Running On Empty
by Meg Benjamin
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GENRE: Contemporary Romance
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INTERVIEW:
1. What or
who inspired you to start writing?
I
always wanted to write, but what I wrote changed over the years. I loved
English classes, so it was sort of natural for me to become an English teacher.
Since I taught at an Enormous State University, I had to write for my job—we
were supposed to publish something every year. But when I got close to
retirement, I started thinking about what I really wanted to write. The fiction
I’d tried to write before had all been “literary” (and very bad). But once I
started reading romance, I knew I’d found my people. My friends at the San
Antonio Romance Authors helped me learn the fine points, and I finally
published my first novel (Venus In Blue
Jeans) around five years after I started trying.
2. How did you come up with your idea for your novel?
Running On Empty is the third book in
the Salt Box Trilogy. I knew I wanted to do a combination of the Colorado
Rockies and reality TV, but I wasn’t sure what reality show to choose. I’d
already done a riff on The Bachelorette (Finding
Mr. Right Now) and the Real Housewives (Love
In the Morning). I finally decided to make up my own reality show, with
nods to the Biggest Loser, because I really wanted my heroine, Ronnie, to be an
athlete.
3. What expertise did you bring to your writing?
Besides
the writing expertise that I picked up from having to publish research every
year, I was also a freelance copyeditor. I loved doing it, and I still have a
hard time turning off my editor brain when I’m reading someone else. The
problem with that, though, is that I can’t really use my editing side on my own
stuff. Nobody can edit their own work. You just read through the errors. But I
will say it comes in handy when I’m trying to decide where to put that comma!
4. As far
as your writing goes, what are your future plans?
Right
now I’m working on a trilogy about a family-owned brewery in Colorado (craft
beer central). It should be out next year.
5. If you could be one of the characters from this book, who would it be and
why?
Weirdly
enough, I think I’d probably be Nona, one of the supporting characters in all
three books. She’s the unfailing voice of wisdom, as well as the long-time
lover of a legendary Hollywood producer. What’s not to like?
6. Can you give us a sneak peek into this book?
Sure.
Here’s a bit of one of my favorite scenes. My heroine, Ronnie, has been having
problems with the “designated bitch” on her series (there’s always one on every
reality show, right?), Constance. They have this exchange in the dressing room
where they’re getting changed.
Ronnie shrugged.
“Balanced diet. More protein than anything else, but some carbs for muscle and
fat for endurance.”
“Yeah, you look like you
could endure a hell of a lot,” Constance sneered.
This time Misty
snickered.
Ronnie raised her chin, but
she kept her smile in place. Aunt Dolly had been on the pageant circuit for
years—she’d taught Ronnie a lot about dealing with competitive jerks. She
widened her smile in Constance’s direction and let her accent slide down south.
“Bless your heart, don’t you worry about it. I’m sure you’re doing just fine
for your weight.”
7. Do you belong to a
critique group? If so how does this help or hinder your writing?
I
have a critique partner, the wonderful Teri Wilson. We’ve worked together for
years. In fact, I always try to have Teri read anything before I submit
it—she’s great at finding those plot holes that I thought I could tiptoe
through!
8. When did you first decide to submit your work? Please tell us what or who
encouraged you to take this big step?
I
started by submitting chapters to contests (along with a critique group at my
local RWA chapter), which is a great idea for getting feedback. Venus In Blue Jeans won a few contests
and I started feeling encouraged about it. I sent it off to some publishers
and, as usual, got turned down by most. But Samhain Publishing gave me a
“revise and resubmit,” which was just enough encouragement to get me to work on
it. They picked it up in 2009.
9. Do you outline your books or just start writing?
I’m
a total planner, which is both good and bad. When I first started writing, I
was afraid I’d run out of story if I didn’t plan everything out in advance. Now
I’m a little less compulsive about it, but I still like to have a general
outline of the story, even if I change it along the way. A few years ago I took
a Plotting Bootcamp course with Delilah Devlin, and I’ve used those techniques
every since. If you’re at all inclined toward plotting, I really recommend
Delilah’s course—it’s terrific!
10. Who is your favorite character in the book. Can you tell us why?
Ronnie, my heroine, is also my favorite character. She’s been a
character in all three Salt Box books, and I’ve had a lot of fun working with
her as the stories evolved. In Finding
Mr. Right Now, she was naïve, and bit of a dingbat. But she’s always been
sweet and loyal. In Love In the Morning,
she started to wise up, and the other characters started to love her. In Running On Empty, she’s toughened into a
heroine with a very determined streak and a will to succeed. Plus she’s an
athlete, which I’d love to be myself (sadly, with my lack of coordination, that’s just not going
to happen!).
11. Anything else you might want to add?
Thanks so much for hosting me. It was fun!
BLURB:
Ronnie
Ventura has every reason to distrust Fairstein Productions: she’s had run-ins
with their shows before. But Fairstein’s newest reality show offers Ronnie a
chance to redeem herself from looking like a blonde bimbo. All she has to do is
win a modified triathlon. Simple, right? Except this is Fairstein, and nothing
is ever simple with them.
Ronnie’s
boss at the Blarney Stone bar and café, owner Ted Saltzman, is a lot less
convinced that another Fairstein show is just what Ronnie needs, particularly
when he’s head over heels about Ronnie himself. But she’s determined, and
he’s a man in love.
Ted
becomes her running coach, which fans their budding romance to a fever. But can
Ronnie’s newfound confidence stand up to the usual Fairstein plots? And can Ted
find a way to keep his true love in Salt Box if Hollywood tries to steal her
away again?
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EXCERPT:
Ted watched Ronnie circle the high school track. It was
always a bit easier to train here since the track had quarter-mile markers and
he could time her more accurately. Saturdays were the only time they could use
it, though, until school was out.
They’d switched to two minutes of running followed by a
minute of jogging for the warm-up, rather than the one-minute run, two-minute
walk that he’d started with. Ronnie’s stride was really developing.
As he’d watched her over the past few weeks, he’d come to a
surprising conclusion. Dick was right—Ronnie was a natural athlete. She loved
to run, just like she loved to bike and swim.
He was a little embarrassed about how long it had taken him
to realize the extent of her abilities. He was willing to bet that he would
have wised up a lot sooner if she hadn’t been, well, Ronnie in all her
Ronnieness. He wasn’t sure why the idea that a gorgeous woman could also be an
athlete seemed so revolutionary. Probably more evidence of his troglodyte side.
Now she was sprinting down the stretch, knees pumping, arms
swinging at her sides. She seemed to be enjoying herself, but lately she always
seemed to be enjoying herself. The sight of Ronnie running full-out in shorts
and T-shirt did predictable things to his libido.
Of course, the sight of Ronnie doing just about anything did
predictable things to his libido these days. Even when he caught a glimpse of
her bent over her bike, which was about as unsexy as you could get, he still
found himself watching her long legs spin the pedals, her blonde hair steaming
behind her helmet.
God she was lovely. And God he was a horny, lust-filled
idiot around her.
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AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Meg Benjamin
is an award-winning author of contemporary romance. Her Konigsburg series for
Samhain Publishing is set in the Texas Hill Country and her Ramos Family
Trilogy is set in San Antonio’s King William District. Her Salt Box trilogy
takes place in her new home the Colorado Rockies. She’s also the author of
Going Up In Flames, part of the Sapphire Falls Kindle World series. Meg’s books
have won numerous awards, including an EPIC Award, a Romantic Times Reviewers’
Choice Award, the Holt Medallion from Virginia Romance Writers, the Beanpot
Award from the New England Romance Writers and the Award of Excellence from
Colorado Romance Writers. Meg’s Web site is http://www.MegBenjamin.com.
You can follow her on:
Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/meg.benjamin1),
Twitter (http://twitter.com/megbenj1).
Meg loves to hear from readers—contact her at meg@megbenjamin.com.
To
purchase Meg’s books, you can visit her author page at Samhain,
Meg’s
books are also available through iBooks and other venues.
Meg’s
Books:
Konigsburg,
TX
Venus
In Blue Jeans ISBN 9781605043692
Wedding
Bell Blues ISBN 9781605046303
Be
My Baby ISBN 9781605048437
Long
Time Gone ISBN 9781609281083
Brand
New Me ISBN 9781609283070
Don’t
Forget Me ISBN 9781609288259
Fearless
Love ISBN 9781619212404
Hungry
Heart ISBN 9781619222274
Salt
Box Trilogy
Finding
Mr. Right Now ISBN 9781619229570
Love
in the Morning ISBN 9781619230729
Promise
Harbor Wedding
Bolted
ISBN 9781619214293
Ramos
Family Trilogy
Medium
Well ISBN 9781101599648
Medium
Rare ISBN 9781101622575
Happy
Medium ISBN 9781101622568
Sapphire
Falls Kindle World
Going
Up In Flames ASIN B01FV7OAYI
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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION and RAFFLECOPTER CODE
Meg
Benjamin will be awarding a $20 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly
drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
