Welcome to our first Coffee Chat of 2023. Hope you all enjoyed the holidays!
Our guest author this week is Natalie Cross with her featured romantic suspense novel, Ballroom Blitz.
Thank you for visiting the blog, Natalie. What may I get you to drink?
NC: I’m more of a tea drinker. I like black tea with a little sugar, English breakfast or Assam, for the most part. Though I just bought these Vietnamese pour over coffees with sweetened condensed milk, and they might convert me.
Ally: I think we’ll play it safe this morning and brew the black tea. While I do that, please introduce yourself to readers.
Natalie Cross writes romances and cozy mysteries featuring main characters who accept each other as they are, and love deeply.
She lives in Los Angeles, where writing is an acceptable way to avoid sunburn. She is mom to two lovely young munchkins who despise brushing their hair and eat way too much cake. She is unapologetically terrible at taking selfies.
Something unique/unusual that isn’t in your regular bio: “I love musical theater. I can sing/recall a sizeable portion of the Sondheim musical catalog, as well as most musicals released in the late 90s/early 2000s. My aunt and I once saw the original Scarlet Pimpernel musical three times in one weekend…”
Author Contact Links:
Website: www.nataliecrosswrites.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/nataliecrosswrites
Instagram: www.instagram.com/nataliecrosswrites
Tiktok: www.tiktok.com/nataliecrosswrites
Ally: What inspired your featured book?
NC: During the dreary days of the pandemic, when I was either home with my two very bored children or at work on the front lines, I spent a lot of time daydreaming about the things I missed. Going out to restaurants, ballroom dance competitions, etc. After one particularly rough night that ended in several hours of bingeing YouTube dance videos, the idea for Ballroom Blitz came to me and wouldn’t let me go. Anita and Patrick, the main characters, begged for me to tell their story.
Ally: What is the easiest—or the hardest—part of writing for you? Explain.
NC: The easiest part for me is the research and the daydreaming. I love falling down internet rabbit holes (that may or may not get me tagged by the FBI haha…). The hardest part of writing is that I cannot get the story out of my head and onto the page as quickly as I could think it. If I could download a story straight from my brain, I would be so much more productive.
Ally: Do you use critique groups or beta readers? Do you find them valuable?
NC: I do use beta readers, and I think they are very helpful. I’m still early in my career, so I’m trying to find my core beta readers, the ones who provides valuable constructive criticism that I can act upon. So far, I’ve had very good experiences, and their feedback has really improved my stories. Sometimes as an author it’s difficult to see the plot holes. Just because it makes sense in my head doesn’t mean it’s clear for others.
Ally: How important do you think writing and reading are in today’s world?
NC: I think they’re incredibly vital to today’s world. So much changes, and by reading/writing varied stories, we learn so much more about ourselves, other people, and other cultures. I think reading leads to a more compassionate world.
Ally: What is your next writing project? Anticipated release date?
NC: I am currently in edits on the second full-length book in the Ballroom Blitz/Dancesport Mystery series, which is called Ballroom Fever. Patrick and Anita become embroiled in another mystery/suspense in their small town. Hopefully it will be out later this year from the Wild Rose Press.
Ally: Which of the trivia questions did you choose?
NC:
- Most watched tv show: it’s a tie between “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “Firefly”
- Color of nail polish you have on: a mishmash of silver, mermaid blue, peach, and faded gold, from when my four-year-old painted my nails over the holidays
- Favorite quote: it’s not proper Latin, but from The Handmaid’s Tale: “nolite te bastardes carborundorum.” Don’t let the bastards get you down.
- Something unique in your closet: I have two ballroom dance costumes from when I used to compete, one Latin and one Standard. They rain glitter and spangles all over the closet floor.
- A beer at the bar or a book on the deck? I’d combine them into a beer and a book on a bar patio. But I live in California now, so we have a lot of outdoor dining.
Ally: It’s been a pleasure having you, Natalie. Please show us your featured book before we close today’s chat.
Genre: romantic suspense/cozy mystery
PG-13
In the glamorous world of ballroom, love and dancing do not always mix.
Professional dancer Anita Goodman has learned that lesson the hard way. With her studio and her reputation on the line, she has to take a chance on the last person she ever wanted to partner with: her best friend.
Patrick O’Leary has loved Anita since high school, but he has languished in the Friend Zone for long enough. He will take this last chance to prove to her that love is greater than winning.
Neither of them realize that conquering their rising attraction won’t be their biggest obstacle. Someone does not want them to be together, and will stop at nothing to get their way.
Love, dance, and danger. It’s a Ballroom Blitz.
Buy Links:
books2read.com/u/3yV6r6