INTERVIEW WITH KAREN LOPP AND RELEASE OF SPLINTERED LIES

Splintered Lies

by Karen Lopp

INTERVIEW WITH KAREN LOPP:

Caroline: Tell us about growing up, Karen, and your family.

Karen: I grew up in the small town of Jones, Oklahoma on a farm. I had three older brothers who always managed to trick me into all sorts of mischief. Yes, I blame them.:)  We had cows, pigs, sheep and a very large garden. We also helped my grandparents with their garden. I always to stuck planting the potatoes. 

I school, I was pretty much considered one of the smart ones. But with older brothers in small school (my graduating class had 42 kids) no one dared bother me. The down side, was I didn’t get asked on dates. I had to wait until I could venture out of the town.

I met my husband at my first job and we have been married 34 years. We have three children and one grand baby. Another is on the way. I have to admit, grandbabies are a major distraction from writing.

Caroline: Oh, I envy you the grandbaby. Who are your favorite authors and favorite genres?

Karen: I love Tolkien, Mark Twain, Sherrilyn Kenyon and many others. I will read any genre except horror. I don’t mind Dean Koontz.

Caroline:  What’s your favorite way to relax and recharge? Hobbies?

Karen: A long walk is my favorite way to relax and recharge. Just being outside is calming and where I love to be. So digging in the dirt and planting flowers is one on my hobbies. I aslo sew, do a lot of experimenting with cooking since being diagnosed with Celiac.

Caroline: My youngest daughter is celiac. (Have you found Jules’ gluten free flour?) Do you have a favorite quote that sums up how you feel about life?

Karen: If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.

Caroline: How long have you been writing?

Karen: I have been writing for about seven years now, my how time files.

Caroline: Doesn’t it? Where do you prefer to write? Do you need quiet, music, solitude? PC or laptop?

Karen: I love writing outside on a sunny day, but most of the time it is inside right beside a window. Computer screens are hard to see in the bright sunlight. I have to have quiet, if there is music in the background I tend to start typing the lyrics and that just won’t do. I’d get into a lot of copyright trouble.:)J

I’ve included a picture of the little fish pond outside my window where I work.

Caroline: That’s why I listen to classical music or chakra aligning CD’s—no lyrics. ☺ Are you a plotter or a panzer?

Karen: Mostly a panzer, however I do have a lot of scenes figured out before I start writing.

Caroline: Do you use real events or persons in your stories or as an inspiration for stories?

Karen: I did in my westerns. I have some great stories passed down by my grandmother.  As for this book, no there were not persons or event’s that inspired it.

Caroline: Do you set daily writing goals? Word count? Number of chapters? Do you get a chance to write every day?

Karen: I have a very un-predictable schedule, so I try not to plan. I just take advantage to the days that are free and can slap out quite a bit on those days.

Caroline: What do you hope your writing brings to readers?

Karen: An enjoyable escape for the toils of life and a chance to be grateful for the comfortable live we have.

Caroline: What long-term plans do you have for your career?

Karen: Just to keep writing and encouraging others to pursue their dreams.

Caroline: Would you like to tell us what you’re working on now?

Karen: I have another western in the works and I have an FBI story half-way finished. I hope to get both of them done and published this year.

Caroline: What advice would you give to unpublished authors?

Karen: Never give up and keep writing.

Caroline: What’s a fun fact readers wouldn’t know about you?

Karen: I really enjoy a house full of people and having the time to make a great meal for them.

Caroline: Would you share something about you that would surprise or shock readers.

Karen: I really don’t have much to say to people. I tend to just listen most of the time.

Caroline: Is your book a series? If so, how long? Family saga, other?

Karen: No series yet, but I have been toying with the idea.

Caroline: Can you give readers a blurb about your book?

Karen: Detective Rissa Marten sacrificed her only chance for a normal life to put a drug lord behind bars. Now, her life in the shadows has to be brought to life to save the man she has secretly loved for years. With a price on her head can she risk letting him know?

Detective Jerah Qassem has built his career as an undercover agent in the dangerous world of drug cartels. But when a ghost from his past is resurrected can he overcome his bitterness in time to save her life?

Caroline: How about an excerpt?

Karen: Here is an excerpt of SPLINTERED LIES:

Jerah Qassem had never been more grateful for his years of undercover training than at this moment. Fingers tight around the tumbler to stop the tremors, he watched the apparition glide up to the bar, and wondered if someone had laced his drink with a hallucinogen. Mary was dead. He had nightmares or wet dreams about her most nights for the last eight years.

It wasn’t only the woman’s face that had his insides swirling like a hurricane. It was the way she moved. Long, smooth strides, shoulders straight and eyes darting around like a caged cat. Mary had always been casting looks over her shoulder as if she expected someone to jump out and chase her. But those legs were just as toned and shapely as Mary’s had been. She had been athletic and grabbed every chance she could to romp around the beach. Even the hair was the exact same color of ripened wheat and bounced just below her shoulders. Just like Mary had worn it

.

Chills erupted all over his body and cold fingers caressed the nape of his neck. Unable to blink, Jerah stared at the ghost of Mary. The girl he had sent to her death in a fit of anger. The girl he had fallen in love with, yet had been too proud and ambitious to acknowledge until she was gone. Forever.

Jerah closed his eyes against the jarring memory of two firemen holding him back from the charred remains of the building he had sent Mary into as three body bags were carried out. A shudder rattled down his spine. He had relived that day too often. When he glanced back at the bar, the woman had taken a seat and smiled at the bartender. Jerah knew that smile. The same smile that once had almost melted his resolve to not get involved. He had had a career to build. Mary had stirred up thoughts of forever and love, things he hadn’t been ready for. The temptation had been great. But somehow, he persevered and tossed away the best thing that had ever happened to him.

Air exploded from his chest and Jerah shook his head. He did not believe in ghosts. Prickles sprang up his legs as if his blood had decided to flow again. He tugged his leaden body from the chair and stalked to the bar. “Give me a shot of Wild Turkey.” Needing the fortification, he gulped down the amber liquid. Fire burned down his throat. Nope, he wasn’t dreaming. Hands braced on the edge of the bar, he turned to the woman at his side.

Caroline: Is there anything else you’d like readers to know about you?

Karen: I would love to hear from you, the readers. You are who I try to write for and would love to know more about you.

Karen will be awarding a $50 Amazon gift card to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour.

Splintered Lies

by Karen Lopp

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

SPLINTERED LIES Blurb:

Detective Rissa Marten sacrificed her only chance for a normal life to put a drug lord behind bars. Now, her life in the shadows has to be brought to life to save the man she has secretly loved for years. With a price on her head can she risk letting him know?

Detective Jerah Qassem has built his career as an undercover agent in the dangerous world of drug cartels. But when a ghost from his past is resurrected can he overcome his bitterness in time to save her life?

Amazon link:  http://tinyurl.com/SplinteredLies  

Another Excerpt of SPLINTERED LIES:

Blame the music, the twinkling lights, and the heady feel of Jerah’s hard body swaying with hers, Rissa lost her grip on any logical thought or reasoning. When he kissed her like a man on a mission, she melted right there on the polished dance floor.

When he nipped her lower lip and somehow managed to press closer, heat, hotter than the sun, sizzled in her veins. Heart pounding louder than the music, she poured all the pent up love she had into the kiss. He already had her heart and soul. Always would. But right now, she wanted to give him all of her, take all of him.

Give and give and give. Let him teach her what he wanted. How he wanted it. Learn and explore his body. Taste him. Have him. Know just one moment of pure unhindered love. If they weren’t in public she’d be stripping off his clothes about now.

The song ended and Jerah groaned as his fingers trailed down her spine before breaking off the kiss. Eyes darker than the moonless night sky, he gave Rissa a lazy grin and spun her around as the next song started. Even though the beat kicked up several notches, he always had a hand on her somewhere.

“I assumed you didn’t like to dance.”

“I didn’t.” With a gaze so hot it burned her flesh, he chuckled. “Until now.”

Karen Lopp, Author

Stories have always been a part of my life, from books to tales passed down from my ancestors that brought history to life. Danger, struggles and the will power to overcome are all found in the rich legacy of my family tree. Inspiration from their lives inspired me to write what I love. Branching out to contemporary suspense has been another dream come true. I hope my stories bring you entertainment and inspiration.

I live in the heart of the southwest. I love history of all times and places. And my second but equal love of suspense fills my books.

http://karenlopp.com

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You are encouraged to follow the tour and enter at each stop:

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