without fail. I have to write around them and their schedule, so I might only get a sentence in edgewise throughout the day. Once they lay down for a nap, if I can get them to do that, then I sit down with coffee in hand and really write. I like the noise to focus, but it’s not needed. I prefer to write after they’ve gone to bed in the evening, because then I know it’s mommy’s free time, and the hubby isn’t around, as he works nights.
*** Sounds the same for me too. Though my kids are 12, 15 & 17. ***

Tell us, what’s the first thought that comes to your head when you read the following words – (no right or wrong answers *g*)
Romance … Love, always.
Winter … It’s way too cold.
Stephen King … One of my favorite authors.
The Kardashians … There are no words.
Butterflies … My children.

Tell us a bit about yourself. Where do you live, do you have a significant other, any young ones running around?
I’m a twenty-four-year-old Canadian living in eastern Canada. Which means, cold winters, cold summers, and I love it. My house has turned into somewhat of a farm between the cats and dogs that run around. I have a spouse, whom I call D, that never leaves me alone when I want him to. I also have two little boys, Rohan (four) and Lexan (two).

Name one quirk you have.
I scratch when I get stressed.

What is your favorite junk food?
Skittles. They’re my weakness.

What is your favorite meal that you wish you could eat at least three times a week?
Poutine. Some people might not know what that is, so let me explain. Fries, I prefer them deep fried, not oven baked, with shredded cheese on top, then smothered in dark gravy.
*** We have so much in common!! What CDN doesn’t love poutine!! LOL ***

Preference – Sam or Dean Winchester?  If you haven’t seen Supernatural (and why not! It’s MY Fave show LOL), then would you prefer Iron Man or Wolverine?
You’re going to hate me for this, but neither on both accounts. I haven’t seen either, ever. I’m not a TV series person unless it’s Vikings or Law and Order.
*** It is okay, Bethany. I’m a HUGE fan of L&O and Vikings too. *g* ***

What do you like to do for fun and relax?
Writing is my fun and relaxing time. But it has to be just writing. Not promoting or anything like that, just writing. It clears my head in the best way.

How many speeding tickets have you ever had?
None. I haven’t drove a car since I hit two moose a couple of years back, but even before then, none.

What is your least favorite household chore?
All of them. I’m not a cleaner, or a cooker. Meh. But if I had to pick just one, I’d say laundry.

What three words best describe you?
Finicky. Trouble. Restless.

What three words would your significant other use to describe you?
Exhausting. Loving. Short.

Have you read any books that have made you cry?
Have you heard of Nicolas Sparks? Yes? Then of course.
*** I totally understand! I buy a box of tissues with every Sparks book I buy!! *g* ***

Have you ever thrown a book you’ve been reading against the wall because you couldn’t finish it?
No, but I’ve come close. I have a rule that I start what I finish. Always, even if I hate it. Even if it’s awful. It doesn’t matter, I finish it.

Who are some of your favorite authors?
Philippa Gregory. V.C. Andrews. Sylvia Day. Lora Leigh.

Tell us about your “big break” in the publishing world. Was there any one person believe in your work first (besides yourself of course)? What did you do to celebrate your first contract?
Evernight Publishing contracted my first short story, after they rejected my first full length, which was then picked up a couple of months later by Crimson Romance. Once I was picked up, however, every novel I sent out was subsequently contracted. One month, basically, after the other, I had releases coming out. It was a fast and hard introduction into the publishing world. One I would have to admit I wasn’t ready for. I didn’t know anything about it, or what would come after.
My hubby, he always believed in me, which was why he received my first dedication.

Did you always want to be an author?
Honestly, no. It was just something I began to dabble with seriously a few years ago and the rest is history.

No matter the story, where do you always draw inspiration from when you begin each story?
Usually I see the hero or heroine first. Just a few words, their appearance. That gives me enough of a push to dig deeper, find out who they really are, what drives them, and so on.

What book – print or e-book – is sitting on top of your to be read pile that you are eager to read?
The Harem Midwife.

If you were given an all-expense paid, five day/night trip to anywhere, where would you go?
Egypt. After they’ve fixed their issues and whatnot. I’ve always wanted to go.

What is your one pet peeve about the writing business?
Honesty. I think it’s the hardest to find, sometimes.

What do you find most challenging about writing?
For me, it’s sticking to one thing until I’ve finished. Something else always pops up. Someone else wants their story told. It’s a never ending battle.

 

Ten Things I Need To Write

One of Kacey’s questions actually brought up an interesting thought for me. What do I need to write? How do those things help me? Kind of an interesting topic to blog about, right? For a moment, I actually wondered if I could think of ten things. And not just obvious things like Microsoft word, a pen, paper, or something similar. No, things that directly help my writing to flow, for the words to come. I think it’s fascinating to see what other authors use, or need, to write. Once, an author told me she lit a candle when she wrote. It helped her focus. When she was finished, she blew the candle out. She also wasn’t allowed to blow the candle out before she finished. Why not share some of mine? So, here goes nothing:

1)      Music. Usually YouTube is playing on my laptop while I write. Music is the heart and soul of my words. It inspires. It’s cleansing.

2)     Noise. I love, love, love the drone of television in the background. I can’t have complete silence anymore. It feels like a void that needs filled.

3)     GTalk. I often wander over there to send bits and pieces to two of my friends for instant opinions. They encourage me to write more.

4)     Twitter. Yep, that horrible, mind sucking place. Occasionally, it’s a good place to rant about what I’m doing.

5)     My laptop. Yeah, I know, I said no obvious writing tools. This isn’t quite the same. I take my laptop everywhere. It’s an extension of me. I find now, more than ever, I can’t write on other things. I prefer only my Gateway.

6)     A book. It doesn’t have to be romance. It can be anything. But whenever I am knee-deep into a manuscript, I love a good book to keep my mind distracted, if needed. It gives me something to go to and take a break for a few minutes. Invaluable, in my opinion.

7)     Cigarettes. Mmhmm, I’m a smoker. Shame on me.

8)    Coffee. Preferably dark roast, sugary poison.

9)     Children. My two little boys are a permanent fixture in my house. More often than not, they are hanging off my legs, crawling behind me on the back of the couch, or something similar. In many ways, they have taught me to find my focus (you know, to ignore their yelling) and they have also taught me to spread that same focus out to more than one thing at a time. While I prefer to write without them, certain scenes, especially busy or dramatic ones, come out better with their business around me.

10) Visuals. If I get stuck, and occasionally it happens, I’ll take a day to search though the slush pile of the internet to find those perfect pictures. The ones that reflect my hero or heroine, the ones that showcase the place where the story is situated, or even items that remind me of the story in some little way. I make a folder dedicated to the story, and then go back and look at the pretty when I need to.

 

The Arrangement Blurb:

Nothing will stop the Bratva mob boss from taking back what’s his, and once he has her, he’ll do anything to keep her…

Viviana “Vine” Carducci’s and Anton Avdonin’s marriage was decided more than two decades ago. The deal between leading mafia families has more on the line than anyone knew, even if the Bratva and Cosa Nostra shouldn’t mix. When Vine’s family is murdered and she’s left with nothing more than her grief to survive the mob world alone, she believes the arrangement won’t see the light of day.

Anton can’t allow the one woman he was supposed to love get away. At the possibility of her death, he steps in to save her with guns blazing, knowing exactly what it might cost him: everything. But it’s been nearly a decade since their last meeting, and he can’t help but wonder if the woman he took back is the same girl he fell for all those years before.

Protected and loved, Vine is unable to forget their shared moments a lifetime ago, or the future she knows they’re owed. When an old flame of Anton’s shows up to rip the veil off the carefully constructed secrets he’d been hiding, she learns that nothing about her life is as it seems. But, that’s nothing compared to the bomb about to blow. Can Vine see beyond the pain and blood to take what she always wanted? And just how far will the mob prince go to keep her safe?

In a world where violence, deceit, and greed reign, your life is not your own, and sometimes, love has to be arranged.

Buy Links:
Amazon
iTunes

Author Links:
Facebook
Twitter
Blog

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~