Nancy- Alexa Bourne stopped by to talk about herself and her latest
release. Her book, Chasing Gold, is a romantic adventure and
was released on January 23rd.
Please tell my readers a little bit about your
book.
Alexa- Chasing Gold is part of the Decadent
Publishing Beyond Fairytales series. Each story is a romance adaptation of an
ancient fairy tale. My fairy tale was The Golden Goose. Chasing Gold is
a fun adventure with two very different treasure hunters who must put aside
their differences in order to find an ancient Scottish prize. They have too
many people on their tails as they travel through the modern day Scottish
Highlands. I had SOOOOO much fun writing this book!
Nancy- Why have you become a published author?
Alexa- How could I not? I’ve been writing
stories for as long as I can remember, with my very first story over 100 pages
completed when I was in middle school. Writing, being creative, is calming and
fills my soul. What other job is as rewarding?
Nancy- Do you have any rejection stories to
share?
Alexa- I do! I submitted A LOT of work through
the years before I signed my first contract. I saved all the rejection notices.
Once I signed the first contract, I tossed all the rejections in a fire at a
family member’s house. In my thoughts, I figured the fire ended the 1st part
of my journey as a writer and with the contract I would be entering the 2nd part.
I wanted to be prepared both mentally and emotionally and I wanted enough room
to store all the contracts I hoped to get!
Nancy- What is your writing routine like?
Alexa- I have a day job so I have limited
writing time. I get up at 4 a.m. Monday through Friday and write. If I can
spend more time on writing at night I do, but at least I know I’m getting in 1
hour a day for sure. It takes me 5-6 weeks to write, revise & submit a
novella. I go through several rounds of revisions (3-6) on my own before I
submit the work to the publisher. Once I hit SEND, I celebrate by sleeping in
for a few days! Then the next week I start something new. Oooh, and it’s
important to say that I don’t do any promotional work during this 4-5 hour.
It’s only for writing and revisions.
Nancy- Having achieved your goal to be a
published author, what is the most rewarding thing?
Alexa- The best thing is when readers talk to me
or post reviews talking about how much they loved my stories. I once had a lady
at my local writing group meeting rush up to me from across the room and say,
“I just have to tell you I LOVED your book!” THAT is an awesome feeling and
makes me so proud. It also makes me want to get busy on the next one.
Nancy- Will you share some encouraging words for
authors still struggling for that first contract?
Alexa- Sure! Be willing to take criticism, to
learn your craft, to consider yourself a professional. And finally, it may take
a long time (like mine did) to get that first contract, but DON’T GIVE UP!
Nancy- Please Share three fun facts about you
that most people don’t know.
1) My favorite color is blue, but I HATE baby
blue.
2) I actually like haggis!
3) I once spent two years working on the rim of
the Grand Canyon.
Nancy- What’s next for you?
Alexa- I’m working on a new book for my Hidden
Destiny series, a series of books with light paranormal elements. One main
character in each book has a superpower. I just started this one 2 weeks ago
& I will be submitting it by mid-March.
BOOK BLURB
Grace McKay
spends most of her time alone trying to convince the world she’s strong enough
and smart enough to become one of the best treasure hunters. According to the
media, though, all she’s managed to prove
is she’s a frigid, narrow-minded woman who doesn’t have a chance to succeed in
her current hunt.
Simon Andrews
is tired of being a glorified secretary for his family’s treasure hunting
business. As the youngest brother, he’s
never had the chance to prove himself in the field, where his true interests
lie.
When Grace’s
uncle hires Simon on a whim to assist her with the search for an ancient family
heirloom, he comes up against a woman determined to accomplish her goal without
his—or anyone’s—help. But Simon, although captivated by her passion for her
quest and her beauty, will not relinquish his chance to prove both to the
client and his brothers that he has the family gift for finding valuables where
others have failed.
Grace, frigid?
Simon is sure the media met the wrong woman. He’s in danger of bursting into
flames every time they are alone together. As they get closer to finding the
heirloom, though, their growing passion for one another may distract them from
the very real danger that threatens their lives and their possible future
together. Whatever that might mean.
Excerpt from Chasing Gold
After sipping her tea, she picked up
another piece of pastry. Midway to her mouth, she stopped. A tall, thin man,
glasses clinging to the end of his nose, strode through the doorway and scanned
the room. A loose-fitting, faded T-shirt covered his chest, and khaki shorts
hung on his hips. Kind of thin and bony for her liking, although the soft shade
of ginger hair with a hint of blond in it grabbed her attention. It reminded
her of her favorite movie star. Both hands were inside his pockets.
With a crooked grin, he walked straight
up to her table. “Grace McKay?”
“Yes. Can I help you?”
He held out his long fingers. “I’m Simon
Andrews.” He waited as if his name was supposed to mean something.
She didn’t shake his hand. “What can I
do for you, Mr. Andrews?”
He lowered his arm. “Your uncle said
you’d be helping me on my expedition here.” From his New England accent, he
could only be American.
Uncle
Thomas sent him? Of all
the crappy things he’d done, this had to be the worst. Did he not believe in
her enough to allow her to handle the job? She stood, gathering her papers. “My
uncle was wrong. I don’t need any help with my expedition. Good-bye.” She
shifted around him and started for the lobby. Studying her paperwork in her own
room would suit her better.
“Ms. McKay, wait.” He grabbed her arm.
She froze. Every muscle tensed.
“I realize you want to help in the
search, but your uncle hired me to—”
She tugged herself free. “I know what he
hired you for, but I’m telling you, you’re fired.” As she stalked across the
pub, many pairs of eyes stared at her, some wide in question, some narrowed.
Who cared? She hadn’t done anything wrong.
“That’s not your call, sweetheart,” he
said.
She jerked to a stop just inside the
door and spun around, gritting her teeth. Andrews stood waiting, as cocky as
could be, with his hands on his hips.
“First, I am not your sweetheart.
Second, I don’t need a partner.”
Buy Links….
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| The author on Skye |
MORE ABOUT
THE AUTHOR
Alexa Bourne is a teacher by day
and a romance writer by nights, weekends, and all school holidays. She also
teaches online classes for writers throughout the year. She writes romantic
suspense and contemporary romance and is thrilled to have the chance to share
her stories with readers everywhere.
When she’s not concocting sinister
plots and steamy love scenes or traveling and exploring new cultures, Alexa
spends her time reading, watching brainless TV, and thinking about exercising.
Okay, she also spends way too much time interacting with readers and writers on
social media sites. But don’t tell her editors! Find out more about her and her
books on her website, www.alexabourne.com.
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| Alexa at her 1st Book Signing |
You can find more information
about Alexa here:
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