Robena Grant’s Launch Party

           

Robena Grant’s launch party starts…..Now!
Hi everyone, thanks for joining me in celebrating the launch of Robena Grant’s debut novel, Unlock The Truth.   

 

I think this great cover tells a lot about Robena’s fabulous tale, but here’s the fantastic back cover blurb:

Dena Roman needs closure. Three months ago, her sister’s murdered body was found in the California desert. When a second body is found at the same site, Dena jeopardizes her public relations position to go undercover and investigate. But falling for the main suspect isn’t part of her plan.

Zeke Cabrera needs help. He sold a portion of his family’s Three C’s Estates to keep his citrus farm afloat, but when bodies are unearthed on the site, he’s suspected of murder. Help comes in the form of a communications expert who makes all the difference in his life and business—and in his heart.

Amidst an attack on her life and run-ins with a cantankerous foreman, Dena digs for the truth, even as she forms a strong bond with Zeke. But can their newly found love survive all the deep secrets hidden at the Three C’s Estates?

Welcome Robena! First off, I think we are all dying to know where you were, what you were wearing, and what dance you performed when you got THE CALL?

I got an email from the editor, at The Wild Rose Press, who had been assigned to the earlier stages of the query process. Knowing me and the time of year, I’m certain I would have been wearing one of my “lucky writing” summer dresses. They hide a multitude of sins and you don’t have to wear a bra. I was seated at the computer, and I do remember leaping out of the chair and running around the house grinning like a fool. I was most likely doing some version of the white man’s overbite, or the funky chicken…you know, picture old lady dancing.

Maybe with enough alcohol we’ll get you to recreate that unique dance for us in Atlanta next summer. I bet you felt like dancing again when you found out your books were being picked up by Amazon’s KDP program before your release date. How did that come about?

The KDP Select program is something the publisher is trying out for some of the authors. It’s an opportunity to reach more readers via the big machine that is Amazon. After the Amazon three month exclusive, the full release: print and all digital formats, will happen on May 10th.

 So Unlock the Truth is the first in a series of books all set in the California desert? Because I have to say, your love for this area really shined through! I felt like I was right there, feeling the heat on my shoulders right along with Zeke and Dena.

Yes. Desert Heat series (spin offs, really): #1 Unlock the Truth, #2 The Blue Dolphin, #3 Desert Exposure. (My Golden Heart finalist book was #3 and it will be available later in 2013.) I’ve lived in the Coachella Valley in Southern California’s desert communities for about eight years. It’s definitely an oasis, and despite the intense heat in summer it’s a delightful climate. I never knew I would grow fantastic roses, or have grapefruit, tangelo, and lemon trees with such an abundance of fruit.

After reading this great book, I’d like to know if you’ve ever been in the backseat of a police car? (For research purpose only, of course ;0)

Ha ha! Nope. But I did interview a local deputy from the Riverside County Sheriffs’ Department. He was disappointed that I gave the town the fictional name of Rancho Almagro. I told him that was about karma, and not wanting to bring crime into my home town. He kept asking me questions and then giving me ideas…it was like he wanted to write the book.

Were you one of those overly bright children who could write complete plays and act them out by the first grade, or did your characters start talking to you later in life?

We used to create plays. I have three brothers and three sisters, so yeah, we had a full cast. : ) I was the creator because I had the greatest knack for stretching the truth. But writing novels came to me late in life.

So tell us a little about your road to publication. Long and bumpy, or short and sweet?

Long. I’ve been kicking around RWA for ten years. I’d attempted to get published the traditional way, believing I should be published by a big NYC publishing house, or it wouldn’t count. It hit me in late 2011 that I was hanging on to a dream that maybe wasn’t mine. That I only thought it was. In January 2012, I sent out my first small press inquiry to The Wild Rose Press. Within six weeks that inquiry progressed to a full manuscript request. Then the GH final, then the first contract arrived, followed shortly after by the second and third contracts. I’ve been so busy ever since that I haven’t had time to pursue finding an agent.

Lastly, where do your story ideas come from? Sorry, just being a brat. We all cringe when our friends ask that question, right?  What I really want to know is what we can look forward to seeing from you in the future?

I’ve always been a thinker and a daydreamer. Most of my ideas come from when I’m out walking around the lake. I have two contemporary romances written, and one in rough draft. They’re what I call international adventure stories with a little thread of magical realism. A change of genre definitely, so, this might be where an agent would be of most help.

I really enjoyed this book so I’m looking forward to all that and more, Robena! Thanks for sharing your good news with us today.

Okay Firebirds and friends, here’s your chance to win your very own signed copy/ or electronic version of this fantastic book. Just leave a comment or say hi and you’ll be entered in our drawing.

 

You can contact Robena at:  robenagrant@aol.com

Or check out her web page at: http://robenagrant.com/