I am so excited to have Rebecca Zanetti here today, talking about her latest release, Rising Assets!
Welcome, Rebecca! I’m so glad you could be with us today.
Hi, Becky! Thank you so much for having me over today to celebrate the release of RISING ASSETS! It’s so nice to be here, and these were fun questions to answer.
Tell us more about your book—take us beyond the official “book blurb”.
Absolutely! RISING ASSETS is a best friends to lovers story set in a small Montana town where everybody not only knows everyone else’s business but feels just fine getting involved in private matters. In fact, there are no private matters. So, when Colton Freeze starts to fall for his best friend, Melanie Jacoby, the town creates a bet on when they’ll actually get together. Colton and Melanie are very attracted to each other, but they need each other in their lives and have to figure out if the risk is worth the reward.
I LOVED the bet! And how you used the “everybody knows everything” part of small town life to such humorous effect. I’m especially thinking of what happened when Colt was suffering under a misunderstanding and he and Mel ran into his parents out on the street–such a funny scene!
Give us more info about your main characters—who are they?
Colton Freeze is the genius in the family of cowboys, and he takes over the family businesses, as per his grand plan in life. Melanie is his best friend who owns her own ranch and is faced with problems requiring help. They’re both strong, stubborn, and loyal. Colton is a take-charge kind of guy, but Melanie can stand on her own two feet. When they get together, it’s explosive and emotional.
That’s for sure!
What scene in your book was the most fun to write, and why?
The final scene when one of them risks all was the most fun to write because it was sweet and sexy at the same time…and a huge risk. That’s all I can say without giving spoilers. 😉
Say no more!
How long have you been writing, and what (or who) inspired you to start?
I finished my first book in January of 2009, and I’ve always wanted to write. I also wanted to study journalism, practice law, and travel the world a little bit. So finally I had time to really study writing and give it a shot, and I sold to a publisher in December of 2009.
Wonderful–congrats!
What do you like best about being a writer?
Fun question! I like being able to be myself and let the crazy out a little bit. It’s nice to share my imagination in a fun way and not feel like an oddball. As for the writing process, I just love writing the first chapter of a book, when there are no rules and you’re not locked into a world yet. That first meet or reunion between a hero and heroine is my favorite.
I think yours has to be my favorite answer yet to that question. Awesome!
What is the most challenging part of being a writer?
Frankly, the most challenging part is balancing the creative aspects with the business requirements of being a writer, and not losing the creativity in the process. It’s too easy to get bogged down in marketing, promotion, and statistics, and I often have to remind myself to just get back to the book and have some fun. Writing is the fun part.
I’m always amazed when I see authors on Twitter, FB, and their blogs–they talk about watching TV, going to movies, and I wonder–when do they find time to write? Some days it’s all I can do to get five minutes on my email and read twenty pages of a book….
What are you working on right now? What can readers look for from you in the next year?
Right now I’m starting the fourth book in the Maverick Montana series that features the mysterious Hawk and Dawn Freeze. I have two releases in May: BLIND FAITH from the Sin Brothers series on May 6th, and TAMED from the Dark Protectors on May 15th.
Ha! I knew there was going to be something between Dawn and Hawk the minute those two were brought up together in this one. I’m so glad they’re getting their own book–excellent!
What authors and/or books have inspired you?
I like how J.D. Salinger and Stephen King put words together on paper, and I think their talent and hard work are truly inspiring. The first romance I ever read was a Nora Roberts. It was one of her MacGregor books, and I was hooked on romance from that time forward. So, I guess I’d say Nora inspired me the most. 🙂
LOVE Stephen King’s writing ability–even my mother, who doesn’t like a lot of his subject matter, agrees about his sheer talent.
Can an English major admit she hasn’t read Salinger? No? Well, then, of course I have…. 😉
What are you currently reading?
Right now I’m re-reading Gina Maxwell’s RULES OF ENTANGLEMENT because I love this book and wanted to escape into the story again.
I read my first book from Gina this past year–loved it! RULES is on my TBR…
Please share a favorite scene from your books with our readers.
Definitely. Thanks for asking!
His mouth was on hers before Melanie finished saying his name. Heat and power slammed from the kiss, and her mind swam.
Fire lashed through her so quickly her knees weakened. Her nipples scraped his chest, and lava consumed her. Her eyes fluttered shut, and she fell into the storm created by a man much more dangerous than she’d known.
She kissed him back, her body alive, her mind shutting down.
There was nothing but the whirlwind of impossible need cascading around them, through her, into her, beyond her.
The kiss was hard, angry, and more passionate than she could’ve dreamed.
Many times, they’d come close to kissing, but one of them had always backed away. With a grin, or a joke, they’d escaped ever taking the chance. The one thing Melanie knew for sure was if Colton ever kissed her, if he ever showed her that side of him, there’d be no turning back. Ever.
As he released her mouth to pin her with a dark gaze, there was no question he knew it, too.
Determination filtered through his eyes, and his jaw firmed. Something new and intriguing fluttered alive in her abdomen. Satisfaction lifted his lips as her eyes widened.
Holy crap. Colton Freeze didn’t want to turn back.
That was a fantastic scene! It really grabbed me when I read the book 🙂
Thanks again for having me over today. I really enjoyed this interview!
Thank YOU so much for coming! I loved your responses, and cannot wait for Hawk and Dawn’s book! (Though I imagine Colt will have more than a few things to say about it… 😉 )
Author Bio:
USA Today Bestselling Author Rebecca Zanetti has worked as an art curator, Senate aide, lawyer, college professor, and a hearing examiner – only to culminate it all in stories about Alpha males and the women who claim them. She writes dark paranormals, romantic suspense, and sexy contemporary romances.
Growing up amid the glorious backdrops and winter wonderlands of the Pacific Northwest has given Rebecca fantastic scenery and adventures to weave into her stories. She resides in the wild north with her husband, children, and extended family who inspire her every day–or at the very least give her plenty of characters to write about.
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Rising Assets
by: Rebecca Zanetti
Synopsis:
Friends with benefits was never the plan…
Melanie Jacobs is in trouble. With three jobs—including running her ranch—and dwindling funds, she’s exhausted. Not to mention desperately trying to hide a secret. Unfortunately, her best friend Colton Freeze knows all too well that’s something is going on, and he won’t give up until he knows exactly what he needs to fix.
Then Colton learns the truth—that Melanie’s future happiness rests in the fickle hands of fate, and her chances for having a family are shrinking with every passing day. Her only comfort is Colton, but when a heated argument between them turns into an even hotter kiss, the boundaries of their friendship are erased, leaving only a scorching-hot hunger for more.
Every kiss—every touch—is a stolen pleasure. But will their new friends-with-sexy-benefits arrangement bring them closer together, or destroy everything they once shared?