Thursday, September 17, 2020

Character Spotlight with Marie Lavender

 



Please give a warm welcome to Lance Franklin from Chasing Ginger by Marie Lavender today as we sit down and see what makes him tick.

 

What’s your favorite thing to do when you’re not saving the world or your girl? 

(Chuckles.) Well, I run a large tech company, so I guess I’m doing my best, or at least doing my part at saving the world. As for Ginger, yes, she has gotten herself into some iffy situations in the past.

Anyway, if you’re asking about a hobby, I spend some of my free time making furniture. My lady wants me to start selling it since I have so much of it stored away, but I just haven’t had a chance to think about that yet.

 

What is it about your love interest (Ginger) that makes you crazy in a good way? 

She’s such a sweetheart, a lovely person, inside and out. When she does something kind for the most random individual, all I can think is how lucky I got. And damn, I could just stare at her for hours and be happy. She is so beautiful.

 

Do you sometimes want to strangle your writer? Thrash her/him to within an inch of their life? Make them do the stupid crap they make you do? 

Hmm…no. But I’ve wondered about some of the stuff she got my girl into. I’m still not happy about that nightmare.

 

What's your Favorite food? 

Anything Mama cooks. She’s a wonderful cook, and she just loves cooking for big family gatherings. I miss being back in Georgia sometimes.

 

Tell me a little bit about your world. What are your greatest challenges? 

Well, it’s not easy being a CEO, running a company. But I have a great team to support me, and I make sure to delegate some things so I’m not spreading myself too thin, you know? My greatest challenge is that we’re doing some big expansions right now, getting into other markets and regions, and setting all those locations up is intensive and time-consuming.

 

Describe yourself in four words. 

Focused, ambitious, innovative, and generous. Well, at least I hope I’m generous enough with my employees, and the people I love.

 

What do you do for a living? 

I’m the CEO of IMT, a tech giant in the Silicon Valley. I started out coding and launching different apps, but we’ve since gotten into other types of media and technology.

 

What do you fear the most? 

That Ginger might change her mind about us. She’s the best thing that ever happened to me.

 


Chasing Ginger 

Book Genres: Steamy Romantic Comedy, Adult Contemporary Romance, Chick Lit, BBW/Curvy/Rubenesque Romance, Billionaire Romance

Tagline: With more attention than she ever imagined, how can she tell if this is real or a fantasy?

 

Chased by a group of angry men. Saved by quite a hunk.

This is not the résumé Ginger Halloway ever imagined having. But thanks to a miracle pill, which makes her size 22 body instantly sexy, that’s what happened.

Yet, now Lance Franklin is showing interest in her, and she can’t figure out if he really likes her for her, or if it’s just because of a bizarre drug.

And her wild bunch of friends, The Misfits…well, they’re always getting her into some interesting situations.

So, yep, business as usual. Except for the guy. What the hell should she do about him?

As for Lance, he believes he’s lucky to have found Ginger. But can he convince her they should go for it?

With some new attention from the hottest guy she’s ever met, Ginger can’t help but wonder…is this all too good to be true? 

(CONTENT WARNING: Watch for foul language, steamy scenes, and a pesky yet messy ability to choke on your dinner while laughing. If you’ve come expecting just a lighthearted, slapstick romance, you may not get that here. The author approaches sensitive topics in the best way she knows how. Just be prepared for all the feels to be deeper than usual for this genre – an emotional romantic comedy. No unruly cliffhangers, HEA guaranteed.)

 

BUY LINK 

Universal reader link: https://books2read.com/ChasingGinger

 

EXCERPT

 

Trembling, Ginger nodded when he whispered, “Still okay?”

Then he drew her into his embrace by degrees, and she looked in his eyes and at his lips. By the time she was desperate to have him, he settled his mouth on hers. She groaned at the gentle sweep of his tongue, and clenched her fingernails onto his suit jacket. Oh, to hell with the fear of inexperience, or the fact this might be a dream on its own. It felt too good.

“I love kissing you,” he muttered after a few moments. But then the man stirred her up again.

She got lost in his dark yet pleasant essence, the way he held her. His fantastic scent as it surrounded them in the close confines of the car. Ginger moaned. “I…love it when you kiss me too.”

He smiled, then lowered his mouth to hers. Soon enough, they both grasped at each other, angled their bodies closer. The soft leather seat pressed at her back, and she became breathless when he trailed his mouth down her neck. But suddenly, his lips were on hers again, stole her breath until she didn’t care where they were, or who else was around.

When they came up for air at last, he said, “Just a sec.”

Worried, she nibbled her lip, sure he was having second thoughts. Oh God, what if he wasn’t attracted to her the way he’d claimed? If this was some awful trick. So embarrassing…yeah, stuck-in-the-pool-because-your-bathing-suit-malfunctioned kind of humiliation. But then, why would he even bother with a kiss if none of it was real? Or saying these words which meant so much to her? That she was wanted, not only as a person, but as a woman. She’d never realized how much it mattered to her, until now.

Observing as he flipped a switch nearby, she caught the grin on Owen’s face before a black divider went up, which blanketed them in total privacy. Before she could even digest what happened, Lance reached for her.

 

About the Author:

I’m a hybrid author, having dabbled in both traditional and indie publishing realms. I’ve been writing for over twenty-five years. From the tender age of nine, I knew I wanted to be a novelist. I spent most of my life trying to fulfill that dream. I began publishing in 2010, and was fortunate enough to be discovered when a publishing company picked up and released my first historical romance novel, Upon Your Return (book one of the Heiresses in Love Series), in February of 2013. By June of 2019, I was looking for a new home for UYR, as I just got the rights back from my former publisher. In January of 2020, I signed a contract with Foundations Books for the book’s second edition release. The release date is scheduled for November 23, 2020.  😉 Foundations is also eager to take on the rest of the book series…

The sequel to Upon Your ReturnUpon Your Honorwas released in April of 2014 through Solstice Publishing. Now the rights have been handed back to me, and it’s contracted through my new publisher. I also have a lighthearted contemporary romantic fantasy, Magick & Moonlight, which released in March of 2014. The second edition came out in April of 2020.

Second Nature, a paranormal romance/urban fantasy and book one of the Blood at First Sight Series, was released in December of 2014 through Solstice Shadows. A children’s fantasy titled A Little Magick, book two of the Magick Series, was released in July of 2015. A contemporary romance, Second Chance Heart, was released in October of 2015. Blue Vision, a science fiction romance and book one of the Code of Endhivar Series, was released in November of 2016. The second edition came out in December of 2019.

In February of 2017, Upon Your Love, book three of the Heiresses in Love Series, was released, along with The Missing Piece, a short new adult romance. The final book of the Heiresses trilogy is currently out of production, as is the boxed set, and my new publisher plans to take that on as well. The second edition of The Missing Piece was released in February of 2020In July of 2017, Directions of the Heart, a modern romantic drama collection, was released. Blood Instincts, a futuristic paranormal romance/urban fantasy and book two of the Blood at First Sight Series, came out in May of 2018. Additionally, Chasing Ginger, a romantic comedy and book one of The Misfits Series, was released on March 10, 2020. I’m also tackling a romantic mystery collection titled First Target; as well as several other collections and series projects, which I’ll release in the future.

I have published 21 books under various pen names: Marie Lavender, Erica Sutherhome, Kathryn Layne and Heather Crouse. I plan to relaunch them all under the same author name. In the past, two of my short stories were published in a private university publication.


Check out their author website at https://marielavender.com/


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