1. Will you tell us a little about yourself? Please include a picture if you wish. – I’m Palessa, and I’m an indie/published author of 3 series including the Baxter Family Saga trilogy. I grew up in the Miami Florida and decided to move back to my birth country of Jamaica back in 2011, which led me back into writing fiction. So it was a move I don’t regret one bit.
2. Why did you start to write? Have you always longed to write a book or was there a trigger? I started writing a long time ago but put it away for reasons to do with life and really lack of confidence in myself at the time. Little did I realize that 20+ years later I would be triggered by reading a book by Sable Hunter and it would lead to the start of the Baxter Family Saga and someone else believing in my stories. I had always wanted to write but really thought that the ship had sailed on my ability to write fiction. Shows you what I know.
3. What sort of books do you write? Why did you choose that particular genre? I write stories first and then we figure out a genre afterwards. It just so happens that my stories all have a romantic element to them so far but I wouldn’t call them all romances. My intention is not to marry myself to a particular genre. For me, it’s about listening to the characters and doing the best I can to tell the story.
4. How autobiographical are your stories? I think all stories have a piece of my life in them. Whether it’s a feeling or a situation. It’s inevitable. It’s just that the situation is much more dramatic.
5. Have you a favourite setting for your stories? Why? I do tend to base some stories in South Florida, Miami-area, because that’s where I grew up. I also integrate places I’ve been or would love to go. It’s a lot of fun researching those places.
6. Do you ever fall for your characters? I have to say, when I was writing books 1 and 2 of Sacked & Tackled, my inspirations for both Tobey Fine and Devereaux Cox were too gorgeous not to fall for. And really the characters loved hard so it wasn’t much of a fall.
7. Do your characters ever surprise you? Yeah, and that’s always a good thing because if I’m surprised, so will the reader.
8. How do you get yourself in the mood for writing? Most of the time I’m just pulled by the story. As far as love scenes, let’s just say that I have my sources of inspiration, and leave it at that 
9. What is the strangest place you have written in? I don’t know. I pretty much just write wherever whenever and I’m not self-conscious enough about it to consider whether it’s strange or not.
10. Have you ever experienced ‘writer’s block’ and how did you cope with it? Yes, I sometimes am able to keep writing through it but in the cases that I’m not, I do something else for a while, essentially take a break. So far, between those two, I’m able to work through it and see the other side.
11. Describe your perfect first date – I have always loved those dates where you meet at a restaurant eat and talk for hours but you don’t realize it’s been that long. That kind of connection is just great!
12. If you could live anywhere in the world where would you choose and why? You know, I’m good where I am. I’m on a tropical island, in the mountains so this is a good base. Now, I would love to check out places like the Mediterranean and Europe because I have friends in those regions. But only for a visit and to check out the food.

Quickies….
1. Chocolate or ice-cream? Yes
2. Favourite tipple. – Not much of a drinker but I did enjoy margaritas and daiquiris
3. Seaside or forest? – Forest
4. Rain or sun? – Rain
5. Christmas or birthday? – Birthday
6. Elegant or comfortable clothes? – comfort, always
7. TV or cinema? – TV
8. Laptop or notebook for writing? – Both with a slight edge to the pen/pencil/note

EXCERPT
“I didn’t do it,” she screamed. “I would never do anything like that.”
The man’s voice just as loud but harsher replied, “You were the only one who handled both of them. And one of the other physios told me specifically that you gave him the stuff with a wink and a nod.”
“What the hell is that supposed to mean? A wink and a nod.”
“I don’t know but until this investigation is done, you’re suspended without pay.”
“You can’t do that. I’m entitled to plead my case.”
The man’s voice was low, mostly inaudible to outsiders, but it was enough to draw out a mighty curse from the woman.
Devereaux slowly walked past the door. Suddenly it opened and a woman bumped into him and seemed to bounce back. Devereaux actually felt the impact of her, which caused him to wobble slightly, which was a feat unto itself.
“Sorry,” he apologized, partly for the eavesdropping. “I didn’t—Rebekka?”
When she heard her name, she tilted her head slightly to look at him and he saw the color drain from her face.
“It really was you,” he muttered and he saw her face move from shock to annoyance.
“And this day just keeps getting better, doesn’t it?” She chuckled mirthlessly as she put her hands on her hip and looked at the ground.
“How—”
“You’re seriously going to ask me how I’m doing right now, Chris?” Her voice crescendoed as she spoke, attracting stares from some of his teammates who were exiting the locker room. “I’ve just been suspended, probably fired or worse, for something I didn’t do or even have a clue how to do or whatever. Some asshat claims I gave him some stuff with a wink and nod. Then I bump into you. So this day is just not…it’s going to shit really. Yeah. Total crap.”
She harshly pulled the rubber band that was holding her hair up and shook it out. It was longer than he remembered. Then she stepped past him and briskly walked away.
Stopping midstride, Rebekka turned on her heel and declared, “Give your mother my best.” The sarcasm in her voice was biting. “Oh,” she exclaimed putting her finger to her temple as if she were trying to remember something. “Wait a minute. She probably wouldn’t want to hear my name after she sandbagged me back at Kenton, would she? So, never mind, Chris. Been fun.”
Devereaux visibly flinched at the bitterness he heard in her voice. He watched the woman he once loved stalk away and shook his head. For the first time in his life he felt as if he had been run over by a tank.
And he didn’t like the feeling one damn bit…
Devereaux Cox, Sacked & Tackled 2 is now available:
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