Please help me welcome Alisa Anderson to my blog today. Be sure to leave her a comment to be entered to win the prize of one of her ebooks. She’s giving away three kindle copies of ther ebook today so be sure and leave her a comment.

What genres are you drawn to as a reader?

i love, fantasy, mystery, paranormal, sci-fi, erotic romance, erotica, historical romance, you name it, i probably have read something from that genre. i am extremely varied!

Tell us about your hero. Give us one of his strengths and one of his weaknesses.

in the give and receive series there are two heroes. the first ty malone, is definitely a piece of work! one of his strengths is that even tho he plays hard, he loves hard too, completely, with mind, body and soul. i would have to say one of his weaknesses is that often he will do the wrong thing for what he thinks are the right reasons. my second hero, danny blake can sometimes be a little more complicated. dark, broody and intense, i would say one his weaknesses is doing the “right” thing for the wrong reasons. he’s very noble that way. if there was someone to marry you if he got you pregnant even if he wasn’t in love with you, this would be your guy, lol. so to go along with this, i would say his inner resolve and determination to see things thru is one of his biggest strengths.

Tell us about your heroine. Give us one of her strengths and one of her weaknesses.

miss lena. well, let’s see. she is a shade spoiled and self-absorbed, lol. she tends to think of herself first. on the other hand she is incredibly generous and loyal to a fault. she will always have your back no matter what and that’s important.

What move best describes your life? Why?

i would have to say alice in wonderland. me and my mouth are always getting into one adventure after another, never quite figuring out how I got there in the first place. wondering how i plan to get out. and to quote alice “i give myself very good advice, but i very seldom follow it. that explains the trouble that i’m always in…” now see, that’s me. all day, all night, lol.

Where do you get the ideas for your stories?

i get ideas from everything. it might be a commercial i’ve seen, a movie trailer or even another book. that moment where you say, well i like how the movie ended THIS way…but what if the story went in this direction instead? it often opens up a whole new world of possibilities.

Do you have critique partners?

i do. i think it’s incredibly important to bounce ideas and thoughts off of someone else, or several someone else’s. i am also always on the look-out for more so let me know who you are people. beta readers too!

How likely are people you meet to end up in your next book?

very possible. you just never know when someone you know might turn up. i just can’t say who. that would ruin the surprise. *grins*

What advice do you have for other authors wanting to self-publish?

remember that this is a marathon, not a sprint. plan to be in this for the long haul and learn as much as you can. become a part of writing groups, network with other writers, learn from everyone who was before you, even walking beside you on this publishing journey. ask questions when possible and never be ashamed to admit you don’t know the answer. understand that in all likelihood, you are never going to be the next j.k. rowling, e.l. james or stephen king. And that’s ok. strive to be YOU. always thank the people who go out of their way to help you and remember to do the same for someone else. be confident in yourself and your product, but not cocky. be gracious. be kind. and above all, keep writing.

What is your favorite dessert/food?

gonna have to go with a ripe, extra sweet, organic (of course) strawberry for the win. It was the first thing that popped into my mind at the question and i’ve loved them for years.

thanks for having me today!

Excerpt:

Speaking of confusion, she knew there should be none where Danny was concerned. She thought some time ago there might have been something. She was sure she felt a connection, positive, he might have felt one too, but he had made it all so simple hadn’t he?

There was no room for error or mistake. He made his choice, years ago, which basically dictated hers.

He was unavailable. Married. Hands off. Not that she gave a damn about a ring, truthfully. Her ginormous ego simply refused to be an afterthought or come in second to some other woman sporting his rock. Lena came in second for no one. Not even him.
But sweet Jesus, he made it incredibly tempting to break every last one of her rules of do’s and don’ts.

“Speak of the devil.” Ty gave a nod as he walked up to the bar.

“What up, brother.” He lifted his drink and Danny nodded his greeting back.

Lena blinked at Ty. “No. Actually we weren’t.”

“No, actually we weren’t…what.”

“No, actually we weren’t…speaking of the devil. Or Danny.”

Her voice was carefully neutral.

“Same difference, right? I kid. But real talk. You didn’t ask me where Danny was? Sorry. That’s my bad, I guess. Thought you did.” He grinned and tossed back his vodka tonic. He knew what he was doing, apparently.

What she couldn’t figure out was why.

She gave Ty a look, which he ignored.

“You were asking about me, L?”

He was the only one who ever called her that.

“Oh. Yeah. I’m sure…I mean, yeah, of course.”

Her words were rushed, breathless.

“Well what are you waiting for? Give me some love, girl.”

As she reached up to give him a hug, she was careful to maintain her distance.

His head bent down and his lips were feather light, grazing the sinuous skin of her collarbone.

She always did feel like silk.

Her soft curls skimmed Danny’s lips, tickling as he closed his eyes, inhaling the sweet, fragrant peach blossom scent of her shampoo as it teased, taunted his senses.

He held her for a minute, just a bit longer than he should have.

Almost like he never wanted to let her go.

When he opened them, Ty was staring at him. He took in everything and was silent and observing. Knowing.

Danny started to give her a kiss on the cheek and she backed away slightly, instinctively into Ty’s chest. Ty’s veined, sinewy hands surrounded her hips without thinking, almost protective in stance. Possessive even. The action was duly noted.
He stared at those hands, his hands, for what seemed like an eternity. Then he raised his eyes to lock with Ty’s, as something silent and unspoken passed between them.
He’d be a complete idiot not to see the currents of electricity that existed between her and Ty, even if she didn’t. Or wouldn’t.

Ty knew the same thing about Danny. He had known for years the way Lena felt about Danny, even when she didn’t know it herself.

She never seemed interested in bringing it to the sharing circle, which was odd for two people who talked extensively about everything else.

But she never offered. And he never pressed. Considering his own secrets, even he didn’t have that kind of nerve.

Life went on.

Lena didn’t notice any of this. She was busy watching Danny, who was still close enough to touch. She looked at his cheekbones, shadowed by the dark hair falling forward. She smelled his scent, masculine and uninhibited, speaking of forbidden promise and a hundred different taboo fantasies brought to life in her mind.

Like a gazelle being stalked by a large, hungry cat, her instincts told her she was in danger. She needed to run. Now. From the feelings he made her feel, from the chaotic madness she struggled to maintain when he was near, from the way her heart almost exploded in her chest, whenever she so much as tasted his name on her tongue.

Only then did she realize she was trapped between both men and it was useless to even try and get away. Only then did she comprehend where Ty’s hands were and had been for some time. Only then was she aware of him rubbing her thigh carelessly and she felt a warm flush heat her face.

Danny wanted to rip his hands off of her, but knew it shouldn’t make one crap load of difference to him what they did or didn’t do.

After all…he was a happily married man.

It was just that every so often…the lie he lived everyday of his life became almost impossible to stomach.

Author bio:

(transposed to the third person to appear more mature *grins cheerfully*)
well…alisa did stuff and is still doing stuff. only now she has two boys crazy enuff to want her as their mommy. hey, at least she tried to warn them, so her job is done. she doesn’t like to capitalize, partially because she likes how lower case letters look visually, but mostly out of laziness. please don’t judge. it could be you. and she would say, hey. you’re alright, buddy. you’re ok in my book. now c’mere for a hug. the hug might be pushing it. air kiss? you are strangers, after all, with only a mutual love of poor grammar.

she lives for a world full of controllable anatomically correct, android men programmed to meet her specific feminine needs (wink, wink, nudge, nudge with a big waggle of the eyebrows). who look like the rock. and ian somerhalder. and idris elba. and that’s it she promises. variety. gotta have variety, right?

but alas…apparently that exists only in johanna lindsey’s genius mind. so until then, she enjoys her incredibly warped sense of humor. she reads tons of erotica and romantic, drippy goo that makes her heart go pitter patter. then she thought, hey. what, she said to herself. (softly, of course, so no one finds out she is indeed, 2 nuts short of a fruitcake) maybe you should write this stuff too. maybe someone will like it and maybe buy it. so she said, huh, you think? then she said, well…yeah, i wouldn’t have suggested it…(inserts sarcastic tone) and then she was like lose the attitude, ok? then she was all, would you just shut up and write, already? sheesh! and she did. 🙂