Author Carolyn LaRoche
Author Interview:
Please tell us a little bit about your current projects?
Thank you for having me for a visit. I am very excited about the debut novel in my Secret Lives series, Undercover in Six Inch Stilettos. The series is based on four women married to police officers and the trouble they always seem to get into. Murders, mysteries and plenty of romance abound. The second in the series, In the Shadow of the Shield, is set to be released in mid-December and I am currently working on the third instalment now.
When was the moment that you knew you had to be a writer?
I have no idea. I have been writing for as long as I can remember. I never considered as a career until recent years though, if that counts.
Who gave you the one piece of writing advice that sticks with you to this day?
Write what you like. I love to read romances with strong characters and a good mystery so it only stands to reason that I also love writing them.
Describe the “perfect” hero. What about the “perfect” hero for you?
My perfect hero is my husband. He works a dangerous, draining job where he is constantly surrounded by the worst society has to offer. He works long hours and goes days without any time off. Yet, he rarely misses one of his sons’ ball games, even if he shows up halfway through in uniform and exhausted. He is always there for me when I need him and he is an amazing father with a caring soul and a soft spot for people and animals in need. He is the inspiration for many of my heroes in my books.
What are some of your favorite pastimes? Do you have any hobbies or collections?
Reading and writing are my biggest hobbies. I love to listen to music and I crochet to keep my hands busy when I am not writing but I am not necessarily very good at it. I am also an avid baseball fan. (Go Red Sox!)
If your fairy godmother waved her wand and whisked you away to the location of your choice, which place would you choose, and why?
I would really love to visit Europe- Ireland, Italy, Scotland- but I am terrified of flying so a fairy godmother would come in handy there. I am intrigued by these places. I imagine them as excellent settings for romance.
When it comes to food, are you the adventurous type who will try anything once, or do you prefer to stick to tried and true foods and recipes?
I love to try new recipes. I will stick with the original recipe the first time through and then change it up after that however I want. I also have a habit of inventing things based on whatever we have in the house. I am not a huge fan of grocery shopping so I do it as little as possible.
How do you describe yourself? How would your family and friends describe you?
I consider myself an introvert. I am not a fan of public places or large crowds. I have a small group of close friends and family that I would do anything for but I am just as happy at home in my flannel pyjamas working on a book as I would be anywhere else. I don’t know how my friends and family would describe me- maybe dependable, passionate and independent?
What is your favorite comfort food?
I’m not at all picky. I love most comfort foods. Especially if cheese and good breads are involved.
What is your favorite season? What do you love about it?
Is Christmas a season? I am not a fan of winter but I love the holidays. Everyone just seems kinder and happier and more generous. I wish the joy of that season would hold over the rest of the year.
What is the one modern convenience that you cannot do without?
The internet. I have an addiction. I should probably join internet junkies anonymous or something.
What is this romance writer’s idea of the “ideal romantic evening”?
Anything my husband and I can do that is together. Sometimes it just means watching a television show we like and eating popcorn. Our schedule is so busy with two boys involved in sports and jobs that take the best hours of our days. Romance isn’t something that has to cost money. It is more about the time you spend with just each other, keeping those sparks alive.
What project are you working on next?
I am currently in the middle of the third instalment of the Secret Lives series. Once that is done and turned into the publisher, I am going back to the first draft of the first book in a new baseball romance series I have started.
Any place we can find you in person or on the net this month or next?
I am on Facebook and twitter every day. I love social networking. It is an introvert’s dream- a way to connect with others without having to leave the house!
Undercover in Six Inch Stilettos
By
Carolyn LaRoche
Book 1 of the Secret Lives Series – 225 pages (print)
Romantic intrigue- the only sex is between the husband and wife and not explicit
Author Bio:
Carolyn LaRoche grew up in snow country but fled the cold and ice several years ago. She now lives near the beach with her husband, their two boys, two finicky cats and one old dog. When she is not at the baseball field cheering on big hits and home runs, she is busy teaching science to unwilling teenagers.
Social Media Links:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorCarolynLaRoche?ref=hl
Blog: http://carolynlarocheauthor.blogspot.com/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7734909.Carolyn_LaRoche?from_search=true
Twitter: @CarolynLaRoche
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Carolyn-LaRoche/e/B005OKHIDI/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0
Blurb:
Every woman has secrets, and Cyndi Mills is no exception…
Cyndi has a beautiful daughter, and her husband Jason is totally hot for her, but something is missing. As a cop, Jason is extremely vigilant about safety and security, and Cyndi longs for some time to herself, so she takes a Friday night job.
Jason thinks she’s cleaning offices, when she’s actually dancing in a red bustier and six-inch stilettos at a club called Sugar Shakers, something only her three best friends, also police wives, know.
When club employees start disappearing, the truth comes out…
A young runaway, Jade, and a military widow, Lola, vanish, and Lola’s body is later found in the ocean. Cyndi begins investigating—with some help from her friends—but when anonymous threats put her daughter in jeopardy, she has no choice but to confess her lie to Jason, rocking their previously solid marriage.
Jason is furious, but Cyndi has to ask for even more if she hopes to solve the mystery…
Cyndi convinces Jason to sign her up as a confidential informant, and she officially goes undercover at the club, while Jason struggles to control his jealousy. As the evidence mounts and the danger becomes all too real, Jason fights to keep Cyndi safe.
But no amount of security can protect someone when lies are more common
than the truth and no one is who they appear to be.
Tags:
“When does a secret become a lie?”
Buy Links:
Excerpt:
Jason leaned against the counter, arms folded across his chest. She recognized that look immediately. He was doing the cop thing, analyzing her, and she could tell he knew something didn’t add up. His left eyebrow rose just a tad higher than the right as he studied her. “Why do you have glitter in your hair?”
Cyndi shook her hair and a shower of glitter rained down on her sweatshirt. Damn. Somehow she had missed a boat load of sparkle. Damn, that stuff got everywhere.
“Jody brought her daughter’s costume for a dance recital to work so I could help her fix a tear. It was all covered in sparkles. The damn stuff got on everything. Had to go back over the carpets with the sweeper twice and I’m still not sure we got it all.”
Jason continued to stare down at her from his full six feet of height. His stare was laser sharp, his presence imposing. It was no wonder he was so good at catching the bad guy. Hardened criminals squirmed under the intensity of that stare. Hopefully he couldn’t see through her despite the fact she felt as transparent as the shower curtain hanging in their bathroom.
“You think Harper is going to want to do that stuff?”
“Harper is four. It’s a little early to predict if she will be a dancer or a swimmer or…whatever.”
“Yeah, well, I just don’t want that glittery stuff all over the house. The guys won’t ever let me live it down, I show up to work all sparkly like that.” He shook his head.
Cyndi stepped closer to her husband and wrapped her arms around him. “I’m exhausted, honey. How about we go to bed?”
Jason hugged her close. “You gonna wear a little French maid’s outfit like you do when you clean those offices?”
“Jason!”
“Can’t fault a guy for trying.” Jason’s grin was a sharp contrast to his earlier scrutiny. He pulled out the neckline of her top and peered down into it. “Come on. I know you gotta wear some kinda uniform!”
Thank God she had changed in to her old white bra from the discount store and left her bustier at work. Stepping back, Cyndi held her arms out and spun around slowly. “You’re looking at it, baby. Doesn’t my ratty old sweatshirt turn you on?”
“Not as much as a little maid’s outfit would. It’s nearly Halloween. Maybe I ought to pick one up for you to wear at work. You know, so you don’t mess up your own clothes.”
“Ohhh, Jason… you are such a guy!”
“You would rather I be such a girl?”
“Of course, not! Just don’t be so obvious about being a man all the time.” Cyndi filled a glass of water from the tap, drank it in one gulp, then placed her used cup in the sink before heading toward their bedroom. “Come on, cop man. You play your cards right I might let you frisk me before we go to sleep.”
Cyndi heard light switches flip, door chains sliding and the announcement that the house emergency alarm was being set. Jason rushed through his nightly round of safety checks as he yelled to her from various locations around the house.
“Do you have anything on you that might hurt me?” Snap went the deadbolt on the front door. “Needles, knives, or guns?” Click went the security latch on the sliding door to the back yard. “Do I need gloves or cuffs…?”
“Not sure you’re gonna need gloves but cuffs might be fun,” she called back as she climbed out of her clothes and dropped into the cool sheets.
