MaGM#3: Meet Author Sandra Dailey

Okay, sorry, but please pretend it's Monday again, people. The saga of my faulty gallbladder continued yesterday, so, belatedly... welcome to Meet and Greet Monday, where we pull an author or reader of romance out from out of that book they're buried in, drag them in front of everyone and introduce them! Please wave hello to today's featured guest, author Sandra Dailey:

You know what they say... the bigger the foot, the bigger the shoe.

Hi, Sandra! First, I'll ask you a series of random questions, just because I'm nosy. 

Hi Kristen! I’m delighted to be a guest on your blog. I love the opportunity to meet new readers and fellow writers. This should be fun.

Hey, fun, traumatizing, it's all semantics. Okay, let's jump right in: if you were a superhero, what would your superpower be?

I’d love to have the power of ‘Invisibility’. There’s two ways this power would work well for me. 1 - As a writer, I work at home. Constant interruptions plague me. 2 - Also, as a writer, I love to listen in on other people’s conversations. You can get some great ideas that way. As they say, truth is often stranger than fiction.

See Sandra listening in? Neither do they... Image Credit

That totally makes sense to me. If they can't see you, they can't interrupt you. Or, in the case of persistent eavesdropping, smack you with a restraining order. Do you have any hidden talents?

It’s not really hidden, but most people who know me would say I have a talent for sarcasm. It serves me well. 1 – It tends to spill out into my writing and helps spice up my characters. 2 – People with a good sense of humor are drawn to me. 3 – People with no sense of humor avoid me. I’m good with that.

And boom. We're kindred spirits. I love sarcasm! I was wondering about that strange, magnetic pull you seemed to have... So, if you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?

I’d love to live in one of those little bungalows out on the water in Bora Bora. It’s beautiful and secluded, a perfect place to write. I’d like to see who’d knock on my door in the middle of the day there.

Sandra's dream hut. Image Credit

Looks gorgeous, doesn't it? Wonder how much real estate in Bora Bora goes for. If I budget my money right, I could probably afford something more like this:

Is there room in your hut for me, Sandra? Image Credit

Speaking of money, what would you do if you won the lottery?

Bora Bora, here I come! I guess I’d also need a boat for those coffee and chocolate runs. You can’t write without coffee and chocolate. It’s a fact.

You buy a boat to go get your chocolate, and I'll just buy a chocolate boat to eat in my cardboard box. 

I won't tell you how many hours I've spent daydreaming about lottery winnings. I've even promised to buy everyone I know a pony if I ever win... On an unrelated note, are you a good liar?

I believe I've established that I’m a writer. I spend my days, and often my nights, making up fictitious stories and relating them in a believable way. According to my rankings, I’m a pretty good liar. My confession, there you have it.

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Ha, I love that being a writer gives us a legitimate, tax-deductible reason to put lies to paper. And kudos on those rankings! Wait, you're not lying about those, right? 

Okay, next: pick up the book closest to you. Turn to page 12. What's the first full sentence on the page?

Gunshots, shouts, and the squeal of tires against pavement erupted outside the heavy industrial door. (Hard As You Can by Laura Kaye)

I do like the sound of gunshots in a romance - especially by page 12. I haven't read any by Laura Kaye yet. I'll have to check her out! Probably the best thing about being romance writers is that we can read all the other authors we want and call it research or market analysis. 

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Who is your favorite author of all time?

Oh, that’s a hard one. I guess I’d have to say James Patterson. I’m addicted to his Alex Cross and Michael Bennett series'.

I'm sensing a suspense theme here. So what about your books? What are you currently working on?

I have three stories in the works. A suspense called Close Enemy, (sequel to Common Enemy), a suspense called Independence Day, and a mystery called Deep Blue. However, my publisher doesn’t often agree with my titles, so we’ll see what happens to them later.

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I personally think those titles sound fantastic. What book have you released most recently?

That would be Common Enemy, a romantic suspense involving a scarred man determined to protect a single mother and her five-year-old daughter from her psycho ex-husband.

Can we read a little of it?

Here’s a bit from the villain’s point of view ~

Bobby Ray Butler watched the sunset through the barred window of his prison cell. He squinted as the florescent lights automatically came on. They’d turn off again to leave him in darkness at nine o’clock. It had been the same for the last five years, five months and twenty days.

He’d worn the same orange jumpsuits every one of those days. He’d eaten the same tasteless food and walked the same exercise yard. Any time he was outside his cell, he’d had to watch his back. The bad guys here were dirty, diseased, and mean. The good guys fell to them or learned to be just as bad. Bobby Ray had gone to great lengths to avoid all but a select few.

He earned a minuscule amount of money working on the grounds. Almost every dime of it had gone into pads of paper. The only time his mind was truly calm were the hours he spent sketching his pictures.

He peeled a picture from the wall where it hung from a small piece of tape he’d had to beg for. He’d never beg for anything again. The circumstance that put him here wasn't right. A man should be able to trust his wife. King of his castle and all that crap.

He carefully lifted another picture from the collage on his wall. He’d be leaving soon and wouldn't leave a single one behind. No one here deserved to even look at them

He’d been through hell, but soon it would be his turn to send someone else. The difference was, her hell would be permanent. There’d be no reprieve, no escape, and no second chance.

Sounds right up my alley and I love the concept. Where can we buy it?

Common Enemy is available in ebook and print through Amazon only until the end of June when it goes worldwide. However, it’s currently being offered at a reduced price:

Get Common Enemy here in ebook for $2.99.

Or grab a print copy for $11.08.

Score! Sweet, sweet bargain prices. Thanks so much for letting yourself be subjected to MaGM, Sandra. Where can we stalk non-threateningly find out more about you and your books? 

Peeping tom. Image Credit

sandradailey.blogspot.com

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Thank you so much for having me on your blog, Kristen. I’d love to hear from you and your friends.

No problem, Sandra! And don't worry, the emotional effects of this interview will heal eventually... [