SAMANTHA ANNE TELLS US ABOUT THE MAKING OF KIRBY

Thanks for having me, MJ! I’m pretty excited about and proud of my new book. In fact, it may not have ever seen the light of day if it weren’t for SYTYCW 2012 and, ultimately, Crimson Romance. Kirby started out as a screenplay that I just didn’t know what to do with – my nerves and inexperience had already doomed it to an eternity at the bottom of my blue bin of WIPs. It remained there until last year, when I found myself in need of a story to enter in my first SYTYCW competition. I was pressed for time (submission week had already begun!), so I pulled Kirby out and wrote a chapter to see if it had legs. Before I knew it, I was in the middle of a feverish novel-writing campaign – I had 58,000+ words to finish in 12 days! And after hours of lost sleep, a few frustrated tears, and very loud chats with myself, I met my deadline. I may not have won the competition, but Crimson saw something special in ‘Kirby’ and signed me in January of 2013. I’m so happy to be able to share my writing with readers the world over! ‘Kirby’ is a fun, flirty read with a little sass, a little steam, a whole lot of Hottie McCoffeehouse; it’s also available at the following links:

      Amazon www.amazon.com

      Google Books www.books.google.com

      Crimson Romance Store          www.crimsonromance.com

      iTunes Store www.itunes.apple.com

You can also link to any of these through my website, www.samanthaannebooks.com , where my blog can also be found. 

Hope you enjoy Kirby!

Blurb:

Rachel Sirianni is a twenty-seven year old native New Yorker with dreams of becoming an editor for Equinox Publishing, one of the top imprints in the city. And it seems she’s finally gotten her foot in the door, until one wild morning turns her fast track into an uphill climb.

Unable to pay her bills, she takes an unlikely second job to make ends meet and finds herself struggling to maintain two lives – her own, and that of her alter ego. Kirby is a sassy, imaginative, and extroverted fireball whom Rachel had no idea was lying dormant inside of her.

Enter Joe, a larger-than-life, brutally hot writer with a heart of gold. Rachel can’t seem to control herself around him, despite the fact that she’s sworn off men until she can get her career back on track. Their backgrounds and interests very nearly run parallel, and the Universe seems to keep pulling the pair together – in every aspect of Rachel’s life. What happens when two worlds collide, particularly where it concerns Joe? The ride of her life may just lead to love – or it could lead back to the drawing board.

Excerpt:

“Good God, how do you make it to work?"


Rachel’s breath caught in her throat and she realized she was caged in a pair of strong massive arms. Her eyes trailed upward, past a strong chest and a sprinkling of hair. Her gaze extended further and she finally saw his face. Those eyes, the smile that dripped with swagger.

Hottie McCoffeehouse.

His arms locked around her waist, he looked down and smiled. “Really, gorgeous – we have got to stop meeting like this."

Rachel’s breath left her body in a low steady stream. His lopsided grin was covered in a few days growth, and his hair fell forward in unruly black waves over the sides of his face as he towered over her.

Wow, she breathed inwardly, and it occurred to her that the heat of his body would unglue her if she stayed in his arms any longer. Forcing herself to stand, she pulled away from him. She found herself shaking the cobwebs out of her head as she looked at him...again.

“Do you just go to random coffee shops and wait for women to fall into your arms?”

Joe let out a throaty chuckle, deep and masculine. Rachel's body ignited with tiny little sparks, and she fought to hold them down. "Not usually, but if you’re the one that keeps falling, I may have to look into a career change.”

And there was that lopsided grin again. Rachel wanted to groan just looking at him. She figured him to be six feet five, less than 300 pounds. Every single inch of Hottie McCoffeehouse was solid, and her eyes widened as he began to take his blazer off.

“What...what are you doing?"

“Huh,” he replied, oblivious to the fact that she was mentally undressing him, “Oh, you got my blazer with your frappe. I’m just going to get it off..."

Rachel could’ve sworn the heavens had just opened up. Beneath the dark blazer he wore a white V-neck that fit him like a second skin, probably because of his size. With every movement of his well-muscled torso, the shirt threatened to tear at the seams.

Rachel averted her gaze, refusing to absorb any more of the raw sexual energy that seemed to ooze out of him.

“I’m so sorry about that,” Rachel stammered, keeping her head down, “It’s a...it's a nice blazer."

Hottie McCoffeehouse grinned, finally appearing to tune into the way he was affecting Rachel.

“It’s all right,” he replied, placing a hand under her chin and looking her in the eye.

“Listen, that’s twice in less than a month that you’ve ended up in my arms. Don’t you think we should at least have dinner now?"

Rachel’s eyes widened as his touch burned her skin. It was insanely electric; could he feel it too? She stepped backward and away from him, blushing uncontrollably.

“Yeah,” Rachel spoke, slowly, “That’s probably not the best idea...but thank you for the offer, Mister...?"

“Joe,” he smirked, allowing her to pull away, “Just call me Joe. And I’ll tell you what, if this happens again --"

“If what happens again?” Rachel asked, “If I fall?”

Joe chuckled. “If you trip again, and I’m there to catch you, then you have to have dinner with me. Agreed?"

Rachel closed her eyes with a grin, opening them again to meet his gaze. "Fair enough, Joe."

“I have a feeling I’ll be seeing you again,” he closed the gap between them.

Rachel tried to remain composed as he towered over her. "I'm sure you do, Joe."

Joe smiled, seemingly amused by her refusal to react to his advances. He stared at her for a moment, his eyes darkening as a mischievous grin appeared on his face. The tiniest of growls escaped his parted lips, and Rachel's breath caught in her throat. She nearly hit the floor.

Without another word, he turned and walked away. His pants looked fit to burst as his massive legs flexed with each stride.

Every woman in the shop watched him leave, jaws dropped, and Rachel couldn’t help but fan herself after he was gone. She had no idea where on this planet Joe came from, but she couldn’t help but think that he was right – this would not be the last time she saw him.

What a fun excerpt! Here's Samantha's bio. She sounds like one interesting chick!

I’m an NYC-based fiction writer, raised in the part of the Bronx that produced the likes of Jennifer Lopez and renowned choreographer Darrin Henson. I’ve spent years nurturing an eccentric personality, and I’m proud to boast an insane obsession for rock music, love songs, romance and chick lit. I’m also a bassist for a female-fronted punk band called Running Thoughts and a hell of a baker who’d like to one day run her own bakeshop.

I’m a creative person at heart, and when I’m unable to express my creativity I end up withering like a malnourished plant. I strive to live right, love hard, and laugh often. My inner child may be the only child I’ll ever get to indulge and emotionally cuddle, and for now I’m okay with that. I’m intensely proud of the fact that I’ve clawed my way through life, and earned every bit of happiness and success that I’ve achieved so far. My plan is to make it count – all of it.

We'd love it if you'd share your thoughts with us today! Thanks for reading! ( ;