Thursday, July 15, 2010

Guest Post: Author Samantha Hunter interviews Sophie from Past Tense + Giveaway


Today I welcome author Samantha to My Reading Room.  You may recognize the name from the great Harlequin Blaze novels that she has written over the years, now she is branching out into mystery (though most of her romances have had an element of mystery in them).  From what I have read from the book, you don't want to miss out on this one.  So without further ado - please welcome  Samantha Hunter.

I wanted to do something fun for this blog, and so I decided an interview with the main character from my Kindle-published mystery, Past Tense, Sophie Turner, would be interesting to do as a way to let you get to know her, and introduce a few elements of the book. So I will pose a few questions to her, and then you can feel free to do the same to her, or me, and we'll do our best to answer in comments.

Sam:  Sophie, how did you get started reading the tarot?


Sophie: Well, my Aunt Doris owned this shop, and I lived her with her and my father, upstairs. She read cards, and when she and my father were killed, I took over running the shop. I didn't know much about it at first, but I just taught myself and went from there. Most people who come in for readings are just looking for someone to talk to, and the cards can provide us a thing to focus on, a way to bring out elements of the conversation. I try not to predict things, but to use the cards to get insight into whatever questions they ask. I really just try to listen and help people as much as I can.

Sam: What was it like, growing up in Tarot Alley, in a tarot parlor?

Sophie: Well, I can't remember a lot of it -- when my aunt and my father were killed, I suffered a fall that left me with some injuries, including memory loss. I can remember making cookies with my aunt, and going to baseball games with my Dad. But I don't remember too much about the shop -- the police said it's because they were killed here, and I guess I just blanked it all out.

Sam: Are you happy now?

Sophie: I think so, yes. I'm engaged to a police detective, Roger, who is wonderful, though he really isn't crazy about the paranormal or my working here. He wants me to sell the store so we can start a new life, and I can do something more. . . .

Sam: Normal?

Sophie: Yes, I suppose. Roger is big on normal.

Sam: But Patrice's death is throwing a curve into that, I'm sorry to say. Especially with the ghost that appeared right before she was killed. I don't imagine Roger believes in ghosts, either.

Sophie: No. He gets really upset when I bring it up. He means well. He thinks I am just overwhelmed by what happened, but I know it's more than that. It's caused some problems between us, for sure. Roger is not happy with me looking into this, but I have to find out what happened. I don't think we can move on until I do that.

Sam: Like working with Dr. Gabe Mason, a local ghost hunter?


Sophie: He's not really a ghost hunter -- they call him a ghost therapist because he tries to figure out why they are here -- which is what I need to do. I think the ghost I keep seeing has something to do with Patrice's death, and I have to know what it is.

Sam: But Gabe is pretty cute, huh? Maybe Roger is jealous?

Sophie: I don't think so. . .maybe. But he has nothing to be jealous of. Gabe and I are just working together.

Sam: Um, okay, if you say so. So with your shop, the investigation, college, and two good-looking guys in your life, you sure have your hands full.

Sophie: Everything will settle down when we get past this. Then I can get back to normal.

Sam: Well, there are always surprises along the way.

Sophie: Like what?

Sam: I've said enough. I'll leave that for you to find out on your own.

Writing Past Tense was a labor of love, and a lot of fun. I hope you'll check it out. :)




Thank you so much for joining us today Sam and Sophie, so run and check out Sam's new book Past Tense.  My review will be coming soon.  You can check out Sam's book at the Amazon.com link below and be sure and check out her website and blog as well.

About Past Tense:

Sophie Turner runs Talismans, a Boston tarot parlor, where she reads tarot and keeps her family’s psychic legacy alive. However, in spite of her tragic family history and Tarot Alley’s reputation for being a mystical hotspot, Sophie has no psychic powers of her own – or so she thinks. Engaged to straight-as-an-arrow Boston PD Detective Roger Paris, and finishing her college degree in Computer Science, she’s ready to start a brand new life that has nothing to do with her paranormal past.

When the murder of her friend and client Patrice Bledsoe leaves Sophie traumatized, she can’t trust her own memory about what happened. She remembers a ghostly encounter moments before Patrice was killed, but she can’t remember anything about the murder, making her a prime suspect. Sophie doesn’t understand why the ghost appeared or why she was compelled to read his cards, revealing a story of violence and betrayal, but she is determined to find the truth about her friend’s murder.

It’s not the last time Sophie sees the tragic ghost figure, and she begins to believe her ghost is real when she’s plagued with visions she can’t ignore. When her skeptical fiancé won’t listen, she asks ghost hunter Dr. Gabe Mason for his help, leading her down a path of no return in more ways than one.
















Giveaway:
Update:  Final details - Sam is giving away a set of her Spring Blaze titles:  Blazing Bedtime Stories and Make Your Move.  I have Blazing Bedtime Stories and can't wait to read that one.
Blazing Bedtime Stories, Volume IV: Cupid's Bite\I Wish He Might... (Harlequin Blaze)  Make Your Move
To enter is simple, just comment.  For 5 extra entries ask Sam or Sophie a question (I'll count up the extra entries so you don't have to comment 5 times).  Come back here later during the day for the final details, but know that Sam's Blaze titles are great (I have read several of them) and most do have a mystery/suspense element to go along with the steamy romance.  Open to US/Canada only.  Giveaway runs through 7/22.


About the Books:


Blazing Bedtime Stories:

Bestselling authors Kimberly Raye and Samantha Hunter invite you to experience a little magic, a little mystery... and a lot of really hot sex!

Cupid's Bite by Kimberly Raye

When dark falls in Skull Creek, Texas, Lucy Rivers has the most incredible lover in her bed! Between the blindfolds and his bold lips, she's finding an ecstasy she only dreamed about. Her nighttime Cupid pierces her with his every erotic want...and then some! Too bad he's only there until the sun comes up....

I Wish He Might... by Samantha Hunter

Nina Larson has a personal genie...seductive, sexy Alec! Her every wish is his command...and does she ever have some X-rated wishes! Each desire he fulfills propels her into another, even hotter one. But Nina holds the key to Alec's freedom. Problem is, she's not sure she can surrender the most fantastic sex of her life!

Make Your Move:

Jodie Patterson's posh bakery is all about satisfying cravings. Her signature aphrodisiac cookies have been flying off the shelves...and giving Jodie some delicious ideas of her own.

Behind his owlish glasses, Jodie's business partner, Dr. Dan Ellison, is the male equivalent of the Naughty Professor. Jodie is more than ready to indulge her fantasies with this wolf-in-geek's-clothing as long as they set some ground rules: sex is sex, business is business and nothing will change. Yeah, right! After that first addictive kiss, it's time to see if they can really satisfy each other's appetites....

18 comments:

Betty S. said...

Hi Sam, I don't read many blogs but always enjoy yours! My question for Sophie is fairly simple: How do you define normal? And how will you know if you find it. :)

debbie said...

I would love to read these books. I would like to ask, if you ever had something very extraordinary happen to you?
debbie
twoofakind12@yahoo.com

Samantha Hunter said...

Betty, great question! (Sorry I am so late coming in, I had to go help my Dad with some errands today...), but let's see what Sophie has to say...

Sophie: I guess I never thought my life wasn't normal, until my family was killed. After that, nothing seemed normal. Roger has always defined normal as not being tarot alley, and working a regular job (which is why I am studying computer science) and living in a house, not over a tarot parlor, and having kids... Up to this point, I thought I could share that idea of normal with him -- but then Patrice was murdered, and that's definitely not normal. How many people witness 3 murders in their life? And I'm only 29... Now I'm seeing ghosts, and all kinds of crazy things are happening. Maybe I was never meant to be completely normal. But Roger thinks different, so who knows how it will all turn out?

Hmmm...Sam again. Poor Sophie -- she has a lot of things to figure out. ;)

Thanks for stopping by, Betty. ;)

Samantha Hunter said...

Hey Debbie, thanks for coming by :)

Sophie of course, has had several really extraordinary things happen -- not necessarily good, but maybe her luck is changing a little - we can hope.

For myself, yes, I think I have had a couple of very extraordinary things happen in my life. If you mean paranormal things, I have seen at least one ghost (not scary, was kind of amusing) and I had one dream that actually happened the next day (when I was a kid). Other than that, I would count extraordinary as meeting my husband on the internet and knowing we were meant for each other from the start, and also selling my first book. :)

Thanks for the fun question, and thanks to Crystal for this really great blog!

Sam

Samantha Hunter said...

Also, just so people know -- while this is a Kindle book, you don't need to own a Kindle to read it. Kindle can be downloaded to most phones and to your laptop, allowing you to read Kindle format -- just wanted to sneak that in. :)

Sam

Fedora said...

Hi, Sam! Hi, Sophie! Lovely to see you here (followed your tweet ;)) I haven't read your mystery yet, but as you know, I love your Blazes! Are you working on more mysteries? And can we look forward to more Blazes soon? :D

f dot chen at comcast dot net

chey said...

Hi Sam and Sophie,
Great blog. Your mystery sounds fantastic!

chey127 at hotmail dot com

Anonymous said...

thanks for the giveaway...just wondering what sam in currently working on...

karenk
kmkuka at yahoo dot com

Samantha Hunter said...

Fedora, Chey, and Karen K -- thanks for coming by -- I hope you don't mind if I answer in one post, since you all kind of asked the same question -- and thanks for asking it!

I would love to work on more mysteries -- Sophie really was a labor of love, and her series was planned to be at least 5 books, and I would love to write them, but it really depends on how much interest develops -- I already have e-mails from folks who want more, so fingers crossed!

But yes, I do have more Blaze coming out -- A release in December titled I'LL BE YOURS FOR CHRISTMAS, which I really have had a great time working on, and then the next should be in June 2011, it's untitled yet, but it's a 24 Hour/Blackout Blaze in a miniseries with Tawny Weber and Heather McAllister. Then I have one more stand alone Blaze coming out after that, and a 3-book miniseries for Blaze after those... so plenty of Blazes stacked up. :)

I am also chipping away at another sexy short, similar in length to Barely There, for Kindle, and have been planning a new single title romantic suspense I hope to get submitted later this year... so as you can see, plenty in the works!

Sam

Fedora said...

Ooh, that sounds just lovely, Sam! I do love a good miniseries, too!

BTW, have you been quilting this summer?

Samantha Hunter said...

I've been trying to get to a new quilt, Fedora -- I made a good start at it a few weeks ago, but summer is usually too busy for much sewing anyway. I was hoping to finish this one sooner than later, but we'll see what happens. :)

Sam

Summer said...

Love your Blazes and your mystery sounds great, too. Do you find different challenges in writing each type of book, switching between mystery and catagory romance?

Samantha Hunter said...

Summer, super question. I tend to focus on one book at a time, so it's not too bad too switch back and forth -- it kind of gives my mind a break from doing the same thing all the time. But as Crystal mentioned, quite a few of my Blazes are suspense or mystery oriented as well, so that's just something I tend to gravitate to. But I will say, writing a mystery does exercise completely different creative muscles, coming up with the plot, the clues, etc and the solution not being too easily guessed, etc.

However, I think the thing most readers love about mystery is the same thing they love about romance: good characters. So that's a commonality between the two.

I really love writing both, and could never write a mystery that didn't have some romance in it, though this is very mild if you are used to my Blazes. ;)

Sam

misskallie2000 said...

Hi Sam, I have not read any of your books yet and I am adding you to my new author list. I love this book already and Sophie is a great character. I have added Past Tense to my wish list. I really want to read this book. Thanks for stopping by to chat.

Thanks for the opportunity to enter this giveaway.

misskallie2000 at yahoo dot com

Samantha Hunter said...

Thanks for coming by, Miss Kallie. :) I hope you enjoy them. :)

Sam

Lindsay said...

can't wait 2 read this! :)

Samantha Hunter said...

Dramaqueen, hope you will let me know what you think if you do. :)

Sam

Allison said...

Thanks for this giveaway!

How did you get started in writing?

allisonsbj3(at)gmail(dot)com

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