Monday, November 9, 2015

Straight Chatting from the Library: Natalie S. Ellis


This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Natalie will be awarding an eCopy of Revenge for Hire to 3 randomly drawn winners via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

READ THE INTERVIEW


What is the favorite book you remember as a child?

The Secret Garden

What is your favorite book today?

Darkling, I Listen By Katherine Sutcliffe.

Tell us about your current book in 10 words.

Oh, no fair, this is hard! But, I love a challenge, so here you go: Videographer’s footage of bizarre car crash reveals a dangerous mystery.

What are you reading right now?

Me Before You for the second time. I read After You a few weeks ago and because I couldn’t remember everything in the first book, I decided to read it again.

What books do you have on hold at the library?

None right now. I tend to be too impatient to wait for a book if I really want to read it. That said, about 4 times a year, I realize how much I spend on books and I go to the digital library and put a bunch on hold.

Do you have any bad book habits?

I’m extremely picky, so I don’t finish half the books I purchase. I’m getting better at downloading a sample and if I make it to the end and still want to keep reading, I’ll buy it.

E-Reader or print? and why?

E-reader because I can adjust the font size and the backlight. I’m getting old and my eyes are getting old too.

One book at a time or multiples?

Multiples, which is another bad habit because I forget to finish reading some books that I actually liked.

Dog-ear or bookmark? (don't worry—Librarian Judith won't hold it against you—much)

Dog-ear when I was younger, unless it was a library book. I was much more careful when I knew others would read it after me.

Least favorite book you've read this year?

I just couldn’t get into Judy Blume’s The Unlikely Event. I liked her when I was a kid and I liked Summer Sisters, but her latest didn’t do it for me.

Favorite book you've read this year?

I really liked Sharon Bolton’s Little Black Lies

When do you do most of your reading?

I read at bedtime.

Favorite place to read?

In my cozy bed with the window cracked open.

Favorite genre?

I like Women’s Fiction and mysteries.

Do you loan your books?

Yes

Favorite book to recommend?

This year I’ve been recommending Chelsea Cain’s One Kick quite a bit.

How do you keep your books organized?

I don’t! Another bad book habit.

Re-reader or not?

Not often. Maybe once a year I re-read a book that I loved.

What would make you not finish a book?

Once I didn’t finish a book because the author inserted the dog’s point of view in a suspense. Usually, I’m just bored with the story.

Keep books or give them away?

I usually keep them or loan them. It’s hard to part with them forever.

READ THE BLURB


North West Side Chicago. A man's phone rings at 3am, and it's every father's worst nightmare - his little girl is in danger.

Fort Wayne, Indiana. Belinda 'Billie' Chapman is working the overnight shift at WVOX-TV when she's called away to photograph a car that's crashed into the second story of a house. But when a little girl is spotted in the house across the street, the aggressive behaviour of her guardian piques Billie's curiosity.

Nolan Voss has come to Fort Wayne to check on WVOX-TV, the station he owns. Rich, uptight and deliciously hot, he can't keep away from the fiery Billie, and that means being dragged into her plan to help the young girl.

Each step closer to finding the truth leads them to a dangerous plot that has come all the way from Chicago. Will the danger only fuel their irresistible attraction to one another? Or will one of them get burned?

READ AN EXCERPT


Billie sent an email to Elliott, letting him know she’d upload a creative piece about the Porsche later on. He’d assume she was going to do the work, although he wouldn’t care if Ryan edited, as long as he had material for his news block. But she couldn’t take the chance that he’d slip and tell Rob. Once management wasn’t so pissed at Ryan, and they were genuinely impressed with all the imaginative stories Billie brought them, she’d tell them the truth and make her case for rehiring Ryan. Hopefully, she wouldn’t manage to get herself fired for her dishonesty.

Once Ryan was bringing in a steady income again, Billie could work on her own life.

She’d naively thought she could do whatever she wanted once she was out of the house her father ruled. But, so unused to making her own decisions, she’d automatically followed Ryan and took a job at WVOX. She hadn’t needed a college degree and the money was decent.

Then, when Billie finally decided to enroll in the community university to pursue a degree in social work, Ryan got Trish pregnant. And when Trish couldn’t handle being a mother, Ryan needed Billie to take care of Savannah when he wasn’t home. If Ryan could get his job back and afford a sitter, Billie could get her life back. And do something with it.

Her brother knew she was trying to help him, but he didn’t want her kind of help. He wanted to be a freelance videographer. If he didn’t have a daughter to support, Billie would back him one hundred percent. But kids needed food, a warm house and medical insurance. Ryan just didn’t get that.

Worrying about Ryan and Savannah gave her a different kind of headache, so she pulled up her Photog Billie account on Facebook and posted a teaser about the car-in-the-house story, then moved onto Twitter to do the same.

Ryan was taking forever to get back from dropping Savannah off at school. He’d probably stopped at the Friendly Fox, his favorite coffee house, for some caffeine and a muffin.

Billie didn’t think she could stay awake much longer, so she wrote him a note explaining her ideas for a tongue-in-cheek story about a spaceship disguised as a car crashing into the house.

The missing driver was obviously an alien trying to find his way home. Satisfied that Ryan could work his magic, she emailed Elliott to let him know she’d have an eighty-second package for his show, and stumbled into bed.

As she drifted into the warm fuzziness of sleep, a round, pale face with big glasses and pigtails floated behind her eyelids. Is she his daughter? Why deny being that cute little girl’s dad? And why so defensive about putting her on the news?

Billie yawned and rolled over. There was a story there. There had to be.

She lifted her head to see the clock on her nightstand. Nine thirty. She’d sleep six hours, then go back to the scene of the crash before dark and nose around a little. Maybe she could find a neighbor outside who knew the little girl. More importantly, maybe she could uncover why the big guy kept changing his story, and why he didn’t want that girl’s face on television. If he wasn’t her dad, who was he?

MEET THE AUTHOR


Natalie S. Ellis worked behind the scenes in TV news for sixteen years and will always miss the rush of a breaking story. But the seduction of writing a fiery romance with twisty suspense is even harder to resist, especially when she has a new curveball for the plot. Natalie enjoys living in her hometown of Fort Wayne, Indiana, and attributes her cheerful attitude to empty nesting, a supportive family, and way too many lattés.

Website: http://nataliesellis.com/
Facebook: http://facebook.com/NatalieSEllisNovels
Twitter: https://twitter.com/FearForHire

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