Sunday, July 8, 2012

Spotlight & Giveaway: What a Texas Girl Wants by Kristina Knight


Today it is my Pleasure to welcome Kristina Knight to HarlequinJunkie...

Kristina is here to talk about her debut book from Crimson Romance "What a Texas Girl Wants" 

– Hi, Sara! 

Sara: If you had to sum What a Texas Girl Wants in 
100 words or less, what would you say? 

Kristina: Kathleen and Jackson are two people 
certain they don't need love, but one drunken 
mistake leads them to the kind of happiness 
that only love can create. 

Sara:What was the hardest part of writing 
"What a Texas Girl Wants ”? 

Kristina: Getting Jackson's conflict right. It was there 
all along, but I didn't want him to be in too much pain 
– I'm a pushover for him. So I had to dig a little deeper 
to get to what his issues really were…not just what 
I thought they should be.

A little more about What a Texas Girl Wants:
Kathleen Witte is a down-to-earth girl. She has to be, with the family ranch on the verge of success. After seven months of keeping it all together by swearing off men, however, Kathleen needs a bit of fun in the sun. Waking up with a husband she can’t remember isn’t how she planned to blow off steam.
The last thing Jackson Taylor wants in his life is a down-to-earth girl. He has four weeks of freedom in which to find his birth mother. He’s done well avoiding commitment until now, so when he wakes up on a Mexican beach with Kathleen his first reaction is curiosity. When he spies the matching wedding rings on their left hands curiosity turns to concern.
Neither Jackson nor Kathleen want to stay married, but when her family shows up, they have no choice. Once back in Texas, however, can they keep this all-business marriage from turning into an all-consuming love?
Reviewers are saying:
“Kristina Knight doesn’t hold back on the sass, emotion, and passion, keeping her readers riveted right up until they reach The End.” — Aimee Carson, author of Secret History of a Good Girl andHow to Win the Dating War
“Kristina Knight delivers a fun romp from Mexico, through Texas, and straight into true love” —Kelsey Browning, author and cofounder of Romance University


Sara: Can you tell us a little bit about yourself? 

Kristina: I'm Kristina Knight, a refugee from the broadcast news wars! I worked in television news for 10 years, dreaming of larger-than-life heros and sassy heroines…in between covering real-life disasters and the occasional human-interest story. Now that I'm writing full-time, I split my focus between my four-year-old (who thinks Mommy's job would be way cooler if her books included pictures), the most amazing husband in the world (he cooks and cleans, people, even the bathroom!) and the people running around in my head!

Sara: Do you have a fun "call story" to share with us? 

Kristina: It's actually more of a silly call story! I was finishing up the taping of a podcast with two of my RWA chapter-mates when my iPad notification buzzed to let me know Farmer Smurf needed me to harvest some veggies to feed the rest of the village. So I clicked over to harvest some corn and noticed my email icon blinking red. Like every writer I know, I couldn't ignore that blinking light. So I clicked through and there was an email from my editor, Jennifer Lawler, asking if What A Texas Girl Wants was still available – because she wanted to buy it. So I guess you could say the Smurfs led me to my (writing) happily ever after!


Sara: When did you first start writing? Did it take a long time to get your first book published? 

Kristina:  I can't remember a time when I wasn't writing something. Truly horrible, angsty-teen poetry, short stories and even a romance novel or two. When I left the TV biz in 2005 I really focused on fiction, but I took a break in 2008 during our daughter's adoption. I came back with renewed focus in 2011 – so it's been a six year road, but with a couple of detours!

Sara: How do you conceive your plot ideas? How do you get inspired for it? 

Kristina: I find inspiration everywhere – in song lyrics, overheard conversations (yes, I'm an eavesdropper…it's a nasty habit, but I can't seem to break it!), newspaper articles. On a couple of occasions characters popped into my head fully formed with their stories ready to be told, but usually something in my world sparks an idea and that gets the story rolling.

Sara: What next? Can you share a little of your current work with us? 

Kristina: My second book, The Saint's Devilish Deal (working title, it may change) is under contract with Crimson Romance and is due out this fall. It's the story of an ex-surfer and an uptight B&B manager who must work together to save a piece of property from a ruthless developer. 

Kristina will be giving away a Copy of ' What a Texas Girl Wants' to one lucky winner.
  
TO WIN: Please enter your email in the Rafflecopter below and Post a comment for Kristina Below

Giveaway is open to reader’s world wide.
a Rafflecopter giveaway







31 comments:

  1. Thank you Sara for brining this fabulous sounding author to my attention. And thank you Kristina for visiting and for the really fabulous giveaway !

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  2. Kristina's call story cracked me up! Too funny. Thanks for the interview & giveaway!

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    1. I think I may be the only person in the world (so far) who the Smurfs have helped land a contract! Thanks for visiting, Rebe! :)

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  3. I like the druken one night stand turning into a not remembered wedding. This sounds lime a great read.thanks!

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  4. Great interview- love hearing how authors come by their ideas and the plot sounds fab:)

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  5. A drunken one night stand that turns out to be a happily ever after. I love those ending and the conflict and plot that bring the two characters to this point.

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    1. It's definitely a Ricky road, Kai -but a fun one!!

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  6. I enjoyed the interview. The book sounds good.

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  7. Thanks for coming by, everyone! I'm sorry I haven't been more available - we were out of town at a family reunion this weekend. Silly me, double-scheduling myself! If anyone has a question, I'm happy to answer...and there is still 1 day to enter the drawing...

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  8. LOL. I know I'll never see the Smurfs mentioned in a call story again! Congrats again, Kristina!

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    1. Thanks, Aimee! I think I may write an article, 'How the Smurfs Helped Me Land a Contract'. lol

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  9. I love the premise of this story. Sometimes fate puts us in the path of the person we are meant to spend the rest of our lives with. We just have to pay attention to the signs.

    geishasmom73 at yahoo dot com

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    1. I totally agree, Stacie. Fate definitely had a hand in Kathleen and Jackson's romance...I think fate has a hand in all of our lives, too.

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  10. Thanks for sharing the interview. This book sounds good!

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  11. I love it when mistakes turn out to be fortuitous. I'm looking forward to reading WHAT A TEXAS GIRL WANTS.

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    1. thanks, Marybelle! Mistakes turning into good experiences are my favorite!

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  12. I think it's so cool you were in the broadcast industry! It must have been interesting and hearing so many news can be inspiring. I can see how everything can inspire you. It keeps the people running in your mind moving :P

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    1. it really does, Na! I loved my years in broadcast television...but I'm also very glad to be able to focus on fiction now!

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  13. Interesting premise! Looking forward to reading this book.

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  14. love texas/cowboy story. love the cover book too :)

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    1. Thanks, Eli! I loved the cover from the first time I saw it.

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  15. Interesting sum of the book. Always love a story that starts with them denying what in the end turns out to be the best thing of their lives. Love the cover as well. :)

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  16. Sounds like a fun romance. I love your Smurf Call story! Congrats!

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