What can you tell us about your new release, Crossing Boundaries?
This is the first book in a new steamy romance series. The series is about unexpected love and romance, from people who aren’t looking for love, in fact, quite the opposite. Like all my series, this is not for those interested in sweet romance. Love scenes in my books take the reader right into the bedroom…tastefully. Daniel, who is former military, and studying to be a doctor, has been soured from relationships because of his last long-term girlfriend. Kayla, newly divorced, is obviously off the market for a long, long time, as she puts her life back together. In addition to her failed marriage, Kayla also has a very ill mother to look after. Unbeknownst to Kayla, her mom turns out to be the link between her and Daniel, and in the most surprising way. Crossing Boundaries is a best-friends-to-lovers romance, but also a hate-to-love romance. How did I throw both scenarios into the mix? Readers will have to read to find out… What or who inspired you to become an author? Since I was in middle school, there has always been a book of poetry or short stories in the works for me, but it wasn’t until I was on maternity leave in 2006 that I penned my first book. After several pen names, many genres and many years, I have finally settled on one genre that I have absolutely fallen in love with, and I’m hooked. Inspiration comes to me all the time, and has, for as long as I can remember. It was just a matter of starting, and since 2006, I haven’t stopped. Writing is an everyday practice for me and will always be. Even with a full-time job (yes, at the time of this interview, I am still working), I find time to write. It is part of my ‘something I do for me’ each day. There is nothing that pleases me more than writing, publishing, marketing, and seeing feedback from readers. What's on your top 5 list for the best books you've ever read? Although admittedly, it does have a very polarizing effect on readers, I absolutely LOVED the Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy. I have reread the novels many times, and I still love it just as much. The movies, too. Nicholas Sparks’s ‘The Guardian’ is a huge favorite of mine because it is the first book ever that not only made me cry, but it made me cry again days later when I told a friend a brief synopsis of it. Never has a book touched me like that before or since. Sandra Brown’s ‘Rainwater’ is right up there, too, with such a touching, unique, classic story that had such an imprint on my memory that I can still recall specific scenes from the book, even though it has been many years since I read it. I love Sue Grafton’s A-Z (well, to ‘Y’ to be exact) series. I’ve read them all, and some of them more than once. Kinsey and I go way back. It’s the writing style and the era that get me every time. Love her stuff. Although not my favourite book, but it’s worth mentioning, is Jodi Picoult’s ‘The Storyteller’. That was the only book I’ve ever read that I had to put down and stop reading, because it was just too realistic for me. The scenes in that book that described the Holocaust were so tactile and true-to-life, that I just couldn’t handle it. For weeks, that book sat on my nightstand, and I kept looking at it, as if the story wouldn’t ring so true if it staled. After renewing the book twice at the library, I finally picked it back up again and finished it. I can never read that story again, but man…I envy her writing ability. I also love, love, love every single thing that Philippa Gregory ever wrote. I love her stuff so much that her publisher once sent me an ARC of one of her books, because I’ve posted so many reviews of her work in the past. Love her. I can never write historical novels like that. The sheer knowledge and research involved in creating such authenticity is well beyond my scope. Can you tell I love reading and writing? There are so many more books that I could mention, but I’ll stop there. Say you're the host of a literary talk show. Who would be your first guest? What would you want to ask? I’m going to say E.L. James. She followed me on Twitter once, when I wrote my first erotic romance. Made my year. But if given the chance, I would ask her how she was able to write another book after the Fifty Shades trilogy. I mean…how do you do that? For most writers, it’s an uphill battle, and you have to work your way up from zero. For most of us it takes years (I’m still not there and I’ve been at it since 2006). Just curious as to how she even fathomed the idea of doing it again, knowing that her next book(s) would always live in the shadows of Fifty Shades. What's your favorite thing about writing? There are so many things I love about it, but most of all, especially with this genre, I love creating love stories from scratch, and in doing so, I get to make up all these scenes in my head, and record them, mould them into what I want them to be, hone them, edit them, and see them all come together in the end. The best is when readers love the stories, too. It makes my day when I get an email from a reader, saying that they loved one of my books. I also love rereading my own work down the road, and remembering creating certain scenes; most of the time I impress myself 😉 What is a typical day like for you? Right now, since we’re in the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic, my typical day is not at all typical. My day job has been put on hold while I’m laid off, so I spend my day doing all the things that I would love to do if I was doing this writing thing full-time for real. My two school-age children are home with me, so that sometimes complicates things a little, but I’m lucky that my kids are for the most part, very self-sufficient and behaved. When this is over and we return to a ‘normal’, or a ‘new normal’ as many have termed it, I will be back to work, doing my 9-5. One thing I will mention is that I’m a health fanatic, so I tend to rise at an ungodly hour to exercise. I do it a little each night too, so between exercise, work, spending time with family, reading and writing, that’s my typical day. Writing is something I do every time I have as little as five minutes to spare. I have an app on my phone, which enables me to accomplish much throughout the day. Formatting, marketing, etc., are done evenings and weekends, when there is more time to spare. What scene in Crossing Boundaries was your favorite to write? The most pivotal scene, and the scene that works up to when Kayla and Daniel realize that they’re in love. It is a scene that brings both tears to my eyes, and makes me smile, which is exactly what I was looking for. No spoilers here, so I won’t go into too much detail. Do you have a motto, quote or philosophy you live by? Yes. ‘Nothing in life is difficult, but thinking makes it so’. To me, it means that there isn’t anything in life that one can’t get past. It’s your mindset that makes it or breaks it for you. How else could I have managed to write over 30 full-length novels with two kids, a husband, and a full-time job? Sacrifices, and enough positive energy to keep telling myself that I can do it. What’s more is, I love doing it.
0 Comments
Guardian angels really do come in many forms...
Kayla marries Nick when she isn’t old enough to know better. With an ever-ailing mother and co-ownership of Nick’s company, Kayla is too busy to see what everyone else does until it is too late. With no children, an unfinished education, and both the intelligence and drive to move mountains, nothing can stand in Kayla’s way…until the first day of school. Daniel is hard-nosed, has a chip on his shoulder, and he has neither the time nor the desire for anything other than work. Pre-med and former military, Daniel is the chosen sibling to watch his father post-stroke, adding fuel to his ire, as his already busy life has been put on hold. He’s a loner, hard-working, he’s rich…and he is about as sexy as they come. Kayla and Daniel have a very awkward meeting….at least on the second attempt. Daniel can’t stand the once-too-forward girl he met when forced to go out with his friends, and Kayla begrudges her friends for forcing her to slip off her wedding ring and party before the ink dried on her divorce papers. Kayla never expected things to end up the way that they did, and if she could take it back, she would. But life’s like that. Everything is all perfunctory between Daniel and Kayla until Daniel learns something about her that compels him to help her in a way that nobody else can. While she refuses to take the hand that he’s offering her, she soon realizes that when it comes down to it, he is all that she’s got, and he soon realizes that she’s all that he’s ever wanted…he just never knew it. A once-hardened man softens and learns to open his heart, because his heart will take nothing less than hers. A heartbreaking yet heartwarming love story about what happens in real life when two people are forced together under difficult circumstances. Daniel and Kayla will warm your heart and renew your belief that true love is really out there, even when you’re not necessarily looking for it. This is the first book in a new steamy romance series. All the books in this series can be read in any order. Pick up your copy today! ***ALL THE BOOKS IN THIS SERIES CAN BE READ IN ANY ORDER***
Is Colton Ford just another wolf dressed in sheep’s clothing, or is he the real thing? Colton all but wears a sign that says ‘No Women Allowed’ after his failed marriage to Pam. Pam promised him the world but never delivered. It’s no wonder when he meets the beautiful and intelligent Julia, he doesn’t let his heart pave the way. Colton’s love of his horse ranch, his students, his brothers and his money keep him happy. He doesn’t need or want anything else. When Julia walks into his life, Colton decides it’s best to proceed with caution, and the feeling is mutual. John is sexy, successful and perfect fiancé material…when he’s not controlling, delusional and downright creepy. But how do you dump a guy your loyal and loving father fixes you up with, without breaking two hearts? When Julia goes MIA to her estranged sister’s place out of state, John goes ballistic. Especially when her sister works with dreamy-eyed Colton, and Julia finds herself spending a lot of time with them. But it’s difficult to keep someone safe when you don’t know they’re in danger. Gun-shy, self-protective, and hiding from the truth, Julia is in no position to open her heart to anyone. Particularly when she has to look over her shoulder for her stalker fiancé every step of the way. Fearful and scarred, Julia doesn’t know what to do when her hormones wake up just at the sight of Colton. It seems no matter what door she opens, both the wolf and the sheep are there. When Julia’s past finally catches up to her, John demands her to do the one thing she can’t do…or die. ... Her loyalty and all-consuming love were the reasons why I chose her…until she made me a promise she didn’t keep. She was the one who waited for me while I was overseas. She was the one who loved me the way nobody else did. She’s also the one who broke my heart by not keeping her promise. I thought I was done with women for good…until Julia came along. Afghanistan changes a man in a way nothing else can, and the women flock to me like magnets because of it…but I don’t want any of them. The way they look at me, I’d like to tear their eyes out. Julia doesn’t look at me like I’m a piece of meat. She also doesn’t see dollar signs when she finds out I’m a Ford boy. Problem is, Julia doesn’t want anyone any more than I do. She’s running from something, but she won’t tell me what or whom….and then I find out the hard way. …. Sure, running away is the cowardly thing to do. But if you were in my shoes, you might have done the same. Colton is the type of guy to steer clear of, at least that's what my sister Liz says. He’s got this smouldering look that makes me lock eyes with him. But then we both look away. And it’s all good, because another man is the last thing I need…especially another man with major issues. When Colton finds out what I’m running from, he teaches me a thing or two about men, and not in a way I would expect. He’s full of surprises…especially that one kiss that leaves me breathless. It’s the last thing either of us wants…and the first thing we both need. He promised it would never happen again, but evidently his body and his heart are at a crossroads. I’m suffering from the same affliction. A sizzling, suspenseful, yet heart-warming erotic romance, the first in the standalone Ford Brothers Series. All the books can be enjoyed alone or in order. Fasten your seat belts, the Ford brothers are here! Pick up your copy today! |
AuthorSandra Alex introduces the Ford Brothers...five rich, sexy, swoon-worthy men that will knock your socks off! Pick your next book boyfriend! Archives
April 2021
|