Dangerous Decision by B.B.Cruz Spotlight with Interview!

It is my pleasure to have with me today, B.B.Cruz, author of Dangerous Decisions. Please join me in welcoming her to Celticlady's Reviews

I hear you live in Alaska! What’s that like, and tell us a little bit about your life up there.

If I had to describe Alaska in one word, it would be: magnificent. I was actually born in Arkansas but moved up to Alaska with my parents when I was 2 years old. I’ve lived all over the state, from the barren northern coast of the Arctic Ocean to a gold mining claim in the mountains to balmy Anchorage, which is where I currently reside with my husband and two teenage daughters.

I love that we can go to the mall and buy a $600 Michael Kors purse (and by “we”, I mean people with lots more money than I have!), but a few miles away is a mama moose eating flowers out of the cartons for sale on a shelf in front of one of the busiest grocery stores in the state. We can watch an IMAX movie in a state-of-the-art theater the same day it premiers everywhere else, or we can drive five minutes off the main road and be secluded in nature, surrounded by snow-capped mountains on one side and the ocean as far as you can see on the other. In my opinion, there’s nowhere else like Alaska!

I must warn you though…if you’ve never visited, you may not want to. Alaska gets under your skin, and before you know it, you’ll be driving up the Alcan Highway in a U-Haul that’s packed to the hilt with all of your household goods, en route to your new home!

Tell us about Dangerous Decisions? How did it get started?

My debut novel, Dangerous Decisions, is a single title romantic suspense novel that was released on April 6th, 2015. It follows the whirlwind romance between Carino Montgomery and Ramon Terrones as they struggle to keep their secrets buried and their lives intact. Dangerous Decisions is available in both electronic and paperback (Print on Demand) formats at major retailers, thanks to my publisher, Crimson Romance.

It was a no-brainer for my story to involve a law firm, as I’m a huge fan of legal dramas in print and on TV, not to mention the law has always been a huge part of my career. I wanted to write a story about an educated, driven woman who had chosen a profession that forced her to live life under the radar, and what it would take for someone like her to turn her back on her responsibilities and convictions. And, what can I say? Ramon is very compelling.

How do you create your characters?

Creating the hero is a little easier for me than the heroine. I start off with a picture of one of my favorite male actors and start creating the person I think they are off-screen. I keep a picture of him as my laptop background so it’s handy when I need inspiration. Of course, my daughters are always interested in offering their assistance with this part of the process! It’s a little more difficult for me to write the heroine because I’ve found that I tend to describe what she’s feeling the way I would personally feel in the same situation. While I’m trying to minimize that, I have no doubt that the people who know me will see similarities between me and Carino.

Do you see any particular actors in the role of Carino Montgomery and Ramon Terrones?

This question brings up a funny memory, and my husband will probably cringe when he reads this. Let’s just say that if anyone had looked through the camera roll on his phone, there would’ve been some raised eyebrows. There was picture after picture of nothing but extremely good-looking men – but he was actually helping to inspire my image of Ramon!

We both agreed that Adrian Grenier would make a great Ramon, provided he developed an accent and wore brown contacts. Carino’s character was a little harder to nail down, but in the end, I feel like Margot Robbie would be a perfect fit.

Where do you write? Is there something you need in order to write (music, drinks?)

If I try to write at home, I’ve found that I become easily distracted by what else I think I should be doing instead of writing (laundry, cleaning, cooking). But if I’m in a more public place (my favorite is the café at Barnes & Noble), I’ve found that it takes a significant amount of concentration to block out the conversations and general happenings around me, which actually helps me to focus on my work. And it gives me the perfect excuse to get the mocha I’ve been craving all week.  

How do you get your ideas for writing?

Being the “pantser” that I am, I find inspiration in just sitting down in front of my computer and letting the story being told by the characters in my head flow out through my fingers. Sometimes their stories are not very long – or very interesting, for that matter – and I’ve written myself into more corners than I can count. Along the way, I’ve learned that creating a loose plan that identifies the main idea of each chapter, as well as the ending, helps me stay on track (big shocker!) while keeping my creative juices flowing.

If my characters aren’t persuasive enough to convince me to move onto the more detailed planning stage, I set them aside and sift through the recesses of my mind until I come across the next character who’s bouncing up and down, hand in the air, waiting to be called upon so they can have their 15 minutes in the spotlight.

When you’re not writing/reading romantic suspense, what other books or genres do you like to read?

Romance novels, of course! I’m a huge fan of anything romantic, especially novels with lots of witty dialogue between the main characters. But my guilty pleasure is definitely stories involving vampires, my favorites being all the books in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series by J.R. Ward.

What would your advice to be for authors or aspiring authors in regards to writing?

Since I was an aspiring author not that long ago, my advice to other aspiring authors would be: don’t give up. Ever. Not if you’re serious about getting published. Yes, rejection is hard to swallow, and trust me, I was rejected plenty of times by publishing companies and literary agents alike. But I did my best to keep my chin up…some days were harder than others…but I never gave up. I never let myself feel like I wasn’t good enough to at least keep trying. I kept reminding myself that the right person just hadn’t read my query and when they did, everything would fall into place. And then I received the publication offer from Tara Gelsomino at Crimson Romance, which is easily one of the proudest days of my entire life!

What’s next for you in writing? Any other books on the horizon?

I’ve been working on a couple of different projects, actually, one being a romantic suspense novel about a troubled ex-soldier and the fiancé of his deceased best friend. Of course, it wouldn’t be nearly interesting enough without a mystery baby and a ruthless hitman or two. The other is a contemporary romance that follows a successful (and gorgeous!) movie star and the unsuspecting woman who has crash-landed into his mid-life crisis. The incessant paparazzi and some compromising photos that go viral in a matter of minutes help create an even bigger disaster.

By far, the next biggest thing on my horizon is that I’ve been accepted into law school, starting in August 2015, so I imagine I’ll be writing a lot of essays, legal briefs and sample contracts. My schedule will be crazy busy, managing a full time job and a family, but I will most definitely be carving out time to work on my novels…if for no other reason than to maintain my sanity.

Anything else you’d like to share?

Thank you so much for having me here today! I appreciate all of the support and, if you decide to read Dangerous Decisions, I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Thank you for sharing a bit about you and your life!!

About the Book

Someone is feeding the Feds information on alleged illegal activities at the Franklin Everly law firm, and Carino Montgomery is targeted as a prime suspect. There’s enough evidence to put her in the hot seat when hired gun, Ramon Terrones, arrives to uncover the mole.

But from the moment they meet, Ramon relentlessly pursues Carino, triggering a whirlwind romance packed with fierce emotions … and secrets that won’t remain buried. Both Ramon and Carino have worked hard to put their pasts behind them, but the truth could bring their whole lives crumbling down.

Will their unlikely relationship be worth sacrificing everything they’ve worked for? Or will their secrets prove to be bigger than their love?

About the Author

B.B. Cruz currently lives in Alaska with her husband, two teenage daughters and two little doggies. She's a huge fan of romance, and loves to cozy up with a novel, which definitely makes the long winters and cold nights easier to handle.