The love lives of the movers and shakers of Nashville continue to be rocky in the fourth book in Cheryl Douglas' Nashville Nights series entitled Reckless. Find out if comittment-phobic Avery gives into the too good to be true country singer Ty whose career she's supposed to be helping not hurting. First up is a mini-interview with Cheryl followed by lots of other intriguing tidbits, so keep reading on....
Q: Can you tell us a bit about the Nashville Nights series?
A: Nashville Nights is an eight-book contemporary romance series involving some major players in country music. Four of the main characters are singers, one is a manager, who started his own record label, and another is a publicist.
Q: What inspired you to write this series?
A: I started out with the idea to write a story about Trey and Sierra, the hero and heroine in book one, Shameless. But when the secondary characters became more prominent, I realized I had to dig a little deeper to learn more about them. I never expected it to evolve into an eight book series, but I’ve learned to listen to my muse and follow it wherever it might lead.
Q: Who was your favorite character in this series and why?
A: I can’t pick just one. I loved Trey from book one, Luc from book three, and J.T. from book five. I think these were the most complicated characters to write because there were so many facets to their personality. Just when I thought I had a handle on them, the story would take a surprising turn and I would realize there was yet another layer to their characters. All three men have made their fair share of mistakes, and are trying to work through them to find redemption.
Q: How will the books in this series be released?
A: With the exception of book six, all of the books are finished and at various stages of editing and proofreading. Book five, Relentless, will be released July 1, book six, Heartless, will be released October 1, and the remaining two books in the series, Hopeless and Careless, will be released the first of each month thereafter.
Q: What surprised you the most about this series?
A: It would have to be the fact that this series took on a life of its own, literally. As I said, Shameless was supposed to be a stand-alone book. I never expected this to be such a long and rewarding journey. At first, it was a six book series, but when I began to receive daily email from readers telling me they weren’t ready for the series to end, I decided it was time to follow Jay and Mike’s journey. Fans of the series will remember the twins as Josh’s teenage sons in book two, Fearless. In book six, they are grown men who are ready to find love.
Q: What was the most difficult scene or character to write?
A: Up to this point, I think Luc in book three, Ruthless, was the most complex character to write. I continued to be surprised by the depth of his character and the secrets that were revealed as we progressed through the book. With him, my outline went out the window!
There were a lot of difficult, heart-wrenching scenes in this series. Some even made me cry. I would say the most difficult scene to write took place in the latter part of book five with J.T.’s family. I won’t spoil it for readers, but I will say that it was a tear-jerker.
I am currently working on book six, and it deals with the topic that was introduced at the end of book five, so it’s been very emotionally draining for me. I’m getting ready to tackle some very sensitive topics in the remaining books, so I’m sure that it will only get more difficult as time goes on. Q: Which character do you think readers will best be able to relate to and why?
A: The heroes in books two and four, Josh and Ty, are genuinely good guys. I think readers will want to root for them. They may even get a little upset with the heroines who trample their hearts along the way.
Q: Why did you choose country music as the common thread that ties these books together?
A: Country music is the backdrop, but I wouldn’t say it’s a strong focus in the series. I hope this is a series that readers will enjoy regardless of the genre of music they prefer. Having said that, country music tells a story. It’s often about heartbreak, trials, lost love, patriotism, and triumph. This series also encompasses all of those elements, so for me, it made sense to weave the music I love into this series. I hope readers share my opinion.
Reckless by Cheryl Douglas
As a publicist, Avery Collins knows that mixing business with pleasure is a recipe for disaster so she has one rule. Her bedroom is off limits to clients, no matter how enticing and persistent they may be.
Ty McCall is country music’s newest rising star, but he needs the best team in the business to help him make it to the top. That team includes Avery, the woman who gave him the most unforgettable night of his life only to disappear the next morning.
Avery agrees to work with him, but Ty isn’t willing to settle for a professional relationship with the woman of his dreams. Can this sexy cowboy convince her that rules were made to be broken?
As a publicist, Avery Collins knows that mixing business with pleasure is a recipe for disaster so she has one rule. Her bedroom is off limits to clients, no matter how enticing and persistent they may be.
Ty McCall is country music’s newest rising star, but he needs the best team in the business to help him make it to the top. That team includes Avery, the woman who gave him the most unforgettable night of his life only to disappear the next morning.
Avery agrees to work with him, but Ty isn’t willing to settle for a professional relationship with the woman of his dreams. Can this sexy cowboy convince her that rules were made to be broken?
It took me thirty-seven years to decide what I wanted to be when I grew up. I thought I'd found my calling. In fact, I worked as a nutritionist for twelve years before I finally admitted to myself that while I enjoyed my work, I couldn't imagine doing it for the next thirty years.
My sub-conscious knew that I wanted to be a writer long before the conscious part of my mind decided to get with the program. While my sub-conscious was hard at work creating character profiles, plots and storylines, my conscious mind was telling me it was crazy to give up a successful business on the off-chance one of my manuscripts might rise to the top of someone's never-ending slush pile. After years of listening to that negative voice, I was finally ready to stop making excuses, face the fear and follow my dream of becoming a full-time writer, no matter the outcome. I'm so thankful I did.
I love bringing my characters to life and I am so grateful to have readers who love those characters as much as I do.
When I take a break from writing it's to spend time with my husband (a.k.a. my real life hero), my son, and my writing partner, Tia, a spirited Havanese who enjoys tapping her paw on my keyboard whenever I need a little comic relief.
www.cheryldouglasbooks.com
Thanks so much for taking the time to feature and review my book, Reckless, on your site. Have a lovely day.
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