Joining me today in The Loft is contemporary romance author Sadira Stone. Sadira spins steamy tales set in small businesses in the Pacific Northwest—a quirky bookstore, a neighborhood bar, a vintage boutique. When she emerges from her writing cave in Las Vegas, Nevada, Sadira can be found in dance class, strumming her ukulele, exploring the Western U.S. with her charming husband, cooking up a storm, and gobbling up all the romance books.
S: Welcome to The Loft, Sadira. It's always a pleasure to meet up for a chat!
Do you remember your first kiss? What was memorable about it?
SS: He was so good-looking, a dreamy, dark-eyed, 9th-grade basketball star. I couldn’t believe he wanted to go with me, as we called it back then. Turns out he was a total cad, but that first kiss was hot!
S: First kisses can be magic memories or moments filled with regrets. My first real kiss was "stolen" in front of everyone, my boyfriend included. It was a nice kiss, but from the wrong guy!
What attracted you to your current partner?
SS: Ours was a late-in-life romance. We both taught at the same overseas high school in the Germany in the Department of Defense Schools system and were both recently divorced. I was attracted to his dark eyes--I’m sensing a theme here--and playful sense of humor. Turns out he’s a great kisser too, and not at all a cad! We’ve been together for 12 years, married for eight.
S: What inspires your stories?
SS: So far, all my stories are set in the beautiful Pacific Northwest, where I lived until our recent move to Las Vegas. Such a beautiful area, and I don’t yet know Vegas well enough to set any stories here. I especially enjoy unlikely pairings, perhaps inspired by happy couples I’ve met who meshed perfectly despite their differences. Of course, a good romance series needs to be tied together by a common setting, family, etc. I love the found/chosen family elements that develop in small businesses—a neighborhood bar, in the case of Bangers Tavern. My previous series, Book Nirvana, centered around a quirky indie bookshop, and my next series is set in a kitschy, quirky Washington State beach town. So I guess I start with a setting, then a chosen family, then launch from there.
S: Sounds like an interesting process. I'm more of a "shoot-from-the-hip" writer, I rarely know what's going to flow from my fingers.
What’s the best advice you have ever been given?
SS: A wise old Southern lady once told me, “Honey, ever’body’s got something to teach you, even if it’s how not to be.”
S: I love that! What do you want inscribed on your tombstone? How do you want to be remembered?
SS: “She had a blast.”
S: What inspired "Sweet Slow Sizzle?"
SS: Jojo and Lana’s love story sort of emerged under its own steam as the series progressed. All I knew about them in Bangers Tavern, Book One, "Christmas Rekindled," was that bouncer Jojo was huge, a jokester, shaved his head, and had a crush on server Lana, who was raising her two teen brothers after losing their parents in a tragic car wreck. Lana proved a loyal friend to Charlie and Rosie, her fellow servers at Bangers Tavern, and heroines of Books One and Two. In each book, the Jojo-Lana subplot grew, so by the time I reached Book Four, Jojo couldn’t wait one more minute to declare his love. Unfortunately, his timing wasn’t the greatest—but what’s a romance story without some big, honkin’ obstacles to love.
S: Is there anything special you would like people to know about "Sweet Slow Sizzle?"
SS: I’m a stickler for research. For this story, I had to learn about Washington State custody law, since Lana is raising her minor brothers, plus Hawaiian family celebrations--thanks to my Hawaiian friend Val Stiglicz--and becoming a personal trainer. I also required information about the history of Tacoma’s Stadium High School, setting for the romcom classic "10 Things I Hate about You." Of course, Bangers Tavern stories always contain delicious food and cocktails, so I got to research yummy recipes. Writing this series has really expanded my mixology skills!
Here's the blurb...
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.
S: Sounds like a steamy friends to lovers romance. Those are always a hot read!
Where can readers buy your book?
SS: It's available at all major booksellers, including--
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B3W8R99S
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w?ean=2940185575178
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/sweet-slow-sizzleS: Sadira, thanks so much for joining me today! If you'd like to learn more about Sadira and her books, please visit--
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sadirastone/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SadiraStone
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18568049.Sadira_Stone
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/sadira-stone
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Sadira-Stone/e/B07KWK5FBX
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/sadira0641/
Thanks so much for hosting me today, Seelie! Love your interview questions.
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