Welcome to Sugarbeat’s Books – The Home of the Romance Novel
Today we are welcoming Shannyn Schroeder to the blog. She is touring her book, More Than This, with Goddessfish Promotions. She is giving away a $10.00Amazon gift card to a commenter from the tour. To increase your chances of winning, leave a comment below and click HERE to find the list of other blogs to leave comments on.
I hope you enjoy what you learn here, and if this book sound like something that you would be interested in reading, please find a buy link at the bottom of the post and pick up a copy.
Barb – How would you describe your book in 20 words or less without using the blurb?
Shannyn – For movie buffs – The Back Up Plan meets The Bucket List
The nonmovie version – A lonely teacher tackles a list of summer adventures before trying to get pregnant, but falls for the sexy bartender who acts as her wingman
Barb – Did you always had in mind to be a writer or it just happened?
Shannyn – I always loved to write. All through high school and college, I wrote (mostly poetry), but when I started teaching, I stopped. Writing as a career never really entered my mind because I personally needed a regular paycheck. Being a writer was too uncertain. It wasn’t until I was staying home with my kids that I returned to my love of writing and decided to give it a shot.
Barb – Aside from writing, what do you enjoy doing on your spare time?
Shannyn – I watch LOTS of TV. During any given week, I’d say my DVR records about 12-15 shows (I’m a little afraid to count). Some I let sit until I have some free time and I’ll watch a marathon, but other shows I watch immediately after they record (Justified, Shameless, Dexter, Criminal Minds).
I read a lot, of course, and I bake. I haven’t been baking as much as I used to and I think my kids miss it. I tend to bake when I’m stressed or stuck in my writing.
Barb – Do you listen to music while writing?
Shannyn – I almost always have some background noise going when I write. Whether it’s the TV or the radio, I like some noise. For my last couple of books, I created soundtracks to listen to while I write, so that’s what I put in. The songs immediately bring me back into that world with those characters, which comes in handy when I’ve been away from them for a while.
Shannyn – I love drafting. I enjoy sitting down with new characters and letting them run. I don’t edit while I write, so it’s just fun watching where my characters go. I don’t like revision nearly as much because that’s when I need to take a critical look at what I’ve written. I need to make sure the story structure is there and characters are behaving appropriately. Sometimes I run into a problem and I don’t know how to fix it.The part I hate most about the writing process is promotion. It’s not that I don’t like hearing from people who enjoyed my book, because I do. I hate trying to figure out how to get word out that my book is for sale and how to get people to buy it without sounding like a car salesman. If I could just sit in my room and write without having to sell, I’d be in heaven.Barb – Did you know the title before you started writing?Shannyn – I suck at titles. When I start a new book, the document is saved on my computer under the heroine’s name. When I’m ready to submit it, I come up with a title. Before I found my agent, MORE THAN THIS had already been through 3 titles. When my editor acquired it, he changed it again. I accept the fact that I’m no good at titles and leave up to people who are.
Barb – How did you come up with your premise for your books?
Shannyn – My ideas always start with characters. A character comes to me and I start playing around trying to understand him/her. For MORE THAN THIS, I knew Quinn wanted a baby and I knew she had no prospects for a husband. Beyond that, I didn’t know what to write. Inspiration came when I read an article about things everyone should do before they die, and then one about 30 things women should do before they turn 30. I knew then that I had to have Quinn make a list.
My inspiration comes from all over. Every conversation I overhear, blog or article I read, movie I watch, it all holds possibilities.
Barb – Your favorite books and author?
Shannyn – I love Jennifer Crusie and my favorite book of hers is Bet Me. When I started toying with the idea of writing a contemporary romance, I knew I needed to read more in the genre. I had read Nora Roberts, but most of my romance reading was romantic suspense. I had seen many people recommend Bet Me and I’m so glad I picked it up. It made me a Crusie fan for life.
Barb – Where can your fans find you?
Shannyn – I have a web site – http://www.ShannynSchroeder.
I’m on Twitter — https://twitter.com/
And I’m on Pinterest — http://pinterest.com/
Barb – Morning person or night owl?
Shannyn – I’ve always been a night owl. Even as a little kid, when my mom would send me to bed, I’d stay up and listen to the radio for hours. I never see my bed before midnight, unless I have a migraine. Of course, it sucks that I’m a night owl because I still have to get up early and get my kids ready for school. Luckily for me, they’re pretty self-sufficient now, so I can sleep in a little.
Barb – How many more books can we expect in this series?
Shannyn – MORE THAN THIS is the first in the O’Leary series. Book 2, A GOOD TIME will release on July 4, 2013. I’ve been contracted to write 2 more O’Leary books that will come out on 2014, but if all goes well, I’ll write a book for each of the single O’Learys (6 total).
More Than This
by Shannyn Schroeder
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BLURB:
When a lonely teacher teams up with a handsome bartender for some outrageous acts, they both get more than they bargained for…
Learning her ex-husband is going to be a father, Quinn Adams is determined to have a baby of her own—without the partnership of a man. But her sister and friends believe she needs to focus on herself first, and step out of her comfort zone by completing a list of adventures. Challenge number one is to go on five dates within two weeks. After a few disastrous attempts, Quinn’s ready to give up—until sexy bartender Ryan O’Leary offers his assistance.
Ryan has always been the dependable one in his family, often at his expense. But lately, he’s been longing for a life—and a woman—of his own. The woman he has in mind is Quinn. Though it seems all she wants is friendship, Ryan can’t ignore the explosive chemistry he feels between them. In the hopes of becoming closer, Ryan offers to help out with Quinn’s list. But when she asks him for a serious favor, he’s afraid it will jeopardize his chance to become more than friends.
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EXCERPT:
Ryan stood at the opposite end of the bar from Quinn’s booth. Watching in the mirror, he saw a new side of Quinn. She was relaxed. When she’d first come into the bar with a crowd of teachers, she’d hung back from the group, ordered one drink, gulped it down, and left. It was like she had to make an appearance and she did the bare minimum. Now, she’d invited other friends here.
He couldn’t believe he’d almost been busted eavesdropping on her conversation. And, of course, it had to happen right when they got to a good part. He wanted to know if she got laid for her birthday. Judging by the way she looked when she came in, she hadn’t been given a birthday orgasm. He almost wanted to offer to change that, but knew she’d shoot him down.
A slight tap on his arm had him turning to look at his younger brother, who was supposed to be stocking alcohol.
“Who’s the gorgeous blonde?”
“Who?”
Michael hitched his chin up toward the mirror. “The one you’ve been staring at.”
“Oh. That’s Indy, but I was looking at her sister. Short dark hair.”
Michael looked at all three women. “She’s not your usual type.”
“I know.” The concept rubbed at him like a wool sweater.
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AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Shannyn Schroeder is a former English teacher, who now works as a part-time editor while raising her three kids.
Even though she wrote from high school through college (mostly poetry), she’d never considered a career as an author. Writing fell by the wayside as she focused her energy on creating lesson plans and new and fabulous ways to torment her teen students. One group in particular dubbed her “The Torture Master,” a title she carried into motherhood.
After the birth of baby number two, Shannyn resigned from teaching and fell in love with reading romance novels. She read so many books so quickly that her husband teased, “If you’re going to read so many damn books, why don’t you just write one?”
So she did.
That first book is safely buried on her hard drive, but the process set Shannyn on the path to professional author. She came to reading romance later than many, but lives for the happy ending because real life can be depressing. She writes contemporary romance because she enjoys the adventure of new love.
In her spare time, she loves to bake cookies and watches far too much TV, especially cop shows. She is recovering from her Diet Coke addiction, fears putting her foot in her mouth on social media, and has a renewed appreciation for the bad girls of the world.
Buy Links:
Amazon – Kindle Edition
Barnes & Noble – Nook Edition