Personal Asset by Kelsey Browning-Interview, Blog Tour and Giveaway

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INTERVIEW with Kelsey Browning

Kelsey Browning writes sass kickin’ love stories full of hot heroes, saucy heroines and spicy romance. Originally from a Texas town smaller than the ones she writes about, Kelsey has also lived in the Middle East and Los Angeles, proving she’s either adventurous or downright nuts. These days, she hangs out in northeast Georgia with Tech Guy, Smarty Boy, Bad Dog and Pharaoh, a Canine Companions for Independence puppy. She’s currently at work on the next book in her Texas Nights series and The Granny Series. Give her a shout at Kelsey@KelseyBrowning.com or drop by www.KelseyBrowning.com. For info on her upcoming releases, subscribe to her Sass Kickin’ News.

Interview-RED

TRC: Hi Kelsey and welcome to The Reading Café. Congratulations on the release of PERSONAL ASSETS.

Kelsey: Thanks so much for having me!

TRC: We would like to start with some background information. Would you please tell us something about yourself?

Kelsey Browning Kelsey: Oh, that’s an open invitation for a girl from Texas who can talk your ear off. I’m a Virgo, have a psychological allergy to green peas and am raising a puppy for Canine Companions for Independence. (How’s that for brevity and sneaking in more than one thing??)

TRC: Your bio states that you have travelled all over the world. Which destination was your favorite ? Which destination was the least attractive or favorite? Why?

Kelsey: Wow – tough question. I tell people the most beautiful place I never knew I wanted to visit is Sri Lanka. The people are incredibly friendly and their country is gorgeous even after the tsunami in 2005. Last summer, we stayed at a guesthouse in Arugam Bay that had been almost wiped out in the storm and then rebuilt after.

Least favorite…probably Kuwait City. We were living in the Middle East at the time and Kuwait City was an even more even more stark landscape than the city where we lived. While in KC, we stayed in a hotel that had been completely bombed out in the first Gulf War. They had a glass case that held a huge shell casing, a melted telephone and other evidence of the bombing. Interesting, but eerie. Very eerie.

TRC: PERSONAL ASSETS is your latest release. Would you please tell us something about the book?

Kelsey: Personal Assets is a contemporary romance about a sex therapist who wants to shake things up around her small Texas town and a man who’s recently returned to his hometown to restore classic cars. Allie propositions Cameron to a no-strings affair, and he can’t believe the town’s princess would stoop to sleeping with the kid of the town drunk. But Allie is trying to find her inner bad girl, and in the process, finds love with a man who has to learn she doesn’t want him to take care of her.

TRC: How many books do you plan for the TEXAS NIGHTS series? Will any or all of the storyline characters interact with each successive novel?

Kelsey: There are four books in the Texas Nights series. I originally planned three, but a new heroine emerged from book two. Readers will be introduced to six of the main characters in Personal Assets. In Running the Red Light, readers will be introduced to Ashton Davenport and her hero. Of course, readers will see all the characters in each book, but the focus will be on the current hero and heroine. Readers can find out more about the other books in the Texas Nights series here.

TRC: What challenges or difficulties (e.g. logistical, research etc) did you encounter writing this particular storyline?

Kelsey: The biggest challenge I had at the time I first wrote Personal Assets (several years ago) was I was living out of the US in a Muslim country. If the country’s government considered a website too explicit, it would be blocked/censored from view. That sometimes made it hard to research sexual topics – LOL.

TRC: Are any of the characters or experiences based on events in real life? Or are they an amalgamation of many characters and your imagination?

Kelsey: Oh, I think our subconscious is always collecting and then developing characteristics based on what we’ve seen. We just don’t know it—and can’t always recognize it—on the surface. What I have found, however, is that my books have a common theme around reconciling yourself with home and homecoming. I’m originally from a small town in Texas and I have a real love/hate relationship with the place. I left for college when I was 18, and although I visited, I never lived there again. I think I’ve been trying to reconcile myself with my original home and my adult homes ever since.

TRC: If you could change something about yourself personal or professional, what would it be and why?

Kelsey: I’d wave a magic wand and give myself a big old helping of patience.

TRC: Who or what has been the biggest influence in your life and why?

Kelsey: Too many people to name, probably. But here are a few:
My mom – everything happens for a reason
My dad – you can do anything you want
My husband – always find a reason to say yes
My sister – we’re stronger than anyone can imagine

TRC: Is there a question that you would like to be asked in an interview, but nobody has asked? If so, ask away!

Kelsey: Yow – I used to ask this all the time when I interviewed people. It’s harder when it’s turned back on you. How about What did you love most about writing the Texas Nights series? Characters, characters, characters! I’m a totally character-driven writer. And shh…don’t tell anyone I said this, but secondary characters are often more fun to write than the hero and heroine because the author doesn’t have to be so darn careful with character arc and relationship arc. It’s easier to just let things fly with the secondaries!

TRC: What five things would you like to accomplish in the next ten years?

Kelsey:
Write and publish another 25+ books
Live overseas again
See my son off into his own fabulous world
Become a better storyteller
Return to public speaking

TRC: What are your thoughts on book reviews-good or bad?

Kelsey: I think reviews allow authors to glean important tidbits about what readers love about their work. They can also discover what’s missing in their writing. But I think an author can’t take every word to heart. Not all books are made for all readers. I have to keep that in mind.

TRC: Many authors bounce ideas with family and friends, as well as other authors. With whom do you bounce ideas and information?

Kelsey: I have a plotting group—made up of authors Tracey Devlyn, Adrienne Giordano, and editor and all-around-girl-Friday, Theresa Stevens. I’d be lost without them. When I need technical help—like how to get out of a locked storage closet door—I go to my husband, who’s an engineer. He rocks at that kind of stuff.

TRC: If you could be a contestant on a television ‘reality’ program, which show would you like to be a participant and why?

Kelsey: Yikes, is there a reality show about drinking coffee and wearing PJ bottoms? If so, that’s the one I want. Don’t know that I could do it, but Tech Guy (my husband) and Smarty Boy (my son) have a yen to go on Survivor.

TRC: On what are you currently working?

Kelsey: I’m currently working on edits for Problems in Paradise—the third book in the Texas Nights series, writing Designs to Die For (#4) and working on the release of In For a Penny, a humorous women’s fiction/cozy suspense I co-wrote with the amazing Nancy Naigle. It’s the first book in The Granny Series and will be out in November. Here’s the tagline, just to give readers a taste of that series: They’re just like Dirty Harry—only over 50, female and from the South!

TRC: Would you like to add anything else?

Kelsey: I love to hear from readers, so feel free to shoot me a note at Kelsey@KelseyBrowning.com!

LIGHTNING ROUND
Favorite Food – Is Chardonnay a food?
Favorite Dessert – Just one? Fine, tiramisu
Favorite TV Show – Castle
Last Movie You Saw – Despicable Me
Dark or Milk Chocolate – Dark. Oh, who am I kidding?? BOTH!

TRC: Thank you Kelsey for taking the time to answer our questions. We wish you all the best with PERSONAL ASSETS.

Kelsey: Thanks so much for y’all’s hospitality!

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Personal Assets
Texas Nights #1
by Kelsey Browning
Release Date: August 26, 2013

Personal Assets

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Amazon.uk/ Barnes and Noble / KOBO /

Sex therapist Allie Shelby has the professional credentials, but she could use a bit more practical experience. Finding the right man to bring out her inner bad girl is tough in a population-challenged Texas town. So when sinfully sexy Cameron Wright rolls back into Shelbyville, Allie wastes no time inviting him to join her in some hands-on research.
But while her personal life heats up, Allie’s business is about to crash and burn. And she has to convince Cameron that she’s one princess who’s not looking for a prince to ride to her rescue.

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