This morning we’re featuring author allyn lesley and her debut novel, Deeper, which is getting fantastic reviews on Amazon. And if you have kindleunlimited you can even get it for free!
*****
What do you like the most (or least) about writing romances?
I enjoy writing the dialogue. It’s always interesting to match the characters in my head to things they’ll say to give readers a taste of their personalities. The dialogue either enrages or engages readers.
What is your favorite romantic story (movie/book, fact/fiction)?
I’ve always said this, and it remains true: Seized by Love by Susan Johnson is a historical romance novel I read in my teens. The novel, though decades old now, was my first taste of an unapologetic Alpha hero. In today’s terms, the novel would be deemed an erotica. I found the author’s story-telling to be on point, realistic, and spell-binding. I own a paperback copy as well 🙂
If you could be any romantic character, who would it be and why?
Hmm. This is an interesting question, and one I’d never considered. Off the top of my head, it’d have to be Johanna Lindsey’s Tatiana from Once a Princess. As you can tell, there’s a special place in my heart for historicals from my childhood. The reason Tatiana sticks out was that she didn’t know her true station in life (she ends up being royalty) but her “low place” doesn’t force her to think less of herself. She’s sassy, stands her ground, and demands respect.
Which of your characters was the most fun to write?
Now, that one is hard. I had a good time writing about Roland ‘Ro’ Harris, a side character in my debut novel, Deeper (Book One of The Deeper Chronicles) because he was funny, and I’m so not funny :). I really enjoyed writing about Gabriel ‘Gabe’ McIntyre from my short, Liar, that’s part of the anthology called Once: A Collection of Sinfully Sexy and Twisted Tales. Gabe was good for me because I usually like strong, in your face Alpha males, and his character needed to have a silent type of strength who was a sweet, good guy all around. And, finally, I had the best time writing Noah Adams. He’s my hero in Deeper. The man was just so there. He’s who he is, and makes no apologies for his beliefs and his viewpoints on life. That was fun to create.
If you weren’t a writer and could be anything you want, what would it be?
I’d be a teacher which is what I’m going back to graduate school for.
*****
Deeper
Book One of The Deeper Chronicles
by allyn lesley
Genre: Adult Contemporary/Romantic Suspense
Release Date: April 21, 2015
Blurb:
Everything Avianna Linton thought she knew was shattered in one traffic stop. With her life turned upside down, she flees to the bright lights of New York City hoping for anonymity and a new life.
Rising from nothing, Noah Adams holds onto his power and control with a bone-crushing grip. No one dared challenge his authority until her…
Avi’s disdain for Noah is barely contained, and Noah does everything he can to restrain himself—a concept he has little experience with.
There’s more between the two than either of them realize. A force looms near, hovering with deadly precision and motivated solely by revenge.
Avi wonders who her new friends truly are and if she’s already in too deep. Noah, accustomed to getting what he wants, will do whatever it takes to draw Avi in deeper.
Amazon US – http://amzn.to/1GfYCAB
Amazon UK – http://amzn.to/1IEzgKi
*****
Blurb:
Summer 2011
No more than thirteen years old, a girl in hand-me downs and ill-fitting shoes stomped down the sidewalk. Everywhere her plain brown eyes landed was brokenness.
The row houses that made up her run-down neighborhood were broken.
The few cars parked along the curb belonging to people who used the vehicles as temporary shelters when they couldn’t afford the rent were broken.
And the neighbors … The neighbors were the worst. Their entire beings were broken. Their minds crumbled by choices they were pushed by life to make. Their physical bodies aged before their time by lack of access to quality food choices. Their psyches irreparably damaged by parents who were stuck in a generational cycle they didn’t have the tools to break through.
Broken.
Everyone who lived in this part of town was broken.
And what did brokenness lead to?
Without a backward glance, she ran from the home where just weeks prior she had found her parents with their mouths agape, forearms corded off, and needles sticking from their veins.
She ran from her brokenness.
The teen rounded a corner and slowed her pace to a cool, unaffected gait before she approached the men who were huddled together. This was the place, the corner, in Lower Manhattan to get the best drugs, everybody knew that—addict or not.
The teen gripped the crumbled money in her pocket, a gift from the police officer who felt the need to check on what was left of her family from time to time. With a kind smile that reached his violet eyes, he’d told her to buy something just for her. Maybe he thought she’d treat herself to some earrings or her favorite ice cream—little kid stuff—but she had lost her childhood a long, long time ago.
Around her, men and women with sunken, scabbed-over cheeks became the norm. The little girl stuck out like a sore thumb but had no intention of remaining an ‘other’ any longer. The euphoric smile on the faces of her neighbors, her deceased parents, and sibling—she wanted that, even for just a little while.
“You got anything?” she muttered to no one in particular.
“You lost, kid?” the young man in the center of the group asked, snickering to his companions.
“I’m not a kid,” she said with defiance. Her face rose higher in the air and she squared her thin shoulders. Even with a mature body, the freckles that littered the bridge of her nose and spread to the apples of her baby face said otherwise.
To amuse her he said, “Okay. So you’re no kid.” He peered at her closer. “But hand to God, I swear I’ve seen your face before.”
He probably had.
Before their deaths, images of the girl’s parents’ faces hung in neighborhood stores identifying them as regular shoplifters. They had been arrested so many times they were on a first-name basis with their arresting officers.
With her face blazing in embarrassment, the little girl toed the cracked pavement. “I want your best.” Her words came out low and stammering. She wasn’t a kid, and she planned to prove it. “I want the best you have,” she repeated louder then shoved the formerly crisp bills into his face.
Greed alighted his eyes.
“Yo, man, she’s only a ki—”
“Shut the fuck up,” he yelled at the sole dissenter. “If it’s green, we take it.” He pocketed the money then looked around.
“Hey,” she shouted, taking a step toward him. If he thought he would stiff her, he had another thing coming.
“Relax, kid,” he said with a canny smile. “I wouldn’t do you dirty when your folks were my biggest customers.” His evil laugh chilled her though the air was balmy. “Take a walk with my friend over there.”
The young thug had at least a hundred pounds on her and towered over her by maybe a foot and half. She tucked her chin into her shirt and kept her gaze low, following the boy’s sneakered feet to a nearby abandoned house.
“Stay here.” He looked up and down the street to ensure they weren’t followed before disappearing behind a door that was falling off its hinges. Before the girl had a chance to worry, he was back and shoving a small opaque rectangle in her hand.
Almost too beautiful, the deep purple petal and green stalk painted on the waxy paper dominated the small expanse. She giggled at the ornate flower.
“Take Over. Best shit on the market,” he said before walking away.
Holding the pretty bag against her heart, she turned and walked in the opposite direction.
*****
Author Info:
allyn lesley writes real stories about real people.
As a teen, allyn lost herself in the pages of some of Romance’s heavyweights, trusting that a happy ever after was just around the corner. In allyn’s own writing journey, as in life, she’s learned that people don’t always experience recovery and restoration after a fall. Her stories speak to the gritty side of life where the right choice isn’t always easily identified and happiness not quickly gained.
Amazon — http://amzn.to/1EW0Ui3
Blog — allynlesley.blogspot.com
Facebook page — http://on.fb.me/1ybhJHB
Goodreads — http://bit.ly/1wfvIeY
Google+ — http://bit.ly/1B7oZFE
Instagram — instagram.com/AuthorAllynLesley
Pinterest — http://bit.ly/1cvXbBD
Tumblr — http://bit.ly/1cvXeNW
Twitter — http://bit.ly/1CzTiGO
YouTube trailer — http://bit.ly/1B7eBOl
*****
Caught
Author Info:
Romantic Reads and Such 