Wednesday, November 5, 2014

Interview: Emmy Curtis + Giveaway!


WELCOME TO THE BLOG, EMMY! :) 




Emmy Curtis is an editor and a romance writer. An ex-pat Brit, she quells her homesickness with Cadbury Flakes and Fray Bentos pies. She's lived in London, Paris and New York, and has settled for the time being, in North Carolina. When not writing, Emmy loves to travel with her military husband and take long walks with their Lab. All things considered, her life is chock full of hoot, just a little bit of nanny. And if you get that reference...well, she already considers you kin.




Where to Find Emmy:





TheBookQueen: Hi Emmy! Kame and I are taking turns today; she has a few questions about your books, which she loves, and I'm asking random fun questions. Are you ready? :)


Emmy: Yikes *trembles* I guess so…



TBQ: Don't worry, it will be painless . . . mostly. *smirks*

Let's start with a few questions about your newest release, Pushing the Limits. In only one sentence, tell us why Henrietta and Matt belong together.

E: Because they’re other sides to the same coin. And what they don’t realize yet is that they totally complete the parts of their respective lives that they’ve been missing. Is that cryptic enough?



TBQ: Cryptic can be good. :)

 5 words that best describe Henrietta and Matt – go!

E: They’re both combative, passionate, smart, funny and forgiving (of, oh, so many things!)



TBQ: They sound perfect -- Do you have a favorite part from Pushing the Limits?

E: My favorite part is when *someone* in the book reveals the story of the lost US Air Force aircraft in the deserts of Iraq that everyone’s looking for.




TBQ: Ooh, now I'm curious . . . Next Kame's going to quiz you about your books, since she's read them all and LOVES them! :)



Kame: Okay, my turn! First, I love the covers – are they what you envisioned when you started writing?

E: I’ve got to say, Elizabeth Turner at Grand Central Publishing knocked my socks off with the covers. When she presented them to my agent and me, we didn’t really want to change anything at all. She did such a perfect job of getting the essence of the heroes in the book. *Goes to take another look* *Swoons a little*



K: James and Beth, and Josh and Grace are fantastic characters. The women are so strong and the guys make me melty – will we see them again?

E: Arg. Not as yet *eyes editor*… but I have some ideas about that. Honestly it never occurred to me that people would want to see them again, but the more time separates me from them, the more I realize that I’m missing them too! Watch this space!



K: Which came first the full length book or the novella? I think their connection is superb.

E: The novella. DANGEROUS TERRITORY, came first. The characters lived in my mind for ages before I committed them to paper. But I realized the story wouldn’t necessarily make the best full-length book. Part of my modus operandi is researching everything to the degree that it feels like I’ve been there myself. But with this storyline, I found I’d have to make up too much, and put them in much more danger to sustain the suspense. So I decided that it worked better as a novella. But in my mind too, I think in retrospect I was really using the book to set James and Beth up too…because from the moment they hit the page, I knew…EVERYONE knew…they had to be together!



K: So will all the books be based in the DC area?

E: Only the middle one is based entirely there (except the end!). The first, as you know was mainly set in Afghanistan, the second was set in DC, and the third is set in Iraq. I chose DC as a staging area for the first and last book because I used to live there. Well, I thought it would be crazy to go to such extremes to get the Afghanistan and Iraq details right, and fall down badly with a city in the US that I got all screwy!



K: What I like about this series so far is that it is diverse. The novella is about an embedded journalist and the pararescuer who saves her. The full length book is about an airforce officer and an army sergeant (did I get that right – Emmy correct me if I am wrong). Why aren’t they all just from the same branch – why make the characters so diverse?

E: Good question! James is an air force Senior Master Sergeant, and Beth is an Army Sergeant. I actually started the series to give voice to the combat military that aren’t often mentioned in romance novels… We see a fair number of SEALs and marines, and I wanted readers to know that there are bad-ass combat veterans in all branches of the military.



K: Please tell me you have lots of books in this series planned as I think they are fantastic!

E: *Laughs*. Thank you! I have three others tentatively plotted, so I have hopes, but everything can change on a dime when I’m writing so… Okay, I have my fingers crossed!



TBQ: Now it's my turn again! But don't worry, these are the fun questions. 

What was the last book you read that made you happy-sigh and recommend to others?

E: When I’m out and about, and people ask me to recommend books, I always scribble down Tonya Burrows for suspense naughtiness, Samanthe Beck for contemporary naughtiness, and Ophelia London for sweet naughtiness! If you gave me an hour and your Kindle, I could add at least ten to twenty other amazing romance authors… Katee Roberts, Robin Beilman, Misty Evans… They all have sigh-worthy books!



TBQ: Oh, Tonya's on my list. I've read one of her Brazen books, but not her romantic suspense (yet!). I know so many who have loved her books -- including Pat! Also just read my first book from Samanthe this past week, looooved it. 

We've all fallen for a hero (or two, or three, or....ahem). Tell us one hero that you've fallen for—who is he and what drew you to him?

E: Can I say my husband? [Of course you can!] No? Okay, then I’d have to say I couldn’t possibly pick just one. I have to? Okay…then I’m saying Michael McCade from FALLING FOR HER MARINE by Samanthe Beck. He’s a military hero, kinda dirty, and very swoon-worthy. He also has brothers. Just sayin’…



SPEED ROUND:


A day on a secluded island OR a day at the spa?
Oh private, secluded island every time. Check this out: parrotcay.com THIS IS MY DREAM! 


Reading a spicy romance novel OR a sweet “my-heart-skips-a-beat” one?
Spicy… my heart skips with the spice not with the emotion. I’m British after all – we’re all cold fish ;-)


Which would you rather have an affair with: a sexy highlander OR a devilishly handsome English lord?
English Lord, on the basis that I know one already, and that a kilt doesn’t really do it for me *ducks the rotten tomatoes* 

Wait, wait, wait! You're telling me that you don't want to jump this:




Fine, I'll let it pass, since you already know an English Lord, lucky girl . . . Plus, that means more kilted men for me! :D


Hot summer days OR cold winter nights?
I can’t have hot summer nights? Sheesh. Then I’ll go for hot summer days! 


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?
Definitely the mountains. This is a picture of English mountains where half of my family comes from. I love it so! [I want to move here -- NOW!]


If you could live in any time period, past or future, which one would it be?
It would definitely be in the past sometime, but you know, not as a servant or anything. An Empress in Roman times, a lady of the court in Tudor times, or a temple priestess in Ancient Greece. [Oh, any of those would be pretty dang interesting!]


Cover Lover OR Blurb Fan?
Hmmm – tricky. The cover has to be compelling enough to make me want to read the blurb, but it’s the blurb that sells the book for me. A great cover with not-so-great blurb? I’ll pass.


Steamy Novella OR Sweet Novel? (aka, Quickie or Slow Build Up?)
Definitely a quickie, although sometimes I love the extreme un-fulfilled sexual tension that makes you whimper with a need for the characters to get together already!

Quick—name the one food that you cannot live without?
Cadbury’s Flakes. Or homemade bread. [Mmm, homemade bread . . . I have never heard of Flake but it looks so, so good.]



And finally, tell us 3 unique/wacky/fun things about yourself:
  1. I’ve hitchhiked on cargo planes from Johannesburg to London.
  2. I’ve been on an aircraft carrier during combat exercises.
  3. I have a qualification in archaeology. [That's so cool!]



TheBookQueen: Thanks so much for stopping by, Emmy, and please know that you are welcome back anytime!






Pushing the Limit by Emmy Curtis
Publisher: Forever Yours (November 4, 2014)
Series: Alpha Ops, 2
Genre: Romantic Suspense


They’re tough. They’re brave. And they’ll do anything for the women they love. They’re the Alpha Ops. In the tradition of Suzanne Brockmann and Julie Ann Walker comes a sizzling new high-octane romantic suspense novel from rising star Emmy Curtis.

PUSHING THE LIMIT
After their one-night fling at a wedding, archaeologist Henrietta “Harry” Markowitz thought she’d never see war hero Matt Stanning again. So when they’re paired up to investigate a military plane crash in Iraq, she’s not sure if the three-month reunion is serendipitous or cursed. What she does know is this gorgeous man lights her body on fire—and incredible sex is always a welcome distraction.

Air Force Sergeant Matt Stanning has been called a hero, but he feels nothing like one when he realizes the sexy blonde in his bed is the widow of his fallen brother-in-arms. Even worse, he actually has to work with her, and she’s unearthed evidence that points to a military conspiracy. If they dig deeper, they’ll put their lives in danger. If they don’t, they’ll never know the truth—not only about the mysterious plane crash, but about each other.



Where to Buy*:
Amazon | Kindle | BN | NOOK | ARe
More Info:
Reviews of Curtis' Previous Books:





Win your choice of Alpha Ops ebook (Dangerous Territory, Over the Line, or Pushing the Limit). 


a Rafflecopter giveaway



Thanks for stopping by, Emmy! How dare you tease us with such a glorious vacation spot -- and those mountains? JEALOUS! 

So, since Emmy shared an interesting food that she can't live without (Cadbury Flakes) -- do you have one to share with us? Or how about a dream vacation spot?



Enjoy!



Until Next Time,

Photobucket

  *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!
*Photo Disclaimer: I do not claim any of the four pictures used in this post. They were found on Google. If you own the rights to the image and want it taken down, you need only ask.

34 comments :

KAMEBookReview said...

LOVE! I am blessed I live 1hr to ocean, 1 hr to mountains and 1 hr to major city - I can have a mini "vacation" anytime my schedule allows!

This was awesome Emmy - thank you - and I really can't wait to read more!

Pat Egan Fordyce said...

Nice to meet you Ms. Curtis. We have a little in common. I lived in the DC area, and now live in North Carolina. Really enjoy the milder winters! I somehow have missed reading your books, but will remedy that today. Great interview Kame and TBQ, if my book sisters love your work, I know I will.
I also love your list of the other authors. Thanks

Emmy Curtis said...

Thank you guys so much for having me. Always the nicest readers lurk on your site! <3 <3

Janie said...

I've had Cadbury Flakes before. My cousin bought me a bag of those when she was in London for work. My dream vacation spot is Tahiti.

The_Book_Queen said...

Lucky! Were they good? :) Oh, Tahiti would make a lovely vacation spot . . . I'd kill to go right now!

The_Book_Queen said...

You are so, so welcome, Emmy! :)

The_Book_Queen said...

Um, I'm jealous, Kame! :) Lucky girl!

The_Book_Queen said...

:D Hope you love the books, Pat!

Sophia Rose said...

A new series for me to check out, yum! Fun interview, ladies!

Erin F said...

congrats to Emmy on the new release! This sounds awesome! I can't live w/out sushi! I'd eat it for every meal if I could afford it :) thanks for sharing!

marypreston said...

I love Cherry Ripes. I could go one right now.

The_Book_Queen said...

I like the way you think -- though, as we went over before, you can keep the dark chocolate, I'll take the milk. :)

The_Book_Queen said...

I've never understood why people love sushi! Then again, I'm not a fan of fish/seafood in any form. :)

The_Book_Queen said...

I had to look it up -- ooh, even though it's dark chocolate (not my fav), it sounds lovely! :)

Erin F said...

that's it... we can't be friends anymore... just kiddin!!!! I love it!!! But I understand not liking stuff... I hate popcorn!

The_Book_Queen said...

LOL But, but, it's popcorn! How can you hate popcorn? That's like Emmy not liking a guy in kilts. It's just . . . wrong! :D Ah well. Variety is the spice of life, right?

Erin F said...

the funny thing is that literally everyone I know loves popcorn... but to me it's like chowing down on a piece of paper... bleh!

The_Book_Queen said...

*shakes head* Is it the flavor or texture you don't like?

Erin F said...

both! and the smell! Been that way since I was wee... now, my mom deliberately torments me with it :)

Glenda said...

Flakes are amazing!! Especially when served stuck in a ice cream cone fresh off an Ice Cream truck! (sadly, I can't remember the proper name for that delicacy) However, the food I can't live without is piping hot fresh bread!!!

The_Book_Queen said...

LOL. Ah, what's a mother for, right? :)

The_Book_Queen said...

Oooh, that sounds so, so good! I want a Flakes Cone. lol And fresh bread = best thing ever. :D

bn100 said...

Brazil

The_Book_Queen said...

Oh, Carnival! :)

Sophia Rose said...

haha! you bet!

Emmy Curtis said...

It's called a 99.... that was nirvana for 10 y-o- me!

Emmy Curtis said...

Funnily in the UK we never had salted buttered (or anything savory) popcorn. If you went to the movies and bought popcorn, it was always sugared, When I first got popcorn here I spat it back in the bag with a 'what is this unnatural devil-food?' and never had it again!

Emmy Curtis said...

Thank you, neighbor! I still miss DC a litle. But not the traffic. *shudders* Thanks for stopping by here!

Emmy Curtis said...

No kidding. *Taps fingers on table waiting for an invitation*.... ;-)

Emmy Curtis said...

Thank you <3

The_Book_Queen said...

LOL Have you tried kettle corn? It's more of a sweet popcorn.

Glenda said...

That's it! It is pretty much nirvana no matter how old you are! :-)

Glenda said...

If you ever go to England you HAVE to eat at least one! You won't be disappointed. :-D

The_Book_Queen said...

England's on my bucket list -- I'll add a 99 to the list as well. :D