Welcome Kerrianne Coombes!

Did you choose your genre or did it choose you? Um, I haven’t yet chosen one LOl I have books out in both paranormal and contemporary. I am working on a sci-fi, and I also have a finished Urban Fantasy LOL But, yes, Romance was natural.

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

I loved English, it was really the only class I loved. LOL And, no, I didn’t have any teachers who inspired me—I have a bad memory connected to my time at school. Nothing too bad, I was just an average achiever, teachers don’t pay attention to the middle of the road. Blah, blah. LOL But I found my way

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

Ok, the name is baaaad. My best friend in the UK introduced me, and it is how I start my Girls nights out. LOL Its called a ‘cock sucking cowboy’ ooooh yummy! LOL its butterscotch shnaps and a whole lot more, and its fantastic! Very drunk making.

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?

I collect hearts, I have literally hundreds. Some brought by friends, some from my kids and hubby—some I brought myself. But they all remind me that I am loved, no matter what I do. That’s what makes me try again, because I have people who believe in me.

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

I haven’t named her, but she is a feisty bitch LOL She can be lazy, but when she needs to write, she will keep me up for days!

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?

I first read ‘The turn of the screw’ and LOVED IT. HATED ‘To kill a mockinbird’ Don’t know why—I just couldn’t finish it. But as soon as I found the classics, I flew through them.

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

An animal organization, probably to a rescue home. I am NUTS about animals.

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?

We—me and my family—recently emigrated to France, so I have no day job because of the language barrier. So I am lucky enough to have time to write. As far as being full time, it is impossible with two young kids and life. But some days I dream of a time when I can write, write, write and write.

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?

Uh, I firmly believe that a good character has many facets to their personality. Life is harsh, it’s not all a bed of roses. I do like a HEA though—even if the road that leads to it is bumpy.

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?

There are things is wont write because It is not something that I have experience in, or have a heart for. But that does not mean I think it shouldn’t be written.

I don’t write about BDSM but I flippin love reading it! LOL Actually one of my fave book series is about a BDSM club x

Writing is surely something that should be subjective. Writing is a form of expression. Just because its not my cup of tea, doesn’t men I feel it shouldn’t be anyone elses. I HATE when people preach and try to control other people and their decisions. Life is too short to be petty.

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?

Oh god! YES! I had someone call me a porn star to my face before! Really. She was joking, but, man it pi**ed me off. I get people saying ‘WOW your hubby is one lucky bloke!’ I mean jeez.

I have answered a couple of times with ‘Do you think that Steven King has killed that many people in real life?’ or ‘So, has Michel Crichton actually seen a space ship” LOL

Nah, but honestly, it doesn’t matter, they are not my close friends or family—so what do I care what they think of me?

Some people, by nature are nosy or jealous—I cant stop them form thinking what they do. Meh, if they believe it—surely it only makes me look better. ;-) Virility is not  a bad trait to have.

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?

Yep, my CP Kathleen Grieve has been an invaluable teacher in my writing career. I adore her—and her RED PEN!

Wine or beer? Wine

Satin or cotton? Cotton

Fries or tots? Uh—What are Tots? British person here points to self

Cake or pie? Cake

Steak or burgers? Steak

Candle light or pitch dark? Candle

Excerpt

He leant against the door frame and stole a moment to just watch her. She was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. She was radiant. Her blonde hair always shone and her skin was always clear. She might have been a tomboy growing up, but Sky had turned into a really beautiful woman, a woman who had stolen his heart from the first moment he had laid eyes on her, and had never given it back. Jack let his gaze skim down her bubble-shrouded body. Her slim, toned legs were bent and he could see her knees poking out from under the water. How many times had he kissed the skin on her legs before he licked at her core? How many times had he massaged her feet, before making sweet love to her? He didn’t know, but he knew he would never get bored with it—any of it. Sky Denholm was the only woman who had ever held his interest. With her clever wit and passionate ideals, Sky held his absolute attention. He was a puppet on a string for her—a lovesick fool—a man who would literally do anything she asked o fhim. Anything except give her up.

He was well and truly in love, although he couldn’t say the same for her. Sky’s head was full of dreams that didn’t include him. Her upbringing had led her to believe that marriage was an institution of set rules and misery. A contract set up so that a man had a slave to do his ‘dirty work’. She didn’t see the romance or the love involved in a marriage of two hearts. He, on the other hand, had grown up watching his parents treat marriage as a fair game of fun and attraction. His throat grew tight whenever he remembered his beloved parents. He missed them. He wanted what they'd had, a marriage of equality and love.

As he looked back at Sky—his elusive Sky—he had to wonder if he was barking up the wrong tree. When she had talked of working in the city, Jack had truly believed that she would be home within a month. She was a free spirit, a lover of nature and all things fluffy and he hadn't been able to imagine her lasting long at all in the concrete jungle. But he had been wrong. She seemed to adore the city and the cutthroat people who lived there, and now, after six years of waiting, Jack had to wonder how much longer he could wait.

Forever...

His mind supplied him with the answer, even as his heart cracked. Maybe one day she would end it all and tell him to move on, but he knew that he would never be the one to finish it. Even the small amount of time they had together was what Jack lived for. He had to face it, he had given his heart to a woman who didn’t really want it.

“I’m a fool,” he said. Sky opened her eyes and looked up at him. She frowned and opened her mouth to speak, but Jack bent and plucked her from the bath before she could form any words. “Don’t talk, Sky. Let me just love you.”