Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Interview w/ Tonya Burrows + giveaway!

Oh yes. Yall know this cover by now I'm sure. Lord knows I love to post about it because DAMN! And today we've got Tonya here to chat about her new release and all the yummy goodness inside that delectable cover. Yall check out our chat and then leave her a bit of comment love!
It’s a good thing Gabe Bristow lives and breathes the Navy SEAL credo, “the only easy day was yesterday,” because today, his life is unrecognizable. When his prestigious career comes to a crashing halt, he’s left with a bum leg and few prospects for employment that don’t include a desk.

That is, until he’s offered the chance to command a private hostage rescue team and free a wealthy American businessman from Colombian paramilitary rebels. It seems like a good deal—until he meets his new team: a drunk Cajun linguist, a boy-genius CIA threat analyst, an FBI negotiator with mob ties, a cowboy medic, and an EOD expert as volatile as the bombs he defuses. Oh, and who could forget the sexy, frustratingly impulsive Audrey Van Amee? She’s determined to help rescue her brother—or drive Gabe crazy. Whichever comes first.

As the death toll rises, Gabe’s team of delinquents must figure out how to work together long enough to save the day. Or, at least, not get themselves killed. Because Gabe’s finally found something worth living for, and God help him if he can’t bring her brother back alive.

                               Amazon  B&N  Goodreads  Book Depository

Well, heeeeellllooooo Miss Tonya. It's good to have ya on the blog today. Major congrats on having your first book published. Very exciting. The guys that make up HORNET are so so very yummy but they're not your average group of warriors. Could you tell us a little about the series and what your inspiration was for the group?
Sure, Anna, but first let me say thanks for having me! I love your blog and read it almost every day. I’ll admit, I’m fangirling a little bit right now. *squee* (LOL we can totally fangirl together then!)
There were a couple different inspirations for HORNET, but the main two were Suzanne Brockmann’s Troubleshooters series and the Denzel Washington movie Man on Fire. At the time, I was living in Texas and commuting two hours through Austin rush hour to class, and I devoured the Troubleshooters on audio book during those long rides. I enjoyed those SEALs so much that I started playing around with the idea of writing my own special ops series, except I didn’t want to stick with any one branch of the military and I didn’t want to be confined by all of the military’s rules and procedures. So what’s a girl to do? Write about a team of ex-military mercenaries of course. While all of these ideas gelled inside my head, I happened to see the movie Man on Fire. I didn’t particularly care for the movie—all Michael Bay films are so jittery they give me a headache to watch—but the premise of kidnap and ransom insurance intrigued me enough that I started doing some research on it. Within days, Gabe (the hero of SEAL of Honor) came to me as a fully formed character, demanding that I write his story in his typical no-nonsense, listen-to-me-or-else way. And so I did. It was one of the easiest books I’ve ever written.
Well thank goodness for audio books then because it was a fantastic read :) Okay, so, I'll admit...I'm so a gossip whore. Could you tell us 3 behind the scenes fun facts about the series? Think pop-up video style.
  • There were originally ten guys on the team. I had to cut three of them out during revision for clarity’s sake, but keep an eye out for them. You’ll see Seth, Vince, and Reed soon enough. *OooOoo can't wait!*
  • I used J.R. Ward’s Black Dagger Brotherhood as a sort of template when I put together the guys of HORNET. I’m a huge fan of that series and thought Ward did an amazing job with the core group of Brothers, so I wanted to imitate that dynamic.
  • I played around with acronyms for three days before finally settling on HORNET, and even then, I thought it would just be a placeholder until I could come up with something else. Fortunately, Jean-Luc had other ideas. (As usual.)

Bwhah I'm glad he won you over to HORNET. Alright, so what was your absolute favorite moment in SEAL of Honor? 
Oh boy… that’s a toughie. This whole book holds a special place in my heart, but if I had to choose a scene (that’s not too spoiler-y), I’d say it’s when Gabe goes to New Orleans to find the linguist, Jean-Luc Cavalier. I absolutely adore Jean-Luc.
*sigh* Jean-Luc is awesome. I loved that scene with him. Alright so speaking of yummy men...we need to talk cover. Holy. Hotness. That is just a thing of beauty. Did you have any say in your cover? Know who that bit of yummy belongs to? How about sharing your favorite man candy just because, well, we like man candy here on herding cats & burning soup :) 

I know, right? I had very little input on the cover, but who am I to complain? I mean… LOOK at him! I wish I knew him. Er… maybe not. If I met him, I’d probably trip over my own feet and make a fool out of myself drooling all over him. 
My favorite Man Candy? Oh, that’s easy. This guy:   
The tattoos. Those abs. The jeans… *sigh* *thunk*

Oh. Sweet. Mary. Yeah. Damn. There's just so much lickable about that one. LOL Alright just some fun ones real quick before you head out...

Strangest thing in your purse right now?
A Pen that looks like Doctor Who's sonic screwdriver.
Favorite ice cream flavor?
Ben & Jerry's Coffee Heath Bar Crunch. Yum! *okay, woman. You did me in with this one. I can barely go to the grocery store without coming home with a pint. Damn it's good!*
Patterned or solid colored sheets?
Solid
Favorite scent?
Cinnamon
I'm obsessed with...
Currently, Doctor Who. (Which explains the sonic screwdriver pen in my purse!)
Real important one... cats or dogs?
Sorry, Anna, I'm probably more Team Dog than Team Cat. I have two dogs, Ella and Otto, but I do also own a huge cat named Nabisco. He's my boy. Actually... I'd be perfectly happy with a herd of both!
::snort:: Nice save there at the end with that one Tonya! LOL Thanks for coming by and hanging out with us!! Kitty love to Nabisco. That's an awesome name. Okay, a little puppy love to Ella and Otto too.
Thanks so much for having me. It was fun!

Writing has always been my one true love. I wrote my first novel-length story in 8th grade and haven't stopped since. I received a B.A. in creative writing from SUNY Oswego and I'm now working on a MFA in popular fiction at Seton Hill University.

When I'm not writing, I spend my time reading, painting (badly), exploring new places, and enjoying time with my family. Give me a good horror movie over a chick flick any day. (And, let's be honest, I'll take a bad horror movie too!) I'm a geek at heart and pledge my avid TV fandom to Supernatural and Doctor Who. I'm also a big fan of The Voice. What can I say? Guilty pleasure.
​​

I share my life with two dogs and a ginormous cat. We live in a small town in PA, but I suffer from a bad case of wanderlust and usually end up moving someplace new every few years. Luckily, my animals are all excellent travel buddies.



a Rafflecopter giveaway

No comments:

Post a Comment

I always enjoy hearing what YOU think so come on and leave a comment. Everyone's welcome :) And feel free to leave comments on old posts. I'll check in on you there too :)

Bloggers don't forget to leave your links!
~Anna

The Herd Archives