Friday Friends: Angela Quarles

Angela is another -- you guessed it! -- Six Sentence Sunday friend. I always enjoyed her fun and inventive snippets that combined history and fantastical elements. She calls herself a geek romance writer, which I think is a perfect description of the fun stories she writes. She comes up with the best book titles too! I've been lucky to beta read for her, and she's graciously done the same for me, and I'm looking forward to more of her delightful stories. Please welcome the delightful Angela Quarles to Friday Friends today!

Of all the characters you've created, which one is your favorite? (Don't worry. We won't let your other characters read this.) Why do you love them best?

Oh man, that’s a tough one. I’m glad this won’t be shared amongst them. Hmm… I’d have to say probably Riley McGregor from Beer and Groping in Las Vegas because it was the first time I wrote in a contemporary male’s POV and I had so much fun being in his head. Up to then, and mostly since, I’ve written historicals.

He was definitely a fun character! What's your go-to "writing avoidance" technique? (There will *never* be enough of these!)

Jeez, I’m facing that right now, big time. I’ve gotten completely obsessed with clean eating/living and having a hard time tearing myself away from learning more about it. Basically, anything where I can get obsessed about all aspects of the new shiny thing. If I’m not currently obsessed on something other than writing and my characters, then it’s your typical checking facebook and twitter.

There are just so many new shiny things to distract us! If you were able to go on a writing retreat (and bring all of us along, of course!), where would it be?

Scotland!!!!!!! Who’s with me?

*pushes to the front of the line* Dibs on the kilted hunks! What's the word you love to use (and overuse, so you have to take it out of your book during edits)?

Oddly, lately it’s ‘scrambled’ – she scrambled out of the way, or, he scrambled up the hill

I'm sure they're having scrambled eggs too! Name the first thing you'll do when you make a million dollars from your books.

See answer to third question ;) On the not-so-fun side, I’d probably take part of it and buy a fixer upper house to renovate and rent out as passive income (I know, there’s no fun in that) and then open my own bookstore.

Oooh, I like that, especially the bookstore part. Okay, here's the Tasty Ten, where we get to know you in a speed dating kind of way:

 

Coffee or tea? Tea

Drafting or revising? Drafting

Twitter or Facebook? Facebook

Winter or Summer? Summer

Baseball or Football? Baseball

Contemporary or historical? Historical

Pirate or cowboy? Pirate

Wine or beer? Used to be beer, but having to get used to wine due to my new diet

Abs or pecs? Pecs

Biter or licker? (Hey! I'm talking ice cream cones here!) Definitely lick ;)

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Author Bio

Angela works at an independent bookstore and lives in an historic house in the beautiful and quirky town of Mobile, AL, with her two matched gray cats, Darcy and Bingley. When she's not writing, she enjoys the usual stuff like gardening, reading, hanging out, eating, drinking, chasing squirrels out of the walls and creating the occasional knitted scarf. She's had a varied career, including website programming and directing a small local history museum.

She's an admitted geek and is proud to be among the few but mighty Browncoats who watched Firefly the first night it aired. She was introduced to the wonderful world of science fiction by her father, by way of watching reruns of the original Star Trek in her tweens and later giving her a copy of Walter M. Miller Jr's A Canticle for Leibowitz as a teenager. She hasn't looked back since. 

She has a B.A. in Anthropology and International Studies with a minor in German from Emory University, and a Masters in Heritage Preservation from Georgia State University. She was an exchange student to Finland in high school and studied abroad in Vienna one summer in college. She recently found representation with Maura Kye-Casella at Don Congdon, Assoc.

Social Media Links

Website ~ Blog ~ Twitter ~ Facebook ~ Pinterest ~ Goodreads ~ Google+

Blurb

Can a djinn and a magic slot machine bring two geeks together?

Riley McGregor is a geek trapped in a Good Ole Boy body and as owner of a microbrewery, smart chicks never look at him twice.  

Rejected by a geek who wanted to “trade up,” Mirjam Linna would rather immerse herself in work than be the girlfriend-of-the-moment. Stranded in a Vegas hotel, she makes a wish—a night of hot sex with the man of her dreams. It's granted. She agrees to dinner, but afterward, she’ll say thanks, but no thanks, and see what’s on the SyFy channel. But when they meet, they're surprised to find they had a shared connection in their past. Sparks fly as these two learn to be in the moment, be themselves and find love.

Fans of Star Trek, Star Wars, Monty Python, Firefly and Marvin the Martian will enjoy this romantic comedy.

Excerpt

Mirjam rubbed the tiredness from her eyes, but the caterpillar from Alice in Wonderland still occupied the Rivenbark Hotel & Casino elevator with her. She blinked and squinted. Yep. And life-size. Complete with hookah.

Plastic squeaked against glass as the caterpillar shifted to make more room. It made eye contact.

"Er, nice costume," Mirjam ventured.

"Thanks," came the muffled reply.

The elevator swooped to a stop on the mezzanine level. A pirate and a Ghostbuster stepped on and pushed the lobby button. Mirjam angled back to avoid being knocked over by the guy's Proton Pack.

"Convention?" Mirjam asked the caterpillar and it rewarded her with a nod.

Book Buy Links

Amazon | Amazon CA |  Amazon UK |  Barnes & Noble | All Romance eBooks | BookStrand

 

Comments

[Kate Warren]

Great post, Donna and Angela!

For anyone who hasn't read "Beer And Groping in Las Vegas" get it! It's great!

[Angela Quarles]

Aw, thanks guys! I've been needing some motivation lately (to pull me from the shiny thing) and this post helped :)

[Donna Cummings]

Thanks, Kate! I'm glad you enjoyed the post -- and yes, that was a very fun read. :)

Angela, that's awesome that the post helped with the motivation! Which reminds me, how come "getting motivated" isn't a new shiny thing for us? LOL It totally should be, right?

[Mae Clair]

Angela, I like your shiny new thing. I'm like that too, where I get obsessed with something and have to learn everything I can about it. My newest/latest is a gluten free diet so I'm right there with you on the healthy eating/living. (I have no problem giving up cookies and cake, but bypassing bread is the pits!)

I still find your cover for Beer and Groping in Las Vegas utterly adorable. So cute!

[Angela Quarles]

Donna, I know, right? I wish it could be.

Mae Clair-- So cool you're like that too (though sometimes it can really get in the way/consume our life). I'm gluten free too, as I'm doing Primal (a form of Paleo) and therefore no grains at all. I'm loving it...