Tessa's Pride by Olivia Brynn

Welcome back Olivia and Happy Release Day! Thanks for taking the time to chat with us about Tessa's Pride.

How did you come up with the title?

Some titles take me months. There were a few that I even submitted to publishers before I came up with one that I liked. Tessa's Pride came to me easily, once I got to know the heroine. She's stubborn, and her entire world revolved around her horse ranch. When her herd is sentenced to death, it's her pride that takes the biggest blow.

Are your characters ever a reflection of someone you know? Yourself?

Sometimes. I think I take bits and pieces from people around me and squish them together to make a whole new person.

Do your characters ‘talk’ to you?

Some of them never shut up. I just love it when I'm in the middle of a scene and the unexpected happens. It's almost like I'm reading the story, and not involved in the creation at all. I just sit back and say, "Wow. Now what?"

What is your writing day like when you’ve started a project?

Well, I'm a pantser. I don't plot, I just fly by the seat of my pants. When I get an idea for a book, rather than write an outline, I just start with whatever I've got. Sometimes it's the beginning of chapter one, sometimes it's the final chapter. I think I got off the subject there. My day starts with music and chocolate milk.

Do you find love scenes difficult to write?

They get progressively harder. The first few were cake. Then, as I don't want to cookie-cut scenes, I have to come up with new stuff. New emotions, new positions…

What book are you reading right now?

I've got so many on my to-be-read pile! Every week more books are released, and I don't think I'll ever catch up. I just bought Gem Sivad's Five Card Stud, and it's grinning at me from my desktop, taunting me with its nineteenth century sexy goodness.

Where can readers find you?

I'm on the web at http://oliviabrynn.com and on twitter at http://twitter.com/OliviaBrynn I also share a Facebook fan page with Alanna at http://facebook.com/alannacocaauthor

Are you working on another book?

Right now Alanna's got control. She's working on another contemporary, with a paranormal twist, and a romantic suspense.

Here is a link for the trailer! Enjoy! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LpyC5lX2SP0&

Do you have an excerpt you’d like to share?

Sure! I've also got a free read, the prequel to Tessa's Pride. You'll find it on my website. This is a scene where Josh returns to the Bradley Equine Ranch, and Tessa isn't quite sure what to make of it:

Tessa’s heart seized. When it resumed beating, the pounding was deafening. “You’re staying here?”
He shook out a pair of silky-looking boxers, then folded them carefully. He probably did that to fluster her, and she resisted staring at them.
Disregarding her avoidance, he gestured with the underwear. “You don’t expect me to stay in a hotel, do you? When this three-thousand-square-foot house—that has belonged to my family for generations—sits all but empty?”
Yes.
“Well, no…but I didn’t…I guess I didn’t realize you’d planned on staying in the area.”
For having folded them so carefully, he tossed the underwear into the drawer without a thought before walking toward her. No, he didn’t walk; he prowled like a hungry lion. “You’re afraid, aren’t you?”
Yes.
She swallowed. “Afraid?”
“To stay here alone with me.” He moved into her space, and it took all her willpower to remain where she was. Although part of her wanted to run downstairs, a bigger part wanted to step into the heat that always surrounded him like an invisible cloak. The clean scent of amber aftershave and the coffee on his breath made her mouth water with the need to taste him. She focused on his Adam’s apple, and as he stepped closer, she took a step back, until her spine hit the wall.
“I’m not afraid.” Her voice wasn’t as strong as she would have liked. She swallowed again and looked up at him. As soon as she did, she regretted the move. His gaze pierced her, immobilizing her. She desperately wanted to cover her breasts so he wouldn’t see the way her nipples had tightened.
“You don’t sound sure.” His dark brows lowered, and he studied her mouth. “I think you’re scared.” His breath washed over her face with each word, and Tessa clenched her hands to refrain from reaching for him. She wanted to rub herself against him and transfer his scent to her clothes. “I think you’re afraid I’ll ravage you like I did that day in the meadow. You remember that day, don’t you?”
Yes, she remembered—often. Daily. Nightly. Hourly. It was only two years ago, the day he’d left BER for good. She still didn’t know if he had been waiting for her or if she had just happened upon him.
“I remember it too, Tessa.” Her name coming off his lips caressed her ears.
Her lids slid closed as she soaked in the words, lost in reminiscence.
“I’ve pulled the memory of that afternoon out more times than I can count. I’ll never forget the way you looked with your Stetson tilted over your brow. Your bare legs, so smooth…and your mouth… God, your mouth.” He stepped closer, until their clothes brushed and that familiar heat surrounded her as surely as if he’d reached out with his arms.
“Your lips that day,” he went on, even though she hadn’t responded or even opened her eyes. “The way they caught the sunlight after I kissed you. I’ll never forget the way your tongue swiped my moisture from them. I don’t think you had any idea what that little move did to me.”
Oh, she knew. That was right after he’d come all over her hand. Then he made that sexy grumbling sound and covered her body with his. Tessa clenched her thighs together to resist the urge to re-create that morning.
“Yes, I remember,” she whispered, lifting heavy lids to look at him. Her desire was reflected in the depth of his eyes.
Josh softly stroked a line from her earlobe to her chin. He shook his head, never releasing her from his stare. “It was beautiful. If my father hadn’t interrupted us…” He trailed off, leaving Tessa to fill in what could have been.
It wasn’t hard; she’d been imagining that scene for two years. She dropped her focus to the third button on his white shirt. She lifted her hand to his chest, feeling his heart beating beneath her fingertips.
He tilted her chin until she was forced to look at him again. To drown in the eyes of the man she had sworn she’d never fall for again. “I wanted you that day.” She watched his mouth move toward hers with each word. He leaned an inch closer, until her hand was trapped between their bodies. “I still want you.”
Tessa fisted his shirt before she melted into the hardwood floor. Just as she remembered; one touch of his lips on hers, and she was lost.

Text Copyright © 2011 by Olivia Brynn
Cover Art Copyright © 2011by Harlequin Enterprises Limited
Permission to reproduce text granted by Harlequin Books S.A. Cover art used by arrangement with Harlequin Enterprises Limited. All rights reserved. ® and ™ are trademarks owned by Harlequin Enterprises Limited or its affiliated companies, used under license.