Welcome to Wing Beat!
Thanks for having me, JoJo! And
congrats on your latest release, Scorned!!! I can’t wait to read it.
Please introduce yourself and give us a short bio:
Dawn Chartier never knew she wanted
to be a writer while growing up. Sure her parents owned a book shop, and she
was surrounded by bookworms, but she wasn't one of "those" writers
who started early. No, Dawn was inspired by strange events in her life, one was
a bitch named, Katrina. Yes, that hur-ricane. But a few months before the
storm, Dawn read an article on Marie Laveau in the New Orleans local newspaper
and it sparked an idea.
She began researching the voodoo priestess,
and then Katrina hit. Out of destruction, ideas formed, characters spoke and
plots twisted. One thing lead to another and an author was born. (Must have
been something in the air, because a few authors were born out of Katrina's
wrath.)
Dawn sold her first paranormal
(vampire) romance book, (Not An Angel)
and her second book, a contemporary erotic romance (Diamonds) to small e-pubs. Her latest novella, (Masquerading with the CEO), will be
released through Entangled Publishing (title name may change) in late 2013 or
early 2014. Currently she's New Adult novella set in Crown Point, Louisiana and
a paranormal (witch series) romance set in New Orleans.
She's a member of RWA, Sola-Writers,
FF&P and Savvy Authors. You can find her on Twitter and Facebook when she's
not buried inside of a book or writing her next one. She writes
from the heart, and accepts her books aren't for everyone. :-)
Dawn lives near New Orleans with her
husband, two daughters, two golden retrievers, and plenty of wildlife.
If you had superhero powers, what would it be, and how would
you use it to save souls?
If I had superhero powers I’d make
myself invisible so I could sneak into Channing Tatum’s and Anson Mount’s
House! Yum :) and well, you know…
http://www.amctv.com/shows/hell-on-wheels/cast/cullen-bohannon
Isn’t he hot!!! Anson plays on Hell
on Wheels if you haven’t discovered him yet. He’s so damaged in this show. I
love him!
Okay, joking aside, I would love to
have a power to help heal wronged souls. Not sure what kind of power could do
that, but it’s what I would do. J
As a kid, what was your favorite cartoon or TV show?
Loved Scooby!
As an adult, what is/are your favorite shows?
Hell on Wheels, of course… I also
enjoy Cedar Cove, True Blood, and Blue Bloods. I try not to watch too much TV
if I can help it.
What is your favorite hobby and why and how often do you
indulge?
I wouldn’t call it a hobby, but I
love writing. I write almost every day, and if I’m not writing I get very
cranky. Reading is also up there on the favorite hobby list. I read all kinds
of novels, especially those with romance.
Blurb of your latest release:
DIAMONDS, (A Stiletto Millionaire
Club Book 1):
Self-made millionaire Holly
Charleston has come a long way since her homeless days. Sometimes, she believes
life would have been simpler before fortune and fame. With every man she meets
imagining dollar signs, she yearns for the one man who sees the real Holly. A
mysterious wealthy stranger may be the one, but she must control her sexsomnia
and trust issues if she hopes for a real chance at love.
Professional thief Drake Davenport
is ready to begin an honest life. However, his last assignment leads him to
steal the heart diamond necklace from a woman known as Ms. Frost. But Holly
guards her heart close and her assets closer. Once Holly thaws to Drake's
seduction attempts, he finds himself in a position of protecting her from a
hired mercenary or living the life he believes he earned. Drake realizes the
challenge of stealing the diamond is nothing compared to the challenge of
stealing Holly's heart.
Short excerpt of your latest release
Chapter 1
Holly froze.
The piercing stare from the mysterious man sitting at the
next table burned through her. She couldn’t drag her gaze back to
the menu, and when he spoke, his deep, smooth voice swept across
her skin, captivating her.
Embarrassed that he’d caught her checking him out, she bit
her lip hard and focused back on the Florida Ritz Club menu. Unable
to stop herself, she sneaked another peek. Fiery, blue eyes met
hers, and her breath stalled in her lungs.
She gripped the menu tightly and exhaled, forcing her gaze
away from those eyes. Jet-black hair hung right above his wide
shoulders, and a sharp navy suit clung elegantly across his broad
chest. He looked expensive. A shiver raised goose bumps along her
flesh.
“Hello. Earth to Holly,” Karen said.
Pulling her attention away from the gorgeous man, she
brought her mind back to the lunch she was having with her three
best friends. All three sets of eyes were on her. She placed the menu on
the table and smiled wide. “Sorry, guys.”
Karen angled her head. “You’re awfully quiet today. What’s going on?”
Holly raised her wineglass to her lips, needing to quench
her thirst. “Nothing much.” She placed the long-stemmed glass on
the bright-white tablecloth. “Just the usual.”
Staci, Karen, and Moe glanced at each other.
She shrugged. “You know how I get when I’m about to make a deal.” It wasn’t really her business deal bothering her, but
she couldn’t tell them.
Moe nodded. “We know, but it’s not like your first, second,
or twentieth property investment. What’s this one make anyway?”
Holly closed one eye and stared at the chandelier with the
other.
“Thirty-one.” She didn’t like discussing her career, but
these were her best friends and they enjoyed her success more than she did.
They understood the past she’d left behind and knew how she had
struggled to get to where she was today.
“Exactly,” Staci added. “So why do you still worry?”
Holly gnawed on her bottom lip then released it. “Everything
I’ve worked for could disappear in a split second.” It wouldn’t
destroy her if she lost her fortune. But knowing what it was like to be
homeless and hungry gave her motivation that no one would ever
understand, except Karen. “I can’t go back to that life.”
Holly loved the power and respect money had brought her, but
it also had a few downsides. Money drew the attention of all
the wrong people. She couldn’t trust anyone, which kept her lonely and
cold in her bed. Her close friends were great, but there was still
the empty hollow only a man could fill. An ache that she hid deep
within. If not for her three best friends, she’d have no one, unless she
counted her drug-head mother and deadbeat father. Nope. Her best friends
were it.
Dating had been a nightmare. Fortune hunters crawled out of
the woodwork. Money could be a curse when it came to men and
dating.
“Are you kidding? Why do you do this every time you invest
in a property?” Karen asked. “Woman, you could give half of your
money away and still be one of the richest women in the world.”
Holly glanced around and noticed a few couples sharing an intimate moment. Loneliness wrapped around her, but she
shrugged it off. She’d only have to think about her parents’ abusive
relationship,
and the isolated feeling dissolved.
She turned her attention back to Karen. She was nowhere near
the richest woman in the world, and although her friends enjoyed
teasing her, they had no clue how alone she’d been lately. “Shh.
Don’t blare it to the world.”
Karen rolled her green eyes. “It’s not a secret, suga’.
Having your face plastered across Forbes more times than Oprah surely
has clued people in.” She laughed.
“Stop joking around. It was only on there once, Karen.” Her
best friend since fifth grade, Karen was like the sister she
never had, and Karen’s family had been the family she’d always wished to
have.
She’d spent more time with Karen’s parents than her own.
Even though Holly had grown up dirt poor, Karen’s family never
treated her so. She loved them and could never thank them enough for
being there for her when her own parents were not.
She sighed. “Can we discuss something else, please?” She scanned the menu even though she knew it by heart. Her
friends could read her, but they didn’t truly understand how she felt.
The rich, velvety voice from the next table pulled her from
her pity party, and she peered around the menu once more. The
handsome man spoke on his cell phone and laughed. The sound
hypnotized her. Their gazes locked, and the air in her lungs vaporized. He
glanced back at his iPad and continued his conversation as though
nothing had happened. A little stunned by him blowing her off, she sort
of liked the change.
Holly forced her gaze to Karen and whispered, “Don’t look
now, but do y’all know who that man is? The one in the dark-navy
suit, talking on the phone.”
At the same exact moment, all three women turned completely around in their chairs.
Holly wanted to duck under the table. “Real subtle, ladies,”
she whispered, wishing she could vanish from the restaurant like
a ghost. Dammit. The hottie nodded once in their direction. His gaze
turned on her for a brief second and then moved his attention back to
his iPad. Her cheeks burned.
“Hot dog. He’s gorgeous,” Moe said. “Now I understand why you’re distracted. It wasn’t work you had on your mind, now
was it?” She bounced her eyebrows.
Heat crawled up Holly’s neck and landed on her face. “Of
course it was.”
“Sure,” Staci said. She and Moe grinned like fools.
Karen smiled. “You’re blushing. Wow. It’s been a long time
since a man caught your attention.”
“He hasn’t, and I’m not. It’s hot in here. He looks familiar
is all.” Moe licked her lips. “Why don’t you go over there and
introduce yourself before he gets wind of the Ms. Frost rumor. You
know how fast this town spreads lies.”
“I don’t care what people think of me, Moe. If I’m labeled
Ms. Frost because of a few men in Destiny, then so be it.” Holly
took a deep breath. She hated the cold nickname a few bachelors in
the area had coined her because she wouldn’t keep dating them. She
knew what they wanted, and it wasn’t fair that she ended up the
bad guy and not them.
“You know I was kidding, right?” Moe asked.
Holly nodded. Yep. She knew. Maybe she needed to be a little friendlier in public. She would give a try.
The waiter, Robert, approached their table, carrying a tray
of bottled water. “Ms. Charleston, your usual today?” The tall, thin waiter
tilted his head.
“Yes, but I’ll have the shrimp instead of grilled chicken.”
She raised her chin a notch. “I feel like a change today.”
***
Link to your webpage
Link to where book is for sale
Thanks for having me, Jojo!
My pleasure, Dawn! Enjoy the journey!
