Just a few days ago I finished this book, and I fell in love with it. The characters are amazing, the location is spectacular, and the course of events will definitely keep you on the edge of your seat waiting for more. Read my review HERE
And today I am very excited to have Tessa Armytage here to talk about the book, "Bess, Nicholas & A Dog Called Bones". Read through, and then enter the giveaway at the end!
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INTERVIEW
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Today we are welcoming author Tessa Armytage to Fictional Candy. Welcome Tessa, so glad to have you here!
Liz,
it's a great privilege to be appearing on Fictional Candy. Thank you for having me.
First, can you tell the Fictional Candy readers a bit about your book, “Bess,
Nicholas & a Dog Called Bones”?
I
set out to do something a little out of the ordinary in that the focus is on
just how scary it is to fall in love.
When we give our heart to another we make them the most powerful person
in the world – or at least our world – and we make ourselves vulnerable to a
world of hurt. It takes a lot of courage
to fall in love, I think. Lovers –
people who love life and each other – are the bravest people in the world.
You did a great job of that. Not only was it easy to put myself in Bess's place, but it took me back to those times in my life.
Valley Vineyard is such a beautiful location for such a story. Did you fashion Nicholas’ home after any location
in particular?
Aha,
you've got me there. Valley Vineyard is
in reality the home of my first love. He
broke my heart and I'd like to think I broke his a little bit too, but before
then we made love like there was no tomorrow in one of the most beautiful
places in the world.
Actually,
Liz, if you don't mind, I'd like to include a few links so readers can see the
place for themselves.
Oh my goodness, those pictures are breathtaking! It certainly seems like a place created for falling in love!
So Tessa, any chance you will be releasing “Bess, Nicholas & A Dog Called
Bones” in a print version?
If
the ebook takes off, then yes, I'd love to.
I will definitely be on the look out for that. This would be a great addition to my collection!
And while I am on the subject, any plans for a sequel? Maybe Alex’s story?
It's
a bit embarrassing to admit this but when I finish writing a book I always vow
to write a sequel because I have so much trouble letting go of the
characters. In this case letting go was
made doubly difficult because of the adorably mischievous Bones. I'll be honest: I cried my eyes out. After a while I usually start to get over
saying goodbye, but now you've got me thinking.
Alex is such an interesting character and you just know there's more to
him than meets the eye. I can't rule out
a sequel.
I'll keep my fingers crossed!
Like Bess (and every other warm blooded woman that is going to read
this book), I am just fascinated with Nicholas. He is rough around the edges, in terms of
relationships, but he has got everything else down firm. Who do you think could play him in a movie?
Oh
definitely Chris Isaak. Who better to
play a devil with the voice of an angel, at his most debonair? Here's Chris Isaak singing Devil in Disguise. What do you think?
I think Chris Isaak is perfect for Nicholas! I could easily make that connection. Now I have a face to go with my fantasy! Thanks!
This entire book is full of lively characters, Tessa. They were all so unique and interesting. Was working with them easy, in terms of
writing this story?
Liz,
I'm thrilled that you liked them. I've
been known to step around my characters in my study rather than hurt their
feelings by walking through them, so yes, I do get terribly involved with
them. I was fascinated by Nicholas and
Alex. They're such sophisticated men,
and all the more so for not flaunting it, but you get the feeling that just
beneath that debonair surface there is an edge.
They know how to fight, and they can do it without raising their voices
or fists, but even so, you get the feeling that these two utterly charming men
could hold their own in a bar room brawl and walk away smiling without so much
as a crease in their dinner suits.
I felt that way too. It takes a very strong and secure man to pull off that kind of strength while being so calm and collected.
And speaking of writing, do you just let the story take you, or do you
have a certain way to get the story told (like an outline or something)?
Over
the years I've learned to fly by the seat of my pants, otherwise, it becomes an
exercise in joining the dots and that's the way it reads too. You've got to let your characters develop
their own voices, their own cares and concerns, their own passions and
beliefs. You've got let them develop
their own story, let their voices shine through and listen to what they're telling
you. I start off writing them, but after
a short time, they're pulling my strings, pushing me around, telling me what to
do, which is more than a bit cheeky given that I gave them life so you'd think
they'd show me a bit of gratitude, but no.
I
do start out by writing detailed scene outlines but when it comes time to write
the scene, I don't consult my original notes, as much not to break my mood as
anything else. After I've finished I
read my original notes and I'm constantly amazed at how different the scene
turned out to how I imagined it; how differently the characters spoke, the
words they used, how they responded to each other. Sometimes I'll blush and think, "Why
ever did I think Nicholas would say that?
Nicholas would never say that."
I know they're becoming their own people when I have that reaction.
Voice
is something I'm very passionate about in that I see it as my job to keep my
voice the hell out of my work and let the characters speak for themselves. I'd like to think that's what makes my
characters lively.
Do you have any other books coming out soon?
At the moment I'm having a lovely time talking to
readers about Bess, Nicholas & A Dog Called Bones. I'll get back to work soon enough.
Ok, let’s lighten up and have some fun :)
I'm
a writer – talking about myself is fun.
Didn't the earth move for you?
Oh, it absolutely did ;)
Favorite travel destination?
I
haven't travelled nearly as much as I'd like to. I'd dearly love to ensconce myself in some
picturesque Irish cottage for a year to write my next book.
Sounds delightful!
Most unusual food you have eaten?
McDonalds. It's the only thing in the world that doesn't
taste a bit like chicken, even when it is actually chicken.
When you read, what kind of books do you grab first?
I
love a good ghost story – a real, good old fashioned ghost story, as opposed to
ectoplasmic thingies of the night. When
my mind is too full I'll go back to a comfort read like To Kill A Mockingbird
or David Copperfield. As much as they
are about dark times, they're just so brimming with hope, optimism and the
sense of what's right in the world. I'll
just as comfortably read a book like The Silence of The Lambs as read a
classic, just so long as the writing is there.
How do
you feel about social media? Like it?
Hate it? Addicted to it?
I'm a new
convert. Social media is like one of
those serendipitous conversations you strike up with a complete stranger on the
train – it can really make your day.
I've met some thoroughly lovely people and only been stalked twice. However, I'm still learning the ropes and I
do find it a struggle time-wise.
Yes, it definitely can induce some major time suckage. I am still learning to balance all of the different places myself.
Favorite
drink (alcohol or otherwise)?
Can a
favourite drink possibly not involve alcohol?
Like Bess, I'm enamoured of sauvignon blanc. I also love a properly made margarita with
good tequila, lime juice and triple sec, and preferably served with a side of
Mexican banquet. I adore frozen
strawberry daiquiris, and banana daiquiris… and hell, now that I think about
it, any daiquiri. I'd sell my mother
down the river for a pina colada… maybe I should stop there.
Oh, and I
also like pineapple juice. There. That's non-alcoholic… unless you add some rum
and coconut cream and turn it into a pina colada…
Ahh, a drinker after my own heart!
Ok, that’s
about it for today. Thank you so much
for joining me in this interview, and for the great giveaway for the
readers. I wish you the best of luck with this release! It’s been a lot of fun for me,
and I hope to see more work from you in the future.
Hic. Thank you so much, Liz. It's been my great privilege and pleasure.
Available for purchase at
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GIVEAWAY
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Please comment below for your chance to win an Ecopy of the book "Bess, Nicholas & A Dog Called Bones" by Tessa Armytage. Please be sure to leave your email address if it is not visible in your profile. Also, it is not necessary to follow, but if you do, you get an extra entry! If you do follow Fictional Candy, please tell me how so!
Contest is open internationally to people age 16 and over. Contest will run from January 6, 2012 til January 12, 2012. Winner will be picked via random.org and will have 48 hours to claim prize after email notification or a new winner will be chosen.
Good luck, and happy reading!
Synopsis:
Bess Saint Clair is about to lose everything and the only man who can save her is Nicholas Blake. It's just a pity she can't stand him.
Nicholas is a record industry hotshot with a reputation for being a Big, Bad Wolf. That’s okay by publicist Bess – she’s the sort of Little Red Riding Hood who eats wolves for breakfast. From the moment Nicholas and Bess clap eyes on each other they share a common bond: they want to tear each other’s throats out.
When Nicholas discovers that the man he has hired for the job is a woman, he’d like nothing better than to boot her out of his office. When Bess discovers he is one of those creatures of prehistoric legend – a male chauvinist – she’d like nothing better than to flip him the bird and turn on her heel.
But he needs her talent and she needs his money.
Each is hell bent on teaching the other a lesson. Both are about to learn a lesson they’ll never forget. The battle over who will wear the pants will be fiercest when neither is wearing any.
Funny, tender and deeply sensual, Bess, Nicholas & A Dog Called Bones is set in a picturesque valley vineyard and features a heroic, shameless sausage extortionist of a dog who is almost as human, and every bit as unforgettable, as Nicholas and Bess.
