Interview with Peggy Bird, author of SPARKED BY LOVE and a giveaway

Blurb

Some fussy artist is making Shannon Morgan’s job with the city of Vancouver, Washington harder than it should be. She’s organizing the huge annual Independence Day celebration and he’s being impossible. But then, he’s like a couple other men she’s known—her mostly absent father and her disappearing ex-boyfriend, for example.

All Leo Wilson wants is an okay for his plans to install glass fireworks at Fort Vancouver on the Fourth of July. With thousands of people there to see his work, it could be his big career break. If the crabby bureaucrat will get him the permits he needs.

When Leo confronts the cause of his trouble in person he’s surprised to find a beautiful young woman. Shannon is equally surprised at meeting a sweet, sexy man. Dinner, a movie and a few torrid kisses take it from spark to flame.

But then the father she’s always wanted as part of her life reappears, accompanied by her ex-boyfriend. Shannon has to decide how far she’s willing to go to have her father around. And find out why he’s with her ex.

If she makes the right decisions, she and Leo will create fireworks that rival the pyrotechnics that light up the sky on July Fourth. Privately.

Sparked by Love

A Holiday for Romance Series

By: Peggy Bird

Purchase Links:

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Crimson Romance


Excerpt:

“You’re jealous?” He stared at her until the light they were waiting at turned green.

“You are, aren’t you?” He couldn’t help it. He grinned.


“No, absolutely not.” She shook her head. “Well, maybe a little. A tiny bit.” The headshake turned into a nod. “Okay, I’m jealous. She’s perfect. And I am decidedly not.”

“Let’s see, you’re jealous of my ex-girlfriend; you tell me your family secrets after a bad evening; you wear sexy underwear for me and you woo my dog with custom-made dog biscuits. Why, Ms. Morgan, I do believe you’re beginning to have feelings for me.”

“I never said I didn’t.”

“You sure as hell haven’t exactly been open about it.” Leo wanted to say more, wanted to call her on her inability to tell him how she felt about their relationship but he was afraid to push too hard and make her run.

“Okay, maybe I haven’t been. I’ve never told a man I ... ” She stared up at the roof of the truck as if she were hoping to see the space station appear there. “I cared for him.”

“Then never said ‘I love you’ either, I’d guess.”
She shook her head, still not looking at him.
“You’ve come dangerously close to the L word by calling us lovers, though. After all, ‘lovers’ contains the L word.”

Author Info

Peggy Bird lives in the Pacific Northwest where she sets most of her novels. To stay out of trouble—and the rain—she writes stories about smart women and sexy men and creates the occasional piece of glass art.

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I had an echat with Peggy. :-) This is what she said:

What part of writing do you find the most challenging? The most enjoyable? The enjoyable first—I love getting to know the characters I’m writing about. Even with a clear idea of what I want to happen in a story, at least a couple times in every book, one of my characters surprises me with something he or she says or does and I’m off in an unknown direction and enjoying the ride. The most challenging part of writing is the marketing I have to do to get my books discovered by potential readers. I’d rather be writing about the interesting people who’ve taken up residence in my imagination.

What do you hope people get out of reading your book? Entertainment, escape, a little bit of information about something new or different. In the case of “Sparked By Love,” my newest release, I hope they learn something interesting about my hometown, Vancouver, Washington.

What are you working on and when can we expect it to be out? “Sparked By Love,” my newest release, is the first book in a Holiday For Romance series I’m working on for Crimson Romance. This book centers on July Fourth. The next one starts out on Halloween and will be released this fall. Then comes a New Year’s Eve love story with an early 2014 release. After that, a story, which begins and ends with birthday celebrations, will come out a year from now. I’m also playing with an idea for a Thanksgiving story and maybe a St. Patrick’s Day one. Stay tuned. :-) You totally have me sold! I love holiday stories especially when they take place in a wonderfully scenic place.

What is your favorite summer activity? Road trips. I love to visit different parts of the Northwest. I never tire of the scenery in the Columbia River Gorge or the high desert east of the Cascade Mountains. And I always love spending time at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland, Oregon.

What does your Fourth of July itinerary include? Funny you should ask. Like Leo and Shannon, the hero and heroine in “Sparked By Love,” I’ll probably be spending part of the day at the Historic Reserve in Vancouver where there is music, entertainment and fireworks. It’s the biggest and best party in the region.

What is your favorite flavor of ice cream? Are you saying there are flavors other than chocolate? Who knew? I hear you but in addition to chocolate I have a love of Moose Tracks too. :-)

Do you prefer to go to the theater or wait for the DVD? Depends. Big adventure movies—Star Trek, X-Men, Superman—need to be on a big screen for me. So do foreign language films—reading subtitles is easier on a big screen. But for anything else, either format works.

What is a trait, characteristic, feature, quality, attribute, idiosyncrasy, mannerism, peculiarity, or quirk that is unique to you? I don’t know how unique it is, but I have the distinction of changing careers more often than most people. I started out as a nurse followed by time as a political staffer, public involvement coordinator, association executive, lobbyist, consultant and, finally, romance writer. Wow! That certainly is impressive!

What is your favorite or least favorite veggie and fruit? Favorite fruit—raspberries. Least favorite veggie—eggplant. Both, however, are my favorite colors!

What types or genres of books do you like to read? Obviously I read a lot of romance but I also love mysteries, literary fiction, history, women’s fiction, spy stories. The truth is, I will read anything—books—e or paper—newspapers, magazines, blog posts, cereal boxes. If words are involved, I’ll read it.

What type of music do you listen to? As with my reading habits, my listening habits are eclectic. I listen to indie, classic rock, pop, classical music, r&b, jazz, world beat. Just about anything, depending on my mood. Sometimes I need to be soothed, sometimes stimulated, sometimes put in the mood to write a specific scene (Andrea Bocelli works for love scenes, just saying.) You sound like me and I totally agree about Andrea. :D

What is your biggest weakness? I have a tendency (says she with understatement) to take on more than I have the time to accomplish without putting in late hours and early morning work sessions. You’d think I would have figured out how to say no by now, wouldn’t you?

What is your summer beverage of choice? A microbrew from a local brewery. Preferably with friends who know how to grill since I don’t. LOL! It really isn't hard. It just takes a little practice.

Would we find you inside or outside? Inside when it rains, outside when there’s sun. Since I live in the Pacific Northwest that pretty much makes me an insider for most of the year.

Thank you so much for taking the time to answer my questions. :-) Please stop back anytime!
Thanks for the fun questions, Brenda!

Rafflecopter Giveaway (Grand Prize: Print Set of Books 1-3 of Second Chance Series, a $15.00 Amazon Gift Card and Custom Pendent. Two Runner’s Up will receive a Digital Backlist Romance from Peggy Bird and a $5.00 Amazon Gift Card)

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