Welcome Author Alicia Dean

Today I am pleased to introduce Alicia Dean. Many fellow authors know Alicia as the force behind a wonderful support group called Authors Helping Authors. But she is first and foremost an author, and she's here to tell us about her Valentine's Day release.

AD: Thank you so much for hosting me on your blog. I’m thrilled to be here, and thrilled to share a little about my Valentine story, Cupid’s Beau.

PK: It's an honor to have you here! Let's start with a few questions about you. What do you do when you're not writing?

            AD: Edit, watch television, hang out with my kids, family, and/or friends.

What would your fans be surprised to know about you?

            Hmmm. Maybe that in spite of the dark, creepiness of many of my books, I've never actually killed anyone. Well, not on purpose. J

What's your idea of an ideal vacation?

            An ideal vacation would be one where I share it with the people I love and where I see things I haven't seen before and do touristy things, yet I also have some down time to write and relax. It seems to help my creativity to work in a different setting.

Sounds like the perfect vacation! Let's talk about your writing. What has been the toughest criticism given to you as an author?

            That people dislike my heroine in Soul Seducer. I really enjoyed writing Audra, and I thought I made her sympathetic and likeable, but many reviewers liked my Grim Reaper hero and understood him MUCH better than my nurse heroine.

What has been the best compliment?

            There isn't one particular compliment that sticks out in my mind, but when readers say they couldn't put my book down and when they finished, they wanted to read something else I've written, I'm thrilled beyond words. (Beyond words, get it—I'm an author)

Clever! Do you have any advice to give to aspiring authors?

            It sounds cliché, and I know they've heard it a million times, but keep writing, keep writing, keep writing. The only way you can fail is to give up.

Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?

            I think it would be developing my characters. I'm a plot driven writer and sometimes readers have trouble relating to my characters. Well, other than the villains. That seems to come pretty easily to me. Scary, right?

Cupid's Beau is available at Barnes and Noble and Amazon.

Alicia can be found at her website and on twitter: @Alicia_Dean_

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 Blurb:

Ivy Pierce is a Cupid who prides herself on doing her job well. Except when it comes to a certain human male, Grant Crawford. Although she doesn’t understand why, each time she’s supposed to shoot her arrow into his heart, her stomach hurts, her chest hurts, and she feels…sad. Cupids are never sad.

Humans who are not looking for love only get three chances to find it. And after Ivy sabotages Grant’s last chance, her boss, Aphrodite, sends her to earth to right her wrong. She has until Valentine’s Day to help him find his soul mate.

But the more she’s around him, the more she wants him for herself, even though she knows that can never be. A Cupid and a human? Unheard of.

As V-Day draws closer, can she sacrifice her own happiness to help the man she loves find his?

Excerpt:

The young girl at the hostess stand favored Ivy with a friendly smile. “One for lunch?”

“No, no thank you. I’m here to see Grant Crawford.”

“Do you have an appointment?”

“No. But he’ll want to see me. I’m sure of it. Tell him Ivy Pierce is here to make his dreams come true.”

The girl’s smile faltered. “To make his—”

“Yes, that’s right. Dreams come true.”

The girl quickly schooled her features. “One moment please.”

Ivy tapped her foot as she waited. What had she been thinking? Where she came up with that line, she had no idea. It had just occurred to her out of the blue. The likelihood of Grant Crawford being enticed by such a sentiment was doubtful. He was a practical, down to Earth man with no time for love, let alone flights of fancy.

That’s why her chin almost hit the ground when Grant Crawford came through the door from the restaurant into the foyer. If she thought he looked good from the clouds, oh my. He wore black slacks and a dove gray shirt and black tie without a jacket. His eyes were even darker brown up close. Her stomach quivered, and her fingers went numb.

“Make my dreams come true?” he barked, shattering her fantasy. His sensual lips were bracketed by lines of annoyance instead of his adorable dimple. “What kind of nonsense is this?”