Author, author... Sassy in Stilletos by Nana Malone

Sassy in Stilettos by Nana Malone USA Today Bestselling Author  Today we are blessed with a one on one interview with Nana Malone, USA TODAY Bestselling Author of the In Stilettos Series. Welcome Nana, so great to have you here with us.  Can you tell us a little about yourself?    Oh, I’m just your average Ghanaian/American girl who lives in sunny San Diego with an American husband who thinks my family is crazy.  My Big Fat Greek Wedding has nothing on us.  In my infinite spare time, I chase around my two year old trying to tame her wild mane of hair and corral my spunky Scottie and occasionally let my hubby pamper me. Do real life events find their way into your stories?  Sometimes, especially if they are world-wide life changing events. But for the most part I use my imagination. Do you ever mimic family members or people you know when you choose characters? LOL! Have you been talking to my mother?  It’s difficult not to.  As a writer, you spend a good amount of time observing people. Do you find yourself going back to the same inspiration for each story or is it always something different?   Sometimes. It’s a hard call.  You want every story to be fresh. When do you write?  Early morning? During the day sometime or all day?  After the kids go to bed?  I’m lucky enough to write all day, but I’m much more productive in the mornings. How do you feel about marketing your book?   It’s the worst.  I would rather just write.  But I’m business minded enough to know it’s a necessary evil. What social sites do you feel work best for marketing?  None.  Social sites work best for getting to know people.  That's their point and intent.  If you rely on them too heavily for marketing, you will irritate people.  That said, I do do FB events and let my FB fans and Twitter followers know about book inspirations upcoming releases etc.  For marketing, I rely on certain promo groups like Korner Kafe and What to read after 50 Shades of Gray. Do you like to pitch stories to your publisher or do you wait until you have written the story and have a final manuscript to turn in?  When I’m working with a publisher, I like to turn in a finished story.  I prefer to know it’s done than to have to then write to something I pitched.  I change my mind so often that the story I start with is often not the story I finish with. Is there any other genre that you would love to try writing?  If so, what is it? I’d love to give New Adult a try. When I first started writing, that was my intended market only to discover that it didn’t exist as a market.  Now times have changed.  Lol. Do you always/ever see yourself as the heroine/hero when you write a story? Every character I write contains some sliver of my personality, so yeah, sometimes J Just for fun, I have a few personal questions,  Favorite 5 1)        Favorite Male Actor  - For a long time it was Josh Hartnett, but these days it’s Gabriel Macht from Suits. 2)        Favorite vehicle – Mini Cooper 3)        Favorite way to relax - Read 4)        Favorite ice cream – Rainbow Sherbert 5)        Favorite outfit – Hmmm, good one, White skinny jeans with an opaque peach top and wedges. And for a bonus:  If you could pick any place in the world to live, besides where you are now, where would it be?  (Of course, without the hindrance of jobs or money needed)  I’d move home to Ghana.  And if not Ghana, then I’m be making my home in London town  Where can our readers find you??   Email:  nana@nanamaloneromance.com Twitter: www.twitter.com/nanamalone Facebook:  www.facebook.com/nanamalonewriter Website/blog:  www.nanamalone.com Amazon author page:  www.amazon.com/author/nanamalone Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4341612.Nana_Malone Is there an upcoming or current release you would like to share with us today and where can we find it? My current release is: Sassy in Stilettos (A Sassy Contemporary Romance) Blurb:  Smart mouthed and in charge, magazine editor, Micha Bennett, has learned the hard way to choose her career over love.  When she’s up for the job of a lifetime, the competition becomes deadly fierce. To protect their best asset, her company hires the one person who’s ever put Micha on edge and threatens her sense of control.  Sexy, security consultant, Caleb Atkins, knows what he wants and it’s Micha Bennett. He just has to convince her she wants him too.  With ugly shadows in his own past, he’ll die before he lets anything harm the woman he loves. Too bad Micha doesn’t think she needs his protection or his love.   Can Caleb convince Micha to let go of control long enough to fall in love? Or will fear and danger tear them apart?   Warning: Sexy, sass talking women will make you laugh, cry and want a pair of killer footwear. Excerpt: Micha shifted uncomfortably in her seat, certain Jaya was trying to torture her. Why had Jaya insisted they all bring dates? All week Micha tried to rustle up a date but had come up empty. Eventually she’d stuffed her poor assistant into a monkey suit and told him he had to escort her. She’d rather have taken a bullet to the eyeball than show up alone tonight. Why the hell Jaya had opted to seat her next to Caleb during the rehearsal dinner was beyond her. And now she could feel him staring at her. Oh, he wasn’t blatant about it, a sly look here, a drifting glance there. Every time she moved, his knee nudged hers. She reached for her wine glass and grazed his arm. Every time accidental contact occurred, it sent electric jolts through her body, and her skin felt like she had a prickly heat rash. Refocusing, she turned to her date. Smile pretty, Micha. Don’t be a bad host. She should at least make an effort. “So, Ryan, you were telling me you like rafting?” There, she’d made her effort.  Next to her, Caleb shifted in his seat and turned to face Ryan’s direction as her assistant told everyone about the class five rapids and his less-than-experienced trip buddies.  Without concentrating, she could actually feel Caleb’s breath, tickling her spine. Curse Jaya and Ricca for suggesting she wear her unruly curls up. Sure, they liked to wear their hair up because it gave their honeys easy access for nuzzling. Immediately, a memory flashed of her and Caleb on the dance floor the night they’d met. The way he’d leaned in to whisper to her that he wanted to take her out.  Wait for it. Ah, there it was—her body softened for him immediately, responding to the memory. God, she had to get laid and pronto, before she gave in and actually slept with Mr. Handsome as Sin.  Micha crossed and uncrossed her legs again. When Caleb leaned in to whisper in her ear, a shiver stole down her back. “Seriously, Micha, you need to stop moving around. Why are you so antsy?” As if he didn’t know. She whispered back through a false smile, tight enough to crack her molars. “Why are you watching me so close, Atkins? See something you like?” His answer was immediate. “Yes. But then, you already know that.”  The timber of his voice was low, and his words rolled over her like whiskey on a cold night. Hell, that man was sexy. She turned her attention to her date more resolutely. You will not sleep with Caleb Atkins. You. Will. Not. Sleep. With. Caleb. Atkins. She met Ricca’s gaze across the table, and when her friend beamed at her, Micha couldn’t help but relax a little. Ricca was also blissfully in love. She had that totally sated been-on-honeymoon look on her face that all newlyweds wore. They weren’t married yet, but if Micha had to bet money, it was only a matter of time.  And as for Jaya, well, she’d found her Mr. Right. Alec was the perfect complement to her friend’s serious type-A personality. He actually forced her to have some fun. For years, that had been Micha’s job, but it was nice to see Jaya happy. Both her friends would tell her to date Caleb already. But it wasn’t that easy.  Micha hadn’t had a real relationship since leaving New York. Finding out she’d been living with a married man and that his wife was crazy enough to try and carve little chunks out of her, had sort of soured her on the whole happily ever after thing. And she would never forget how Simon hadn’t even bothered to try and see her or apologize. Her judgment had been all wrong about him, and she’d vowed she would never let herself be blinded by feelings again. No matter how genuine they may seem. She’d dated plenty. But she never let any guy get too close. Even when she tried to let people in, it was like an invisible barrier repelled her from whoever she was with. She’d made pushing people away an art form. After what Simon had done to her, she had no intention of getting hurt like that again.  Add to that, Caleb wasn’t just any guy, but practically family. She wasn’t going anywhere near a relationship with him. If she messed with him, Alec and Beckett would be all up in her business. Everyone would. And that wasn’t in the playbook. Caleb was the kind of guy who wanted open and uncomplicated, and she was complicated as hell. When it didn’t work, it would be her fault.  She liked her privacy. She liked her freedom. Eventually, no matter how hot and heavy they were, she’d feel hemmed in, and then it would be messy and ugly for everyone. Especially me.  But maybe if she scratched that itch, she’d get Caleb out of her system.  Who was she kidding? Once wouldn’t be enough. He seemed like the slow lover type.  Micha shook her head, trying to get the image of him over her out of her head. Fantasies would get her nowhere.  It’s available now at the following outlets: Amazon US: http://amzn.to/12HruJV Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/137rx1q Nook: http://bit.ly/1bWY557 Kobo: http://bit.ly/17yxw2U ARe: http://bit.ly/1bo7Nij iTunes: http://bit.ly/12J3eXG

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

USA Today Best Seller and iTunes Breakout Books author, Nana Malone's love of all things romance and adventure started with a tattered romantic suspense she borrowed from her cousin.

It was a sultry summer afternoon in Ghana, and Nana was a precocious thirteen. She's been in love with kick butt heroines ever since. With her overactive imagination, and channeling her inner Buffy, it was only a matter a time before she started creating her own characters.

While she waits for her chance at a job as a ninja assassin, in the meantime Nana works out her drama, passion and sass with fictional characters every bit as sassy and kick butt as she thinks she is.

Nana also writes sizzling erotic novellas as Q. Malone

WEBSITE  TWITTER  FACEBOOK

Author, author...

...read all about it !!  

Today we are

"Romancing the Sass"   

with Nana Malone !! 

Welcome Nana, so great to have you here with us.  Can you tell us a little about yourself?
 

Oh I’m just your average Ghanaian/American girl who lives in sunny San Diego with an American husband who thinks my family is crazy.  My Big Fat Greek Wedding has nothing on us.  In my infinite spare time, I chase around my two year old trying to tame her wild mane of hair, try and corral my spunky Scottie and occasionally let my hubby pamper me. 
 

Do real life events find their way into your stories?
 

Not often.  Even if I’m using real life events for inspiration, my imagination wants to change it up a little.

 

Do you ever mimic family members or people you know when you choose characters?
 

Lol.  Of course.  That can’t be helped.  As a writer or story teller, you pay attention to how people move, how they talk.  I do an excellent impression of my mother.  When I finally write that book set back home in Ghana, I’ll be using it for sure.

 

Do you find yourself going back to the same inspiration for each story or is it always something different?

Always something different.  All my stories start with me wondering about a particular situation then my mind takes hold of that scenario and runs wild.

 

When do you write?  Early morning? During the day sometime or all day?  After the kids go to bed?
 

Early morning before I’ve even brushed my teeth yet, I get 1000 words knocked out as a general rule.  Then I write when my Bratlette goes off to preschool until she comes home.

 

How do you feel about marketing your book?

Not my favorite part at all.  I love my books and want to tell people about them.  But I have feeling like I’m spamming people.  Particularly my readers and fans.


 

What social sites do you feel work best for marketing?

Uhm, Let’s see, I have gotten good results from Kindle Fire Department and Kindle Nation Daily.


 

Do you like to pitch stories to your publisher or do you wait until you have written the story and have a final manuscript to turn in?

I wait till I have a story ready before I pitch or submit.  So many times the story I set out to write changes as I go.  I like having that flexibility.


 

Is there any other genre that you would love to try writing?  If so, what is it?  I also write Paranormal (Superhero Romance).  I’m a geek girl at heart who has always wished for Telekinetic power.

 

Do you always/ever see yourself as the heroine/hero when you write a story?
 
In particular with Sexy in Stilettos, the main Character Jaya was the most like me.  Seriously type A.  Lol

 

Just for fun, I have a few personal questions, 

Your Favorite 5
 

1)    Favorite Male Actor  - Joe Mangianello (Carnegie Mellon represent!)

2)    Favorite vehicle - Tesla

3)    Favorite way to relax - Dance

4)    Favorite ice cream – Cookies ‘n’ Cream

5)    Favorite outfit – Miniskirt with boots.  There’s something so hot about that combo to me.

 

And for a bonus:  If you could pick any place in the world to live, besides where you are now, where would it be?  (Of course, without the hindrance of jobs or money needed)

 Ghana.  I’d love to be able to move back home.

 

Where can our readers find you?? 
 

Email:  nana@nanamaloneromance.com

Twitter:  www.twitter.com/nanamalone

Facebook: www.facebook.com/nanamalonewriter
 

Website/blog: www.nanamalone.
 

Amazon author page: http://www.amazon.com/Nana-Malone/e/B0041ENVV6/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1
 

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4341612.Nana_Malone

 

Is there an upcoming or current release you would like to share with us today and where can we find it?
 

Yes!

Sultry in Stilettos  is the second in my In Stilettos Series.
 

Shy, Fantasy Event Planner, Ricca Munroe has never been lucky in love, so when the latest in a long line of Mr. Oh So Wrongs publicly dumps her, she focuses on her career. All she has to do to land the job of a lifetime is work side-by-side with the one man who can break her heart.

Beckett Mills has never been in love. Personal entanglements are a recipe for disaster—that is until one kiss from Ricca Munroe changes everything. Beckett needs this job to fulfill a promise he made. All he has to do is resist the seductive charms of his best friend.

Can Ricca come out of her shell to land her dream job and the love of her life? Can Beckett trust himself enough to actually fall in love and still keep the promise he made?

Warning: Sexy, sass talking women will make you laugh, cry and want a pair of killer footwear.

 

All purchase links: Amazon, B&N, Kobo, All Romance eBooks

 

Excerpt
 

“How about a kiss?”
 

Both of them whirled and gaped at the unassuming photographer. Ricca’s heart skipped into a trot at the suggestion. Even as she drew in a shuddering breath, she clamped the flare of desire quick. No. Not ever going to happen. That would be all kinds of fuckeduptitude. She opened her mouth for some pat awkward response, but Beckett beat her to it.
 

“Yeah, no. I don’t think so. We’re not a couple.”
 

The photographer held up the camera. “It’s for the charity kiss auction. Winners of best kiss will get twenty thousand dollars donated to their favorite charity. Are you sure you can’t muster up a kiss?”
 

Ricca could practically hear Beckett’s teeth grinding. He needed the money. He’d been dying to rehab an old gymnasium downtown for years. Besides women, it was all he ever talked about. Twenty thousand dollars would go miles toward rehabbing it into a practice pool for underprivileged kids.
 

Never mind that she’d only fantasized about him kissing her for a million years. But this would not be that kind of kiss, she admonished herself. It’s for charity, her inner diva whined. But one kiss from him and she’d be in a mess of trouble. He was too much like his brother Braedon.
 

****
 

Becket’s heart thudded, and in that breath, he leaped at the idea. Not just because of the charity earnings. He might tease Ricca, but flirting with her was about as close as he’d ever let himself get. She was the one relationship he couldn’t fuck up—wouldn’t fuck up. She was right. It would ruin everything if he kissed her. But God, of the most secret wishes, it was the one he kept closeted under lock and key and under a wardrobe trunk.

Still, twenty grand, and he could have that pool open by the end of the year if he busted ass. He already had a few architects he wanted to take a look at the place. All he needed was the start up cash—and to risk his most important friendship for a dream. Maybe it would be fine. Maybe.
 

All he had to do was kiss her. Something quick and brief enough to put a holster on any errant fantasy that might crawl its way to the surface, but with enough dramatic flair to win. Geez. He cleared his throat. Maybe if he made a joke of it, it would be okay. “Relax, Ricca. I promise you, I’m very good.” He waggled his eyebrows for effect. Keep it nice and light.
 

She wrinkled her brows as she looked between him and the photographer. “You’re kidding me, right? Beckett, this is insane.”
 

“This is for charity. And I know just the charity. Help some underprivileged kids get a pool. It’s for the kids, Ricca. I can’t help it if you want my body.” He could only wish.
 

She scoffed. “You’re an idiot.”
 

“That may be true, but your man has a point. The charity kiss auction has been a Westhorpe Gala tradition for thirty years.” Adele Westhorpe, the hostess and billionaire hotel magnate, interjected as she strolled up to them, looking regal in her shimmer and diamonds. “Besides,” she added, “You’re standing under the mistletoe. You almost have to kiss at this point.”
 

Beckett looked up, and his heart kicked again. When he glanced back at the old lady, he would have sworn there was a knowing look in her eye, but it was gone just as soon as he noticed it, replaced by an impassive stare. He cleared his throat. “It’s not me you have to convince.” He inclined his head at Ricca. “I’m afraid she thinks I’m beneath her.”
 

Ricca slapped him on the arm. “Would you stop?” She huffed a breath. “Fine. But if you’re going to kiss me, make it good for the camera. Some kids need a pool, or so someone tells me.”
 

Beckett watched as Ricca licked her full lips. His body jerked and went rigid. Shit. Breathe. His fingertips tingled with the urge to touch her. In so many ways this was a huge mistake. In so many ways this could ruin everything.
 

Too bad he didn’t care.
 

Ricca looked from side to side. “Okay, let’s do this.”
 

He looked over at Adele Westhorpe, who wore a beatific smile. Fine. He could do this. Stepping into Ricca, he inhaled her scent. Something lemony and sweet. As familiar to him as his own cologne.
 

She tipped her head up and gave him a wry smile. “Why do you look terrified?”
 

He hadn’t had to think through the mechanics of a kiss so much since he was sixteen. Beckett wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her into his body. She leaned back, and wide, honey-brown eyes stared up at him. He swallowed hard as he walked himself through the technical mechanics. Lean over. Hold her tight. Angle your head. Place lips on hers.
 

The instant electric sparks made his brain fuzz. All he heard was the blood rushing through his head. Immediately, they pulled their lips apart and just stared. Under his fingertips, he felt her racing pulse, and his eyes widened. She’d felt it too?
 

She puffed out a tiny breath, and he smelled champagne and mint mixed with her lemony scent. He couldn’t have predicted what would happen next. When her lips parted, cohesive thought didn’t even factor. He slid his lips against hers again. Her breath mingled with his and his tongue sought hers. When she tentatively met his tongue with hers, he devoured her. Clamping a hand behind her neck, he held her in place. His hands shifted from her waist to her ass. He held her against him and groaned when her hands tentatively went to his face. The soft, generous curves of her breasts pressed into his chest.
 

She made a soft mewling sound, and he immediately deepened the kiss as a low growl rumbled deep in his chest. His libido roared to attention, and his erection throbbed against his tuxedo pants. In this moment, it was him and Ricca, alone and both willing and ready to do something carnal and dirty and—No, they weren’t alone. And he wasn’t kissing some random chick he’d picked up in a bar. He was kissing Ricca.
 

His brain gave the command to remove his hand from her ass, but his body rebelled against the instruction. Ricca didn’t help matters when her hands shifted from his face and fisted into the hair at the nape of his neck. An errant thought intruded into his lust-filled haze. Is she pulling you in, or is she pulling you away? Shit.
 

He straightened and pulled her upright, separating them. He took a deliberate step away and met her gaze. Her lips, plump and juicy, parted just a little. Her dark eyes were heavy lidded, and her pupils dilated. His body screamed to go back for more.
 

Ricca blinked, opened her mouth to speak, then shut it again. Beckett racked his brain but didn’t have the words for what they’d just done. After all there wasn’t a Hallmark for this kind of thing. Sorry I just kissed you like you were some bar girl I picked up in Pacific Beach.
 

“Well, if that doesn’t win best kiss, I’m dying to witness what does.” Adele Westhorpe looked pleased with herself.
 

Beckett’s fingers twitched, and he still felt the tingles in his feet. There it was, the inevitable urge to flee. Far and fast, away from anything important and serious. But he couldn’t just walk away from her. “Ricca, I—”
 

She quickly averted her eyes. “I—um. I’m just going to go. I’ll see you later.”
 

Beckett watched as she nearly ran in the opposite direction.
 

“Are you just going to let her walk away?” asked Adele.
 

“I don’t really have a choice.”


 

Nana thanks so much for being here with us!

Readers, Nana is doing a giveaway so make sure you visit the rafflecopter below !!

Until next time, happy reading !

Krista

 

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