Game, Set, Match -- The Tour -- Here! Today!

Today the wonderful and talented Nana Malone stops by with her new book, Game, Set, Match, available now from the Wild Rose Press. She's here talking about her book and answering the random questions I came up with. Check her out! Want to follow her tour? Click here!

Hello Nana! Just a few random questions for those who want to know more about you! How long have you been writing?
Well I've been writing God awful poetry since I was a little girl. But I started writing fiction with publication in mind eleven years ago. It took me ten of those eleven to sell my first book.

Hey, everyone has to start somewhere. Took me at least 5 years. But it's nice to be in good company at the same publisher. So, when you write, what comes first: the plot or the characters?
A little bit of both. With this book, I saw Izzy so clearly. The story centers around Izzy’s need to create her family. A nurturer at heart, she’s spent most of her adult life hiding from what she really wants in life and never fighting for herself. Jason is where I started to lay out the plot. He’s spent his entire career being an image but no one has ever seen the real him. I spent a lot of time hammering out their obstacles and the journey I wanted them to take.

Sounds very cool. And yes, I can't wait to get my hands on my copy! How do you come up with the titles to your books?
Usually in the shower, they just pop into my head.

Hee hee, the best things seem to just pop into my head, so I totally understand. What inspired you to write your first book?
I was living in NYC at the time, hating just about every aspect of my PR job, except the writing. And a little book called Bridget Jones’s Diary came out. It was after reading Bridget Jones’s Diary, that I dared to dream I could make a career in publishing. I felt like Helen Fielding understood my voice. I realized that I could bring out my stories too and hopefully make people laugh.

I think the book that really inspired me the most was Dark Needs at Night's Edge by Kresley Cole. I thought, man, that's an awesome world and if I can manage half that coolness, I've done something. Speaking of books, how many books have you written? Which is your favorite?
Well I’ve written three, but Game, Set, Match is the first one published, so it has an unfair advantage. Lol. I wrote a hip paranormal a while ago and I’m thinking of retooling that into a YA. So it’s a close 2nd.

Hip paranormal for teens? You have my attention. Let me know the status on that one. I'm interested. Now on to the goofy questions, because I can. Have you ever cried during a movie? What movie or why not?
Oh yes. Many. What can I say? I can be mushy. Probably the one that stands out most in my head was Sarafina with Whoopi Goldberg. I saw it around the time Nelson Mandela was released from Prison. I touched me at the time like nothing else had.

Wow, that's heavy stuff. I cried at Toy Story Three. Won't give it away, but if you're a mommy, you'll totally understand and yes, it's fine to be mushy. It's what makes us romantics. Another randomly goofy question: favorite article of clothing?
Lol. I have this old ratty pair of jeans. Yes, they have holes in them that I’ve patched over. My husband insists that he’s going to throw them out, but I keep begging him not to. They’re just so comfortable. Had them 15 years.

I have some jeans just like that and a hoodie that's missing half the embroidery, but, man, are they comfy! And speaking of comfy, what does it take to get you in the mood to write? Do you have a schedule or just when inspiration strikes?
I used to have an awesome schedule. I used to color code it too. Yes, I’m “that” person. Lol. Then I had a baby and the idea of a schedule jumped out the window. So now I write when I can find the time. I usually keep a little notebook handy for when I’m inspired and try to write during lunch at work.

I only wish I could go back to being "that girl". I need structure, but it all seems fall apart when life happens. Oh well. Someone asked me this question and I love it, so I'm going to ask you, too. If you could write the story to make you a millionaire...the NYT Bestseller...what would yours be?
Well, ideally I’ve already written it. Game, Set, Match. Ha! Honestly. For someone like me it’s dangerous to think about the NYT bestseller. Because I’m competitive by nature and will write to conform to what I think the bestseller has to be. Instead I tell myself to write the best stories I can and make sure they sound like me and not someone else. The NYT list will come the more I write….Or at least I hope it will. Lol.

Competition is a good thing. It makes you strong. And its great incentive. Now for the last little thing and then we get into the best part--the book! Write a PG paragraph (mini story):
Ciara jogged down the front stairs of her pretty porch in a hustle to retrieve her new puppy. The silly rolly polly dog has escaped his crate for the second time that day. The little guy must have been Houdini in a previous life. Racing around the side of the house, she called out, “Rasti, Rasti. Here boy.” A tiny yip that sounded more like it belonged to a Yorkie than a baby Mastiff, alerted her to his location. Crossing over into the neighbor’s yard, she found Rasti planting a big wet kiss with his slippery, pink tongue on the neighbors little sister.

Very nice. I like it. Has it sparked your imagination to create a whole story around it? It's a surefire for me.

Thank you for stopping by and feel free to stick around. Nana will be here answering questions all day, so readers, here's your part: comment!!!

Off the court, tennis star Jason Cartwright’s playboy image is taking a public beating. On the court, he’s down forty-love. A knee injury is shutting down his game, and the paparazzi are splashing his love life on every magazine. A comeback is in order, but the makeover he needs to save his faltering career is in the hands of the woman he loved and left fifteen years ago.

While single-mom, Izzy Connors, sees people for who they really are through the lens of her camera, even without it, she knows Jason isn’t the star he appears to be. Although his charm and good looks haven’t dimmed since he broke her heart, all she sees is his wasted talent and playboy lifestyle.

Can Izzy put the past behind her and help Jason get his game, and his image, back on track? Or will the click of her camera shatter his world as well as his heart?

Want an excerpt? Coming right up!

Dark glasses masked his eyes, but Izzy knew behind them, she’d find intense heat able to strip her to the soul. His tousled blond hair just as she remembered it, a little unkempt, as if he hadn’t bothered with it. He was every bit the Hollywood playboy portrayed in the press. And that devil-may-care sexiness was going to be the death of her.

Before she could say anything else, his strong arms and a warm musky scent enveloped her. Involuntarily, her body stilled like an ice sculpture as her breasts came into contact with the hard planes of his chest. Unable to process the situation, she heard a faint clatter as his sunglasses fell to the floor. She squeezed her eyes shut and tried not to think of the last time she’d seen him, the last time he’d abandoned her for Sabrina.

“Damn, Izzy, you look amazing.” He set her down, but kept hold of one of her hands. Whiskey eyes poured warm amber over every inch of her body. “How’ve you been?”

The source of her greatest humiliation wanted to know how she’d been, as if they were old buddies. She reminded herself they, for all intents and purposes, were old buddies, until she’d made the mistake of pegging him as her first lover.

Behind Jason, his companion, with his rugged dark good looks and infectious smile, saved her from having to speak. Not that she could have. “Did I miss something, Jase? You two know each other?”

Jason’s smile flashed, making her want to do all manner of inappropriate things. Smash his head in with a frying pan? Strip him bare and see if he still looked as good as he promised? Launch a full TET offensive on him with her lips?

Not necessarily in that order.