Selena Robins, Author

To kick off the new year, I’ve joined in the The Naughty New Year Blog Hop, courtesy of Just Romance Me. You’ll not only meet a group of talented authors and link to a string of fun blogs, but you’ll have a chance to win:

7″ Kindle Fire HD

Gift Certificates

Paperback and E-books

The blog hop has already started and goes to December 30th 7:00 EST.

By commenting on my blog, your name will be entered into a draw to win a $10.00 gift certificate.

For this blog hop, I am re-posting an interview I did with the characters in my current release, What A Girl Wants, for those of you who haven’t had a chance to meet them and ask them a question.

Even if you already met them, you can still ask Maddie and Alex anything you want, as I’m sure they’ll be only too pleased to answer your questions.

Please welcome the hero and heroine, Alex Donovan and Maddie Saunders as they sit and talk to me about their experiences in this book.

Selena: Thanks for jumping out of the book to join me today. Maddie, let’s start with you. What was your journey like in What A Girl Wants? 

Maddie: The plane trip from to Hawaii was uneventful—

Alex: I have to interrupt here. Uneventful? Is that what you call it?

Maddie: Come on, Alex, even you have to admit it was classic. Besides, you laughed at the prank I pulled on you. Anyway, as for your initial question, Selena, I enjoyed the adventures you created for us, especially the humorous moments. Of course, what’s a romance without heartache, physical pain, angst and a ton of conflict?

Selena: Are you complaining about all that?

Maddie: Me? Never. I’m not a complainer, especially to my creator who has total control over my destiny. I may be a little impetuous—

Alex: A little?

Maddie: Okay, maybe more than a little. But as I told you off the pages, Alex, Selena gave me those traits. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

Selena: Your turn, Alex. How would you describe was your journey in this book?

Alex: There’s no other book I’d rather have been created in, even with all the pain we both went through. Maddie’s right, the humor helped a lot, especially when it got real serious and sorrowful.

Selena: If you each had a free day and your only mission was to enjoy yourself, what would you do?

Maddie: You created me, Selena, what do you think? *wink* Okay, seriously, I do love my career as a travel journalist, and I’ve been to a lot of exciting locales, but coming home and staying put for a few days, sitting around in my comfy lounging pants and a certain someone’s sweatshirt I pinched from him, no make-up and hanging out with my friends, enjoying a glass of wine and chatting about our adventures is always a blast.

Alex: What Maddie said. There are some things we both agree on, that’s one of them.

Selena: Alex, what’s your philosophy on life?

Alex: Live without regrets.

Maddie: Life’s a beach and then you have sex on it. Not that I’m a nymphomaniac or anything, but, after all the angst, conflict and pain and the dysfunctional family you created for me—again, it’s not a complaint, just stating a fact—I have to rely on my sense of humor and not take everything so seriously…not like someone else I know.

Selena: What scares you?

Maddie: Needles. However, what’s really scary is when you get so anal about editing and polishing and not moving forward fast enough. It wasn’t a lot of fun when you left me in a certain position for months, I got a cramp. I am eternally grateful you finally finished the scene. Good thing I have a lot of stamina and I’m a patient gal.

Alex: You, patient? Since when?

Selena: What about you, Alex, what scares you?

Alex: Besides the fact that sometimes I can get inside Maddie’s head and figure out what she’s thinking. Reckless cruelty, corruption, hypocrisy and knowing there are kids out there who desperately need help, but the system keeps letting them down.

Maddie: I agree with Alex. I just tend to bury those things, because some of what he said has affected my life and the people I care about. All those months in draft mode, having to deal with that, until you finally yanked the story out of draft mode, stopped editing and helped me overcome my fears.

Alex: Uhm, Maddie, you’re still petrified of needles.

Maddie: Uhm, Alex, you’re still scared of assisted showers.

Alex: I wouldn’t say scared. I think we need to move on before you give away too much of the plot.

Selena: Which of your character traits is most important to you and why? Maddie, you first.

Maddie: My persistence and my quirky sense of humor. I had no choice, the way my life was written, if I didn’t find the humor in it, I’d be on a therapist’s couch for life.

Selena: What’s your biggest fault?

Maddie: My persistence and my quirky sense of humor. It did drive Alex crazy at times.

Alex: It caused me bodily injury, Maddie.

Maddie: Don’t blame me, I didn’t write the scene that way. Although, knowing me, I probably would have suggested that scene, but without the injury of course.

Selena: Alex, your turn. Which of your character traits is most important to you and why?

Maddie: Can I answer that for him?

Alex: Selena already knows what you’re going to say. That I’m uptight, suspicious—

Maddie: A perfectionist, a health food-freak—

Alex: Thanks for your help, Mads, but I can finish answering this question. My integrity, having and living by an ethical code of sound moral principles. I’m self-disciplined, as an investigative reporter this is essential, so I pride myself on my ability to remain focused, alert and possess a lot of self-control.

Maddie: Well, there is all that of course. However, as for your self control—

Alex: What’s your next question for me, Selena?

Selena: What’s your biggest fault?

Maddie: Can I please answer this one?

Alex: Not a chance, Doll. Disclaimer: for any women out there who takes offense to me calling Maddie doll, there’s a good reason why I sometimes call her that.

Maddie: There is, you can find out about it in chapter one.

Alex: To answer your question, Selena, I’d say my biggest fault is that I can sometimes be stubborn and moody.

Maddie: You think?

Selena: Tell our readers what your favorite foods are.

Maddie: Chocolate and bacon. Not together….at least I haven’t dipped any bacon in chocolate as of yet. Those two things are in a food group of their own and are guaranteed rocket ships to delectable cloud nine.

Alex: Food that won’t clog my arteries.

Selena: Alex, what do you admire most about Maddie?

Alex: Her persistence and sense of humor. She’s quirky, unique, self-reliant. She’s a strong woman who says out loud what most people think in their heads, this can be a problem, but I’ve gotten used to it over the years. I do admire how she hasn’t let what happened in her past define who she is today.

Maddie: Thank you, Alex, but I don’t say everything out loud that I’d like to say, for example, I haven’t told everybody that you can’t carry a tune and that when you—

Alex: I don’t think Selena wants you to give away so much of the plot.

Maddie: Well played, Alex.

Selena: Maddie, what do you admire most about Alex?

Maddie: He’s not perfect and he doesn’t wear a cape or leap off buildings, but he does have a lot of hero qualities that I admire. Namely; his integrity, loyalty and ethics. Even though I love to pull a lot of pranks on him, on the whole he’s showed a lot of patience. Don’t let that get to your head, Alex, I said on the whole, you did get cranky more than once. Now, about that self control he talked about—

Alex: Thanks for having us, Selena.

Maddie: Thanks, Selena. Can I make a little request before we sign off?

Selena: Sure.

Maddie: Can you please hurry up with your current work in progress and not only because Alex and I make an appearance. I really do want to know what happens to the hero and heroine of that book, and of course, I’d love to wave hi to the readers who read our journey in What A Girl Wants.

Selena: I’m going as fast as I can. Now, get back into that book you two. 🙂

Maddie: Mmmm. Chapter sixteen would be a great place to tuck back into—

Alex: One track mind.

Maddie: That’s how I roll, Babe. *laughing*

Alex: Not funny.

Maddie: Oh, come on, that was hysterical how you earned the nickname, Babe.

Alex: Let’s get back into the book before you give away too much of the story. Thanks again, Selena and everyone.

Maddie: Ciao, Bellas, off to my book signing….(walks away with Alex, saying….”I’m getting better at different languages, aren’t I?)

Alex: Mads, they can still hear us.

Maddie: Oops, you’re right, can’t give away too much of the plot.

***

Good luck in the blog hop and HAPPY NEW YEAR!