1.      Will you tell us a little about yourself? Please include a picture if you wish.

1. Oy, I’m so bad at answering this question. Well, I’m 24 years old but I feel about fifty most of the time. I’ve been writing since I was about eight or nine, reading since I was six, and playing flute since I was ten. I love hamsters and dogs and (although I’m deathly allergic to them) cats, but don’t currently have any pets because the death of my last hamster devastated me and I’m still mourning her. I love most British TV shows, especially Doctor Who and Sherlock, and my dream is to at least visit London one day, if I don’t get the chance to live there.

2.      Why did you start to write? Have you always longed to write a book or was there a trigger?

 

I started to write when I was about eight, but it started out as short stories and poetry. I always thought I wouldn’t have the patience to write a novel until I decided to try when I was sixteen, and at that point I was actually right; I never finished it because I was overwhelmed by the prospect. In 2011 I decided to turn the pain of a recent breakup into a romance novel, and that’s when I started writing No Backward Glances. I didn’t have a laptop so it was a three year process, but once I got one it was done very quickly and I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed it.  

3.      What sort of books do you write? Why did you choose that particular genre?

 

I mostly write romance. It’s just the most comfortable genre for me to write, probably because I have so much experience with the subject (wow, that makes me sound slutty… haha) and because it’s what I read the most. I have tried writing horror and fantasy and it never has really panned out for me – I get stuck halfway through and have no idea how to finish it, or it ends up really boring. I found I can always impress people when I write romance.

4.      How autobiographical are your stories?

 

Only in the most general sense. I take small details from my own life and thread them into more exciting plots so that it seems more realistic.

5.      Have you a favourite setting for your stories? Why?

 

I definitely prefer to use areas I have lived in and spent a lot of time in, because I know the areas very well and don’t have to do a lot of research about my setting. That may be lazy, and I will eventually brave new settings, but for now I’m sticking with my favourite advice when it comes to writing- “Write about what you know.”

6.      Do you ever fall for your characters?

 

Definitely. Not so much the men as the women. I write about the woman I want to be; brave, sarcastic, strong and beautiful. Though I have to admit, Jay is my dream guy.

7.      Do your characters ever surprise you?

Constantly. You may be thinking, “You write the story, so how can they surprise you?” Honestly, I used to think that way until I wrote this book. The only way I can describe it is that sometimes the books write themselves, and all you’re there for is to press the buttons and get it out into the world. You can try to change the boom or the dialogue all you want, but sometimes certain reactions and sentences just demand to be written and the story seems empty without them.

8.      How do you get yourself in the mood for writing?

 

Most of the time I don’t have to force myself to want to write. The need is almost always there. If a time comes that I do have to force it, there’s a Stephen King movie that I watch that shows an author who had writer’s block but when he gets a change of scenery he starts busting pages, and that always inspires me to get going.

9.      What is the strangest place you have written in?

 

Hmm. I haven’t necessarily written in nay strange places, but I’ve definitely written in a strange position. I was in a library for a NaNoWriMo write in and the only way I could get comfortable to write was sitting on the floor, with my knees up, my feet propped against the legs of a table and my laptop on my legs. I can not sit at a desk or table and write or my arms get incredibly uncomfortable.

10.  Have you ever experienced ‘writer’s block’ and how did you cope with it?

Writer’s block and I are very familiar with each other. It’s practically a roommate. When it strikes, I watch that Stephen King movie I mentioned or I start reading a romance book, which will get me in the mood to write.

11.  Describe your perfect first date

 

I love picnics, so a picnic on the beach or in a park would be perfect. It keeps things casual but it’s still romantic.

12.  If you could live anywhere in the world where would you choose and why?

 

London. It’s so beautiful, and it has a lot of history. Not to mention the sexy British accents.

 

Quickies….

1.      Chocolate or ice-cream?

Mint Chocolate Ice Cream

2.      Favourite tipple.

What is that?

 

3.      Seaside or forest?

Seaside. Forests have too many bugs and I love the look and smell of the ocean.

4.      Rain or sun?

Summer rain.

5.      Christmas or birthday?

Birthday. I get depressed at Christmas.

6.      Elegant or comfortable clothes?

Comfortable for sure, but I do enjoy dressing up sometimes.

7.      TV or cinema?

TV.

8.      Laptop or notebook for writing?

Laptop for sure.

9.      Nail colour?

Red or black.

10.  Dom, sub or switch?

Sub…but not “Fifty Shades,” slave style.

11.  Bondage or spanking?

A bit of both, of course.

12.  Leather or lace?

Leather.

 

**Blurb***

When Lorelai Todd has her heart shattered by her boyfriend, she vows to never trust a man again. Six months later, she’s called to the hospital where she works to help with an emergency. She speeds to get there and is pulled over by Jay, a handsome cop who will eventually threaten to break down the walls she’s built around her heart. 
After giving the sexy woman a warning and sending her quickly on her way, Jay regrets not asking her out. Fate seems to intervene when he’s called to the hospital to identify a potential kidnap victim and finds the nurse in charge is Lorelai, the beauty he pulled over for speeding. 
He wastes no time in asking her for a date and she accepts, but hesitantly. 
They learn they have much in common – from music to movies. But the most incredible thing they share is an amazing chemistry. The sex is red hot, they can’t keep their hands off one another. 
Jay is falling for Lorelai fast, but he’s worried if she’ll ever be able to let her guard down and trust him. While he’s wooing Lorelai, Jay is caught up in the investigation to find the kidnapper who shot the young victim who brought them together. Lorelai finds herself involved, in more ways than one. 
Their relationship is complicated by a mystery, danger and ghosts from their past. 
But one thing is clear, their hearts are involved. 
Can they beat the odds and find a future together? 
Because there’s one thing for certain – 
In the game of love – there should be NO BACKWARD GLANC

***Excerpt****

“So…I’m sorry if this seems a little forward, but I’ve been wanting to talk to you about something,” Jay said, sounding nervous.

“What’s up?”

“Well, we’ve known each other a while now and we’ve been hanging out a lot, but I’m still not really sure what we are. Relationship-wise.”

Rory immediately felt her stomach plummet to the ground. She wasn’t ready for this talk yet; in fact, she’d been dreading it.

“Oh, really?” She replied. She hoped he wasn’t going to push the issue, but knowing Jay, he would. She didn’t want to hurt him, but she was absolutely terrified to agree to any kind of commitment.

“Yeah. And I was just wondering what you thought, because I’d really like us to become kind of an exclusive thing.”

Rory felt her throat go dry, and she swallowed and forced herself to speak evenly. “I’m not really sure, either. I mean, we’re great together. I’m just not sure if we should put a label on it quite yet. I know it feels like we’ve been doing this forever,” she said, trying to do this the right way, “but really, it’s only been like, two weeks. Maybe we should just see where we’re going first. For right now, I’d just call us friends with benefits.

“To be honest,” she continued, “That doesn’t even feel like the right term. We seem like we’re more than that, which is why I say we should avoid labels, just for now. For now, we’re just..dating.” Rory refused to look at Jay. She wasn’t sure what his expression was, and if it was sadness or disappointment, then she would feel awful. So she just kept her eyes on the road and made the turns that the GPS told her to make.

“Okay,” Jay replied.

The rest of the ride was silent.

Rory pulled into the parking lot and parked next to Jay’s car, they got out of the car, and they walked up the stairs and into Jay’s apartment, all without saying a word. Guilt was worming its way through Rory’s body, and a momentary thought flashed in her mind; was this how Matt felt when he broke up with her? Did he feel as awful about hurting her as she felt about hurting Jay?

She sure as hell hoped so.

Rory took off her coat and shoes as Jay set up the movie and popped popcorn, even though they just ate and they each agreed that they couldn’t eat another bite. Now she looked at his face, and it didn’t tell her much. There were no emotions, just simple focus on the task at hand. It was almost like he was on auto-pilot, going through the motions but not really focusing on them. That worried her a little bit; Jay didn’t do auto-pilot, not with her. He always talked to her while he did everything, no matter what it was. This was bothering him, and she knew it.

She wanted to say something, do something to fix this, but she wasn’t sure what that was, so she just sat on the couch and waited for him to finish. He split the popcorn into two bowls, as he always did, brought them over, sat down on the couch and pressed “play” on the remote control. They sat through the first ten minutes before he paused the movie and turned toward her.

“Lorelai…are you seeing somebody else?”

“What?” She gasped, putting her bowl on the table in front of her. “Of course not. Why would you think that?”

“Then why won’t you commit to me? I know that’s what this is about; you don’t want labels because you don’t want to commit. Well, I do. I want to be able to be with you and say, ‘Hey, this is Lorelai, my girlfriend, and for you to be proud to introduce me as your boyfriend. I want this to be something real, and possibly permanent. Why don’t you?”

Rory sighed. “Jay…I don’t want to go too deep into it, but the last guy that I really committed to broke my heart. It nearly killed me, and I’ll be perfectly honest; I’m terrified. Just that first dinner with you scared me, let alone the idea of fully committing to you and opening myself up to you completely. Please understand that it isn’t anything wrong with you; you’re amazing. I just can’t shake the fear that it’s going to happen again.”

Jay took a minute, and then met Rory’s eyes with his own. “Lorelai, you mean the world to me. There is nothing I would ever do to hurt you, not in a thousand years. If it will take a little longer to prove that to you, then that’s okay; I’ll do it. But even if I can’t consider you my girlfriend, I want you to consider me your boyfriend, because I’m not going anywhere. Understand?”

Rory’s heart melted, and she nodded, unable to speak. She leaned forward and kissed him, and he put his arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him.

“Now that we’re speaking again,” he said, picking up the remote, “Let’s watch this movie and actually enjoy it. Deal?”

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