Beverly and Tamara: Maureen, welcome to SSLY. Thanks so much for joining us today. So first why don’t you tell us a little about yourself?
Maureen: Thank you so much for having me! Let’s see, where do I begin…I was born, raised and currently reside in Buffalo, NY. I love the outdoors: hiking, camping, fishing, going to the beach…you name it, I’m there! I love animals, and I have a Bachelor’s Degree in Biology (yeah I know, it’s a far stretch from writing!). I absolutely LOVE reading, and finally decided to write a book of my own six months ago!
Tamara: What do you HAVE to have when you are writing?
Maureen: My laptop, headphones, and red bull!
Beverly: When did you start to write, who influenced you?
Maureen: I started writing six months ago. I was sitting at home with a migraine, and while I was not so patiently waiting for it to go away, I came up with the idea for Relinquishing Liberty. I had been contemplating writing my own book for a while, but had no clue what to write about. I was trying to force ideas out and they just wouldn’t come. Then when I least expected it, an idea sparked in my head, and it grew from there into what is now Relinquishing Liberty. As for influences…literally every single author out there whose books I have read: Molly McAdams, Jillian Dodd, Kelly Elliott, Tina Reber, Kahlen Aymes, Monica Murphy, Lila Felix, J. Sterling…I could keep going, there are so many!
Tamara: What do you think are the qualities that make up a “hero”?
Maureen: Heroes put themselves in the face of danger without any regard to their own safety. They stand up for what they believe is right, even when others disagree with them. A hero is selfless, honest and trustworthy. And let’s be honest…heroes are just damn sexy!
Beverly: Can you describe your favorite character? And which of your books is he/she in? How do you come up with your characters?
Maureen: I would have to say Brett is my favorite character in Relinquishing Liberty. He is such a sweetie throughout the whole book, and even though he comes off a little overprotective (ok, that might be a bit of an understatement…he is really overprotective), deep down he has such a big heart and just wants what is best for Liberty.
Coming up with my characters was fairly easy, and I can definitely relate to all of them. Shayne reminds me so much of my boyfriend, and Brett and Maddie share a lot of similar qualities with my own friends.
Tamara: What are the hardest scenes for you to write? Suspense? Sex? Dialogue? And why?
Maureen: It changed for me every day. One day sex scenes were easier to write and the next day dialogue was flowing much easier. I think the hardest part was trying to keep the one character’s secret, a secret! I found myself slipping up a few times while writing, and even my beta readers caught some of my slips. Thank God for my betas!
Beverly: What is your favorite scene in your favorite book?
Maureen: My favorite scene is in Taking Chances by Molly McAdams. Brandon is sitting in the Liam’s room and holding him while showing him the photo album with pictures of his father, Chase. OMG I was bawling my eyes like a freakin’ baby because it was just the sweetest scene!
Tamara: Who would you choose as your “book boyfriend”? From what book? Author?
Maureen: I can only choose one? Really? Ok, let me think about this…
Who am I kidding. Kellan Kyle will forever be my book boyfriend! The Thoughtless series by S.C. Stephens is probably my all time favorite series.
Beverly: What is the kinkiest thing you’ve ever done? Or would like to? What? We are all about the love!
Maureen: Oh wow…um…*blushes and prays my family will never read this*. I think the kinkiest thing I’ve ever done (and it’s probably not that kinky), is have sex with my boyfriend while his friends were asleep in the same room. I was so afraid they would wake up and see us. Every time we heard someone make a sound we would freeze and wait until it was quiet before we got going again.
Tamara: What are your favorite types of heroines? Do you like the damsel in distress who needs saving or the kick-ass variety? Why?
Maureen: I like the girl who plays hard to get; the girl who makes the guy bust his ass to win her over. I feel like in most romance novels, the heroine tends to fall head over heels for the guy the moment she sets eyes on him. Seeing the girl play hard to get is a nice change.
Beverly: What was your worst date ever?
Maureen: Oh now why do you have to bring that up? I wouldn’t even consider it a date really. My ex-boyfriend took me to his dad’s house when no one was home, got what he wanted from me and then took me straight back to my house. Ughh, I felt so used. Glad I kicked him to the curb!
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)
Maureen: My boyfriend, kindle and laptop.
Beverly: What is your “guilty pleasure”?
Maureen: Hmm now this could definitely be interpreted more than one way. I definitely have an addiction to red bull and mexican food. But my ultimate guilty pleasure…back massages. Give me a damn good back massage, and I am putty in your hands!
Tamara: What dream or goals have you yet to realize?
Maureen: I didn’t realize it, until after I published my book and got feedback from reviews, but my goal now is to just continue writing books that people enjoy reading. Simple as that. If I can put a smile on someone’s face just by the words I wrote, then it was all worth while.
Beverly: What was your most embarrassing moment or the craziest thing you’ve done? C’mon dish!
Maureen: For my twentieth birthday, I went to Canada with my boyfriend and friends. The legal drinking age there is 19, and since we were staying at a motel, I had every intention of getting drunk. Well, I went above and beyond drunk! I had to crawl back to our motel room and spent a good chunk of the night bonding with the porcelain throne. The embarrassing part was when I woke up in the bathtub with nothing but my bra on! My boyfriend walked in and asked what I was doing and apparently I thought I was a good idea to take a bath…but I forgot to fill up the tub and passed out!
Tamara: LOL! If you were a color what would you be and why?
Maureen: I would be green…I love bright, obnoxious colors and lime green is my favorite.
Beverly: You would love my car! A sparkly lime green! How do you know you’re in love?
Maureen: When your heart literally aches and you can barely breathe when you’re away from your significant other. Then you realize that you’ve found something you didn’t even know was missing in your life. Something you may not have even been looking for…your other half.
Tamara and Beverly: Okay. We are SSLY so we have to ask. Who loves you?
Maureen: My boyfriend, Mikey. We’ve been together for 8 and ½ years. I still remember when I was 17, and we had only been dating for 3 weeks. We were lying in his bed, and he gave me this look that, even before he said the words, told me he loved me. I swear I still get butterflies every time he gives me that look.
Now for some quick fun questions:
Boxers or briefs? Boxer briefs
Coffee or Tea? Coffee
Tall, dark and handsome or Blond and buff? You mean I can’t have both? Oh fine…I’ll have to go with tall, dark and handsome.
Hairy chest or smooth? I like a little bit of hair on my man’s chest.
Chocolate or Vanilla? Chocolate
Kinky or Sweet? Again…can’t I have both? I think I’ll go with sweet
Fast or slow? Hmm…depends on what mood I’m in.
Public or private? Private
Top or bottom? Top…I like to be in control.
Relinquishing Liberty
Series-Second Chances Book #1
By-Maureen Mayer
Genre-New Adult
Publication Date- August 26th, 2013
Blurb-
On the outside, Liberty Davis appeared to have it all…a loving family, a tight knit circle of friends, and a bright future ahead of her. Everything was perfect. That is until her brother tragically took his own life, turning her whole world upside down.
Left to pick up the pieces of her broken family, Liberty is faced with focusing all of her attention on helping her parents cope with the loss of their son, while putting her own life on the back burner. But what no one seems to realize is that she is just as broken inside.
Now, four years later, twenty year old Liberty is taking back the reins of her life. She leaves behind everything she’s ever known, hoping to make a fresh start…one where she isn’t faced with the constant reminder that her brother is nothing more than faded memory. What she didn’t expect to find along the way was Shayne.
Tall, dark and tattooed, Shayne Thompson has developed quite a reputation for being a player. Despite everyone’s negative perception, Liberty still finds herself drawn to him. When she learns that Shayne knows all too well what it feels like to lose someone you love, she finds that they have a lot more in common than just a physical attraction.
When Liberty discovers a secret from Shayne’s past that threatens to tear them apart, she begins to question everything she’s ever felt for him. Will Liberty choose to follow her heart or will she give up the one person who finally made her feel whole again?
**This story contains language and sexual scenes, some of which may be unsuitable for younger readers.**
Links-
Goodreads- http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17798673-relinquishing-liberty
Amazon (paperback): http://www.amazon.com/Relinquishing-Liberty-Second-Chances-Volume/dp/1492101400/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1377465730&sr=8-1&keywords=relinquishing+liberty+by+maureen+mayer
Createspace (paperback):https://www.createspace.com/4393520
Barnes & Noble- http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/relinquishing-liberty-maureen-mayer/1116750676?ean=2940148637905&itm=1&usri=2940148637905
Excerpt-
I reached for the hem of my shirt and lifted it over my head. Shayne’s hands trailed up the sides of my body, but he stopped before he reached my bra. “Don’t you think we should eat something first? You slept straight through dinner, and I don’t want you passing out on me.”
He had a point. I climbed off of the bed and slipped out of my shorts before opening his bedroom door. Shayne gave me a puzzled look.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
“To get something to eat. I’m craving something…sweet.” I winked at him before leaving the room.
I left a trail of clothing leading to the kitchen and opened the fridge to find exactly what I needed to prepare “dessert”. When Shayne finally appeared, his dessert was ready and waiting for him on the table. I got the whipped cream bikini idea from a scene in Varsity Blues, and I think I did a pretty good job; I even remembered to add the cherries on top.
“Fuck, baby, you look good enough to eat.” He stalked towards me, licking his lips.
“Well that was kind of the idea. Why don’t you come over here and get a taste for yourself?” I sprayed some whipped cream on my finger and slowly sucked it off, teasing it with my tongue and clearly getting a response out of Shayne. The bulge threatening to rip through his pants was a dead giveaway.
He pulled his shirt over his head in one swift movement while I traced my tongue across my bottom lip admiring him. His jeans hung low on his hips, the top button undone, and his feet were bare as they padded across the linoleum floor. The way the moonlight trickled in through the window and highlighted every single one of his rippling muscles… Dear Lord, I was about ready to say screw the dessert, tear his pants off and fuck him right here!
When he reached me, I was propped up on my elbows, and he placed a hand on either side of me, caging me in. He slowly bent forward, and dipped into the whipped cream surrounding my breast. His tongue swirled around my nipple and scooped the cherry into his mouth while he gently nibbled at my rosy bud. I threw my head back as pleasure surged throughout my body, drawing a soft moan out of me.
“Mmm, so fucking good. I’ll never get enough of your sweet, delectable body. In fact, I think you’ve now become a staple part of my diet.”
My body arched towards his mouth as he moved over to the tightly beaded peak awaiting him. “Well I guess it’s a good thing we live together now, in case you get any late night cravings.”
“Late night, morning, afternoon…I crave you all the time, baby.” He slid my body closer to the edge of the table so that my legs were dangling over the edge, and he kneeled down in front of me. “Now for the main course.”
He lifted my legs over his shoulders and dove right in, lapping at the whipped cream surrounding my sex, mixing it with my own creamy arousal. I ran my fingers through his silky hair, holding him in place while my pelvis rocked against him, and he continued to devour me. His velvety tongue circled my entrance teasingly before leaving a moist trail leading up to my throbbing clit. He flicked over my swollen nub rhythmically, leaving me just teetering at the cusp of my climax and then he would switch to soft gentle strokes that left my head spinning, delirious with desire.
“Please, Shayne. I need you to make me come. Please make me come.”
He smiled up at me with a hungry look in his eyes, and I knew that was all the begging he needed. He sucked my clit with fervor, taking it between his teeth and gently nibbling away at the sensitive flesh. At the same time, he reached up and pinched my nipples, rolling them between his fingers, and paying no attention to the sticky mess he was making. A shockwave of intense pleasure shook through me, and I shouted Shayne’s name over and over.
“Remind me to write a thank you letter to Cosmo.” I breathed out, panting heavily as I came down from that earth-shattering orgasm.
“Oh, that one was all me, sweetheart. Cosmo had no influence over those moves.” I giggled as Shayne leaned forward and licked more whipped cream off of my breast. He took my hands, slinking them around his neck and lifted me off the table with my legs wrapped around his waist. “Why don’t we get this sticky mess cleaned up before I get you in bed and have my dirty way with you?”
He carried me off to the bathroom, where we hopped in the shower and thoroughly lathered each other up. He even took the time to wash my hair, gently massaging the shampoo into my scalp as I leaned my head back into his chest. I was in heaven…or so I thought, until he carried me back to bed and made love to me, slowly exploring every inch of my body until the sun was just about to come up.
About the Author-
Maureen Mayer was born, raised and currently resides in Buffalo, NY with her loving and supportive family and boyfriend of 8+ years. She’s always had a love for the outdoors, and when the city isn’t buried under snow, she can be found hiking, fishing, camping or lying on the beach. She’s a sucker for off-color humor, but holds a sweet spot for sick and twisted horror films.
Thanks to authors like J. K. Rawling, Stephanie Meyer and E. L. James, Maureen has rediscovered her love for reading. When she’s not writing, you can find her curled up in bed with her kindle, diving into a steamy romance novel. She is currently working on her first new adult novel and hopes to self-publish it late this summer.
Links-
Goodreads- http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7048010.Maureen_Mayer
Twitter- https://twitter.com/AuthorMoMayer
Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/AuthorMaureenMayer
Facebook Events-
Book Blast- https://www.facebook.com/events/192368674269086/
Tour- https://www.facebook.com/events/544085662312262/
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