Osiyo~

Welcome one and all! Grab a beverage of choice, something sweet and sinful. No-no, not the men. What’s the matter with you? You know the hands-on rules… The guest gets first pick! 😉 Take a comfy seat for another, or a first, spin in the Round Pen.

I’m thrilled to welcome my wonderfully talented guest today, Kristina Knight, who is sharing their book, What a Texas Girl Dreams with us!

Please show Kristina some real Ranch love!

Before I get to the nosy 5-3-4 part of this interview, tell us a bit about you.

waves into cyber-space Hey, ranchettes! I’m Kristina, aka Hey, you, romance writer and water aerobics instructor. Oh, and chaser of one 4-year-old who insists a puppy is needed in our house…I’m not so sure about that, but I’ll probably cave!

My writing area at the moment is a corner of the couch in my living room. What does your writing space look like?

My ‘office’ – which is really just a desk in the middle of our living room – is actually clean today. Well, mostly – I just tossed a bunch of old magazines, my calendar is all sorts of marked up but there are no post-its attached and my cork-board for the new book is still (mostly) ordered.

For a lot of writers it’s a life-altering event coming up with titles and character names. Others it comes as naturally as breathing. Which is it for you?

A little of both, actually. I find first names pretty easy, but coming up with a last name that fits with the first name can take a while. I’ve had to do global find-and-replace for last names in just about every book I’ve written!

What advice would you offer aspiring and new writers?

Figure out what works for you – writing every day started at 2pm for 1 hour, for instance or setting a daily word count – and stick with that schedule. If you know what works for you, your family, your work schedule, it makes the rest simpler. For me, writing to a schedule works, but there are days when my schedule spontaneously combusts…which is where the daily word count comes in. I know every Monday-Friday I need to hit x-number of words, and I make that count every day.

The constant shift of the industry makes me often scratch my head and ask ‘what next?’ So, what do you think it takes to be a successful author at the moment?

I love this question and it changes every time I’m asked. I think perseverance is important, I think a love of the craft is important but I think, most important, is to know what your personal goals are. Self-publishing, e-publishing, traditional publishing, hybrid publishing…there are so many options! Those options are wonderful, beautiful and confusing things. So I think the key is to figure out where you want to go with your career and focus on those goals, rather than skittering off every time a new opportunity comes up.

Who would you like to meet in the publishing industry- dead or alive- and why?

I’m feeling a little vacation-y lately, so I’d like to gather some of my favorite writer friends and head off for a brainstorming, writing frenzy of action…somewhere on a beach. Who’s in?

You know I’m in! 🙂

Okay, it’s time for 3 in 1! I’ll ask the questions and you answer them in one word. 😆

Favorite animal? Dog

Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter? Spring

Favorite food? Tacos, I love tacos lately!

Well done! 🙂 I always love tacos. Yum!

Okay, Flash four. Ready?

What are you working on now?

This week I’m launching my latest Crimson Romance, What a Texas Girl Dreams ~ which finishes the Texas Girl trilogy, and I’m waiting on a final content edit for my next book, Mr. Right Now, which will be out from Lyrical Press in the fall. And, as always, I’m working on a new project – with sexy rock stars and match-makers and a little Hollywood drama thrown in for good measure.

What are you sharing today?

A short excerpt from What a Texas Girl Dreams:

Trick followed and was barely inside the trailer when Monica launched herself into his arms.

“Did you miss me?” She whispered the words against his mouth, nibbled his lower lip. Trick knew it was a rhetorical question. He knew Monica would go running into the Texas afternoon if he answered with one hundred percent honesty. So for the first time today he kept his big mouth shut—figuratively speaking—and fell into the moment.

Her mouth was hot on his, demanding. Mad at her or not for risking her life in that bull pen, he couldn’t resist her. Trick dug his hands into her hair, breaking the elastic at her nape in the process. Monica wrapped one leg around his, pushing herself against him, as if their bodies might become one hot, writhing unit. Trick pushed his tongue between her lips, wanting to taste more of her.

Their teeth clicked together and Monica chuckled. “God, I’ve missed you.”

Trick pushed her against the side of the trailer. “Really? Because you didn’t even want a handshake ten seconds ago,” he said between kisses. He smelled coconut in her hair, bananas on her skin, and despite the overpowering aroma of cooped-up horse, the trailer was suddenly a tropical paradise.

“You know the rules.” She panted and kissed her way along his jawline. He lifted her up by the hips until her legs were wrapped around his waist.

Yeah, he knew the rules. No deep feelings, no firm commitments, no family involvement. They drove into Austin or San Antonio for dates, she stayed over at his place, and he was never invited to the Diamond for more than vet checks. On the occasional long weekend or during a break from the rodeo, he’d go to her place in Austin. Easy.

Up until two weeks ago, it had been enough. Then he asked her to take a long weekend and she balked. Pride made him throw down the ultimatum that she stay. After seeing her in the ring with the bull, easy wasn’t nearly enough. He wanted more. He wanted to take her to dinner in town. Wanted to wake up with her wild hair spread over his pillows every morning. Wanted to come home to her every night.

“This isn’t exactly the safest place in the world for hot, sweaty sex.”

*****

Where can we find you and your books?

Me:

Website: http://www.kristinaknightauthor.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/kristinaknightromanceauthor

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/authorkristina

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/kristinaknight

My books:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/What-Texas-Girl-Needs-ebook/dp/B00AB3TF8Y/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1355097492&sr=8-1&keywords=what+a+texas+girl+needs

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/what-a-texas-girl-needs/id580981410?mt=11

B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/what-a-texas-girl-needs-kristina-knight/1114001402?ean=9781440555718

I know where I’m headed! The question is: Where will you be next?

I blog every Tuesday and Thursday at my personal blog, http://www.kristiknight.blogspot.com. Come on over!

Thank you so much for playing along Kristina! Wishing you much luck with your book and writing. I hope you’ll come visit again one day.

Thanks for inviting me over to play, Calisa! I’d like to ask your readers: What is their favorite romance trope (secret baby, reunion romance, woman in danger)? One lucky commenter will win a copy of my backlist, winner’s choice.

Can’t beat that offer! Thanks Kristi. Now all YOU out there have to do is leave a comment for Kristina with your email! 😀

Dodadagohvi~