Title: You Never
Could Be
Author: Amy Romine
Series: Standalone
Genre: Erotic Romance
Publisher: eXtasy
Books
Release Date: May 8 2016
Edition: eBook
Blurb/Synopsis:
A passion-fueled encounter in the corridor of a hotel convention room reveals
two anguished hearts struggling to reconnect despite life’s difficulties. Will
Carlisle, the eye candy of the office, is every woman’s dream, tall, handsome,
and dashingly charming. Sara Rozek never guessed he has secretly wanted her for
months now. When a bad day falls upon them and Will breaks the reins of his own
restraint, she sees the burning passion in his eyes, and there is no denying
the mutual attraction. Will and Sara’s start quickly runs awry, and Sara
becomes convinced she was played for a fool. Will begs her to listen to him,
but she turns away in fear. Can Will mend her broken heart, or will the passion
they shared vanish forever?
She needed to cool down. The answer was a small bar a few
miles from her apartment. She knew it to always be filled with locals, meaning
they could relax and not worry about any peering office eyes.
They walked inside the darkened tavern. She felt his hand on
her back leading her to the corner of the bar. He called over the bartender and
looked to her with a smile. “I’ll take a corona with a lime and the lady would
like…”
“The same, please.” She took the seat next to him against
the wall.
He laid some money on the bar before taking his seat. “So
you needed a drink.” He leaned forward against the bar beside her, playfully
nudging her shoulder.
“Uh…yeah.”
“So is it all my fault, or just the day in general?"
“More the day than you, to be honest.”
“So what happened wasn’t completely shocking?”
“Oh, it was shocking.” She suppressed the uncomfortable
laugh residing in the back of her throat and instead released a small giggle.
“It just wasn’t unwanted.”
“Interesting.”
“The rest of the day pretty much sucked.”
“No argument there.” The bartender arrived with their beers.
Sara took a drink of it, allowing room for the lime she pushed within the
bottleneck. She reached for the salt shaking it onto the mouth of her bottle.
“What are you doing?”
The beer began to react to the salt, and she took a quick
sip before it overflowed.
“What? You’ve never put salt in your beer?”
“I can’t say that I have.” He smiled at her—he had the
nicest smile—as she took another sip from her beer. Conscious to keep the air
of confidence she had created around herself, she refused to break his gaze.
“Don’t knock it till you’ve tried it.”
“May I?”
“Go for it.” Will twisted his body to face her, picked up
her beer, and took a sip. She smiled in expectation of his reaction. He
remained stoic, placing the beer back on the bar, and a giggle escaped from her
chest. “So?”
“Not bad.”
“That you did.”
“See, you should listen to me more often.”
“I am now convinced.”
“It’s about time.” She rose from her seat. “I’ll be back.”
Sara walked through the bar past the set of pool tables and
small dance floor. She pushed her way into the ladies' room. She drained her
bladder, washed her hands, and looked at her reflection in the mirror.
Why was it so shocking that he kissed her? Attracted to her?
She wasn’t drop-dead gorgeous, but she wasn’t a leper. In fact, she looked damn
good for thirty-four. She managed to keep her slim tight figure. It curved in
the right places, and she had no complaints. She had no problems rocking a
tight dress, or mini skirt. Her brown eyes were a little boring, but her
defined features and glossy thick chestnut hair more than made up for it. She
always got complimented on her hair. People said it shined like polished glass
beneath the lowest of lights.
The heat of his demanding kiss flashed in her mind. A blush
rose in her cheeks, and she took a breath. The reaction was spawned not only
from the event, but the guilt that came with it.
What did she have to feel guilty about? They were both
single, so it wasn’t like they were offending anyone. They worked together, but
due to recent events, he was no longer her boss. Was that what prompted him to
act so quickly in the parking lot?
She was puzzled. A quick once-over and she stepped out of
the bathroom to return to the bar. A warm hand caught her wrist. She turned,
and he flashed that infamous grin. She couldn’t help but smile back, and he
pulled her along to the dance floor. A few couples were scattered around them.
Once she was within reach, he placed her hand on his shoulder, the other
against his chest. His hands gently grasped her waist, and they began to sway
to the music. Her skin tingled with his proximity. His hands kneaded the
muscles of her back, and she tilted her head looking up at him.
“I didn’t know you danced.”
“What can I say, I’m full of surprises.”
“Why today?”
“What do you mean?”
“What happened? Why are you dancing with me instead of on an
airplane?”
She laid the question out without accusation, just
curiosity, and she watched him process it. She wondered what his reaction would
be and patiently waited for his response.
“If given the choice between a stuffy airplane, and dancing
with you, the choice is obvious.”
“You’re avoiding the question.”
“Am I?”
“Yes, and I’m wondering why.”
“Maybe because the reason doesn’t matter.”
“Then there should be no problem in answering the question.”
“You would think that, wouldn’t you?” His hands moved up her
back, and she continued to challenge him with her eyes.
“I’m not a fling, Will.” His hand slid up and into her hair.
A chill raced her spine, and his eyes searched her face.
“You never could be, Sara.”
The statement stopped her breath and her eyes began to
lower. She felt his warmth against her cheek just before his lips brushed hers.
The act was timid and a wordless request for permission. Her eyes closed, and
instinctively drawn to his mouth, she raised her chin to meet the call of his
embrace. His lips were warm and soft, coaxing in their ability to ignite her
body. They continued to sway to the sultry sounds around them, his strong arms
holding her tightly against him.
Tell us a little
about the book and where did you get the idea to write this story.
The book
is an office romance. I’ve worked in an office environment for most of my
career so it was easy to dream up the scenario.
There is always male and female office candy, and fleeting daydreams of what if’s and could
it be’s?
How and when did you
get started writing novels?
I started writing screenplays when I was
younger, my version of fanfiction for Charlie’s Angels, and Airwolf. Later on I
started using the novel format, writing fanfiction for Enterprise, West Wing
and Law and Order SVU. When I turned 35 I had a mini-mid life crisis and
decided it was time to get serious. I wrote two novels that year, Trust Me and
Dead Air and got them both published the year after.
What’s the best and
worst part of being a writer?
The best part of being a writer is
transforming the images from my brain into a palpable story, characters who
jump off the page, grab you and don’t let go. I have a million stories swirling
in my brain at any given time. The worst
part is when I find it impossible to figure out how to translate the images to
paper. IE writers block, it totally and absolutely sucks.
What made you decide
to go the self-publishing route? How is it different from traditional
publishing?
This novella is not
self-published it was published by my partner Extasy Books
What is your writing schedule like?
With a
full-time job, and three kids my schedule varies from moment to moment. I am
usually most active in my writing in the evening and on the weekends. A little writing
every day no matter what. Sometimes there is time for more and sometimes there
is only a few moments to spare.
Where do you get your
ideas?
It varies from book to book.
Some ideas come from music, lyrics or a conversation. Others can be a well
written television show or movie. A character in a book, or even a radio
personality have been known to send my mind reeling. I never know what is going
to spark my imagination so I am always very aware and vigilant in paying
attention to life and all of the experiences this existence has to offer.
What advice would you
give to aspiring writers?
The best advice I can give to an aspiring writer
is twofold. First, write what you love. Passion speaks volumes and readers can
tell if you are passionate about what you are writing. Second, write every day
no matter what. Whether it is a masterpiece or it’s a POS, the more you write
the faster your writing voice will evolve and strengthen into a force to be
reckoned with.
Have any of your
titles ever been changed from your original choice?
Kind of. Let me explain,
my fist novel, entitled Trust Me was published by Extasy books. It was at a
time when eBooks were just becoming popular and most of the ebooks in the
market were shorter. So Extasy and I made the decision to split my one book
into three. I had to come up with three new titles for my one book. In the end we named the books series, Trust
Me with three installments, Serenity Lost, Veiled Deception and Jaded Promises.
The same thing happened for my second title, Dead Air. It
became the Tarot Series, Shockwave, Backlash and Fallout. When the paperback
was release last year the original title, Dead Air was used for the collection
of the three books into one.
If you could turn any
of your books into a movie which book or series would it be?
Definitely the Trust Me series, visually horrific and very
suspenseful.
Do you have a
character in one of your books that continues to haunt you at night or
surprised you when you wrote the book?
Yes, in the Trust Me series, there
is a character who I surprisingly became very attached to and utilized her more
in the novel than I had originally anticipated. She is the best friend of the
main character, her name is Donna and she became an essential part of the
story.
Is there something about you or your life that readers might be
surprised about?
A long time ago in a galaxy far far away I was once an
aspiring actress in New York and a one time director of dinner theater.
Do you write a novel
straight through? Or revise as you go? Plan a whole series in advance? Or does
the series evolve?
I write straight through, I try not revise as I go but
sometimes I have to… I have deleted whole chapters and completely killed my
word count on several occasions just to get it right the first time.
Do you use Beta
readers?
Yes, whenever I can, I wish I knew more of them!
Which books were the
most fun to write? The hardest to write?
I love writing suspense, I love
keeping the reader guessing and having a little secret so the Trust Me series
was awesome! The hardest book to write for me was the last book in the Taro Series, Fallout as
there were a lot of action sequences. I have gotten pretty good but translating
what I am seeing my head to the page is still a laborious nerve wracking task
for me.
What’s next?
My
next release is entitled Little Angels and is in the editing stage. A suspense
thriller about two long time FBI partners who are forced to face their feelings
while undercover on assignment. I am current writing a suspense horror,
entitled Finders, about a ghost hunting television producer who can suddenly
communicate with the dead.
Amy Romine has always wanted to be
one of the good guys. From playing Charlie's Angels in the backyard of her
Macungie, PA home as a child to the pages of her unending projects, Amy has
always dreamed of adventure and romance. Her need to make the characters truly
deserve their happiness takes us on many a twisted journey. From serial killers
to demons, Amy holds nothing back in the name of true enduring love.
A mother of three, Amy has spent the past thirteen years as
a Service Delivery Manager for Ricoh America's Corporation. She is an avid
movie fan, and enjoys books, television, theater, her dog Pip and all things
romance.
Look for Amy’s other
books on Amazon and where all fine books are sold.
Awesome Interview thank you for introducing me to a new author.
ReplyDelete