MBR: Almost everyone who has read Sweet Dreams agrees with the fact that it is an outstanding read. Though a lengthy one, every single page was so worth it. As the story continues to hold a very special place in my heart, why do you think Sweet Dreams is such a roaring success with romance readers?

KA: Firstly, thank you for saying it’s an outstanding read! Secondly, it’s a surprise to me that it’s so successful. Not that I don’t love my folks in Carnal, I definitely do, just that I took a chance with this novel and wasn’t entirely certain it would be embraced. However, I’m delighted that it was embraced PRECISELY because of the chance I took.

My thought process was that I was intrigued with the idea of creating a hero who was a jerk. He had flaws, significant ones. He made poor life decisions. And he was hard to like. Then set about making people like him. Then Tate came into my head and away I went. But it was more than Tate. Those around him, too, are not cardboard cutouts and, on the face of it, not very likable either. For instance, Krystal is hard as nails. She has a soft center but she exposes that very infrequently. Bubba is more of a jerk than Tate, lovable but a total mess – he’s that guy in your life that you can’t help but like but you don’t exactly know why you do. And Jim Billy is, essentially, a functioning alcoholic.

I’m uncertain why it has been received so well but I think it might have to do with the fact that these folks are not perfect. These folks are people you know, people in your life and maybe even bits of them are in you. Readers can identify with them. There is a place for fantasy, the perfect hero who says everything right and does everything right, is unbelievably handsome, wealthy, jet-set and owns yachts and penthouses. Or he is angst-ridden and the heroine is so spunky, she breaks through and brings him bliss. And all the secondary characters are like fairy godmothers and godfathers flitting around the couple providing support and comic relief. I’ve written these too and love them as well. But then there are other fantasies, like Sweet Dreams, based more in real life that may be more fun because the reader might like their fantasy based in reality rather than the impossibly perfect knight in shining armor riding to the rescue.

And, personally, when I find characters in a book that I fall in love with, I can’t get enough of them. Silly little things like what they wear, how they redecorate a house and how they interact not just in situations that push forward the plot but everyday situations, I want to know. That is why this book is lengthy. Because I gave my readers not just a story but a town, its inhabitants, how they connect and interact, who they are and how they live. And, fortunately, I’ve been told by readers that folks enjoy that which is good because I do that in all my books!

And lastly, although our Tate is rough around the edges, the love he feels for Lauren is intensely beautiful. The way they learn to be with each other is wonderful to watch unfold. For instance, when she buys him the picture for his bedroom and he knows she’s spent a fortune on it. He knows that IF he knows what she’s spent, he’ll lose his mind. And he knows that losing his mind when she’s done something thoughtful for him will cause a fight, bad feelings, harsh words (right after they’ve had a go-’round). So he tamps that down and instead decides to look at it only as the loving gesture it was intended to be, enjoy it and the knowledge that she loves him like that. I love that Tate did that for Lauren. And (definite spoiler here), when she’s taken and he’s walking through the house, seeing her everywhere, smelling her, remembering their lives together in that house – writing that scene, I felt his pain intensely, his desperation, his understanding that at that moment while he’s walking through the house she could be enduring torture, he knows precisely what that torture entails, and these thoughts consume him. Even for a man of his strength, he is barely able to function. That’s how much he loves her. If she is killed, he will not be able to move on romantically. She’s the one, there is no other. When the villain is found, this is all Tate can think about… not only what he felt while he walked through their home but also knowing that, in a different way, his son was feeling much the same thing. Reading that scene, when they happen onto Lauren and the villain, I always have difficulty reading that Deke and Shambles see to a wounded Lauren while Tate sees to beating the crap out of the bad guy. The perfect hero would have no thought but for his heroine. But this is Tate, he is imperfect. This man caused his woman to feel fear, he hurt her, he set her running through the wood in terror and he must feel Tate’s wrath, he must pay because Tate cannot abide that his home was breached, the protection he provided for his loved one was broken and he must have vengeance. Obviously, that kind of love for a romance reader is going to be well-received :-).

MBR: Tatum Jackson has got to be one of the most awesomely fantastic and bad-ass heroes ever. I loved how realistically you portrayed his character which is I guess one reason why I fell so hopelessly for him. Is Tatum’s character based on any real life person that you know of? And I always envision Sawyer from Lost when reading about Tate. Who did you envision when you were writing his character?

KA: There you go, obviously a realistic hero is the ticket! Imperfect and real IS awesomely fantastic and badass! Love that!!!!

And kind of yes and no for Tate being based on a real life person. I went to the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally a couple of years ago and met a GREAT number of bikers. There are many, many more men than women there and the crowd is very mixed. We were told, in the past, that it was very dangerous. But we experienced none of that. This is not to say there were not rough dudes there who were people we would not want to know. This is to say we met and spent time with men who were not like that and who made certain that that element did not come near us. Everywhere we went, we were surrounded by a bevy of bikers who looked out for us. If some not-so-nice biker made an approach or our biker boys sensed some danger, they would step up. They even watched our purses for us while we danced! No joke! There was something very cool about these rough and tumble men (VERY rough and tumble) who were who they were, got into what they got into but who were gentle and fiercely protective of women THEY DIDN’T EVEN KNOW that, as a writer of romance, I found utterly fascinating. And I put this in Tate.

That said, Wood is based on an actual man I met there… but Tate is not. He’s pure fantasy.

And as for envisioning someone while writing Tate or any of my characters, this doesn’t happen to me. This is because my characters come to me (in most cases) fully-formed. They live in my head. Even the secondary ones. So Tate, in my head, is a real person and I know exactly what he looks like, I hear his voice, I know how he walks, how he moves, how his clothes hang on his frame. Very recently, I was having a conversation with my husband and he asked if I could have my choice of anyone to play any of my characters in a movie, who would it be? I admitted to him that I would struggle with even selling my books to be made into films. He was surprised to hear that. But, for me, to have an actor play one of my characters would forever personify in people’s mind who that character is/what s/he looks like and I worry that my own lock on them in my head would melt away. And I love them in my head and I don’t want to lose them. That is not to say I would never entertain the notion of any of my books being made into films. I just would find that process difficult.

By the by, Sawyer from Lost… YUM! I don’t think I’d be upset if he was chosen for any of my heroes but my contract would state I have to meet him :-).

MBR: I absolutely adored Lauren’s character and I have to certainly agree with Tate on Lauren being all in a class by herself. If Sweet Dreams were ever to be made into a movie, who would you cast as Lauren?

KA: I think I answered that question above :-) (laughing to myself now because, really, I do go on). What I will say is that I would be extremely displeased if she was a 20- or 30-something size 0. I would want a beautiful actress with a curvy, woman’s body who was in her 40’s. I would want her to be true to my Lauren in those ways. And she would need to be able to pull off Lauren’s journey. It is probably not a surprise that I identified very closely with Lauren. I enjoyed her journey of self-discovery as led by Tate and the inhabitants of Carnal. And part of what I enjoyed about her is that she didn’t discover who she was or where she wanted to be early in life, as many of us don’t. I also enjoyed the fact that this woman “had it all” in the sense of materialistic things and career but had absolutely nothing because, bottom line, she had no sense of self so she was rather clueless as to all that was going on around her. I loved it that in the end a simple house, a simple job and the love of a man and his son, a small cadre of good friends and a close family was all she really needed to find happiness. Because, truthfully, just the latter two are all anyone needs – the former two are icing on the cake! And we each have our bit of special to give to the people in our lives, we just need to understand it and embrace it so we can give it more fully to those we love.

MBR: So how many books in this series is lined up for release next year?

KA: I’ve been writing as a hobby for years and had over 20 finished or nearly completed manuscripts on my hard drive with only three in print (Rock Chick, Rock Chick Rescue and Rock Chick Redemption). But in March of 2011, I decided to take an enormous chance and focus solely on writing in hopes of making a career of it. That’s why I have a huge number of books that have been released this year because I spent nine months cleaning up these manuscripts and publishing them on eBook. In the meantime, as you do, I became inspired and wrote a few more. Of that lot, I currently have six novels left to unleash, one complete and to be published very soon (Heaven and Hell) and five that I will be working on getting out there in the first 3-4 months of 2012. In that time, I also intend to move back to The ‘Burg and write Mike Haines’s story. I’m also kicking around another stand-alone romance in my head that probably will consume me and I won’t be able to deny myself the pleasure of plunging into that world. Indeed, a number of my series have books to be sorted including my Fantasyland Series and the final in the Rock Chick series.

But fortunately, I am very prolific and I write very fast. Ideas come to me all the time and I don’t think I’ll ever be at a loss for a story to tell.

As for the Colorado Mountain Series, it will continue on with at least two books. The next will be Chace and Faye and this will be set in Carnal. Then I will take readers back to Gnaw Bone of The Gamble and write Graham Reece’s story (he was introduced in For You which is in The ‘Burg series but Reece is a mountain man and he’ll be heading up to Gnaw Bone to work at The Dog). It is more than likely I will also tell the story of Maggie and Wood. Further, I’ve had readers request I move onto “the next generation” and tell the stories of the my heroes and heroines’ children and I like this idea. So, in the end, this series will have AT LEAST two more books with the current generation, likely three with Chace and Faye definitely coming out sometime in the first half of 2012. Then again, I hope to get a vacation in there so my family doesn’t think my computer has gobbled me up so end of February/early March I will be heading home to America for four to five weeks to reconnect with family and friends therefore this may cause some delays. Still, lucky for me, my “office” isn’t stationary so I can work whenever and wherever I want and I won’t be able to stay away from my people for too long!

Now, where I’ll be headed, and this is subject to change… but Chace (who was introduced in Lady Luck) has grabbed hold of me very strong. This is somewhat of a miracle since I do not have one, single blond hero (though, Mike Haines is blond too, clearly I’m expanding my horizons :-)). Chace has shared his secrets with me as to what caused him to do the things he did in Lady Luck to get trapped the way he was trapped. He is an exceptionally loyal man, so loyal, he is self-sacrificing. For some time, he’s known who is the woman for him, he was simply biding his time in going after her. But now, after the sacrifices he made and what he was forced to do, he feels the women he’s chosen is beyond his reach. I do not know if she will disagree or if she’ll give him a run for his money. Faye hasn’t really come to me yet. We shall see.

But Reece’s story is more well-formed. Understanding way too late that he was in love with February Owens (For You), then being caught in that drama and (spoiler) attacked by a serial killer, he’ll have learned his lesson and will be taking a close look at his life and how he lives it. He’ll also be taking a close look at the women in his life and how he feels about them (for Feb was not his only one). And he will make a choice and see to making her his. The thing is, by the time he does this, her life will be in disarray and she’ll be focusing on that, not falling in love. I’m looking forward to getting back to Gnaw Bone, seeing how Max and Nina’s family is growing and spending time with Arlene, Cotton, Mindy and the gang. It’ll be like going home.

Maggie and Wood, if their story is told, will be a departure for me. This will be a reunion and, as they have already been reunited in Lady Luck, it will also mean that I will probably have to go back in time. I was careful not to expose too much or get too into their reconciliation in Lady Luck because Wood is important to me and deep down, I want his story told and him to have his happy ending. But Chace and Reece are dominating my headspace so Wood and Maggie are going to have to wait.

I’d like to end by thanking you for even wanting to know the answers to these questions! And also for featuring Sweet Dreams on your site. I cannot explain how fabulous it is that people are responding to my stories. I pour a lot into them, often find I’m giggling myself stupid or crying my eyes out. I identify strongly with what John Mellencamp said during his speech when he was inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, “I didn’t do it for the money, but I sure like to get paid.” I enjoyed the heck out of writing these stories and often reread them again and again. But I love it even more knowing that I’m sharing these with others who love them just the same.

Thank you, MBR, for sharing Sweet Dreams with your readers. I hope they enjoy it as much as you.

GIVEAWAY!!! GIVEAWAY!!!

So guys, I have awesome stuff to giveaway this month. 

• First of all, Ellen O’Connell is giving away SIX e-copies of Dancing on Coals. How cool is that?
• Secondly Rainbow Rowell is giving away a signed bookplate to a lucky winner. And yes, this is open internationally as well!
• A 20 $ gift certificate from either Amazon, Barnes&Noble or Samhain.
• And last but not the least, an e-copy of Sweet Dreams!

So, the giveaway rules:

1. Open a page of the current book that you are reading. (If you are not reading a book at the moment, open a page of the book that’s nearest to you.) And give me 3 sentences from the page you open up. Please do not forget to mention the book title and author as well. And tell me whether you like what you have read so far!
2. Remember, you can enter for ALL THREE giveaways. But if you would like to enter for just one, state in the comment which one it is that you are entering for. If not I will consider you eligible for ALL THREE of them.
3. Leave a valid e-mail address for a way to contact you in case you are the winner!
4. Help spread the word about the giveaway! Tweet and earn 5 extra entries (use the hashtag #MBRPickofTheMonthGiveaway), recommend this post on Facebook & earn 5 extra entries. And don’t forget to mention in your comment whether you have tweeted or recommended the post on Facebook to get your extra entries.
5. Like my page on Facebook to gain 5 extra more entries. If you are already a member of my page, just state so and you would gain your 5 extra entries.
6. Giveaway begins at 00:00 hours January 1, 2012 and will end at 00:00 hours Maldivian time on the January 3, 2012. Winners will be contacted soon after and announced here on my blog!

As always, thank you for visiting and taking the time to comment and enter the giveaway!