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.
