Monday's Meet the Author: Alice Gaines & Win a Free Book

Today I have author, Alice Gaines, who writes historicals for Carina Press. She also writes contemporary, paranormal and erotic romances. Besides writing, her passions include cooking and gardening. She is a fan of America's Test Kitchen and the soul band, Tower of Power.

Alice lives in Bumpcity, aka Oakland, California, with one ornery backyard cat and, are you ready, a pet corn snake, Casper. I should have had her send me a pic of her and the snake.  As it is, she did send some splendid answers to the following questions and I'm so envious.  She's been to LOTR land, New Zealand!

1.What movie best describes your life? Harvey, because I’m constantly accompanied by imaginary friends and I probably should be locked up somewhere. 

For the under sixty set…Harvey was about a man named Elwood P. Dowd whose best friend was an invisible, six foot tall white rabbit named Harvey.  I’ve spent my entire life immersed in the fantasies that go on in my brain.  About twenty-one years ago, I decided to start writing them down in hopes that someone would publish them.  Now, people pay good money to read my daydreams.  What a kick. 
2. How are you going to celebrate Halloween?  
I’ll pass out candy to kids who come to my door.  I may get the snake out to greet them, but the last time I did that, it scared the snake.  

3. If you were about to be served your last meal, what would be on your plate? 
Eggs Benedict and hash brown potatoes served with plenty of champagne to wash it down.  Actually, my favorite food in the whole world is homegrown heirloom tomatoes.  Give me a ripe, juicy Brandywine tomato, and I’m in heaven.  I eat tomatoes like apples or sometimes with salt.  Also, slice them and put them between two slices of good white bread with lots of mayo.  In my climate, I can only grow Early Girls, but they’re delicious, too. 
4. If you could be any fictional character (books, movies) who would you be? 
Jane Eyre, but I wouldn’t leave Mr. Rochester when I found about the wife in the attic.  I’d go with him to France or wherever he wanted and live happily ever after.  Can I have Timothy Dalton as Mr. Rochester? 
5. When someone cuts you off in traffic, how do you react? 
I used to try to figure out a way to get in front of them and cut them off.  Luckily, I only ever did that once or twice.  These days, I occasionally flip them the bird.  Mostly, I try to tell myself that it isn’t personal and they probably behave like a-holes with everyone.  That helps me to relax.  Given the way people drive in California, you really have to learn to let the anger go, or you’ll bust a gasket at the rudeness you encounter on the freeways. 
6.  You’ve just been handed a one-way ticket to where? 
New Zealand.  I went once, and I wanted to cry when they made me go back home. 
If there were some measure of units of beauty per square mile of land, New Zealand would win with the next country a very distant second.  The people are warm and welcoming.  I’d go back to stay in a heartbeat. 

7. What do you love most about being a writer?   
I get to create my own worlds and invite people to join me there.  The most rewarding part comes when readers tell me they fell in love with my characters.  The characters are all me in one way or another.  If someone loves them, they love me.  Plus, all my sexy heroes are mine.  Mine, mine, I tell you!




Okay, so we know not to mess with her heroes and that she likes Timothy Dalton. And, if you would like to sample one of her heroes free, she is giving away the print edition of ALWAYS A PRINCESS. This book was re-printed with some revisions by Carina Press. So, leave a comment and your name will be entered in a drawing on Wednesday. 


Also learn more about Alice and her books here: Alice Gaines