October 2, 2013

Sweet Treason by Gail Ranstrom {Author Interview & Giveaway}

Passion and deadly secrets…

On the run from British troops, American Revolutionary War spy Ryan Straughn forces Emily Nevins to hide him on her English farm. But Emily already keeps secrets that could mean her demise if discovered. Nevertheless as the long night wears on, attraction sizzles and they give in to unexpected passion, sure they’ll never see each other again…



Deception and desire…

A chance encounter in London society stirs heated memories of their sensual night together. They begin a heady dance of suspicion and desire. Though sympathetic to the struggling Colonists, Emily cannot trust a traitorous spy who may expose her dangerous intrigues. And Ryan risks his very life by trusting a woman privy to his true loyalties. But they are unable to deny their need for one another, even as Emily’s secrets are about to be exposed, and the noose around Ryan’s neck grows tighter.


Betrayal and love…

And now someone has discovered both their secrets. The price of silence? Betrayal. Of their causes, their love, their futures. In the end, lives will be lost and sacrifices made. Their choice is impossible. Which will they surrender—their lives…or their hearts?




Genre: Historical Romantic Suspense 

Publisher: Entangled Publishing – ignite imprint 
Publication Date: September 23, 2013

The Book Excerpt
The stranger lowered his head further to leave a path of soft insistent kisses from her earlobe to the well of her shoulder blade. The sensation was like nothing she’d felt before—intimate, urging, almost desperate. Heaven help her, Emily wanted more. He slipped his hand down her back, molding her against him. The hot, hard bulge pressing against her belly ignited an answering heat in hers. Naughty. Wicked. Exciting…

He asked a question, his voice a deep vibration that reached to her toes. Her very flesh tingled, sending shivers of delight through her. Her breasts ached and became exquisitely tender. She gasped as he drew her even closer, his large hands moving along her spine.

“Yes…,” she sighed, affirming her suspicion that this man’s arms would be heaven.

“Sweet…” His voice was hoarse with desire as he lifted his head to speak as he brushed across her lips. “Are you the most courageous woman I know…or the most reckless?”

Reckless. Unconscionably reckless…

He nudged her robe open with his chin and lowered his mouth to the slope of one aching breast. She caught her breath and choked back another gasp when he captured one tingling crown with his lips and tugged gently. She tangled her fingers through his dark hair to hold him close. The sensation was so foreign, yet so completely delicious, that she wanted it to go on forever. She sighed. “Tell me your…name, sir, that I…may know who my dreams…”

“You mock me?” he growled.

She gave a soft, husky laugh at his pretended outrage.

The deep vibration of his voice against her skin sent shock waves along her spine.

“By all that is holy…I must be mad! Were it any night but tonight, I’d sweep this desk clear and take you here and now.”

Emily fervently wished it were any other night. She’d have yielded him anything—everything—when he nibbled a greedy path back up her neck and cherished the tender flesh at the hollow of her throat before lifting his head.

He brushed tendrils of hair back from her cheeks with this thumbs. “Now that you’ve seen my face, my only safety—and yours—lies in the fact that you do not know who I am.”

She did not bother to deny his accusation. But betrayal had been the furthest thing from her mind. She caught her breath on a gasp as he slipped his hand up her bare thigh, exposed in the gap of her robe.

She struggled free of his arms and moved away, fighting to regain her composure and recall the true nature of this man.

Blood-red splotches on his shirt sleeve reminded her that this man had murdered someone this very night. She would be fortunate if she escaped with her life. She pushed him away to gather her robe more closely around her. This had to end before she forgot herself again. She was breathless when she spoke. “Your ten minutes are up, sir. If you are a man of your word, you will leave.”


The Interview

Thanks so much for stopping by the Authors' Cafe today, Gail. I'm very excited to host you and your book, Sweet Treason! Okay, I see you've got your favorite beverage, so let's get right to the interview.

At what point in your life did you realized that being an author was no longer going to be just a dream but a career you were going to turn into reality?

It was about 1999. Loved my job as a Commercial Property Manager, but wanted more flexibility and to travel.

Which of your characters is most like you?

Probably Annica Sayles in my first book, A WILD JUSTICE. They say an author’s first book tends to be semi-autobiographical, and I think that might be true. I identify with her independence and strength. And her passion for justice.

If you were stranded on a desert island, which character from Sweet Treason would you want with you?

Um, Ryan. No, Jonah. No, Ryan...

**Chuckle** Where do you write?

I converted a second master suite to an office. Lots of windows, light, and a bit of a view of the lake and a private bath!

OMG - That sounds awesome! Do you have any “rituals” you go through before you write?

Not unless you count making my tea, checking my emails, answering my emails, and reading what I wrote the day before to get me back into the story.

What was your favorite chapter (or part) of Sweet Treason to write and why?

I can’t decide between Chapter One, Chapter Two or the last chapter. Chapter One sets the tone for the story, but Chapter Two sets tone and the conflict for Emily and Ryan’s relationship. Beginnings are always exciting to write. But endings bring it all together.

How did you come up with the title?

MY ENEMY, MY LOVE was already taken. I wanted something that captured the essence of the conflict and story line. I always like to use something that hints of the bigger story question. In this case, What, exactly, is treason? When does it become patriotism?

What would YOU like your readers to know about this book or you in general?

About me in general - I’m looking forward to getting older so I can say all the crazy things I’m thinking and people will just pat me on the hand and say, ‘Sweet old thing. She doesn’t even know what she’s saying.

LOL! What's one piece of advice you would give aspiring authors?

Never give up. Never, never, never. Write, read, learn, grow. And never give up. The only way you’ll fail is if you give up.

Do you have a favorite author?

I don’t know if it’s the same as ‘favorite author’ but I do have my ‘auto-buys.’ And I have them for every genre. If we’re talking historical, it’s going to be Connie Brockway. If we’re talking Romantic Suspense, that’s Linda Howard, Lisa Gardner and oh so many more!

What is your favorite quote?

“I believe that imagination is stronger than knowledge. That myth is more potent than history. That dreams are more powerful than facts. That hope always triumphs over experience. That laughter is the only cure for grief. And I believe that love is stronger than death.” - Robert Fulghum

Wow - What a great quote! What genre of books do you read for pleasure?

Romance in all its incarnations. Novellas are okay, but I like the longer, meatier stories best. I read ‘Literary Fiction’ occasionally, but I have a threshold for pretension, so never too much of that.

What’s the most amusing thing that’s ever happened to you?

Oh, there are so many ways I could go with this... Amusing then? Or amusing in retrospect? Well, when I was in high school, I agreed to go to a formal dance with a friend whose girlfriend broke up with him just before the dance—he’d paid for the tickets, rented the tux and wanted to go and he needed a date. As a favor, and as a friend, I agreed. So I’m sitting with him at a table of 10 in the middle of the ballroom when a guy I’d been dating (not exclusively) tries to get in but is denied because he’s not dressed properly (jeans, t-shirt, sneakers) so he borrows a dinner jacket from a friend who is there, walks over to our table, and without a word or greeting, picks me up and carries me out! Now lest you think this is in any way romantic, ala An Officer and A Gentleman, you should know that he threw me over his shoulder in a fireman’s carry, all the way out of the hotel to his car and plopped me into the seat. It actually took me two years to forgive him and even longer to be able to laugh about it. All these years later, that event is still talked about at reunions.

Sounds like a Cary Grant / John Wayne kinda thing to do! What do you like to do when you’re not writing?

Clean, travel, shop, antique, sew, eat, but there’s nothing I like better than writing and I keep going back to it.

If all TV shows were real, what show (all time) would you most like to live in?

The Mary Tyler Moore Show because it’s most like my life. I have a lot of wacky friends, a job I love, strange things happening around me, and I always think of myself as the only sane one in the bunch. (My friends probably don’t.)


Random-Ness

Party dress or blue jeans? Blue jeans

Plotter or Panster? Pantser

Print or e-Book? E-book

Coastal walks or extreme sports? Costal walks

Cookies or cupcakes? Cupcakes

Super hero or super villain? Superhero with a dark side

Ooohhh - I like that answer! So, if you had a free afternoon you’d . . . go out to lunch, get a pedicure and go to the movies!

Peanut Butter: Crunchy, Creamy, or I hate peanut butter and am addicted to Nutella. Creammmmy

You suddenly realize you live in a haunted house. Do you:

  1. Run screaming for the door.
  2. Bravely go to a church, load up on holy water and try to get rid of the ghost.
  3. Set up ghost hunting equipment to capture phenomenon.
  4. Call in the Ghost Adventures crew so that you can ogle the lead guy Zac’s amazingly stiff hair when you’re not ogling his….physical attributes.
  5. Deny you have a ghost and just let it scare the bejesus out of your visitors. 
LOL! #5 is so like me!

Could you tell us five random facts about yourself?

  1. I’m a Libra, and that’s why I have such a ‘thing’ about fairness and justice (Today is my birthday! I’ll be having that cupcake now).
  2. I’m a gypsy deep inside, always yearning for new places and experiences—I set my sites on the far horizon.
  3. I fully intend to see the pyramids in person before I die.
  4. I subscribe to the online FBI Alerts and Newsletter for story ideas.
  5. I have a permit to carry a concealed weapon – Hey, I live in Montana in the country with ferocious animals (bears, wolves, coyotes) and I often travel alone. And we single women can’t be too careful – there’s a lot of wackos out there.
What a fabulous interview - Thank you so much for stopping by and visiting with us today, Gail!!!

About Gail Ranstrom
Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

Gail has been a seamstress making waitress uniforms for a German Beer Garden, Inventory Clerk at the UofM, an Advertising Account Coordinator and PR writer in a crazy high pressure office, and a Commercial Property Manager in the Los Angeles area. In between, she’s partnered in an Antique business—don’t ask her about Antique Auctions.

Finally, she was tempted by a vocation where she was in control of the next crisis, and could solve it, too—writing. She is the author of ten novels, three novellas and a brand new release, SWEET TREASON, from Entangled Publishing.


The Giveaway
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3 comments:

  1. Thanks for having me, Florence. Your interview was really fun. What a treat for me to be here on my birthday.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It was a pleasure visiting with you today, Gail - Happy Birthday!

      Delete
  2. Happy birthday, Gail! What a great interview - we share a lot of common interests. I'll have to save my book allowance and get one of yours! :)

    ReplyDelete

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