Guest Author Day with LK Below/Excerpt

To get us started can you tell us a little about what you are working on or have coming out?

Today is the release day for Stone Cold Kiss. Here’s the blurb:

One Kiss…
Dangling over the parapet of a castle, Kelsey Donovan doubts her decisions as she battles with her fear of heights. How will kissing the Blarney Stone change her life? But as the arms of a sexy Irishman close around her, she begins to change her mind.
Can it lead to a lifetime?
When Seamus McKinley rescues a tourist gripping the Blarney Castle for dear life, he never expected her to grab hold of his heart just as tightly. But can he convince her to meet him halfway?

What makes a book great in your eyes?

As an author, I’m constantly nitpicking as I read, thinking about sentences that should have been phrased differently, etc. I do this even with my favorite bestselling authors, who I love. A truly great book will sweep me away in the story and make me forget that I’m an author.

Do you have any guilty pleasures?

Um, not really. Every now and again, I’ll lose myself in a great book and spend the day reading instead of writing. I often feel guilty for doing that.

And buying books is unfortunately a(n expensive) habit. Especially old books. The older the better. I have over 2,000 books in my library and most of them were printed before 1940.

How much of the book is realistic?

I try to make my books as authentic as possible. In Stone Cold Kiss I researched the Blarney Stone, Irish slang, and spoke with a friend who is originally from Ireland. Adding bits of realism like that, even if it might not make any difference to a reader, makes the book come alive for me. Not to mention it means that I get to research, which I love to do!

What is the hardest scene you have had to write (published or not)? Why?

I’m not so sure any one scene has been more difficult than any other. Usually if I can’t get a scene out, that’s a sign that it shouldn’t be in the book and I should take it in another direction.

If you had a reporter follow you around for the day, what would the readers get to see in your daily schedule?

Ha! I’m sure they’d fall asleep! I try to keep daytime hours for writing, like a regular job. I write between 8-6, but the inspiration doesn’t always flow when I want it to. I’m just as likely to spend the day setting up appearances on blogs, etc. and writing blog posts as I am to park myself at the computer and bang out a story. Then, of course, there are times when my inspiration overflows my allotted time and I end up writing long into the evening or on Sundays when I’m supposed to be relaxing.

When you begin your stories, do you go with the flow, or go with an outline?

I always go with the flow. Writing to me is the same as reading a good book. I don’t quite know what will happen until the end, but I’m sure glad to go along for the ride. :)

Is it hard coming up with titles or characters names?

For many of my works, the characters come with names of their own and the story takes on a definite flavor when it comes to the title. If I can start out with names and titles, the story flies past in a breeze. If I write it using place holders for names or no title, I’m in agony trying to find something that will fit. Around that time, I usually bounce ideas off my friends and family, trying to find something that fits.

What does your workstation look like?

A mess. Let’s leave it at that LOL. I’m always digging up past notes and adding them to the pile, then never putting them away in case I need them again soon.

Are you the type of individual who gets weepy at the end of a good movie, or a sad movie, or do you just stay neutral through it all?

I definitely get weepy at the end of a sad movie -- and yes, I’ve cried to some of the endings of my own books, too.

Are there any books coming that you are itching to read (either electronic or print) from your favorite authors?

I’m always salivating for the next installment in the Argeneau series by Lynsay Sands. I also can’t wait for Julia Quinn’s next book or for Sally Mackenzie’s. And Gina Gordon has the second installment in her Bare Naked Designs series coming out in April.

If you were to replenish your cabinets with one junk food, what would it be?

Salt and vinegar Miss Vickie’s chips. They’re my favorite (and sadly, very hard to find up where I live).

EXCERPT FROM Stone Cold Kiss:

Rolling her eyes, she swung forward and pressed her lips to the stone. Finally. Oddly enough, she didn’t feel any different. Maybe the stone’s powers were only superstition after all. She tried not to think of what that would mean for her promotion pitch in two days.

“I’m done,” she said, once she had dangled in the air long enough to know her face must be a gruesome shade of purple.

“I know,” he said simply.

“Pull me up!”

“I haven’t decided whether or not to leave ye here. Seems to me I’d best be far away afore ye think to use your blarney tongue.”

At his words, alarm ripped through her. He would leave her hanging there. Without thinking, she released the cold iron bars to grip his arms instead. “Don’t you dare leave me!”

“Och, lass, I was just teasing.”

“It’s not funny!” she screeched. “I’m--”

He lifted her to safety and she saw his face for the first time. Brown hair framed his superbly chiseled face and lips. Light stubble coated his cheeks, just enough to make her shiver in delight at the thought of feeling it between her thighs. He wore only a t-shirt and a pair of low-slung jeans, showcasing his long, muscled legs and a flash of his flat stomach. Here she lay, next to an Irish sex god, and by golly did she ever wish they were doing something a little less innocent. If she kissed him now, would he take her here on the castle parapet? His body hovered just out of reach, his heat blanketing her. She began to throb between her legs. Her fingers curled into her palm as she contemplated grabbing hold of his thick hair and bringing him closer.

Wait, what was she thinking? Jerking away, she stood. She hadn’t come here to be seduced by him--or, given her thoughts, to seduce him. Her main reason for flying to Ireland had been to kiss the Blarney Stone, and now she’d done that. Tomorrow, she would leave, just like she’d planned, and she would never see this sexy stranger again.

Why did that thought bring an ache to her chest?

Learn more or buy the book here.

L. K. Below writes romance and speculative fiction. Under her full name, Lindsay Below, she pens young adult novels. Visit her online at www.lbelow.net or on her blog at http://lbelow.blogspot.com.