Around the Fire Welcomes Back Sadira Stone

How did we get near the end of October? The seasons seem to fly past. It feels like just the other day the garden was blooming and the trees so full of green. But as Dolly said in Steel Magnolia's- Truvy: Time marches on and sooner or later you realize it is marchin' across your face. Well, I won't talk about my laugh lines and I got a few more when today's guest sent her picture. It's been a long time since my fellow Rose and I sat together and chatted. 

Hey Cuz, Welcome back. (We share the same name.) While I take care of my hostess duties why don't you reintroduce yourself. 
I’m an ex-expat, having lived for nearly thirty years in Germany. I’m a brand-new grandmother! I’m a still-slightly-homesick Pacific Northwest girl who recently moved to Las Vegas and is trying to sink roots in the desert. I’m a Zumba queen, a bookaholic, a collector of far too many cookbooks, and person you’d best not talk to until she’s had her coffee. Lately, I’ve developed an addiction to advice columns—tons of great writing inspiration there! 

Oh, coffee before talkie. That's my motto as well. It must be tough moving to a new place that's so different. Who helps you get through it all? 
I’m so grateful to my writing friends from the former Olympia, Washington chapter of RWA, since disaffiliated from the mother ship but still meeting regularly online, as well as the generous authors of Contemporary Romance Writers, the friends I made at The Wild Rose Press, and all the authors who’ve been so generous with their knowledge and experience. We truly are a #WritingCommunity. I’m also grateful to Hubs. It’s not easy for an athletic extrovert to grok the writing life, but he’s always supportive and patient.  

Other writers are amazing and so helpful. Having a partner who understands is priceless too. Who or what books or authors are your inspiration?
Too many to count! For historical romance, I’m a huge fan of Sarah MacLean, Tessa Dare, and my writing pal Cari Davis. Among my favorite contemporary romance authors are Lucy Score, Tessa Bailey, J.T. Geissinger, Claire Kingsley, Talia Hibbert, Rebekah Weatherspoon, Michelle McCraw, Jami Davenport, Laurie Ryan, and Marie Tuhart.

Wow that's some list. Do you have any fun or outrageous talent?
I’m a good cook and can belly dance with a sword balanced on my head.

Cooking is one of my happy places as well. Not much of a sword dancer though. Your mentioned your new home what's the neighborhood like? Are there any places you frequent? What makes them special? 
I recently moved to Summerlin, Nevada, a neighborhood on the west side of Las Vegas. Think palm trees, a bazillion desert cottontails because of the golf course running through our neighborhood, coyotes at dusk, hawks overhead, striated mountains and red rock canyons, the Las Vegas Strip a thirty-minute drive away. Hubs and I have joined our community music club, where I’ve met some fun people with amazing music chops. Needless to say, the dining options in Vegas boggle the mind. Good thing our community comes with a gym! And did you know that Las Vegas boasts amazing public libraries? They host multiple free concerts each month.  

When I think of Las Vegas all I picture is the strip. You paint quite a different view of it. Do you have a particular object like a piece of jewelry or a keepsake of some sort? Can you tell us what makes it special to you?
I collect crystals, minerals, and semi-precious stones. My favorite pieces include two bracelets of lapis lazuli beads and a pendant of carnelian, an excellent stone for writers. 

One of my favorite places is the Franklyn Mine Museum. They have an amazing array of those and I can spend hours standing and looking at them. What is your favorite mug or teacup if neither T-shirt with graphic or Meme
My daughter gave me a mug that reads “F--- off. I’m writing.” 

Lol! Short sweet and to the point. If you could only choose one song to play every time you walked into a room for the rest of your life, what would it be?
“I Am What I Am” by Gloria Gaynor

If you could time travel, where would you go and when? Why?
I’ve always been fascinated by the 1920s, a time of tremendous social change, especially for women. Also, they threw great parties back then! And who doesn’t want to dance atop a piano in a beaded flapper dress?
​
We love game night at our house. Do you play board games? Which ones?
Chicken Foot, a fast-paced domino game; Blitz, a fast-paced card game that doesn’t require much math or special terminology; and Catch Phrase—also fast-paced! I sense a theme.

What’s the most amazing natural occurrence you’ve witnessed?
On December 26th, 1999, we were heading from our home in Germany toward France, where we’d rented a country cottage, and passed through an amazing windstorm that snapped tall pines like toothpicks. The entire region lost power for several days. I’ve never seen or felt anything like it. 

How do you select the names of your characters?
Easy! I just look up the most popular baby names from the year they were born and pick one that feels right.     
Yep, that's what I do. I go to the Social Security site and they list the names by year. Sadira, thank you so much for popping by the fire. It's always fun to catch up with friends. Before you head out will you give us a peek at your latest release and where our other guests can find out more about it and you?

---

Sweet Slow Sizzle: Bangers Tavern Romance 4
Steamy
Released October 24, 2022

Loving him means risking the only family she has left.
Bangers Tavern’s hunky bouncer Jojo Williams has been flirting with server Lana Lopez for three years, but she dismisses him as a trifling joker. Determined to penetrate her prickly defenses, he plunges into the hot mess that keeps her from dating. If he screws this up, his heart and hers won’t be the only ones broken.
Orphaned by a car wreck at twenty-two, Lana must keep her teen brothers on track and together in the home they grew up in. One more slip-up, and her interfering tías will separate the boys. The last thing Lana needs is a big goof like Jojo meddling with her fragile family.   
But when the teens’ shenanigans land them in trouble, Jojo may be the only person who can save them from the wrath of the tías. Lana’s growing attraction to the gentle giant makes it harder and harder to shut him out, but loving him is a gamble that could cost her everything.    
Come back to Bangers Tavern for a slow burn, sizzling hot, friends to lovers workplace romance full of laughs, steam, and the glorious chaos of 21st century family—the ones we’re born into, and the ones we gather to our hearts.  
Universal Book Link: https://books2read.com/SweetSlowSizzle
Review of Sweet Slow Sizzle
“As in Sadira Stone's other novels, her themes go beyond those found in a typical romance. The situations she depicts are realistic. There are no perfect knights in shining armor or peerless princesses. Stone’s use of every life day situations brings a deep humanity to her novels that is lacking in most romances.”
            -Bookbub reviewer and author Suanne Shafer

​

---