Guest Author - Marisa Adams

It’s my pleasure to introduce a special guest today. Contemporary romance author Marisa Adams has joined me for an interview, and also to share a little about her debut novel, Is Love Enough.

Please introduce yourself, Marisa. Tell us a little about the person behind the pen.

There’s really not too much to tell because in many ways, I’ve lived a fairly ordinary life. I have lived in a sum total of three different places. I grew up in Katy, TX a suburban small town West of Houston with a fabulous school district that I returned to work in after earning a Bachelor’s degree in Interdisciplinary Studies from Texas A&M University. My four years in College Station, TX left me with a great respect for tradition and the love of my best friend. We married while still in college and moved to Katy after graduation. I taught and worked as an administrator over the course of the next 12 years. A year ago, my husband’s company transferred him to the Fort Worth, Texas area, so we moved which has been an extremely interesting transition for me. Not only did I leave my family and hometown behind, but my career as well; my husband and I made the decision to live off one income so I could be a full time Mom to our daughter.

I started freelance article writing as a way to keep my mind going and earn a little extra income. Overtime, I realized I should break out my manuscript from a few years ago, rework some of it, and publish the story.

Why did you decide to write Romance? What is the appeal?

I love getting lost in the pages of a great romance. Romance is by far my favorite genre to write. There is something delightful about falling in love; as an author, I have the opportunity to relive those moments over and over again. My characters come to life in my mind, choosing to speak to me at all sorts of crazy times – in the store, during dreams, and even while I’m waiting for my daughter at dance. I’ve learned to just let them have free reign and tell their stories.

How much research goes into your books, and how do you tackle that?

My first books have centered on a teacher (which I have years and years of experience with) and a soap opera actor turned Hollywood star (which I have absolutely NO experience with). Through the course of writing, I have spent quite a bit of time online or talking with others who do have the experience I’m missing.

Tell us a little about your writing style? Do you plan and plot your stories, or do you just plow through them?

I’m a horrible planner! Seriously…I try. I will spend time outlining and thinking of things I want to happen. Then my characters take hold of the scenes and my plans are completely thrown out the window! Usually, I know how I want the story to start and how I want it to end. Everything else in between is usually based on how the characters evolve overtime.

Can you tell us a little about your current work, Is Love Enough? Is there a story behind the story?

Is Love Enough is my debut novel. I actually began the story years ago while I was on a conference in San Francisco. While there, several other teachers and I were walking around and we saw Michael Keaton coming out of a store. I remember going back to the hotel room that evening and wondering what would happen if a single teacher happened to meet a single actor while she was in town for a conference. From there, the first official scene of Is Love Enough was born. Unfortunately, my time in education, being a mother, and working as a graduate student forced the story onto the backburner. With a significant life change a year ago, I decided to pull it back out, finish the story, and get it ready to publish.

Now, I’m working on a holiday novella which will follow Danny and Nikki, the other couple mentioned in Is Love Enough. Although this new story, Mistletoe Dreams, will be the second in the series, it can easily be read as a standalone story.

What sets your heroine, Rebekah, apart from all the other women in your hero, Jason’s life? Why is she perfect for him?

Rebekah is a sweet spirit who has a calming presence about her which is exactly what Jason needs. Coming from the glitz and glamour of being a breakout star, he is completely overwhelmed with the star lifestyle.  His own ex-wife never understood his need to just be still and enjoy a life separate and apart from his Hollywood persona. Rebekah offers him this respite and much more .

Have you ever had writer’s block? How do you deal with it?

I suffer from writer’s block quite often – probably because my characters dictate so much of my stories. When they have had enough, or decide to go silent on me, the writer’s block hits. Fortunately, I have found the best cure for mine – I’m a dreamer. If I can go to bed thinking about the scene where I’m stuck, concentrating on it over and over, I can usually force myself to dream about the scene. As the scene comes to life in my mind, I’m able to write it over the course of the next couple of days and the writer’s block disappears.

Describe a favorite scene in your current novel?

One of my favorite scenes in Is Love Enough would have to be when Rebekah visits Jason in New York for his sister’s wedding. The two characters are so relaxed and playful with each other, but the underlying passion and tension is building beautifully. Here’s an excerpt:

“Thank you, Nikki,” he replied leaving their Penthouse and heading over to his own. As he closed the door behind him, he could hear water running upstairs. Immediately, his thoughts turned to her, naked, in his shower. Eyes closed, he leaned his body against the door, resting his head there. He could imagine the water running down her goddess-like body. Her golden tresses would be darkened and heavy with the water, as her hair would only slightly cover other areas he shouldn’t be thinking of. As his mind began trailing lower down her glistening body, he heard the water shut off, and he prayed she had been in that shower long enough to drain his hot water. If ever there was a time he needed a cold shower, this was it.

Keeping his eyes closed, he let his mind linger in those thoughts longer than he should have, his body obviously aroused by the desires coursing through his veins. Before he knew it, he heard her padding softly down the stairs. By the time he had his eyes open, she was headed straight for him. Immediately, she noticed his eyes had turned a darker shade of blue, noting his current state of mind. As her eyes took in the rest of his form, his eyes devoured her figure, detailing the robe clinging to her still damp body as leftover water droplets fell from her hair, only aiding his fantasy. “Good morning,” he tried to speak, but his body betrayed his mind as he enveloped her in a passionate embrace. Lips against lips, he almost lost it as she sensed his desire and forced her tongue into his mouth. Hungrily, they tasted one another before he broke the kiss and made his way down her jaw line towards her neck, his tongue sensuously lapping the water from her skin. “Jason,” she moaned softly, her voice dripping in ecstasy.

At the sound of her voice, the rational portion of his brain regained control of his body, and he used all his strength to pull away from her, leaving his arms to rest lightly around her waist. “Beck,” he whispered softly, wanting, no needing her to understand his actions. If only he could understand them.

Dropping her forehead to his chest, she lazily murmured, “Mmm, good morning to you too. You know, I could get used to starting my days off this way.”

“Yeah?” he gently ran his fingers through her now slowly drying hair. “You have no idea how much I agree with that.”

Suggestively, she pressed her hips against his still aroused form. “I think I have an idea.” She glanced up at him with a smile on her face.

“Rebekah,” he began, but her index finger against his lips quickly quieted him.

She replaced her finger with her lips as she placed a sweet and gentle kiss there. “I know, more than you understand.” She wanted nothing more than to tell him exactly how she felt, but they had to be at breakfast soon and she didn’t want to rush that moment. “Why don’t you go take a shower and I’ll finish getting ready.”

Jason could only nod his head yes as his eyes followed her retreating body up the stairs. He wanted her, more than he had ever wanted any other woman. No one had ever had the ability to make him lose control the way she did. Pressing his fingertips against his temple he shook his head and thought of the cold shower that awaited him.

An hour later a much more in control Jason treaded down his stairs to find Rebekah curled up on the couch reading through his newest script. Laughing, he placed a kiss against the top of her head and asked, “What are you doing?”

“I just wanted to see if Brad saves his sister from the cave.”

“So, does he?”

“What do you mean, 'does he'? Haven’t you even read through that yet?”

“Nope.”

“Nope?”

“I memorize my stuff the night before. If I’m correct, that doesn’t happen until Friday. That’s a whole week away!”

Exasperated, Rebekah rolled the script and playfully hit him across the chest. ‘So, when do we meet this family of yours?”

“Now, if you’re ready. Look, I don’t want you to be uncomfortable. If you don’t…” but he was quickly cut off with her lips against his. After they broke away, he grinned and said, “I need to be shut up like that more often.”

“Keep mouthing off and you will be.”

She brushed past him, but stopped as his hand reached out and spun her around to face him, pressing her body against his. Again, she noticed the color change in his eyes. “Promise?” he asked.

“Don’t start something you can’t finish Taylor,” she commanded, her voiced laced with desire. She knew she was playing with fire, but at this point, a part of her didn’t really care. They had been apart so long.

Jason dropped his head into the warm crevice where her shoulder and neck met. He smiled as he realized how perfectly his head nestled there, and he knew the rest of their bodies would fit together perfectly as well. “Let’s go to breakfast,” he whispered into her neck, placing sweet kisses there.

What else do you have in store for your readers?

As I mentioned earlier, my next story, a holiday novella called Mistletoe Dreams, will come out in a few weeks. This tale will explore the relationship between Danny and Nikki – Jason’s best friends. The novella can be read in as a follow up to Is Love Enough, or as a standalone holiday short story.

My next full story will be out in the spring or early summer of 2013. It will be a slight deviation from my debut novel, with quite a bit more intrigue involved. Expect to explore the underground of Houston’s drug trade, spend some time with a few of Houston’s finest, and travel alongside Melissa and Mark as they work to rekindle a lost love.

Links:

Author page: www.marisaadams.com

Amazon Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/Is-Love-Enough-ebook/dp/B009RQV4C6/ref=sr_1_1_bnp_1_kin?ie=UTF8&qid=1353282161&sr=8-1&keywords=is+love+enough

Amazon paperback: http://www.amazon.com/Is-Love-Enough-Marisa-Adams/dp/1479377201/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1353282161&sr=8-1

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/245856

Barnes and Nobles: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/is-love-enough-marisa-adams/1113522365?ean=9781479377206

Thanks again for joining me today, Marisa. And I wish you much success in your writer’s journey!