Meet contemporary
romance author Angela Scavone. Her second book is A Journey Home Reviews call it heartwarming and relevant.
Angela,
Tell us a bit about yourself.
I live in Ontario, Canada sharing my home
with my father and my two much-loved pups (and one evil cat). I currently
work for the Board of Education behind the scenes supporting and analyzing
student data. In my spare time, apart from my avid love of storytelling, I like
to read, spend time with family and friends and concoct dairy free recipes from
scratch. Sometimes I win. Sometimes I lose.– tofu, banana and peanut butter
pudding – I am looking at you.
Don’t
share that recipe. Please.
I love firsts, so
tell me about the moment when a publisher told you they wanted to publish your
book.
It was a surreal
moment. I was completely overjoyed with the fact that someone wanted to publish
something I had written. Words cannot describe the moment fully J
Angela's first Soul Mate Publishing release was Love by the Book in 2011. The blurb on Amazon sounds hilarious.
Other than your own,
who are your favorite (heroes/heroines/writers) in your genre?
There are so
many to choose from, I don’t think I could pick just one J
What is the most
exciting moment, so far, in your writing career?
Being published
not once but twice, nothing else is more exciting J
How do you motivate
yourself when inspiration takes a vacation?
To motivate the
muses, I like to read other genres of books, and I read a ton of author blogs.
Their progress and excitement in their WIPs helps get me motivated.
Got a recipe you
want to share?
I have both lactose and gluten intolerances so I try to
make meals that are both easy to do and gentle on my stomach. The one thing I
love is pizza! But that has two ingredients I cannot eat. I finally found a way
to have pizza without any pain.
Gluten and
Lactose Free Pizza:
1 lb ground
beef or chicken (personally I love ground chicken)
1/2 cup pizza
sauce
2 cups
shredded lactose free cheese
Pepperoni
Favourite
toppings
Preheat oven
to 350 degrees
Brown the
ground beef or chicken in a pan, drain
Put meat in a
mixing bowl and mix with 1 cup of shredded lactose free cheese
Spread the
meat mixture into a circle on a pizza pan (or stone) and top with tomato sauce
Add Toppings
and the rest of the lactose free cheese.
Bake for 25
minutes or until cheese is melted.
Voila! Gluten
and Lactose free pizza!! YUM!
I have to try this!
Any advice for new
writers just starting out?
Write, don’t
think about it and don’t think about whether or not someone will want to
read/publish it. Just write and don’t think about it J That is what the
editing process is for.
Stephanie Tyler’s sole job is to fly
overseas to war torn areas of the world to retrieve and escort the bodies of
fallen soldiers back home to the United States. It is a tough and emotional job
but she is honored for the privilege. Her duty also helps her to escape her
past and her failed marriage
But those flights have become increasingly
more dangerous and she is forced to have a partner accompany her. Much to
Stephanie’s surprise and dismay, she is partnered up with her ex-husband,
Captain “D.A.” Douglas Aston.
From the moment Captain D.A. enters the
scene, he irritates her. It could have something to do with the fact he slept
with her best friend while they were married. As they go on several missions
together, Stephanie is forced to be courteous and professional with D.A. even
though the very sight of him irritates her beyond comprehension.
Then, Stephanie’s cheating, husband
stealing, ex-best friend is killed in Afghanistan and Stephanie and D.A. must
escort her body home. While executing this difficult duty, a myriad of
conflicting emotions makes Stephanie ponder how short life really is . . . and
to question her own ability to forgive.
Excerpt:
The phone intercom buzzed and Pam came over the speaker. “Sorry to
interrupt, Colonel, but you wanted me to let you know when Captain Aston was
here.”
I stared at the Colonel wide-eyed.
He merely smiled and said, “Thanks, Pam. I’ll be out in a minute.”
“He’s here now?” I asked, incredulously.
“Didn’t I mention that?” He rose from his chair and walked to the door
as I stood and straightened my uniform.
The Colonel stood with his hand on the doorknob, watching me fuss. “You
look tremendous, Captain.”
“What? Oh I don’t care what I look like for him,” I immediately
protested, waving my hand in the air.
“Of course.” He was still smiling as he opened the door. “Captain Aston,
please come in.”
I heard his voice first. “Thank you, Colonel.”
I glanced down at my uniform to make sure everything was in place before
he came into the room. When I looked back up, Captain Aston was walking through
the door.
To the female eye, he was a very attractive man. He stood at six-four
and was well built, but not so much that muscles and tendons were popping out
everywhere. He had a strong jaw and black hair just long enough to run your
fingers through. Dressed in full uniform, his handsome features were even more
prominent.
Not that I noticed.
“Please come in and we can discuss your new role.”
“Yes, Sir.” Captain DA put out his hand for me to shake, flashing his
killer smile that started in his bright blue eyes and ended in a set of
mouth-framing dimples. “Good to see you again, Captain.”
I returned his smile and handshake, determined to be professional in
front of the Colonel even if it killed me.
Colonel Madison resumed his place behind his desk. “Please sit. This is
a quick, informal meeting to get reacquainted with each other.”
I remained on my feet which kept both men standing. “Sir, with all due
respect,” I began, facing the Colonel, “I cannot work with Captain Aston.”
Apparently, my mouth wasn’t on board with being professional.
“Why not?” DA asked, sounding offended.
I ignored his question and kept my attention on the Colonel, who looked
as if he were about to laugh. “We used to be married.”
“I know that.” He smiled.
“Our marriage did not end on a positive note,” I continued, “and I don’t
think I can work with him on a day to day basis. In fact, I left Virginia to
get away from him.”
“You know, I’m standing right here,” DA chimed in.
“Captain Tyler, are you telling me you can’t put your differences aside
to work together as a team? Even though I asked you as a personal favor?” The
Colonel’s smile had vanished and there was now a warning in his tone.
“No, Sir.” I heard the warning and decided it was time to back off the
fight. “I’ll try putting our differences aside to work together, but I can’t
promise I won’t kill him in the process.”
The Colonel coughed out a chuckle. “That’s all I can ask for. Now,
you—hopefully—have some time off before another call comes in. Why don’t you
show Captain DA around?”
The Colonel spoke as I reached for the door handle. “I’m curious, off
the record, of course. How did your marriage not continue on a positive note? I
remember the wedding. You two seemed so compatible and so in love. What
happened?”
DA and I looked at each other for the first time since his arrival.
“He cheated on me with a friend of mine,” I replied baldly.
“I did not cheat on you! How many times do I have to say it before you
believe me?” he retorted, all vestiges of professionalism gone.
“Oh, here we go again!” I shouted back. “I came home early, I walked
into the kitchen and there was Alex on top of you on the kitchen floor.”
“I told you it wasn’t what it looked like. I have said over and over
again that I did not sleep with Alex!” His tone increased until he was
shouting, too.
“You’re telling me that you two never slept together?” I demanded an
answer.
“Well . . .” He looked away from me. “Not while we were married.”
“I knew it!”
“It was after we were separated and you had moved here! What did you
want me to do? Never sleep with anyone again?”
“You can sleep with whomever or whatever you want for all I care—”
“Ahem.” The Colonel cut in. I jerked back, startled; in the heat of
arguing with my frustrating ex, I had forgotten my boss was there.
“Sorry, Sir. Do you see why I can’t work with him?”
The Colonel regarded us both. “Alex?” he questioned DA.
“Alexandra Keating, Sir. She was Stephanie’s best friend.”
“Best friend, my left toe! She’s a traitorous, backstabbing, two-faced,
lying, husband stealing bitch.”
“Wow, that’s quite descriptive, Captain. Why don’t you tell us your true
feelings about her?” Both of the Colonel’s eyebrows rose in shock.
“I’m only speaking the truth, Sir.” I addressed the Colonel but glared
at DA.
“Well.” He clapped his hands together to signal the end of our
bickering. “I know you two can be respectful when escorting a fallen soldier
home and I know you will be professional during the dignified transfer
ceremonies. However, please try and be professional at other times as well or
at least civil to each other.” He waved us toward the door.
DA and I both nodded and exited the office. Before we could leave the
reception area, the Colonel poked his head out of his office door.
“And, Captain Tyler-”
“Sir?”
“Try not to kill him, please. He just arrived at our base and it
wouldn’t look good in the press.”
Knowing the Colonel had a wicked sense of humor, I still couldn’t find
my own jocularity. “No promises, Sir, But I’ll give it my best shot.”
“That’s all I ask.”
And finally, where
can we find you?
Links:
Thank you for being
here, Angela.
Thank you so much for having me here today!
Giving away books from Canada is hard, so instead, Angela is
offering a 5.00Amazon Gift Card to one lucky reader. Enter below. Happy Autumn
Solstice. Hope everything’s going your way.
