Anything for Love
by Darry Fraser
BLURB:
Tilla is the managing director of a temping staff agency who finds herself enmeshed in Kent Taylor’s business world, which includes an IT takeover. When she decides to work in his office as one of his temporary staff members they clash, so she keeps her identity to herself. When they both decide to take a break from their crazy business lives, they have no clue it’s at the same place, in the same house and at the same time, on the isolated north west coast of rugged Australis Island
She tells herself she can’t bear to be near him one moment longer ... until they find a way to be together. But when he has to suddenly leave their hideaway and doesn’t give her a backward glance, she realises she shouldn’t have done just anything for love.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hi Darry, glad to have you here.
Thanks for having me!
Now, to start, what inspired you to write “Anything For Love”?
I got the ‘what-ifs’ when I was working in tourism a while back. Agents of mine booked a couple into a secluded cabin for a few days and another agent booked a couple into the very same cabin for the same period of time.
Whilst that get sorted pretty quickly, I wondered what would happen if two single people of the opposite sex were flung together in the same way. What would happen .. especially as they would have met in unpleasant circumstances a couple of days earlier?
Given the remoteness of Australis Island, the scenario seemed to work well.
How would you describe the story to someone who hasn't read it yet?
At first it’s a case of love/hate attraction, then it’s an impossible situation with er… benefits, then it’s a possible unrequited love story until – yay! HEA.
Describe Tilla and Kent in 3 words each.
Tilla: independent, intelligent and competent.
Kent: alpha, driven, compassionate
What scene did you have the most fun writing?
The scene where Tilla camps away from the cabin for a night. Why? It was fun, had mischief, and it has happened in real life.
Why do you write romance / romantic suspense?
I think I just head in that direction once the characters have told me their names. I always thought I’d be this wonderful writer of suspense, or thrillers. Maybe I’ll ask a couple of those sorts of characters to come forward next; tell them to get on with it.
Do you listen to music while you write?
No. I used to, but I can be too easily distracted now. Hearing the telly blare from down the hall is enough distraction, so I try to write in quiet.
Did you always want to be an author?
I have always told stories as soon as I could talk apparently (I don’t mean fibs), then when I learned to write I wrote stories, though they were a bit tricky to read. And then I discovered that someone who does that can also be published, it was great. Not easy, but I kept at it.
Mind you by then I had been practicing my handwriting for a number of years. The advent of computers and word processors was heaven sent. All of a sudden the possibilities were endless. I have yet to track all those possibilities, but there’s still time.
Does your family read your books?
No. Not their genre at all.
Can you tell me some of your favorite authors? Tess Gerritson, Kathy Reichs, Jeffrey Deaver, Harlan Coben, Margaret Mitchell, Harper Lee, Marion Zimmer Bradley … it’s a much longer list.
How about books? And their books, and heaps more.
What are you currently working on?
It should be out now, if not then very soon. It’s a novel set in Central Australia where I had lived for many years.
At the time of writing this, it has no title. Its working title is simply ‘Desert’.
The homestead must be sold off to pay debts after the owner’s death and the daughter of the house must work for the new owners for a period of 12 months in order to retain her and her brother’s share of whatever is left.
Of course, one of the new owners is a very single, gorgeous man.
The next one in the pipeline is about an arranged marriage, 21st century style. Two people reluctantly agree to marry. One of them is very happy about it with the future in mind, the other is not very happy about it – with the future … or what might-have-been - in mind. There’s also a small sum of sixty-five million to sweeten their temperaments. Almost.
A few short answer questions:
Tea or coffee? Coffee
Do you prefer the sea side or the mountains? Either / or – lived near both, each has its own magic.
Sweet or salty? Depends – most probably salty
Print or ebook? Either / or. Love to hold a real book, but there’s some great stories only in ebooks which I have loved reading, too.
Movies or TV shows? Definitely movies. Definitely.
EXCERPT
Her dream was a loud one. There was stumbling and cursing, unlike any of her dreams before, but she was reluctant to come awake ... too tired. She tossed and moaned her protest, but when she heard the crash of a dozen bottles of wine she bolted upright, wide awake, heart hammering and her throat suddenly constricted.
She clutched the bed-clothes to her chin, gulped in great breaths of air. Tried to shake herself fully awake.
The cursing and snarling continued, the bottles crashing and clanging on the slate floor.
Terror struck her very soul.
There was a drunk in her little haven.
Oh no, oh no ...
She couldn’t see a thing—it was pitch outside, no moon. She leapt out of the bed dragging the sheet with her and groping in the dark for her clothes. Where were her clothes—? Oh God—in the bathroom ... how’d she possibly defend herself ... ?
Another curse and then another. “What the bloody hell—?”
Stopped her frantic panic, covered her mouth with one hand. She knew that voice. It was unmistakable. Tilla shook herself. It couldn’t be. She must still be asleep … It just couldn’t be. Her heart pounded.
“Who the bloody hell put that there?” the gravelly voice boomed.
She tried to distil the solid block of fear which weighed on her chest like a sack of potatoes.
There was no mistaking that voice. No mistaking it at all.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
I have been writing since a very young age. I was the one at school with the home-penned plays and stories, the entertaining ideas and the grand vision, believing I had great talent. Wrong.
I believed that because I could put words on a page in a grammatically acceptable way and tell a reasonable story that I was ‘an author’. Technically, I suppose I was, but the apprenticeship as a ‘writer' – to labour the difference - is a long and hard road.
One day, I had what I still call a little ‘thing’ – I saw my late grandfather in his World War One trench gear talking to ‘me’ at my desk and suddenly the words flowed and so did the short story which was published within two weeks in an Australian national women’s magazine.
So I revisited all my short stories and my novel-length stories and found success again with four short stories and then two short novels in 2001/2.
Alas, life got in the way once more. I kept writing, but in the dark so to speak. I used it as a means of escape, as a retreat and I was able to create my own HEA or HFN.
Then life took another turn and I figured that I had nothing to lose. I dusted off quite a number of manuscripts and began to whip them into shape. At a serendipitous meeting with my current publisher, Nicola at SteamEreads, she agreed to read my current work at the time. It was a 67,000 word unedited novel, which she accepted. It was published in June – Money For Blood.
Since then I have had three other novels and two novellas accepted, all HEA/HFN.
I currently have four books published with Steam eReads.
Website: www.darryfraser.com
Really interesting interview. Fun excerpt.
ReplyDeleteI love some of the same authors...I have most of Kathy Reichs' books and a lot of them are signed. I've heard her speak a couple of times. Very cool!
ReplyDeleteOooh, Catherine, I'm majorly envious! Thanks for coming along. hope you enjoy my books as well.
ReplyDeleteHi MomJane
ReplyDeleteHow are you? :)
Hi Aly - thanks for having me, looking forward to lots of chatter.
ReplyDeleteD x
I enjoyed the interview and learning more about you.
ReplyDeleteI like the three word descriptions.
ReplyDeletemarypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com
Great post! I really the your questions and of course the author's answers! I especially like the 'do you listen to music while you write' one! :)
ReplyDeletestephanie(dot)verhaegen(at)hotmail(dot)com
ReplyDeleteHi Stephanie, thanks for dropping in - I love music, but it does take me away from the characters and their story ...
ReplyDeleteHi Mary Preston - it's not easy to do when you're used to writing a gazillion words ...
ReplyDeleteHi Donna
ReplyDeleteThanks for dropping in - sometimes I feel as if I SHOYULD listen to music (I love it - always have) but can't do it while writing anymore.
Hi Rita
ReplyDeleteThank you!