Laura Moore – Once Tasted – Interview, Review & Giveaway

Once Tasted
Silver Creek series – Book #2
by Laura Moore
Genre: contemporary, romance, adult
Release Date: May 27, 2014

Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo / The Book Depository / Indiebound

Description:
Everything has come easily to Reid Knowles, the middle son of a California ranching family. But his charmed life is suddenly complicated when his good friend and neighbor asks him to help run the winery next door. His neighbor’s niece, Mia Bodell, is in charge—and she has made it clear that she’d rather be roped to a steer than to Reid Knowles. Never one to back down from a challenge, Reid vows to win her trust.

Her life marked by loss, Mia knows that nothing comes easily—love included. In high school, her heart was crushed by Reid, and even though years have passed, the hurt lingers. Mia is achingly aware that the teen heartthrob has matured into a devastatingly handsome playboy, and the budding winemaker refuses to let down her guard. But one taste of unbridled passion changes things. From Reid’s first intoxicating kiss to his unexpectedly tender seduction, Mia is swept into a passionate affair that could tear her heart to pieces . . . or give her everything she has ever wanted.

Review:
4 stars… I really liked this story.

Wine has never been my favourite drink, but the details the author put in this book was amazing.

Mia has a secret, but it’s one she thinks the whole town knows about. But the town has moved on, Mia isn’t gossip material any more. But she won’t let the past be the past, she has let it shape her future, she is insecure, she is scared, but she does love Reid with her whole heart.

Reid sounds like a typical good looking cowboy, women throwing themselves at him, but Reid is different from most good looking cowboys. He has a heart and morals. He only plays with women who know it will never go any further than a good time, this said, Reid still has them flocking to him, like bees round honey. And at first reading his character, I wasn’t really impressed. I like my cowboys rough and ready, but I like them with a secret. I like them to want to find a good woman and settle down. Reid has a secret, he has longed for Mia for just as long as she has for him.

And with that I leapt in to the book. It’s beautifully written, I cried with Mia, I wanted to punch and shout at Reid, and I cheered when the bad guy got his just desserts.  There were lots of intense moments, but it didn’t take anything away from the story. There were a few “oh my god” moments. And I did need a tissue (or two). I would recommend this author to anyone. And I for one, will be going back to read the first book, and will add the third book to my TBR list.  

Reviewed by Julie B.

Copy provided by publisher


  TRC:  Laura, we would like to thank you for taking the time to answer our questions. We are always looking forward to finding out about the author behind the book, and it is a pleasure to welcome you to The Reading Cafe.

Laura : Thanks so much for having me. It’s a thrill!

TRC:  Please tell us about yourself

Laura: I write contemporary romances with rugged, outdoorsy heroes and strong heroines. Both my heroes and heroines are passionate about their lives and their loves. My stories are often centered around small towns, family ties, and four-legged creatures big and small. Happily my new release, Once Tasted, has all of the above. When I’m not writing, I’m a wife and a mom and a dog owner with aspirations to once again own a horse or three. I love to ride, bike, swim, take walks on the beach, garden, cook, and relax with family and friends. I love old movies (anything with Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, Cary Grant, Katherine Hepburn, James Stewart, Grace Kelly). I’m also an avid museum-goer and a voracious reader. I’ve lived in big cities and small towns and love aspects of both.

TRC:  Did you always have an interest in writing? When and how did you first start writing?

Laura: I came to writing fairly late, in my twenties. I’ve always loved creating. I drew and did photography, ceramics, and sculpture but I didn’t really try my hand at writing until I was in graduate school studying art education. A story came to me and I started scribbling it in the back of my notebook during some of my less than captivating classes. That story, Ride a Dark Horse, became the first book I sold.

TRC:   What was your first book ever published? Can you please describe your reaction when you found out you were going to be published?

Laura: Ride A Dark Horse was the first book I published and, as I described above, I wrote it pretty much on a whim and to entertain myself while some of my art education professors prosed on. I was stunned when an agent not only agreed to represent me, but then turned around and got me a two-book deal. I had to learn an awful lot very fast after I signed that contract but, boy, was it exciting!

TRC:   Is there anything (in general) you find particularly challenging about writing?

Laura: I don’t find anything easy about writing. I think the fact that it’s so difficult is why I love it as an art form. There’s so much you have to get right: the voice; the characters; the plot; the setting; the dialogue; the conflicts…and then the writing has to be good. And though I’m on my tenth book, I often feel as if I forget every lesson I’ve learned when I compose the first sentence of my new novel.

TRC:  Can you please tell us the premise of your Silver Creek series? Also, how many books are you planning for this series?

Laura: Silver Creek is the name of a three thousand-acre guest ranch located in northern California. The ranch is owned and run by the Knowles family. The series tells the story of the adult children, Ward, Reid, and Quinn, who’ve grown up on this magnificent ranch and help their parents run it. It’s possible that I’ll expand the series to include stories devoted to other characters who work on the ranch or in the neighboring town, but for the moment I’m sticking with the Knowleses. They’re quite a family.

TRC:  Once Tasted was recently released. Can you please give us a brief description of this book?

Laura: Once Tasted tells the story of Reid Knowles. A smooth-talking, laidback cowboy, Reid and his bright blue eyes can dazzle just about any woman–except for Mia Bodell, whose youthful infatuation for Reid was killed years ago. For his part, Reid would just as soon steer clear of Mia and her pointed disdain. Unfortunately, he’s made a promise to Mia’s uncle to help Mia manage the winery she and her uncle own that neighbors Silver Creek Ranch. All too soon the sparks begin to fly between Mia and Reid as their long-denied attraction becomes impossible to ignore.

TRC:   For those who may not have read the first book in the Silver Creek series, can Once Tasted be read as a standalone?

Laura: Absolutely. All the books in the series I write can be read as standalones.

TRC:  You write Romance. Do you ever have a desire to write another genre?

Laura:  I’m a hopeless romantic. For me, there’s nothing more satisfying than writing about people who find love, and nothing more challenging than making my readers truly believe in the hero and heroine’s chances at a happily ever after.

TRC:  What is your writing process? Do you have a favorite spot or time? Do you like to outline your stories or just go with the flow?

Laura:  My best time for writing is in the morning, after I’ve come back from an early walk with my dog. My head is clearest then and the words flow fairly smoothly. I’m a big animal person and so I like to write close to my dog, which means I’m either sitting at our dining room table with him lying by my feet or we’re sitting next to each other on the sofa. Thank goodness for laptops! When I’m starting a story I often have a synopsis and a loose outline with some scenes serving as the joints. From there on I basically alternate between a pantsing, go with the flow attitude, and taking a bit of time to map out the next key scenes. It’s not a very organized system but I kind of like the process of discovering even more about my characters as I go.

TRC:  What are you working on now, and what we can look forward to in 2015?

Laura:  I’m writing Quinn Knowles’s story now. It’s called Once Touched. Quinn’s a great character, a cowgirl and a fervent animal-lover. She doesn’t have much time for a man and the hassle of a relationship but then two men arrive at the guest ranch, one a handsome Texan wrangler, the other a photojournalist wounded in Afghanistan. And suddenly Quinn finds her aversion to men turning into something else. The question is who will win this cowgirl’s heart?

TRC:   On your website you talk about your love of horses, and competing in shows. You have a love of water and scuba diving. Do you use this love and your experiences when writing your books?

Laura:  Absolutely. I only wish I had more time to do field research for my books! Of course I do a lot of armchair research, too, reading articles and watching videos. And I have a pretty wide range of acquaintances and connections who are more than happy to share their expertise with me. In Once Tasted, my heroine Mia Bodell is a winemaker. I’m lucky to have a friend who’s a vintner in California who answered a ton of questions and explained the winemaking process to me. The idea for the Silver Creek Ranch came from some other friends of mine who own and run a hotel. Their description of it was so fascinating I couldn’t resist the idea of giving my characters that kind of life.

TRC:   Many authors have friends or family, that they bounce ideas and information back and forth. Do you have anyone you like to discuss your stories with?

Laura: I have a wonderful critique partner, Marilyn Brant, who’s always willing to let me stumble my way through the various ideas I have about my characters or my story. And Marilyn reads my early drafts, angel that she is. My family is pretty fantastic. They read and offer comments–my husband’s a professor, so he doesn’t miss a single misplaced comma–and let me whine in despair for a good fifteen minutes before reminding me that I said exactly the same thing with the previous book.

TRC:   Would you like to add anything else?  

Laura: Just to leave you with a little more Once Tasted:

Three siblings, an extraordinary family, a lasting heritage—in the irresistible Silver Creek Ranch trilogy, they’ll fight for the land and the people they love. Everything has come easily to Reid Knowles, the middle son of a California ranching family. But his charmed life is suddenly complicated when his neighbor, Thomas Bodell, persuades him to help with the business management of his winery, which he is leaving to his niece, Mia. In a life marked by loss, nothing has ever come easily to Mia Bodell. Love included. In high school her heart was crushed by Reid. The hurt lingers. When Mia learns of her uncle’s plan, she makes it clear that she’d rather be roped to a steer than to Reid Knowles. A night of unbridled passion changes things. One taste of Mia awakens an unfamiliar yearning in Reid, and he vows to find a way to win her trust.             Mia is achingly aware that her teenage heartthrob has matured into a devastatingly handsome man. But can the budding winemaker trust her heart to a playboy with no interest in settling down? From Reid’s first intoxicating kiss to his unexpectedly tender seduction, Mia is swept into a passionate affair that could leave her heart in pieces . . . or give her everything she has ever wanted.



LIGHTNING ROUND

Favorite Food: A perfectly roasted chicken

Favorite Dessert: Chocolate, in all its myriad forms

Favorite TV Show: House M.D.

Favorite Movie: National Velvet

Last Book You Read: Molly O’Keefe’s Can’t Hurry Love

Favorite Fictional Character (not your own): Elizabeth Bennet

Milk or Dark Chocolate: Milk!

TRC:  Thank you Laura for taking the time to answer our questions. We wish you the best of luck with Once Tasted.

Laura: Thank you! I hope readers enjoy it! And thank you so much for having me at the Reading Café. It’s been such fun!

Where to find Laura:
Website: Sign up for my newsletter if you like!
Facebook:  / Twitter:  /  Goodreads:  

Laura is offering a paper copy of Once Tasted to one (1) lucky commenter at The Reading Cafe.

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3. LIKE us on FACEBOOK and then click GET NOTIFICATION under ‘liked’ for an additional entry.

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5. Giveaway is open to USA only.

6. Giveaway runs from June 7 to June 11, , 2014