Hello Jen and the That's What I'm Talking About gang, thank you so much for inviting me here today!

My name is Tilly Greene, an erotic romance and erotica author, and this week’s Authors After Dark Featured Author! I hope to see some of you at the fabulous readers convention and thought I'd share with you all a little something about me - the author and personal me.

Whether in person or online, the question I am asked most often is: Does anything about me, my life or something I’ve experienced personally ever show up in one of my stories.

While well meaning and one I’d be interested in knowing as a reader, it’s actually a double edged sword of a query to answer. As an author, I get a kick out of sharing all sorts of bits and pieces about me, my work, and how a story comes together. On the other hand, knowing too much about a story could take away the some of the joy found through reading something for the first, thirtieth or hundredth time.

Despite the good and bad sides to that question, there is something that happens when an author shares a special tidbit with readers and that’s the shining sliver of fun that comes with knowing something personal from the writer themselves. That said, here’s a sliver of useless yet meaningful to me bit fun you’ll find in Missing in Paradise.

I grew up in Southern California - no, that’s not the fun bit - and used to take the train into Los Angeles to watch a USC football game or two - neither is that, but yes I’m a Trojan fan. Across from the grand yet oddly quiet Union Station is Olvera Street - again, not the interesting bit, although this is a must visit place of unique LA history and culture. The next street over, on the corner, is a place called Philippe’s and that’s the gem of a tidbit I’d like to share with you from my recent release.

As a youngster, it was an adventure to go to LA, the big city, and not too long ago we visited the hot food spot again as adults. Even though I was looking at the place with adult eyes, not that much had changed. The tables were still communal and happily shared by people from all walks of life, sawdust was still on the floor, and the French Dip sandwiches are still the very best to be had. I enjoyed myself so much, we make a visit as often as possible and with that said, I will still never eat the pickled pigs feet - make that the pickled anything.

The joyful memory of this last visit stuck with me and when it came time to write a LA based story, it was the perfect place for the heroine sit down and take back control of her life. Here’s an excerpt from Missing in Paradise of that scene:

No one put the pressure of success on her shoulders, she’d put it there herself, and it was too much to handle. The path she’d followed thus far showed cracks and she needed to fix them before she shattered. Mary squared her shoulders and accepted responsibility for her actions while content with choices made. There was no one to blame for the situation she found herself in but herself, and it was up to her to make it right.

Feeling all fired up and eager to get her life back on track, she drank more of her soda and dug her mobile out of her purse. As soon as she pressed the power button, a low battery warning popped up and she hoped there was enough juice to dash off a few texts. There was no need for pleasantries with Mike. They’d established that on the beach at dawn, and she made the message short and to the point.

Can we talk?

Realizing Mike may not have his phone handy didn’t stop her from holding her breath and waiting for a response. With the phone in one hand, she used the other to bring the sandwich blindly to her mouth for a bite. She didn’t want to look away from the screen and rubbed her thumb over it to make sure the screen saver didn’t flash on. The quick buzz and accompanying shake of the device alerted her to a message. Giddy and excited, she swiped a shaking finger across the opening tab to read his answer.

OK.

Two characters, nothing else, but they were good enough to keep her hopes alive. A sense of relief that he appeared to be open to working things out filled her body and mind. Thinking about what she wanted to do, Mary knew they needed to talk in person, not by text or even a phone call. The last one she’d made to him had been a disaster. No, they had to talk face-to-face.

Your place in a few hours?

With fingers crossed, she pressed send and took another bite. The answer came back almost as quick as the first and it said the same thing.

Ok.

Apparently he wasn’t going to make it easy for her to make things right between them. Fine, he was worth fighting for and she was prepared to fight. She would do whatever was necessary to bring him back into her life. Mary laughed at her show of bravado and wolfed down the rest of her sandwich, then indulged in a pickled egg to go. There’d be no physical fight, neither of them had an ounce of violence in them. What she’d do was rely on the truth to get her man back. Being honest with him about what she was feeling, her fears mainly, would hopefully be all she needed. The truth wasn’t going to be easy to share, but she would do it, and if it all worked, then Mary needed to be prepared for the reunion. The giddiness racing around inside her was as strong as it had been on their first serious date as teens and again as adults.

Think positive, she reminded herself as she walked out to her car. Success would be hers and ultimately theirs, but first she needed to go shopping.

Tilly Greene
Scorching romances full of twists, turns and ties.
www.tillygreene.com
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About the Book

Missing in Paradise by Tilly Greene
Contemporary erotic romance + bondage
Published by Ellora’s Cave

When the love of Mike’s life breaks up with him abruptly, he doesn’t know where to turn. Mary is an emotional mess who reacts without thinking, and immediately regrets her decision. Making things right with Mike isn’t easy. It requires privacy to rebuild their love and share their lust. Neither expects their getaway to become a major news story.

The tattooed retired surfer and daytime TV star are opposites, yet perfect for each other. But paradise isn’t easy on them. Their bond will need to stand up to the strain of a public-relations nightmare if they have any hope of making it work.

Mistakes are made and they need privacy to fix things, but what about the media?

eBook available from Ellora’s Cave, All Romance, Amazon, BN and Sony