Second Chances and Krista Ames

1-Tell the readers a little about yourself. 

Sure, I’m married to a great man who allows me to stay at home with our 4 kids.  Now the catch there is all our kids are in school full time now so really, he lets me stay home to write  We live in Northern Lower Michigan where there is way too much snow in the winter and we have 2 chocolate lab sisters and 2 cats.  To say our house is utter chaos is an understatement.   

2-As an author, do you take time to read? If so, what do you like to read and who is/are your favorite author/s? 

I do take time to read because I think that’s a very important tool in further feeding my imagination for my writing.  Besides the fact I just love to read.

3-How do you stay motivated when the Muse is uncooperative? 

Well, sometimes I read.  It definitely helps.  Most of the time I try to stay determined though and I’ll either put on some of my mood music or I’ll put a romance dvd in and watch or listen.  That normally does the trick.  The key dvd is Kiera Knightly’s version of Pride and Prejudice.

4-If you could go anywhere in the world on a romantic getaway, what would you do and where would you go?

My bucket list is so large when it comes to vacations but my husband and I really want to travel abroad.  Ireland would be the first stop.  We love the idea of renting a car and just driving from town to town with no plans, finding a room to rent for the night, above some bar or heck a barn, we don’t care and just enjoy each other and the surroundings.  It’s such a beautiful place and there’s so much to see.  

5-What is the hardest thing for you to write? 

Believe it or not, it’s the sex scenes.  My first 4 short stories were just sweet romance but I’ve been trying to branch out from there. My husband is always more than willing to help out lol but It’s just getting the wording right for me.  Running a close second would be the ending of the book.  It seems I’m never happy with the ending and often rewrite it.  

6-If you could live the life of one of your characters who would you be? 

I would have to say Maggie Kincade from my WIP Take Me Home Cowboy.  She is an editor who grew up on a horse ranch in Wyoming.  However, I would be working out something to be able to edit from home because I’d have to be right there on that ranch.  And to be around a bunch of cowboys all day? Whew!

7-The tag line on my blog is ‘Indulge Your Inner Romantic.’ What do you do to indulge? 

My absolute favorite thing to do is light some candles in the bathroom and run a hot bubble bath and read a great book.  With 4 kids, you can imagine how hard that is to accomplish too.  It’s best late at night and I open the window just enough for a cool breeze.  It’s so relaxing. 

If you could get a Second Chance...

When the love of Dana's life leaves without a word, she is forced to move on with her life.  Despite loving him, she believes she will never see him again but, little does she know, she's being set up for a night that will change her life forever.

Nicholas, A Navy man, did the only thing he could to save the woman he loved.  Driven by a secret, he disappeared and now returns, years later, with hope for love.  With one opportunity, will he be able to make things right, or is it just too late?  Will she deny any desire for Second Chances?

Born and raised in Northern Indiana, Krista now resides in Northern Lower Michigan. (apparently she wasn’t getting enough snow in Indiana) She is married to a very supportive man, Chip, who allows her to follow her true passion of writing and never complains when she is pirated away on her computer for hours. He even helps with proof-reading and is her “in-house” editor and her idea sounding board. She is also a mother of 4 ornery and wonderful children who keep her plenty busy. With an addition of 2 beautiful chocolate lab sisters and 2 playful cats, there is never a dull or spare moment in her household.

Krista has always loved to read and would often sit up for hours into the night not able to put down a book until she was finished. She still reads when she can but her main focus is creating her own stories to share with the world.

She loves to communicate with her readers so please feel free to drop her a line anytime at krista@kristaames.com or visit her at http://www.kristaames.com or http://www.apassionforromance.blogspot.com. 

Excerpt:

He watched her knees buckle a bit as Dana clutched at Amy’s arm, never taking her eyes off him. She said something he couldn’t make out—he never was good at reading lips. He was good at reading body language, however, and he knew in an instant what she meant to do just as she turned and made a dash for the patio door. Instinctively, he propelled himself forward, his body miraculously unfrozen. He had to go after her. He was the reason she was bailing after all. He knew from the look on her face. He passed Dave and Amy and shook his head when Dave tried to speak.

 “Don’t. I’m sorry. I have to go after her.”

He closed the sliding door behind him and stood on the deck, searching the darkness. She wasn’t there. She couldn’t have gone far. She didn’t know anyone else here, and he doubted she was familiar with the area. He descended the stairs and walked out onto the yard along the water’s edge. Where’d she go? He started walking and, with relief, caught sight of a silhouette against the water toward the end of his property.

He approached her quietly. She stood, arms hugging tightly around her middle, and held her shoes in her hand while the gentle waves splashed up and over the seawall. Damn, he wanted to touch her. It’d been so long. He couldn’t deny the growing ache pushing against his heart and a sudden tightening of his groin at the sight of how well that dress fit her curves, but this definitely wasn’t the time for his libido to come to life.

He wanted to turn her, hold her in his arms, and nuzzle her beautiful neck just below her ear like she’d always loved. Would she still like it? Maybe she wouldn’t. Maybe he didn’t know her anymore, but he couldn’t stop himself. God, he wanted this woman still. He wanted her to know how very sorry he was for hurting her, and why. But she wouldn’t welcome his touch, especially now. He was certain of it. She’d likely administer a low blow, which he would totally deserve, and bolt. She was unpredictable that way. He loved that about her, too.

He was only human, however, and he couldn’t not touch her. She knew he was there—he’d seen her form go stiff at his presence. Careful not to scare her, he slowly ran his fingertips over her bare shoulders and down her arms, feeling her shiver at his touch before she took a step away. “Don’t, Nicholas,” she said in a low, shaky whisper.