Monday, July 28, 2014

Palessa and Portrait of Gray Book Two of Baxter Family Saga #RomanticSuspense

Today we have an interview with Palessa. She's discussing her latest release, Portrait of Gray, book 2 in the Baxter Family Saga. She loves bacon and Nutella, and she's got a great excerpt for us. So enjoy! 

~Mia


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Interview questions for PALESSA…

Quick round:
Coffee, tea or…what’s your vice? Both and Nutella on toast, crackers, spoon, just Nutella

Favorite Movie: The Sound of Music

Favorite Color: Forest Green

Favorite book/author: Don't really have a fave author as I focus on the story. But favorite book: A Woman of Substance by Barbara Taylor Bradford.

How do you feel about bacon? Bacon is good with everything, even itself



The REAL questions…
Tell us a little about yourself. There's a loaded question. I'm a storyteller who is pretty new to the author realm. I'm the author of the Baxter Family Saga series and I'll be branching out soon enough. I live in Jamaica, grew up in Miami, FL, so I love croquetas, medianoches, arroz con pollo and all those dishes. Love food and as my Dad and I run a farm here, we definitely eat what we grow. It's a different lifestyle from the hustle of the US and it took me a while to adjust to it. So glad I decided to just make such a significant life change and come back here in 2011.

What’s under your bed? Suitcases, dust bunnies, God knows what else as I haven't looked under there in a while.

What comes first, plot or characters? I get flashes of both. For Portrait of Gray, Grayson came to me first. For Unchained Hearts, Book 1, the stories there came to me first.  So it varies depending on the story that comes to me. Keeps things interesting

Pantser, plotter, or hybrid? Yeah, I'm about an 80% pantser. There are times when I get shocked by the plot when I'm writing. However, for Book 3, Story of Us, which should be out in August 2014, I hope, I became more of a plotter because of the era and subject. But for the most part I'm mostly a pantser with something that passes for an outline.

Oddest thing on your desk? I don't have a desk, so HA! J

What’s your most interesting writing quirk? I don't know as I don't think of any writing I do as quirky. I guess the fact that I do go offline periodically. It's a long story but I had to do this for a month and it gave me time to finish a first draft of book 3, research other stories and even start a new story that I'm hoping will turn out OK. So, separating myself from the online world in a time when the world lives online I guess is considered a quirk.

What’s your favorite thing about the genre you write in? I guess I feel like I'm not bound by a genre because I focus on the story at all times and then we talk about genre. I think my books will have some romantic element to them but they tend to be multi-pronged. Yes there's sex but there are multicultural elements or somewhat historical elements. I like the flexibility of not being tied to a genre.

What is the hardest thing about being an author? Being seen. There are a lot of books out there. A lot of GOOD books out there for readers to choose from so it's tough to be seen. When I share my stories, I'm pretty confident about them so it's just a matter of making sure I'm not leaving anything out that would confuse readers. Once it's done and ready, I'm working on being seen by readers and getting the word out. It's a tough game but I'm working on just doing it consistently and grabbing opportunities where and when I can.

What’s the easiest thing about being an author? Nothing. It's not rocket science (unless that's part of your plot) but getting the idea out of your end from start to finish is not easy but it's worth it. I think that's how I see this author path; not easy but really worth it

What do you wish someone had asked you for an interview question? Actually, I'm OK believe it or not.

Tell us about your latest release!
Portrait of Gray is the story of Grayson Baxter, Cass' older brother. When we met him in Unchained Hearts he was in a bad way and eventually, he found his way out. This is the story of that transformation of how he was forced to really clean up his life and his journey to figuring out how he fit into the Baxter Family and the secret of his birth. It's a heart-filled ride and to give readers a taste, they can check out the trailer: http://bit.ly/1nyq5jJ

Blurb for Portrait of Gray, Baxter Family Saga Book 2…

Continue the Baxter Family Saga with book 2 
Grayson Baxter, first born of Julian and Joan, has always been the prodigal of the Baxter clan. He has also been heavily into drugs since he was a teenager. As his brother Cass enters a new phase in his life and is headed towards taking over the family business, Grayson’s drug use worsens. When he attempts to break away from the family that hates him, something goes terribly wrong. After tragedy strikes and with the help of a unique rehab facility, Grayson gets his life back. He discovers and pursues his desire to become a therapist and fall in love with Bindi Gail. Just as they start a life together, one fateful decision tears them apart. Through life’s twists and turns he finds his way from lost to found and learns to love again, Grayson’s journey to survive and realize his path as a Baxter makes his redemption more satisfying.



 Available at Amazon


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Excerpt for Portrait of Gray

"Close your eyes," she ordered.
"What?"
"Just do it."
Grayson complied. He heard a rustling sound, light footsteps, and then she said, "Open your mouth." He tried to partially open one eye and she barked, "No peeking."
When he did, she gently placed something round. He closed his mouth and when he broke the chocolate shell, molten lava of milk chocolate coated his tongue.
"Oh my God," he moaned, chewing. "What is this?"
"My cousin came back from Switzerland and brought these truffle balls. She snuck them in a stuffed animal with a note. I tasted one and I couldn't stop. Good thing she sent me two bags."
Chocolate was on the list of forbidden foods for many of the residents. It wasn't that they could never eat it, but at a time when their bodies were so new to the healing process, milk chocolate could trigger a blood sugar spike, according to Damian.
Looking at Bindi, Grayson narrowed his eyes. "How many have you had?"
"Three or four," she admitted coyly. He kept staring at her. "Maybe seven or eight."
He made a quick dash and grabbed the bear, holding it high. "I think I should store these with me for safe keeping."
"Like hell you will," she said, jumping to try and get the bear from him. Why did he have to be so damn tall and why wasn't her five-foot-eight height enough? She stopped momentarily, breathing heavily and growling at the satisfied look on his face. She had to wipe it off and that was when she came up with a different tactic. Narrowing her eyes, she poked him in the ribs. That produced the reaction she needed as he gasped and lowered his arms. She did it again and Grayson felt his knees weaken. It was a good thing the bed was right behind him. He had no idea he was even ticklish and unfortunately had no way to fight back against the assault.
Bindi grinned evilly, enjoying the torture she was inflicting. He was laughing so hard that he couldn't breathe and if he was ever going to survive this he had to stop her. He put his arms around her and held her close to him. She squealed and laughed, pleading for him to let her go and give her the bear. She got an arm free and reached for it, her breasts brushing against his chest. Their laughter was dying down. Her hot breath moistened his lips. He looked into her eyes and saw them burning bright. He’d never seen a more beautiful sight in his life.
They leaned into each other and their lips met. At first it was tentative, tender, as if they were testing and teasing each other. Then their passions flared and their tongues fought for delicious domination. Grayson moaned. A part of him wanted to run away. The intensity he felt overwhelmed him.
Sensing his trepidation, Bindi pulled away. "It feels like it's your first time, doesn't it?" Grayson nodded, his breath ragged. "It's like you don't know what to do and you just want to run away."
"How did you know?" he asked her.
Bindi got up from him and she slowly unbuttoned her shirt, keeping her eyes on his. There it was, that sensuous curve he remembered from that night at the pond. He stared at her, licking his lips. "I've been there. The sensations of pleasure you feel, it's like you're drowning and need to come up for air." She unhooked her bra and gently shrugged it off. Her succulent breasts spilled over and Grayson felt his manhood come to life. She unbuttoned her skirt, then discarded it along with her panties. She stood there fully naked and unashamed…

For the full Chocolate excerpt, please visit http://authorpalessa.wordpress.com

Check out the YouTube trailer for Portrait of Gray - http://bit.ly/1nyq5jJ


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More about Palessa
Palessa started reading her first romance novel, at the age of 11. Then she got introduced to V.C. Andrews, Barbara Taylor Bradford, Anne Rice and many more notable contemporary authors as well as some of the classics, A Tale of Two Cities, Their Eyes Were Watching God, The Great Gatsby and others. It was during her teenage years that she dabbled in writing. First, it was in her diaries, then she started creating characters, stories about romance, the supernatural and much more.

It would take almost 20 years, a radical move from the city she grew up in, Miami, FL back to her Caribbean birthplace, and a chance Facebook meeting with Sable Hunter to start the fiction juices flowing again. After some fits and starts, the Baxter Family Saga was born. Unchained Hearts is Palessa's first published fiction book with Beau Coup Publishing. Book 2: Portrait of Gray was released April 2014 and Book 3 Story of Us to be released August 2014.

She considers herself just a storyteller who sees no reason to shy away from the juicier romantic elements. She currently lives in the mountains of Jamaica with her crazy, cracker-munching-mutt Ivy and a farm, primarily managed by agribusiness partner, also known as Dad.


Connect with Palessa on the Web!

Amazon author page: http://amazon.com/author/palessa

Check out her podcast interviews:
  Bennet Pomerantz' Anything Goes: http://bit.ly/1iZsXou
            Literary Symposium: http://bit.ly/1foWFoK
  Journal Jabber w/ reading: http://bit.ly/1ian60f


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