Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Kame + TBQ Interview: Hayden Braeburn!


WELCOME TO THE BLOG, HAYDEN!



A Virginia native, Hayden Braeburn now finds herself among the bluegrass and rolling hills of Kentucky. Married to her own (former) Marine, and mother to two incredible children, she toils at a day job she actually loves, writing whenever she has a free minute.



Where to Find Hayden:

 
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Kame: Hi Hayden, thank you so much for letting me ask you a few questions about The Everetts of Tyler! 
These books are so closely tied; even having the same scene in one book to another but from a different perspective.  I especially liked Mason’s wedding from different perspectives. I think after I finish book 3 – I am going to have to read all three one after another. Did you always have it planned this way – or did the books evolved this way? 

 
Hayden: When I planned the series, I knew they would be closely tied, but I didn't know Dance and Fight would run so concurrently.  The series is blocked out, but sometimes characters send me in a direction I hadn't planned, with something I hadn't dreamed when I was writing the outlines.



K: Are we going to see scenes from Dance with Me and Fight For Me from Caleb’s perspective in his book? 

H: There is are a couple planned shared scenes from Fight For Me in Live For Me, one being the opening scene of Live and another the epilogue scene of Fight when Dylan notices Haleigh and Caleb in the hallway.



K: Are you a big “Dancing with the Stars” fan?  Why have Kat a ballroom a dancer? 

H: Hahaha.  I am not a religious fan by any means, but I did have the show on in the background when I was working on something else and the first line from Dance With Me popped in my head.


 
K: Most romance books end with the engagement, focusing on that as the Happily Ever After. Dance With Me starts with the engagement.  Did you think that was risky; worried readers would miss the falling in love part? 

H: Honestly, when I started writing Dance With Me it was supposed to be a short story for a contest, so I started in the middle of a scene and a relationship.  As I was writing the book, I was so involved with the story itself, I didn't really think about the lack of the falling in love part until I had several reviews-- some praising the originality and others essentially missing the beginning.  I will admit that I have plans to go back and reedit and revise Dance, and there is a good shot a little more of Mason and Kat's love story will be included. 


 
K: That sounds great – I would love to read the reedit and see if you take it in a new direction.

 I have reviewed both books here on TBQ's Book Palace – but I want to be vague to avoid spoilers for people who haven’t gotten Dance With Me off their TBR pile. The intense situation Mason goes through was something I have never read in a romance before. What kind of research did you do so that you got his character's emotional state accurate?

H: I actually spent a lot of time online reading the accounts of victims of situations similar to his.  The problem with turning a situation around-- what happens to Mason happens much more often to women, or at least is reported more often-- is that I have heard more than once that Mason wasn't manly enough in dealing with his feelings, and he was perhaps a little too realistic and not very alpha. 



K: Cassie insists on taking care of Dylan.  Was it out of duty; a way to repay the person who saved her brother’s life or guilt as she was friends with Priscilla, did she recognize her attraction Dylan? 

H: A little of both.  She definitely felt responsible for him being hurt with her accidental betrayal of Mason, so that was the overlying reason, but she might have just wanted him in her space-- although I'm sure she would've never admitted it at the time.



K: Cassie’s ordeal was intense too – I can see the two couples bonding over these experiences – are Cassie and Kat, and Mason and Dylan becoming great friends?

H: Dylan is protective of his family, and Cassie's family is his by extension.  While Mason and Dylan don't always agree on how to get things done, they are becoming good friends.  Kat and Cassie have different circles of friends, but after Cassidy let go of her guilt, she and Kat have made great strides as well.



K: Your new book Live For Me is Caleb’s story.  He is an emergency room Doctor.  The teaser scene I read is actually a scene from Fight For Me from Caleb’s perspective.  

H: This ties back to the series being incredibly interconnected.  I knew when I started writing Haleigh when she appeared in Fight For Me that she had a rich back story and deserved the love of a good man.  Caleb really has no baggage—he grew up privileged, has a career he loves, and a family he adores— yet, he is drawn to the angel with a steel spine he sees in Haleigh.  They've been fun to write. 



K: I see Dylan as all alpha male with teddy bear tendencies.  Dylan is a protective man – do we see him being more protective of Haleigh of Caleb’s book?  Do we get to see him as a Dad? 

H: We will get to see him being protective toward Haleigh, definitely.  He noticed her tendencies in Fight and plays a role in Live For Me, and in helping her trust men.  I don't think we'll get to see him with a baby until either the end of Live or in the fourth book, though.


 
K: There is a fourth Everett – do we have another book to look forward to? 

H: Yes!  Camryn's story is slated for the fall.  The blurb:

Ache For Me (The Everetts of Tyler, Book 4)

Camryn Everett is broken. After a disastrous affair with her director leaves her both jobless and homeless, she’s come home to Tyler to lick her wounds. Desperate for the audiences she left behind in New York, she takes a job singing at a nightclub and slowly puts herself back together.

Carter Jamieson can’t believe his friend’s kid sister is home and so breathtakingly… sexy. Ashamed of his runaway thoughts, he buries himself in his work and lusts from afar, until a chance meeting changes everything.

 

Can Cam convince Carter to give in to the smoldering passion between them, while at the same time proving to herself she’s worthy of such an incredible man?



Kame: Wow – sign me up to read book 4! Thank you so much Hayden for giving us a peek into the Everetts of Tyler. I look forward to reading Live For Me.

 

Hayden: Thank you so much for having me, and for such thoughtful questions!


SPEED ROUND:



Chocolate OR Vanilla ice cream?
Vanilla (but with chocolate syrup and whipped cream)

 
A day on a secluded island OR a day at the spa?
Island

 
Reading a steamy romance novel OR a suspense-filled mystery?
Why not a steamy suspense?  I love a steamy novel, but it has to have a plot.

 
If you had to choose, which would you rather have an affair with: a sexy highlander OR a devilishly handsome English lord?
That's a toughie, but I gotta go with the Highlander.

 
Hot summer days OR cold winter nights?
Cold winter nights-- all the better to snuggle!

 
Where would your dream house be: in the city, where all the action is OR nestled in the mountain where you can enjoy the quiet and the wilderness?
I'd love a log cabin in the woods, so mountain it is.

 
If you could live in any time period, past or future, which one would it be?
I'd love to live in the (hopefully very near) future where everyone is equal, able to love whomever they want with no interference and where there are cures for the world's diseases.  (Wow, and now I sound like Miss America-- I'd also like world peace and puppies for everyone!)

 
Cover Lover OR Blurb Fan?
A cover grabs your attention, a blurb drags you in.  While I love covers, a pretty picture with a so-so story doesn't work for me.

 
Steamy Novella OR Sweet Novel?
Depends on the mood.  I will usually pick steam, though.

 
Quick—name the one food that you cannot live without?
Is coffee a food? (Of course!)

 

And finally, tell us 3 unique/wacky/fun things about yourself:

 

  • I am actually a gemologist in real life, and spend my days writing appraisals and buying diamonds.  (Terrible life, lemme tell ya!)
  • I am a trained vocalist, and was in five choirs and All-State Chorus my senior year of high school.  I thought about heading to Nashville instead of college, but I think my parents would've murdered me had I given up my scholarship!
  • I am a nerd!  It's not glamorous, but it's true.  Trivia is anything but trivial, and I am regularly asked how to spell something or to work out the math on pretty much anything at work.  Oh, and my daughter refuses to do her math homework until I get home to help.

 

 
The_Book_Queen: Thanks so much for stopping by, Hayden, and please know that you are welcome back anytime! Do you have any questions for our readers—something to spark a good discussion? :)

 

Hayden: I tend to write short novels, but I know that's not everyone's preference.  Does length influence purchasing/reading when choosing a book, or do you choose solely on story?

 

 

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Live For Me by Hayden Braeburn
Publication Date: April 30th, 2013  Date changed, TBA
Series: The Everetts of Tyler, 3
Genre: Contemporary Romance
 
Haleigh Carlisle doesn’t exist, or didn’t six months ago. On the run from her past, she and her daughter Georgia end up in Tyler when Haleigh lands a job at Aylesford Memorial Hospital.


 
Caleb Everett may not have time to date, but that doesn’t stop him from noticing the new, leggy, blonde physical therapist. Making time in his schedule for the skittish woman is hard, but making a place in his heart is easy.
 
When Haleigh’s past comes back to haunt her, can Caleb live with the secrets she’s been hiding?
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
Where to Buy*:
 
Sorry, no buy links up yet!
 
More Info:




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Thanks for stopping by today Hayden! :) What a great interview, Kame, I *really* need to read this series.
 
 
Don't forget Hayden's question:
 
I tend to write short novels, but I know that's not everyone's preference. Does length influence purchasing/reading when choosing a book, or do you choose solely on story?
 
 
 



Enjoy!



Until Next Time,


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*TBQ's Book Palace is a member of both the Amazon and Barnes and Nobles affiliates program. By using the links provided to buy products from either website, I receive a very small percentage of the order. To read my full disclosure on the matter, please see this post!



5 comments :

Hayden Braeburn said...

Live For Me *was* scheduled to release today, but Haleigh is dragging her feet falling for Caleb! It will be soon though!

The_Book_Queen said...

:) Characters--they never do what you say, do they?
Enjoy!
TBQ

Kame said...

Haleigh can take her time - cause I know she will be worth it!

Hayden Braeburn said...

I sure hope so! Good news? You get an ARC! (Well, I hope that's good, at least... Now, I just have to finish the book!)

Hayden Braeburn said...

Never, ever!