Please help me welcome Lily Rede to my blog today. Lily had generously agreed to gie away and ecopy of her book today to onw lucky commenter so be sure and leave ehr a comment.

How has your experience with self-publishing been? What advice do you
have for other authors wanting to self-publish?

The only advice I have for authors who are curious about self-publishing is DO IT. For a long time, I think the world felt about self-publishing the same way they felt about internet dating – curious, but wary. Now, the situation is different. A solid chunk of my nearest and dearest found their better halves online, and self-publishing has become just as mainstream. If you have a solid critique group, a good editor, and some graphics skills (or a few pennies to throw at an artist with Photoshop), there’s no reason you can’t put out a quality product in a fraction of the time. Why wait two years to see your book in print if you don’t have to? Don’t get me wrong, those big publishing houses are there for a reason, but self-publishing is a great way for new writers to get their feet wet, build up an audience, and see if this whole crazy business is actually for them.

Tell us about your current series.

My current series – BRIGHT’S FERRY – is about a fictional New England seaside town where everybody knows everybody. I wanted to create a place where people have known each other for decades, but really have no idea what kind of strange and twisted things lie under the surface. The series is planned for three books, but may go further – a blend of hot erotic romance and romantic suspense.

Tell us a little about yourself and your latest book.

SAFE FROM THE DARK is the first in the BRIGHT’S FERRY series – Evie Asher, a disgraced New York cop, heads back to town in search of a new start, and finds that and a whole lot more. From the start, she’s drawn to Colin Daniels, the popular mayor, who is exactly the kind of guy she should avoid – controlling, powerful, and dangerously
attractive. Unfortunately, she’s not the only one who thinks so, and Evie and Colin are thrown together to catch a killer. Colin finds Evie stubborn, pushy, and impossible to resist, so of course the sparks are going to fly as they try to protect each other from a dangerous predator.

What genre(s) do you write in and why?

I like contemporary romance and romantic suspense, but I’ve got some fun paranormal and fantasy titles planned for 2013! The process of building new worlds and filling them with great characters is completely addictive. And writing romance lets me really push
characters to their emotional limits, which is half the fun!

What is your least favorite part of writing?

Continuity. Sigh. Any time you change something on p.173, you have go back and make sure that it tracks on p.8, p.42, and p. 96. It’s the bane of my existence, because whenever I think I’m done, there’s ONE MORE MISTAKE! Argh.

What is your typical day like?

Snooze button. Hungry cats. Hungry dogs. Half an hour checking email and wasting time. I try to get all my promo stuff done in the morning, and then write for a couple of hours. Sadly, I’m not writing full time quite yet, so the afternoon is usually spent doing “paycheck” work, and then more writing. If I’m lucky, I’ll knock off
around seven.

What do you have planned for the future? How far do you plan ahead?

I usually have a concrete plan for about two months ahead, and a loose idea beyond that. I’ve learned that flexibility is key – in self-publishing, your deadlines are your own, so while it’s great to stick to a schedule, over-planning takes all the fun out of it.

Do you have any words of inspiration for aspiring authors?

Don’t stop. If you get a bad review, don’t stop. If the book is just a total mess, don’t stop. If nothing is selling, don’t stop. Natural talent is all well and good, but how do we get to Carnegie Hall? Practice, practice. My first attempts at writing were horrific, but I’m a better writer than I was five years ago, and I’ll be a better
writer five years from now. Do it because you love it and don’t listen to anyone who tells you to quit.

SAFE FROM THE DARK

EXCERPT

SHIVERING AND COMPLETELY DRENCHED, Evie dropped her backpack on the Daniels’ porch. It was a beautiful hundred-year-old farmhouse that was obviously in the process of being restored – scaffolding protected a new wing off the side of the two-story structure. Evie spared only a quick glance around – her teeth were starting to chatter.
Fingers tight with cold, Evie raised a hand to knock.
Nothing.
Come on, come on.
Someone had to be home, judging from the sporty little SUV in the driveway sitting behind a more utilitarian truck. The lights within blazed with beckoning warmth and the smoky scent of a fireplace teased Evie with promises of heat and comfort.
She knocked harder, kicking the door for good measure, stumbling back as it jerked open.
“What the hell, Tom? Can’t a guy take one Sunday afternoon – ”
He broke off abruptly, hazel eyes widening.
Evie tried to form words, but her brain inconveniently chose that moment to shut down, obviously overloaded by impending hypothermia and the sight of six plus feet of bare, tanned muscle standing in the doorway, clutching a blanket around his waist with lean, elegant hands. His skin had a light sheen of sweat and his dark hair was ruffled over those bright hazel eyes.
Hot.
Even the inner cop whimpered and she gave it a mental shove.
Pull it together, Asher.
“I’m so sorry to bother you, but I was looking for Mr. or Mrs. Daniels – ”
His brows snapped together with a frown.
“They’re dead. Over a year now. Car accident.”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t know. I was headed to the old Asher cabin down the road and my car got stuck.”
“You were trying to get out there in this?”
Incredulous, he gestured and the blanket slipped just a bit, exposing another inch of taut waist and a narrow pelt of dark hair under his navel that arrowed downward in a most interesting manner.
Evie swallowed and kept her eyes on his.
“I just need a phone to call the garage, if that’s okay.”
“Colin?” The breathy voice drifting down the stairs had Evie’s face heating in a blush, despite her shivers, as her brain stuttered back into working order.
Two cars in the driveway, panting sex god in the doorway. Way to go, Asher. You just cock-blocked your new neighbor.

Amazon Buy Link – http://amzn.com/B00A1SR2NY

SAFE FROM THE DARK – BLURB:
Nursing a broken heart and a couple of bullet wounds, no-nonsense Evie-Asher leaves her career with the NYPD to move into her grandmother’s old house in a small New England town in the middle of nowhere. She wants nothing more than a new start and a chance to
forget the mistakes of the past and get her life back on track, minus the shootouts. Her plans are shattered when her new neighbor, the town’s hunky young mayor, starts receiving death threats from a dangerous stalker. Evie is unwillingly drawn back into a world of peril, and while her bruised heart tries to resist the out-of-control sparks that zing between them, she is forced to stay close to keep him safe as the stalking quickly turns to murder…

Colin Daniels has his hands full running Bright’s Ferry as their popular and busy young mayor. He doesn’t have time for stalkers or threats, much less a lovely gray-eyed cop with control issues who insists that the stalker is a member of the community, someone he knows and loves. When the situation takes a deadly turn, Colin finds that he has no choice but to give up some control himself and rely on Evie to protect him until they can unmask the killer. Passion sizzles between two stubborn hearts as they clash over the best way to handle a dangerous situation, but can they keep each other safe as the dark closes in?

Amazon Buy Link – http://amzn.com/B00A1SR2NY

BIO:
Lily has been writing since she was ten. She lives steps from the beach with a bunch of semi-feral cats and two goofy dogs who are forever tracking sand into the house, but she loves them anyway. She has lived all over the world and jumped into writing full time when her cubicle city became too confining. Lily writes hot contemporary
romance, paranormal, and works of ludicrous fantasy, depending on her mood. Titles include: BUILD ME UP, POUR ON THE HEAT, HOT FOR JOE, PASSION & PUMPKINS, MY FAIR HEX, and HOT & SWEET – BEGINNINGS.

Twitter: @RedeLily