Beverly and Tamara: Jami! Welcome to SSLY. Thanks so much for joining us today. So first why don’t you tell us a little about yourself?

I live in Washington state on the west side of Puget Sound with two dogs, a cat, and a horse, and oh yeah, my husband, whom my readers know as SportsGuy. We have a small three-acre farm in the woods, and we love it.

Tamara: What do you HAVE to have when you are writing?

Pictures of my characters for inspiration, especially the hero and coffee or wine depending on time of day—or not. 

Beverly: When did you start to write, who influenced you?

I’ve been writing stories since I learned to read so it’s hard to say. Those early years it would have to be the Black Stallion books by Walter Farley. But later when I started writing romance, my influences would be Sandra Brown, Susan Elizabeth Phillips, Lori Foster, and too many others to mention.

Tamara: What do you think are the qualities that make up a “hero”?

I like my heroes a little on the arrogant, over-confident side (some might call them jerks) with flaws only the heroine can see. All of my heroes have some deep-seated fear, weakness, or trauma that they’re concealing from the world and themselves. I want to see them grow and get beyond whatever that weakness is through the course of the story.

Beverly: Can you describe your favorite character? And which of your books is he/she in?

Wow, I guess that would have to be Derek in Fourth and Goal–Seattle Lumberjacks 1, because he’s been with me the longest. Too many years ago to count when I was in high school, he was the hero of my high school stories. Plus, I love a guy who rises from the ashes and makes something of himself.

Tamara: What are the hardest scenes for you to write? Suspense? Sex? Dialogue? And why?

That really depends on my mood. If I’m in the mood for a sex scene, I write it, even if I’m not at the point where it’s needed. I’ll just use it later. I find it really hard to write a sex scene when I’m not in the mood so if I’m in the mood, I put it to paper.

Beverly: What is your favorite scene you’ve written? Why?

The scene in “Who’s Been Sleeping in My Bed?” when the heroine thinks she’s sleeping in her estranged aunt’s house only to find out the aunt no longer owns the house, and she’s sleeping in a stranger’s bed. This really happened to a friend of mine, and I took the story and ran with it.

Tamara: Life is stranger than fiction! Who would you choose as your “book boyfriend/girlfriend”? From what book? Author?

Kevin from Susan Elizabeth Phillips’ This Little Heart of Mine.

Beverly: What is the kinkiest thing you’ve ever done? Or would like to? What? We are all about the love!

I leave that to my characters, much to SportsGuy’s dismay. 

Beverly: *snickers* Poor SportsGuy!

Tamara: What are your favorite types of heroines? Do you like the damsel in distress who needs saving or the kick-ass variety? Why?

I don’t write weak heroines, they might not be kickass, but they’re not pushovers either. A love a heroine who gives it right back to the hero and doesn’t fall for him immediately like all the other women.

Beverly: What was your worst date ever?

I met the guy online, and he was dead-dull. We had nothing in common but were stuck together for an entire dinner. After that, I met the guys in a coffee shop so I could make a quick escape if I needed to.

Tamara: If you were stranded on a desert island, what three things would you want to have with you? (You have food, water, shelter, all the necessities, so nothing mundane)

My ipad, electricity, and a healthy imagination.

Beverly: What is your “guilty pleasure”?

BBQ potato chips

Tamara: What dream or goals have you yet to realize?

I want to be an Amazon bestseller in contemporary romance, a USA Today Bestseller, and a New York Times Bestseller. I also want to earn enough with my writing to retire from my day job.

Beverly: What was your most embarrassing moment or the craziest thing you’ve done? C’mon dish!

The most recent one (there are many) I can think of is when we’re in Wal-Mart, and I walk up to SportsGuy and pinch him on the butt—only it’s not him.

Beverly: So you made some guys day! 😉

Tamara: If you were a color what would you be and why?

Green. I love green, the nice calm green of a lush lawn, the green of evergreen trees.

Beverly: How did you come up with the idea for the Lumberjacks?

That was easy. I’ve been a Seahawks fan since they became an expansion team. The Lumberjacks ARE the Seahawks. They have a similar history, etc., I just couldn’t use the Seahawks’ name.

Tamara and Beverly: Okay. We are SSLY so we have to ask. Who loves you?

SportsGuy loves me. He’s my green-beret turned plumber who played college football and still umpires college baseball.

Now for some quick fun questions:

Boxers or briefs? Boxers
Coffee or Tea? Coffee
Tall, dark and handsome or Blond and buff? TD&H
Hairy chest or smooth? Hairy
Chocolate or Vanilla? Chocolate
Kinky or Sweet? Sweet in person, kinky in my books
Fast or slow? Slow
Public or private? Private
Top or bottom? Top

Down by Contact
by Jami Davenport

It’s showtime.

After twelve years in the league, all Zach Murphy wants is a Super Bowl ring. Not exactly Mr. Manners, he’s more about hard hits than soft smiles, and he’s grinned down wickedly at quite a few broken quarterbacks. But now he’s shattered something else. After dumping a tray of drinks on the team owner’s snooty daughter and accidentally feeling up the Governor’s wife, his tenure with the team looks perilously short. And things are getting worse.

Life is looking up for Kelsie Carrington-Richmond. A beauty pageant star and ex-mean girl, she only recently stopped living out of her car. But that time has passed. Her Finishing School for Real Men has a real shot, and the Seattle Lumberjacks have hired her to polish their roughest player. Except…it’s Zach. Long ago she broke his heart. He’s just the beast she remembers—gruff, protective—but she’s nothing like the beauty of his high school dreams.

Yet, getting knocked down happens, getting back up makes a contender. And they both have the hearts of champions.

Follow the link to read an excerpt. http://www.jamidavenport.com/DownbyContact.html

Available at:
All Romance
Smashwords
Boroughs
Barnes & Noble
Amazon
iBook
kobo

Author bio:
Just in case you want to know more! 🙂
An advocate of happy endings, Jami Davenport writes sexy romantic comedy, sports hero romances, and equestrian fiction. Jami lives on a small farm near Puget Sound with her Green Beret-turned-plumber husband, a Newfoundland cross with a tennis ball fetish, a prince disguised as an orange tabby cat, and an opinionated Hanoverian mare. Jami works in IT for her day job and is a former high school business teacher and dressage rider. In her spare time, she maintains her small farm and socializes whenever the opportunity presents itself. An avid boater, Jami has spent countless hours in the San Juan Islands, a common setting in her books. In her opinion, it is the most beautiful place on earth.

Stalker links:
website: http://www.jamidavenport.com
blog: jamidavenport.blogspot.com
facebook: http://www.facebook.com/jamidavenport
twitter: http://www.twitter.com/jamidavenport
genres: Contemporary, Erotic Romance – See more at: http://www.boroughspublishinggroup.com/authors/jami-davenport#sthash.MtvFQce2.dpuf