Good morning. Today I'm turning the Weird, the Wild, & the Wicked over to multipublished author Avril Ashton while I feverishly edit a MS and attend to some SEALS - Yeah, yeah, guys! Wheels up in two minutes. I know! I'm coming! - So, take a moment and enjoy Avril and the heroine from her latest release, Far From the Usual, out now from Evernight Publishing. Check out the hot cover!
Yeah, all right! SEALs calling. I'm outta here. Take it away, Avril. :)
At the behest of author Siobhan Muir, I invited Arden Windham, heroine of Far From the Usual, to sit down with me for a chat. Arden readily agreed and she came in wearing a white tank top, torn denims, and black Converse high-tops. Her hair was pulled into a messy ponytail. Dark glasses covered her eyes, but she removed them, peering across the table at me as she sipped her coffee.
Av: Arden, thanks for agreeing to sit with me for a few. I understand you’re busy.
Arden shrugs: It’s cool
Av: Tell us a bit about you. Loving your name.
Arden grins: Thanks. I was named after my father. His name is Dennis.
Av: You and your father have a very…strained relationship. Do readers get to see you resolve some of your issues?
Arden: That’ll be giving stuff away, right? Readers will have to…read…to find out.
Av: Can you at least let us know if your issues have been resolved. Good or bad?
Arden: I can’t.
Av: Can’t what?
Arden: Can’t let you know. *she waves a hand* Next question.
Av: Ah, talk about your best friend Indy
Arden: What about her?
Av: Are you two still close?
Arden: We are
Av: Do you think she should get her own story?
Arden laughs: Hell yeah! Payback is a bitch.
Av: That it is. Are you ready to talk about you and Cam?
Arden squares her shoulders: As ready as I’ll ever be.
Av: What was your first impression of him?
Arden: He came across as really, really cold. And mute. Cause the bastard rarely spoke, at least to me.
Av: But you found him attractive?
Arden: Who told you that?
Av: That’s a question.
Arden: I didn’t like him. Hell, sometimes I still don’t.
Av: How’s the relationship between the families?
Arden: In one word? Fucked.
Av: Do you care one way or the other? Does it affect your life?
Arden: I try not to let it. It’s not easy, but I’ll be damned if others will dictate my happiness or who I love.
Av: Does that mean you love Cam?
Arden: Damn woman, read the freaking book!
FAR FROM THE USUAL BLURB: He’s her ex’s brother, yet Arden Windham aches to be in Cam Mercer’s arms. The man is rude and obnoxious, his blue eyes cold and unfeeling, but he makes her body melt. Being with ex-con Cam is nowhere in her plans, not if she wants the affection she’s worked so hard to gain from her overbearing father. Still, Cam’s touch is unlike anything she’s ever felt and Arden finds herself having to choose between her wants and her needs.
Cameron Mercer is his family’s black sheep, a man apart. For six months he watched Arden waste her time with his twin and now she’s free, he’s not waiting another minute. He’s on a campaign to get her off the tight rope she’s been walking. There’s a rebel behind that smooth façade and he’s on a mission to set Arden free. Too bad she insists on putting up a fight.
Excerpt
Arden held herself upright with her hip propped against her car as she waited for Indy to come out from the bar. Cam left her standing in the darkness, getting into his truck and driving off while she struggled to accept the ramifications of what she’d done.
She promised her father she’d be on her best behavior and this so wasn’t it. He’d have a coronary if he ever found out about this. Let’s not forget, too, that Cam was Clark’s brother.
Brothers.
She tugged on the ends of her hair and shifted her weight from one foot to the other. The crotch of her thong was soaked through; her flesh felt swollen and extra sensitive. She needed Cam in the worst way and she just knew she’d end up doing all kinds of things she’d regret before the night was through.
“Hey.”
She looked up as Indy approached.
“Are you okay?” Indy eyed her up and down. “Did you get busy?”
Indy had been after her to make a move on Cam, pointedly ignoring Arden’s plea to go somewhere when she spotted his truck in the parking lot earlier.
“We didn’t.” She shook her head and got into the car. Buckling herself in, she laid her head back and sighed. “I’m fucked.”
Indy grunted as she got into the driver’s seat. “Not yet, you aren’t.”
“He’s not part of the plan, Indy.” She stared out the window. “No drama. The Mayor’s daughter can’t be caught fucking an ex-con.”
“So don’t get caught.” Indy touched her shoulder. “Look, have you questioned why your father put you on all these weird restrictions? Ever since you came here, you’ve been all uptight and buttoned up. Being the quiet, unassuming daughter isn’t your shtick.”
“But it has to be.” She’d been away from her father for far too long, she couldn’t bear to be apart anymore. “It’s been years since I’ve been in the same state as my dad. He asked me not to embarrass him, not to cause any scandals, and I refuse to.”
Indy frowned. “You and Cam getting your freak on isn’t the same as what happened with Justin. You didn’t know he was a scumbag drug dealer.”
Arden snorted. She always felt like such a fool when reminded of the man she’d loved, who she thought loved her. Turned out Justin was one of the biggest drug dealers on their New York college campus. Everyone knew, except her. And she’d been the fool who had to call her father up to be bailed out of jail for a crime she’d never even thought to commit.
“Cam.” She whispered his name. “He doesn’t even like me, he told me that. But I—”
“But you’d like to know what it feels like to have him blow your back out.”
Arden laughed. Indy had a way with words. “He would.”
“Yeah.”
They sat in silence, the possibilities swirling in her head.
“He’s Clark’s brother.”
“Clark’s your ex,” Indy reminded her. “And let’s face it, golden boy wasn’t always up on his game, was he?”
Arden had no complaints regarding sex with Clark; he’d been a generous lover. Never left her hanging, but didn’t have her swinging from the chandeliers, either. Their bedroom exploits had taken a hit the weeks leading up their break-up since he’d started working late hours on a new project.
He’d begun sleeping around and she hadn’t called him on it, she simply cut him off. Their relationship had been smooth sailing up to that point. No arguments and no big declarations of love. She’d cared about him in the beginning, liked that he was a good guy with a legit job and low-key personality. He didn’t demand anything she hadn’t been willing to give and maybe she’d been a fool in assuming that was what it took to build a life together.
She folded her hands in her lap. “Drive.”
You can find Far From the Usual at the following places:
And you can find Avril Ashton and her hot romance at:
Thanks for stopping by and happy reading! :)
