Hi, M.J., welcome and congratulations on your new release. Thanks for being my guest today!
Nickelback knew it. They knew it and made a lot of money off of it. ‘Cause we all just want to be rock stars. Why else is karaoke such a popular past time? So what is it about those rockers? Is it the fact that they have that guitar slung so tantalizingly over their lower regions, swaying to the beat? Is it the whole bad boy image? The forbidden fruit? Come on, girls, you know that boy’s got some moves in the bedroom!
Maybe it’s the gravelly voice? My kind of music has a lot of that heavy rock, scratchy-voiced singing. My husband, who doesn’t care for that kind of music, thinks it is hysterical to say, nearly every time I turn one of my favorites on, “Sounds like he needs a throat lozenge.” Or he’ll simply cough over a muttered, “throat lozenge.” He’s so cute! Or at least he thinks he is. ( ;
But what I hear in that voice is a kind of animalistic growling that I’d love to hear in my ear while I’m tangled up with him in…never mind. I just want to hear it in my ear, is all. It awakens something primal in me! And then there’s the image of the artist. The misunderstood soul who can only express himself through his music. The lone wolf, the rebel. This appeals to another side of me, the nurturing side. The side that wants to wrap that bad boy up in a hug and soothe away all his cares. *sigh* And then get tangled up with him while…but I digress.
The rock star in my newest book, TRAPPED UNDER ICE, is this and so much more. He’s tall, lean, and has well-toned arms and abs. He’s damaged, tortured, in need of understanding. Chad Evans grew up in an abusive home and is still haunted by violent memories. Memories that seem to live in his nerves, keeping him constantly on edge. Like a pacing panther. Grrowwl!
Who to pair him up with then? A lunch lady. I’m sure that’s what came to your mind, right? ‘Cause face it, what could be hotter than love between a rock star and a lunch lady? (The fact that I work at my day job as a lunch lady is merely coincidence. As is the fact that my heroine’s house looks like mine, she drives the same make of car and, oh, she’s a romance writer, too. Come on! There’s got to be loads of lunch lady/romance writers out there). Anyway, to continue. Beth Donovan is everything Chad is not. A mother. Sweet, caring, fun. But she’s got another side to her, too. The side with enormous sex appeal. The side that carries its own scars.
TRAPPED UNDER ICE released on February 8. You know you just gotta find out how this all turns out!
In the meantime, here’s my blurb:
TRAPPED UNDER ICE is a novel about a three time platinum record-producing band whose lead singer, Chad Evans, is haunted by his past. Growing up in an abusive home, then being left alone at the age of thirteen to raise his kid brother, Chad still fights the pain he felt as a child, and the anger it causes, despite being a wildly successful rock star. “Chad [tries] to play his heart out on the stage; but he [can] never quite seem to leave it there.”
Beth Donovan, lunch lady/writer, is thrilled to be enjoying a Trapped Under Ice concert with her daughter, Cassie. Even though it has been three years since her husband Paul’s death, sorrow still shadows her life, so the distraction of seeing her favorite group is a welcome one. However, when the concert is over, Beth and her daughter are followed and attacked by two men in one of the stadium’s bathrooms. When Chad and his bodyguard, Pete, come to their aid, an attraction sparks immediately between Beth and the tall singer.
Though the pair is drawn to each other, the relationship goes through numerous trials centered on Chad’s unresolved anger, and Beth’s fear of opening herself up again. But just as they seem to be working through their problems, they face being separated forever by someone who is sending Chad death threats. Will Chad and Beth be able to rise above these trials and tribulations? Or will they remain forever trapped under ice?
And don’t you worry men, I’ve got a female rocker, Jasmine Barret, coming out later in my Rocking Romance Collection. You’re just going to have to read about Jazz and her handsome detective, Heath!
What about you? Harboring a rock star fantasy of your own? Or maybe you’re into cowboys? Or your heart belongs to firefighters? Tell us all about it. Every juicy detail! But keep it clean. ( ;
Excerpt:
The boat was underway and they watched in silence as it passed through the glimmering reflection of The Arch in the water. Beth rested on the rail, and Chad stood behind her with his hands grasping the bar on either side of her. The wind blew their hair softly, and she shivered, regretting her decision to leave her coat in the car.
“Are you cold?” he asked, taking his hands from the rail to rub her arms.
His touch felt so good, she found herself leaning back against him and closing her eyes. How long had it been since she felt a man’s touch? She turned to peek up at him. She had to know if he felt the same way she did.
Chad took his hands from her arms and placed his fingers behind her neck. She froze, unsure of what he was doing. He gently rubbed his thumbs across her mouth, his eyes taking in the delicate curve of her lips as he touched them. Then, his eyes lifted to hers, and she saw in them anguish and need and pain and…something more. He bent closer, inch by inch, tantalizing her as she craned her neck, rising up on her toes to reach him. His lips finally claimed hers with a rush.
His lips felt, oooh, so good, and she realized for the first time how wonderfully full they were. With a moan that filled them both, he kissed her more deeply, his tongue exploring her mouth, his hands sliding down to pull her closer. When he finally pulled away, she almost cried out in protest.
Where she was hearing Paul’s voice earlier, Chad now heard a harsher voice, his father’s. You’re not good enough for this girl, Chad. She’s outta your league. Find yourself one of your usual floozies. You need a little one-night action. You’re incapable of true love. You’ll wind up hurting her in the end.
This was the thought that truly terrified him, but it was as if he couldn’t help being drawn to her. There was something there he couldn’t define.
Bio:
MJ is a lunch lady in the heart of Central Illinois. My gosh, can you get more folksy than that? She met her husband at the University of Missouri-Columbia and now she has an eighteen-year-old (how did that happen?) and sixteen year old triplets! She loves to read, karaoke (where she can pretend she is a rock star) and spends WAY too much time on Facebook. She grew up in St. Louis, where the book begins, and still has family there.
babettejames.com 
Hey, Babette! Thanks for hosting me today! I had a lot of fun writing this post!
I loved this book. If you like rock stars, give it a try!
-R.T. Wolfe
**Sigh** such a good story! I need to read it again.
Love your blog, by the way. Very pretty and well-organized!
Thanks, RT and Eryn! So nice to see you here and I appreciate your kind words! Have a fabulous start to your week!