Author Interview - Tara Andrews
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So I’m interviewing another Tara today (Tara A as opposed to Tara Q, as my high school teachers would say). She’s a fellow newbie author over at Decadent Publishing, and she has a brand new 1 Night Stand to promote.
Long Overdue is a contemporary romance featuring the inimitable Madame Eve, and it is available for purchase at our publisher’s website, as well as other major Ebook retailers such as Amazon and B&N.
1. For readers who are not yet acquainted with the series, can you tell me a bit about Decadent Publishing’s 1-Night-Stand series? What ties these stories together, besides the obvious?
Decadent’s 1Night Stand series is a collection of short stories by various authors and written for a variety of genre’s. There’s something for everyone. 1Night Stand is the name of the agency run by Madame Eve, who is a central figure in all the books. The characters engage the agency for various reasons with the expectation of a one night stand. However, Madame Eve’s goal is to provide her clients with a happy ending beyond a single night.
There are other things, aside from Madame Eve, that tie the stories together. There is also Jackson Castillo and his family. They run a chain of hotels and resorts that may be used in the series to some degree or another, though the night can take place anywhere. And, then there is the obvious as you mentioned—it is the main point of the series, one special night.
2. Tell me a bit more about Blake and Jill’s situation. Are they complete strangers or have they met before?
Jill and Blake knew each other in college. Or, rather, they knew of each other. Though aware of one another nothing ever developed—wrong timing, he was dating her roommate… they just never connected. So it is quite a shock to them both to find they’ve been matched. More so for Jill who senses from the start that Blake had the ability sneak into her heart, when all she wants is to walk away in the morning with no regrets.
3. I usually am pretty hero-obsessed when it comes to these interviews. What does Blake look like (please don’t spare the details)?
I love heroes, too! Truly my list of book crushes grows with each book I read. So I like all types. But Blake, well, he’s the classic tall, dark, and handsome. I guess it’s classic for a reason because it’s still hot. Dark brown hair and striking blue eyes that are difficult to look away from. As a businessman, I pictured him from the start standing with his hands in the pockets of his slacks, the top few buttons of his white shirt undone, and a knowing curve to his lips. All the while, a king size bed serves as a backdrop. In fact, it’s pretty much how it is in the book. LOL.
4. Oh my, he sounds just like a modern-day Mr. Darcy (which happens to be my type). I totally need to check Blake out. Okay, and here comes my attempt to make this a more substantive interview. Since this is your debut novel, can you tell us a bit more about how it came into existence? What inspired you to write Long Overdue, and what was your path publication like?
Well, I suppose it’s a bit unoriginal to say I’ve been writing for as long as I can remember. But I have. From handwriting really bad fan-fic (before I even knew there was such a thing) in a marble notebook as a teen, to trading in the notebooks for a laptop later on, the desire to write has always been there. But I had no idea how to go about pursuing it further so I headed off in a different direction. It wasn’t until much later, after receiving some advice from an established author, that I joined RWA and my local chapter. Then I really started to learn what I needed.
The idea for Long Overdue came about after searching for submission calls. At first I didn’t think I had a story to contribute, but one day the idea came to me. I love second chance stories and originally I thought that’s what this would be, but I realized these characters weren’t in the right place at the right time before. The story started to take shape, but it was slow going.
At the same time, I was taking online classes, pursuing an Associates degree. Finding time to write was a struggle and when I did finally finish I sent it off to be read by an author kind enough to offer. She provided me with some excellent feedback but it took a while to incorporate it before submitting it to Decadent.
It’s been a constant learning experience for me ever since.
5. *Cough* I may or may not have once written really bad Harry Potter fan fiction back in the day (I believe I'm considered a Dramione-girl). Enough about me though–as we all know, the first book is just the start. What projects do you have in the pipeline (that you are at liberty to hint about)?
I don’t think I’ve reached the stage where I’d have to keep quiet about super-secret projects, LOL. But I am working on another 1Night Stand at the moment, and I am having tons of fun writing it because my characters are incredible. The hero is particularly yummy, you may be happy to know.
Having a new release is a rather tumultuous time for any author, so I won’t keep Tara A. any longer. For more information about the book and author, just scroll down. Comments are always much appreciated.
Long Overdue
Jill Malone has been looking for love for all the wrong reasons. A reality check has her signing up for a no-strings attached night to simply forget about forever after. The last thing she expected was to know her blind date.
Blake Anders doesn’t need help finding a date, but he’s tempted by 1Night Stand’s reputation of arranging exactly what a person needs. And he needs more. Though doubtful, he agrees to one night and hopes to discover his perfect match. He didn’t count on Madame Eve reaching deep into his past to give him a night with the woman he never forgot.
Fearing another broken heart, Jill works to keep herself from becoming attached, but Blake goes all in to convince her that he wants their long-overdue love to be more than a one-night stand…
About Tara Andrews
In addition to her obsessive need to write, Tara Andrews spends her day managing half the business office for a community hospital. She lives in upstate New York with her wonderful, supportive husband and two children – who make everything worthwhile. If all that doesn’t keep her busy enough, she’s also a part time student. Tara’s a procrastinator (advanced-level) who likes to spend every spare moment reading – even those moments that shouldn’t be spared.
