Under the Covers--Rachel Brimble

Please join me in welcoming Rachel Brimble to Under the Covers!

First important question. Silk, satin, cotton, flannel. What is your sheet of choice and why?

RB: Cotton – Freshly washed, crisp and cool against my skin, yum!

That’s my favorite too! Good! *pats mattress* Make yourself comfortable, I’ll get us something to eat. It’s a slumber party! Calories don’t count. What sounds good?


RB: Tortilla chips with a mixed selection of dips, salsa, sour cream & chive and guacamole


Oh, yum! Totally worth the crumbs. ; ) Let’s play a little game. Truth or Dare?

RB: Truth


Okay, tell us something not many people know.


RB: In June this year, I was caught up in the floods in Cote D’Azur….and was forced to pee in the flood water along with five hundred other stranded victims. Shame! Shame! Shame!



LOL There’s no shame in that! And wow! What an experience! Another truth. What do you usually wear to bed?


RB: Always pajamas! Much to my husband’s chagrin but they change according to the seasons – high summer they are silk, deep winter they are thick and fleecy and covered in cartoon teddy bears, LOL! Very sexy!


The pajamas are just the wrapping and I bet your husband finds those cartoon teddy bears pretty damn sexy. ; )  How did your friends/relatives react when you told them you wanted to be a writer?


RB: At the beginning, it was referred to as ‘my hobby’ but that was partly my fault for not showing them my commitment to my success by sitting on my backside in front of the computer every day – that was seven years ago. Today, now I am published and writing at every available opportunity, my friends and family are excited and talk of ‘when I make it big’ a lot! LOL!



I hear that a lot too! “Big” is subjective for a writer. ; ) What is the best piece of advice on writing you’ve ever received?


RB: “Give yourself permission to write a ‘dirty draft’ that can be revisited and edited” – Julie Cohen, UK romance author


Oh, I love that! What kind of goals to you set for yourself when writing? Word count? Page count?


RB: Nowadays I set myself the achievable goal of at least 500 words a day – but in reality, I write much nearer to 1,000 every day, seven days a week. The goal used to be a 1,000 a day but if I failed to do that, I drove myself and my husband insane so 500 keeps the peace in the Brimble household!


I think that’s smart (and not just because that’s my wordcount goal too) A smaller goal makes you feel awesome on those days when you do reach 1K. If you could have lunch with one writer, who would it be?

RB: Nora Roberts – I have loved and studied her books for years but still haven’t discovered how she manages to write such fantastic plotlines so prolifically. I would love for her to sit with me and explain how she plots out of the sub-plots, the deep characterization, the character and romance arcs…yep, she’s a genius!


Queen Nora! One of my best friends maintains that Nora is better than chocolate. Speaking of which, I’m hungry, what is your favorite thing to eat?

RB: Ooh, so many! I adore scallops. I adore mash potato with a veg mashed in…leek mash and parsnip mash are my particular favorites! I adore the jam doughnuts that our local bakery makes. I adore….ok, I’ll stop now.



LOL. I love parsnips mashed with carrots. I’ve never met anyone, outside my immediate family, that liked parsnips. : ) The readers out there want to get to know you a little better, so tell me, what is your favorite color?

RB: Red – Passion, fire, heat…it represents it all!


Yes, it does! What is your favorite time of day?


RB: Whenever I am writing – but I particularly like returning home after dropping the kids at school and my husband has left for work. Ah, the peace!


Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE my family so much – but after the chaos of the early morning, that nine o’clock silence is heavenly…

You don't have to explain... I have five kids. Silence is golden! What is your favorite season?

RB: Autumn – Love bringing out the boots and coats, colorful scarves and gloves and then taking long walks with my family and black Lab, Max through the miles and miles of countryside I have surrounding where I live in South West England.


Sounds beautiful! What is a movie you could watch over and over?


RB: When a Man Loves a Woman or Message in a Bottle – both great romantic films!


Confession: I’ve never seen either of those movies. I know what the next movies in my Netflix queue will be. What is your favorite non-alcoholic drink?

RB: Latte


YUM! That's my drink of choice. I'll whip some up now. What is your favorite alcoholic drink?


RB: White wine – preferably Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio


Thank you so much Rachel, now please tell us about your newest release.


RB: My newest release is my first downloadable novella as opposed to the full-length novels I usually write – It is part of the Wild Rose Press Class of ’85 series.


Set in the fictional town of Summerville, the series is based around the Summerville High School reunion and the rule of thumb is that one or both of the main protagonists have to be a part of the Class of ’85.


In my story, Transatlantic Loving, the hero is an American now working at the school as a coach and the heroine is a visiting Brit, dragged to the reunion by her enthusiastic friend. But when these two meet? Phew-wee, they are off and running!


Sounds interesting!Where can we find you?

http://www.rachelbrimble.com/


http://www.rachelbrimble.blogspot.com/

 
Here is a blurb for Rachel's newest release, Transatlantic Loving

In a desperate bid to escape the bitter reality of her children accepting her ex-husband’s new – and younger – fiancée, Lisa Cavendish travels from the UK to accompany her friend to a high school reunion. Forced to dress as Madonna in her hey day, the last thing she expects is to fall in love with the school’s coach, who seems to hold as much regard for his child as her ex did when he walked out…

Aaron Taylor can’t believe his eyes or ears when he is introduced to Lisa – sexy and funny, she has no idea how her accent enhances the heartbreaking wait he endures waiting for his daughter to call him back to the UK. But after spending just three short weeks with Lisa, he sees the answer to his pain in the eyes of the most phenomenal British lady he has ever met.

Excerpt:

The sharp shrill blow of a whistle made Lisa jump to attention. She snatched her chin up from her palm and stared wide-eyed at the beauty of male perfection who emerged from within the circle of boys on the field. He’d been there all along. Had he seen her?

Worry dissolved as Lisa took in the pure, delicious sight of him while her nipples promptly leaped to high alert. “Oh, good lord. That is so not fair.”

Dressed in a pair of black shorts and a crisp white T-shirt, Aaron’s body would do a man of thirty-two proud, let alone forty-two. The muscular curve of his biceps and the bulge of his thighs were clearly visible despite the meters of distance between the bleachers and the soccer field. Lisa’s mouth drained of saliva. She was in serious trouble if the strange and alien pulsing between her legs was anything to go by.

And in that moment, sexy Coach Taylor turned as if he felt her lecherous gaze on his butt. He raised his hand to his forehead, shielding his eyes from the sun as he looked at her. The chatter and whooping of the boys faded into silence when Lisa stopped breathing. The silent moment stretched until his face erupted into the most welcoming and heart-turning smile. He lifted a hand, she waved back. He broke eye contact and said something to the group of boys that sent them all scattering toward a white-washed building Lisa presumed was the communal showers.

And then he came toward her.