Welcome LJ Garland and Debbie Gould!

Did you choose your genre or did it choose you?

LJ GARLAND: I’d say we chose our genre. I know I love suspense, and when Debbie approached me about a book she’d been thinking about writing, I jumped right onboard. And now, it’s our latest release: Sins of the Mind.
DEBBIE GOULD: Yes, we definitely chose our genre. That’s not to say the story didn’t take some twists we never saw coming, lol. But we both like Romantic Suspense.

Did you enjoy language arts in school? Did you have a teacher that particularly encouraged you to write?

DEBBIE GOULD: No, not at all. I didn’t start writing until my thirties.
LJ GARLAND: No, not really. Writing didn’t come until after all that. Then my husband and mom encouraged me.

It’s five o’clock somewhere…Let’s have a drink! What cocktail best describes you and why?

DEBBIE GOULD: The Hurricane. My life seems to be one hot mess at the moment.
LJ GARLAND: Kahlua and Cream. It’s tasty, gives you a nice buzz, and dark. 

On my desk I have a rhino that my husband gave me to remind me I’m rhino-tough, as you have to be in the business. Is there anything you have that you use to remind you of that?

LJ GARLAND: Hmm… Just Debbie, who threatens to take away my coffee if I don’t stop whining.
DEBBIE GOULD: A pile of rejection letters and beside them are three of my books.

I have two muses, Arwen and Bronwyn, they have very distinct personalities. Can you share a bit about your muse?

DEBBIE GOULD: No muse, just lots and lots of ideas rumbling around up there.
LJ GARLAND: I don’t really have a muse, per se. But I do have lots of voices in my head. Does that count?

It seems we all endured English and/or World literature coming up in high school…What was the worst book you were ever forced to read and what about it turned you off?

DEBBIE GOULD: I remember NOT reading a bunch of books assigned in school, so I really can’t think of one that turned me off. I think the only one I read was The Outsiders, and that was amazing,
LJ GARLAND: High school was eons ago. I don’t’ really remember any of the books I read. Hmm…getting old sucks. LOL

You have a million dollars that you must donate to one charitable organization. Which one would you choose and why?

DEBBIE GOULD: A children’s hospital.

LJ GARLAND: I would send it to cancer research. I’ve had many friends who’ve either had cancer or had family members who did. 

Do you have one of those pesky day jobs, or are you a full-time writer? If you do have another career what do you do and do you enjoy it?

DEBBIE GOULD: I’m a full time nurse at a rural family doctors office. I enjoy it very much, just wish I had more time to write.
LJ GARLAND: I have three boys that I home school. They’re all rambunctious and into everything, but I wouldn’t trade a second of spending time with them. The other job I have is an editor. I enjoy working with authors…though I’m sure more than one has cussed my name! LOL But honestly, it’s an honor to work with each and every one of them on the stories they’ve created.

Due to the world we live in, most editors will tell a romance writer they have the moral obligation to protect their characters from scary life altering things, thereby being obligated to the reader. What are your thoughts on this? Do you protect your characters and how?

LJ GARLAND: Really? I thought life altering things were realistic and what added conflict to the story. It’s an obstacle for the hero and heroine to overcome in order to reach their happy ever after. We don’t protect our characters…in fact, we torture them relentlessly. Romantic suspense is dangerous by definition. But since it’s a romance, there is a HFN or HEA at the end.
DEBBIE GOULD: Hmmmm, I’ve never been told that, and since I write Romantic Suspense, I don’t see how that would be possible anyway. The world is a scary place sometimes, and I tend to keep my characters real. They get there hearts broken just like we do in real life. Bad things happen to them, just like in real. I’d say the only thing unrealistic is the characters in my stories get a happily ever after. Not everyone does in real life.

Romance has come a long, long way since Fabio graced the covers regularly…it seems the hinges are off the proverbial door. How far is too far in your mind? Are there things you simply won’t write?

LJ GARLAND: Each story dictates what’s required. Our characters are as diverse as the world population. We keep our heroes and heroines true to one another.
DEBBIE GOULD: It’s romance.
LJ GARLAND: Right. But the antagonists, the baaaaad guys?
DEBBIE GOULD: Or girls.
LJ GARLAND: Yep…or girls. They can be as bad as they need to be. And some have been pretty horrible. Scary horrible.
DEBBIE GOULD: Love it when the bad guy is the girl, lol.

I’ve been asked, as has my husband, if we do “all that stuff in my stories.” Do you get asked this and if so how do you handle it?

DEBBIE GOULD: LOL, no, no one has ever asked me that. But my friends would know better.
LJ GARLAND: Nope. Never been asked. Hmm…feeling left out here. lol

I had an editor early on that showed me the way…have you had anyone in particular that gave you a gentle **ahem** nudge in the right direction? How did they do that and how did you react?

DEBBIE GOULD: Laura has helped me the most with my writing. I had a few crit partners that were great. I am always very thankful to anyone who takes the time to help in any way they can.
LJ GARLAND: I have two dear friends who nudged me along. Basically, they did edits on my work and I took it all to heart. Soaked it up. I was very, very thankful they took time to help me out.

Wine or beer?
DEBBIE GOULD: Beer
LJ GARLAND: Wine

Satin or cotton?
DEBBIE GOULD: Satin
LJ GARLAND: Cotton

Fries or tots?
DEBBIE GOULD: Fries
LJ GARLAND: Tots – crispy please!

Cake or pie?
DEBBIE GOULD: Cake – Red Velvet
LJ GARLAND: Cake – extra icing J

Steak or burgers?
DEBBIE GOULD: Burger
LJ GARLAND: Burgers

Candle light or pitch dark?
DEBBIE GOULD: Candles
LJ GARLAND: Candle Light

- We can be tracked down at http://www.garland-and-gould.blogspot.com/ where we blog, chat about stuff, and interview other authors.
- L.J. can be caught at www.lj-garland.com and emailed at mail@lj-garland.com You can also tweet her at @LJ_Garland1
- Debbie can be found at http://www.authordebbiegould.com/ and emailed at mountecho2006@yahoo.com.
- We love hearing from people who have enjoyed our stories!

And you can find Sins of the Mind here! 

LJ GARLAND : Thank you so much for having us here today!
DEBBIE GOULD : Yes, thanks! We had an awesome time!

Seven years ago, Abby Montgomery survived a brutal attack. Now she is ready to put her pain in the past and move on with her life. The problem is, one by one the men in her life are being viciously murdered.

The detective assigned to the case, Ethan Parker, has demons of his own to hide. As the danger gets closer to Abby, so does Ethan. But can they get past his secrets before the killer gets to them? Sometimes the sins of the mind are more depraved than the sins of the heart.

EXCERPT:

 “Moment?” He raised his eyebrows, tried for a surprised expression. “We were having a moment? Where was I?”

A husky laugh escaped Abby’s lips. She gave him a playful shove, but he caught her hand, his fingers encircling her delicate wrist. With great care, he bowed his head and pressed his lips to the center of her palm. Her sharp intake of air told him she liked it.

 “Is this the moment you were referring to?” He kissed her wrist. “Or this?” His mouth grazed along her skin, up the side of her neck to the tender point below her ear.

“Mmm.” She tilted her head, offering him better access.

He inhaled, reveled in her unique scent. A mixture of spicy vanilla and exotic flowers invaded his senses and sent the room slowly spinning. Primal lust roared through him, demanded he possess her in a rush of carnal passion.

But Ethan resisted.

Intent on enticing Abby into a wild, heated frenzy, he trailed the tip of his tongue along her throat. Her pulse hammered beneath his ardent attention, and he reveled in her response. His fingers slid over her supple skin. One hand sought the silky tresses adorning her head while the other coaxed her legs across his lap then slipped around her waist.

He pulled back, stared into her lovely face. Eyelids fluttering, she sighed in his arms. When she looked at him, desire burned bright in her eyes. His heart stuttered at the sight, and hot need rushed to his groin.

“Abby.” Her name rolled from his tongue in a mix of desperation and lust. A voracious hunger to taste every inch of her body washed over him. The urge to kiss the small of her back, to run his tongue along her skin, delving and dipping into her secret, sensitive places, all but overwhelmed him. “Tell me to stop. If you’re not ready, honey, tell me to stop right now and by all that’s holy, I will. But you need to know how much I want you right now.”