Straight Chatting from the Library: Kristina Mathews

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Kristina will be awarding $25 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner 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?

I loved reading Curious George books, The Boxcar Children, The Little House series, and many, many others. The first book I remember reading was The Big Brown Bear, a Little Golden Book. When I saw it at our school’s giveaway table, the reading specialist insisted I take it, since I had lost my copy after moving several times. Tell us about your current book in 10 words.

One night stand cures broken heart leading to true love.

Do you have any bad book habits?

I buy more books than I can possibly read. But I ran out once, before I got a Kindle, and I never want to have that experience again.

E-Reader or print? and why?

Yes please. The format of a book isn’t as important as its contents. I’ll read paperbacks, Kindle books, iBooks on my phone. I would love to get one of those Kobo Aura eReaders that are water resistant, since I like to read in the tub. I used to read anything, magazines, cereal boxes, shampoo bottles, but as my eyesight suffers from natural aging, I have a hard time with small print so I read more on my Kindle or phone these days.

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

I will use just about anything as a bookmark, including other books. I also have been known to place paperbacks face down (don’t hate me) but never with a library book.

Least favorite book you've read this year?

Some of stories I had to read with my students were difficult for me. I think the Grimms’ fairy tale of the Three Spinsters was the hardest. I didn’t remember it from my childhood, but it was basically the story of a spoiled daughter who was given the task of spinning a room full of flax and then she’d marry the prince. The girl was too lazy to know how to spin so she got three spinsters (women who spun for a living, but also single old ladies) to do the work for her in exchange for attendance at the wedding. The three women each bore disfigurements due to their years of hard work, a fat lip from licking the flax, a large thumb from spinning the twine, and a flat food from using the treadle. The prince saw these ladies who posed as the girl’s cousins and said she would never have to spin because he didn’t want her to become ugly. It was the only time I ever thought about walking out on my day job as a para educator.

When do you do most of your reading?

I indulge in a nightly bath, and get most of my reading done in the tub. It’s about the only way to get uninterrupted reading time. I felt a little guilty during drought years, but since we got rid of our lawn fifteen years ago, I gave myself some slack.

Favorite genre?

I used to read more widely, but I now stick mostly to Romance, especially Contemporary. I have come to the point in my life that if a book doesn’t promise a happy ending, I don’t need to read it. Unless it’s a book on making my writing stronger.

What would make you not finish a book?

The last book I couldn’t finish was a romance in which the “hero” literally picked up the heroine and carried her out of her place of employment. That’s not romantic, it’s a felony. I also have a hard time with a book that opens with the heroine looking into a mirror and describing her looks. And a author has to have a really strong voice for me to enjoy a book written in the first person POV.

Keep books or give them away?

My husband bought me a Kindle because I had, in his opinion, too many books. It was cheaper than buying a bigger house. I do sometimes donate books to the thrift store, but it’s very difficult to get rid of my books.

READ THE BLURB

The sweetest revenge . . .

He’s the Swift brother who got left behind, the son abandoned by his father. Now Kyle Swift is a man determined to destroy the whitewater rafting empire built by the half-brothers he never knew, the Swift sons who got the life—and the love—he was denied. Seducing Fisher Jones isn’t part of his revenge, but sharing a bed with the beautiful whitewater instructor is the one bright spot in his otherwise dark plan. That is, if he manages not to fall for the sad-eyed beauty . . .

Fearless when it comes to facing even the most daunting river rapids, Fisher never takes chances with her love life—until the night she gets swept away by a sexy stranger. But when her one-night stand unexpectedly shows up in her whitewater class, Fisher faces her greatest challenge yet: keeping her heart safe from a man determined to put an end to the family business—and the life—she holds dear. . .

READ AN EXCERPT

When it was his turn, Kyle was determined to make a good impression. On his fellow students, but mostly on his instructor. He wouldn’t be too cautious or too cocky. He would show that he’d been paying attention, soaking in Fisher’s words of encouragement and instruction.

He gave the commands. “Forward paddle. Stop. Left back.”

His crew did exactly as he instructed. The raft was perfectly positioned. Except the current was faster than he anticipated. They were headed straight toward the rock in the middle of the rapid. He used his paddle to make a correction, but he dug in a little too deep and he managed to spin them three hundred sixty degrees around. They hit the rock dead on, and the front of the boat lifted in the air, almost vertical, and everyone went flying into the river.

Well, not everyone. Kyle felt himself being jerked backward and tossed to the floor of the boat like a fish. He scrambled to a sitting position and found Fisher was maneuvering the raft through the rapid.

“I’m sorry. I guess I screwed up.” Kyle couldn’t remember the last time he’d admitted to a mistake. He’d made plenty, but never admitted them. But for some reason, he knew Fisher already knew he was in over his head, and she’d call bullshit if he tried to deny it.

“Help pull the crew back in,” she commanded as they came alongside the swimmers. “We’ll talk about it when everyone can benefit.”

Leia was the closest and Kyle was able to get her aboard; then she helped pull Brett into the raft while Fisher grabbed Nolan.

“Well, that was interesting.” Nolan shook his head and ran his fingers through his wet hair.

“Kyle has just demonstrated the dump truck move.” Somehow, Fisher kept her cool. Made it almost seem normal. “And the important thing is that he was able to account for all the passengers.”

What a loser. Instead of impressing her, he nearly drowned his fellow students.

MEET THE AUTHOR

Kristina Mathews doesn't remember a time when she didn't have a book in her hand. Or in her head. But it wasn't until she turned forty that she confessed the reason the laundry never made it out of the dryer was because she was busy writing.

While she resigned from teaching with the arrival of her second son, she's remained an educator in some form. As a volunteer, parent club member or para educator, she finds the most satisfaction working with emergent and developing readers, helping foster confidence and a lifelong love of books. She proudly tells her students that she writes romance novels that they can read when they're older.

Kristina lives in Northern California with her husband of more than twenty years, two sons and a black lab. A veteran road tripper, amateur renovator and sports fanatic. She hopes to one day travel all 3,073 miles of Highway 50 from Sacramento, CA to Ocean City, MD, replace her carpet with hardwood floors, and throw out the first pitch for the San Francisco Giants.

WEBSITE: www.kristinamathews.com
FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/kristinamathewsauthor
TWITTER: twitter.com/KristinaMathews
AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE: https://amazon.com/author/kristinamathews
GOODREADS: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7870884.Kristina_Mathews
BOOK BUB: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/kristina-mathews

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