I've been lucky enough to grab Aimee in advance of the publication date for 'The Monster of Fame' - and she's giving away a copy!!! So if you want to be one of the first to get your hands on it... read on!
Can the voice of an angel heal a tortured soul?
Annabelle MacIntosh enters a reality singing contest
to save her family from their mounting debt. Miles Oliver, celebrity judge and
the owner of the biggest record company in the UK, doesn’t think she has what
it takes. She sings like an angel, but when she performs all he can focus on is
the terror in her eyes. It’s a look he knows only too well. After the pressure
of fame destroyed his wife, Miles swore he’d never let the same thing happen to
anyone else. Driven by the guilt he’s carried for years, Miles tries everything
in his power to make sure Annabelle doesn’t succeed, because he doesn’t believe
she’ll survive it.
Annabelle needs that prize money, and she’s determined
to win it. As she fights to make it through each round of the contest, an
attraction begins to develop between the two adversaries. The longer Annabelle
remains in the competition, the deeper her attraction grows to the man who’s
trying to prevent her from reaching her goal. Can she convince Miles she’s
strong enough to fight the fame monster and win?
Hi
Aimee, thank you so much for dropping by. I can’t wait to read ‘The Monster of
Fame’ when it comes out on the 15th October. I hope you don’t mind
if I try and wheedle a few facts out of you in advance!
Wheedle away :o)
Okay,
starting off with the book – because that’s what we’re really interested in!
- If you had to
sum up ‘The Monster of Fame’ in 30 words or less what would you say?
Only thirty
words? Umm…
Miles,
music mogul and judge on DYHWIT doesn’t want Annabelle to win because he doubts
she’ll handle it. She needs the prize money to save her family, and home.
- Annabelle sounds
intriguing – what do you most like about her?
Even though
at times she’s overwhelmed and feels like everything and everyone is against
her, she picks herself up and gets on with it.
- Is there
anything about her that frustrates you?
Just one?
:D Yes, actually. At one point she believes the bad press about her and it
almost takes her down. Even as I wrote I was screaming at her to get a grip.
Like I said before though, she always bounces back.
- What does Miles
most admire about her?
Her family
values. When he realises that she’s taken the weight of her family’s debt on
her shoulders, his plans to push her out of the competition seem less feasible
so he has to plot another way…
- And is he the
type of guy you could fall for (don’t we fall for all our heroes?!) or
would you pass him back to Annabelle?
Definitely.
He’s sweet, a little tortured, and loves unconditionally. If I didn’t love
Annabelle so much I’d pinch him!
- What/who
inspired you to write the story?
I’m a
reality tv fanatic. Whether it be Big Brother, Stranded, I’m A Celebrity Get Me
Out of Here or the Xfactor, I’ll watch it! Reality singing contests like The
Voice & Pop Idol are my favourites and I thought, why not build that kind
of competition around a romance? And there you have it, my two loves brought
together as one!
- And what about
the characters - are they a little bit you, people you know, or did they
just leap out and grab you (metaphorically speaking of course!)?
Despite
living in a small village a few miles away from where I grew up, Annabelle is
nothing like me. I think she’s a compilation of all the contestants on those
time-sucking reality shows!
When I
dreamt up Miles, I thought of a young, grunge/urban type with billions of bucks
he didn’t know what to do with and a past that haunted him. Then I gave him a
role as one of the judges and coupled with his guilt, he grew from there.
And
we, sorry I, being naturally nosy would love to know a bit about you…
- Where/when do
you write?
Whenever I
can. I find I’m way more productive at 5am sprints before I go off to work, or
on a Sunday! Usually, I write on my sofa with my laptop, sometimes I write on
my lunch hour. One thing I can say is if I go a few days without my fix, my
fingers itch.
- What part of
writing do you enjoy most, coming up with the idea, planning, writing it
or typing The End?!
I love the
feeling you get typing ‘The End’ but it makes me sad to be saying goodbye to my
characters—but there’s still revisions and edits, and more edits, so I guess it
isn’t really the end, is it? :)
- Sum yourself up
in 30 words or less (ha, I hate questions like this!)?!
Now I do
too! Lol.
I’m a
workaholic and have only recently quit my part-time job, funny ‘cause I don’t
see writing as work! Love shoes, handbags, Big Bang Theory, new clothes and
hillwalking.
- Do you spend
much time reading? What’s your favourite bedtime/holiday read? Favourite
author/genre?
When I was
in Lanzarote this year I read Catherine Bybee’s Wife By Wednesday (LOVED IT)
and Sylvia Day’s Bared To You (which I loved more). I like to read across lines
and genre’s, the most recent I read before bed was Zara Stoneley’s Freefalling
(which of course was absolutely brilliant!)
Ah, thanks for saying that Aimee - glad you enjoyed it. I'm off to Lanzarote in the spring and I'll be taking my kindle... and probably 'The Monster of Fame' - if I can resist reading it before!
- Coffee or tea
(or wine!)?
Is vodka an
option? No? Okay, I’ll go with coffee…
Vodka is always an option!
- Starter or
dessert?
Desert! Why
someone would pick green pea soup over sticky toffee pudding is beyond me!
- What would you
be doing if time & money were no object?
Writing
9/5! In Paris, and New York, and India. Writing and travelling!
- Best bit of
advice you’ve ever been given, and by whom?
One of my
teachers told me:- “never believe anyone who says you can’t, because you can.”
He meant maths, and on that score he was wrong, but I’ve applied his advice to
other things in life. Maths is still beyond me!
And
before you run off, can you share a little excerpt?
Excerpt -
“It’s
a no from me.”
The words rang again and again in
Anna’s head, each time cutting her a little deeper. She straightened her spine
and locked her knees to avoid falling to the floor and tried very hard to hold
back the sobs bubbling up in her chest.
Anna tore her gaze away from Miles’s
penetrating emerald eyes and returned her attention to an irregular floorboard
in front of the judges’ table.
“Miles!” the female judge, Safri,
chided. “You can’t be serious?” The incredulous note in Safri’s thick accent
was obvious.
Anna looked up at Safri. Hope sparked
anew. All she needed was two votes to go through. Maybe there was still a
chance…
“I’m dead serious. She doesn’t have
what it takes,” his deep voice rumbled.
Pain slashed across her like the lash
of a whip. What did he mean? Wasn’t she pretty enough? He said she could sing!
“I disagree,” Safri said, turning to
face Anna and squaring her broad, tanned shoulders. “I think you do and only an
idiot would not take you through to the next round. I think you have
winning potential and the star quality we’re looking for. It’s a yes
from me.”
Anna managed to pull her lips into
what she hoped was a grateful smile. Words still beyond her, she dragged in
deep breaths through her nose to stop the tears from spilling over. From the
corner of her eye she saw Miles’s brows pull down and his lips twist into a
scowl as he glared at Safri.
What on earth had she done to goad
such a response from him?
“I have to say, I agree with Safri,”
Sander Chase said, breaking Anna out of her reverie. Still, the sorrow of
Miles’s rejection almost swallowed her whole. “You’re through to the next
round, Annabelle. Congratulations.”
Again, Anna forced herself to smile
even though she felt like crying. This was what she wanted, right? Just the
majority vote. It was enough, yet it didn’t feel like enough. She glanced at
Miles again who was now pinching the bridge of his nose between a long
forefinger and thumb, his eyes shut tight.
What she really wanted was
his approval. The other two were talented recording artists, sure. But
it was his opinion that mattered most. His company represented
every ounce of talent in the UK and he didn’t think she had what it would take
to be one of them. Was he right?
Thanks
Aimee and good luck with ‘The Monster of Fame’, I’ll be looking out for it on
the 15th October.
Thanks for having me, Susie! It’s been fun!
Where can your
readers find you?
Twitter: @aimeeduffyx
(Don't forget to check out Aimee's website for more info on her mega tour!)
Bio -
For as long as I can remember,
I’ve had a good book in my hands. In primary school I loved Roald Dahl. In high
school my English teacher introduced me to Charles Dickens, Stephen King, Jane
Austin, Emily Bronte, and Shakespeare. It was then that I discovered my love
for romance and I’ve wanted to pen my own imaginary heroes and heroines for
others to enjoy ever since. Only in the last few years was I lucky enough to
meet some fabulous and encouraging people to help me gain the skills to make
that dream possible.
I live in sunny
Scotland in a small town near the Ochils and work nine to five in a solicitors.
In my free time, you’ll find me on Facebook, stalking *cough* following friends
on Twitter and may even catch me shoe shopping.
If you fancy reading the rest of the story (and who wouldn't?), then there's a giveaway. Post a comment before 18th October and Aimee will select one person at random to win.... a copy of 'The Monster of Fame' PLUS a £10 Amazon voucher (15 US or Aus dollars if you aren't in the UK)
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