Book Tour for Better Than 8 Fantasy by Erin Jamison (Interview & Giveaway)

Before we get to the interview and giveaway, I want to thank Erin Jamison for taking time out of her busy schedule to answer my silly little questions and her generosity in allowing me to give away a digital copy of her new release.  Thanks too to Roxanne Rhoads of Bewitching Book Tours for letting me be a part of this book tour!  And now, let the fun begin....

******INTERVIEW******

TSP:  Did you always picture yourself as a writer or did the desire to write just come upon you slowly?  And what steps did you take to get where you are in your writing today?

EJ:  Secretly, yes...I always pictured myself as a writer. I read a post the other day from a fellow author and it seems I was not alone in my apprehension. You see I realized that you have to have a great story and it has to be well-told. Even then, will all those elements, you may still get rejected. However, there was one thing I knew for certain. I knew that I probably wouldn't put the right punctuation in the right places or may put something in quotation that shouldn't be. As minor as it sounds, I could just envision pages of really great dialogue dissected to look like a game of tic-tac-toe. That hang up prevented me from writing for years. At the essential core of it, I was fearful of rejection.

What is meant to be will be. Its sorta like the saying, "Things will happen when they are meant to happen." I read many a book and thought, I could do that. I read other books and said, "I could never do that." I started reading and shortly after the first four or five books, I read voraciously. I had my favorite authors books on schedule and checked their website frequently for updates or excerpts. I realized that I was reading for research. I was analyzing pacing, finding out how to weave a mystery, and technique. I started taking writing workshops and trying my hand at it. My first attempts were lackluster. That first story is still on the back burner with my characters stuck in a perpetual never ending dinner scene. *Sigh*....someday, hopefully, that story will see the light of day.

TSP:  What kinds of genres have you written in and which would you like to try your hand at?

EJ:  Most of the stories that I'm working on are romance stories although I would say some fit within the realm of suspense/thriller. We'll see how it goes.

TSP:  Since your book Better Than 8 Fantasy is about online dating, is that something you've or someone you know taken part in?  How do you research a topic like that and what are your feelings about online dating, good or bad?

EJ:  I've dated online for a while and met a few people in real life. I have learned that you like who you like. I have often tried to broaden my horizons because you never know who you're going to meet. For me, that has never really worked out so I stick to what appeals to me. Dating online means that I get to be as selective as I want. I don't have to go out on a date because he's a friend of a friend of mine. I still have pressure from friends though (they are the main ones saying that I need to broaden my horizons). There is such a thing as being too selective; you still have to give people a chance. Like everything else, you have to find a balance; whatever you're comfortable with.

I think online dating is great but I would caution women to be careful. I would suggest never sending anything thru email you would be embarrassed to see posted online somewhere else. Just like songwriters, authors are influenced by events they experience themselves or that friends experience. The skill, as an author, comes in the fiction you thread together that becomes a story someone else can enjoy.

TSP:  What do you have coming up next that you can share with us?

EJ:  I'm working on the next book in the series, "Better Than 8 Karma" and a short story that will deal with some BDSM elements.

TSP:  Since my site is all about our favorite things, what are the things you can't live without and get excited about?

EJ:  Wow...let's see...things I can't live without. My computer and a notebook for one. They really seem like one item because I think and transfer from one to the other or I sketch on one and provide descriptive details on the other. A good book for another. I'm always carting a book around with me. I'm either reading or writing. My Ipod is the other. In the confines of my car, with my windows rolled up singing at the top of my lungs, I delude myself into thinking even I could give Beyonce a run for her money.

Author Bio:

An avid reader by nature, Erin Jamison dreamed of telling stories of her very own. Mustering her bravado, she forged ahead to create a series of stories that promote individuality, confidence, fearlessness, fortitude, and passion. She writes sensual erotic stories of women who know what they want and aren't afraid to go after it for women who want a bit of a thrill too.

Learn more at http://www.erinjamison.com/
Twitter http://www.twitter.com/erinjamison_
Blog http://erinjamison.wordpress.com

 

Thanks so much for your thoughts on online dating, writing, and your similarities to Beyonce.  I too think I'm meant for Broadway, though my cat probably wouldn't agree.

******GIVEAWAY******

Blurb

Amara Simmons has always fantasized about having two lovers but believes it is just that: a fantasy. She likes her men “gifted”, if you know what I mean. At the suggestion of a friend she registers for an online dating website for well-endowed men called www.betterthan8.com She believes nothing will come of her site membership but after months of flirting online via email and instant messaging, she’s shocked to discover that she’s fallen for a gorgeous Latin man that has the potential to be her everything – except he never calls and she has no idea why. Nursing a broken heart she is totally unprepared to meet her would-be Latin lover in person much less at the negotiation table of a multi million-dollar real estate deal. In Puerto Rico, passion ignites. Promises are finally fulfilled and the lines of reality blur when her fantasy finally blooms to life. Can Amara have it all: the deal, the man, and the fantasy?

Buy Links:

Purchase for Kindle here.

Purchase via Barnes and Noble here.

Purchase via All Romance Books here.

Purchase via Goodreads here. 

For a digital copy of Better Than 8 Fantasy by Erin Jamison...

Entry is super simple and International (everyone can enter)!  You just have to be a follower of my site and give me your opinions about online dating.  Please make sure to include your email in your comment to make it easier to contact the winner.  That's it!  The contest will end on Saturday, July 16th at 11:59 pm at which time I'll use random.org to determine a winner.  I'll then email the winner who will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen.