~ Plotting on Napkins ~

Today, fellow Wild Rose Amber Daulton talks about her newest release Lyrical Embrace, inspiring travels, and why writing for a small publisher is a great idea.

Welcome, Amber!

What was the most interesting place you ever visited?

My husband, Greg, and I went to St. Augustine, Florida a few years ago for our fifth wedding anniversary. It’s a beautiful place and rich with Spanish culture, but a bit of a tourist trap. We showed up on Monday and everything seemed normal in the town, but by Friday the whole town was abuzz. Greg and I had no idea what was going on. The Castillo de San Marco (the oldest surviving fort in the US) was shut down for tourists, and townspeople were dressed in colonial clothes. Turns out, the king and queen of Spain was visiting the city that day. Greg and I saw the crowd of people gathering in the streets to greet the royals, but we didn’t get to see the royal couple.

Anyway, while walking around Old Town (the former colonial section), I thought of a story idea involving three royal brothers finding love with the most unlikely of women. I haven’t written those stories yet (I have dozens of ideas written down on paper and napkins, and stuffed in a folder), but I really hope I’ll be able to get to it someday.

Can you tell us about any other upcoming books, series, or writing plans?

Last year, I published Arresting Mason, book one in the Arresting Onyx series, and my first book with The Wild Rose Press. Lyrical Embrace is book four in the Deerbourne Inn series, a multi-author collection of novellas.

The next installment of the Arresting Onyx series should hopefully be out in late 2019. Arresting Jeremiah follows hard-nosed parole officer Jim Borden and his obsession Calista Barlow as they stick their noses where they don’t belong and fall deep into the trouble with the criminal organization known as Onyx.

The Arresting Onyx series is a set of five romantic suspense books with a standalone HEA for each rough-and-tumble hero and their spunky heroines.

While I’m in the process of getting the Arresting Onyx series published, I’m also editing a series of unpublished vampire novels that are truly dear to my heart.

Is anything in your book Lyrical Embrace based on real life experiences or purely all imagination?

This story is pure imagination, but I’m sure it could happen in real life.

I love writing and reading small town romances, especially ones with a kick and a little bit of danger weaved in. When plotting this story, I first pictured a young woman running away from the big city to escape her abusive ex-boyfriend. I think a lot of readers can sympathize with a woman in a bad situation, in particularly those readers who have experienced neglect from someone claiming to love them. Even though the heroine, Erica, is on the run, the story is still upbeat and fun. The characters are genuine and flawed. I really enjoyed writing it, and I hope readers will love it.

Are there certain characters you would like to go back to, or is there a theme or idea you’d love to work with from Lyrical Embrace?

I would love to write a second story in the series. Dylan, the hero from Lyrical Embrace, has a sexy older brother named Birley. I’m not sure who his romantic interest would be yet, but I find hot single dads completely mouthwatering, which Birley so is. As of now, each author writing for the Deerbourne Inn series only gets one story, but hopefully that will change in the future.

Do you have a writing tip that has really helped you get published?

For a new writer, don’t waste your time submitting your manuscript to one of the top five traditional publishers. It’s not impossible, but it’s very difficult to get noticed and chosen by the top dogs. With the way the publishing world is nowadays, it seems you need to know someone already in the business and/or writing for that publisher to help you out as a reference. In my opinion, it’s best to start with small presses and work your way up the ladder. After you get a few stories published and have firmly planted your feet in the publishing pool, then submit to bigger publishers, if you still want to.

FYI, writing for small and indie presses allows you as the author more freedom to write the stories you want to write. The guidelines aren’t as strict, and the presses accept a boarder range of stories and writing styles than the traditional publishing houses accept.

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Lyrical Embrace by Amber Daulton

Out-of-work violinist Erica Timberly decides enough is enough. She leaves her abusive boyfriend and flees the big city, but then her car breaks down in the middle of the night. Though wary of men, she accepts help from Dylan Haynes, a stranger driving by on the road, and soon recognizes him as the sexy former drummer of her favorite indie rock band. Maybe, just maybe, her run of bad luck is finally turning around.

Music teacher Dylan Haynes knows Erica is in trouble, and her black eye is only the first clue. The stubborn yet vulnerable woman needs a friend, but he’s determined to give her everything she deserves.

Will Erica listen to the music in her heart and trust Dylan, or will her past always threaten her future?

 

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Available from

 

 AMAZON  | B&N  |  iTUNES  |  Google Play  |  KOBO

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About the Author

Amber Daulton is the author of the romantic-suspense series Arresting Onyx and several standalone novellas. Her books are published through The Wild Rose Press and Books to Go Now, and are available in e-book, print-on-demand, audio, and foreign language formats.

Amber lives in North Carolina with her husband and four demanding cats. Feel free to visit her at http://www.amberdaultonauthor.blogspot.com.

 Social Media Links

Facebook Author Page – www.facebook.com/amber.daulton.author

Twitter – https://twitter.com/AmberDaulton1

Pinterest – http://pinterest.com/amberdaulton5/

Goodreads – www.goodreads.com/author/show/6624921.Amber_Daulton

Amazon Author Page – http://amzn.to/14JoZff

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/amberdaultonauthor/

BookBub – https://www.bookbub.com/profile/amber-daulton

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Do you read romances published by small presses?

Amber Daulton is waiting to hear from you. Post your questions and comments below.