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Interview with Tamara Hoffa
Susana: What comes first: the plot or the characters?
Tamara: For me the plot, or at least a portion of the plot usually comes first (unless its part of a series) and then the characters follow. But since, over half of my books are series, I guess the characters came first. Can you say chicken or egg?
Susana: Are you a plotter or a pantser?
Tamara: I am definitely a pantser. I write as I go. I know where the main plot is going, but I don’t do outlines or plotting.
Susana: Tell us something about your newest release that is NOT in the blurb.
Tamara: Jenna’s two best friends, Alice and Bev are named after my 2 best friends in real life
Susana: Are you working on something at present that you would like to tell us about?
Tamara: I am working on book 2 in the Animal in Me series, Bear Hearts. It is Martin and Elizabeth’s story and will be quite different from Hers to Bear. Much darker, but I hope will still have a chance to showcase some of the humor that readers found so appealing in Hers to Bear.
Susana: What are you reading now?
Tamara: I read so fast and so much that I will probably have read 10 or 15 books by the time this posts, but I finished The Marriage List by Jean Joachim last night and it was great. I am starting Cowgirl Up by Cheyenne Meadows today. I also recently read Lucas by Susan Fisher-Davis, Accidentally Wolf by Elle Boon and Raleigh Point: Hostage by Victoria Sue all great reads!
Susana: What author or authors have most influenced your writing?
Tamara: I love the writing style of Celia Kyle, Eve Langlais, and Dana Marie Belle. I love how they mix humor with suspense and make it work. I hope I’ve done the same.
Susana: What is your favorite food? Least favorite? Why?
Tamara: I guess steak would be my favorite food, because I rarely get to eat it. I had gastric by-pass surgery in 2001 and it doesn’t agree with my stomach, so don’t we always want what we can’t have? Least favorite? Liver! I can’t even stand the smell of it cooking! Gah!
Susana: Do you write in multiple genres or just one? If just one, would you consider straying outside your genre?
Tamara: I write in multiple genres: military, western contemporary, and now paranormal, and I may stray to others in the future. I write whatever my muse whispers in my ear.
Susana: What is something you’d like to accomplish in your writing career next year?
Tamara: What does every writer want to achieve? I’d love to make the New York Times Bestsellers list!
Susana: Describe the “perfect hero.” What makes the “perfect hero” for you?
Tamara: The perfect hero has to be a man of inner strength, loyalty, honor and heart. My perfect hero is the same. To me, it’s all about what’s on the inside. Yes, a nice package is nice to have it wrapped up in, but character is what matters. I do like big men however. LOL.
Susana: What are favorite pastimes?
Tamara: I love to cook, play with my grandsons and, of course, read!
About Hers to Bear
Twenty-five and never been kissed, Jenna Raynes is a beautiful woman with a rubenesque figure often overlooked by men. In the mood for a little honey, the sassy new schoolteacher is stopped in her tracks by one growled word from an alpha bear…“Mine.”
Bern Helms’ inner bear catches the scent of his destined mate. His animal’s desire is drawn to her curves, but Jenna is human, and not lured to him by instinct. Convincing her begins as a sizzling, sweet affair that is soon spoiled by danger. In their small backwater town, nerves are strung taut. Someone is abducting shifter children.
When confronted, Jenna is as protective of her students as a mamma bear. For Bern, all bets are off when the kidnapper’s take Jenna too. Nothing will keep a bear from his mate. The hunters will become the hunted…
Excerpt
“I’ve never had a boyfriend before.”
“I think perhaps then all the men you have met before have been blind and stupid, but I am glad they were because it saves me from having to hunt them down and kill them.” Bern growled.
Jenna stopped dead in her tracks and gazed up at him in stunned silence. He was serious. Bern shrugged his shoulders and planted a kiss on the end of her nose. “I cannot help it. I am a jealous man.”
They continued walking in companionable silence and reached Jenna’s house in a few minutes. She unlocked the front door and Bern held her back from entering. “Let me check the house first please.”
He left her standing on the front porch while he took the bags into the house. She saw the lights flip on methodically throughout the rooms and then Bern returned to the porch. “All clear,” he said and pulled her into the house. He attempted to pin her against the wall and kiss her senseless, but Jenna put her hands on his chest and pushed. It was like pushing against a brick wall!
“Oh no you don’t, Mr. Bear. This honeycomb is closed until I get some answers. Get your furry butt to the kitchen and you can talk while I make dinner. I want to know what the hell is going on around here.”
Bern had the good grace to look sheepish. “Yes, ma’am,” he said and strode toward the kitchen, leaving Jenna to follow that delectable and at the moment, not in the least bit furry backside. Oh yum.
Jenna pointed to a kitchen chair. “Sit. Talk.”
About the Author
Tamara Hoffa lives in central Tennessee, with her husband of 30 years, her parents, 2 dogs and 2 cats. She started reading at four years old and has rarely been seen without a book since. At home you will usually find her in “nana’s chair” with her kindle, her laptop or one of her precious, precocious grandsons in her lap. Tamara is an author, an editor, and reviews/promotions coordinator for Secret Cravings Publishing. Tamara is proof positive that it’s never too late to reach for your dreams.
Susana's Morning Room 