Interview & Giveaway with Texas Redeemed author Isla Bennet

Isla Bennet's first encounter with a smoldering hero was on the junior high school bus--between the pages of a novel. Books have been her constant through growing up in the Midwest, partaking in some wicked travels, and working as a bookseller and nanny while earning two college degrees. She's studied everything from English to sociology to art, and has figured out that she loves meeting people--particularly the ones she makes up. These days she indulges in her weakness for carpentry and all things retro, and dives into a new love story every day as a writer, freelance editor and RWA member--all while pursuing her wish to become a horseback-riding, volleyball-playing, French-speaking seasoned traveler.

I have to say...I LOVE new authors.  Today, I have Isla Bennet stopping by and chatting with me.  Isla makes me laugh quite often.  Check out our interview and let me know what you think.  Don’t forget to stick around, because Isla is offering up a giveaway at the end.

Hey lady!!! Thanks for stopping by and hanging out with me today.

I’m thrilled to hang out here for a while! Any time that I can chat about my manic relationship with my debut (seriously, there were some intense ups and downs writing this story!) is a happy time for me.

Tell us a little bit about yourself and your new book, TEXAS REDEEMED.

I’ve been around the publishing block—my entire adult life, actually. I juggled this with other jobs, and now, in addition to writing, I try to give a decent amount of attention to the hobbies I adore: carpentry and drawing and riding and traveling. I’m a single, childless 29-year-old dream-chaser. This kind of lifestyle keeps me busy! I’m very different from my debut romance’s heroine. (Yeah, people ask me if the book is autobiographical, and the answer is a cheery “Hell, no.”) TEXAS REDEEMED’s heroine has endured a pretty harsh life, but it’s only made her stronger and her journey toward atonement and reconciliation with the sexy badass from her past much more powerful. The story is real, honest, quirky and hot. It’s got grit, and a happily-ever-after that can make a person sit back for a moment and just say “Whoa.”

This is a story of second chances, discoveries and forgiveness.  What was one of the hardest parts of the story to write and why?

It’s no secret that the hero and heroine share a daughter, Lucy. Well, Lucy is no ordinary teenager. She’s not just walking the thin line between girlhood and womanhood. She’s got deep issues and huge secrets that rock the foundation of her parents’ relationship. Writing this—writing Lucy—was definitely one of the toughest, and most rewarding, challenges.

What’s your favorite part of a romance novel to read or write? (The beginning, the first meeting, first kiss, getting to know each other, first love scene, big fight, HEA or something else?)

My favorite part of a romance novel to read is definitely the first kiss. When that happens it’s like “Oh. S*** just got real.” Haha. In fact, the “first kiss” scene in TEXAS REDEEMED is my favorite scene in the book. My God, it’s hot. And it happens under very unusual circumstances.

Haha.  You know, you just blindsided me with that answer.  LOL.  So what made you decide to try your hand at writing?

I realized early in my life that I had a knack for storytelling. I didn’t get serious about it until my 20s. TEXAS REDEEMED is my first completed novel. It’s the story I was meant to write. C’mon—it made me laugh out loud and ugly-cry!

Wow... So you’re insisting on making people cry in your first book.  Darn you!  Okay, people... You have been warned.  Thank you for stopping by today Isla.

Thanks for the chat, Kim! Find me anytime on Twitter, Pinterest and Goodreads. When it comes to my tweets—don’t judge me! (winks)

Places to find Isla Bennet:

Website | Twitter | Goodreads | Pinterest

Ranch owner Valerie Jordan learned the hard way that people carve out their own destiny. She knows firsthand what can come of one night of unchecked attraction and lost inhibitions. And she also knows there’s only one way to handle guarded missionary doctor Peyton Turner: with caution. Thirteen years ago, they went from being friends to lovers to strangers. To save himself and outrun his past, Peyton disappeared. Now the prodigal son of Night Sky, Texas, is home—though he has no intention of staying. But once the revelation that he and Valerie share a troubled teenage daughter sends him on a hunt for answers, there’s no avoiding one another … no ignoring the undeniable desire that draws them together.

 

Texas Redeemed is a passionately written and emotionally gripping story of lust and risk, love and forgiveness, of confronting the damaging secrets of the past for a chance at redemption.

You can purchase Texas Redeemed from Amazon.

After July 30, 2013, you will be able to get Texas Redeemed from other retailers.

You can see our review of Texas Redeemed HERE.

Isla is offering up one print copy of Texas Redeemed.  Follow the Rafflecopter below to enter.

a Rafflecopter giveaway