Friday, November 14, 2014

Thankful Author- Katie O'Sullivan



November 14, 2014
THANKFUL AUTHOR BLOG ROUNDUP
Featuring Katie O'Sullivan

Hi, Angela, and thanks for inviting me to participate in your Thankful Author Roundup! 
Last month, I took part in the “Gratitude Project” on Facebook, where participants post 3 things they’re grateful for, every day for 7 days. It made me look at my days in a different way, and realize how grateful I am for the little things that make my life special. My family, my friends, my dogs… and I realized even though I may complain about my husband, my kids, or my extended family, they are the ones who matter most in my life. They might make me crazy, but also make me smile on a daily basis. I am most thankful for my wonderful and supportive family.



Thanks for being here today Katie, can you tell me 
three words that describe yourself starting with A, B, and C.

A. Author 
B. Boisterous (but only if I know you!)
C. Caffeinated 

What are your three favorite things?

1. My family. (And that includes the furry four-legged members.)
2. My morning coffee. (Don’t talk to me before I’ve had a cup. Or two.)
3. Walking along the beach. Any beach. Any ocean. Any time of day.

A. What for you is the best part of writing? 

My favorite part of writing isn’t typing “the end.” It’s somewhere in the middle of the manuscript, when the words are flowing and the action is building and the tension reaches unbearable heights…and then the threads of the story start weaving together to create beautifully layered fabric.

B. What is the worst?

The worst part of writing is when the words flow down a path that turns into a dead end. One of the characters does or says something that rings false, and all the action grinds to a halt. I know some writers skip ahead and write a different scene, but for me the flow is everything. If I get stuck, I need to rework the story until it rings true again and moves forward from that specific point, but in a new direction.

 Was there any particular inspiration for your 
characters or story?

While I was writing MY KIND OF CRAZY, my husband and I were trying to renovate our Cape Cod home. The design phase and interviewing builders heavily influenced parts of my storyline. Some of the tales we heard from contractors were crazier than what actually made it into the book! I also based the best friend on one of my real-life friends – with her permission of course. Her favorite part is that I made her younger in the book, lol, but the sassiness is all her.

 As the holidays approach, what traditions do you have?

As I mentioned, we’ve been undergoing renovations for what seems like forever at this point. My mother’s cancer took a downward spiral over the holidays last year and she passed away in March. My oldest son went off to college this year, and my younger children are both in high school now… so many of our previous holiday traditions are undergoing changes. 
That said, there are certain things that will stay the same. My middle child is in charge of making the cranberry sauce for Thanksgiving dinner. He learned the recipe in preschool and has been making it ever since. My own role as a child was to bake the apple pie, and my daughter is taking that over from me – she’s a wonderful baker! My oldest won’t be able to make it home for turkey this year, but he’ll definitely be home for Christmas!
We don’t participate in the “Black Friday” sales frenzy, but spend the holiday weekend getting out the Christmas decorations and putting up the tree. I’ve kept all the decorations the kids have made and collected over the years, and we have fun unwrapping them together and reminiscing. (Now if I could only get them to stick around until all the ornaments are actually hung!)
~ * ~ * ~ * ~



BLURB:

Kendall Roarke is betting everything on making her Harwichport Bed & Breakfast into the premier wedding destination on Cape Cod, despite her recent messy divorce. 
Jonathan Reynolds moved back to the Cape to take over his uncle's business and start fresh after his own marriage ended. He's not looking for anything complicated - until he meets Kendall, with her big plans and wild mop of curls. 
Throw an unruly foster puppy and an uptight new neighbor into the mix and things get a little crazy. Now Kendall has to decide if it's the kind of crazy that she can live with... for the rest of her life.

EXCERPT:

He reached out and gently wrapped his fingers around her arm, not letting her leave the front hall. “Kendall?”
Again with the major electrical sparks zinging through her! She was afraid to look him in the eye, afraid he’d be able to see it in her face, the devastating effect he had on her. They stood so close she felt the heat from his body radiating, warming the small space between them. His touch was fire on her bare skin. She finally raised her gaze to meet his eyes, luminous and deep. She felt like she might fall into those green pools and drown.
Breathe in, breathe out. She searched for words to answer the unasked questions in his eyes but none came to her.
“Kendall.” He whispered her name again as if it were the answer to some puzzle he was trying to solve.
Thoughts whirled through her head at lightning speed. Nothing about this made any kind of sense— especially not her attraction to a complete stranger. But there was no denying the electricity that ran through her body from his simplest touch.
“I’m not looking for a relationship right now.” Her low whisper matched his.
“What are you looking for?” He moved closer, his lips brushing her mouth, tasting of beer and salted peanuts. His warmth pulsed through her in shock waves, her traitorous body responding all too eagerly. He tasted so good, the salt sizzling on her tongue. The kiss shifted from soft and gentle to solid and deep. Arms slid around her, pulling her close, but she was too wrapped up in the kiss to protest. Why complain? He felt so good, the hard muscles of his arms and planed chest underneath that thin dress shirt, and another hardness evident, despite his proper dress pants.
Suddenly Kendall remembered that this was the same man who was fooling around with the married cougar of a librarian. She wanted to be outraged for the unwitting spouse, but all she could think was, Lucky librarian.
She wrapped her arms around his neck and shoulders. Vaguely she registered the wall behind her, pressing hard against her back. His clever tongue tangled with her own, sending fresh waves of desire rippling through her.
Even as her body screamed Yes! she slid her hand between them, firmly pushing him backward and breaking the connection. “I can’t do this. I don’t want to get hurt again.” Her eyes searched his before she turned her head to look away. If she looked into those eyes for one more second she would forget all about saying no and let her body do whatever it wanted.


Amazon buy link: 

About the Author:
Katie O’Sullivan lives with her family and big dogs near the ocean on Cape Cod, drinking way too much coffee and inventing new excuses not to dust. Living next to the Atlantic influences everything she writes. A recovering English major, she earned her degree at Colgate University and now writes romance and adventure for young adults and the young at heart. Her editing column, “The Write Way,” appears in the Literary Women section of CapeWomenOnline magazine.

Website:
Blog: 
Facebook: 
Twitter:
Goodreads: 
Amazon Author Page: 


4 comments:

  1. Thanks for being here today Katie. My Kind of Crazy is on my TBR list. Great excerpt. Can't wait to get started.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for being a wonderful hostess, Angela! And for putting together a month of authors - what a wonderful and generous idea!

      Delete