Welcome Guest Amie Louellen

Fellow Wild Rose Press author, Amie Louellen, is visiting here today to share a little about herself and her current release, Love Potion Me, Baby.

Amie Louellen loves nothing more than a good book. Except for her family…and maybe homemade tacos…and shoes. But reading and writing are definitely high on the list. When she’s not creating quirky characters and happy endings she enjoys going to little league baseball games and boy scout meetings. Born and bred in Mississippi, Amie is a transplanted Southern Belle who now lives in Oklahoma with her deputy husband, their genius son, a spoiled cat, and one very hyper beagle.

Congratulations on the release of Love Potion Me, Baby from The Wild Rose Press! Tell us about the story.

The Blurb
Suzanne Rose never intended for Brice Van Sant to drink a cup of her homemade herbal shampoo. And she certainly didn’t expect an impromptu marriage proposal from the hunky CEO.

After an incredible wedding night, Brice wakes unable to remember his bride’s name or why he proposed.

Too late they realize the bright blue shampoo is responsible. Almost like…a love potion!

Brice doesn’t believe in love. But as chief executive of the area’s largest pharmaceutical company, he needs that formula. He strong-arms Suzanne into reproducing it for him, demanding that she pretend they are happily married until it’s recovered.

As Suzanne struggles to remember the shampoo’s ingredients and forget their perfect wedding night, she finds herself falling for her husband. Can she convince Brice that love is a chance worth taking before she loses her heart to him forever

How do you come up with ideas?

I have a muse, and she talks to me so much that I had to give her a name. Well, I tried to give her the name Hazel. Because, hey, that’s a fun name. But she insists that I call her Shirley. Shirley is both the angel and the devil who sit on my shoulders and whisper nice and naughty ideas to me. She’s the one who says “what if…?” “And wouldn’t it be funny if…?” And “there’s a story here, do you see it?” Shirley has been known to get me into trouble and leave me when the going gets tough. But I have to put up with her because I need all the “what ifs” that turn into books.

Where do you start when writing? Research, plotting, character, or…?

I’m a hardcore plotter, sometimes writing thirty (yes, 3-0) pages of notes before I even get started. I start writing when the opening scene comes to me, and sometimes I have to back track a lot on those first pages if I haven’t plotted enough when the scene arrives. I do keep a separate file for research questions. I find that if I stop writing long enough to look something up, then I’ll get on the web and oh, see that? And oooo, what about this? Let me just pick up my email real quick and Pinterest is only a click away. Next thing I know, two hours have passed. So I just keep writing. I can research it later.

What did you learn from writing your first book or what do you wish you’d known before becoming published?

I just wish I’d known. But that’s not even possible. It’s kinda like being a parent. You can’t tell a pregnant mother what it feels like to hold your child, or the things you learn by trial and error, the mistakes you make and the “ah-ha” moments when you understand the beauty of it all. You just have to experience it.

What is your favorite scene from this story and why?

I love every inch of this book, but I think my favorite scene is when Suzanne comes home to Brice’s mansion and steps into chaos. When she takes inventory of the foyer she turns to Brice and says, “Whose dog?” And he replies, “How should I know? I just live here.” Yep, that about sums up how far out of control Brice’s life has become. I didn’t have the heart to break it to him— it’s only going to get worse!

How do you balance writing and everyday life?

There is no balance. When I’m spending time with the fam, I keep thinking of deadlines and release dates and blog posts and BOOKS that I should be working on. And when I’m writing I can’t help but think of dirty bathrooms and dishes piled in the sink and heaps of laundry. Not to mention the movies I want to watch with my DH and prodigy, or the board games I want to play with them, books we want to read together. And the dog. Did anyone go check on the dog today? Really and truly, there is no balance.

Where is your favorite place in the world?

St Croix in the US Virgin Islands. For those who aren’t familiar with the Caribbean, St Croix is the largest of the Virgin Islands and is a hop, skip, and a short plane ride away from Puerto Rico. My husband and I were fortunate enough to live there (pre-“let’s have a baby. I’ll be fun!”) and had the time of our lives. We still talk about going back. I especially love it because it’s where I started writing seriously. The sea is almost as good of a muse as Shirley.

What do you like to read?

I love romances! Give me a man and a woman and a happily ever after, and I’m set. If it’s humorous, all the better. I love marriages of inconvenience. (As I’m sure y’all can tell). But there’s something inherently funny and charming about getting a mismatched couple married and watching them struggle. Maybe because their struggles are different from the average couple—electric bill, car payments, and which side of the bed to sleep on. No, they have to worry about Who is this person I married? What have I done? And how am I going to get out of it? But of course they never do. That’s the beauty of romance!

Do you have any good news you’d like to share?

As a matter of fact I do. I actually have two release dates this year—Love Potion Me, Baby and Ten Reasons Not to Date a Cop which will be released in November. There’s more information about my second release on my website: www.amielouellen.com

These are few of my favorite things:
1. cupcakes
2. the beach—any beach
3. coffee

Excerpt:

She smiled, and Brice felt the warmth go straight through him. She had a home-town, girl-next-door look that somehow made a man forget things he was better off remembering. Like the promises Brice had made to himself when his father left. Like the fact that if he made love to Suzanne again it would be disastrous for everyone involved.

Let her go, his internal voice commanded.

Brice’s legs started to move, his feet taking step after step until he reached her side.

“I had fun,” she replied.

Tell her goodnight. And walk away.

“You’re a natural,” he said instead. “You should play more often.”

“Maybe I will.”

He could see questions in her eyes, questions he didn’t want to answer.

Without permission from his brain, his hand reached up and loosened the towel covering her hair. Damp, copper-colored curls, sprang free from their confinement and bounced across his fingers. “Maybe you will,” he repeated.

Turn away. And whatever you do, don’t kiss her.

“Tell me to stop,” Brice demanded in a husky whisper as his head lowered closer and closer toward her luscious mouth. “Tell me.”

“I can’t,” she said and raised her lips to meet his.

Brice could no more prevent the kiss than he could re-route the sun. The caress was destiny or fate or serendipity. Kismet. It was out of his control. Never before had anything taken such complete command of his mind and body. Nothing except for a cup of blue shampoo and its redheaded maker who haunted his every waking moment.

You can find Amie around the web at:
Website: www.amielouellen.com
Blog: www.amielouellen.wordpress.com
Twitter: @AmieLouellen
Facebook: AmieLouellenAuthor
Love Potion Me, Baby at The Wild Rose Press