Happy Monday! I have interviewed the lovely Elodie Parkes who has a new book out. Stop by and say hello.
Q1) Welcome to my blog, Elodie. Can you tell us a little about yourself
I’m
English and live in Kent right now. I work in a tourist driven antiques
emporium. I have a couple of dogs and they often come to work with me if I’m
traveling to pick up antiques or working in the renovating area, or the back
offices where we do graphics and produce the auction brochures.
Q2) Have you always wanted to be an author?
Well,
I’ve always written stuff. I don’t know that I wanted to be anything specific
for a long time. I went to University (college) and I have three different
degrees and grad. dips. Then when I couldn’t get work in any of the fields I’d
studied I traveled for a couple of years doing all kinds of work in Europe and
Australia. Then came back, applied for the job I have because I could use lots
of my skills in it and there you are. I’ve written stories since I was
seventeen and had a couple published in magazines, along with some poetry. I
had stories on my computer for years before I finally submitted and was
published again.
Q3) Who are some of your favorite writers?
Who do you feel has influenced your writing?
I
don’t think anyone has influenced me. I’m influenced by the things I see,
people who pass me, road signs, animals, the ocean, a picture, loads of things
will just seed in my brain and hey presto a story evolves. Emotions influence
me too. I have no favorite writers. I read widely and avidly, just gobble up
books.
Q4) Can you tell us what a typical writing
day for you is like.
I don’t have
a typical writing day. When I have any time at all, I just run at the laptop
and write. (Smiles) In the winter when all the hours at work are cut a little,
I might have a day that I allocate to a story that’s nagging me to write it.
Then I sit down and write until I realize I’m starving or thirsty and my dogs
are starting to prowl around the study wanting to go for a walk.
Q5) Let’s talk about your new book. Can you tell us a little about it?
The Summer Heat
It’s an erotic
romance ménage story. The inspiration came from a tree being cut down in the
communal gardens of the cottages where I currently live. I didn’t even see it
felled, but I was immensely saddened as this was a healthy young tree.
There are two very
attractive men, lifelong friends who are my heroes. In my story, these gorgeous
guys are cutting down a diseased tree in their garden, and that’s how they see
Annabel, my heroine, move in next door.
She’s ready for love
and although they don’t know it at first, so are they.
Here’s the blurb,
When lifelong friends Nate and Evan watch
the arrival of a new neighbor, they never expect to find their friendship
rocked by the lovely Annabel who moves into the empty house next door.
Annabel likes both Nate and Evan the moment
she meets them. As they all grow close, will she be forced to choose between
these gorgeous men?
To
find where to buy the book on release, August 5, visit Elodie’s blog
Q6) How did you come up with the idea for
this story?
It
just dropped into my head. Seriously, that happens with most of my stories. I
see something and within hours, a story has unfolded in my head. A signpost
that I passed when I was driving home from a work trip inspired my last ménage
story, with Evernight Publishing, ‘Swoop on Love’. A couple of friendly horses
in a paddock inspired, ‘Night of the Horse.’ A pond inspired, ‘A Little
Mysterious’, although it also helped that a truly delectable guy came into the
emporium and talked with me about a Georgian table. He was the physical
inspiration for Dhruv my vampire.
So
finding a lovely tree had been felled in the gardens saddened me but also
because the stump was left in the lawn there a story idea came to me. I was
also hoping for a hot summer this year, having seen little sun last year and so
the story was set in a hot summer, hence the title, ‘The Summer Heat.’
Q7) What is up next for you?
I
have a duo of erotic romance short stories releasing from Hot Ink Press August
16, ‘Love at First Sigh.’ I’ve just signed a contract with Siren Publishing for
my full length erotic romance, ‘Café in the Park’ that’s slated for release
September or October as ebook and next March/April in print.
I
have three stories on my computer in various stages of life. All erotic romance
and all clamoring to be written, but I’m on hiatus at the moment from writing
because of the long hours in my day job. I have to watch out not to be away
from writing for too long though as it’s depressing. (smiles)
Q8) What is the best piece of advice you
would give to a budding writer?
Write,
write, read, don’t be discouraged because it’s hard work and sometimes very
disappointing but if you have a story to tell, tell it.
Q9) What is the next book on your To Read
Pile that you are dying to jump into?
Actually it’s not out
yet. Christine Feehan has a new Dark series release in September, ‘Dark Blood.’
Favorite Quiz
Favorite city:
Oxford
Favorite beverage:
Tea
Favorite place you’d like to visit:
Rome
Favorite place to write:
My desk by the window looking out
across the countryside and woodland
Favorite hobby:
Reading
Favorite movie:
Oh no (Laughs) I can’t choose a favorite
movie. I love so many movies.
Favorite book:
As above, for heaven’s sake ( laughs)
About Elodie:
Elodie Parkes is a British author writing romance, erotic,
contemporary, and often with a twist of mystery, paranormal or suspense. Her
books are always steamy, cool stories and hot love scenes.
Elodie lives in Canterbury with her two dogs. She works in an
antique emporium by day and writes at night, loving the
cloak of silent darkness that descends on the rural countryside around her
home.
Elodie writes for, Hot Ink Press, Moon Rose Publishing, Eternal Press, Secret Cravings, Evernight, and Siren
She has also released titles as an individual indie author.
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General rating
The Saturday morning sun blazed in
the June sky. Heat shimmered off the sidewalk. Nate and Evan were the only
people out in their front yards. The noise of their work tools were the only
sounds, as not even the seagulls that often wheeled overhead ventured from the
cool of the ocean yet.
Nate and Evan’s house was one of the
largest in the rows of three story houses built along the river in a modern
development unimaginatively called Riverside Mews. Narrow lanes that led to the
river path separated the rows. Somehow, patches of white sand always settled on
the paths, though the nearest beach was a mile away. Each house had its own
river access, through a gate at the end of the back yard to a riverbank public
path, but there was no boat access, no jetties. The public path wound along by
the river from the seaside town close by and on into the countryside. The house
to the right of Nate and Evan’s place was occupied by a small family, but the
house to the left had been empty and for sale all year.
The roar of a large van engine broke
the hot, morning silence as it turned into the street and thumped over each
speed hump in the road, until it drew up in front of the empty house next door.
Nate gave the van a cursory glance,
but Evan leaned on his spade and watched as two men leapt out of each side of
the van. He read the name of a removal firm and their logo emblazoned across
the side of the vehicle and discovered it was from a city in the north of the
state. It piqued his interest, so he continued with his unashamed staring.
The men who’d alighted from the cab
walked to the back of the van and opened its double doors, just as a pale blue,
old model Mustang drove up and parked a short distance away.
A young woman got out of the Mustang.
Copyright Elodie
Parkes 2014 Evernight Publishing All Rights Reserved
To
find where to buy the book on release, August 5, visit Elodie’s blog
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