Keri Ford: Interview and Giveaway!

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I am so excited today to have Keri Ford on the blog. I love her and I am itching to get my hands on her newest novel that is due out on the 23rd of this month (April), In The Hay. This is the third book in her Apple Trail series. I have been following her on Twitter and this one sounds like it is going to be another hit! Best of all, Keri is going to give you an opportunity to win a copy of her new book in E-book format. So, this book is available to anyone who likes e-books and has an e-mail address.

So, let's get on with this interview with this very talented writer.

Welcome Keri, I am so glad to have you on the blog today.

Thanks for having me!

Tell us a little about yourself?

I’m just a southern, country girl at heart, having a few adventures and fun through my writing. I married my high school sweetheart and we have a four year old boy who keeps me super busy.

When you got word Through The Wall was going to publish, what was that feeling like?

Oh, man. Just this overwhelming sense of accomplishment and excitement. I had written for five years before I sold Through The Wall, so it was just thrilling to have finally done that. I could say, “I’m here now. I’ve done it. I’m not going anywhere”

Tell us a little about the first two books in the Apple Trails series in your words?

Through The Wall is like phone sex…only through apartment walls. Since they’re so close physically, the action through the wall doesn’t last long before one of them starts knocking. It’s a short friends-to-lovers story that I had such a blast writing. It’s a little snack giving the reader what the tone of the Uninhibited series is like.

On The Fence has former best friends who’ve been separated for a few years finding each other again. As they rediscover their relationship, they see a whole lot has changed about the other! In fact, they pretty much reverse roles. In high school where he was fun and outgoing and she was more reserved, she’s now the one pushing him. It was a lot of fun to let them wear each other’s “shoes”.

Your newest book is In The Hay, tell us a little about this one.

Ohhh….In The Hay turned out to be my favorite so far. Drew and Nicolette are so playful and just had fun with one another. They were both such a joy to write and bring to life. I hope the reader sees the fun these two have together and remember a bit of that old first time falling in love feeling. Here’s a blurb:

….two strangers visiting Apple Trail. When they get together will they put in roots in this small town or go back to their lives?

It’s been a White Picket Fence life for Nicolette. Charming, but tedious. She graduated high school, raring to go. Nothing is ever as easy as it seems though. The fear of being stuck in a rut, living a dull day-to-day life keeps Nicolette from settling on a career, despite her six years of college. When the chance arrives for her to housesit, she takes opportunity by the horns for a little playtime. She would experience life and find something that would make her happy.
Drew knows exactly what he wants. To run the family construction business. Too bad his dad doesn’t think he’s ready. They make a deal. Drew will help his cousin put up a new fence and after he’s learned hard work, the construction business is his. Drew’s not sure learning how to string fence line together will see him suitable for a career of paper pushing, but he’ll do it.
When Drew meets the wanna-be-free-spirited Nicolette, his determined thoughts of what he’s always worked for begins to sway. Nicolette’s finding the fun in life. But their relationship is temporary. A week tops.

What do we have to look forward to in terms of new books from you?

More Apple Trail! Making Her Nights, Satisfying Her Tastes, and Chasing Her Trail are all up next. They’ll continue to release every other month just like WALL, FENCE and HAY. While the first three in the series touch more on the tone of the series, these three dig a little deeper on the town. But don’t worry! That same sexy, sensual story will still be there. I’m really excited about them as we get into a bit of that fun small-town politics and discover more of the city of Apple Trail itself. Since they’re novellas and I’m bound by a short word count, I don’t have a lot of opportunities to world build and such in each individual story, but instead do it over the whole series.

Being an author of today, what is it like having the chance to have your books published in digital format? Do you think this makes it easier for readers to get a hold of books they love, especially yours?

I’ve really enjoyed being epublished. There are certainly benefits to both formats and for now, with this series, epublishing has been exceptional. I think it’s easier for readers to find me who are already aware of ebooks. I live in a small town, so I typically have to explain what an ebook is, how you can read them—that they can be read on your computer screen or even on your phone! So for those readers, more difficult to find me, but ebooks are growing by leaps and bounds and it won’t be long before eReading will be as common as print.

Do you have any writing quirks?

I tend to sing or hum a song while I type and edit….you can imagine how much my husband loves this! I think I do it because I have a fairly short attention span---oh, look at that shiny thing over there!--*ahem* so singing kind of occupies me and keeps me busy so I can keep writing.

What gets you into the mood to write?

Other than I want to get paid? Nothing really in particular. Some days I really need a cup of coffee, other days I just want gum. Sometimes nothing will satisfy me unless I have a bowl of popcorn and a fizzy drink. Then there are times when there is nothing. I just want silence and nothing else.

Favorite book, if you can choose one?

You know, I should probably choose some fancy classic, but I can’t. I’m going with the first romance book I ever read: Christina Skye’s Code Name: Princess. It introduced me to romance, got me hooked on the genre and that book is why I’m here today!

What are you currently reading?

Reading? You mean like for pleasure and not edits?? What’s that again? It’s been a while since I’ve had a chance to read. I have a few things in my TBR pile and they’re all neatly organized on my Kindle. Probably the next sleepless night I have, I’ll start something.

How about an “interesting” fact about yourself that everyone might not know.

While I come across as a fairly large social butterfly, my favorite days are the ones where I’m home just silently watching a movie with my family in my pajama’s. There’s no internet or phone calls or anything. It’s just quiet, comfortable downtime. Those days don’t come very often, but I LOVE them.

Lastly, is there anything else you would like to share about your books?

In the Apple Trail series, each story stands alone. I’ve had several readers pick one up mid-series and not realize it was part of a series until they got to my author’s note at the end! So don’t be afraid to pick any of them up and give them a try. I do drop a few hints and hearsay about previous stories for followers of the series, but if you haven’t read the previous characters, you wouldn’t realize it. But to get the full impact of the series itself and the town, it’s best to read them all.

And now, for your chance to win a copy of her newest book. It sounds just wonderful, doesn't it? Just fill out the form below and check back here May 2nd to find out if your the winner.