Sweet on You by Laura Drake ~ Spotlight ~ Interview

Crystal: Today I have the pleasure of hosting Laura Drake. As some of you may know this wonderful lady is one of my new favorite authors. Welcome Laura, I'm so excited to have you here today, Would you share a little bit about yourself with us today?

Laura: I’m recently back from the Romance Writers of America conference and am thrilled to announce that The Sweet Spot won the RITA® award for Best First Book!  Making it even more special (if that’s even possible) was the fact that Nora Roberts presented me with the award! 

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

Laura: That’s hard – I like almost all of them!  Okay, here’s one from my August 26 release, Sweet on You.  It’s where Katya first sees the hero, Cam. 

She turned the corner of the white tiled hallway. Her step faltered. A cowboy strode ahead of her, head down, spurs jingling. What Maydelle had called chaps hugged his slightly bowed legs, fringes bouncing. She hadn’t seen a cowboy from the back before. Wide bands of smooth leather curved from between his thighs to cup his butt, creating a frame for a perfect picture. Not that the jeans were tight. They were a working man’s jeans, used and dusty. Which made them all the sexier. 
Wowzer.
He held the vest the riders wore in one hand and a rope in the other, a bell on the end dragging behind. The bright red Western shirt he wore tightly tucked at his small waist widened to broad shoulders, his blond hair was cut short beneath the dark brown hat. 
Nice. A muscle under her ribs fluttered. Walking behind men in those chaps would be a sweet perk of this job.
He hurled the rope in a sudden vicious burst. The bell clanged and echoed as it hit the wall. 
“Shit!” The cowboy squatted, clutching his shoulder and swearing like a drill sergeant. 
She almost stopped, to see if she could help. When he rolled his shoulder, she knew he hadn’t dislocated it. 
Dr. Cody was waiting. If she didn’t nail this job, she’d never be able to help anyone.
He swore viciously.
“Well. Excuse me.”    
Figures. No matter how studly they may look, star athletes were at heart tantrum-throwing toddlers. She had two years of locker room stories to prove it. New sport, same infantile behavior. 
“Pardon me, ma’am.” 
He sounded sincere, but she glanced back, just to be sure. 
God save the world from baby-faced men.  Washed, blue-sky eyes with sun-squint lines at their corners, a strong jaw, and full lips. Lips, that as she watched, quirked as his eyes took a long, slow trip up her legs. 
She faced forward so fast her neck popped. Why do the good-looking ones just have to be assholes?

Crystal: Where did you come up with the idea for your current release?

Laura: Well, the first two books in the series (set in the world of Professional Bull Riding) were about men who raised the bulls. The fans of the series were clamoring for one about a bull rider!

There’s an old cowboy saying, that the only reason men ride bulls is to meet pretty nurses….so I made the heroine a member of the sports medicine team, that help keep the riders healthy.  Why she’s war veteran of gypsy heritage is anyone’s guess . . . I sure don’t know where this stuff comes from!

Crystal: What are you currently working on?

Laura: The next book in my Widow’s Grove small town series. A ‘masseusse to the stars’ who loses everything, except a winery she inherited. She doesn’t drink, and knows nothing about wine!  I tentatively titled it, Indigo’s Blues, but the title will probably change.

Crystal: What do you like to snack on while you are writing.

Laura: Nothing! I am at my computer 12-14 hours a day, and if I ate there too, I’d have to get a heavy duty chair to hold me! But I drink gallons of coffee and iced tea….

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?

Laura:The research for my bull riding books is the most fun, because I’m such a fan of the sport!  This spring, I was lucky enough to attend a “rough stock” school. A three day class put on by Lyle Sankey, teaching kids bull riding, bull fighting, saddlebronc, and bareback riding. 

NO – I didn’t get on one, but if I were 10 years younger, I would have!

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

Laura: Oh, this is hard! In romance, I’d probably say, Sharla Lovelace, Jill Shalvis, Jane Porter, JoAnn Mapson, Barbara Samuel O’neal, Pamela Morsi. I could go on and on . . . 

Crystal:  Is there a genre you haven't written that you would like to try?

Laura: I’d like to write a straight Women’s Fiction novel someday. I’m reading Wild, by Cheryl Strayed right now, and it’s phenomenal.

Crystal:  I'm sure you are super excited and nervous when a new book releases. Do you do anything special to celebrate the day?

Laura: Actually, most of the day is spent on social media, getting the word out!

Crystal: I'm going to admit it, I cry reading most of your books. They are so emotional. Do you cry when you are writing them?

Laura: Aw, thank you, Crystal! Okay, you’re going to make me confess – yes. I STILL cry at the end of The Sweet Spot, every time I read it!

Thank you SO much for having me, Crystal, and thanks for all you do for authors!

Crystal: You are so Welcome Laura. I so enjoy your work. I can't wait to see what you have in store for us lucky readers next. To see more of my reviews on Laura's work, go here