I’m pleased to have author Anna James here today to give us some background on herself and her novel entitled Guilty As Charged, the first in The Bradford Sisters Trilogy. She has graciously provided an excerpt for this contemporary romance and I hope everyone will take the time to read it, and feel free to comment on the interview and/or the excerpt.
Q) So, Anna, how did you come up with the concept for Guilty As Charged?
A) Guilty As Charged started with the idea: What would do if you had a secret from your past that came back to bite in rear end when you had finally gotten your life back on track?
Q) Are there bits and pieces of you in Nicole?
A) Nicole would like to be a clothing designer, which is something I am interested in. I took a design course in high school and loved it. I used to make a lot of my own cloths and make the design my own by mixing and matching pattern pieces.
Q) Did you know when you wrote this story that it would be the first in a trilogy?
A) Not at first. It wasn’t until I was well into writing it that I decided to write stories about the other two sisters.
Q) If this book became a movie, who do you envision as the actors portraying Nicole and Max? A) Nicole Bradford – Rachel McAdams
Max Paradis – Greg Vaughan
Thank you Anna for taking time out of your busy schedule to visit and share with my readers. I wish you the best of luck. Anna has a great surprise for one lucky reader. She is offering one copy of Guilty As Charged to the thirtieth commenter. You have one week to submit a comment and the winner will be contacted with details.
Please keep reading. Below is the excerpt we promised, along with more info on Anna James, and her romantic mystery, Guilty As Charged. And Anna will return December 22, 2011, to provide a character interview of her upcoming book, Shattered Dreams, book two of The Bradford Sisters Trilogy.
The door to Reed’s office burst open, crashing against the adjoining wall. Reed looked up. Nicole turned to see who had made all the noise. Max stood in the opening, a thunderous expression on his face.
“Well, big brother, what can we do for you?” Reed queried in a casual tone.
Max didn’t answer; he just stood glaring at Nicole.
“M–Max, you’re home early.”
“Surprise,” he said sarcastically.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” Reed asked.
Instead of answering, he strode into the room and stopped in front of Nicole.
Suddenly, she was on full alert. She noticed the large manila envelope in his hand. The letterhead on the front made her sick with shock.
“Care to explain this?” he drawled, his tone at odds with the aggression emanating from every fiber of his being.
“What is it?” Reed asked a confused look on his face.
It was what she feared most. Legal documents, containing, no doubt, her arrest record and everything else about that horrible incident that had happened so long ago.
“Well?” Max asked ominously.
Nicole couldn’t speak. What could she say? It was all there in black and white.
After several moments of electrifying silence, Max turned his attention to Reed. “Are you aware you’ve hired a convicted felon, little brother?”
“I am not a convicted felon.”
He turned toward her. “I stand corrected, you were never convicted, however¾” Nicole made to speak, but Max overrode her efforts. His attention was on Reed again as he continued. “As I was saying, are you aware that you’ve hired a drug smuggler?”
Reed’s eyes opened wide and Nicole cringed in her seat.
She shot to her feet. “That’s enough. You know nothing about what happened.”
“Oh, you’re ex-lover Carlo was more than happy to tell me what happened when he met me at the airport this morning. He told me what you’re really like. You present this sweet, innocent façade to the world, but these—” He picked up one of the documents that lay strewn across the desk and threw it at her. “These tell the truth about who you really are.”
“Max, you can’t be serious. There’s got to be some mistake.”
“There’s no mistake, little brother. See, she’s not even going to deny it.”
Nicole glared at him, furious now, her body shaking with anger. “You think just because…” Her voice trailed off. She threw her hands in the air, a gesture of defeat, and then slumped into her chair. What was the use in trying to explain? He wasn’t going to believe her. No one had believed her before. No matter how hard she had tried to convince them that she was innocent of any wrongdoing. She stood again and addressed Reed. “You’ll have my resignation on your desk tomorrow morning. I’m sorry.” She turned and walked out the door with her head held high.
Author Bio:
I, Anna James, am a romance novel junkie! I love to write stories that allow women to take a break from everyday life and get lost in a world filled with passion, drama and romance! Although I have been writing for more than twelve years now, I wasn’t published until July 2010. I have 6 novel / novellas currently available and a novel scheduled to be released in January 2012. Feel free to check out my website at http://www.annajamesromance.com, or visit me at: https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Anna-James-Author-of-Contemporary-Romance-Novels/129394040447020
Currently Available:
#Isabella’s Dilemma
http://www.sugarnspicepress.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=81
#Christmas Collectibles – “A Picture Perfect Christmas”
http://www.melange-books.com/authors/anthologies/christmascollectibles.html
#Guilty As Charged – Book 1 Bradford Sisters Trilogy
http://www.sugarnspicepress.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=10&products_id=123
#Coming Home
http://www.melange-books.com/authors/annajames/jamescominghome.html
#Shattered Dreams – Book 2 Bradford Sisters Trilogy
http://www.sugarnspicepress.com
Coming January 29, 2012 from Melange-Books:
#To Love and Trust Again
http://www.melange-books.com/authors/annajames/annajames.html
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