A Night of Southern Comfortby Robin Covington
Release Date: Available Now
He never expected the woman would turn out to be the governor's daughter...and his next assignment. The governor blackmails Jackson to secretly watch over Michaela and protect her from a stalker, or kiss his dream job at the FBI good-bye. Swearing to keep things strictly professional, Jackson moves in with Michaela. Too bad his heart can't keep the same promise. But when the stalker's attacks quickly escalate beyond mere photographs to bodily harm, Jackson must race to save Michaela's life. And he’ll have to figure out how to keep her once she discovers his lie.
1) What inspired you to write "A Night of Southern Comfort"?
I wanted to write a story set in a place like my hometown of Danville, VA. I’m a southern girl and I was so lucky to live in a town where I was surrounded by family (we all lived on the same street!) and knew I belonged. The Southern Comfort diner is based on a diner where my Daddy would take me on Saturdays and we would get a hamburger, fries and a coke in those little green glass bottles. I wanted to recreate that place and share it with everyone.
2) How long did it take to write?
It took me 6 months to write it. I work full-time as an attorney and I have two small kids so I write at night after they’ve gone to bed and I’ve spent time with the Main Man. It was only the second full manuscript I completed. I write more quickly now – it usually takes me about 60 days to write a whole book now.
3) Are your characters based on anyone in real life?
Lots of them. “The Boys” are based on my male cousins. They were always getting up to no good. And almost all of the secondary characters are based on or named after real people from Danville. No one is an exact duplicate of any one person but I definitely took parts of them and wove it into the story.
4) Who's was the most challenging thing to write about?
I think the hardest thing was just what a terrible father the Governor was. My father is a wonderful, loving man and I really didn’t have first-hand knowledge of the way he acted towards Michaela. I had to resist the urge to try to make him a nice guy like my dad.
5) What actors/actresses would you pick to play the main characters?
Jackson was always Joe Mangianello (Alcide on True Blood) and Gwyneth Paltrow was Michaela Roarke.
6) What's your favourite quote from the book?
I have several faves but here is one that caught my breath when I wrote it. Michaela and Jackson have just made love and they are lying in each other’s arms:
She continued to grin at him. “What’s your favorite color?”
He answered without thinking. “Blue.” Jackson stared into eyes that were the color of the ocean when she was happy, as dark as midnight when she was aroused, and the color of rain when she was unhappy. “My favorite color is blue.”
7) Can you tell us what your next working on?
I just sold a Christmas novella to Entangled which will come out this December. I am now working on the sequel to ANoSC – Lucky’s book – and I have plans to write Teague and Beck’s books as well. I have lots planned for 2013, so stay tuned at my website or on Facebook!
Fun Questions:
Sand or Sun? Sun
Hot or Cold? Hot
Coffee or Tea? Ice cold Sweet tea
Chocolate or Sweets? Chocolate
Twitter or Facebook? Facebook
Paperback or Kindle? Kindle
Who's your favourite writer? Harper Fox
What's your favourite song of all time? Where I Stood by Missy Higgins
Favourite time of year? Christamas!
Read below for a sneak peak of A Night of Southern Comfort.
Mr. Sex-on-a-Stick took his last shot and accepted the congratulatory thumps on the back from his friends. He didn’t smile in response, just quirked his full, sensual lips and turned to face her head-on with an expression full of hot promise. Catcalls and low whistles from his friends drifted across the crowded bar.
Come on, handsome. Don’t let me strike out at my first real bar pickup.
The breath she didn’t realize she was holding whooshed out as he separated himself from his friends and headed over to her. His movements were precise, controlled, and deliciously predatory. He possessed the confident demeanor of either military or law enforcement. He definitely wasn’t a paper-pushing warlord or a politico. Years of experience trained her to spot those guys a mile away. No, his mask of control was one born of the need for survival, much like hers.
Okay, big boy. You let me peek behind yours and I’ll let you peek behind mine.
He stopped in front of her, his thigh brushing her leg and setting off a series of sparks underneath her skin. His chocolate brown eyes met hers, filled with the assurance of decadent possibilities.
Michaela opened her mouth and shut it again. Now that he was here, she had no idea what to say. What would Angelina do? Channel your inner Jolie.
She cleared her throat. The result was a sultry, sexy voice she didn’t know she possessed. “May I buy you a drink?”
He glanced at the glass in her hand and nodded.
“A Southern Comfort.” She spoke in the general direction of the bartender, unable to tear herself away from her companion. “Neat.”
He slid onto the stool next her, his leg still against hers and her temperature hovering near the boiling point. He leaned on the bar, creating their own intimate circle as the noise of the busy bar faded into the background. His lips curved into a slight smile.
“Is there something funny?”
“No. Not at all.” His deep voice rumbled in her ear, his warm breath grazed her cheek. “I didn’t take you for the whiskey type.”
“And what type am I?”
He leaned back, examining her ice-blue satin, strapless cocktail dress and matching Manolo Blahnik pumps. She squirmed in her seat as her body responded to the desire pulsing between them.
“Honestly?” He cocked his head. “You strike me as the chardonnay type. A proper drink for a proper lady.”
She laughed. Any other night, his description would have been close to the mark. “Whiskey’s a drink of control and power.” She took another sip and caught his stare over the rim of her glass.
“I see.” He lifted his glass and downed the contents, then turned his full attention back to her. “So…why are you drinking alone?”
“I’m not drinking alone. Now.” Michaela gestured toward his drink and ordered him another when he nodded.
“Okay, so you’re here…?”
“Celebrating my new life.”
“Aahhh.” He lifted his glass to her in salute. “Let me be the first to say that your ex-husband is an idiot.”
Robin is a member of the Romance Writers of America, the Washington Romance Writers, a faculty member at Romance University, a member of the Waterworld Mermaids, and a guest contributor to the Happy Ever After blog at USA Today.
Robin lives in Maryland with her hilarious husband, brilliant children, and ginormous puppy. You can find Robin on her website, Facebook, and Twitter.
11 comments:
Oh my yes! A mighty fine looking couple.
Thanks :)
Definitely! ;P
I love the sound of this book, but I'm not entering as I have no e-reader atm! Oh, Robin, you have your hands full writing a book with a full time job & 2 kiddies! Loved the interview, thanks for sharing :)
Carly - Yes- it is a full plate but it's fun to juggle all of it! Thank you for stopping by and remember that you can download a free Kindle app on your computer to read e-books . . . not e-reader required! Have a great day!
LOL! yes, they are hot. A perfect representation of Jack and Kayla.
i think is the best choice...I don't see other much good characters...
btw...thanks for this amazig giveaway...
Congrats, Robin! And I'm glad to hear there will be more books in this series. Who do those characters look like? You can't do much better than Joe!
Who am I to say that they aren't a good choice? If that's how she perceived them, I can't say no it's not! But, I can definitely see them in this exerpt.
Sounds like a perfect match
I love Joe!! He would be perfect! Not a big fan of Gwen but if she can pull it off that I am all for it.
Joe is dreamy . . .
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