Hello Zoe! Thank you so
much for visiting Written Butterfly with me today! It’s such a pleasure to chat with you. So tell me…
Q) Can you give a
fun or interesting fact about your book?
Eighty-One Days is a novella but it actually started
life off as a short story. I had developed first for an anthology. It was
shortlisted but didn’t make the final cut. I was thankful for that because by
then I had fallen in love with the characters. There was so much about their
history that I didn’t have the chance to explore in the short story version,
like Eric’s job as a forest fire fighter and why he had chosen such a high-risk
profession.
Q) What gave you the inspiration for
your book?
I grew up in Northern Ontario, Canada. It’s an area of extreme beauty
but also extreme danger. Forest fires are common each summer – even when it’s
not a particularly dry summer. Whether man-made or nature-made, it’s a reality
that you deal with in that area, and I’ve been in awe of the men and women who
battle those blazes. So that’s where the ‘spark’ of creation for this story
began. And even though I always meant it as a standalone novella, I introduced
the rest of Eric’s team at the end of the story and I can see coming back to
them one day to explore their stories.
Q) Do you plan all
your characters out before you start a story or do they develop as you write?
I plan my characters more than I
plan the plot of the book. I want to know not only what they look like but what
may have shaped their experience. How did they grow up? Were their parents
together or did they split up? How did that affect them? What were they like in
school? Did they have a lot of friends? What did they want to be when they grew
up and were they successful or did they have to change gears along the way and
how did that change them?
Because when it comes to plot I
basically fly by the seat of my pants, it’s important that I know my characters
and can gauge their reactions to any given situation. Not that they don’t
surprise me sometimes, and when that happens, I tend to let them take the lead
even if that means we go in a direction I hadn’t planned.
One of the most gratifying things
I’ve heard from readers, is that my books are too short for them. They love the
characters and could just keep reading and reading. It’s important to me,
because I write about relationships that are a little outside the norm (menage,
BDSM couples) that the while the sex is hot, there is also a fulfilling
emotional dynamic that takes you into the characters.
Q) How much real life do you put into or influences your
books?
I base my
locations on real places or an amalgamation of many places. I moved a lot as a
youngster and soaked up a lot of details about the cities and towns that we
came to. I also met a lot of people – who we’d later lose touch with, but on
whom, I’m sure, I’ve based some of my characters’ mannerisms or speech patterns
on. But I can swear on a bible that no one currently in my life has made it
into the books and while I’d love to claim some of the experiences of my
heroines, I am content to live vicariously through them.
Q) What are your
upcoming projects?
I always have a few projects in the
works. Right now I am finishing off Playing
it Cool, the second novella in the Men
of Steele novella series. It will be out before Christmas. And I’m working
on the final edits to the first in a paranormal romance series that I’m quite
excited about.
BLURB
Eric didn’t know Luke would be heartbroken when he left town to join a hotshot forest fire crew in Western Canada. They’d been best friends since kindergarten, had gone to school together, had bought their first car and a home together, and had shared their lovers. At some point, friendship had turned to love.
Luke didn’t expect that when he’d brought his crazy cat in for stitches that his heart that would be mended by the sassy new veterinarian. Jenna may have been new in town but she’d heard the rumors and she liked the carnal fantasies he spun for her in bed of he and his best friend sharing her.
Of course, that was before Eric’s job brought him home and back into their lives.
Jenna isn’t sure she can be what they need, but she’s not going give up without a fight. Even if that means inviting the sexy firefighter to share their bed. Surely there is enough love to go around.
EXCERPT (rated not PG)
Luke
woke to the sound of the shower and lifted his head. Jenna was still curled
into his side, but Eric was gone. He heard the shower turn off as he swung his
legs over the side of the bed and grabbed his boxers. By the time he made it to
the bathroom door, Eric was already pulling on his track pants.
“Did
you sleep at all?” he asked, running a hand back through his unruly hair.
Eric
shrugged. “Enough.”
“Not
nearly.” Luke hung back by the door. Now that the lustful haze of last night
was over, he wasn’t sure where that left them. He knew where he wanted them to
be. He sighed, closing his eyes and letting his head fall back against the
doorframe. This had the potential to be a total clusterfuck.
Eric
must have realized where his thoughts were going, and his worries. “Screw it,”
Eric cursed. “Get over here and kiss me good morning.”
Luke
dropped his jaw in surprise but he wasted no time complying. He cupped Eric’s
jaw in his hands as he kissed him. Eric deepened the kiss, their tongues
colliding, as he pushed Luke against the bathroom vanity, his thighs bracketing
him in place. He wrapped his arms around his waist.
He
had missed this, missed Eric’s roughness. Missed the way he always had to
control the encounter.
Eric drew back a few inches to bite at Luke’s lips. “You
still taste like Jenna. I like it.”
“And
you taste of mint.”
“You
can borrow my toothbrush,” he offered, smirking.
“Fuck
you.”
“I’d
rather fuck you.” Eric squeezed his ass.
“You
would?” Luke swallowed hard, his cock twitching at the thought. He knew Eric
had fucked other guys, but he’d never even suggested that they try. “I told
Jenna we weren’t lovers.”
“I
take it you were quite narrow in your definition. For her sake or yours?”
“Both.
We’ve never done that.” Luke hesitated. “I wasn’t sure you wanted to.”
“Oh,
I want to,” he promised.
It
was a good thing the bathroom vanity was behind him because his legs went weak
at the thought.
“You can’t just say shit like that,” he complained. “You don’t
know what that does to me.”
“I
have a good idea.” Eric ground his hips against Luke. “But first I need coffee,
maybe the whole pot, while you shower. Then the three of us need to talk. We
can’t put it off. Regardless of what we did last night.”
“Go
to our place. We have more food,” Luke suggested. “And I don’t think the talk
will be as hard as you imagine.”
“We’ll
see.” Eric didn’t look convinced, but he didn’t know Jen the way Luke did. Jen
wasn’t going to back down from something just because it was difficult.
BUY LINKS
AUTHOR BIO
A
prolific writer, even in elementary school, Zoë was jotting down poems and
stories whenever she had the chance - usually during math class.
After
many years of working in corporate communications, Zoë decided in 2015 it
was time to focus her energy on the kind of writing she loved – hot romances
with strong, alpha heroes and quirky, independent heroines.
Zoë’s husband of 20+ years threw his full support behind her dream and loves to tell people his wife is a romance author. They live in Atlantic Canada with their two crazy collies. When not at her computer, you will find Zoë chasing after her muddy dogs, working in the garden or helping to renovate their money-pit of a house.
Zoë’s husband of 20+ years threw his full support behind her dream and loves to tell people his wife is a romance author. They live in Atlantic Canada with their two crazy collies. When not at her computer, you will find Zoë chasing after her muddy dogs, working in the garden or helping to renovate their money-pit of a house.
For
more information visit www.zoemullins.ca or
subscribe to her newsletter at http://eepurl.com/cjnKCn
Blog Address - https://zoemullins.wordpress.com
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/zoe_writer/
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