Giveaway and Interview with Judy Teel and her Heiress series

Happy Monday everyone!!!  It's time to go back to the grind and wait it out until Friday is finally here again..LOL!!  Today I have with me author Judy Teel.  She is going to be talking to us about both her books.  Seducing a Heiress is free on Amazon from May 21 - 23 : http://www.amazon.com/Seducing-Heiress-Cinderella-Heiresses-ebook/dp/B005AL2DM2/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1337590553&sr=1-1  Make sure you grab your copy, it was a really really cute story!!  Also stay tuned for a chance to win Instructing an Heiress!!!  Take it away Judy:

How old were you when you first realized you wanted to write?

I’ve always been a voracious reader, even when I was little, and loved how books could transport me into other worlds where I could be different people. Realizing that I wanted to do that for other people hit me like a ton of bricks when I was fifteen during a Billy Budd lecture in English class. So boring. I knew in a flash of insight that I wanted to become a novelist and write fun, engaging stories for the rest of my life.

Tell us a little bit about the book.

Seducing an Heiress is about an heiress who changes her identity and starts a new life away from her father’s ruthless, self-serving world, only to find herself falling in love with the slick, corporate player her father sends to bring her back. Despite their chemistry, Dakota and Trey had a lot of conflict to work out, so I had a good time “following them around” to see how they would finally get together.

Instructing an Heiress is the story of a hard-nosed CEO of her family business who has to get married or be cut off by her grandfather. She hires her womanizing best friend to teach her about men, but as the lessons progress so does her alarm as she finds herself falling in love with him. CK and Ryan were a fun challenge because they start out as friends before they realize they’re hot for each other. This was also a book that turned out to be full of men, so it was a lot of fun to write. She gets like, three marriage proposals before it’s all over with.

What made you choose this genre?

I’ve always enjoyed romance both in books and movies, especially romantic comedies. Writing romance is not only fun, but the natural complexities of the genre can really stretch you as a writer, which I find very satisfying.

Most authors have an unusual story or way that they come up with their ideas for books…Do you have one?

Most of my stories grow organically from a single, vague “What if.” For Seducing it was “What if an heiress gives up everything to escape her horrible father and starts over in a small town with hardly any money, what would that look like?” For Instructing it was “What would happen if a workaholic millionaire had to get married, but she didn’t know a thing about men but was a secret romantic? How would she go about ‘catching’ a husband?” For my next book all I had was “Hmm…what if a tough, ex-CIA guy gets thrown in with an impulsive, eccentric heiress and the bad guy from Book 1? How would that play out?”

What is the key element in your character creation?

Intelligence. Even if I make a heroine a bit on the clueless side, she has to have some kind of deeper intelligence, like great intuition or a highly developed ability to read people. I’m not too interested in spending several months in the head of a heroine who’s dumb as a rock.

What was your biggest influence that steered you towards writing?

A love of books! I love to read and really appreciate all the joy other authors have given me. I wanted to do that for people, too.

I have to ask, what are the hardest scenes for you to write?

Boy, you do like to bring on the tough questions, Nikki! J For a lot of people it’s the sex scenes, but for me, it’s the internal emotional stuff. I’m an action girl. I’ll have a six page action/conflict scene or a ten page sex scene, but only a one or two page internal reflection scene. I can’t seem to help myself. I get bored.

Are sex scenes difficult for you to word?

No, not too much. I do keep a small, electric fan handy at all times, though.

Do you see yourself writing in another genre?

Yes, although I expect to always have romantic elements in anything I write. My next series after the Cinderella Heiresses is a steampunk/scifi series called Alien Blood.

Has your family been supportive?

Yes. They’ve been great. They’re all very proud, which is heart-warming.

Are any of your characters reflective of you?

Ah…well, when the kids are giving me a particularly hard time, I daydream about being an Armani wearing heiress lounging in a mansion with a maid and cook of my very own, but alas, it’s all just in my head.

What do you like to do when you're not writing?

My family and I love to camp. I read a lot, too. Also cooking. I like making up recipes.

Who is your favorite book heroine?

For my books, it’s always the heroine I’m currently writing about and getting to know. From other authors? I love Kate Daniels in Ilona Andrews’ series. That girl kicks some major, magical butt.

Do you have any unusual habits that revolve around writing?

Probably not too unusual, but I drink a lot of tea. I’m kind of a tea connoisseur. Always have a pot going.

What is your favorite mystical creature?

Shapeshifters. I find the whole concept of being able to turn into another species utterly fascinating.

What were some of your biggest challenges at the beginning of your career?

Writing while working full-time and taking care of the family. It’s a deep kind of joy to be writing full-time, now. I have yet to take it for granted.

How do you feel about reader comments?

Love them! I don’t hear enough from my readers, but I’m kind of greedy like that.

Do you have any advice for new authors?

Never, never, never give up. The only way to fail is to give up. Every book you write makes you a better writer.

Where are your books available?

Seducing an Heiress is only on Amazon through the summer. It will be available other places after that. It’s also free there today through Wednesday as a special “Thank you” to your readers, Nikki.

Instructing an Heiress is on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and also Smashwords.

What can we expect from you in the future?

I’m writing Deceiving an Heiress now, which is Book 3 in the series. That should come out early this fall. Next will be Book 1 of Alien Blood and then possibly a fourth Cinderella Heiresses book. Piper, the heroine in Book 3, has turned out to have an equally interesting sister, so we’ll see.

Where can we reach you and become informed of updates?

http://judyteel.com is the best place. I also post updates on my Facebook fan page (JudyTeelBooks) and Twitter (JudyTeelBooks). You can always email me, too at judyteelbooks@gmail.com.

 Great Interview!!  A big thank you to Judy for answering all the questions!!  Now lets take a look at the books:

An heiress changes her identity and starts a new life away from her father’s ruthless, self-serving world, only to find herself falling in love with the slick, corporate player her father sends to bring her back.

When a hard-nosed CEO must get married or lose everything, she hires her womanizing best or before friend to teach her about men, but as the lessons progress so does her alarm as she finds herself falling in love with him.

Just comment below for chance to win Instructing an Heiress!!  Good Luck!!!