An Insider Chat with Author Joya Fields Today @ The Boost!

Win a copy of our Book of the Month
Beneath the Surface
& chat with author Joya Fields
today at the Book Boost!

We recently chatted with featured author Joya Fields and here's what she had to say...


TBB: Welcome back to the blog, Joya.

JF: Thanks so much Kerri and The Book Boost for hosting me to chat about my debut novel, Beneath the Surface, a romantic suspense.


TBB: More about your amazing novel in just a moment, but first...please tell us a little more about YOU. Where are you from?

JF: I was born and raised in Maryland, and still live in the weather-crazy state. We get every type of weather: blizzards, ice storms, heat wave, tornadoes, hurricanes, and more recently, earthquakes.


TBB: Tell me about it. I'm in Alabama and we are under a Tornado Watch as I type this post! No joke. Do you have a story behind the when and why of how you began writing?

JF: I began writing as a child. We weren’t allowed to watch much TV, so my two sisters and I read a lot of books. When we ran out of books, I’d tell them stories. I wrote some stories and gave them away as presents, too. To this day, my sisters are two of my biggest supporters.


TBB: This is great! I have an older sister but we are not close. Although, my parents buy all my books (even the kinky ones--oh no!). How did you come up with the title for this book?

JF: Super question! I usually struggle with titles for books. For some reason, this one came to me quickly and it fit. Brooke is an underwater archaeologist and spends a lot of time under water in the book. She also has a lot of turmoil and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder issues she’s dealing with. So, Beneath the Surface ties into being underwater, and Brooke’s need to deal with concerns that are brought to the surface when events unfold in the story.


TBB: I love it! I recently wrote a sort of ocean-themed novella and the original title was Seascapes and Dark Capes! LOL It has since been renamed. Seeing as most writers are also avid readers, what book could we catch you reading right now?

JF: I’ve recently discovered Tess Gerritsen and I’m obsessively reading her backlist. That’s the great thing about finding a new-to-you author. You can read their current work, and then tear through their backlist until the next book comes out.


TBB: I recently had the same discovery and went on a Tess Gerristen reading frenzy. Ice Cold is my fave of all the Rizzoli & Isles books to date. When you're not reading Tess, what are your current writing projects?

JF: Wow, thanks for asking this question because I’m really excited about a ghost story trilogy I’m working on. I’ve never written paranormal before, but the characters begged me to write this story. It’s about a haunted Baltimore apartment building and features all sorts of interesting ghosts who interfere in the lives of the residents. These aren’t scary stories. The ghosts are not out to get anyone. They are actually helpful ghosts who are trying to accomplish something, and trying to help the residents in some way. I’m having such a great time writing these.


TBB: You know you're talking to a HUGE paranormal fan here, don't you? Can't wait to hear and see more on this new trilogy. You'll love writing the genre. Do you have any advice for other writers just starting out in the biz?

JF: Keep writing, keep reading, and keep submitting. Give yourself permission to be sad about a rejection if you get one, but only for an hour or so. Every “no” you receive gets you closer to a “yes.”


TBB: As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

JF: LOL. A writer. My grandmother was an artist, and she fully supported any sort of art, including my writing. We’d sit for hours on her front porch swing and she’d ask me to tell her stories well into the night. Often, my stories didn’t make a lot of sense. I remember one story was about my sisters and me traveling via paddle boat from the Inner Harbor to Hawaii. But my grandmother never interrupted or corrected me.


TBB: I'm sure your grandmother is very proud of all you've accomplished and I hope you keep more great stories coming our way! Thanks for joining us today and please leave us with some more details about your latest book.

JF: Thanks again for hosting me today! :)


Blurb:

She’s fighting to stay independent—he’s determined to protect her no matter what…

Brooke Richards survived the earthquake that took her parents and most of her leg, but she needs time to regroup. A trip to Florida for a state-of-the art prosthesis and to visit her best friend Linda seems ideal. But the trip turns traumatic when Brooke witnesses Linda’s boat disintegrating in a fiery explosion.

Police Officer Garrett Ciavello believes the blast was intentionally set to hide something Linda found on a dive. When Brooke offers her expertise in underwater archaeology, Garrett accepts her help with the investigation. But since his fiancée’s death years ago, Garrett has become overprotective, and as they are drawn to each other, Garrett realizes he will risk anything to keep Brooke safe.

Brooke is fiercely independent. Garrett is fiercely protective. Will they heal each other’s wounds and find a killer…before it’s too late?


Excerpt:

For the first time since the accident, Brooke forgot about her leg. Forgot about all she’d lost and focused on the way Garrett made her feel.

She knew she needed to stop him. She should find a way to resist the temptation to be with him. But for a few minutes, she could enjoy the taste of him, the feel of him, couldn’t she?

He dropped his hands to her waist and softened the kiss before trailing a line of kisses down her neck. A weak cry slipped from her mouth. “Garrett,” she whispered.

She should stop this now before it got any more intense.

He lifted her chin and forced her to meet his brown eyes, smoky with desire. Heat spiraled to her middle and she caught a whiff of his sawdust scent.

“I…I can walk you back to your own room before I head to mine.” His voice broke as he whispered.

She swallowed hard. She couldn’t do this right now with him. Too many obstacles stood in their way. But as she looked in his somber eyes, she realized none of those complications were bigger than her need for Garrett.

“Let’s go to your room,” she said, her voice shaking. She moved her hands inside his shirt and ran them over his tight abs and chest. Heat soared through her body at the feel of him.

“Together…”

Want More Joya?

Visit her on the web here: http://joyafields.com/

Follow her on Twitter here:
http://www.twitter.com/joyafields


Pick up your copy of her book today! Click here.

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