October is a great time to add to my reading list. The chilly evenings make me want to curl up with a blanket and good book. One book on my list is Amber Daulton’s new romantic suspense, Arresting Jeremiah. I had the opportunity to interview her recently. Isn’t it nice to get to know an author a bit to gather insight into their stories?
Here is our interview, followed by more information about Amber’s book:
Tell me about your main character, Calista Barlow.
Calista, the heroine, is your normal woman. She’s self-conscious about her body, struggling to provide for her daughter as a single parent, and not looking for love. Too bad she can’t stop crushing on one of her customers at the diner. Mistakes from her past keep her from making a move on Jim until he’s mysteriously injured. I think a lot of women will be able to identify with her.
Is Arresting Jeremiah more suspense or more romance?
I think it’s a good combination, maybe 50/50. They spend a lot of time on page together, fighting their emotions while working through their problems. Danger and threats are coming at them from all sides, and they don’t know who to trust, except for each other. Dangerous situations always seem to draw people together, and Jim and Cali are no exception.
Are you a plotter, a pantser or some combination of both?
I’m a plotter, and I like to outline chapter by chapter. I use pen, paper, and colored pencils, but sometimes I plot in a Word doc. I try to follow my notes exactly, but more often than not, the characters take control and steer my story in another direction. Then I have to get into arguments with my H/h, or even the secondary characters, and force them back into the outline. More often than not, they refuse to get back in line and I have to write what they want.
Heh, it’s a give and a take relationship.
How often do you write?
I write everyday from 8-ish in the morning to about 4 pm with little breaks in between. Depending on the research I need to do and the amount of edits each book will need, on average, I finish a novella (say 15 to 35k WC) in about two months. For a full-length novel (80k plus), I usually take three or four months to finish it.
I don’t set a word count quota for myself, but I do set personal deadlines in which I try to have chapters done by a certain date, so I can have the entire story completed by another date. Sometimes I make it; sometimes I don’t.
A fun fact about writing your book.
Arresting Jeremiah is a direct continuation from Arresting Mason, but both books can be read as a standalone. I wrote the first draft back in 2013-14, and the word count clocked in at novella length. After several revisions, it’s now a full-length novel and one of the longest in the series. It’s been with my editor for almost two years, so I’m so relieved to finally be publishing it.
What are you working on next?
Harmony’s Embrace is the follow-up novella to Lyrical Embrace, and it tells the story of how Birley Haynes reunites with his high school sweetheart, Harmony Holdich. I love holiday-themed books, so this MS takes place at Christmastime. It will be published this winter season, most likely in late November or early December.
Here’s the blurb:
Injured Parole Officer Jeremiah “Jim” Borden never expected Calista Barlow, the sassy blonde waitress he’s craved for months, to ring his doorbell. She slips into his heart—and his bed—but he’s obsessed with a gangland investigation that threatens his career and maybe even his life.
Calista doesn’t trust easily, not with a daughter to protect and the stalker who keeps calling her. After her violent ex-boyfriend returns, she finds solace in Jim’s arms.
Jim may have to forego his need for answers to protect the ready-made family he adores, but how will he and Calista escape an unseen enemy that is always one step ahead of them?
Excerpt:
“No offense, but I don’t know or trust you enough to let you in that much. I’ve made some mistakes—things I don’t want to talk about. Give me some time.”
Trust? He couldn’t blame her for that. If he demanded to know her secrets, he had to tear down the barbwire he’d erected around his.
No. That couldn’t happen. His life depended on his silence. Did her private thoughts and memories hinge on life and death too? His stomach twisted. Nothing bad would happen to her, not if he was around to stop it.
“What can you tell me?” Hell, only an asshole would ask something like that without opening up in return.
“The necklace reminded me of something I once wanted more than anything. Not the pearls itself, but what it represented. I couldn’t have it because I wasn’t good enough.” She pulled from his grasp and wrapped her arms around her middle.
“I’m sorry I forced you to try on the necklace. I thought you liked it. All women deserve something that makes them feel pretty.” The stench of oil filled his nose and he sneezed. He glanced at the noisy passing cars and pulled Calista farther back along the sidewalk, away from a puddle in the road, before a vehicle splashed them. “I understand about lack of trust and the need for secrecy. I hope someday you can tell me what happened, but I do know one thing, even if you never tell me. You were good enough. You always have been and will always be.”
Her blue-green eyes widened. She traced her fingertips over his smooth jaw, leaving sparks in her wake.
“You’re so kind. I almost believe it when you say it. God, I wish I’d met you years ago, Jeremiah.”
“Why do you call me Jeremiah? Everyone else calls me Jim.”
“It feels more personal, as though you belong only to me. I may have to share Jim with the rest of the world, but Jeremiah—the strong, kind man I’ve admired over the past several months—is all mine.”
Her admission branded him like a fire poker to his skin. If he were alone, he’d beat his chest and roar. No woman had ever wanted to claim him. No one but her ever called him Jeremiah.
Add to Goodreads – https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55223686-arresting-jeremiah
Check it out on BookBub – https://www.bookbub.com/books/arresting-jeremiah-arresting-onyx-book-2-by-amber-daulton
Purchase Links
Amazon – https://amzn.to/32vAlqu
Barnes and Noble – https://bit.ly/2E4eJYO
Apple – https://apple.co/35BOuo1
Universal link – https://books2read.com/u/mVKvMP
Link: https://youtu.be/jIsVXB1B_Pg
About the Author
Amber Daulton is the author of the romantic-suspense series Arresting Onyx and several standalone novellas. Her books are published through The Wild Rose Press, Books to Go Now, and Daulton Publishing, and are available in ebook, print on demand, audio, and foreign language formats.
She lives in North Carolina with her husband and demanding cats.
Social Media Links
Website – https://amberdaulton.wordpress.com/
Facebook Author Page – https://www.facebook.com/amber.daulton.author
Twitter – https://twitter.com/AmberDaulton1
Pinterest – https://pinterest.com/amberdaulton5/
The Wild Rose Press – https://www.thewildrosepress.com/authors/amber-daulton
