The Questions
1) You’re
marooned on a small island with one person and one item of your choice—who is
that person and what item do you have?
If I were marooned on a small island with one person, it'd
have to be my husband. He’s the only one who could survive with his sanity
intact after being confined to a small space with me and all my neurotic
tendencies. And the one thing I’d take with me would be a feather duster.
Because…um…there’s dust everywhere. Yeah, that’s the reason.
2) Which
musical would you say best exemplifies your life – and which character in that
musical are you?
The Wizard of Oz, because having two little boys means my
life seldom makes any logical sense. And I’d be
3) Take
these three words and give me a 100 word or less scenario using them: night, union,
minute
She was standing in front of Union
Station at one minute to midnight. The thick summer air clung to her like a
damp cloth, but she refused to let it ruin her mood. In one minute, she’d see
her love. In one minute, she’d be in his presence again.
It’d been such a long week while
she waited for his return. And now, on this last night, in this last minute,
the wait had become unbearable. Time was absolute. A minute was a minute. So
how could it be that this night, this minute had lasted an eternity? One
minute…
4) You’ve
just been let loose in the world of fiction, with permission to make love to
anyone you want.
Catwoman. Because if I’m set loose on the world of fiction
I’m coming back with the best story ever!
5) What
is your idea of how to spend romantic time with your significant other?
My favorite romantic times are the lazy moments. When we’re
still snuggling in bed at ten in morning. When we’re watching TV on the couch
and the kids are tucked into bed. When we sneak off to lunch when the kids are
at school. So much of our lives are rushed, I always savor the times we can
just relax and enjoy being together.
6) When
you start a new story, do you begin with a character, or a plot?
I always start with the characters. I have no idea what the
people will do until I know who they are. Kat sends off for a mail order groom
because she’s a lonely rancher on a settler planet. It’s her life that has made
her who she is. And it’s who she is that makes the start of the story possible.
7) If
they were to make the story of your life into a movie, who should play you?
Helena Bonham Carter. We look nothing alik,e but she’s so damn
cool that I kind of hope some of that coolness would rub off on me just by
association.
8) Who’s
your favorite horror villain and why?
Jack Torrance from the Shining. He’s played by Jack
Nicholson and you don’t get cooler than that. But I also think it’s also
because he’s just a normal guy, a writer, until he snaps. And when he goes
crazy, he doesn’t do it by half-measures. That he’s an everyman makes his
character that much more terrifying.
9) Do
you have an historical crush and if so, who is it?
Steve Jobs. From what I’ve seen and read about him, he
always seemed like a very passionate and creative person. He was confident and
driven. And he was always hot.
10) Is
there a story that you’d like to tell but you think the world isn’t ready to
receive it?
So much has changed over the last couple of years. We have
women’s book groups reading BDSM. The Supreme Court’s ruling on DOMA. Prime
time television shows allude to sexual practices that used to be considered
kinky. So I don’t think there is. I think the world is pretty open to ideas
right now.
Ulterior Motives
by Chandra Ryan
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:
Universal
Defiance, Book One
On
a rural settler planet, Kat must resort to putting out an ad to find a husband.
She doesn’t expect to find love—that’s a dream in these parts—just a partner to
help work her ranch. Then the devastatingly handsome Jasper answers her ad and
turns her on in ways she never dreamed possible. Too bad he’s not who he says
he is.
Jasper
doesn’t know what he’s getting into when he ventures undercover to investigate
a legal claim against Kat’s ranch. But after a toe-curling night under her roof
and in her bed, he’s willing to do anything to stay there. He can’t say no to
the tough-as-nails businesswoman who makes his body come alive.
When
people start getting hurt, though, both Kat and Jasper have to decide how
valuable one piece of land is. And the ranch that brought them together might
be the very thing standing between them.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
EXCERPT:
“Excuse me,
sir.” Her calm words broke through the chaos of the port station and gained his
undivided attention. This close to him, staring into his rich, brown eyes, her
stomach began to churn with nerves. She quickly pushed through the sensation,
though. She didn’t have the time for silliness. And it was the height of
absurdity for her to be uncomfortable around her soon-to-be husband. “I’m
Katarina Maxim. My friends call me Kat.”
She held her
hand out to him in casual greeting as she tried not to fidget. She’d debated how
to greet him as she’d driven to the station. A kiss seemed rather forward. But
she did want him to feel welcomed. A handshake seemed like the best idea at the
time. Now, as she waited for him to take her hand, she started second-guessing
herself.
“Katarina,
that’s a lovely name.”
She noted
that he’d called her Katarina but tried not to let that color her first
impression of him. She didn’t hate the name nor did she hate being called by
it. It just didn’t fit her. Not anymore. Katarina sounded soft, delicate—refined,
even. Like she’d been before her family had moved here. She could only hope
that he didn’t see her as any of those things. If he did, he would be sorely
disappointment when he got to know her better. “Kat. Only my mother called me
by my full name,” she pressed.
“Kat it is.”
His smile seemed genuine but his palm was as soft as new leather when he
finally took hers. If he stayed, that would change. This planet demanded
calluses and blisters. Her hands were proof of that.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Being from a
rather nomadic family, Chandra Ryan loves to travel and meet people. But she’s
found that sometimes, like when you’re stuck inside because of a good
old-fashioned Southwestern heat wave, you have to make do. Fortunately for her
and her loving family, who don’t like seeing her suffer from cabin fever, she’s
found creating new people and places equally as fascinating. Also, you’re a lot
less likely to spill your ice tea.
Web site:
www.ChandraRyan.com
Twitter:
@ChandraRyan
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/chandra.ryan
Buy Link:
http://www.ellorascave.com/ulterior-motives.html
Ulterior
Motives
Author: Chandra
Ryan
Publisher: Ellora’s
Cave
American release date: July 3, 2013
Format/Genre/Length: EBook/ SciFi Romance /78 pages
Overall Personal Rating: ★★★★
Desperate
times require desperate measures...
Kat Maxim
knows she needs help if she’s going to hold on to her ranch, located on a
distant settler planet. A husband is the answer, but she doesn’t have time to
play games, or the patience to find a man willing to put in the backbreaking
work needed to keep the ranch going. So as a last resort, she places an ad for
a husband...
... and
she gets Jasper.
Well, she
has to admit he’s easy on the eyes. And more than she bargained for.
And he’s
also not what he appears to be.
Actually,
her need for a husband and her placing of the ad coincides with his desire to
investigate her ranch. Claims have been filed against it, but before a decision
can be reached, Jasper wants to find out what the facts in the matter are. When
Kat learns his true purpose, she wants him to go, but he convinces her that
together, they can find the truth.
This is
sci fi meets western meets romance, all rolled up together, with a healthy dose
of erotica.
I liked
the characters. Kat is a tough woman, who knows what she wants, and isn’t
afraid to do what’s necessary to accomplish it, even if it means marry a
stranger she found in a personal ad. Luckily for her, they have a chemistry she
can’t deny, but even that won’t get in the way of her goals. Can she trust
Jasper? Whose side is he really on?
The
writing flows smoothly, and I found myself hoping for Kat and Jasper to stay
together after everything was said and done. The mystery of who is trying to
get Kat’s ranch is a good one and kept me wondering almost until the end. The
only real criticism I can make is that the setting of the settler planet is
underutilized. You almost don’t realize it is another planet, which is where it
draws its sci fi from. I think the author could have done more to make us feel
like we’re on an alien planet. Otherwise, it could be any western with a
mystery.
That being
said, I like it, and I would recommend it to someone who likes strong women,
and good looking men, and hot sex, laced with western style romance.
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