Interview with romance author P.J. DeVere

Today’s special author guest is P.J. DeVere to chat with me about her new contemporary romance, Pour Attitude.

During her virtual book tour, P.J. will be awarding a $25 Amazon or Barnes and Noble (winner’s choice) gift card to a lucky randomly drawn winner. To be entered for a chance to win, use the form below. To increase your chances of winning, feel free to visit her other tour stops and enter there, too!

Bio:
P.J. DeVere is the author of The Starkford Series. She was born and raised in Mississippi, where she is still a practicing attorney. A life-long lover of books, P.J. finds it hard to tear herself away from a steamy romance novel. She’s had multiple careers in her life, but writing is by far her favorite. Before earning her law degree from Ole Miss, she was a fifth-grade teacher. She has a bachelor’s degree in elementary education and a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction from Mississippi State.

She is a wonderful wife, a terrible housekeeper, and a devoted mother. Her sons are all grown with lives of their own, and she is making use of this newfound time and freedom to get to know the imaginary friends in her head. She is giving readers a distinctly different view of life in the South as not everyone down here spits tobacco through a missing tooth hole or says “I declare” while lazily fanning herself under a magnolia tree. P.J. has found joy in creating a series of novels that reflects the Mississippi she knows and loves, and she hopes her readers will find the lure of returning to Starkford as irresistible as she does.

Welcome, P.J. Please tell us about your current release.
Pour Attitude is a sharp witted, sexy, and sarcastic romantic comedy that will keep you hooked and laughing out loud until the end. It is the third book in The Starkford Series, but it can be read as a standalone novel. Madeline Everly has a wild side, she enjoys her freedom, and she enjoys men. Mads would like to enjoy her favorite bartender, Exel Kinley, but he is avoiding her. Exel has a brooding soul trapped inside a mountain of muscles. He’s every girl’s wet dream, but nobody can get close to him. He trusts no one and keeps his own counsel. This is a fun read that will have you wanting to go back to Starkford again and again.

What inspired you to write this book?
I write strong women, and Mads is nothing if not a strong, independent woman. I am a prosecutor in my day job, and I understand what it takes to succeed in a male dominated field. Mads has that determination and perseverance. In fact, all of my books feature strong females, and it is my hope that it is inspiring to all the women who read them.

I also love writing steamy romance novels, and a wild spirit coupled with a dark and mysterious man is always a fun ride.

Excerpt from Pour Attitude:
Nate comes through the door next, but I’m the only one who notices. Everyone else is gathered around Bridget and Brynn, so I walk over to greet him.

“I didn’t think you’d show when we invited you, but I’m glad you came.”

He wiggles his eyebrows at me as he opens his jacket to show the flask sticking out the top of the inside pocket. “I brought reinforcements.”

I squeal in excitement like Brynn would before putting a hand on each side of his face. I bring him down to me and give him a playful kiss, right on the lips. “You are a good man!”

I notice his expression changes after what I thought was an innocent smooch. He makes a point to lick his lips. With a hand grabbing my hip, he brings his head down to whisper in my ear, “You have no idea how good I can be.”

My eyes widen in shock. Where the hell did that come from? We’ve always played around, but the look in Nate’s eyes seems serious.

What exciting story are you working on next?
Pour Baby will be next, and I’m so excited about it! Nate has been around since book one (Pour Choices) as one of Study’s main bartenders. Alex’s little sister, Gabe (Gabriella), is heading back to Starkford, and it’s going to turn his world upside down.

I hope to put out several more novels in The Starkford Series; however, I’m also looking forward to starting a spin-off series. I offer a free novella from my website, pjdevere.com, which introduces a new character, Levi Shelly. Shelly is an incredibly successful author who is steadily building his empire. He, along with his gorgeous band of brothers, will get into all kinds of mischief and mayhem. These stories will be set in New Orleans, Louisiana and they will have that flavor only New Orleans can bring to it. I plan to do something unexpected with this series, so I hope you stick around for it! (I can’t say more about it just yet, but more to come soon).

When did you first consider yourself a writer?
I’m bold by nature, so I considered myself a writer when I set my mind to start writing. I believe confidence is half the battle in anything you do. In fact, I tell the newer female attorneys I mentor that they could benefit from having the reckless confidence of a mediocre male (and I’m not entirely joking when I say it). Nature favors the bold and life is short. If you have a dream, don’t wait for permission or acceptance from others. Go after it!

Do you write full-time? If so, what’s your work day like? If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find time to write?
Tragically, I don’t get to write full time. I am a prosecutor in my day job, and I write in my spare time. I would love for this to be my main focus because it is my passion, and hopefully one day it will be. I am lucky to have enough spare time to keep my writing career going and a supportive family to help me. My sons are grown and out of the house, and my husband can keep himself entertained for the most part.

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
I do have a weird quirk. How did you know? Each book in The Starkford Series focuses on two characters of the main cast, and it’s centered around a bar called Study. Study is an English looking bar with dark, gleaming wood and red walls. It’s a play on words as it looks like an English study, and it’s also an alibi as in, “We’re going to Study.”

Each of the characters has a preferred type of liquor and usually a signature drink. I’ve had a lot of fun researching different cocktails throughout the years. That brings me to my weird quirk. I tend to drink what my characters do. In Pour Choices, I had a lot of Pinot Noir and Vodka Gimlets. In Pour House I had Sauvignon Blanc and sometimes Makers Mark, and in Pour Attitude, I had a lot of gin. The drinks almost become their own characters and helps to fuel the story inside and out. Cheers!

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
I wanted to be an actress. In the third grade, this horrible man came to career day and told me I’d never make it. I wish I could find him now and punch him in the nose. On my high school senior trip, an agent approached me with her card, but I didn’t’ follow through. I became a mother early in life and set my sights on a career first as a teacher and then as a lawyer. It’s crazy to sit back now and think about the roads you didn’t take. One different choice could set your life on a completely different path. Ultimately, I’m glad I walked down the roads I did.

Anything additional you want to share with the readers?
What I want to share with my readers is that I love you and I’m one of you. I consume books the same way you do, and I understand you. We get to keep finding love (and lust) and hope again and again, and that is downright magical. Thanks for being you and thanks for reading.

Links:
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Amazon

Thanks for being here today!

a Rafflecopter giveaway