A Spanking Across the Beer Bar with Deanndra Hall

Welcome Deanndra Hall to the beer bar everyone! I heard about Deanndra through a mutual fan who recommended I give her "Love Under Construction" series a try. I did...and you can read my review of books 1 & 2 below the interview.




Liz: Welcome to my bar Deanndra, what can I pour for you to start?
D: Hmmmm, let’s see . . . I always up for a good IPA or a lager. And I have a thing for  Thai beer! So if you’ve got a Singha, I’ll take that.
Liz: Cool, I can handle that. I've had a hell of a week so I'm sticking with my Basil Hayden bourbon, straight.  I love meeting authors from my home state (a.k.a. God’s Country—Kentucky). Tell Liz land a little bit about the Western end of the state and how it plays into your novels.
D: Far western Kentucky is odd in that it’s actually the confluence of five rivers and almost as many states. We’re just minutes from Tennessee, Illinois, and Missouri, and just a couple of hours from Indiana and Arkansas. It’s full of farms and small towns, with Paducah being the largest. But in truth, the Jackson Purchase region, as our area is known, doesn’t make much of an appearance in my books. In the first Love Under Construction book, Laying a Foundation, we find out that Nikki grew up in Murray, home of Murray State University (my kids’ alma mater), which is about 45 minutes from where I am in Paducah. But with one kid in Louisville and the other in Mount Sterling just east of Lexington, and having spent time in Newport when one of them lived there, everything between Paducah and Ashland is fair game for me. I’ve always lived here, and my guy is a river captain on the Ohio River.
Liz: Ok, so here is the funny "small world" moment. I spent nearly every summer of my life at my grandparents's house on Kentucky Lake in Murray. I learned to drive between their house and "town" (Murray). My cousins grew up in Paducah. My father and brother attended Murray State. I attended the University of Louisville and grew up in South East Kentucky, about an hour and a half south of Lexington myself and married a Louisville native/fellow U of L grad. (My new series is also set in that area). 
When I read the intro ("Welcome to the Commonwealth of Kentucky") I was all...hey, hang on a sec...which was a cool moment.
Tell us about your journey to publication: how long did it take? Are you self published? What made you choose that route?
De: I’ve been a writer my entire life. I thought I was going to be an English teacher (high school), but life had other ideas for me. I’ve written for all kinds of businesses, non-profits, academic presses, you name it, but I’d never written anything of “my own.” I’d taken up fiber and textile art and left writing behind. But in an 18-month period from the last day of September 2009 through May 25, 2011, we buried four family members, most of whom were my responsibility. I was exhausted, overweight, and really didn’t care if I lived or died. I decided I wanted to get healthy, so I shed 75 pounds, worked out six days a week, and completely remade my life. 
In the fall of 2012, the captain suggested I try my hand at erotic romance (he thought FSOG was boring). I started my first novel with a character I’d had in my head for 12+ years and, halfway through, I realized I had a series. I also did a prequel to introduce all of the main characters in the series. Once I’d finished them, I really didn’t know what to do with them. I’ll forever be indebted to my friend and fellow author Shane Gregory. 
One day I went to the gallery where he works and talked to him for a couple of hours, and he encouraged me to self-publish. I was terrified, but he insisted that I could do it. I managed to format the prequel, get a cover made, and publish that one, but I nearly had a nervous breakdown trying to format the novel. About that time, I found a formatter’s name in the back of someone else’s book and I tried them out. Once I had a handle on that, I needed new covers, and I contracted with a cover artist they recommended to have new covers made. But I’d done zero promotion. 
That was August 2013. By October, I’d published the second novel. And then, in early 2014, I made the acquaintance of my personal assistant/promotions specialist, Drue Hoffman with DRC Promotions, whose brilliance and perseverance has been my lifeline. I know a lot of people who think they’ll publish a book and be instantly rich and famous and, yeah, it has happened to a few, but only a few. I have a five-year and ten-year plan, and I’m following it. And good things are starting to happen for me. I mean, look – I’m on Liz Crowe’s blog!
Liz: Yes, Drue is the "mutual fan" who encouraged me to read your books....Uh oh, you’re a fast drinker (it’s a Kentucky thing, I am too). What’s next in your glass?
D: My favorite – Blackhorse Barnstormer Red from Blackhorse Pub & Brewery in Clarksville, Tennessee, about an hour from here. Smooth as silk. I was introduced to it in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, of all places, my favorite vacation spot and the location of Tony and Nikki’s vacation home.
Liz: Gotcha. I grew up in Williamsburg, Kentucky which was about equidistant between Lex and Knox (Knoxville, Tennessee) I'm very familiar with Gatlinburg although I'm more inclined to head for the beach that the mountains when I get a chance to vacation. I lived in Nashville a couple of years too, while fiance was finishing his MBA at Vanderbilt. (pours self another healthy portion of bourbon).
I see from your blog that you are a first hand expert with the BDSM lifestyle. Do you mind telling us how you got into it yourself? Was it “books first” or did you decide to write “what you knew” with regard to it?
D: This makes me laugh, because I tell my street team members that there’s no question too uncomfortable for me. I sat at a table at a readers’ circle on Saturday and answered questions about fisting – no lie. I guess the best way to explain it is that we were kinky when we didn’t know what it was. I mean, hell, we’re from western Kentucky; we thought we were the only ones doing that kind of stuff. So a lot of what I know I’ve learned first-hand. Others are things we’ve tried that bombed for us, but I know full well they’re enjoyed by others. I will say, in my newest book, Unforgettable You, we see some needle play, and I’m definitely not into that. But in the first book in that series, Adventurous Me, there were some very, very creative things that Clint, the Dom in the book, put Trish through. Know that I’ve experienced every one of them, or some variation of them. And I got a new shoe scraper out of it. Who knew?
Liz: What is your opinion of the explosion/obsession with it now thanks to 50 Shades?
D: I have mixed feelings about that. I’m glad that FSOG brought kink out of the closet and made it more acceptable, I truly am. But there are so many ill-conceived notions. One is, “It’s BDSM, so it’s not real sex.” Really? Sex is sex. And you wouldn’t believe the number of people who’ve asked me how to find a Dom even though they’re already married. And they’re doing this behind their spouse’s back. That violates the basic tenets of the lifestyle on so many levels I can’t count them. Plus I think the average reader missed the whole point: Christian Grey wasn’t really a Dom. He was a wounded victim of childhood sexual abuse, and he used the application of pain to cope and control. But after he faced his demons, he didn’t need it anymore. I’m not saying everyone who practices some kind of kink is damaged goods – most do it for arousal or sexual satisfaction, not to mention fun – but facing hisdemons and putting them to rest was the point the book tried to make. And almost everyone totally missed that.
Liz:  Oh, ok, one more….what can I pour for you?
D: I want a glass of that Jonesy port right over there. I love me some port.
Liz: As an author who also writes books that feature “adults” that is to say people in their 40s and (in some cases) their 50s I really did enjoy how you brought the sex lives of people at that age to vivid life. I’ve only read books 1 and 2 of the Love Under Construction series so far. Do all of your books feature characters like these? What made you decide to go that route when all the super popular formula romances are all about the dewey-eyed virginal girls in their twenties seduced by billionaire cowboys who moonlight as firemen who are at most 30 years old?
D: Wait – you forgot to mention that they can also turn into a werewolf at will. There. Got that out of the way.
Liz: Whoops! Yep, that and they like to hang out with drug-dealing vampires with hearts of gold! 
D: Okay, first of all, a twenty-something billionaire flying a virgin around all over the place? Really? I’m so tired of authors trying to convince me that there are 22-year-old “sexperts” out there. I thought I knew it all at that age, and I’ve discovered that I didn’t know squat. Most of my books feature characters over the age of 40, although the two spin-off series of the Love Under Construction series will have younger characters, simply because they’re the ones already in the series who want their lives to be explored (the Citadel series features two of Steve’s employees and one former employee, and the Legacy series will feature four offspring of characters in the Love Under Construction series), so there will be younger people mixed in, but you’ll still see your favorite characters from the main series. The Harper’s Cove series has all ages in it, and my new series planned to start later this year, the Witch of Endor series, will have 40+ characters woven all through it. And the last book in the Me, You, and Us series, Incredible Us, will feature Dave; he’s the oldest primary character in any of my books at the age of 65, and he’s hot.
Liz: Name some writing career goals you’ve achieved. Now name some still on the “to be accomplished” list.
D: Achieved: Over 130K words in one month; ten books in a year and a half; Amazon bestseller; measurably rising sales; most awesome street team in the universe; getting to meet some of my amazing readers.
To be accomplished: NYT and USA Today bestseller (although I really don’t care too much about those); keynote speaker for a conference; a release every two months ad infinitum; getting my kids to read my books (that’s NEVER going to happen, so I should just forget that one); living in a place where I have a group of author friends with whom I can have lunch or talk shop – I’m pretty much alone here – but I’m working on that online, it appears.
Liz: And a nightcap….what’s your poison?  And a final question: Name one single book that you would consider the most influential to you as an author that you would read (or have read) over and over, and why.
D: My nightcap: A shot of peppermint moonshine from The Moonshine Company (Paducah Distilled Spirits) right here in good ol’ Paducah, and I want it in one of my peppermint candy shot glasses. Yum. As for that book, I think it’s The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver. I’ll never forget reading that book and identifying with Adah’s voice as she was left behind during the onslaught of ants. I was a silent, withdrawn child, and I felt her pain. Even with all the books I’d read over the years (and they were legion), I connected with her on a deep level. And, oddly enough, Kingsolver is a Kentuckian! But I’m also a sucker for Clyde Edgerton’s humor, and I can’t help it: I love Harry Potter. J.K. Rowling drew me back into reading for the fun of it when I’d been out of it for years.

Thanks for having me, Liz. When you come to western Kentucky to visit, be sure to look me up. Maybe our new local microbrewery will be open and we can go toss a few back!

Liz: Sure thing! And now....my official reviews of books 1 & 2 of the Love Under Construction series by Deanndra Hall:A solid "4 Lagers" for each of these books!

"Laying A Foundation" is the first book of a popular series by Deanndra Hall (Love Under Construction) and sets the stage very nicely for a set of books to follow. The introduction to Tony Walters and Nikki Wilkes was my favorite part of the book--I really like a compelling narrative back story and Ms. Hall delivers that in a way that made me care about what happened to them and to the rest of the vast cast of characters she introduces. The book contains a copious amount of very explicit sex once Tony and Nikki figure out how perfect they are for each other so make sure that is your preference before diving into this novel. Tony's family is introduced here, and I believe is expounded upon in subsequent books in the series. Nikki's tragic background is made clear and sets the stage for the way she handles her budding relationship with Tony, who comes across as a bit of a Mister Perfect at first. I appreciate Ms. Hall's ability to make sex between people who are not the "usual" 20 or 30 somethings very hot. There are a lot of characters to keep up with, and sometimes the plot twists relative to the enviro-crazies who are terrorizing Tony's construction company (who have a more personal agenda) get more complex than they need to be. But it's a really great romance, with a big juicy HEA that will appeal to anyone seeking a satisfying emotional/financial rescue storyline. 


"Tearing Down Walls" (book 2 of the "Love Under Construction" series)  is the "Vic and Laura" story. Vic is Tony's adopted cousin, who has an "issue" that is made clear and to me did not ring very true--at first. But I kept going, and was rewarded with a satisfying and sexy resolution.  Laura has some pretty serious emotional and external scars that should not be under estimated (i.e. reader beware, her backstory is kind of harsh) and I think the only thing I didn't really buy into was the solidity of her backstory's narrative timeline. But honestly, by the time you are deep into the meat of this novel, it no longer matters. As an author, I can appreciate how emotionally Ms. Hall writes and believe that by the end of Tearing Down Walls I was feeling right along with her characters.  If you enjoy a novel with a longer set up (as in the characters DON'T dive into the sack within the first few pages), plus a great supporting cast, AND enjoy extremely explicit and frequent sex scenes with overt BDSM elements, I highly recommend you pick up this series. Start with book one, to get the full effect. You won't be disappointed.

The details:
Title: Laying A Foundation, Book 1Release Date: August 10, 2013 (ebook), April 9, 2014 (print)Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18501114-laying-a-foundationBuy Link: http://amzn.com/B00EJ725TY
Synopsis:
His old life was crazy. Her old life died. Can they hope to build one together that will last? Full length novel! First in the Love Under Construction Series. Tony is a successful businessman whose personal life has been almost unbearable thanks to his crazy ex-wife. Nikki lost her husband and children in a tragic accident and barely has a life. It looks like there's a "happily ever after" on the horizon - until an ecoterrorism group with a personal bone to pick threatens everything.
First full-length installment in the Love Under Construction Series following the introductory volume, The Groundbreaking. Tony Walters operates a successful construction company in Louisville, Kentucky; he's anything but successful in his personal life, thanks to a mean-spirited, mentally ill ex-wife. Nikki Wilkes has lived for five years with almost no life, thanks to a drunken driver's mistake that took her husband and children from her. It seems the universe has aligned to make sure they meet, and their shy and sweet attempts to build a relationship blossom just as an ecoterrorism group begins to threaten the construction business. But as time goes by, it becomes clear that the threat is directed personally at Tony, and as the group's efforts escalate, it looks like answered prayers for a special someone in their lives might morph into not having a prayer for a "happily ever after." Through it all, family and friends stand by them and add to the madness, mayhem, and hilarity, while the bedroom smokes with enough scorching, crazy, adventurous sex to set everything on fire. The main characters are all over the age of thirty-five, and most are well over forty. A fun, mature, erotic romp with enough danger to leave the reader hanging. Not a stand-alone; the four novels are designed to be read in order for greatest enjoyment. It'll make you say, "I didn't see that coming!" more than once and leave you smiling! 
Title: Tearing Down Walls, Book 2Release Date: October 28, 2013 (ebook), April 9, 2014 (print)Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19549857-tearing-down-wallsBuy Link: http://amzn.com/B00GCRP9KQ
Synopsis:
You're a successful businessman. A molten-blooded Italian hunk. And the newest, hottest, most in-demand service Dom/top in a 500-mile radius, with dozens of women falling at your feet. So, which woman? How do you choose? 
That's easy - you pick the one who can't stand you.
And that's exactly what Vic has done. He's tried desperately to get the wrong woman out of his heart, and it looks like he may have succeeded. And just when he thinks everything in his life is falling into place, Cupid plays a nasty joke on him and he falls for the one woman who doesn't want to be anywhere near him, Somehow it isn't already bad enough that he has a secret keeping him from having a loving, long-term relationship; to make matters worse, if he wants to have a chance with the ice princess, he has to keep her alive long enough to tear down the walls she's built around herself.
Laura is as prickly as they get, but there's a reason. Her clothes hide a secret that she's sure would make any man run, and that secret is about to get her killed. The trauma she endured during her service to her country left her unable to feel any emotion or trust anyone, and the idea of ever letting a man touch her is out the window. When she returned home from Bosnia, her family shunned her and her harsh personality, so she's dealt with her demons alone and on her own for too long. But Laura didn't expect to meet a man who would promise to keep her safe and would die to keep that promise. That makes him a man worth trusting. And when her past wants to kill her to keep her quiet, can she open up to him before it's too late?
The second full-length novel in the Love Under Construction series, Tearing Down Walls is a fun, erotic, romantic, and suspenseful romp that takes you back into the world of the Walters family of Louisville, Kentucky. It features many characters over the age of 40 and contains too many steamy, hedonistic sex scenes to be suitable for anyone under 18 years of age. Step into the Walters' world and have some fun!
Title: Renovating A Heart, Book 3Release Date: May 18, 2014 (ebook), April 9, 2014 (print)Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22017564-renovating-a-heartBuy Link: http://amzn.com/B00KF073C8
Synopsis:
Steve McCoy survived a harrowing youth and a horrible tragedy and still made it as a successful attorney and businessman. And he’s managed to keep his broken, battered heart under wraps by working with short-term submissives at his popular BDSM club, Eden’s Gate.
Until Kelly Markham came along. Kelly’s history was as bad or worse than Steve’s. She lost the only man she ever loved, a faithful, loving Dom, but she never lost hope. When she’s invited to visit Eden’s Gate, she feels like she’s finally found a home. Better yet, she finds a man who’ll help her reintegrate into the community, even if his help is only offered for one month.
Unfortunately, Kelly discovers that being Steve’s submissive is not easy. Matter of fact, when she accidentally trips a trigger from Steve’s history, being his submissive could actually be dangerous, even deadly. Steve’s determined to keep her at a distance and never show her his heart, but can he hold out when he realizes his best shot at a happily ever after might not survive?
Title: Planning An Addition, Book 4, the conclusion of the series.Release Date: November 1, 2014 (ebook), November 1, 2014 (print)Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23291553-planning-an-additionBuy Link: http://amzn.com/B00ODE4L5O
Synopsis:
"He'd had a secret for years. And it was time for it to come out."
Dating two younger men! Molly Walters never thought she'd be that woman, one of those "cougars" everybody talks about. Peyton Stokes, wounded warrior and one of Tony Walters' employees, is the perfect man. She decides to ask him out, and to her delight, he accepts. And once he admits he was already considering asking her for a date, sparks fly. Then former cage fighter turned security specialist Jose Flores, Peyton's much-younger best friend, asks her out too, and Molly decides to go. She knows full well what kind of disaster she's creating by dating best friends, but she just can't help herself. Between Peyton's powerful build and bright blue eyes, and Jose's dark, almost-sinister beauty, Molly is seduced on all levels by both men, much to her delight.
As the relationships deepen, Molly comes to a startling conclusion: She wants them both. That's fine with Jose, because he's got a secret he's never been able to tell Peyton, and this turn of events just might make all his dreams come true. But as soon as the truth comes out, things fall apart faster than anyone could've ever imagined.
Is it true that blood's thicker than water? If the relationship disaster wasn't enough, there's a horrible set of circumstances in Jose's family of origin that thrust him into the biggest crisis of his life. When it becomes obvious that his very existence is in jeopardy, Peyton must decide if the self-imposed labels he's clung to all his life are worth enough to him to risk losing his best friend forever. It'll take a real man to take that leap of faith, and Peyton's not sure he's that man, but failing could cost him the love of his life - maybe even both of them.
As Peyton struggles, Nikki Walters grows weaker and hope grows dim. Tony and his broken heart can't survive without her, but he may not have any choice. When Nonna Annamaria steps in to help, Tony calls on the last tiny bit of faith he has. Unfortunately, chances are really good that it won't be enough, and his one true love will leave them all forever. And that's a prospect he can't bear to face.
WARNING: This book contains graphic sexual situations and is not suitable for readers under the age of 18.
About The Author

For as long as I can remember, I've been a writer . . .and it has served me well. I wrote for local publications, wrote marketing and advertising materials, wrote for academic publications, and eventually grew jaded with the writing profession as I often watched others take credit for my hard work. I retreated into the world of 3-D art in the fiber and textile mediums and hid out in a world of colors and textures. But, truth is, there was always a story or two in my head. It wasn't until Nikki and I met in my imagination that I decided it was time to let those stories out, and I'm glad I did. My readers now get to enjoy the fruits of my imagination and, believe me, it runs wild!
On the personal side, I've been happily married to my lover and best friend for over thirty years, and I have two wonderful adult kids who've blessed me with two excellent choices of life partners. When I'm not writing, I'm playing with my three crazy little dogs, hiking in a local recreation area, kayaking, working out at the gym, tending my herbs, cooking, or doing some kind of research.  But I'd really rather be writing!
Author Links
Email - deanndrahall@gmail.com Website - http://www.deanndrahall.comFacebook - https://www.facebook.com/deanndra.hall.authorBlog - http://www.deanndrahall.blogspot.com/Amazon Author Page - http://www.amazon.com/Deanndra-Hall/e/B00I397U08/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1422643798&sr=1-1Tsu - https://www.tsu.co/DeanndraHallTwitter - https://twitter.com/DeanndraHallNewsletter - http://eepurl.com/2NYbX