Blog Tour: Taming Talia – Marie Nicole Ryan

Where do you hail from and what do you love most about your hometown?

I grew up in a tiny town in western Kentucky which had nothing much to recommend it. I left at nineteen and never looked back, except to visit my parents when they still lived there. I lived in Nashville, TN, for forty years and loved everything about it. But the time came a couple of years ago when my mom’s vision grew too poor to drive, so I sold my house and moved back to Kentucky. By this time, my mom moved to Henderson, the county seat, and I consider that my “hometown” now. I attended high school and nursing school here and have really enjoyed small town atmosphere and life and getting reacquainted with my friends.

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up? How has that childhood dream affected your career?

A trapeze artist. Yeah, that’s right. I guess it influenced my desire to fly high or to dream big.

Tell us about your latest book. Do you have anything new in the works and can you tell us a bit about it?

My latest book, Taming Talia, is the second in the Loving the Lawman series. It’s set in 1889 in the New Mexico Territory.

Over her not-so-dearly-departed husband’s grave, Natalia Montrose vows to bed the first suitable man she meets. Enter handsome, flirtatious Jared Fields, who offers to help her manage her assets. Natalia will control her own wealth, but she plans to enjoy Jared’s advances until all her desires are sated.

Jared is Pinkerton agent investigating whether the Widow Montrose had her husband killed. Except all he can think about is whathe’ll do when he gets her in bed.

They feel the pull of sensual heat, but when a blizzard hits, the sexual sparks may not be enough to keep them warm…or alive.

Have you ever used contemporary events or stories “ripped from the headlines” in your work?

Yes. Too Good to be True is a story loosely based on an actual event that occurred in Tennessee: a sheriff was shot and killed in his driveway. The book centers on the sheriff’s daughter and is pure fiction, only using the inciting incident as a starting point.

Is there anything you find particularly challenging about writing?

Oh, yes. That would be writing consistently.

What advice would you give to writers just starting out?

Write consistently. Don’t give up. Don’t buy into the idea that your words are so precious that the story can’t be improved. It can. A good editor will only make your story better.

Do you ever suffer from writer’s block? If so, what do you do about it?

I don’t believe in writer’s block. I believe in fear of failure or success and pure laziness. As for combatting laziness, I read more. That always inspires me to plant my butt back in the chair.

Who is your favorite author and why? What books have most influenced your life?

How did you deal with rejection letters?

I file them in a notebook and move on. That’s after I swallow hard and take a deep breath. Depending on the editor’s comments, I wait a day or two to allow them to sink in and decide whether the points are valid and entertain the idea of making some changes.

What tools do you feel are must-haves for writers? Imagination and the ability to tell a story. Then persistence and focus and a willingness to accept constructive criticism.

Where do you as an author draw the line on gory descriptions and/or erotic content?

As for gory descriptions, I don’t write many. In One Too Many (a mystery/suspense novel), I describe my heroine finding a male murder victim who’d been sexually mutilated. That’s about it. I don’t ever describe a murder from the killer’s POV. In erotic content, I write erotic romance with male/female sex and/or love scenes. No ménage, m/m or BDSM. No strict erotica.

What’s the weirdest thing you’ve ever done in the name of research?

I contacted Scotland Yard to inquire about their firearms policy regarding which police officers and detectives are allowed to carry firearms.

Don’t forget to give us links to your website etc.

Web site: http://marienicoleryan.com

Facebook: http://facebook.com/marienicoleryan.author

Twitter: @marienicoleryan

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1166849.Marie_Nicole_Ryan

Buy Links:

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/taming-talia-marie-nicole-ryan/1110684911?ean=9781619211254

http://www.amazon.com/Taming-Talia-Loving-Lawman-ebook/dp/B008194788

http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/taming-talia/id525519452?mt=11

http://www.diesel-ebooks.com/item/9781619211254/Ryan-Marie-Nicole-Taming-Talia/1.html