Debut Print Book: Game On by Tracy Solheim

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I’ve had some concerns by readers who are primarily print readers that the coverage at Dear Author has been too focused on ebooks. When I asked the readers what they were interested in seeing, they responded that they would like to know more about print debut authors. We developed a little questionnaire and every Wednesday at 10:00 AM CST (as long as we have content) we’ll post the questionnaire answers along with links to the author’s site and a buy link to her book. I hope this helps people discovery new books. Now, on to the answers.

Name of debut release: Game On

Release date: 05/07/2013

Publisher: Berkley

2 sentence summary: Football’s bad boy is about to learn there’s more to life than breaking records while the media’s darling is about to learn that playing it safe isn’t any fun at all. It’s game on as the Devil of the NFL executes his toughest drive—scoring the life—and love—he never thought he’d have.

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Characters: Shane Devlin, the Devil of the NFL, has made a career of breaking records on the field and breaking rules off it. The son of a football icon who abandoned him as a child, Shane has spent a lifetime blackening his pedigree every opportunity he gets.

Carly March is determined to make the best of her job as assistant to the General Manger of a professional football team, After surviving a childhood played out in the tabloids, Carly just wants to fly below the radar and live a quiet life. She has no intention of succumbing to the attraction of a brooding, hard-bodied quarterback.

What makes this story different: While this story is essentially a romance, there is also suspense element to the book. This storyline was written mostly to drive the characters together, but I think readers will appreciate the added tension.

Is this a series?: Out of bounds

Why you wrote this book: Believe it or not, I was at the beach one summer a few years back (before Kindle) and I ran out of things to read. Most of the story played through my head like a move and I wrote the first couple of chapters–long hand!–while the rest of my fished. It took me several months to actually finish it and three years before a publisher bought it.

Why is this your first published book? How many did you write before? Game On is actually the first manuscript I ever wrote. I did read a LOT before attempting to write my own book, so I think that helped with the key aspects of plot and pacing. The original manuscript was a finalist for the Maggie Award for Excellence given out by the Georgia chapter of RWA, which I took as a good sign that I was doing something right.

What’s your writing process? I’m a total pantster when it comes to writing. Often, my books evolve from stories I’ve seen on the news. I’ll plot a lot of my book in my head, but it changes somewhat when I actually sit down at the keyboard. I really wish there was a device where my computer could just read my mind, that way I could get most of my work done while I’m on the treadmill! I’m also a terrible procrastinator, a trait that comes from my earlier life in journalism. I definitely write better under pressure. My family would prefer I stick to a schedule, however.

Your next published book. Foolish Games

The last book you read that you loved. Gone Girl

The last book you read for research. I guess this could count as research: Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk. The book takes place at a Dallas Cowboys football game. Since my series depicts football players, I thought it would be a fun book to read.

The romance book character you most identify with. Annique Villiers from Joanna Bourne’s THE SPYMASTER’S LADY. I have low vision, so writing and reading are always difficult for me (know you see why I want the direct hook-up to my brain). Annique was always adapting to her changing environment, her changing disabilities. Most of my life has been spent doing the same thing. I truly believe I was born to be a writer, I just have to jump through a lot more hurdles than the next writer to get my story told.

You can check out more about Tracy Solheim and her books at http://www.tracysolheim.com

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