Steal My Heart by Aimee O’Brian
Published by: Tule Publishing
Publication date: August 5th, 2019
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
When a fantasy turns into a cold reality
Lexanne Harris had a plan down to the last sexy detail. Never did she think her attempt to spice up her love life with her boyfriend would involve her in a burglary with a sexier than sin thief whose emerald eyes and serious between the sheets skills are impossible to forget. As a police detective she is expected to stand on the side of the law and fight for justice. But what happens when the lines of justice blur and what’s wrong becomes way too tempting?
The situation might be challenging but Lexanne is determined to get assigned to the case, recover the jewels and catch the culprit.
The question is: What will she do with her sexy cat burglar when she catches him?
~AUTHOR INTERVIEW with Aimee O'Brian~
1) What gave you
the inspiration for the storyline?
Some years back, a
friend shared with me her sexual fantasy. It involved her boyfriend breaking into
her home in disguise in the suburbs. I remember thinking: What if something goes wrong? What if it isn’t her boyfriend? And
then one day, remembering and pondering this highly unlikely but delightfully alarming
possibility, this story took shape in my mind. And, oh, what a fun, sexy romp
it turns out to be.
2) Are there any
hidden (or not so hidden) themes in the book that you hope readers will
discover?
Obvious themes in
my stories include wine and art. The wines named in the novel are real and
range from what I consider affordable for a lovely bottle of wine, such as a ZD
Cabernet, to sky-high prices for Chateau Lafite Rothschild that I could never
justify for myself in real life. If you don’t know about wine, don’t worry, the
references won’t detract from the story, but if you do, there’s a bit of added
humor. The same is true about the art.
A pink mansion is a perfect setting for a cupcake painting by Wayne Thiebaud,
and I believe a cat burglar would appreciate the magic realism of a
physics-defying Michael Parkes painting.
A subtle theme
specific to Steal My Heart is super
heroes. I make a number of comic book, super hero references throughout the novel.
I personally like super hero movies and find such cultural references
relatable.
3) Are any of the
characters based on real people you know?
None of the characters
in Steal My Heart are based on real
people. They’re all completely fictional. I sometimes use a trait from someone
I know and combine that with a trait from someone else. Lexanne’s girlfriends
are a conglomeration of women I’ve known and admire: women such as Cassidy who excels
in woodworking, and Mia who can sew. They’re supportive and there for Lexanne
when she needs them, much as my own friends are for me. One of my best friends
took a woodworking class and built me a clothes hamper that I’ve used for
years. Another friend taught me the basics of sewing. As much as I tried, my
skills never came close to hers.
I will add that
when my heroes make particularly clever statements, they’re quite possibly
quotes from my husband.
4) Who has
influenced you most as a writer?
Victoria Holt,
Philippa Carr and Jean Plaidy are all the same author writing under different
pen names. I devoured all her books growing up and still love to go back and
revisit them. I loved how she could write different types of stories under
different pen names. I’m currently a debut author with one book out, but I
dream large. I would love someday to have varied stories under different pseudonyms.
What a thrill that would be!
5) If you could
have any three literary characters over to your place for game night, who would
you invite, what would you play, what would you serve, and why?
I would invite both
Joe Morelli and Ranger from Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum novels and Roarke
from J.D. Robb’s In Death Series. We would drink RARECAT Champagne and play the
party game Twister because—damn.
6) Do you feel that
you can ever have too many books?
Too many books?
Sacrilege! No, never. I love physical copies of books although digital is much
easier to store. I will say that I don’t keep most of the eighty physical books
I read in a year. I’ll keep hard covers because I like how they look on my
shelves, although I occasionally have to buy another bookcase, but since I love
furniture, that’s just fun! I’ll keep a few books that are part of a series I
think I might read again, but the others I pass on to my friends or donate to
the local library for their book sales. I’m a big believer in supporting your
local library. I know that I’ll have another eighty books to read the following
year, so I never feel deprived of the printed word.
Author Bio:Having lived in both California and Texas, Aimee O’Brian now resides in the beautiful wine country. With her three children grown and experiencing their own adventures, she and her husband are free to explore the world. When she’s not reading, writing, or planting even more perennials in her garden, she can be found stomping through ancient ruins and getting lost in museums.
Thanks for hosting today, Jen!
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