Forced into rehab by lead singer Dante Vegas, the Marked Love drummer Gia “Styx” Swain wants nothing to do with sobriety—or the gorgeous, kind man she’s been assigned to be with twenty-four hours a day. Her hand forced, unable to deal with her situation, she escapes his care, heedless of the consequences. Retired Marine Marco Monroe loves helping people get free of their addictions. He’s good at it. Plus, it helps keep his mind off the tragic accident that stole his fiancée away. Being a sober companion to the drummer of one of his favorite rock bands proves challenging…as well as difficult to stay mindful of his boundaries. With everything on the line, can they possibly yield to the potent attraction between them? Or, would giving into one another destroy everything they’ve sought to create?
Find out in a Twist of Love: A Rock Star Romance While each book is a standalone, the series it more enjoyable if you read them in order.
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Tell us about the process of turning your book into an audiobook.
I was so fortunate to work with Jonathan Tratar. I held auditions for the books and Jonathan was a clear choice for four of the five books with his command of voices. And choosing Leanne Woodward for A Twist of Love, with her solid performance, smooth voice and professionalism was a total no-brainer.
Was a possible audiobook recording something you were conscious of while writing?
I love to listen to Audible books and turning my own books into Audible was always a dream. I had some early works narrated many years ago with little sales success. As I got more popular, and, with Covid spreading around the world, this year I decided to turn all my books into audio versions. It’s taken months but I’m nearly all caught up with my backlist and recordings. And it’s been well worth it. I’ve had the pleasure of working with some great narrators and have resulting fantastic products for your listening pleasure.
Were there any real life inspirations behind your writing?
I joke that each and every book is sort of autobiographical. LOL. I’ve had a wild and crazy life and continue to live that way so lots of stories to write! I had a lot of heartbreak in my past until I met the love of my life. Being an EMT alongside my EMT/Firefighter husband inspires my Scorching Heat series. And, I’m an avid adventurer which plays into all my books. Also, life just plain interests me so on any given day I might be pursuing horse whispering, or scuba diving, or kayaking, or baking sourdough creations, or....
How do you manage to avoid burn-out? What do you do to maintain your enthusiasm for writing?
I did get burned out with writing earlier in the year. I think Covid fatigue played a part. My husband and I are active volunteer first responders; him as a firefighter and EMT and me as an EMT. When burnout struck in the summer, I got to work with audiobook auditions. And, I’m happily writing once again now that most of my books are recorded and I’ve had the great pleasure of listening to them.
Are you an audiobook listener? What about the audiobook format appeals to you?
I’m an avid fan of listening to audiobooks. I love to listen to a great story by a fabulous narrator.
What do you say to those who view listening to audiobooks as “cheating” or as inferior to “real reading”?
I have no words. Story telling and listening is built into our DNA. We’ve told stories to one another throughout time.
In your opinion, what are the pros and cons of writing a stand-alone novel vs. writing a series?
I love writing series. All of the characters become real in my mind, like good friends. I and the listener get to watch or listen to them grow through obstacles, experience heartache and failure, success and love. It’s an extremely satisfying feeling when I’ve finished a good series. And, if the writing is strong, evoking my emotions, I often have to take a few days to process!
Have any of your characters ever appeared in your dreams?
No, but they’ve appeared in my fantasies! LOL
What's your favorite:
Food - Anything Italian.
Song - Too many to count. Depends on my mood and the context.
Book - Same as the answer above.
Television show - I love good intelligent writing. Not a fan of sitcoms. A current favorite is binge-watching House, and for some drama fun, Scandal.
Movie - Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Looong story. It’s full of metaphors. I’ve watched it many times.
Band - Too many to list. I’ve got music in my blood. My kids and I are musically talented. We all have dabbled as musicians. I was in a rock and roll band, one of my kids was courted by a famous rapper band, and the other went to Berklee School of Music and was in a very talented band in Boston. So, my list could go on and on, including Alice Merton, Angie Stone, Alicia Keys, Aretha Franklin, Billie Eilish, Bob Moses, Al Green, Dennis Lloyd, H.E.R., Pharrell, Janelle Monae, etc...
Sports team - don’t care much for sports. I prefer to experience life, not watch it. That said, I’ll go to watch the Mariners with my kid, and keep apprised of the Seahawks. Oh, and last year I won tickets to the local ice hockey team. I was up and screaming every time a fight broke out on the ice! And I LOVE freestyle motocross. Nitro Circus and Travis Pastrana rock!!
City - Well, if I were to go on a vacation (when we’re allowed to go on vacation), I’d head to Ireland. I know, I know, it's not a city but I love Ireland.
What’s next for you?
Working on a six book fantasy series, and a romantic suspense story in my Scorching Heat firefighter series.
Tell us about the process of turning your book into an audiobook.
I was so fortunate to work with Jonathan Tratar. I held auditions for the books and Jonathan was a clear choice for four of the five books with his command of voices. And choosing Leanne Woodward for A Twist of Love, with her solid performance, smooth voice and professionalism was a total no-brainer.
Was a possible audiobook recording something you were conscious of while writing?
I love to listen to Audible books and turning my own books into Audible was always a dream. I had some early works narrated many years ago with little sales success. As I got more popular, and, with Covid spreading around the world, this year I decided to turn all my books into audio versions. It’s taken months but I’m nearly all caught up with my backlist and recordings. And it’s been well worth it. I’ve had the pleasure of working with some great narrators and have resulting fantastic products for your listening pleasure.
Were there any real life inspirations behind your writing?
I joke that each and every book is sort of autobiographical. LOL. I’ve had a wild and crazy life and continue to live that way so lots of stories to write! I had a lot of heartbreak in my past until I met the love of my life. Being an EMT alongside my EMT/Firefighter husband inspires my Scorching Heat series. And, I’m an avid adventurer which plays into all my books. Also, life just plain interests me so on any given day I might be pursuing horse whispering, or scuba diving, or kayaking, or baking sourdough creations, or....
How do you manage to avoid burn-out? What do you do to maintain your enthusiasm for writing?
I did get burned out with writing earlier in the year. I think Covid fatigue played a part. My husband and I are active volunteer first responders; him as a firefighter and EMT and me as an EMT. When burnout struck in the summer, I got to work with audiobook auditions. And, I’m happily writing once again now that most of my books are recorded and I’ve had the great pleasure of listening to them.
Are you an audiobook listener? What about the audiobook format appeals to you?
I’m an avid fan of listening to audiobooks. I love to listen to a great story by a fabulous narrator.
What do you say to those who view listening to audiobooks as “cheating” or as inferior to “real reading”?
I have no words. Story telling and listening is built into our DNA. We’ve told stories to one another throughout time.
In your opinion, what are the pros and cons of writing a stand-alone novel vs. writing a series?
I love writing series. All of the characters become real in my mind, like good friends. I and the listener get to watch or listen to them grow through obstacles, experience heartache and failure, success and love. It’s an extremely satisfying feeling when I’ve finished a good series. And, if the writing is strong, evoking my emotions, I often have to take a few days to process!
Have any of your characters ever appeared in your dreams?
No, but they’ve appeared in my fantasies! LOL
What's your favorite:
Food - Anything Italian.
Song - Too many to count. Depends on my mood and the context.
Book - Same as the answer above.
Television show - I love good intelligent writing. Not a fan of sitcoms. A current favorite is binge-watching House, and for some drama fun, Scandal.
Movie - Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Looong story. It’s full of metaphors. I’ve watched it many times.
Band - Too many to list. I’ve got music in my blood. My kids and I are musically talented. We all have dabbled as musicians. I was in a rock and roll band, one of my kids was courted by a famous rapper band, and the other went to Berklee School of Music and was in a very talented band in Boston. So, my list could go on and on, including Alice Merton, Angie Stone, Alicia Keys, Aretha Franklin, Billie Eilish, Bob Moses, Al Green, Dennis Lloyd, H.E.R., Pharrell, Janelle Monae, etc...
Sports team - don’t care much for sports. I prefer to experience life, not watch it. That said, I’ll go to watch the Mariners with my kid, and keep apprised of the Seahawks. Oh, and last year I won tickets to the local ice hockey team. I was up and screaming every time a fight broke out on the ice! And I LOVE freestyle motocross. Nitro Circus and Travis Pastrana rock!!
City - Well, if I were to go on a vacation (when we’re allowed to go on vacation), I’d head to Ireland. I know, I know, it's not a city but I love Ireland.
What’s next for you?
Working on a six book fantasy series, and a romantic suspense story in my Scorching Heat firefighter series.
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