Today, I’m interviewing Allyson Lindt author of Holding her Close, part of her Bits and Bytes stories.

But first, let’s talk about her giveaway! Allyson will be awarding:

* Grand prize at the end of the four week tour – a Kindle paperwhite to one randomly drawn winner.
* Each week, one randomly drawn commenter will win a $10 Amazon GC

So be sure to enter, and click the banner to follow the rest of her tour for more chances to win!

Zach is haunted by ex-girlfriends. The day his fiancée dumped him, she also sold her shares of his multi-billion dollar corporation. On top of that, the girl who broke his heart in high school—the only woman he’s never been able to forget—is back in his life. She’s filling his business partner’s head with delusions of recovering from the hostile takeover, and haunting Zach’s most vivid fantasies. But Zach’s got a plan to solve half the problem: one night with her, and he can put the past behind him.

It’s been years since Rae talked to her high school sweetheart. But her best friend is his business partner, and running in the same circles has caught up to her. Rae is seeing Zach everywhere, including her explicit, rampant imagination. When he proposes a single night together for closure, she hopes it will be just what she needs to move on.

The past and the present intertwine as “Just this once” becomes “Just one more time.” When Rae discovers the solution to Zach’s business problems the entire situation becomes one giant knot. Can he trust her enough to risk his heart and livelihood a second time, or will experience convince him to walk away from everything?

Excerpt…

Zach locked the door, closed the remaining distance between them, and dipped his head. His lips hovered millimeters away, and then he kissed her.

The sensation was so light, Rae wasn’t sure she felt it. She leaned in, mouth opening, and a whimper escaped when he traced his tongue over her bottom lip. Every nerve ending was on fire, screaming for more. His hand rested at the base of her neck, holding her in place. He deepened the kiss, going from gentle to hungry in an instant.

His tongue twisted around hers in a desperate dance, and desire blossomed in her gut. God, this was incredible. Had it been like this before? No, neither of them had been so experienced. She rested her hands on his chest, heat searing her palms.

She fumbled to find her breath when they finally broke apart. His finger caressed her swollen lips, dancing over the sensitive flesh.

“You’re sure this is a good idea?” She didn’t want to question it, but she needed reassurance. Another voice to tell her the lust screaming through her veins wasn’t misplaced.

He nudged her back, hands on her hips, guiding her until she bumped into the desk. His soft growl echoed in her ear as he kissed along her lobe. “Possibly the best idea I’ve had all week.”

Author Bio and Links:

Allyson Lindt is a full-time geek and a fuller-time contemporary romance author. She prefers that her geeky heroes come with the alpha expansion pack and adores a heroine who can hold her own in a boardroom. She loves a sexy happily-ever-after and helping deserving cubicle dwellers find their futures together.

Find Allyson Lindt
Website: http://allysonlindt.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Allyson-Lindt/116062025108551
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AllysonLindt
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7024176.Allyson_Lindt
Amazon author page: https://www.amazon.com/author/allysonlindt

Buy Holding Her Close:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DFTUP94/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00DFTUP94&linkCode=as2&tag=itsalwabothej-20

Buy Conflict of Interest:
Liquid Silver Books: https://www.lsbooks.com/conflict-of-interest-p782.php
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CKYEPK0/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00CKYEPK0&linkCode=as2&tag=itsalwabothej-20
Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/conflict-of-interest-allyson-lindt/1115273894?ean=9781931761857
ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-conflictofinterest-1186277-149.html

Buy Toeing the Line:
Liquid Silver Books: https://www.lsbooks.com/toeing-the-line-p820.php
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00EN8QAMM/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00EN8QAMM&linkCode=as2&tag=itsalwabothej-20
All Romance eBooks: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-toeingtheline-1269561-149.html
Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/toeing-the-line-allyson-lindt/1116789055?ean=9781622100194

Buy Learning New Tricks:
Liquid Silver Books: https://www.lsbooks.com/learning-new-tricks-p862.php
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00HC1CZ3A/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00HC1CZ3A&linkCode=as2&tag=itsalwabothej-20
All Romance eBooks: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-learningnewtricks-1374823-149.html

What intrigues you about your book, Holding Her Close?
I’m fascinated by the idea of someone with an idea, a big, epic, sweeping idea, who comes from nothing and becomes something. Who has the strength and the power to pursue their dream and make it reality. In Holding Her Close that’s what the characters’ success is based on: following this powerful dream.

Who or what is your greatest writing influence?
There are two authors who influence my writing, and my drive to tell the stories I do, more than any other. Neil Gaiman and Richelle Mead. Two very different story-telling styles, and two unique and wonderful interpretations of the world.

When did you absolutely know that you had to be a writer?
I was talking about this the other day with my spouse. The question was “what did you want to be when you grew up?” I had a huge list. Astronaut, teacher, lawyer, photographer. Then she asked, “where’s writer in all that?” When I thought about it I realized it wasn’t in the list because it’s always been there. I’ve always just assumed I would write (always being since I was six or seven), regardless of what else I did with my life.

What was your favorite part of writing, Holding Her Close?
I’ve written and rewritten Holding Her Close so many times I can’t even count. My favorite part was finally finding the real story I wanted to tell underneath everything else I’d created. Peeling away the layers and digging out what the book has become.

What is your favorite aspect of reading a novel?
Falling into another world, and living it through someone else’s eyes. Feeling life the way they feel it, gaining new experiences, and losing myself in the alternate reality the author has created, whether it’s romantic, fantastic, or anything else.

Are you a plotter, a pantser, or both?
I’m a pretty solid combination of both. I can’t start writing unless I know where the beginning, middle, and end of my story are, and have a basic idea of how to get there, but the majority of the plotting I do gets tossed out the window once I actually get into the meat of the story and realize who my characters actually are, and how they’d really react in any given situation.

Do you have a certain theme in all of your novels?
That’s a tough question. I’d like to say something grand and sweeping like “down with Corporate America, up with dreams.” But my theme is more basic than that. I write about acceptance. Characters living in a world that they don’t quite think they fit in, who figure out where they belong somewhere along the way.

Do you have a specific writing style?
Err…um… I suppose so. I’ve been told I have a very distinct voice. And regardless of what I write, it always tends to be either contemporary or near future. I’m fond of sentence fragments, internal narration, and random acts of swearing.
Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp? Beyond the standard theme any of my books carry, I don’t tend to write to a message. I do hope that people will read Holding Her Close, enjoy it, and feel warm and fuzzy after they’re done.

Do you ever use your life experiences in your novels?
Absolutely. There’s always something there. In Holding Her Close, there are some heavy influences from past jobs. I’ve worked for a lot of companies over the years that have been bought out by bigger corporations. The changes don’t tend to be good, and the truly experienced employees get trampled in favor of ego and saving money.

If you were stranded on a deserted island and could only take one book with you, what would you take?
I’m going to steal this from something I saw the other day. “How to build a raft.”

If you were stranded on a deserted island and could only take one song with you, what would you take?
There’s one song I never skip, regardless of my mood. Cyndi Lauper’s Time After Time.

Are you working on any projects right now?
I’m working on a short story anthology with my critique partner, Sofia Grey, that’s loosely based on the Wizard of Oz. Right now we’re calling it Emerald City, but that’s more of a code name than anything. Thing sexy, futuristic with a hint of sci-fi, and retellings for Dorothy, the Tin Man, the Cowardly Lion, and the Scarecrow.

Do you see writing as a career?
I do. Right now, it’s a second job, and it’s a time consuming one. But I have goals for which books I need to write when, how quickly I need to finish them, and where I need to go next after I make my way through that list. I’m not a goal making person, so that’s a big deal for me. And of course, I wouldn’t complain if I was able to leave the day job behind in the next five years and make writing the primary job instead.

If you had the career of your choice, what would you choose and why?
Lol, writing. But outside of that? Something that allowed me to create (I’m assuming if I can pick any career, I can pick the skills to go with it too). Creating commercials, graphics, anything that allowed me to put the images in my head onto a medium where I could share them.

Do you recall how your interest in writing originated?
My mother was a writer. I remember watching her and thinking I wanted to do that. But I think more of it came from my love of reading. I would devour everything in the library, and then there wouldn’t be anything else left on the shelves that appealed to me, so I started to make the stories up in my head instead.

Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?
There’s always the self-doubt, the biggest challenge is ignoring that. Beyond that, description. I tend to write very sparsely, so it’s difficult for me to know what to include. My first drafts are frequently a lot of dialogue and read more like a screenplay than a novel. “Character yawns, is frustrated, says: why did you wake me up.”

What advice would you give to your younger self?
At the risk of sounding cliché, I’d tell my younger self that it gets better. That the way we deal with life determines as much about our future as the experience itself. Oh, and probably that she doesn’t need to max out that sixth credit card, or even the first one, because those jeans will be on clearance in just a few weeks.

Which famous person, living or dead would you like to meet and why?
I never know how to answer this question. So many people have these great answers of wise people throughout history they’d meet, and some incredible reasons for their logic. But I don’t have vast, epic, grandiose plans for the world, and I suspect the knowledge of those great people would be better spent on someone else. So instead, I’m going to say Joss Whedon. Because… that imagination… that could be fun to pick at for a while.

If you could have been the original author of any book, what would it have been and why?
Going back to the whole Neil Gaiman inspired my writing, I’d have to say American Gods. The concepts introduced, the story line, the way it all blends together into a compelling read, it’s the perfect balance of all the elements I enjoy in a book.

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