Interview With Emily Robertson and Review of Playing By The Rules

I am delighted to be joined on the blog today by author, Emily Robertson. I've been lucky enough to secure an interview and will be reviewing her book Playing By The Rules below. But first here's a little bit about Emily.

Emily Robertson loves to read as much as she likes to write. She's currently living in the DC area with her husband and kids, but that's always bound to change. She loves connecting with readers, so look her up on social medial or on her website.

And now the interview:

 1 - What made you want to be a writer?

I’ve always loved expressing myself through writing.  I was that freak kid who didn’t mind doing the long papers in school.  In fact, I remember doing book reports during the summers at times.  Many years ago, I decided to start blogging.  I did my blog for many years before life got busy enough that I just needed to stop.  About three years ago, the bug bit me again, and here I am.

2 - What kind of books do you read for pleasure?

So, so many.  I love reading New Adult and Contemporary Romance the most, but I will venture out and read others too.  I have my go-to reads like Kelly Jamieson, Liliana Hart, Jasinda Wilder, Marie Force, etc.  I love finding new authors, though, and I will pick up random books that I find in a search or that I see mentioned.

3 - What kind of writer are you: plan or not?

I’m a total pantser.  I don’t really plot much.  Usually just when I think I have everything worked out, it all changes anyway.  I can’t even count the times I’ve plot twisted myself.  I remember once that my mouth was hanging open as I was typing, and when it was over, I hated it.  I deleted it, and I tried to write something else.  What I found was that I needed to keep the story how it had been told to me.  It wasn’t right when I changed it.

4 - How does your average writing time go?

I usually sit down and fire up Facebook.  An hour later I think, “Oh crap!  I need to work.”  I then will check my email and before I know it, another five minutes is gone.  After a quick message to my friend Megan, I usually start working.  I then can usually get a good few hours in before I have to go get my kids from school.  I know I might be able to get more done without the Facebook/email issues in the morning, but it works, so I keep it.

5 - What book/character of yours is your favourite?

I always hate to answer this one because it feels like I’m picking between my children.  In the Portwood Series, though, Jax is probably my favorite.  I’m married to a military guy myself, and his whole book is about him needing a distraction.  I wrote his book while my husband was deployed, so it was a much needed distraction for me. 

6 - If you had the chance to write anywhere, where would you choose?

Anywhere on a beach or someplace like that.  I just want nice weather, water, and sun.  If there just so happens to be a bartender named Rodger who brings me adult beverages while I’m working, I wouldn’t complain.

7 - What attracted you to your chosen genre?

I think everyone wants a happy ending.  Everyone wants that ending.  I love writing characters who are rough and don’t really want love, but it knocks them over.  There’s something about the dynamic about it all.

8 - How have other writers influenced your own writing?

The market is always changing.  The things readers love is always evolving.  When I see writers take a chance and see it pay off, it gives me hope.  When I see new authors break out and make a name for themselves, it pushes me to do better.

9 - Do you prefer to type or hand write?

Type all the way.  I’ve gotten fast enough with my typing that it’s hard to keep up if I’m hand writing.  I am looking into dictation, though.  That could be a game changer.  However, I think I’d still have to type the sex scenes.  Not sure I could say those out loud. 

10 - Do you have a writing playlist? Or do you prefer silence?

It depends on my mood.  Sometimes I like the silence, but I often write to music.  I find songs that go with the book I’m writing.  Usually something will play in a store or on the radio, and it will just click.  I will buy the song and put it on repeat so it fades to the back.  Sometimes if a scene is dragging, simply changing the music will make all the difference. 

11 - Do you have any hobbies?

I love to cook/bake, run, and I jumped on that adult coloring thing.  All do something different for me.  Cooking and baking make me feel good about doing something for someone.  I run to stay healthy and help a plot break through.  I will pick up my coloring when I just need to let my mind rest.

12 - What's your favourite kind of scene to write?

I love to write bits of my life into my books.  When something comes right from something that has happened to me or around me, that’s always fun.  I remember a long time ago my best friend and I had this huge discussion about the TV show Catfish.  It went on for like an hour.  I ended up using part of that in the book I’m writing now.  It’s always so fun to see if those people catch it as they read.

13 - Would you ever like to branch out to a different genre?

I wouldn’t say no.  I’ve learned never to say no.  I’m not sure what I’d write, but if something came to me, I’d go for it.  I learned a long time ago, my muse is fickle.  I won’t try and force it to do something it doesn’t want to.

14 - What does your writing space look like?

I’ve recently moved so right now it’s a room with a bunch of boxes and junk everywhere.  When I finally get it finished, I hope it will have my desk with a chair in the room (because I can’t always write at my desk), some bookshelves to hold my favorite signed books, swag to giveaway, and books to sale.  I also hope to print out copies of my book covers to hang on the wall as art, and make a really cool dry erase board to write down ideas on.

Payton always had one rule she lived by, no boyfriends until after college. No one seemed to agree with her, even her own mother who had her at age sixteen. Returning to school after an accident that flipped Payton’s world upside down left her feeling out of control. Holding on to her rule seemed to be her only lifeline.

Josh had been letting the past rule his life for too long. Finally being at school, he’d become his own man, and he’d been putting all that behind him. Just when he thought he had it all put together, life got crazy. Not only did his ex show back up, but Josh also found he couldn’t get Payton Whitmore out of his head.

Once Josh convinces Payton to give him a shot, she’s so closed off that he wonders if it’s even worth it. Josh can tell there’s something special about Payton though, and as soon as he goes all in, he’s ready to show her that some rules are made to be broken.

Amazon

My review: 5 stars
I'm a big lover of romance and I have to say this book pulled me in from the first page. I read it in one sitting, even going so far as to delay sleep until I got to the end. It was amazing and a brilliant read. The changing POV from Payton to Josh and all that went with that helped me lose myself in the pages and rooting for their story. The words flowed off the page and the setting was so beautifully described that I actually felt like I was there. An excellent read and very much recommended!

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