Paige Tyler joins us today to chat about her new release, PERFECT MATE. From her bio,
Paige Tyler is a USA Today Bestselling Author of sexy, romantic fiction. She and her very own military hero (also known as her husband) live on the beautiful Florida coast with their adorable fur baby (also known as their dog). Paige graduated with a degree in education, but decided to pursue her passion and write books about hunky alpha males and the kickbutt heroines who fall in love with them.
Kim: Aloha, my fellow Floridian! What are your favorite sight, sound, and smell of the Sunshine State?
Paige: That’s easy—the beach! My hubby and I try to go to the beach at least once a week during the summer. Luckily, it’s only ten minutes from where we live, so it’s easy to get there. There’s nothing as relaxing as sitting in beach chairs under an umbrella listening to the sounds of the waves and the cries of the seagulls, smelling the ocean breezes, and watching the pelicans soar over the clear emerald waters. Throw in the occasional pod of dolphins, and it can’t get much better. Love it!
Kim: Thank you for your husband's service ... and your service, too, as a military spouse! What have you learned as a military spouse that you can apply to your writing career?
Paige: You’re welcome! Getting a chance to experience firsthand the camaraderie and bond that exist between soldiers is a once in a lifetime opportunity. I was always amazed at the way they could rib and cuss at each other one minute, then bend over backward to do anything for each other the next. The way the shared risk and common mission helped diverse groups of individuals come together is amazing. And of course I got to hear all the military jargon and see how these people learn to deal with the danger and stress that comes with their chosen profession. All of these experiences helped me make the relationships between the Special Forces guys in my X-OPS Series deep and realistic.
Kim: You have eclectic tastes in books, TV series, and movies. How do you quantify a good story?
Paige: First, it has to have characters that people can relate to and fall in love with. There has to be enough info provided about the characters that you get drawn into their world, their troubles, or their desires, but at the same time, there also needs to be enough mystery that you’re left yearning to know even more about them.
Next, comes chemistry. We’ve all seen it before. A TV show or movie will have a great ensemble cast, but the moment they start interacting you’re left feeling blah because there’s simply no chemistry between the actors. Books are the same way, but in some cases, it can be even harder to get that chemistry across. You only have the written word to get the relationship going. The reader can’t “see” that there’s magical attraction like in a movie, so the writer has to make it happen with words.
Last, comes purpose. What is this group of characters supposed to be doing? It doesn’t necessarily matter what they’re doing, be it finding love or saving the world from vampire zombies with dental overbite issues, but ultimately someone seeing or reading about them has to care.
If these three things get going in the book, TV show, or movie I’m watching, then there’s a pretty good chance I’ll like them.
BTW, it probably wouldn’t hurt if the lead guy walks around a lot with his shirt off.
Kim: You schedule indicates you are attending the RT Booklovers Convention! Are you an RT virgin or veteran?
Paige: This is my first RT, and I’ve very excited about it! I’ve been to smaller conferences, but nothing this huge. I have my schedule so full of great workshops on promo and sales tips and techniques that I can barely find time to eat. Of course, I love getting to interact with the readers—that's always the best part of any conference, but this first time I’m planning to just try and relax and take in the whole experience. I don’t want to be so busy seeing all the trees that I forget to look at the forest.
Kim: Sadly, I did not see you in the overwhelming crowd at RT. But I'll also you at Lori Foster's Reader Author Get Together, where I will be a virgin. I loved your pictures from last year's event. Since you are now the veteran, what can I expect at RAGT?
Paige: You’ll absolutely love RAGT! It was the first conferences I ever went to, and it’s still my favorite. One of the best things about it is that it’s a very casual event. It’s less about a full workshop schedule and fancy parties, and more about readers and writers hanging out with each other for hours on end. People will sit together in the lobby and stuff for half the night talking about their love of books and all things romance. I’ve made so many friends and mentors there that I can’t possibly name them all, but it’s no stretch of the imagination to say that I wouldn’t be where I’m at in my writing career if I hadn’t gone to RAGT all these years.
Kim: Tell us about the X-Ops Series and Book 1, HER PERFECT MATE - what inspired the series?
Paige: It revolves around the Department of Covert Operations (DCO for short), a top secret organization that exists within the Department of Homeland Security. They pair the very best soldiers, law enforcement people, and spies together with shifters—humans that have special animal attributes in their DNA. They take on impossible missions that few people in the world will ever know about.
The heroine is a sexy, but deadly feline shifter named Ivy Halliwell who gets teamed up with yet another soldier—and she definitely isn't thrilled about it. Both her previous partners hated her because she was a freak in their eyes, and she figures this new guy won’t be any different. But Captain Landon Donovan is Special Forces, so he's used to taking crazy situations in stride. He’s also gorgeous, hot, hunky, and smells delicious.
They very quickly discover that they aren’t just amazing on the job, but that they’re amazing partners of the romantic variety as well. Unfortunately, relationships between partners is somewhat frowned upon in the DCO, so they have to deal with that issue at the same time they have to fight bad guys trying to kill them every few chapters.
Her Perfect Mate is a paranormal shifter story that combines romance, action, suspense, and military elements into one exciting package that will keep you up reading late into the night—I promise.
Mahalo, Paige, for sharing HER PERFECT MATE with us! Sourcebooks is giving away a print copy to one randomly selected commenter:
He's a High-Octane Special Ops Pro
When Special Forces Captain Landon Donovan is chosen for an assignment with the Department of Covert Operations, he's stunned to find his new partner is a beautiful woman who looks like she couldn't hurt a fly, never mind take down a terrorist.
She's No Kitten
Ivy Halliwell isn't your average covert op. She's a feline shifter, and more dangerous than she looks. Her feline DNA means she can literally bring out the claws when things get dicey. She's worked with a string of hotheaded military guys who've underestimated her special skills in the past. But when she's partnered with special agent Donovan, a man sexy enough to make any girl purr, things begin to heat up. He doesn't think she's a freak-and he's smokin' hot. Soon they're facing a threat even greater than anyone imagines...and an animal magnetism impossible to ignore.
Read an Excerpt: link
Reviews:
"An absolutely perfect story-one I honestly couldn't put down. One of the best books I've read in years. I hope this is the beginning of a very long series, because I definitely want more of Paige Tyler's shifters." - Kate Douglas, author of the bestselling Wolf Tales and Spirit Wild series
"A wild, hot, and sexy ride from beginning to end! I loved it!" - Terry Spear, USA Today bestselling author of A SEAL in Wolf's Clothing
"Once I began, the outside world ceased to exist. It's exciting and fast paced." - Paranormal Kiss
"I love a good paranormal romance and this series has started off with a bang!" - Hopeless in Literature Reviews
Amazon: link
B&N: link
Sourcebooks: link
To enter the giveaway,
1. Leave a comment about how you quantify a good story?
2. Sourcebooks' giveaway is open to readers in the US and Canada.
3. Comments are open through Saturday, May 31, 10 pm in Baltimore. I'll post the winner on Sunday, June 1.
Mahalo,
Kim in Baltimore
Aloha Spirit in Charm City
Author Links:
Website: paigetylertheauthor.com
Blog: paigetylertheauthor.blogspot.com
Facebook Profile Page: facebook.com/paige.tyler.9
Facebook Author Page: facebook.com/PaigeTylerAuthor
Twitter: twitter.com/PaigeTyler
Pinterest: pinterest.com/paigetylerauth
Google+: link
Goodreads: link
Newsletter: link
hard to say just what makes a good story good as it can vary between books, but guess what it really boils down to is did the meet the expectations (was it funny when it was suppose to be light & humorous, was there the action/adventure that was expected, etc) & did it engage me in the story & characters.
ReplyDeleteDid it intrigue me in beginning and keep my interest through the rest of the story? Were the main characters interesting enough to me to want to stick with them throughout an entire story?
ReplyDeleteYou are a very busy bee, Kim! Have a great time at RAGT! A good story intrigues me from the beginning, is logical and has characters that I care about.
ReplyDeleteA good story captures me and keeps me reading. It makes me think later.
ReplyDeleteThanks for having me!
ReplyDelete*hugs*
Paige
good writing and characters
ReplyDeleteIf the story captivates me from the beginning and does let me go till the end.
ReplyDeleteA book I can't put down, one that makes me cry/laugh because that means I've been touched emotionally, and one I think about afterwards.
ReplyDeleteI have to really feel for the characters and their connection to each other. Also if it makes me laugh or cry and I don't want it to end.
ReplyDeleteMarcy Shuler
I like books that capture my attention from the beginning to the end, are welll written with little or no typos, ones that make me feel as though I am the heroine in the book, and characters who are interesting and redeemable.
ReplyDeleteFor me, a good story is one that I will read again.
ReplyDelete