After spending a week at RWA in NYC, I share the Big Apple with you via Lauren Layne's new release, FRISK ME, Book 1 in the New York's Finest series. Lauren joins me for a cozy chat ...
A long-time romance reader, Lauren Layne thinks the only thing better than reading about happy endings is writing them. She now pursues a full-time career in Happily Ever After, a job she's naturally suited for after marrying her high school sweetheart. A bit of a nomad, Lauren's lived everywhere from Orange County to Manhattan, and currently lives in the Chicago area. Her hobbies include coffee by day, wine by night, and lots of writing in between. She's also a total website nerd and insists you check out laurenlayne.com!
Kim: Chicago! What is your favorite sight, sound, and smell of the Windy City?
Lauren: This is going to sound crazy, but my favorite thing has been the snow. Winter’s long been my favorite season, but coming from Seattle, we usually get snow maybe once or twice a year. Some years there’s no snow at all. Then we tried New York, and I thought *that* would be my winter fix, but we had two pretty mild NYC winters while we were there. But Chicago … Chicago knows how to do winter. Bitterly cold and piles of snow. Perfect :-)
Kim: Who or what helped you along the path to publishing?
Lauren: Probably a cliche answers here, but my husband, definitely. He was the one that gave me a little dose of tough love early on, telling me I had to stop talking about writing a book and actually do it. And once the book was done, he’s the one who didn’t even hesitate when I nervously asked if I could reduce our dual income household to a single-income household while I pursued the dream of becoming a full-time writer. That sort of unwavering confidence, that belief that the money stuff would work itself out because I was a good writer (note: we went into not insignificant debt, and then crawled back out of it) is a huge component of my success.
Kim: What inspired your new series and your new title, FRISK ME?
Lauren: Big shout out to my publishing team here, because it was them that initially had the idea, “Hey, what about a family of NYC cops …” The story is all mine, the characters are all mine, but the premise is what happens when you put a bunch of romance-loving people in a room and figure out what stories haven’t been told yet. There just aren’t a lot of cop books out there, which is strange, because a man in uniform is HOT. I think one thing that’s pretty unique with FRISK ME and the series in general is that it’s not suspense. Most books about law enforcement officers have a “danger” element to them, but while New York’s Finest isn’t without some real-life cop situations, the heart of the series is the romance and the family.
Lauren: This is going to sound crazy, but my favorite thing has been the snow. Winter’s long been my favorite season, but coming from Seattle, we usually get snow maybe once or twice a year. Some years there’s no snow at all. Then we tried New York, and I thought *that* would be my winter fix, but we had two pretty mild NYC winters while we were there. But Chicago … Chicago knows how to do winter. Bitterly cold and piles of snow. Perfect :-)
Kim: Who or what helped you along the path to publishing?
Lauren: Probably a cliche answers here, but my husband, definitely. He was the one that gave me a little dose of tough love early on, telling me I had to stop talking about writing a book and actually do it. And once the book was done, he’s the one who didn’t even hesitate when I nervously asked if I could reduce our dual income household to a single-income household while I pursued the dream of becoming a full-time writer. That sort of unwavering confidence, that belief that the money stuff would work itself out because I was a good writer (note: we went into not insignificant debt, and then crawled back out of it) is a huge component of my success.
Kim: What inspired your new series and your new title, FRISK ME?
Lauren: Big shout out to my publishing team here, because it was them that initially had the idea, “Hey, what about a family of NYC cops …” The story is all mine, the characters are all mine, but the premise is what happens when you put a bunch of romance-loving people in a room and figure out what stories haven’t been told yet. There just aren’t a lot of cop books out there, which is strange, because a man in uniform is HOT. I think one thing that’s pretty unique with FRISK ME and the series in general is that it’s not suspense. Most books about law enforcement officers have a “danger” element to them, but while New York’s Finest isn’t without some real-life cop situations, the heart of the series is the romance and the family.
After a photograph of Luc Moretti saving a tourist hits social media, he instantly becomes New York's most famous and beloved cop. When a major network decides to run a special on the "American Hero," Luc's boss gives him no choice but to cooperate in the name of good exposure for the department. Luc doesn't mind the celebrity status-what he does mind is the gorgeous brunette journalist who's been assigned to follow his every move. Especially since she also happens to be the same knockout that rejected him rather publicly the week before.
Ava Sims is a woman who gets what she wants. And what she wants is to be CBC's lead anchor-but to get there, she'll need to nail the fluff piece on the playboy cop. Luc Moretti is everything Ava knows to stay away from: a stubborn charmer with a hero-complex. But the more Ava gets to know Luc and his oddball family, the more she realizes that beneath the swagger and the blue uniform is a complex man who makes her heart beat too fast. Soon, Ava's doing the unthinkable, and falling for the best of New York's finest …
Forever is hosting a giveaway at this link.
Mahalo,
Kim in Baltimore
Aloha Spirit in Charm City
Coming soon from the New York's Finest series ...
This book sounds good, I need to read this series!
ReplyDeleteA new author for me!
ReplyDeleteThanks
Always great to hear about new authors!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for hosting me today and featuring FRISK ME! Hope your readers will give Luc and Ava a shot (no pun intended!)- Lauren
ReplyDeleteCop romances sounds good to me!
ReplyDeleteSounds like a series I could get into!
ReplyDeleteLoving the covers on these books! I have read a few of Lauren's books & really enjoyed them!
ReplyDeleteThey are the finest. Sounds like a good series.
ReplyDeleteLADbookfan