Launch Day Celebration with Author @AveryFlynn

I’m so excited to welcome author, Avery Flynn, to my blog! She’s a wonderful storyteller, and as a self-professed smartass and lover of chocolate, she’s so fun to talk to! Today, she’s celebrating the release of the third installment of the Layton Family series, Passion Creek. So spread the word … this is another great romance!

PS: There’s an excerpt at the bottom!

Uptight history professor Sam Layton may have the abs of a movie action hero, but he stopped believing in the joy of adventure a long time ago. However, when a one-night stand with a tattooed bombshell leads to a treasure map for the long-buried Rebecca’s Bounty, the call to action is too strong to ignore.

All Las Vegas cocktail waitress Josie Winarsky wants to do is paint. But when she lands smack dab in the middle in a mob plot, she has to push aside her dreams to find a treasure in Dry Creek, Nebraska and save her family from harm. With Sam at her side and a Vegas loan shark on her tail, the treasure she finds turn out to be much more valuable than emeralds and rubies.

Tell us a little about yourself: Do you write full time? How’d you get started?
I do write full time, but unfortunately I spend about 40 percent of my day writing about teeth. Yeah … trust me you don’t want to know. What can I tell you about me? Well I’m a bit of a smart ass (shocker, I know), I am addicted to coffee and in my humble, if obviously correct, opinion Oreos are the best food every invented.

Are you a plotter or a pantser?
I’m a total plotter. I like to work things out in my head and on paper before I start writing. It makes it so much easier to sneak in the clues to solving the mystery if I know who did it before I get to the last chapter. That said, I’d love to be a pantser if I could, but spontaneity is not one of my fine qualities.

Do you find it difficult to maintain the arc between the three stories in the Layton Family series, or does the connection between the characters helps to tell the story?
I see the Layton Series as stand-alone books, so that makes it easier for me in the planning stages. There are character overlaps – there’s no way I could keep Glenda out of a book – but I want readers to be able to pick up any of the Layton books and not miss out on something because they haven’t gotten a chance to read the others yet. The series is planned for four books telling each one of the Layton siblings’ stories with each book set in a different season so if you read the books in order, it starts in the summer with Claire and Jake, moves into fall with Hank and Beth, continues into winter with Sam and Josie and will finish up in the spring with Chris and … Oh, I can’t give that away yet!

What do you think readers will find appealing about Sam Layton and Josie Winarsky? What makes them likeable? What makes us cringe?
What is not to like about Sam? He’s the black sheep of the Layton clan because he’s the normal one who would rather eat glass than be the center of attention. He’s smart, teaches a class about Midwestern feminists and has abs that make women weep. Of course, he’s not without his faults: he’s stubborn, quick to judge and can be completely uptight – but that’s why Josie is such a good fit for him. Josie is brash, bold and not afraid to poke at the grumpy bear. I just love Josie. The girl would be great to have at your table on girls’ night.

What’s the hardest thing about starting a new book? What’s the easiest?
The ecstasy of a new idea. I’m telling you it is like a cold beer on a hot day it feels so good. That is my favorite part of starting a new book. The hardest has to be stopping myself from diving right into the story without planning a bit first to make sure it’s going to turn out just like I want.

Who’s your favorite author (any genre)? Got any great book suggestions for end of summer vacation reading?
My favorite author as of this moment is Tana French. She is an Irish mystery author and she is fabulous. She’s is on my must buy hardcover list. Go read her books, you will not regret it.

What’s your philosophy on book covers: scorch the ink right off the page, or weave a little mystery into its contents?
I’m going to return to my days as a cub reporter to answer this one. I asked my editor how long an article should be and the advice he gave me really could apply to book covers: It should be like a woman’s skirt – long enough to cover what needs to be covered and short enough to make it interesting.

What do you do when you’re not writing?
I read alot. My goal this year is 100 books and I’ve hit the halfway point, so I’m a bit behind.

What are the Waterworld Mermaids?
The Waterworld Mermmaids are a group of Washington Romance Writers author who I’m lucky enough to be a part of. They are such a fun group of people. There are 13 of us and we all blog on the site, do book reviews, have giveaways, write free read stories and more. My favorite feature is called Guy Day and that’s when one of the mermaids interviews a guy to get their perspective on things. I was forced to interview a group of Marines when it was my turn for Guy Day – oh the horror. 🙂

And in honor of your Friday Man Wars: Superman or Batman? Matt Damon or Jeremy Renner? Sean Connery or Daniel Craig? Vampire Eric or Werewolf Alcide? Robocop or Iron Man?
+  Fun! Batman without a doubt.
+  Matt Damon or Jeremy Renner? That is not fair. I pick both. 🙂
+  Daniel Craig in a heartbeat.
+  Eric, Eric, Eric (damn, I thought if I said his name three times he had to appear).
+  Iron Man – but only if it’s Robert Downey Jr. and we’re off for a long vacation
on a private island.

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Avery Flynn has three slightly-wild children, loves a hockey-addicted husband and is desperately hoping someone invents the coffee IV drip. Evernight Publishing released the first two books in her Layton Family series, Temptation Creek and Seduction Creek. The third book in the series, Passion Creek, released today!

Find out more about Avery on her blog, follow her on Twitter, like her on Facebook, or friend her on Facebook. Also, if you figure out how to send Oreos through the Internet, she’ll be your best friend for life.

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– – > Buy Avery’s books HERE
– – > Watch the Passion Creek trailer HERE

Be a good reader, too, and LIKE Passion Creek on Amazon, TAG it for her, and if you enjoyed it, give it a great REVIEW! Thanks, y’all!

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EXCERPT | Passion Creek, by Avery Flynn

Wind whipped at Josie’s hair, its cold fingers digging underneath her collar despite her coat being zipped up to her neck.

McPherson’s Bluff loomed above them looking like a huge, solid, snow-covered brick. It rose nearly a mile from the flat prairie that reached out in every direction from its base. Off to the left a gnarled path of sunken ravines snaked out toward the horizon. A wide path had been cut down the center of the monument and a modern road weaved its way up the pine tree speckled bluff. Josie couldn’t help but admire its fierce, solitary and utterly unwelcoming beauty.

“Wow.”

Sam chuckled. “Imagine seeing that from the front seat of a wagon after you’ve abandoned your old life to create a new one in a place you’ve never seen and with people you’ve never met. What kind of person would risk everything to travel through hostile territory for a slim chance at a better life?”

“You sound like you wish you were that kind of person.”

“No.” He slammed the car door shut and stormed over to her, stopping inches from the tips of her black boots. “I’m not that kind of person. I like order and I like certainty. I like standing in the back of the room away from the attention and the talk. I want steak on Friday nights and pancakes every Sunday morning. I like going to my office at the same time every day and having the same roast beef sandwich for lunch Monday through Friday.”

He moved in close enough for her to feel the heat pulsing off of his flushed cheeks. Or maybe it was the heat moving up from her wet pussy that caused the breathless jittering in her stomach. Her entire being focused on him as her nipples hardened in anticipation of the electric flash that would explode inside her the moment they touched. She should say something, do something but the golden flecks in his hazel eyes held her mesmerized. Josie hung on the edge of a sheer cliff of need—not wanting to pull back, but unable to take that final step forward into the oblivion of passion.

“I have a boring life in a small town where nothing ever happens. My plans for the future involve putting fifteen percent of my salary into my 401K and publishing papers in dry history journals that no one reads. There is no room on my calendar for adventure or treasure hunting with a woman who stands out in the room like a shiny new penny.”

His lips were only millimeters from hers, his breath pushing against her parted lips like a heated caress. Josie’s body vibrated from toes to eyebrows. If he didn’t touch her soon she would have to pounce on him.

“You probably don’t even eat leftovers,” he grumbled.

“No.”

“Or drive the exact same route to work every day.” He drew a gloved finger down the zipper of her leather coat, frustratingly close to her breasts but not touching them.

“Uh-uh.” So much of her brain had evaporated she couldn’t even form words any more.

“We’re nothing alike.” He grabbed her shoulders, squeezing the tender flesh. “I am content with my routine. I don’t want to change anything about it. Do you understand me?”

Josie could only blink in response to his growled pronouncement as her heart raced and her body cried out for him.

Sam dropped his hands from her as if she’d burnt him and stepped back. “So why do you make me think that I’m missing out on something extraordinary?”