I interviewed Sarah Makela and this is what she shared with me:
What is your favorite thing about writing? I love getting a glimpse into my characters’ lives and watching how they overcome the struggles they face to reach their happy endings. And of course, I love being able to look at pictures of hot men as “research.” *grins* ;-) I never realized the advantages of an author's research!
Which of your characters are your favorite to write? the easiest? the hardest? the most fun? My favorite characters to write are Angelique Trinette and Connor O’Reilly from Skin Deep. I love them as a couple, and independently they’re both strong and respectable. They both have a vulnerable side, but their love for one another is amazing. I can’t wait to write the next book in their series.
The easiest would be Rubia from Jungle Fire and the hardest would be her hero Kyle. He was so elusive, and it took a while to get into his head.
The most fun is Leon from my Hacked Investigations series. He’s one of the secondary characters, but if a story presented itself, I’d definitely write a book for him.
Beef, chicken, pork, or vegetarian?
I eat mostly beef and chicken with the exception of bacon.
What is your favorite color?
I have two favorites. I love black and purple.
Paper or plastic? At the grocery store, I always go with plastic. It’s easier to carry because of the handles.
What is your favorite fairy tale? Hmm... I’m not sure if I have a favorite. I guess if I had to choose one, I’d go with Red Riding Hood, except the romance writer in me would prefer the wolf to be a yummy werewolf hero instead of the villain.
Quiet or loud? I guess it depends. I like listening to music, but outside noise distracts me, so I’d rather have quiet, unless there’s a lot of noise, such as if I’m in a busy coffee shop. I can tune out that kind of noise easily.
Which new release are you most looking forward to reading? I’m really looking forward to the next Cassie Palmer book by Karen Chance as well as the next Kate Daniels book by Ilona Andrews.
What is your favorite part of the day? I enjoy nighttime. I’m able to relax and either get to work or have fun.
What type of music do you listen to? I enjoy all sorts of music. I’ve been listening to a lot of rock music as well as trance and dubstep.
Do you have a favorite gem?
I don’t really have a favorite, but I like Tiger’s Eye. Good one! I'm not really a gem girl but I wanted to ask something different.
What is your biggest pet peeve? Writing-wise, my biggest pet peeve is when people spell y’all as ya’ll. Y’all = you all. I’m a Southern girl, so I just want to shake people who do that. Okay! I'm safe. I don't think I've ever used that term on here!
How likely are you to suffer from road rage? Quite unlikely! I’d probably just grumble under my breath. Maybe you could give me lessons in self control?
Thank you so much for taking the time to answer my questions.
Thank you for reading my book and hosting me on your blog!
You're welcome to come back anytime Sarah!
Series: Feral Ink Book One
Author: Sarah Mäkelä
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Publisher: Etopia Press
ISBN: 978-1-939194-25-1
ASIN: B00A3Y9RTI
Number of pages: 112
Word Count: 24,821
Cover Artist: Valerie Tibbs
Amazon BN Kobo ARe
Book Description:
Angelique had no idea her black panther tattoo would force her to abandon the love of her life—Connor O’Reilly—but she’s determined to keep him safe no matter how much it hurts. Her tattoo doubles as her feline familiar: loving, protective, dangerous, and with a life of its own. It’s also her deepest secret and draws enemies who desire its power for themselves.
Connor has no idea why Angelique left him, but he’s determined to win her back. As a werewolf, he has secrets of his own. Now his alpha is ready to force him to pair with an ex-girlfriend he can’t stand unless he can find Angelique and claim her as his mate. But even as their secrets threaten to keep them apart, hidden enemies seek to destroy their chance at love forever.
Sarah Mäkelä lives in North Carolina with her husband and cats. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, computer and console games, and traveling all over the world. She is a member of Romance Writers of America, as well as the Heart of Carolina Romance Writers and the Fantasy, Futuristic, and Paranormal chapters. Find her online at:
Blog / Website / Twitter / Facebook / Goodreads
My Thoughts:
Skin Deep was different. The story began with Connor, the leading man arguing with his Alpha. He refuses to mate with a woman that he does not love. He knows he wants Angelique, he just has to convince her.
There was a reason that Angelique left Connor and it was not a lack of spark! She loves him and craves him but fears that she would put him in danger because of an ability that she has. She doesn't realize that Connor has abilities of his own.
Connor tries to make up with her when his ex shows up and makes a scene. Things go down hill and then they get crazy. Poor Angelique seems to have all kind of problems all of the sudden!
This book was pretty quick. The plot had animal aggression, secrets, action, romance, and a psycho ex to top it all off. I thought Angelique's ability was a unique spin on shifting.
I received a copy of this book from Bewitching Book Tours in exchange for my honest opinion.
True or False: Beauty is only Skin Deep.
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I'd love to know what you're thinking. Please leave a comment!
+JMJ+
ReplyDeleteI'm intrigued by the twist that they both have supernatural powers but the other doesn't know! I'd love to read this just for the big reveal! (No excerpt this time, though? Awww! =( But that gives me an excuse to visit Sarah's Website, so it's all good!)
You may be surprised that today's question is very personal for me, too, Brenda! =) I was born with a congenital defect on my face that required a lot of corrective surgery when I was growing up, and it took me decades before I could look in the mirror and be at peace with my reflection. While I believe that inner beauty is so much more valuable and enduring than outside beauty, I also think we often program ourselves to belittle the latter out of kindness to people who may be plainer than the norm--and I don't think that's right, either. Beauty is wonderful wherever it happens to be, although it's a pity when physical beauty doesn't also have much beneath the surface.
Yes that does surprise me Enbrethiliel.
DeleteI can't imagine how you felt growing up. I'm glad you are able to be at peace when you look in the mirror now.
I prefer inner beauty to outer.
I think it is sometimes hard to see people's true beauty. You can be the most beautiful person in the world and if you have an awful outlook or attitude than that detracts from you as a whole.
On the other hand, you could be ugly and if you are kind and have a good outlook, that to me is way more beautiful.
I love cat shifters. Add a little bit extra and it makes it even better. Beauty is only skin deep. After you meet someone, their personality colors how you view them
ReplyDeletedebby236 at gmail dot com
Their personality may change how you see them but I still feel that true beauty shines from the inside.
DeleteHave you ever seen someone who was really pretty, speak in a rude way to someone who was not?
I have and that makes them ugly in my book.
That is true but I've seen beautiful people that I didn't know be extremely mean or rude to other people. That screams ugly to me!
Deletei think inner beauty is most valuable and important but unfortunately often most people look just take the outside into account and that's too sad
ReplyDeleteoups i forgot to add : i can't wait for the next karen chance or ilona andrews either!! good choices^^
DeleteI agree and it is sad that most people don't look any deeper than the surface. Too often what they find there is only a mask and not the real thing. :-)
DeleteHave a beautiful day Miki!
Both true and false, Beauty is in the eye of the beholder but what makes a person truly beautiful is what's on the inside. A person can be a beauty but not be beautiful.
ReplyDeleteVery well said Dione! :-)
DeleteThe outward beauty is only skin deep, my mothers saying was "pretty is as pretty does". So if you are beauty and a bitch, you arent really very pretty.
ReplyDeletevera28546 at yahoo dot com
I like that saying. It sums it up pretty well!
DeleteDefinitely skin deep--I don't really notice if I know someone and it's really hard for me to gauge the attractiveness of friends. They just look how they look to me--not good or bad, just how they're supposed to.
ReplyDeleteThat makes perfect sense to me.
DeleteTrue and false. Beauty isn't just skin deep, it's the inner beauty that counts. I know that's cliche, but it's true. I've never been beautiful, I've never made guys drool, heck I barely dated before I got into college. It wasn't till college that I met guys who didn't care what I looked like, they cared about who I was inside. Inner beauty is how you should truly judge someone. Believe me, I've met some stunners who are absolutely horrible people and if their outside reflected their inside, they'd be the most hideous people on Earth. To me, the old adage holds true: you can't judge a book by its cover.
ReplyDeleteI think you can judge a book by it's cover. It will not be a true reading and you'll likely miss the best parts, but many people are shallow that way and only care about outward appearances.
DeleteI for one go with inner beauty every time!
Thank you very much for reading and reviewing Skin Deep! I'm so glad you enjoyed it, Brenda! :-) I also had a lot of fun with the interview.
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome Sarah. Thank you.
Delete