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Twenty Questions with Tessa Teevan
Interviewed by Ella Fox
Have you always read romance? If so, what is the first romance book that
you ever remember reading?
I started reading romance when I
was a kid. One of the first romances that I can remember reading was some
Christmas boxset. I wish I could remember what it was. The guy in the last book
was super swoon-worthy, and all I can remember is that the chick had on a navy
blue velvet dress (who wears velvet anymore?) and he pushed it off her shoulder
and kissed the creamy skin of her shoulder, blah blah blah. It was my first
taste of sex in a book and I was hooked! I’m still pissed I can’t remember what
boxset that was. After that, I was introduced to Nora Roberts. For some reason,
my high school library thought it was appropriate to have those on the shelves?
I didn’t mind!
For a while I got really into
thrillers and suspense. I read nothing but James Patterson and Tess Gerrittsen.
Then two years ago, my husband was browsing the Internet and found this craze
in Britain called Fifty Shades of Grey. Heard of it? Well, he bought them for
me on my Nook and ever since then, I’ve been a romance freaking junkie, and I’ll
never go back.
Talk to me about the “Ah-Ha” moment that you had
that resulted in you sitting down to write your first book, “Ignite.”
Really? We’re going there? Oy vey.
You know what? Let’s talk about Ignite. My sister asked me about coming to her
high school reunion, in Navarre, and watching her 2 year old daughter while she
and her husband did the social events. It kind of formed an idea in my head,
but it never really got off the ground.
About a month later, Derek, my
husband, and I were on the road to Chicago. Long story short, those first five
words in Ignite? They came from him. I let them register for a moment. And then
another moment. I glanced out the window, just like Lexi did, thankful I had my
shades on. And then I pulled my pants up, whipped my iPhone out, and wrote the
Prologue. I’m not ashamed to admit that. In marriage we all say things we don’t
mean. It happens. That’s life. Part of what I love about the message in Ignite
is that you need to choose your words carefully. You’ll never know when they’ll
be your last.
Want to know those 5 words? Guess
you’ll have to read the book! ;)
One of the aspects of “Ignite” and “Incinerate”
that I love so much is that you have the military lingo down. In some stories, that can come off as forced,
made up, or fanciful- with yours, it was all spot on. I knew right away that you had some
first-hand knowledge of military life. I
was pretty proud that my spider-senses were right when I found out that you had
been in the Air National Guard! Tell your
readers a little bit about your years spent in the ANG.
I think military romance is GREAT!
I love anything that gives our men and women in the service recognition. They
don’t get enough out it. That being said, sometimes stories are soo….over the top?
Which, I get! It’s fiction. We all take liberties and that’s what’s great. I
wanted my books to be as authentic as possible, so I used my experiences, as
well as extensive research, to make sure that my military stuff was 100%
genuine.
I’ve been in the Air National Guard
for almost nine years. I’ve been to the Middle East twice, but I was never in a
combat zone. It was still pretty scary being a 19 year old little blonde chick
in a foreign country. That being said, I wouldn’t change a single thing about
my service, and I’ve loved every minute of it!
How do you think your service affects the way
that you write your heroes?
I think my service makes me want to
portray my heroes as accurately as possible. Like I said before, this is fiction.
Write what you want. No one can say anything because it’s your world and we’re
just reading it! However, I want an Army wife to read my book, turn to her
husband and read him an excerpt, and him say ‘yep, she know’s what she’s
talking about.’ I’m all about authenticity when it comes to my characters.
What is your writing process? Do you write ‘in order’ from beginning to
end, or do you write scenes as they come to you?
I write in order. I can’t, for the
life of me, patch scenes together. My brain just won’t work that way.
Where do you write?
I’m usually sitting on my futon
with my legs propped up on an exercise ball, with my laptop on a tv tray. A
Spotify playlist is almost always on in the background, and maybe a glass of
wine or two… or three.
What is your favorite thing about writing?
Meeting my characters. I don’t
outline. I have a general idea, and I go with it. As I type, it’s like my
characters take hold of brain and my fingertips and they introduce themselves
to me. They almost tell their story more than I do. Getting to know them?
That’s the BEST! Speaking of, check out Knox. Gorgeous, right? You should probably pick up Incinerate and meet this guy!
Before you started writing, you were already a
part of the Indie world due to the fact that you were a reviewer on Gutter
Girls Book Reviews. How do you think
that blogging prepared you for publishing?
Prior to Gutter Girls, I had my own
blog, Tessa’s Take. I started the blog right around the time I wrote the
prologue for Ignite. I was already rating and reviewing books on Goodreads, so
I thought I’d start my own blog to kind of get my name out there. Tessa’s Take
took off! It was so much fun, and I even ended up as an editorial review in New
York Times Bestseller Tangled. Seeing my quote in that paperback? Best day
ever!
I think the blog helped prepare for
what readers want. Or well, I thought it did. No reader is the same, and you
won’t please everyone. But it did help me with how to pick effective teasers
and excerpts, and it definitely let me know how important social media is for
an author.
Where Ignite was a story about lost love and
second chances, Incinerate is about letting go of the past and creating a
better future. Knox Wellington knocked
my socks off, and I thought that Charlie was the perfect heroine. Strong, feisty, funny and sweet. What was the difference- for you- of telling
a story about a relationship between people that just met and are both
understandably wary, as opposed to Jace and Lexi’s story?
To be honest, Jace and Lexi’s story
was, for the most part, easy for me to tell. The biggest struggle was dealing
with Lexi’s struggles and fears as a young widow. I wanted to make her as
authentic as possible. And you know what? It paid off in the end. For as many 1
or 2 stars that I get because of her, I will never forget the day that I got an
email from a young woman who lost her fiancé at an early age. She thanked for
me making Lexi hesitant, for showing the struggle. If no one but her understand
that, I could care less.
Knox and Charlie were different.
Jace was the ultimate guy. He’s the shit from the moment you meet him, and that
doesn’t change. In Incinerate, you see the change in Knox. You see how Charlie
affects him. I don’t want to say that she changes him, because, honestly, I
think that would piss her off. But she brings for the Knox that’s been hiding
for song long. And watching him go from a moody, broody guy, to being reduced
to tears in a family setting? It’s beautiful. His character development shines
through this book.
As much as I love Knox, Charlie
takes the cake. She’s kickass, literally! She doesn’t let Knox get away with
shit, and while she may seem hard at times, that’s exactly what he needs.
Watching these two fall for each other was so much fun.
Are there any things that are
practically guaranteed to inspire you?
Music. I
can hear a song and think, “There’s a story there.” Other than that, almost
everything comes from my brain.
The best moment? Hmm. Well, I went
to Thanksgiving, three weeks after I published Ignite, and I walked in the door,
my aunt tells me she loves it, and my grandma was behind her, handing me a
check saying that she needed five paperback copies to give to her friends. It was just a really awesome feeling. My grandma still contacts me to buy more paperbacks for
people she knows!
Tell
us what projects you have coming up.
Oh gosh. I feel soooo busy! Well, I
have a story coming up in April called Sweet Southern Sorrow. It’ll be a part
of a super hot box set with a few other authors all featuring Southern
Seduction Stories. It’s about a young couple falling in love, finding out their
step-siblings, and the aftermath.
In May, I’ll be publishing Kale and
Lucy’s story, the third book in the Explosive series.
Beyond that, I have stories for
Cohen and Branson, the Wellington brothers. Then, I’ll be releasing a story
about a breast cancer survivor, Emery Davidson. It’s going to be a busy year!!
One
of the sweetest things I’ve ever seen was a post from your grandmother to you
about how proud she is of your writing and how much she was looking forward to
reading Incinerate. Your grandmother is
AWESOME. How does it feel to know that
she reads and recommends your books?
It’s unreal. I’m reduced to tears
when I see her posts. My parents disassociate themselves from my books, so it
really means a lot that she is so supportive, but then again, she’s been that
way my entire life. She’s my rock!
How
did you tell your husband that you were going to write a book and what did he
think when you first said it?
I didn’t. He told me! It was his
idea for me to write, and well, he influenced that prologue!! J He read Ignite and was
very proud! He says Jace reminds him of himself! lol
Your
newest book is called Incinerate. Give
us the synopsis of the book.
Knox is a moody, broody ass who got
his heart broken a long time ago and swore off women. Charlie is a badass chick
who challenges him. Long story short…heads butts, chemistry sparks, and you’ll
have to read the rest to find out!
Incinerate
is book 2 in the Explosive series. Tell
your readers what (and who) the final installment of the series is about. What is the expected release date?
The final installment is about a
sweet, cute, hot playboy named Kale. He’s the funniest of the bunch, but his
backstory? It’s the hardest. It kills me. Slays me. He breaks my heart.
FYI, Ladies, Kale is good for your
health. I can’t give too much away, because you need to read it for yourselves,
but Inflame will be out in May
Additionally, there will be a
spinoff series with Knox’s brothers, Cohen and Branson. Trust me, I know you
hate Branson. You won’t!!!
Really?! REALLY?! This is just
cruel! You know what? I’m going out with Jace. He’s my romantic. He’d
anticipate my every need, and well, Jace was my first love. I love him. LOVE
HIM!!
This is the
hardest question. I am the laziest person in the world. My ideal book boyfriend
date would be: a fire, sexy movies on, and us lounging around naked getting
busy. That’s all I need. So simple, right? I sound like a bum. Well, I am one.
Wine me, dine me, I’m yours!
My guilty pleasure? Ummm…
Literotica. A day does not go by that I don’t sign onto that site. Not a single
freaking day. I will leave it at that!! And, well, wine. I'm a red wine junkie!
What is your favorite food?
Grapes.
Fermented ones. Meaning wine.
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