DOG DAYS OF SUMMER by P.J. Fiala: Author Interview and Giveaway

Kinky Vanilla Romance is pleased to share Dog Days of Summer by P.J. Fiala, an Erotic Romance released on August 1, 2014 from Rolling Thunder Romance / HenschelHAUS Publishing.

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions (click on the banner above to see more tour dates). Be sure to follow the tour and comment; the more you comment, the better your chances of winning the giveaway.

Dog Days of Summer by P.J. Fiala


Owning Rolling Thunder Motorcycles, Inc. and raising his twin sons was top priority in Dog’s life. That was until he met Jocelyn James, the sweet, loving, single mother of Gunnar, a young man who works for Dog.

Joci raised Gunnar alone all of his life after her cheating, dickhead of a boyfriend ran off with another woman. She finished school, started her own graphic design business and hung out with friends and family. The last thing on her mind was men! That is until she met Dog.

The chemistry is undeniable. The passion is incredible. The family bond is like no other.



EXCERPT


Chapter 1

There were times like this when Joci wanted to burst out laughing it felt so good. The wind in her face, running through her hair, the sun warming her skin, the roar all around her, seven hundred-plus pounds of pure unadulterated power between her legs, and she was controlling it all. Gliding through traffic with her son, Gunnar, just a few yards in front of her, feeling all the love and joy God made for her, just her. Yes, these were the times Joci enjoyed. She smiled as they came up behind a car and floated over to the left lane to pass. As she watched, Gunnar glided easily past the car, his dark hair pulled into a low ponytail, the two little kids in the back seat watching him and smiling at each other. You could tell they were thinking, Someday, I’m going to do that. Then as she pulled up alongside to pass them, they started smiling and pointing at her, one of them turning to the adult in the front seat and saying something causing the driver to look over at her as she passed him. He smiled at her, and Joci smiled back at the reaction; it happened often. She could almost hear the kids in the back: Look dad, a girl on a motorcycle.

She easily pulled in front of the car and continued on down the highway to their destination. She loved this life, this group of people that she had, at least, this in common with. A few minutes later, Gunnar and Joci put their turn signals on to turn off the highway, onto a frontage road, and into the parking lot of Rolling Thunder Motorcycles. They navigated the last few shoppers straggling out at the end of the day.

Gunnar worked at Rolling Thunder Motorcycles as a mechanic for the past year. He loved working here. He loved the people he worked with, he loved the customers and their bikes, he loved building bikes, and lately Dog had let him help in the design on some of the custom bikes they were known for. And well-known they were becoming. Dog built some of the hottest bikes around. He had recently been in Rider magazine, and showcased on several “biker” shows. His reputation for building beautiful, custom, mechanically sound bikes was becoming legend.



AUTHOR INTERVIEW

What was your favorite chapter (or part) of Dog Days of Summer to write and why?

My favorite part to write was when Jeremiah and Joci finally got together. In every book that’s my favorite part. When the attraction is just too much, they realize they need each other and they want to be together. Sigh!


 What about your characters surprised you while writing?

How seemingly dense and yet loyal Dog was to and about LuAnn. He couldn’t see the trouble she was causing, he was trying to be loyal to her and yet, he wanted Joci more than anyone or anything else, but couldn’t see the harm he was doing by being loyal to LuAnn.


How did you select the cover for Dog Days of Summer?

My publisher found an artist to do it. It is actually the second cover I had for Dog Days. The first one was much darker and harder to see as a thumbnail. My publisher suggested something completely different, and we pulled this one together. What I knew had to be on it was a sexy man and his motorcycle.


What are the most important elements in good romance writing, in your opinion?

Everyone is different in their taste. Some people love angst and drama. Some people love sweet quiet love stories. Some people love schticky one-liners. I love sweet, simple love stories about people I feel can be real and a little drama or angst thrown in for good measure.


What’s your biggest challenge as a writer? How did you overcome it, or how are you working to overcome it?

My biggest challenge has been the marketing. How to get the word out. I struggled in the beginning with the usual stuff; how to find good beta readers, how to find an editor, how to find cover artists, etc. But those people come into your life. Marketing has been the biggest challenge. Not sure I’ve overcome it, I’m working at it day by day. I belong to tweet groups and author networks and we help each other with obstacles, technology and struggles.


Tell us your most rewarding experience since being published.

Out of the blue, I have received emails from people that have read my books and tell me how much they loved them and why. Usually it hit some personally connection with them. That is so rewarding and has me floating on a cloud for days afterwards.


Finish the sentence: One book I wish I had written is…

Anything by Kristen Ashley. She is a favorite of mine and an author I hope to be like someday.


I read in your bio that you and your husband travel around by motorcycle seeing new sites and meeting new people. What's been your favorite motorcycle trip so far? Why?

Haha, we were just talking about this. We usually travel with a group of very nice, very fun people. But a few years ago, Gene and I decided to take a trip on our own. We headed down to the Smokey Mountains by way of Gatlinburg Tennessee. We hoped on the Blue Ridge Parkway and we rode it all the way to the beginning of Virginia. We had no schedule, no clocks, we stopped when we felt like it. Sometimes we slept in late, sometimes we got up early. It was the best trip.


What is something that people would be surprised to know about you?

I am a cancer survivor. I had Thyroid Cancer in 2001. I am cancer free now, but I’m on medication and I have regular checkups.


What project are you working on now?

Rydin the Storm Out is the next book to come out. It is the second book in the Rolling Thunder Series and is about Ryder Sheppard, Dog’s son. It is coming back from betas now. Then I’ll send it off to my editor and then to my publisher for publication. I am hoping by Christmas it will be out.

Thank you very much for hosting me today, I genuinely appreciate your time and the time of your readers. Thank you all.



ABOUT THE AUTHOR

I was born in a suburb of St. Louis, Missouri named Bridgeton. During my time in Missouri, I explored the Ozarks, swam in the Mississippi River, and played kickball and endless games of hide and seek with the neighborhood kids. Spending summers in Kentucky with my grandmother, Ruth, are the fondest childhood memories for me.

At the age of thirteen, my family moved to Wisconsin to learn to farm. Yes, learn to farm! That was interesting. Taking city kids and throwing them on a farm with twenty-eight cows purchased from the humane society because they had been abused was interesting. I learned to milk cows, the ins and outs of breeding and feeding schedules, the never ending haying in the summer, and trying to stay warm in the winter. Our first winter in Wisconsin we had thirty-six inches of snow in one storm and were snowed in our house for three days! Needless to say, I wasn’t loving Wisconsin.

I am now married with four children and two grandchildren and a new one on the way this summer. I have learned to love Wisconsin, though I still hate snow. Wisconsin and the United States are beautiful, and my husband and I travel around by motorcycle seeing new sites and meeting new people. It never ceases to amaze me how many people are interested in where we are going and what we have seen along the way. At every gas station, restaurant, and hotel, we have people come up to us and ask us about what we are doing as well as offer advice on which roads in the area are better than others.

I come from a family of veterans. My grandfather, father, brother, two of my sons, and one daughter-in-law are all veterans. Needless to say, I am proud. Proud to be an American and proud of the service my amazing family has given.

Web Links

Website: www.pjfiala.com

You Tube: http://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0_BBjvOwu8akytlEN8VQNw/feed

Facebook: www.facebook.com/pjfiala1

Street Team: www.facebook.com/SexySirensStreetTeam

Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/pfiala

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/pattifiala/dog-days-of-summer/ 

Goodreads Author: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7866768.P_J_Fiala

Goodreads Book: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21851827-dog-days-of-summer

Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/P.-J.-Fiala/e/B00IL8OA04/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1394757783&sr=8-1 

RebelMouse: https://www.rebelmouse.com/pjfiala/

Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/116973848613644291786/posts

Musings of an Author: musings-of-an-a-2113@pages.plusgoogle.com

Spotify: www.spotify.com

Follow the links for the playlists for each book:

Second Chances: https://play.spotify.com/user/12123877857/playlist/4uFnMJdZEPqalRxlnlfaxy

Rydin the Storm Out

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/profile/edit?trk=hb_tab_pro_top



GIVEAWAY

P.J. will be awarding a rack card with Dog Tags to FIVE randomly drawn winners via rafflecopter during the tour, and a Grand Prize of a Kindle Paperwhite loaded with books from fellow authors to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. The author will also award a free ebook to FIVE randomly drawn hosts.

a Rafflecopter giveaway