Kelly Danali of Beyond the Face-Off by Linda O'Connor LindaOConnor98 #ContemporaryRomance #IntheGameHockeySeries #SportsRomance

I’d like to welcome Kelly Danali of Beyond the Face-Off by Linda O’Connor.

RW:    What’s your story/back story? Why would someone come up with a story about you?

KD:     I’m one of those sassy, outgoing people who loves to meet people and make things happen. I run a pharmacy during the day—with over-the-top whimsical displays to help customers who are illiterate—and I’m involved in local theatre at night. I love being out there, getting involved and trying new things.

RW:    Can you tell us about your hero?

KD:     Jake Ross plays for the Clarington Quakes, the local professional hockey team. He’s just been traded to the Quakes, and the whole town couldn’t be happier to have him back home. He’s got a sexy quietness to him that you can’t help but love.

RW:    What problems do you have to face and overcome in your life?

KD:     I’ve been cast as the lead in a play, and my mom is playing the older version of the same character. It’s the first time we’re acting together in the same play, and I love working with her. The problem is my ex. He’s been cast opposite me as my love interest. I have no interest in loving him, and unfortunately the chemistry between us is suffering. To top that off, the owners just sold the building where I’m renting my pharmacy, and the new owners are jacking up the rent. I’m just finding my feet in the business world and it’s going to be tight to make ends meet. While I’m dealing with that, I’ve noticed an alarming trend in inhaler use in the local teens. I’m worried there might be a new drug abuse problem in the community. I can’t help but get involved.

RW:    Do you expect your hero to help or is he the problem?

KD:    I’d like Jake to help. He’d be a respected spokesperson if I could get him to talk to the teens about staying fit and staying away from drugs, but I’d have to nudge him to embrace public speaking. Yeah…probably not going to happen.

RW:    Where do you live?

KD:     Clarington, Ontario

RW:    During what time-period does your story take place?

KD:     2018

RW:    How are you coping with the conflict in your life?

KD:     I can’t imagine quitting the play, but I have to say, it’s crossed my mind. It’d be a shame to give it up. We’ll see—I have a few tricks up my sleeve yet. I’ll figure out a way to increase revenue for my pharmacy. I’ve worked too hard to walk away—and I have good friends in Clarington who I wouldn’t want to leave behind.

RW:  Bubble baths or steamy showers? Ocean or mountains? Puppies or kittens? Chocolate or caramel?

KD:     Bubble baths, oceans, puppies. I have to choose between chocolate and caramel? That’s just mean.

RW:    If money were not an object, where would you most like to live?

KD:     Wherever Jake is playing. :D

RW:    What is your secret guilty pleasure?

KD:     Any dessert from Bibbington’s Cafe.

RW:    City life or country life? E-Book or paperback? Zebras or elephants?

KD:     City, Paperback, Elephants.

RW:    Cherries or Bananas? Leather or lace? Black or red? Mud Bath or Oily Massage?

KD:     Cherries, Lace, Red, Oily Massage.

RW:    If you came with a warning label, what would it say?

KD:     Won’t fade in the limelight.

RW:    Party life or quiet dinner for two?

KD:     Party life, although Jake is into quiet dinners for two, so I may have to adjust.

RW:    Those are all the questions I have for you. Thank you for speaking to me.

KD:     Thanks so much for shining the spotlight on me!

Linda O’Connor

Bio

Award-winning author Linda O’Connor started writing romantic comedies when she needed a creative outlet other than subtly rearranging the displays at a local home décor store. Her books have enjoyed bestseller status. When not writing, she’s a physician at an Urgent Care Clinic. She shares her medical knowledge in fast-paced, well-written, sexy romances—with an unexpected twist. Her favourite prescription to write? Laugh every day. Love every minute.

Beyond the Face-Off

The Plot

Kelly Danali has a big personality. She runs a pharmacy by day and lights up the local theatre scene by night. There’s nothing she craves more than a spot in the limelight. Jake Ross is a homegrown hockey star. He’s been traded back to the Clarington Quakes and spends most of his time avoiding the press and hockey-crazed fans.

Kelly wants to curb an alarming trend of drug abuse in local teens, and Jake, with his athleticism and sex appeal, would be the perfect spokesperson. Except there’s one problem—there’s nothing Jake craves more than privacy and solitude.

Jake finds Kelly irresistible and skates around the possibility of falling in love, but is she more attracted to hockey, fame, or him?

There’s more to love…Beyond the Face-Off.

An Excerpt:

“Okay, all set.” Kelly walked over to the cash. Was it just her or was there a sizzle in the air? “Has your dad had this medicine before?” Please say yes.

Jake shook his head. “I don’t think so. He’s feeling a bit under the weather. He came back from the doctor with this and asked if I could pick it up for him.”

Kelly nodded and cleared her throat. “I’ve slipped some information about it in the bag, but it’s used to treat erectile dysfunction. It takes about thirty minutes for the full effect—” She stopped at his strangled sound.

He raised his hands in the air, and his eyes went wide. “What?”

Kelly blinked. “It’s used to keep an erection hard so intercourse is pos–”

“Yeah, I know what erectile dysfunction is. How is that going to help my father?”

“Well, if he’s having problems with–”

“No.” Jake shook his head and waved his hands in the air. A flush spread over his cheeks. “I don’t want to discuss my father’s…erectile,” he said with a wince, “problems.” He shook his head. “He told me he had the flu.”

Kelly looked at him. “This won’t help the flu.” She grinned. “But it may make him feel better.”

Contact Linda O’Connor at:

Website: http://www.lindaoconnor.net

Blog: https://lindaoconnorauthor.wordpress.com

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/LindaOConnor98

Amazon Author Page:

http://www.amazon.com/Linda-OConnor/e/B00S7CNLEA

Book Links:https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07G6XMD6B

Video Trailer URL: https://youtu.be/ax2sO3_kvdE

Publisher: Interlock Publishing

Amazon: https://amazon.com/dp/B07G6XMD6B

Linda O’Connor @LindaOConnor98 Author of Perfectly Series #SultryNightsBoxedSet #Contemporary #RomCom

I’d like to welcome Linda O’Connor, author of the Perfectly Series, to my blog today.

RW:       Tell us about yourself, your family, where you live, etc.

LOC:      I live in Ontario, Canada in a house on the water. I usually sit and write where I can look at the lake. When the weather is warm, I’ll write outside. I balance writing with my work as a physician at an Urgent Care Clinic and being a mom to three sons (luckily grown and capable of throwing together a decent meal, in a pinch).

RW:        How many hours a day do you spend writing?

LOC:     I write for two to three hours on the days I’m also working at the clinic and about six hours on the other days.

RW:       Why did you decide to write? When did you submit your first manuscript and what genre was it?

LOC:    I’m a physician, and I started writing because I wanted to find a fun way to disseminate medical information and to educate and empower readers to take ownership of their health. Targeting a female audience with romance novels seemed like a good idea, because women are usually the ones who see a doctor. (Males typically only go when a girlfriend/partner/spouse/mom encourages them to do so. :D) I write romantic comedies because I love being in a fun headspace when I’m writing. I submitted my first manuscript in 2014.

RW:       Who are your favorite authors? Who influenced your writing?

LOC:      My favorite authors are Nora Roberts, Marne Davis Kellogg, Jeffrey Archer, Graeme Simsion, and Ruth Reichl. I think every author whose books I’ve ever read has influenced my writing in some way, but the romance authors who hosted workshops about writing, editing, publishing, and marketing skills have made the most impact.

RW:       Who are your favorite characters among the books you’ve written?

LOC:      My favorite characters are Chloe Keay in Perfectly Planned (she’s a lot of fun), Sam O’Brien in Perfectly Honest (he’s really hot), and Patty Kelt in Perfectly Crazy in Love (she’s sweet and a little bit crazy).

RW:      What makes a good book? A great romance? Is humor important in fiction and why?

LOC:     I read for relaxation, and I love happily-ever-after endings. I don’t enjoy books that make me cry. Laughter is essential to great health, so humor is a must!

RW:       How much of your personality and life experiences are in your writing?

LOC:    One hundred percent of my personality is in my writing. :D My life experiences are woven into the stories in some shape or form, often not consciously or exactly as they happened, but sprinkled with my imagination.

RW:        How do you come up with story ideas? What kind of research do you do for a book?

LOC:      News stories, headlines, snippets of conversations I hear, lyrics of songs, watching people and putting a story behind their body language or expression—they all inspire my imagination. I’m a physician and my characters are often doctors. The patients they see are often inspired by something I want to teach.

RW:       Tell us about your latest book. What motivated the story? Where did the idea come from? What genre is it? Does it cross over to other genres? If so, what are they?

LOC:     My latest book is Perfectly Crazy in Love, a Perfectly Series novella. It’s a fun one! It came from that feeling of finding love—the uncertainty, the nervous thrill, that wonderful feeling when you realize someone feels the same way about you that you feel about them. It’s a romantic comedy - my fav.

RW:       How many books have you written, how many have been published?

LOC:     I’ve written twelve books, eight romantic comedies in the Perfectly Series and four as part of the In the Game Hockey Series. Perfectly Crazy in Love is the eighth one to be published. The first two books in the Perfectly Series are published by Soul Mate Publishing and the rest are published by Interlock Publishing. The hockey romances will be released in 2018.

RW:     After you’ve written your book and it’s been published, do you ever buy it and/or read it?

LOC:      I always buy it, but I never read it. :D

RW:        If I were a first-time reader of your books, which one would you recommend I start with and why?

LOC:      They are all stand-alone stories, so it doesn’t really matter. You could start with the novellas and then read the full-length stories in order. I think it’s fun to revisit the characters as you read them in order.

RW:      Those are all the questions I have for you. Thank you for speaking to me.

LOC:     Thank you very much for hosting me!! I love meeting other authors and new readers. :D

Perfectly Crazy in Love

The Plot

Dr. Patty Kelt is trying to get Dr. Ken Marshall’s attention. They’ve been friends for four years, and it’s time to turn it up a notch. She wants him to see her as smart, competent, strong, and sexy. So far she’s just managed crazy.

Ken’s used to solving problems and giving advice. Crazy he could handle. But dealing with crazy in love? That’s entirely new.

Perfectly Crazy in Love…it’s not as easy as it looks.

An Excerpt:

“What are you wearing?”

Dr. Patty Kelt looked down at her exposed cleavage and grimaced. “Too much?”

Dr. Sylvie Grant, her best friend and colleague, sat down in the seat beside her at the busy restaurant. “Did you wear that to work today?”

“No, of course not. Patients have enough trouble focusing on what I say without a,”—she waved her hand around her chest—“distraction.” She shrugged. “I changed for the meeting.”

Sylvie’s eyes widened. “You changed into that for our dinner meeting? Why? Are you heading out afterward?”

“Maybe. Possibly.” She bit her lip. “Hopefully.”

Realization dawned in Sylvie’s eyes. “You know, if you want to go out with Ken, you should just ask him. Welcome to the twenty-first century,” she drawled.

Patty winced. Ken Marshall, the other family doctor in Emerson who delivered babies in addition to running a busy practice, was hot. She’d worked with him for over four years, and she’d sensed … electricity between them. Well, it might have been more of a sock-stuck-to-a-blanket static electricity, but there was something. She was sure of it. Flirty comments, the look in his eyes, the occasional time he’d touched her arm when he hadn’t needed to—it was subtle, but the signs pointed toward a more-than-friends interest. Except … in the four years since they’d known each other, he’d never actually asked her out on a date. Sure, they’d sat beside each other at meetings, they’d attended the same hospital functions, she’d even included him in parties she’d hosted, but they’d never spent one-on-one time together. She wanted to change that. When he’d started his last relationship and it had hurt to watch him with another woman, she’d vowed that if the two ever broke up, if the opportunity arose for her to tell him how she felt, she would.

That chance had come. He was newly single. It was time to find out if that spark could be fanned into a flame, if the feelings she had for him could blossom into more. And for that, she needed to ramp things up. “I don’t think he’s a twenty-first century guy. I’m hoping,” she glanced at the low cut of her red dress, “this will get his attention.”

“Oh yeah, that’s a lot less brazen.”

Linda O’Connor

Bio

Linda O’Connor started writing a few years ago when she needed a creative outlet other than subtly rearranging the displays at the local home décor store. It turns out she loves writing romantic comedies and has a few more stories to tell. When not writing, she’s a physician at an Urgent Care Clinic (well, even when she is writing she’s a physician, and it shows up in her stories :D ). She hangs out at http://www.lindaoconnor.net.

Laugh every day. Love every minute.

Book Links: “Perfectly Crazy in Love” is one of 22 hot romances in the Sultry Nights Boxed Set.

Publisher: Romance Collections https://www.romancecollections.com/sultry-nights

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B074RM9HFB

BN: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/1126974023?ean=9781537860725

Contact Linda O’Connor at:

Website: http://www.lindaoconnor.net

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/LindaOConnor98

Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/Linda-OConnor/e/B00S7CNLEA