Free For All Friday - Meet Author Alyson Reuben!

I'm so happy to welcome the talented ALYSON REUBEN to the blog today. I'm reading her latest release, A BEAUTIFUL CAGE, right now! I have to tell you ladies, I'm loving it :)  Set in Nazi Germany, it's an historical that steps out of the typical setting.


You can learn more about Alyson at her website www.alysonreuben.com   
or enjoy her blog at www.abiteofreubensandwich.blogspot.com
Then come on back and visit with Alyson:)


Thanks for being here today!


1- Was your road to publication a delightful stroll in the park or a tiring jog over hot coals?

* The process of writing A Beautiful Cage took me a couple years, because I started the story, left it for a while, then returned to it. But the road to publication was probably closer to a stroll than a tiring jog. At first, I only submitted to agents. No luck there. On the plus side, I queried to only a couple of publishers before The Wild Rose Press offered to publish it. Edits were minimal. And I’ve had nothing but the very best working relationship with all the editors and my wonderful fellow authors.

2- What is the most difficult for you to write: Characters, conflict, emotions?

*Hmm. This is a tricky question, because my characters are steeped in conflict and emotions. I guess the action/conflict scenes might be the hardest. But I think it really depends on the particular scene.

3- Tell us about your real life romance.

*I’ve known my husband, who is older than me, since I was a kid because our families have been friends a long time. I have to admit I didn’t like him at all. He was snobby and was always teasing me, calling me a spoiled snotty-nosed brat. He had his girlfriends and his job, and I had my school and life. Totally opposite people with completely opposite lives. Funny how that works. Fast forward to my young adulthood and he’s suddenly noticing me from a whole new angle. And I’m seeing his personality in a way I never noticed when I was a kid. He actually turned out to be human. Ha! Okay, actually, he’s a fantastic guy! I’ve been married to him for the past 16 years, so that has to prove it! I support his passion for music (he plays the piano and sings), and he supports my writing 100%. Besides being my best friend, he’s also my best fan. Now I call that real romance!

4- Do you believe in love at first sight?

*Yes… although, for the most part, many people’s boast to love at first sight is really lust at first sight. However, I personally know two couples who really did fall in love instantly, without knowing a thing about each other. It seems a bit mystical and rare, but I think it happens to certain people.

5 - If you could time travel would you go forward or backward?

*Definitely backward! I’m a huge history lover. But the particular time I’d choose depends on my current mood. I might go back to the vintage eras, like the twenties or fifties. Then again, I might want to go back much further. Maybe to the Renaissance period or to the Civil War.

6 - What is your favorite time of year?

* I’m a worshipper of golden summers. In fact, I already miss those spectacular, heat-filled days. Especially after attending the outdoor field trip Tuesday with my daughter in the cold, wet rain. Umbrellas are absolutely NO defense against bone-penetrating dampness. Mother nature must’ve been experiencing rotten PMS when she created late fall and winter! Brrr!

Sometime in the future, if I have my way, by careful saving and scrimping, my family will pack up and move to a year-round warm climate. Please buy by books and add funds to this worthy cause!!! Just kidding. Actually *rubbing my icy nose* no, I’m not.

7- What is your favorite dessert/food?

*Chocolate moose. Chocolate Black Forest cake. Chocolate chip cookies. Chocolate ice-cream. Oh, and just plain ol’ chocolate will work too.

Blurb:

A BEAUTIFUL CAGE

Wanted by the Gestapo, Rebecca Bloomberg is on the run for her life. Sheltering in the home of a reporter who writes absurd lies for a Nazi propaganda newspaper is hardly an ideal solution. Irresistibly drawn to the man, she dares not trust him, until she discovers his journalist position is a mask for involvement in an anti-Nazi resistance ring.

Gustav Von Furst has done all he can to perfect his mask. Neither his family nor his close friends know the truth. Hiding a Jewish girl is the most foolish risk, yet there is something about her that makes him want to protect her.

Eager to forget the outside world, Rebecca and Gustav are caught up in a private world of forbidden passion—until unexpected danger lands on their doorstep and they’re faced with a decision that will change everything. Will love demand a sacrifice too great to give?

Excerpt:

Mortified, Rebecca covered her mouth with her hand. “I must be drunk.”

Gustav cocked an eyebrow, his expression a knowing one.

Faces at very close range, she swallowed tightly. “Well, maybe I’m not drunk…”

“It’s all right to enjoy yourself, Becky. Just be yourself. I like you this way.”

“You?” she whispered. “Herr von Furst, the serious journalist, actually likes for me to be silly?”

His answer was to pull her tight against him.


And he didn’t just kiss her.

He enveloped her.

The room was suddenly spinning. And they weren’t even dancing.

How was it possible that in all of tonight’s brisk bouncing, spiraling, and twirling she hadn’t felt as dizzy as she did right now?

She caught a quick, shaky breath when their lips parted a hairbreadth.

“Will you think me horrible, Gustav, if I confess that you make me want you even when I know I shouldn’t?”

His answering kiss was the only response she needed.

For several seconds, Gustav was tempted to tear off that damned provocative dress.  Instead, he took his time, slowly unzipping it while kissing her warm, upturned lips in a way that made Rebecca limper in his arms and his own body harder by the second.

Up until now, he hadn’t been sure what to expect from her tonight, figuring she’d want nothing to do with him after their first negative encounter. And even now, with her consent, he knew he should proceed with care. Rebecca, strong and independent in so many ways, was also emotionally fragile. Besides, she was worth far more than a quickie, more than a brief encounter. She deserved to be touched with adulating finesse.

Lightly rubbing his palm in circles around her bare back, he began kissing her neck, pressing his lips against her fluttering pulse. Trailing farther down to her collarbone, he nuzzled her sweet-smelling-skin, sniffing deeply, entranced by the delicious scent lingering there. Vanilla? Whatever it was, it could make a man absolutely drunk with longing.

Rebecca’s fingers were caressing his head. And her barely audible sighs were proof that he was doing all the right things.

Keeping one arm behind her back, he stooped and slid the other under her knees, lifting her up in his arms. “Our dancing isn’t over tonight, Becky,” he murmured, ducking his chin to barely graze his lips against hers. “I think we might initiate another kind of dance, ja?”

Buy links:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Beautiful-Cage-Alyson-Reuben/dp/160154958X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1319007144&sr=8-1
Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-beautiful-cage-alyson-reuben/1105584348 
The Wild Rose Press: http://www.thewildrosepress.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=176_145&products_id=4606

My author links:
website: www.alysonreuben.com
blog site: www.abiteofreubensandwich.blogspot.com
twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/alysonreuben
facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Alyson-Reubens-Author-Page/107423069337260
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5171065.Alyson_Reuben