Ashes and Wine

by Taryn Elliott

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Length: 190 pages

Release Date: June 2012

Publisher: Entangled Publishing

Imprint: Ever Afters

Before Tessa met Royal Andreas, her bookstore was on the verge of sinking. And before Tessa met Royal Andreas, she didn’t mind being single. But Royal brings in business with monthly wine tastings featuring his family’s signature vintages–and brings Tessa’s heart to a standstill with intense gray eyes that look on her with nothing but cool indifference.

Yet one searing kiss between the stacks gives Tessa a glimpse of the passion smoldering beneath–and a secret pain further revealed when Royal fills in as the musician at a tasting event. Every note of Spanish guitar tells a story of family tragedy, loss, and ongoing suffering that’s made Royal afraid to lean on anyone…even if he needs Tessa’s sweet flavor more than the richest wine. Only her strength can save him when his world crumbles to ashes. But has Royal learned trust too late to claim Tessa as his own?

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Author Interview:

Who is your all time favorite fictional book character?

Eve Dallas from JD Robb’s In Death series. She goes from a nearly unlikeable and closed off character to a loving woman that keeps adding friends and family to her life. Watching her grow and battle her way out of abuse and pain has been quite the journey. The slow realization that she’s worth loving and that it’s okay to let people in and to trust them is formed over many different books. It’s organic and fascinating. She backslides a little, gets frustrated and makes mistakes, but that only makes her more real. And MY GOD did she get a delicious husband out of the deal. A man that would die for her as easily as he’d kill for her. The series is seriously sexy and delicious and the snark! Oh my. The BEST part is the snarky dialogue. It’s my go-to reading when I need a pick me up.

If you could have a casual, 30-minute conversation by the fireplace with any author, living or dead, who would you choose, and what would you ask?

It would have to be Nora Roberts. She’s my hero. She’s the reason I became a writer. I found her books when I was a late teen and just haven’t been able to get enough. I ran out of things to read–I know, even with Nora’s prolific writing–and tried my hand at it to get through the times between books. She’s so focused on writing. I’d want to ask her about her travels and her love of Ireland and what a typical day was for her.

If you won the lottery tomorrow, what are the first three things you think you would do or buy?

I’d buy a cute little house with a special tower room to write in. I’ve had this fantasy office in my head for ages. A circular desk with everything at my fingertips. I’d take care of my family members and then go back to Ireland for a month.

How much research went into your book?

Quite a bit actually. I’m not a wine aficionado, so  I had to do a lot of research. I liked the idea of the old world and the new blending into the family dynamic. The old school stomping of the grapes is still being done in a lot of the wineries, especially in the NY region. And all the additional stresses of harvest in the middle of so much loss was a good testament to how life has to go on no matter what you have to deal with.

Unfortunately, I know firsthand what it’s like to lose a parent to cancer. I’ve lost both of mine to the disease. Much of the writing of this book was cathartic. Thankfully I had a good editor to help me through the too personal aspects and make them ready for the general public to read. You need to distance yourself from the story, even when it hits so very close to home.

Does writing come naturally to you, or did you have to work harder in order to get that story in your head down on paper?

I’ve been writing longer than I haven’t been at this point. But once I got into the business of publishing, there was a different aspect to the actual writing. I can’t just write what I want, when I want. Now I have to focus on what’s been contracted instead of just grabbing a story at my leisure. And once you’ve been edited and see the weaknesses in your writing, it really makes you think about the words instead of just flying through a story.

I’m trying to find a happy medium so I can get the rough draft down and then get nitpicky. Every phase of a writer’s progression has a speedbump. The important thing is getting over the bumps. It’s definitely been a learning process for me.

Do you listen to music while you write, or do you prefer quiet?

Oh, no. I need music. I have a playlist for every single story. Spotify has been a big part of my writing process. I can find just about every song I could ever want through this music service and the playlists are limitless. I’m like a kid in a candy shop. So much music to play with. And when a scene isn’t working, it’s usually the music that’s holding me back. Once I find what I need–action songs, softer sexy songs, instrumentals, driving thrash…then I’m back in the moment to write that tough scene.

Describe your book in a tweet (140 characters or less).

One night of passion was supposed to be enough. But what if the ultimate intimacy is more than you expected? Would you fight to keep it?

Are any of the characters inspired by someone in real life?

As the eldest in my family, living through the death of my mom…I think I poured the most of me into Royal Andreas. As for Tessa Winter? She’s got the spunk and willfulness that Emma Stone brings to her characters. She was a definite draw for a lot of Tessa’s characteristics. Especially her Hanna character from Crazy Stupid Love.

• Coffee or tea?
  COFFEE (as long as it’s frappachino’d. LOL )
• Paper book or ebook?
  EBOOK
• Summer or winter?
  SUMMER
• Werewolves or vampires?
  VAMPS (Tho Lost Girl certainly makes me think werewolves a whole helluva lot lately. RAWR. I *HEART* Dyson)
• Morning person or night owl?
  NIGHT OWL
• Pantser or plotter?
  PANTSER
• Pepsi or Coke?
  DIET COKE please
• Dogs or cats?
  DOG

• Drink : Diet Coke
• Food : pizza
• Movie : Princess Bride
• TV show : Castle and Lost Girl are running neck and neck
• Book : Born in Fire, Nora Roberts
• Late night snack : cottage cheese
• Writing tools : Scrivener and a fresh notebook to scribble in
• Sport : reading…what? It can have action. LOL
• Vacation destination : anything with a beach
• Music : eclectic
• Place to read : cuddled up with my blanket in bed
• Place to write : In the corner of my oversized chair
• Way to relax : reading or watching tv

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