In the Hammock – M.J. Schiller

Happy Wednesday! Today I’m excited to have fellow Crimson Romance author, M.J. Schiller in my hammock. From the moment we met online, she’s had me in stitches and like you, I’m excited to learn more about her. But, before we get started, what can my cabana boy get you to drink MJ?

Bahama Mama!

I’ll have one those myself. YUM!

I love the little umbrella you added, by the way! It makes it so much more festive! ( ;

LOL. There is something about an umbrella in a drink that can’t be ignored. Now that we have our drinks and the sunset in the background tell us about yourself.

I was born in the heart of Tornado Alley, and I’ve been a bit mixed up ever since. Not really, but I’ve always wanted to use that line. The medical community has established no solid connection between the place of my birth and my off-beat personality.

I grew up in St. Louis and graduated from the University of Missouri-Columbia with a degree in English education. I left the workforce, however, when my kids were born. Unbelievably I now have an eighteen year old and sixteen-year-old triplets! Yes, I write to escape teenagerdom. Although I love them dearly. I also escape via rock concerts and karaoke. My first book, TAKEN BY STORM, was published by Crimson Romance last fall, and my next book, the second in the ROCKING ROMANCE COLLECTION, titled ABANDON ALL HOPE will be coming soon!

You have teenagers and triplets and still find time to write. You’re my hero! I have guests from all genres, what genre(s) do you write?

Romance and romantic suspense

Cool! One of my favorites to read and write. What book are you currently promoting?

TRAPPED UNDER ICE

Rock star Chad Evans’s tortured past hides just beneath the surface. Even fans screaming out his name in ecstasy can’t drown out the screams of his childhood. He can usually keep it under control, but not always. Tonight the alcohol doesn’t seem to soothe.

Part of the crowd, Beth Donovan smiles, really enjoying herself for a change. But her smile isn’t usually this bright. It is the kind of smile that masks sorrow.  Three years just isn’t long enough to get over losing Paul.

When a vicious attack behind stage brings this unlikely pair together, something changes inside of them both. But can a jet-setting superstar and a Midwestern lunch lady ever manage a real relationship? And even if they can, will the person sending Chad death threats take it all away? Or is it their fate to remain forever trapped under ice?

Excerpt:

           Chad rang the doorbell, nerves making him tug at his shirt sleeves to straighten his shirt. Everything had to go just right tonight. Beth opened the door and light fell on the porch. “Damn!”

           She laughed. “My, you do have a way with words.”

            “Let me see this!” He whistled, stepping in and circling around her so he could get the full effect. Beth had on a longer emerald dress, with four straps crisscrossing her upper back before plunging downward and long slits gliding up her legs. Again, her hair was swept up, making her neck seem so much more inviting. He returned to face her, admiring her from the front. He laughed. “I’m sorry, it’s just…damn!” He shook his head.

            “Oh stop,” she mumbled, her face flushing as she hit him with her handbag.

            “I love the way you blush.” Chad touched her hot face and gave her a kiss.

            When he pulled away, she blurted out, bubbling over, “I’m so excited. So where are we going?”

            “Ah-ah-ah. Not yet. You need to wear this.” He pulled a silky, black scarf from his suit pocket.

            “Ooooh. What kind of kinky thing am I in for?”

            “You little vixen!” Chad gave her a sharp swap on the derrière. He positioned himself behind his date again and brought the scarf over Beth’s head to tie it behind her as a blindfold.

            “What are you up to?” she asked coquettishly.

            Chad leaned into that tantalizing neck, annunciating each word in her ear with a seductive whisper, “Try not to anticipate.” Then, unable to resist, he kissed her there.

            She squirmed with delight. “Oooh. That’s so much better when I can’t see you.”

            “Uhhh…is that supposed to be a compliment? ‘Cause, it doesn’t sound like one.”

            “Oh, silly. You know what I mean.” She tried to reach for him. “I can’t find you to kiss you,” she whined in frustration.

            “That’s part of the fun,” he teased, his voice now coming from in front of her. “Okay,” he continued, leading the way, “you need to take a step down onto the porch. Where’s your key?”

            “In my bag.”

            He took her handbag and locked the door. As he moved her toward the steps, another arm supported her on the right. “Wow, Beth! You look fantastic.”

            “Thank you, Pete. So he roped you into this, too?”

            “No rope needed. I wouldn’t miss this for the world.”

            Chad shot his usually tightlipped bodyguard a warning look, which Beth, of course, could not see. After the two men got her safely in the limousine and closed the door, Pete commented, “If you don’t propose to her, I will.”

            “Just you try it, old man,” he returned with a grin.

You can find TRAPPED UNDER ICE at Amazon, BN.com, the I-book Store, and other e-book retailers.

You can find me at www.mjschiller.blogspot.com , or MJ on FB, or Twitter.

Now for a lightening round of fun questions. What was your favorite scene to write or research? I love family scenes. Brothers ribbing each other. Uncles playing with nephews. I also love fun scenes where I can use my sense of humor.

Have you ever based a character (good or bad) on a real person? (Do they know?) Yes I have. My best bud. I killed her off, too. One day I came into work and told her, “Oh, I killed you off last night. Sorry, you had to go.

What is your favorite way to celebrate the completion of a book? This is going to sound so stupid, but, I like to clean the house and catch up on my other responsibilities because everything slides when I’m writing and it’s such a relief to put the book behind me and clean up the chaos I’ve created!

If your significant other gave you permission to have a fling with a famous person, what five people would be at the top of your list? Jensen Ackles (Dean Winchester on Supernatural), Adam Levine (bad boy extraordinaire), Bradley Cooper (for obvious reasons, I liked him before anyone else when he was on Alias, as the guy she WASN’T in love with!