Fool’s Game by Heather Huffman ~ Goddess Fish Blog Tour ~ Interview ~ Excerpt ~ Giveaway

Fool’s Game

by Heather Huffman

Heather will be awarding an ebook (international) of ROSES IN ECUADOR by Heather Huffman, at each stop, along with a grand prize of an autographed paperback (US only) of RING OF FIRE to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour. So be sure to leave a comment below along with your email address so you may be contacted if you win. To increase your chances of winning stop by the other tour locations. You may find those locations here...  http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2013/07/virtual-nbtm-tour-fools-game-by-heather.html
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Interview:

Crystal: Today as part of the Goddess Fish Virtual Book tour, I have the opportunity to interview Heather Huffman.Would you share a little bit about yourself with us today?

Heather: I have to start by admitting that I’m laughing at myself just a bit because this question has been really hard for me to answer. I’m a mom to three boys – ages 14, 10 & 9. They all have these amazing, vibrant personalities that bring me immense joy while always keeping me on my toes. And they all participate in activities that keep us fairly busy August through May.

My family lives on about 14 acres in the Missouri Ozarks, where we are attempting to homestead, or live off the land as much as we possibly can. It’s a transition process, since my husband and sons were raised in the suburbs of St. Louis. That said, I’m pretty happy with how far we’ve come in just a year and a half. We have a menagerie of animals that – like my boys – bring me joy but keep me busy!

My family is also pretty active in our little neighborhood church. The people there are more like family than friends, so most of our social life that doesn’t revolve around the boys’ school or extended family is centered there.

Somehow, in the midst of everything else, I carve out time to write love stories that are full of sparks, suspense and second chances. Some of my books contain dark subjects, some don’t, but they are all centered on love, laughter and hope.

Crystal: Do you have a favorite scene you would like to share with us?

Heather: It’s hard to choose one; this book had several scenes that I’m still really pleased with. Some of my absolute favorites are just too long for a blog post. I finally settled on this one because it’s leading up to a really big scene, and I love the tangible chemistry between the two main characters.

Not ready to go home just yet, [Cat] headed back to the bar, eager to let the steady rhythm of the blues soothe her tumultuous soul.
She went to order a Diet Coke and got an amaretto sour on impulse. One drink wouldn’t impair her thinking too badly, she reasoned. Drink in hand, she wove her way to a table in the corner, ignoring the admiring looks she received. Once there, she rolled her head back, closing her eyes as the music washed over her body. Each beat, every note blended into a harmony so rich, so tantalizing she could feel it, like the fingers of a lover massaging her neck.
Jack and Ella watched from their own table. They had come out for a drink and a bite to eat, and mostly for a break from the tense apartment. Jack nudged Ella and pointed toward the door.
Cody stood staring at Cat, mesmerized as she so obviously enjoyed the music. He didn’t think she was even aware of her body rocking gently to its rhythm.
It wasn’t the beauty of her form or the seductive movement coming so naturally from her that held Cody so rapt. It was something deep within that he couldn’t help but respond to. For the first time in his life, he had nothing smooth to say, no great pickup line and no lie. His mind was filled with her. He studied the shape of her body—her tanned skin, the fullness of her lips, the hair that flowed freely down the back of her chair as she rolled her head slowly. He had been such an idiot, and now he had lost her.
Her eyes flew open and she was staring straight at him. Busted. There was no way to explain his way out of ogling her, so he continued to do just that.
A sad smile flashed across her lips, and she motioned for him to join her. A slow, easy grin spread across his face.

Crystal:  Where did you come up with the idea for Fool’s Game?

Heather: When I was seventeen years old, I had a dream that my best friend and I were spies in the drug war. I laughingly told her about it the next day, and that conversation turned into the seed for a novel.

Crystal: What are you currently working on?

Heather: At the moment, I’m working on an untitled contemporary romance. In it, Karise McAlister – a character introduced in Ring of Fire and Roses in Ecuador – is an architect living in Boston, engaged to Mr. Right. Her entire life is about coloring in the lines out of fear that she’ll turn out like her mother, whose carefree lifestyle left a wake of broken hearts. When she meets a man who challenges her idea of what’s right, it leaves her questioning everything she thought she knew.

Crystal: Do you have any special routine that you follow when you are writing?

Heather: I find it’s easier to work on novels now that my boys have gone back to school (go figure). During the school year, I get them dropped off, run any errands, then head back to the house to take care of farm chores.

Once that’s all taken care of, I spend an hour or two answering emails and checking in on the social media sites. Then, finally, I’m ready to immerse myself in a book.

I always have a soundtrack picked out for each novel. Selecting songs for it is one of the first things I do when I transition from research to writing. Listening to that book’s soundtrack helps me shift gears from daily life to the world I’m creating.

Crystal: Did you have to do a lot of research for this book or any other? If so do you have a fascinating fact that you have learned you would like to share with us?

Heather: Sometimes I feel like I spend as much or more time researching as I do writing! I can spend a month or more researching settings and facts before I even start to write. Then I find myself slowing scenes down to a crawl because I keep hopping online to research some minute detail. Since so many of my novels are romantic suspense, it’s become a bit of a joke in our family that I’m probably on all kinds of government watch lists because I spend so much time researching black markets, guns and various spy-stuff.


Crystal: Who are some of your favorite authors that you like to read?

Heather: I have pretty varied interests when it comes to reading; actually, I have pretty eclectic tastes in everything. When I need a good laugh, I pick up Janet Evanovich. When I want to be swept off my feet, I go for Sylvain Reynard. If I want to feel like I’ve been hugged by God, I read C.S. Lewis. Jane Austen and Elizabeth Gaskell are my go-to girls when I’m in the mood for the classics.

Crystal:  Is there any genre you haven’t written that you would like to try?

Heather: I’ve been toying with the idea of starting a YA line of books. There are a lot of teenagers and young adults in my novels with fascinating stories. I think they need to be told, too!

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BLURB:

At the request of the U.S. Government, Caitlyn O’Rourke faked her death years ago, only to be reborn as the Cat—a deadly black-ops agent tasked with working for the shadowy organization Chameleon and doing the jobs that can’t be done in the light of day. Now, on the verge of taking down a notorious drug lord and rescuing a captured Chameleon agent, Cat is targeted for assassination…from within. But who’s making the call, and why?

As she attempts to uncover answers and stay alive, Cat finds herself working alongside Cody Kingsley, the mysterious senator who broke her heart and betrayed her long ago. Along with an inner circle of fellow agents, Cat and Cody must untangle the web of lies that surrounds them before it’s too late.

From the sultry streets of New Orleans to a secluded plantation in Ecuador to Washington, DC, Cat must elude an agent hell-bent on her destruction while figuring out how high up the ladder the conspiracy reaches. At the same time, she must work through her tumultuous and conflicting emotions where both Cody and fellow agent Galloway—who may or may not have her best interests at heart—are concerned.

A thrill ride of emotions, suspense, and action, Fool’s Game intertwines matters of the heart and survival …and the only thing certain is that Cat will never be the same.

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EXCERPT:

“Caitlyn,” Cody started softly. “There was a reason I first approached you.”

“You were captured by my bewitching charms?” she teased.

“I’m serious. This is important.” He ran his hand through his hair in frustration. “Someone very important noticed you that day I first saw you. What I’m about to tell you is top secret; you can’t tell anyone what we discuss here.”

Caitlyn nodded and he continued. “I think you know the legislation we’re passing isn’t even putting a dent in the flow of drugs into our country. There is a special task force being assembled. The members of this team will have to sever all ties to their lives as they know them. They will forever be living undercover. No family, no significant other.”

“And you’re telling me this because…” Caitlyn prompted.

“I’ve been asked to recruit you. There is already one operative who’s been undercover for years now. You would be the second. You’ve impressed some pretty high-up people. They’re willing to give you carte blanche on choosing the other two members of your team.”

“When were you asked?” Caitlyn asked quietly.

“The day of the field maneuvers,” he answered barely above a whisper.

“So that was why you found me?” She willed the tears away.

“Yes.” His gaze dropped.

Caitlyn recoiled as if slapped. “I need to think about this.”

“I’ll need your answer soon,” he told her.

“Tomorrow. You’ll have my answer tomorrow.”


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AUTHOR Bio and Links:


Heather Huffman calls the beautiful Missouri Ozarks home. When not writing, this homesteading mother is cheering one of her three sons on at a sporting event, making dandelion fritters, or tending the family’s myriad of animals, which includes alpacas, goats, chickens and ducks. Heather’s optimistic and sometimes quirky view of life often finds its way into her novels.

Heather is the author of Throwaway, Ties that Bind, Jailbird, Suddenly a Spy, Ring of Fire, Tumbleweed, Devil in Disguise and Roses in Ecuador. You can find out more about her family’s adventures as they strive to live off the land on a small farm, as well as her writing and charitable work, on www.heatherhuffman.net.

Booktrope:  http://booktrope.com/book/fools-game/

Fool's Game Amazon Buy Link