Tuesday, December 11, 2012

11th Day of Christmas: Wendy Ely

Cate: Wendy is here to spread some holiday cheer! Wendy, please tell us a little bit about yourself.
Wendy: Thanks for having me here, Cate. I’m Wendy, a contemporary and romantic suspense author, in Phoenix, Arizona. I have a busy life with two teenagers and my real life hero.

Cate: So sweet! What do you love most about Christmas?
Wendy: Like most families, mine is very busy. Between Dan’s 6 day work week and the teenagers’ work week, we only have a few hours of quality time together. Christmas provides us extra days off of work and school to enjoy each other’s company.

Cate: Do you have a favorite memory of a Christmas past?
Wendy: I received my first book contract right after Christmas. I had been stressing over a publisher giving me the run-around over the manuscript during the holidays. Their contract was the perfect ending to the holidays and a great beginning to the new year.

Cate: Love that. :) If Santa could grant one wish, what would you ask for?
Wendy: This might seem silly but Dan and I are not engaged. I’d love for Santa to grant me the wish of Dan formally proposing. We’ve talked about getting married but he hasn’t popped the question yet. He says he does everything in a big way and it’ll come without me suspecting it.

Cate: Aww. Hope Santa grants your wish! Any favorite Christmas recipes you’d care to share?
Wendy: I’ll let you in on a little secret… I don’t do the cooking. Dan does, so I really don’t know the Christmas recipes ;) By the way, the kids prefer his cooking over mine any day.

Cate: You lucky woman! lol Tell us about your latest release, and where readers can find it online.
Wendy: Confessions, Desert Secrets Book 1 has been re-released. You can find the book here: http://amzn.com/B00A3FVT84

Cate: Care to share a blurb or excerpt?
Wendy: Here is a short excerpt:
Jordan slid to the side so she could position herself in front of the monitor and keyboard. His hand brushed her thigh, sending sparks through her. It took effort to remind herself that the task at hand was much more important than his thigh resting against hers, or his hand moving to the back of her chair and his fingers playing with a strand of her hair. Denying the temptation was a lost cause. She wanted Jordan, and wanted him bad, but she could only admit it to herself. Even though she was supposed to be looking for her daughter, every part of her body yearned for Jordan’s touch.

Cate: What inspired you to write about the theme?
Wendy: I started with the character, Chelsea Montgomery, and asked a bunch of questions about why she’d left her hometown without telling them.  After playing the “what if” game with her, the details of her selling her baby, Jordan finding her, and being forced to stay in Wilson, Arizona seemed to mesh together for a fantastic story.

Cate: Anything else you’d like to share?
Wendy: Confessions is book 1 the series. Midnight Secrets is book 2 in the series and available on most ebook retailing sites.

Cate: Thanks so much for being part of the 12 Days of Christmas, Wendy! Hope you have a jolly holly holiday!