Guest Author: Lexi Blake


Today’s guest is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author who writes quite a variety of novels and says that she believes “in happy endings no matter how odd the couple, threesome or foursome may seem.” 

Her Masters & Mercenaries Series has been enormously popular, and of course she’s written a couple of titles in the Rising Storm series (along with other bestselling authors), the Courting Justice, Lawless, Masters of Menage Series ...and the list goes on!!


I first met this lovely author at a RT Convention some years ago and have been to some fabulous events that she has sponsored.

Icaught up very briefly with her again at the inagural Booklovers Convention in New Orleans this year. She’s both a warm and vibrant lady who impresses as having a terrific sense of fun.

Joining me from North Texas, it’s my pleasure to welcome Lexi Blake as my guest today.

Lexi, thank you for joining me. I’m catching you hot on the heels of your two latest releases (Once Upon a Time in Bliss was released on July 16th and Lost in You will be released on August 6th). Would you mind telling us a little about these two stories and whether either of them posed any particular challenges to you?

 First, thanks so much for having me! Once Upon a Time in Bliss is actually a re-release. It originally came out in 2013 under my first pen name, Sophie Oak. I got the rights back and I’ve been working on folding that world into my Lexi Blake universe. It’s been interesting to see where I was back then and how I deal with the same situations now as a writer. As for Lost in You, it’s the third book in a five-book cycle, so it’s kind of when everything explodes. It’s a fine line making sure I pay attention to the couple as well as the overall external storyline.

I have read that you started your writing in journalism and writing plays. Your novel writing has been very successful filled with so many high points. Are there any particularly special moments you’d like to share with us?

Obviously seeing that first book in print is a huge deal. Making a list for the first time is something you don’t forget. I was in London the day I first made the Times. I remember vividly waking up and getting the text. I walked around London in a fog all day because I couldn’t believe it had actually happened. There are quiet moments that are meaningful, too. How can any author forget the readers who come to meet you and tell you how your books helped them? That makes everything worthwhile.

I hope you emerged from the fog and did something extra special to celebrate making the NY Times Best seller list!!

You have written At the Pleasure of the President and Smoke and Sin with Shayla Black. That must have been really fun to do together. How did you manage the process of writing together?

We plot the entire book together. Often we’ll go somewhere and hole up in a hotel or a B&B and spend several days working out the plot and characterizations. There is usually a whole lot of wine involved in these sessions! Once we know how we want the book to go, I write a first draft. Shayla then takes that first draft and edits and adds in layers. It’s what works for us.

  

You have written the Texas Sirens series as “Lexi Blake writing as Sophie Oak”. Can you tell readers why you chose to brand yourself slightly differently for this series?

Sophie Oak was my original brand. Because of my contract at the time, I couldn’t indie publish under that name and I didn’t think The Dom Who Loved Me really worked at the publisher. So Lexi was born. I’d always wanted the Texas Sirens and Bliss series to be part of my Masters and Mercenaries world, but I couldn’t connect them for years. Now that I own the rights to those books, I’ve been re-editing, updating, and writing new scenes for each book. I kept the Sophie Oak name on the books so we can avoid confusion for people who read them back in the day.

  

I'd love to hear about your current writing project. Can you tell us a little bit about it please?

I’m actually working on my urban fantasy series. The new book is called Stealing Summer and like Lost in You, it kind of blows up that universe. I guess it’s my year for that. The Thieves series is kind of the series of my heart. Writing those books got me back into writing after a long break, so I’m always happy to jump back into that world. It’s going to be the first to have more than one POV, too.

Sounds interesting - and challenging to write, too, with more than one POV.

Thank you for joining me today, Lexi! I hope to see you at Nashville next March for the Booklovers Convention.

Thanks for having me and I look forward to seeing you and everyone in Nashville!

If you’d like more information on Lexi, please visit her website: www.lexiblake.com




Thank you all for joining me today on the blog with Lexi. 

It seems a very busy time of the year for authors, and I'm not sure whether I'll be back with another guest interview next Saturday or the Saturday after...depends on the writing commitments of my invited guests! Rest assured, it will be soon.

Also, I've had several subscribers ask me to respond to some questions about my own releases and works in progress, so I am planning to answer these questions in a post in October. If you have any particular questions you'd like me to answer, email me with your question(s) at alyssaj.montgomeryromance@gmail.com and I'll add it to those I have received. (A note for Lyn W - yes I am working on the third medieval title!!)

Take care and Happy Reading!!
Best wishes,
Alyssa

www.alyssajmontgomery.com


 _________________________________________________________________________________




About the Blogger:
Alyssa J. Montgomery is an Australian contemporary romance author who is published by Escape Publishing (Harlequin Enterprises, Australia). She also 
writes medieval romance as Alyssa James.



 

Latest release: Seduced by the Enemy (April 4th, 2019) Escape Publishing (Harlequin Enterprises, Australia)

Next releases: Seduced by the Stranger (October 4th, 2019); The Magic of Christmas (November 12th), Seduced by the Billionaire (April, 2020) - all published by Escape Publishing (Harlequin Enterprises, Australia) 














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