Tuesday, March 17, 2015

It's All About the Book with Mary Jo Burke ~ Spicing Up Trouble w/ #giveaway
















Please welcome Mary Jo Burke with her new release, 
Spicing Up Trouble


It’s All About the Book…

 Please tell us about your current or upcoming release. 
Spicing Up Trouble
Alexia Hale works as a test kitchen writer for the Chicago News. But she gets her big break toward reporting "real" news when she's given the opportunity to interview the world renowned artist, Benjamin Nance Cobb. The catch: to get it, Alexia has to pose as a nude model for Ben. What begins as an awkward assignment quickly turns into a real friendship…and possibly more. But when a photograph of Alexia is leaked to the press, their private life suddenly becomes very public. Ben's father isn’t pleased, Alexia's sisters are shocked, and now she's being hounded by the press. Dating a celebrity has its challenges and rewards. The only question is, which one will outweigh the other? 




What is this book’s genre?  Is this the genre you usually write in?  Are there any genre’s you haven’t written that you’d like to try?  

 Spicing Up Trouble is a romantic comedy. I write whatever pops into my head and think of the genre later. My other published books are paranormal and fantasy romances with humor sprinkled in. I won an award for a women’s fiction story about a policewoman fighting corruption and trying to help a girl caught in prostitution. I’ve tried an historical romance and it’s coming along too.


 What inspired you to write this book? 

This is the first book I ever wrote. It has been revised many times. My inspiration is from the tabloids. What would it be like to date a celebrity? Alexia Hale finds it to be hard work and surrenders all her privacy. Would love be worth having your life exposed to all?


 How did you pick its title?  
 Did it come first or did you have to write the story first? 

Alexia is a chef who loves spicy food who has a penchant for finding trouble so luckily it came together. My book, All Hours Trading, is about a financial planner whose clients are the undead and the supernaturally challenged. She has to be available 24/7, hence the title.



How did you create your characters?   
Did you use any real life people in their making? 

My characters come to me. I have notebooks stashed everywhere and write notes to myself. I thought of Alexia as not looking for fame, fortune, or love and all show up in Benjamin Nance Cobb. Celebrities tend to date and marry celebrities, may be finding people who share the same complicated lives. When a civilian enters this world, it’s a staggering and unforgiving learning curve.  



Who is your favorite character of this book and why? 

I love Alexia. She is devoted to her sisters and cooks for them. It’s how she shows her love for them. When she meets Ben, he and his father aren’t getting along. She tries to bridge the gap because family is important to her. She is a peacemaker surrounded by other people’s drama, like a lot of women.



What is your favorite part of this book?   
Can you share an excerpt from that part? 

At the beginning when Alexia explains to her
 sisters her latest idea for a career boost.



"Sweetie, why so quiet?" Irene asked me.
A bold move required a first step.
"Good things come in threes," I said.
"Yeah like musketeers and stooges," Eleanor said.
"Don't forget caballeros," Irene added. "Wait, I thought death came in threes."
"Only in Hollywood," Eleanor replied.
The silent sister had let life pass her by—until now.
"I have a few announcements to make. First, I submitted my resume to Single Chicago and have an interview next week," I said.
"You will be touting your favorite sister's bar," Irene said.
"And your beautiful sister's boutique," Eleanor chimed.
"No promises, but if I'm hired, I'll steer someone to write an article or five for each of you. Second, the sommelier at the Bergen has agreed to work on the Thanksgiving menu at the newspaper's blog with me."
"What if you get the job at the magazine?" Irene asked.
"Then she can write a guest article. I'm going to mention it at my interview. I can deliver big names."
"Sweetie, is the sommelier acquainted with Single Chicago's more risqué serving dishes?" Eleanor asked, sipping her wine.
"Like the pasty chef's quarterly column?" Irene asked with a giggle.
"You mean pastry chef," I said.
"Honey, if you write for Single Chicago you better line up a few pasty experts too. There are some racy suggestions for weekend activities. Remember 'Wrap it in Whipped Cream?' I tried it on what's his name," Irene said.
"Charles. Whatever happened to him?" Eleanor asked.
"You have a fabulous memory. He married a stripper/dominatrix. I awakened a buried need in him to be humiliated," Irene said as she picked her glass for a toast.
"The effect you have on most men," Eleanor added as she tapped Irene's glass to hers.
"Don't sell yourself short, dear. Many of your exes have yet to recover," Irene said.
"Excuse me again," I said.
"Sorry, Sweetie, but you should know by now not to give us airtime," Eleanor said.
"She's right, honey. Now please continue," Irene said as she filled the wineglasses.
I knew they were reptiles or amphibians; they inhaled through their noses, exhaled, and talked at the same time. It explained so much.
"Thank you. Shelley Carpenter, the art critic, left the newspaper and had been lined up to interview Benjamin Cobb," I said.
"The reclusive, gorgeous, single, famous artist, Benjamin Nance Cobb?" Eleanor asked.
"He has been the modern art world for the last fifteen years. Tall, moody, and richer than all the Kardashians and Jenners," Irene said.
"How do you get to see him? He doesn't speak to the press or on the record to any other living soul," Eleanor said as she leaned toward me.
"I'm going to model for him," I said.
"What?" they yelled in unison.
The other patrons swiveled around and stared.
"My editor knows the owner of the modeling agency Cobb uses. He requested a blonde. On Wednesday, I'll go there. While he paints, I'll make conversation and covertly interview him."
Stone cold silence from my sisters. The minutes ticked by. They must be trying to set a new world's record.



What was the hardest part of this book to write? 
Can you share an excerpt from that part? 

 Alexia has a brilliant idea to honor Ben’s late mother’s memory. She was a children’s book author and illustrator. Alexia suggests a museum be built to house and celebrate her legacy, but plans go wrong and Ben blames her.

He slammed down the phone and glared at me.
A disadvantage of working for my husband was being home when things went south. Also, being the person who initiated the idea, which he now hated, didn't help.
"Could we ask the contractors to sign an affidavit, swearing to only employ union workers?" I asked.
"And pay their legal fees, too? Every employee has to be verified. At least two hundred people have set foot on the property. Some may have been day labor. Tracking them down would take time and money. Why am I being punished?" he asked.
Because he listened to me.
Next a few subcontractors put a lien on the property because they were not paid. City inspectors showed up and issued citations for safety violations. Finally, building material had been stolen. New orders were placed and the overruns were climbing.
Donors grew skittish because the once pliant press declared war on Ben, especially my former employer. Costs were touted as outrageous and printed as truth. Pictures of the gangly skeleton of a building stood in sharp contrast to the majestic Art Institute. Reporters staked out the site, pleading for anyone to complain and bash Ben.
Two weeks of an angry husband preceded a week of stony silence. He never accused, but I could read it in every gesture. This catastrophe rested on my shoulders. I ate and slept alone. I only saw him at Tad's office. The nurses cut him a wide berth.
Mark reported Ben's own staff was ready to bolt. The phones rang incessantly: reporters, lawyers, collection agencies.
I packed a bag, left, and camped with Eleanor. I didn't hear from Ben.
After two days, I placed a call to Florida. Ben needed the big gun.



 Did you have any special rhythm or quirks while writing this? 

I readily admit I don’t cook. I watched a lot of videos on websites to understand spices. I also checked cookbooks out of the library. I picked the worst time for food research, over the holidays, when everyone is looking for something new or different to serve.



Is this a stand-alone book or is it part of a series?  If so, we want to hear about it and what’s next in the series.  If not a series, what comes next to be released? 

For now, it’s a stand-alone. I do have ideas for an Eleanor book and an Irene book. Both are in the planning stages. What’s next is in the preliminary stages, but addresses my favorite kind of music, rock and roll.


* * * * *
Spicing Up Trouble
Mary Jo Burke

Contemporary Romance/Romantic Comedy
Gemma Halliday Publishing, 332 pages

 


     Alexia Hale works as a test kitchen writer for the Chicago News. But she gets her big break toward reporting "real" news when she's given the opportunity to interview the world renowned artist, Benjamin Nance Cobb.

     The catch: to get it, Alexia has to pose as a nude model for Ben. What begins as an awkward assignment quickly turns into a real friendship...and possibly more. But when a photograph of Alexia is leaked to the press, their private life suddenly becomes very public. Ben's father isn't pleased, Alexia's sisters are shocked, and now she's being hounded by the press.

     Dating a celebrity has its challenges and rewards. The only question is, which one will outweigh the other?




Buy Links:


Amazon   Nook   Kobo   iBook   Smashwords   Print
   




About the Author:

      Gone with the Wind in the theater. She was ten. The story never left her. She read the book three times. She saw the movie every time it was re-released. GWTWwill be seventy-five years old this year and is her favorite movie. She would only make a minor change: Leave Ashley to Melanie and hold on tight to Rhett. Her writing sprung from reading, watching, and always wanting to edit.
Mary Jo was born in Chicago and has never strayed far from home. She majored in Accounting and received her MBA in Finance. She worked in the investment and banking businesses. 
Long before DVDs, Mary Jo saw

Mary Jo is a member of the Romance Writers of America, Chicago North RWA, and Windy City RWA.

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Giveaway:  $20 Amazon Gift Card



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