I haven’t done this for a while, but I’m so pleased to welcome Daryl Devore, a fantastic romance author and the wise admin of Rom Critters, a romance critique group. Daryl’s latest contemporary romance is out now, but more on that later.
First, let’s say hello!
BW – So, what does Writer Daryl do when she isn’t writing?
DD – Yoga. I adore yoga. I highly recommend it. Just make sure you find a yogi (teacher) that suits your personality. I have found mine – Paula. She experiments with all sorts of yoga styles. The photo below is me in Wall class. The supports – while looking sort of kinky – help the person settle into the asana (pose). That asana is called Bat. My favourite pose. I am the bigger of the 2 Tiggers. This photo was taken on Halloween. Paula is so cool she suggested we dress up. And we did – and there were even trick or treats after class.
BW – Do you have a spirit animal? What is it?
DD – An Alpaca. It is not a llama but is similar. Side by side – the alpaca is the smaller animal. They assert their dominance by spitting. Which for some reason, I find hilarious. The meme below is one of my all-time favourites.
BW – What do you do to cheer yourself up on a bad day?
DD – Garden. Go out in my garden and RIP out some weeds. And if it is a really bad day – put on my headphones to lose myself in the music. I don’t fit in most boxes. Sometimes the music would be rock ‘n roll but more often than not – classical – Tchaikovsky, Chopin, Mozart. Since I live in Canada, I can’t garden all year. For several months the temperature is well below freezing and there could easily be 2 – 3 feet of snow covering the property. So what do I do then? Watch BBC’s Gardeners World. I can settle back on the couch and watch hours of it (if I have the time). It is such a calming and beautiful program it takes the edge off the bad day.
BW – Now, tell us about your latest release.
DD – Gladly. Circles Interlocked is Book 2 in a duology called Circles Completed. It used to be book 3. What happened was – I wrote a book for 2 of my high school students who complained there was nothing for them to read. This was pre- Twilight. (Yes, I’ve been a writer for a looong time). A writer acquaintance read the manuscript and suggested breaking it into 2 books. Being new – I divided the books. Big mistake. Dancing in Circles became book 1. Circles Divided became book 2 and Circles Interlocked was book 3. People read book 1 then jumped to book 3 and didn’t understand what had happened to the main characters.
Those books were under my other pen name. Long story behind that reason. Now as a more experienced writer, I decided being 2 people was getting complicated – 2 Twitter accts, 2 FB accts, 2 blogs etc. I put book 2 back into book 1 and now have a duology instead of a trilogy.
Excerpt
The roar of a motorcycle caught everyone’s attention as it sped past to take the lead. “There’s a guy I’d like to get to know.” Cheryl nodded in the direction of the motorcycle. “He’s dating Corina Kroft, the stunning blonde who owns the blue Cape Cod cottage up the beach. Heiress to a small fortune. Estimated to be in the several billions. Vincent says she’s lethal in business. The dumb blonde theory didn’t rub off on her. There have been marriage rumours about motorcycle-man and her.”
“Would you like to know his name?”
After veering to the left, Cheryl put the car back on the pavement. “You know him? Details!”
“We went to high school together.”
“But you went to a rich bitch school?”
Julie nodded. “Westland Prep.”
“I heard he was a biker. You know, gang member and all that.”
“Long story. Unhappy ending.”
“I’ve bumped into him on the path a few times. He doesn’t talk much. I swear he’s the handsomest man on the planet. His smile makes my knees weak. And his eyes. There’s such intenseness about them. Just once I’d like to…” A soft sigh finished her sentence.
“His name’s Robert Holiday.” A chill ran down Julie’s spine.
“So like, did you know him really well?” Cheryl popped her eyebrows up and down. “Didn’t happen to date him, did you?”
“Vincent tells me you got the job to paint the mural for the new Arts Centre.”
“Change of topic. Ooh, this has to be good. Sleep with him?”
Silence.
Cheryl glanced over at her friend. “Okay, I’ll let you off the hook for now, but don’t think I’ve given up. Someday I’ll get you to talk. I suspect there’s a great story here.”
Blurb
How do people get into the situations they find themselves in?
Having been betrayed by the man she assumed she was destined to be with forever; Julie Anderson is heartbroken that her love affair didn’t end with the fairy tale Happily Ever After. She leaves town to pursue her dream of being a dancer only to find herself trapped in a job she no longer loves, confined in a relationship with a loveless man, and living day by day regretting what she has become.
Bouncing from failed relationship to failed relationship, Robert Holiday consoles himself with the lie that he sacrificed his happiness so Julie could live her dream.
As fate has a curious sense of humour, eight years later, they wake up in bed together. Now it is up to love to fix what time cannot mend.
Circles Interlocked is available now!
Check it out on:
Author group – instead of a newsletter, I have an author group for my readers. Free ebook for joining. It is on 2 social media sites as some people prefer not to be on a certain one. Come – join the group.
Thanks for letting me stop by. Wise?? admin. Is there an admin I don’t know about. 😉
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