Welcome Tanya Agler

Happy New Year friends! I’m not sure how long we can keep wishing each other a happy new year, but since we’re early into January, I say it’s still okay. I hope your holidays were blessed.

Today my beautiful friend, Tanya Agler, is joining us. Tanya is a brand-new author with Harlequin Heartwarming. Her debut, The Sheriff’s Second Chance, has just officially released and I can attest that it’s fabulous! And if you haven’t seen the cover, just keep reading.

Welcome Tanya!

Thank you so much, Sharee, for interviewing me for your blog. It’s such an honor to be here. And thanks to those who are taking their time out of their day to read about my book and my story.

1. Share a little about your writing journey.

In high school, my English teacher, Mrs. M., told the class about a writing contest. While I’d created stories in my mind, I’d never written any of them down. For the first time, I took the time to plan out a story for fun and wrote it. Out of all of my high school activities, that one stands out because it was the first time, I acknowledged I wanted to be a writer.

Fast forward a few years, and my oldest son started kindergarten. I’m an avid walker, and every time I walked, I would work on the stories in my mind. I knew it was time to start writing. After a couple of months, I worked up the courage to tell my husband I’d been going to the library every day to write. He told me he knew I was a writer a long time ago and was wondering when I’d realize that I needed to write. There was one more road detour as my husband and I welcomed our twins into the family. When they entered preschool, I resumed my writing journey. Since then, I’ve written several novels and found a critique partner. I’ve also been fortunate to build an incredible network of writing sisters and friends who’ve been with me along the way. In January of 2019, I received the call from my agent and Harlequin Heartwarming about The Sheriff’s Second Chance.

2. What are your favorite genres to read?

I love reading a variety of genres. I always have a sweet contemporary romance, a romantic suspense, a cozy mystery, a biography, and an inspirational romance in my TBR pile.

3. What was the most influential book you’ve read and why?

This was the hardest question for me. There are so many wonderful books that inspire me. Overall, I’d have to say Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery is one of them as I love the themes of hope and family and friendship. I also love the romance between Anne and Gilbert.

4. What are you working on now?

The sequel to The Sheriff’s Second Chance.

5. Are you a plotter or a pantser?

I’m a plotter. Even so, it takes me a long time to write the first chapter of a book, and there are always fun surprises that come up during the first draft. For example, Beau was not in the plotting stages (Beau is the dog who is featured on the cover).

6. What’s one fun fact about you?

I attended twelve schools while I was growing up before I graduated high school. After high school, I attended and graduated from the University of Georgia.

7. Please tell us about your debut and how you got the idea for it.

The Sheriff’s Second Chance is a story about hope and second chances. Officer and single dad Mike Harrison doesn’t believe in second chances. That is, until he learns that his former best friend—gorgeous green-eyed car mechanic Georgie Bennett—is back in town. Unfortunately, she’s also a suspect in a recent break-in! But it’ll take an old classic car to show Mike and Georgie that almost anything can be restored with a little patience…and a whole lot of love.

When my family was driving to our vacation destination, we stopped for a picnic at a state park where there was a classic car show going on in another section. For the rest of the day, I started thinking a plot revolving around what it would take to restore a car would be an interesting premise for a romance. After the vacation, I wrote down some notes and those became the basis of my debut novel. I’m a big believer in the message of hope and second chances.

And without further ado, here’s your chance to get a copy of The Sheriff’s Second Chance. Isn’t this cover gorgeous?

Thanks so much for being here, Tanya! And click here if you’d like to read Tanya’s call story.

Thank you so much, Sharee, for hosting me on your blog.

More about the author:

Tanya Agler fell in love with romance novels when her grandmother brought one home from work. After years of reading happily ever afters, she decided to write a sweet contemporary romance with the support of her wonderful husband, four children, and her lovable Basset Hound. A graduate of the University of Georgia, she loves Cary Grant movies, walking, reading, and all things chocolate. Follow her on Facebook at Author Tanya Agler and sign up for her newsletter.

Meet Author Shannon Kent

Welcome friends! Pull up a chair and a cup of coffee or tea (no judgment here), and join me in welcoming author, Shannon Kent. I met Shannon this summer and learned she writes a wonderful series of books that include Korean pop culture. So let’s dive in! I can’t wait for you to meet her.

SHAREE:       Shannon, thank you for joining us today!

SHANNON:   So excited to virtually be here!

SHAREE:       I had never heard of KPop, (yes, apparently, I live under a rock). When I was first told about your books, I was intrigued. I absolutely loved the FlowerBoy Tour Guide. It was fun, clean, and a wonderful sigh-worthy story that taught me a little more about KPop and the Korean culture. Can you share with our audience a little about KPop and how you were introduced to it?

SHANNON:   It started with Jane Austen (like so many good things in life). Because I love Pride and Prejudice, I watched a version of the story that featured an Indian heroine. This led me to the fabulous world of Bollywood movies with its colorful dance scenes and lush, romantic stories. Since a family friend knew I wasn’t afraid of subtitles, she recommended Korean dramas. These are short TV shows that might last from 16-20 episodes. They tend to be much cleaner, have a sweet, sentimental side, and still value innocence. Another great feature is they don’t drag on for years and kill off every original character you cared about like our American shows do. When you watch K-dramas, you are naturally introduced to the Korean music culture or K-pop. Groups like BTS are becoming quite a hit in western countries. To be honest, I don’t listen to much of it. I’m more a fan of the dramas. There are a few on Netflix, though not my favorites. If anyone wants recommendations, they can message me at my Shannon Kent Facebook page, and I’d love to help them find a drama they like.

SHAREE:      I am acquainted with the dramas and will be watching more of them. Let’s shift gears and talk about how your books fit into all of this. Would you share a little about your writing journey?

SHANNON:   My family traveled a lot when I was young, and my parents had to periodically stop at bookstores in different towns, just to refill my supply. I loved to read. But didn’t realize I wanted to create books until I was almost done with a four year college degree studying music. I went on to get an M.A. in Journalism, wrote music and theater reviews for a local paper, and started collecting my own pile of rejection letters. A fellow K-drama fan decided to do the My Korean Crush Series, invited me to join, and here I am two romances later. I’m still working towards the traditional feather in my cap where I acquire an agent and have a publisher offer me a contract.

SHAREE:      I totally understand the collection of rejection letters. Got a pile of my very own. Writing’s a hard business 🙂 I loved FlowerBoy Tour Guide. It was so much fun! What are your favorite genres to read?

SHANNON:   I’m a happily-ever-after girl, all the way. I love Love Stories.

SHAREE:       Absolutely! What was the most influential book you’ve read and why?

SHANNON:   Doesn’t everyone give the same answer? The Bible. What other book has adventure stories, romance, songs, erotic poetry, etc.? There’s nothing like it. The fact that it’s God-breathed and can pull you out of the deepest funk is also a plus.

One of my favorite books to re-read is a lesser known work by L.M. Montgomery, the author of Anne of Green Gables. She wrote a romance called The Blue Castle which is jam-packed with quirky characters, sarcastic observations, beautiful descriptions, and a pathetic heroine who turns herself into a stand-on-her-own-two-feet woman. I highly recommend it.

SHAREE:       I agree, the Bible is never dull! And somehow, no matter how many times I read it, I still find something new. What are you working on now?

SHANNON:   I just finished a romantic comedy about a group of sassy senior citizens who retire on a cruise ship and spend their free time matchmaking the people around them. These ladies made me laugh and cry as I wrote them, and I hope to share The Matchmaker Cruise with the world soon.

SHAREE:       That sounds wonderful!! I can’t wait to read it. We have to ask those all important questions like…Are you a plotter or a pantser?

SHANNON:   I’m a fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants writer who can acknowledge the value in being a plotter. I’ve taken to covering my walls with colored index cards to lay out the key scenes of a story. But I suspect I’ll always be a pantser at heart.

SHAREE:     LOL. Love it. What’s one fun fact about you?

SHANNON:   I can sing The Alphabet Song backwards—Z,Y,X,W,V… it’s harder to type backwards than sing it.

SHAREE:       Giggle. Now that is original! Shannon, thank you so much!! But it gets better because Shannon is offering an eBook of Flowerboy Tour Guide to one lucky commenter!

Friends, find Shannon at the following links:

Facebook            https://www.facebook.com/shannonkentauthor/

Twitter               https://twitter.com/dramarookie

 

 

 

Flower Boy: noun 1. slang for a really hot guy

Hannah Reynolds travels to Korea in search of her own drama hero come to life. What she gets instead is gorgeous, but surly tour guide, Jae Lee. He seems determined to ruin every romantic location they visit with his snarky comments, but Hannah can’t deny the crackling tension between them.

As they travel around the country with a busload of wacky K-drama and K-pop fans, their chemistry keeps drawing the two together. Hannah sees the mountain of problems standing between her and a relationship with Jae. They live in different countries. She’s flying home in five days. And he always takes an emotional step back whenever they get closer. But her heart doesn’t want to listen to reason. All it can see is the flower boy tour guide.

Amazon link https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FN7X5TD

Other sellers’ link https://books2read.com/u/mvKWa2

Letty McDonnell—a hug first and ask questions later kind of gal—stumbles into an unexpected scandal with her favorite K-pop star when she spots him at the airport. Is it bad timing or a blessing in disguise? The international publicity leads to a job offer from the reality show Marry My Stalker, where the two pretend to be man and wife as they complete a variety of crazy couple missions.

Wacky challenges, jealous fangirls, and a language barrier can’t slow Letty down. Especially when she has handsome translator, Ben Park, whispering in her ear. He steers her away from cultural faux pas and offers behind-the-scenes encouragement as she maneuvers the unfamiliar public arena. But is he sincerely interested or just doing his job? The affectionate words her fake husband says for the cameras are always repeated by Ben’s caring voice, and Letty begins to wonder if a romance without spotlights or red carpets is the real path to true love.

Only available on Amazon, is also a Kindle Unlimited book

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07MMPCY3F

Rosemarie Ross

Please welcome our guest and my friend, Rosemarie Ross as we discuss her new cozy mystery, Cobblered to Death and talk about writing! And, Rosemarie has generously offered a copy of Cobblered to Death to one lucky commenter (US only). 

SHAREE: I absolutely loved your new cozy mystery, Cobblered to Death. You’ve written in many different genres. What drew you to cozy mysteries?

ROSEMARIE: Cozy mysteries are so fun to read and write! You get to create quirky characters and infuse humor into your story line. It’s also fun to develop a series character and watch them grow and change over time.

SHAREE: You definitely endeared me to Courtney. Since this is book one of the Courtney Archer series, what can we expect in book two?

ROSEMARIE: The American Baking Battle is a wedding themed show in book two of the series and book three is a Christmas book which is what I’m working on now.

SHAREE: Can’t wait!! What gave you the inspiration for the story?

ROSEMARIE: My editor was looking for a baking show scenario in a book. Since I watch a lot, A LOT, of cooking shows, it was easy for me to come up with a show premise then twist it with the behind the scenes filming being much different than what you see when you watch the program.

SHAREE: I enjoy cooking shows too, but they make me hungry. Giggle. What is the message you hope readers gain from Cobblered to Death?

ROSEMARIE: I don’t know if I have a message worked into my theme? I like to entertain readers, help them forget about their problems or stresses for a few minutes.

SHAREE: Cobblered to Death was definitely entertaining. Let’s shift gears a little bit. Rosemarie has done wonderful writing workshops and if you ever get the chance to hear her teach, I’d highly recommend it. What advice would you give to writers?

ROSEMARIE: For beginning authors, READ. Read books about the craft of writing and believe what they say. Read books about the marketing side of writing. Take writing courses through colleges, tech schools or online. Writing is not for the faint of heart. It’s a tough, competitive business and knowing as much as you can about the process is vital to your success. Also, keep your eye on the market. I don’t mean following trends, but know your genre. For mid-career authors, keep abreast of the marketing trends and continue to develop your craft either by taking courses or attending workshops. Also, for all authors, don’t be afraid to try something new, a different genre, writing in 1^st person vs. 3^rd, etc. It helps stretch those writing muscles!

SHAREE: I’m taking all of that advice to heart. Okay, now for fun, do you have a dream vacation? Or a bucket list item?

ROSEMARIE: I’m going to combine these two questions. I don’t have a dream vacation or bucket list, but I would like to visit all 50 states in the U. S. I’m a little over halfway but for a few states I’ve only ‘visited’ an airport.

SHAREE: I have visited many states via the airport only. Giggle. What a fun idea to visit all 50 and you’re halfway through?! Wow! What’s the silliest thing you’ve ever done?

ROSEMARIED: Hmm…I don’t know. I do a lot of silly things.

SHAREE: What’s the hardest thing you’ve ever done?

ROSEMARIE: Pertaining to my writing? Having to regroup and reevaluate my writing career after losing an editor who liked working with me and having the new editor cancel my contract with only one of the four books in the series published.

SHAREE: That does sound hard. Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?

ROSEMARIE: Yes, I want to say: THANK YOU! from the bottom of my heart. Writing is a lonely profession so having readers, and hearing from readers, is very special.

SHAREE: I agree, Rosemarie! Thank you so much for joining us today. And friends, Cobblered to Death is such a fun read. It would also make a wonderful Christmas gift! You can read my review here.

Rosemarie Ross is a pseudonym of multi-published in multi-genres author, Rose Ross Zediker. Rose writes cozy mystery novels, contemporary and historical inspirational romance novels, and has hundreds of publishing credits in the Christian magazine genre for children and adults. Her titles have appeared on ECPA bestseller lists and been finalists for the RITA, National Reader’s Choice, Booksellers Best and Book Buyers Best award contests. Visit Rosemarie at www.rosemarieross.com.