Welcome to Five From Friends Friday! Each week, I’ll share with you five quick and quirky questions and answers from some of my favorite author friends. I think you’ll see some familiar faces in here, too.

Quickies from Sarah Ross

Welcome to Sarah Ross, author of YA and NA paranormal, contemporary and thriller novels. She’s releasing her next book, Never Gonna Tell, next month. Check out her Q and A. . .

Q: You’re sitting at a bar, waiting for a friend. What’re you drinking?

A: Amaretto Sours. It’s been a favorite of mine since college. I’m not a big drinker, but I do like sweet drinks.

 And if they don’t have that, Red Sangria. You can’t go wrong with wine and fruit! 

Q: What was the first book that made you cry?

 A: I am not a big fan of books or movies that make me cry. I’ve never read John Greene or Nicholas Sparks for that reason. I want a HEA with the emphasis on the Happily!

 There was this book I read in middle school called “A Summer to Die” by Lois Lowry. Bawled my eyes out. I think after that book, I decided no more sad stories. I went on to read IT by Stephen King. I cried for a whole other reason reading that! (Scared the beJesus out of me!) 

Q: What song always makes you turn it up and sing along when it comes on the radio?

 A: If you ever have the displeasure of pulling up next to me at a red light, you’ll see me jamming out to something. There are soo many songs I love to sing in the car- and for the ears and listening pleasure of the outside world, I do it with my windows rolled up.

 I think some of my classic favorites are Bohemian Rhapsody, Summer of ’69, Jack & Diane, Pour Some Sugar on Me, Don’t Stop Believin, Livin on a Prayer. And newer ones like Take me to Church, All About that Bass, any Ed Sheeran or Mumford & Sons.
Q:It’s February. What’s your favorite cold-weather activity?

Curled up on the couch under fuzzy blankets with my Kindle and hot chocolate. That’s all. No, seriously, that’s it. I abhor the cold. It’s the number one reason I moved from Pittsburgh to Florida. I couldn’t stand the cold. Anytime it’s too cold for flip flops, it’s too cold for me!
Q: What television show, past or present, would be top on your list of must-see TV?

A: When I was a kid, my favorite TV show was I Love Lucy. They would show reruns of it on TVLand at like six in the morning. I would get up early, even in the summer, just to watch a few episodes before school started. It’s one of the all-time best TV shows ever made, so that has to top my list.

***

Sarah started her obsession with reading at an early age, often sneaking BabySitter Club and Nancy Drew books into math class. She would read any book she could get her hands on. Her love of reading quickly evolved into a love of writing and stories began to pour out of her. 

She grew up in Pittsburgh, graduated from The University of Pittsburgh with a degree in English, and taught eighth graders to love reading as much as she does for several years. Sarah will always be a proud member of the Steelers’ Nation, but couldn’t take the cold and moved her frozen tush to Florida where she now lives with her husband, daughter, and two cats. You will find her now with her trusty Kindle in hand and toes in the sand!

Sarah’s debut novel, AWAKEN, released in January, 2012. Other novels include AVENGE, ATONE, ECHO OF AN EARTH ANGEL, INHALE EXHALE, and NEVER GONNA TELL (Releasing March, 2015). 

Follow Sarah here: Website/Facebook/Twitter/Instagram

My name is Reagan Wilcox: high school senior by day, kick-ass investigative journalist by night. I’ve always loved observing people—especially when they think no one is paying attention. 

I thought I was ready to cover any story. Work any angle. 

Nothing could have prepared me for what happened that night. I wasn’t ready for what I saw. And I certainly wasn’t ready for him. 

I always knew I’d write the headlines. Now, I just might become one. 

NEVER GONNA TELL 

March 17th Preorder here

Welcome to Five From Friends Friday!

Each week, I’ll share with you

five quick and quirky questions and answers

from some of my favorite author friends.

I think you’ll see some familiar faces in here, too.

Quickies from Jesi Lea Ryan

{Note from Tawdra: Jesi Lea is one of my favorite authors. We ‘met’ through a book blog a few years back, and I fell in love with her book Arcadia’s Gift. . . and then I was blessed to be able to edit the second two books in the trilogy as well as her current release, which is a fast-paced, engaging and definitely *not* YA paranormal thriller. I can’t wait to read more. In so-called real life, Jesi Lea and I got to hang out a bit last year at RT in NOLA. Enjoy her quickies!)

Q: You are gifted the services of a maid for one year. However, she’s only allowed to perform one chore for you daily (same one every day). What will you assign her? 

A: Clean the bathroom! I have three of them, and they drive me crazy.

Q: Your cat SeBastard is known for his dastardly ways. If he could write it, what would be the title of his autobiography?

A: I Didn’t Do Nuffing!

Q: You’re on a cruise with every living author in the world. (It’s a big ship.) Which four will you choose to sit at dinner with you?

A: This is a hard question! I’m not big on hero-worshipping other authors, so I’m going to go with who would make for an entertaining table. John Green (I have a thing for sexy nerds), Alan Cumming (my future best friend) and Dan Savage.

Q: Your (okay, my) favorite of your characters is Cane, from the Arcadia books. You’re given the ability to talk to him for one minute. What would you tell him?

A:I think I’d like to tell him that I’m proud of him for making mature decisions. He’s a guy who has been through a lot in his young life. His mother was weak, his step-dad was emotionally abusive, he suffered a devastating loss when his high school girlfriend was killed, etc. But I feel like he has come through the worst and will be okay now. Okay, and I would tell him to stop by your house to see you. Maybe you could talk him into mowing your lawn or something so you can ogle him.

Q: Your fairy godmother will whisk you anywhere in the world for dinner tonight. Where will you go?

A: I’ve never been to Russia, but I’m not sure how I’d like their food. I guess I’d pick Marrakesh. I like Moroccan food, and I’ve always wanted to visit there.

***

Jesi Lea Ryan grew up in the Mississippi River town of Dubuque, IA. She holds bachelor degrees in creative writing and literature and a masters degree in business. She considers herself a well-rounded nerd who can spend hours on the internet researching things like British history, anthropology of ancient people, geography of random parts of the world, bad tattoos and the paranormal. She currently lives in Madison, WI with her husband and two exceptionally naughty kitties.

Follow Jesi Lea here: Website/Newsletter/Twitter/Facebook

Just A Little Nudge

Marley Sexton never aspired to be a stripper. She even chose the stage name Misty Showers as a joke, thinking she’d make a few quick bucks and move on to greener pastures. Three years later, Marley’s still stripping. It’s the only job she can land that will put a dent in her mother’s mounting medical bills. 

It’s also the only job where she feels justified parting fools from their money with a little talent she calls nudging.

As psychic powers go, nudging isn’t impressive. Marley can’t get people to do anything they’re not already inclined to do. Useful for making a seedy customer grab a larger bill from his wallet, but not strong enough to ditch a drug cartel that’s on her tail.

Marley is in over her head. She’s not big on trusting people, especially a strange man with a gun, a badge, and a story that doesn’t quite add up. JC Moreno figures out that Marley may have taken the nudge a little too far. But how? Whoever the guy actually works for, one thing’s for certain. He has a history with the cartel and an agenda of his own. Although the suspicion between Marley and JC runs both ways, maybe they can work together to both get what they want…if they don’t get killed in the process.  

Buy the book: Amazon US/Amazon UK/Kobo/Smashwords/Nook/iBooks/Goodreads