Author Saturday Spotlight: K.A.Mitchell #Interview and #Giveaway

K.A. Mitchell author of such amazing series as Bad in Baltimore, Florida Series, and Ohio Series is my Author Saturday Spotlight today! If you've read her books she needs little to any introduction. If you haven't, well, you will get to know her a little by the end of this post.

I have for you today, an interview with K.A. herself AND Eli from Bad Boyfriend (Book 2 in Bad in Baltimore) So much fun!

Also K.A. Mitchell is offering one reader a $10.00 Gift Card to either Amazon or ARe! As you can see she is as wonderful a person as she is a writer!

All of K.A. Mitchell's books can be found on her website: .kamitchell.com/books But let's take a look at a few...

Some things are sweeter than revenge.

“I need a boyfriend.”

Hearing those words from the mouth of his very straight ex-friend is enough to make columnist and editor Nate Gray choke on his Corona. It’s been thirteen years since Kellan Brooks’s father crushed Nate’s family on his climb to wealth and power. Even longer since he entrusted Kellan with the confession that he might be gay—only to have his best friend out and humiliate him to their entire high school. The last thing Nate expects is Kellan begging for his help.

Breaking off his engagement to a senator’s daughter was the last straw for Kellan’s CEO father. Frustrated at being cut off, his father’s stinging words—that he wishes Kellan had never been born—still ringing in his ears, Kellan turns to Nate. In a move worthy of a corporate raider, Kellan plans the ultimate revenge. Come out as the boyfriend of the man his homophobic father betrayed.

Convincing Nate to play along isn’t easy. It’s even harder to figure out why the lie feels so close to the truth.

Warning: Contains old friends, old enemies, a dramatic cat rescue, soft drink references and a lot of teasing before the steamy sex. Readers are cautioned against drinking any beverage while reading to avoid accidental snorting or spraying of said beverages.

Sometimes it’s good to be bad. Real good…

After Eli Wright came out, his parents threw him out. In the five years since, he’s made his own way, lived by his own rules, determined to never change himself—not for anyone. He’s not against finding Mr. Right, but Mr. Right Now will do just fine.
Quinn Maloney’s reward for ten years of faithfully keeping his closeted boyfriend’s secrets? A hell of a wake-up call to go with his morning coffee. Not only did Peter have affairs, he went straight to marry his pregnant girlfriend—and Quinn was to never reveal their history.
With the baby’s baptism looming and Quinn expected to put on a polite front, he decides he’s had enough of playing the peacekeeper. One wink from a much younger, eyeliner-wearing guy in a bar, and Quinn’s found a perfectly outrageous date for the occasion.
The date goes better than he ever imagined. And so much worse, as Eli convinces everyone they’re madly in love. That wasn’t part of the plan, but the more Quinn learns about the man behind the makeup, the more he wishes it was true.
Warning: Contains an absolute bastard of an ex-boyfriend. Not responsible for sudden uncontrollable urges to punch him in the teeth. Also not responsible for any overheating or sudden urges brought about by explicit sex with a little BDSM thrown in.

  Watch that first step. It could turn your life upside down.

Until a fall ended his Olympic diving career, John Andrews lived for the seconds he spent in the air. Now he's adrift on a college campus, grounded by paralyzing vertigo and double vision. Worse, he sees shimmering colors over everyone's heads.

The last is hardest to ignore, and impossible when it comes to Mason. While sex with the hot, moody computer major gives John a rush as heady as diving, Mason's the only person John's ever seen surrounded by two distinct colors.

Mason feels like a stranger in his own life. His lover is dead, and he drowns his guilt in bourbon and sex-until John's innocence reawakens the man he used to be. After Mason gives the young virgin a proper introduction to sex, he plans to send him on his way. But John sees too much to make things that easy.

For John, their connection is more than just sizzling sex, it's something worth fighting for. The more he learns about the colors, though, the more he realizes the free-spirited Mason isn't free at all. John doesn't take second place to anyone-even the dead.

Warning: Anyone wishing to read this title should be an adult, free from any condition that might be aggravated by the presence of a not-too-scary haunting, sizzling sexual chemistry, and angsty young men having mildly kinky sex. Other restrictions may apply. No additional equipment needed-unless you like that sort of thing.

The list is truly long when it comes to K.A. Mitchell's books. Each one will entertain you beyond words. And with so many to choose from, you'll never get bored. 

Let's get to that interview, shall we?

 Life, Over Easy is book 1 of Fragments series. Is there a book 2 in the works?

There is. It has a title and a bunch of ideas to go with it but they haven't come together in a workable way for a story. My brain and I poke at it often. I planned it to be one book but then I couldn't get everything in one, but there isn't enough for a second one yet. Fortunately, most of the time I'm contracted one book at a time so there's time to get it right. 

 I LOVE your Bad in Baltimore books! I've read EVERY ONE! Is there a set number to this series and can you tell as about any new characters we'll see in this series? *Whispers* Anyone as amazing as Eli?

Thank you! I have so much fun when I am with those characters. There isn't a set number. I never know what characters are going to pop up and get demanding. Eli would be happy to tell you that there is no one as amazing as Eli. And if anyone tried to be close, there would be bloodshed and mayhem. As Harvey Fierstein once said, "If anyone asks, I'm the pretty one." 

My brother-in-law builds hot rods. He helped me a lot with Jamie's truck. When I went to see him at a car show where he was a featured exhibitor, I wandered around looking for Jamie's truck--or something close to it. While I was doing that, a story idea with two brand new characters jumped up and smacked me in the head so hard I had to write down a couple of pages before I could think of anything else. Of course, since I had been looking for Jamie's truck, I knew one of them was friends with Jamie. They're completely new to the rest of the guys in Baltimore. 

Lee, Gavin's brother-in-law, came to me about a month later and is trying to get me to save him from the future he thought he wanted, so that's pulling on me too. I also have plans for two other stories that are more like off-shoots or codas rather than separate novels. One of them is how Marco lost his virginity (finally!) and the other is...complicated. *evil grin* That one is poking at me hard right now. I'd love to self-publish it sometime this year. 

 Your Christmas stories (Wish List, The Christmas Proposition etc...) ARE FABULOUS! They always help me get into the spirit of things. Have you ever thought of making one of your Christmas stories about any of the boys from Baltimore or maybe even characters from any of your other series? 

Thank you so much! I love writing Christmas/holiday stories. It's a time when feelings tend to run high so it's a great goldmine for taking relationships to the next level. I grew up loving the collections of Christmas romance novellas that came out every year. I always think about how my various characters might be celebrating, and I'm always on the lookout for anything that might springboard into a story. The thing with characters who are already matched is there has to be some kind of new conflict to tell another story, and that can be hard to balance with their already established happily every after. I've had this one scene in mind for years, but the rest of the book isn't there yet. 

I never worry about running out of ideas. It's just that they all don't make good books. 

 Did you make any New Year resolutions for 2015? 

I did! It's going to sound all corny, but it's something I need to do and I've been fighting it for a few years. I'm going to let in joy and not keep looking for ways to dismiss it. You know the kind of thing where instead of being happy you've won a trip somewhere you focus on how it's going to make everything else hard/complicated/wrong. I'm going to try not to do that! 

 You were at GRL last year, can you tell us your most favorite memory from there? 

GRL is so awesome because of the people there. Talk about embracing joy! For days you're surrounded by people who love to talk about the stuff you love to read and write. It's incredible.  It's amazing to meet people who love your books. Every time I get to talk to a reader I want to squee and bounce and hug them. Last year a reader came up and showed me fan art she'd made for Bad Company. It made me tear up. No one had ever shown me fan art based on one of my books before. I was incredibly honored. She even gave me a copy! 

I'm bummed that I probably won't be able to afford to go to Dallas this year, but I know everyone will still have a great time. 

 What does your writing cave look like and how do you prepare yourself to start a book? 

I wish my office looked as nice as a cave. I'm a very disorganized person and it gets worse the deeper I get in a book. Fortunately, sometimes I write with my eyes closed so I don't notice it until a paper avalanche crashes on my keyboard. I shovel a path clear so I can get to my desk in the back corner. In summer, I have a screen tent set up on my tiny little back deck and a nice table to work on. Behind us is a patch of forest designated forever wild that borders the city park so it's very nice out there. Sometimes I'm so focused that the wildlife and I startle each other. 

My stories always start with character. I have to want to know what's going to happen to a person when X happens. Then I put them in that situation and go with it. Sometimes if I have trouble in the early stages, I'll do some personality tests and journaling in the point of view of the character so I have a clearer picture of him. Then everyone's baggage gets involved and it's fun! I know some writers who don't like to write or skip love scenes for later. But for me, the first one, that's when I really know whether or not the story is going to work. That's where the characters are most open, to each other, to me and to the potential for change. Once I've hit that, I can usually get a good feel for the rest of the book. I hate plotting stuff out. It kills my joy. *winks* 

 Can you tell us about your future projects?

Right now, I'm almost done with a book that is the first in a new series. It's a trilogy, and it's the first thing I've ever planned as a series from the beginning. Actually, the first thing I knew was the opening scene in the third book and the rest was me knowing what I was going to tell before we get there. The characters are four very close friends who met in college. Now that they're in their thirties, one of them is planning to get married to his much younger boyfriend and that's got the rest of them feeling at turns protective and jealous and envious. Here's hoping the first two come out this year! 

Can you tell us some of your most favorite books you've ever read?

Two of my all-time favorites are Watership Down and Jonathan Livingston Seagull. I also love the short stories of Ray Bradbury. He's someone whose view of writing and writing advice really resonates with me. 

In this fabulous genre, I love reading L.B. Gregg. This year I fell in love with Heidi Cullinan's Love Lesson's series and Jordan L. Hawk's Whyborne and Griffin books. I'm always eager to read the next Psycop from JCP. (I'm sure I'll open my Kindle later and say "How could I have forgotten to mention that book!) I also love two older books, The Catch Trap and the Dreyfus Affair. 

 When did you know that writing is what you were born to do?

I can distinctly recall announcing my career intention as authoress (apparently gender-specific suffixes were very important to me then) at the age of 6. I don't know that I quite understood the career but it seemed to me that making books, which I already loved and being left alone to do it was a great way to make a living. I always turned everything possible into a story, which is why it took me so long to do my math homework. Problem: 22-17. Little K.A.'s brain: How mean, that seven is beating up on the poor two. She will have to run next door and borrow help from the other two. Wow. That two gave half itself. It's very generous. It will have nothing left. Hey, the answer is five. That's a weird-looking number. Sharp lines and then a big curve. I wonder if the other numbers make fun of it. Does it hang out with the sharp lines or the curvy numbers? Uh-oh. I still have nineteen more questions to do.  

 How can fans follow your career ie website, social media? 

I love to hang out on Twitter. @ka_mitchell That is where I am most active. It's fast and the updates are short so I can check in fast. It's easy to see my at replies. 

I bravely try Facebook but it overwhelms me. I do my best to update it from time to time. 

I do have a website. www.kamitchell.com You can find the links there. 

I also have a new blog authorkamitchell.wordpress.com and I'm enjoying using that for stuff that is too long for twitter. My tumblr http://kamitchellplotbunnyfarm.tumblr.com/ is really a place for me to just goof around and post stuff that amuses me. Sometimes it's updates. 

And, if you like to be sure you don't miss anything, I have a brand new newsletter. I promise not to overstuff your email box, it's just when I have something specific to say about when a book comes out or if something has been released. You can sign up here. http://eepurl.com/bapYF9

OKAY!!! FOR ELI: Hot Seat:

K.A. says "Yay! This is fun!" 

coffee or tea? Coffee

what is your favorite holiday? Besides my birthday?

If you and Quinn could drop everything and go on vacation anywhere in the world where would you go? I want to go someplace no one I know has been. I've seen pictures of the amazing light in Sweden in the winter. The way it touches the ice, I want to see if I can capture it. I'll freeze my nuts off, but that's what Quinn's for. To warm me back up. 

Favorite part of a man? On any man? His dick. Once you own that you own him. On Quinn? Our secret? His voice. And how solid he feels on top of me. 

Favorite color? Magenta and fuck you if you think it's queer. It's bright and in your face and nature is full of it. I think it's a color that doesn't take shit from anyone. And if there are boring white flowers around, the magenta takes over. 

What is your comfort food? Cereal. I could always make it myself, even when I had to climb on a chair to reach the counter. 

If you could photograph just ONE person for the rest of your life (Aside from Quinn) who would you pick? That's really hard. Fuck one person for life I can do. (But have you met Tai. Day-um). Hmmm. Secret number two? I don't like taking pics of Quinn. I can never capture him the way I think he looks. Gavin, now that man looks good in two dimensions. In any dimension. He's got all the classic looks, plus he knows how to hold himself. I guess because he got trained to do it. 

Day or night? I'm a night owl. If I'm up in the morning it's because I never went to bed. 

Summer or Winter? I hate being cold. If it's winter, I can't wait for summer. Then, when I'm melting in the humidity, I want it to be winter. Of course, there's all that bonus man skin showing in summer, so...   

Favorite movie? Sliding Doors. Always. The tiniest moments change your life. 

Thank you so much for inviting me to be on your site.  Crap. Now I have to shove Eli back into his part of my brain. He's hard to quiet down once I let him out. 

Having K.A. as my spotlight has been a HUGE pleasure! She's absolutely amazing! Be sure you go to her site, check out her books. You won't be sorry! 

For the giveaway:

K.A. will gift ONE person with a $10.00 Gift Card to either Amazin or ARe (Your choice) Contest will run until January 30th. Winner will be notified via email so please PLEASE check your spam. Thank you!!!

 

 


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