My guest today is...

Heather Thurmeier

 

 

So, let's give her a nice, warm welcome to the wonderful world of Margaret Taylor's Thoughts, yes?

 

Good.

 

When Heather and I first discussed her paying a visit, I asked her what she'd like to do. 

 

Did she want to tell us her deepest darkest secrets?  Spill some juicy gossip about celebrities?  Impart her worldly knowledge about Writing?

 

Sadly, she said no to all of those things and decided instead to introduce us all to the Hero and Heroine of her new book, Escape To My Arms

 

Don't you just love that cover?  I know I do...

Sorry, I digress, I apologize.

But, without further ado, I give you Sara and Dane...

Sara, how did you first meet your writer?

Sara: I first met Heather after a writer friend of hers posted a message on Facebook about a call for Prepper Romances. I guess she thought it would be fun to write something like that since she’s a bit of prepper. Her first thoughts for the story were of me sitting in bumper-to-bumper traffic, paranoid, nervous and wondering what to do. Gee thanks for that, by the way. It would have been nice if she imaged me on a sunny beach somewhere when the sh*t hit the fan. 

What are your favorite scenes in your book: the action, the dialog or the romance?

Sara: Is this a trick question? Is anyone going to pick the talking parts when you’ve got a hunk like Dane wandering around protecting you?

Dane: Thanks, darlin’. I’d have to agree. Keeping my hands off Sara in that tight tank top of hers was a challenge.

Did you have a hard time convincing your author to write any particular scenes for you?

Dane: There’s a couple of fights scenes that took a little convincing to get Heather to write. They were grittier and darker than she usually writes and she wasn’t sure if she really wanted to take her readers to that place. But in the end, Sara and I won out and we got to defend ourselves fully. It was awesome.

Do you infiltrate your writer’s dreams?

Sara: Sometimes, yes. Sometimes Heather just doesn’t want to listen to my ideas for the story during the day when she’s writing so I have to bug her at night while she’s sleeping. Then she gets all “I had the best idea for the book last night!” even though it was my idea all along. 

What do you like to do when you are not being actively read somewhere?

Sara: I fool around with Dane. When we’re not in bed, he’s usually helping me learn to fight and shoot better.

Dane: Every now and then we head outside for a scouting mission to find out how things are going on the outside.  

Are you happy with the genre your writer has placed you in?

Sara: Absolutely! I love being in a prepper romance. It just fits me.

Dane: *Shrugs* I wasn’t crazy about the whole romance part of this genre, but it’s okay, I guess.

Sara: The romance part is the only reason you’re getting any from me, so you’d think that would actually be your favorite part of the genre.

Dane: I stand corrected.

If you could rewrite anything in your book, what would it be?

Sara: I’d like to rewrite the bad guys out of the book. I really could have done without them!

Do you like the way the book ended?

Sara: Yes and no. I’ll leave it at that because I don’t want to spoil the ending.

Would you be interested in a sequel, if your writer was so inclined?

Dane: Definitely. I’d love for readers to find out what’s been going on with us lately. It’s crazy and exciting!

What is your least favorite characteristic your writer has attributed to you?

Dane: My family history. I wish she could have come up with something a little happier for my life, but I guess it’s a big part of what makes me the way I am.

Sara: I wish she’d made me a little more confident and knowledgeable at the beginning of the book. But I needed room to grow and learn from Dane, so I guess it all worked out in the end.  And, thank you so much for having us today to chat about our book and our author. It was so much fun!

And thank you both for stopping by!  It was a pleasure to meet you.

You can catch up with all Heather Thurmeier's latest news at http://heatherthurmeier.com or on her Facebook or Follow her on Twitter

She's also been nice enough to provide us with a tiny bit of a sneak peak into the world of Doomsday Preppers!

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Blurb

 

Sara’s been preparing for this moment her whole life—she just never believed it would actually happen. With her bug-out bag and emergency food already in her truck, her only goal is to get to her family’s hidden bunker and wait out the pandemic that’s hit every major cruise ship port in the US. But her plan quickly falls apart. She’s out of gas, her route to the bunker is now a two-lane parking lot with no alternative in sight, and her only weapon is a pocketknife. For an experienced prepper, she’s made every rookie mistake.

Dane believes he’s safe in his cabin, off the beaten path and in the woods with his own source for water, electricity and an endless supply of food to hunt. After finding Sara stranded and alone, he’s suddenly not only providing for and protecting himself, but also the girl who wandered out of the woods and into his life. When looters come looking to take what he has, Sara and Dane’s only option is to make a run for their last hope—the bunker.

Can Sara and Dane find safety in each other’s arms and will they survive long enough to escape to a future together?

Excerpt:

Sara sipped her wine and nibbled on another square of chocolate. He was right. Again.

They didn’t know what would happen in the future. Hell, they didn’t even know if there was a future to look forward to at this point. So why shouldn’t they enjoy the moments like this one while they could? Moments when they were safe, warm, fed, and comfortable. They might not get many more nights like this if things kept getting worse, as they seemed to be. Best to savor the time while you had it instead of squandering it away with fights.

At this point, she didn’t even know what future awaited her at the bunker. Would she live with her family for the rest of their lives, never to interact with people from the outside world again? That’s sort of what they wanted, wasn’t it? Wasn’t that why they hadn’t told anyone about the bunker, because they couldn’t trust anyone?

What if this was her last night on her own? It might be her last night to live her life however she wanted to before she had to start making group decisions with her family.

“You’re right.” She polished off the last of her wine in a big gulp. Her head already swirled with the effects of the alcohol. She’d always been a lightweight when it came to getting drunk. Tonight would be no different. Good thing she’d planned to stop at one this evening. She had other plans for the rest of the night.

“Right about what exactly? I said a bunch of stuff.”

She put her wineglass on the floor and took his hand in hers. “You were right about enjoying this moment we have tonight since we don’t know what the future holds, or even if we have a future.”

“Does this mean I’m forgiven?” He smiled, squeezing her hand.

“Yes. And then some.”

Sara took the wineglass from his hand and set it down next to hers, then straddled his lap, resting her hands on his chest. She pressed her mouth to his, delighting in the surprise on his face.

She wasn’t a throw-caution-to-the-wind kind of girl, but for once she was going to do just that, since she didn’t know if she’d have wind to be cautious of later on. Tonight, she’d live by her feelings. Tomorrow she’d go back to surviving.

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Heather, Sara and Dane, thanks again for sharing yourself with us.

Don't forget to have a look at Heather's new book, Escape To My Arms, which is available right now on Amazon, B&N or with her publisher, Decadent!

Amazon   Nook  Decadent

As always, thanks for stopping by.

 

Until next time.

 

Margaret Taylor