Friday Fun + Give*Away: Meet MIA DOWNING!

Please help me welcome the talented MIA DOWNING to the blog today! I'm so glad to have MIA here today (first time) and happy to report she'll be back next month with a new release! Yay!

Thanks for being here, Mia :)

Thank you so much for having me, Jennifer! I’m excited to be here and I’m such a fan of your writing. Rafe was a delicious find out in the mountains! I doubt I’d ever get that lucky. LOL

I’d love to give away a copy of EXCEEDING BOUNDARIES  to a lucky commenter. Make sure you leave your email addy. I’ll get back to you with the format of your choice! It’s a juicy, conflicted read, so it’s worth the comment!

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

I think it was more of a run through the park being chased by zombies. I’m lucky, I happened to be in the right place and right time when I submitted to my editor, so she saved me from the zombies. I started writing again in 2000, was a contest slut, won prizes, got rejected by a big six NYC editor over the phone with a request to write for a different line (I wasn’t ready to do what she wanted.) Then I listened to a friend who basically killed the dream with one sentence. That, along with health issues, put the dream in the trash can until this year when the stories decided they needed to be heard.

* Where is your favorite place to write?

Right now it’s on the laptop at the barn. We just got a horse, and we have two cows. They don’t all fit into the barn, and the horse is protective of his space. The horse comes out to eat, but needs to be watched (he doesn’t have a stall yet and I envision him playing Jacob’s ladder with his lead rope.) So I have two hours a day of writing time on the laptop. It’s peaceful, I take coffee, and if I spend a little longer on the laptop, the horse doesn’t complain.

* Do you have critique partners?

No. A critique partner (CP) can be a catalyst for good or evil. Unfortunately, I ended up in hell paddling the boat that goes back and forth across the River Styx, collecting coins from dead people. LOL I gave up fiction and instead turned to other venues within the business (technical and ghost writing.) But I couldn’t stay away, so finally I got brave. I do have two very close friends I use to bounce ideas and give more of an overview once I’ve written what I need to write. I also use a beta reader now and then. Of course my editor is a valuable tool though I try to make everything as perfect as possible before she gets the book. I do sound ideas off her, and she’s my biggest cheering section!

* What music are you listening to lately?

Each book has its own sound track and I have to go and find music that fits that scene/character. I know I have the right song when I put it on repeat and don’t hear it anymore. Weird, but that’s me.

The Spy Games series have songs that can mix and match because the characters are in every book. Kelly Clarkson’s Stronger was Kate’s music. Chase makes love to Kate to Snow Patrol’s Set Fire to the Third Bar. Charlotte loves Niki Minaj’s Starships. Jake thinks Rick Springfield’s song, Jesse’s Girl is too ironic and changes the lyrics to Chase’s Girl. LOL. Right now I’m on a 30 Seconds to Mars Kick. Jared Leto is mine. I’d like to see him on a Mancandy Monday!

Exceeding Boundaries, my first book, was written to Maroon 5’s Never Gonna Leave This Bed and a few others. Funny but I can’t listen to that song now, for this series. I only hope my characters don’t wish for country music. I hate it.

* If you could switch places with one of your characters would you?

Yes, I’ve always wanted to be Kate. She went from nerdy and frumpy to having a kick ass body, great boobs and nicer hair thanks to the government. She is optimistic and full of determination, willing to change to become what she needs to be for her job and for her relationship with Chase. Chase is not an easy man to love because he has so many facets behind the gorgeous face and bossy attitude. But more importantly, I love how she grows and becomes empowered by her new role as a spy, and how she has two men that love her so deeply. Granted, she would die first for Chase, but she loves her partner, Jake, too.

* Tell us a little about your WIP.

I just finished the last Spy Games Endgame. Charlotte Smith is a secret agent marking time until her final mission is put into play. Right now she’s Aaron James’ bodyguard. He’s an actor who got himself into a bit of trouble and needs protecting. He’s also Jake’s younger brother, who is the hero for book two, and plays an important role in book one.

And I’m also in the middle of a male/male targeted for the Boys Of Summer series TWRP has running this summer. It’s a best friends story and very heartbreaking to write at times.

Exceeding Boundaries BLURB:

Lawyer Megan Connors wants a man, one that will wine her, dine her, and help her to forget the pain of a date rape she experienced as a teen. Her boss, Adam Wentworth, is just the man--tall, dark-haired, blue-eyed, and a confirmed player. He's perfect for a weekend of non-committal sex that will entice her inner woman out to play for good. So Megan devises a plan for seduction, one that will lure Adam into her arms. 

Adam has been attracted to Megan since day one, but his preference for dominance and her fragile air kept him at bay. Megan's kiss under forgotten mistletoe is just the fuel his lust needs to exceed the boundaries she once put in place. He's game, but he wants more than a weekend with the vulnerable yet sexy Megan. 

When the weekend is over, will Megan allow the past to keep her bound or can Adam convince her she’s strong enough to submit? 

BUY Links:

AMAZON

http://www.amazon.com/Exceeding-Boundaries-ebook/dp/B008GWRC32/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1342148307&sr=8-1&keywords=exceeding+boundaries

THE WILD ROSE PRESS

http://www.wilderroses.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=87&products_id=866

Blog: www.miadowning.blogspot.com

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