Hello Blye! Thank you so
much for visiting Written Butterfly with me today! It’s such a pleasure to chat with you. So tell me…
Q)
Is your book part of a series?
Hi! Thank you for having me. I’m super excited to
chat with you today. My book Small Town Frame-up will release on February 21st.
It is the third book in a series of interconnected stand-alones. The books are
set in the same fictional small town, Rolling Brook, which is located in the
hills west of Chicago, IL. The books follow siblings from the same family and
detail the dangerous situations they find themselves in for love. Small Town
Frame-up is the sister Daisy’s book, and it has a brother’s best friend trope.
Writing Daisy and the hero Jameson’s story was so much fun because the tension
with these two is intense. They refused to make things easy on each other, so
theirs is a slow-burn romance which I love.
Q)
What was the hardest (or easiest) scene to write?
The
hardest was the sex(Can I say that? Lol) scene. It’s fun because the
character’s are finally getting together, but it’s always the hardest to get
right. I think I struck a good balance between just enough steam and making it
realistic.
Q)
What type of research did you do for your book?
In
the book the main female character finds herself framed for a crime, so I had
to research Illinois drug laws, procedures for arrest, court and trial
procedures and more criminal-related things. I’m pretty sure I googled, “What
happens if cops find drugs in my house?” So I know I’ve got to be on a
watchlist somewhere, lol.
Q)
What made this story special to you?
We’ve
gotten snippets of Daisy and Jameson in my previous two books, but it felt so
good to finally write their story. Jameson really surprised me. When I started
writing him, I thought he was going to be my first cinnamon roll/beta hero, but
he wasn’t having it. Eventually, I listened and realized that the dynamic
wouldn’t have worked for Daisy because she’s just too strong a woman. Jameson’s
also special because he’s inspired by none other than Diana Gabaldon’s Jamie
Fraser. So, if you’re an Outlander fan like me, you’ll love Jameson 
Q)
Do you have a writing quirk, or habit when you write?
Hmm,
I don’t think so. I do prefer to have quiet or soft instrumental music in the
background. I’m not one of those people that can have multiple auditory stimuli
and still focus. For me, I would get distracted by song lyrics. I do tend to
get lost in writing when the words are flowing. I can get caught up and come up
only to realize it’s hours later. That’s the best feeling 
Q)
What do you think is your strongest asset as a writer? …what is your weakest
factor as a writer?
I
am so horrible at giving myself praise but, hmm, maybe writing realistic
dialogue would be my strongest asset. I feel like my character’s come across as
real and believable. Right now, I’d say my weakest is being slow. I tend to
edit as I write, and it slows the process down quite a lot.
Q)
Do you have a favorite book you’ve written?
They
are all special to me in their own way. I do have a feeling Small Town Frame-up
is going to be a reader’s favorite though.
Q)
Do you write in a linear fashion or do you jump from scene to scene and then go
back and “fill in the blanks”?
I
am a pantser—no outlining here! So, I do write in a linear fashion. Sometimes a
future scene will come to me, usually with dialogue, and I may write that out
and save it for the appropriate spot, but when I’m writing the story I like to
go in order. Usually I’ll write a scene that will prompt the next event, and so
the story just keeps building on itself.
Q)
Do you want each book to stand on its own, or are you trying to build a body of
work with connections between each book?
I
definitely want each book to stand on its own. The three in my series thus far
all have their own storyline and main characters. The secondary characters and
the setting are what gets carried along in the series. But my goal is always to
have the books work on their own so that it doesn’t matter what order to you
pick them up in.
Q)
What are your upcoming projects?
I
have one more book in the Rolling Brook Series which is my current
work-in-progress. Then I’m going to write a complete stand-alone book to give
away free to my newsletter subscribers. Currently, my subscribers receive a
free novelette that features the characters from my second book, but I’d like
to expand on that. Then I hope to start my next series later this year. It will
be set in a small town in coastal South Carolina and feature military heroes.
The
drugs they find in her apartment have nothing on the addiction she's developing
for her arresting officer. Daisy Redland's life is as quiet as the small
town she lives in, until she finds herself framed for a crime she didn’t
commit. With her brother out of town, the only cop she knows to turn to for
help is the one who’s charging her—the same one she's had a crush on for years.
James
Jameson has been trying to avoid the trouble that is his best friend's sister.
But when her case gets dropped on his desk, that's no longer an option. As the
search for the truth pushes them together, will he be able to resist her? And
can they prove her innocence before it's too late?
Find
out in this suspenseful, slow-burn romance!
Daisy
blinked when Jameson stood. “Time for fingerprints. Let’s go.”
As
she stood, he took her by the arm but didn’t put the handcuffs back on.
Grateful for that, she took a deep breath and they once again emerged into the
bullpen. The room fell silent. Though her cheeks heated, she held her head up
this time and kept pace with Jameson instead of letting him drag her. She was
innocent and there was no reason for her to let them make her feel guilty. It
wasn’t her fault she was here, and she was determined to get to the bottom of
what was going on.
Her
resolve held up as Jameson handed her off to an officer for fingerprinting. It
lasted through the horrible mug shot photographs. But when Jameson collected
her and led her to a small room with a table, it crumpled. Lying on top of the
table was an orange jumpsuit. Staring at it, knowing it meant she’d be staying
here longer than she wanted, Daisy’s heart rate sped, and she became afraid all
over again.
Close
to panicking, she spun to face Jameson. “I thought I got a phone call!”
He
cleared his throat. “You do. After.”
Daisy
was afraid to ask, but she had to know . . . “After what?”
Jameson
rubbed the back of his neck and avoided her eyes. “After I search you.”
Why
wouldn’t he look at her? Surely patting her down wouldn’t be that bad. It’s not
like she had anything on her person to hide. “Fine. Just get it over with,
please.”
Daisy
spread her feet and raised her arms, holding them out by her sides. She closed
her eyes and tried not to think about how much she wanted him to run his hands
all over her body.
At
Jameson’s cough she opened her eyes. He was looking at her now and his face had
gone completely red. What was he waiting on? As he tugged at the collar of his
button-up shirt and cleared his throat, it clicked for her.
She
dropped her arms, and her own face became unbearably hot. Her eyes darted to
the jumpsuit and she swallowed. No, oh no, no, no.
“It’s
a strip search, Daisy.”
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