Interview and Giveaway with Julie Ann Walker

Maidens, we are so excited to have the lovely, funny and talented up and coming author Julie Ann Walker.  She's taken the romantic suspense world up by storm in the past few months and shot straight to the top authors list for most of us.  Please help us welcome her to UTC today as we get to pick her brain a bit.

Thanks for stopping by UTC! First, let's get to know you a little better! Who is Julie Ann Walker? Tell us five interesting things about yourself that readers wouldn't know.

Thank you so much for having me! I'm so pleased to be here! And I have to find five interesting things? Geez, right out of the chute with a hard one, huh? Okay, lets' see...

1. I have a fetish for red and/or black shoes... and clothes... and hats...
2. I was a math teacher before becoming a writer.
3. I was born and raised in Oklahoma riding horses, baling hay, and catchin' crawdads in the crick - otherwise known as the creek
4. I hiked the Great Wall of China - well, part of it.
5. I almost died in an erupting volcano.

You want to know the story behind that last one, right? Another time. Ha! That's what we authors like to call "a hook." :-)

Combining in an intoxicating mix of alpha men, humor and hot rides, you've really put all my favorite things together! How did the idea of the Black Knight Inc series come to be?

I volunteer at the USO, so I see a lot service men and woman. And their courage and sacrifice definitely inspired me to tell their stories. That's the genesis of the military aspect of my series. As far as the motorcycle thing goes, I just thought to myself what's sexier than a man in uniform? The answer I came up with was the bad-boy, leather-clad biker. I took a little from column A, a lot from column B, stirred until frothy, and voila! Black Knights Inc.!

Could you please describe the following characters in three words each?

Nate "Ghost" Weller: Wounded, Solemn, Aloof
Becky "Rebel" Reichert: Audacious, Rambunctious, Tomboy
Jake "The Snake" Sommers: Soulful, Brave, Ardent
Frank "The Boss" Knight: Bold, Confident, Commander

REV IT UP (coming October 2012) opens with some pretty emotional stuff. What would you say is the most difficult part of writing this particular book? 

Well, without giving too much away, Jake is dealing with PSD and fighting the same kinds of inner demons MANY soldiers face. In order to get inside his head, in order to understand the how and why he could do some of the things he did, I read first-hand accounts of soldiers who'd experienced much of the things I had my character, Jake, experience. Believe me, it was a harrowing process. It humbled me and left me with a better understanding of what it means to be a soldier.

Of ANY book character, who would you want to have a date with? 

Hands down, that'd be Ozzie, the Black Knights' resident techno-geek. He's just so irreverent and funny. And he's prone to referencing song lyrics and movie quotes, which is right up my alley. I'm a total pop-culture junkie.

And which female character in ANY book would you take out for a drink? 

Becky "Rebel" Reichert is my kind of girl... a take charge, take-no-guff, get a little tipsy and dance your ass off kind of girl. ;-)

Were there any particular writers that influenced your craft or your desire to be a writer? 

I have eclectic taste when it comes to reading, but I like John Grisham's ability to twist a plot, Stephen King is genius at making you FEEL what the character is feeling, and Sandra Brown writes some of the most complicated heroes in the genre.

If you only had twenty dollars in your purse, what would you buy? 

Coffee, coffee, and then another coffee.

Quick Fire
What was the last movie you watched? The Big Lebowski - watched it for the 1000th time last night with the hubs. "That rug... it really ties the room together."
What is the last book you read? Full Blooded by Amanda Carlson
Morning person or Night Owl? Don't talk to me before 9AM or I'll clock you over the head with my coffee mug.

What's next for Julie Ann Walker? 

I'm putting the finishing touches on the fourth book in the series. It'll debut in April and it's the story of Richard "Rock" Babineaux, the super-sexy ragin' Cajun, and Vanessa Cordero, BKI's communications specialist. It's set in the jungles of Costa Rica and it... is... so... steamy. Even if I do say so myself!

IN RIDES TROUBLE BY JULIE ANN WALKER – IN STORES SEPTEMBER 2012

Black Knights Inc.—Behind the facade of their tricked–out motorcycle shop is an elite special ops team assigned the jobs too hot for anyone else to handle.

Rebel With A Cause...

Becky "Rebel" Reichert never actually goes looking for trouble. It just has a tendency to find her. Like the day Frank Knight showed up at her door, wanting to use her motorcycle shop as a cover for his elite special ops team. But Becky prides herself on being able to hang with the big boys - she can weld, drive, and shoot just as well as any of them.

Man With A Mission...

Munitions, missiles, and mayhem are Frank's way of life. The last thing the ex-SEAL wants if for one brash blonde to come within fifty feet of anything that goes boom. Yet it's just his rotten luck when she ends up in a hostage situation at sea. Come hell or high water, he will get her back - whether she says she needs him or not.

READ OUR REVIEW

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Deep in the heart of the Windy City, a keyboard, a carafe of coffee, and an ever-patient husband, keep Julie Ann grounded as her imagination flies high. Look for the first and third books in her fast-paced series: Hell On Wheels (August 2012) and Rev It Up (October 2012). For more information, please visit www.julieannwalker.com or follow her on Facebook www.facebook.com/jawalkerauthor or Twitter @JAWalkerAuthor.

Ms. Walker has a signed copy of both HELL ON WHEELS and IN RIDES TROUBLE. That means we will have two winners!  Each will get one of the books.

a Rafflecopter giveaway