Spotlight #NewRelease and Interview ~ THE BOSS by Abigail Owen
Please make my welcome my good friend and phenomenal author, Abigail Owen! The Tavern is in an uproar (literally) with dragons! We're celebrating her new paranormal series with the first book, The Boss, Fire's Edge #1. I'm eager to delve into her world and positive it will be a bestseller. We're serving Iced Dragon Breath drinks, so grab a mug and let's hear what Abigail has to say...
MM: Welcome to the Tavern, Abigail! Congratulations on your new release! So happy you could join us. Let's start with a basic question I like to ask my writer friends: Describe a typical writing day. Are you a morning, afternoon, or night-owl writer?
AO: I am definitely a “during the day” writer these days. When I was working another job, I was evenings. I have no idea how I did that. These days I try to get in my writing before the kids get home. I own my own business, so each day is different in terms of when I get to the writing. I always write at least one hour on my treadmill desk—usually sprinting with my friend Nicole Flockton—and that gets me 1200-1700 words, which is the bulk of my word count for the day. My goal is 2-3k/day during the week. I “attempt” to take weekends off. Lol.
MM: Treadmill desk? Fascinating. I have not heard of those. Can you tell us about your current work-in-progress?
AO: I have several WIPs in various stages. Book #2 in the Fire’s Edge series is already with my editor. Book #1 of another dragon series set in the same world is all done and ready for release next year. I’m in 2nd draft phase on Book #2 of that same series. And in my contemporary world (as Kadie Scott), I’m currently working on books 3 & 4 in my Hills of Texas cowboy series.
MM: You're one busy lady! Happy to hear there will be more dragons. What inspired you to write this book/series?
AO: Shifters of all kinds are my all time favorite paranormal creatures to write. This one started as an idea that was originally going to be part of my Legendary Consultants series of novellas. But as I wrote the book, I realized it needed its own entire series.
MM: I can totally relate, Abigail. Sometimes, the original story morphs into an epic series of stories. What’s your favorite item on your writing desk?
AO: This will probably sound arrogant, but my books. Any time I’m stuck or frustrated or doubt myself, I can look at the books I’ve done. It reminds me I’ve been here before and still resulted in stories I’m incredibly proud to put my name to.
MM: Not arrogant at all. As authors, we tend to push ourselves. Often times, we have to take a step back and look at those accomplishments. So proud of you! Here's one of my favorite questions: You’ve been given a golden ticket to time travel into the past. Whom would you meet and why?
AO: Oh, gosh. So many people. I minored in History (unofficially—I took a ton of classes in college as electives). Today I think I’d pick famous women. I’d just be interested in what it was like being who they were in the era they lived in. Their experiences. Decisions they regretted. Challenges. Triumphs. Would they change anything about their lives, I wonder? Amelia Earhart. Pocahontas. Eleanor Roosevelt. Mary Magdalene. Eva Braun. Harriet Tubman. Queen Elizabeth I. Rosa Parks. Helen Keller. Eleanor of Aquitaine. Catherine the Great. Indira Gandhi. And so many, many more.
MM: Excellent choices. Now just for fun, Abigail. Do you prefer...
Champagne or Beer? Neither. Lol. I like ciders (pear cider, apple cider). I prefer white wines (pinot gris, reisling, not chardonnay). And I also like shots if they are sweet and cold.
Southern drawl or Scottish burr? Oh wow. Both. Though, coming from the south, I will caveat that there’s a difference in southern drawls. I like the slow, sultry one. 😉
Kilt or Leather pants? Kilt. I’ve worn leather pants. They stick. They make you sweat. Hard to get off. They creak. Ugh.
First romance you read? One of my Mom’s historical regency romances. I don’t remember which one. Francesca by Jane Smith (I think) might be it. She wrote the age I was allowed to read each book on this inside cover. Though, in the 90s, romance books were…less steamy. Lol.
Print book or e-reader? Both. I love that I can take 1000 books with me anywhere with the Kindle. But there’s something about cracking a book. 😊
Thanks so much, Abigail. Wishing you all the best with The Boss!
Backcover blurb for The Boss ~
The hotter the fire, the deeper the burn…
Finn Conleth leads his team of enforcer dragon shifters with an iron fist and a cold heart. Every dragon seeks his destined mate, but the process to turn the woman he once thought was his killed her and devastated him. He will never risk his heart again. His team is his family now. When his body eventually gives out, he’ll leave, living his last days alone.
Delaney Hamilton moved across the country to escape the freak fires that plague her. But when another suspicious fire erupts and rapidly escalates around her, her hopes for a new life go up in smoke. She has no choice but to turn to the mysterious men who come to her aid.
Finn knows the fire is dragon-caused, which puts Delaney’s problems directly in his jurisdiction. No matter how her wounded grey eyes call to every part of him, he refuses to risk her life in the mating process.
Until another dragon threatens to claim Delaney for his own, and Finn has to sacrifice everything to keep her alive…
A Sneak Preview from The Boss ~
No way was she misinterpreting the need reflecting back at her.
Say it, she silently urged. Too proud to beg out loud. Do something.
“What do you want, Finn?” she repeated.
Please.
He tipped his head down, though his gaze remained on her, but the light in those blue depths shifted, turning from banked need, held ruthlessly in check, to a possessiveness that drew her body into aching awareness.
He pulled lightly on her wrist, drawing her across what had been an impassable chasm of space, until she was flush against his hard body. His other hand came under the fall of her hair to rest against her neck.
She didn’t look away, not even as he lowered his head, his movement agonizingly slow. His mouth only a whisper from hers, he stopped.
“You,” he said. “I want you.”
Finally. She had no idea if she closed the distanced between their lips or if he did. She only knew that she was getting exactly what she wanted.
Sensation forced her eyes closed as the heat of him seeped into her skin, her body flushing with it, swamping her senses. Their tongues tangled, his mouth hard and urgent against hers, like he couldn’t get enough, like he needed to possess her. The speed of her body’s reaction was so fast, so immediate, that she went dizzy with the need, like looking over the edge of a terrifying drop.
She was too out of her element, too out of control, but she didn’t want to stop. She wanted more.
He released her wrist, wrapping his arm around her waist, her softness yielding to his hard body as he held her closer. At the same time, he loosened his grip on her neck, brushing over the sensitive skin at her nape with his fingers.
Shards of electricity zapped from that simple touch directly to her core, which throbbed in response. At the same time, warmth from that touch spread through her on a wave of a feeling akin to total acceptance. Like this was where she was supposed to be. A low moan dragged from her mouth as he lifted her, just enough that it put him in complete control. He slipped a thigh between her legs, then pressed her down.
Holy hell.
Delaney leaned into him, her body softening into his, attuned to what his wicked hands and lips were doing to her even as her heart beat fast has hummingbird’s wings just to be in his arms. She arched into him, moving against him with a moan.
His hand slid under her shirt and he brushed against the sensitive flesh at her waist, his skin warm against hers. Which only made her want more skin.
With eager hands, she tugged at his black t-shirt, breaking their kisses only long enough to pull it over his head. Then she allowed her hands to roam, to feel the rigid strength in his body, loving the heat of him, the bourbon and Coke smell of him.
A shudder shook his body. “I want you.” He paused, then said something else under his breath. Something like, “More than I should let myself.” But then his lips were back on hers, addling her senses and taking over her mind.
A bellow rent the air and jerked Delaney out of the oblivion of pleasure where she floated. She snapped her head up, breaking the kiss to listen. Another sound that she could only classify as a roar broke the stillness.
“What was that?” she asked. Fear, rather than need, had her heart tripping over itself inside her chest. “It sounds like a…wounded animal.”
Finn gave a low rumble that sounded more like a warning growl than anything a human would make, and her heart slammed into high gear. Slowly, dread pulling at her, she turned her head to look directly at him.
To encounter eyes ablaze. Not figuratively. Literally ablaze. Blue flames consumed his irises.
What the hell? Panic spiked inside her, and her breath came out in short, sharp bursts, speeding up as she absorbed what she was seeing.
Adrenaline joined the fear and she shoved his chest. Hard.
She must’ve surprised him, because Finn released her, stumbling back a few paces. She managed to keep her feet under her, then scrambled back, trying not to trip over any rocks in her path.
He held up his hands. “Delaney, don’t—”
She did the only thing she could. She ran.
To purchase your copy of The Boss stop by these places ~
In addition, there's a short story prequel to the series. Grab your copy of The Mate from these online retailers today!
About the Author ~
Abigail grew up consuming books and exploring the world through her writing. She attempted to find a practical career related to her favorite pastime by earning a degree in English Rhetoric (Technical Writing). However, she swiftly discovered that writing without imagination is not nearly as fun as writing with it. No matter the genre, she loves to write feisty heroines, sexy heroes who deserve them, and a cast of lovable characters to surround them (and maybe get their own stories). Abigail currently resides in Austin, Texas, with her own personal hero (who she totally married!) and their two children, who are growing up way too fast.
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