MJ Kightingale Spotlight tour!

             MJ Nightingale is an Indie author to watch out for!!!

Her erotic romance series, Secrets & Seduction, is something you will NOT want to read in public.   

Fire In His Eyes

Ex-army buck, Victor, teaches innocent sexy school teacher, Monica, all about sex, and not the old-fashioned variety your grandmother was used to either. Filled with gut wrenching emotional turmoil due to Victor’s secrets, you can be sure one of them will melt and the other will burn.

                                             Amazon

Afraid to Love

Teddy is not your average bartender by no means. A cop on the mend from 9/11, he wants nothing but good times and to live each day to the fullest. When it comes to the bedroom, well, hmm, let’s just say he is not your average Joe. Then, he meets a fiery red-head named Ana, and she can teach him a thing or two. He falls for her, but she pushes him away. Why? Because she has so many secrets, and they make her Afraid to Love.

                                               Amazon

                                           Amazon UK

                                            Amazon CA

                                           Amazon AU

Afraid to Hope

Jay and Louisa are both battle scarred, but ready to start anew.  His scars are not just from the war in Iraq, and hers are not just from a teenage pregnancy that resulted in raising a child alone.  The scars in them run deep, and they both have secrets. Can two people so deeply wounded learn to trust each other enough to share those secrets?  And if they do, will those secrets make or break them?
All three of MJ’s books will have you turning pages, reading in the dark, and wanting more. Will her characters find their happily ever after?  You’ll have to read to find that out.  But one thing, I can tell you is that they are hot, hot, hot!

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MJ Nightingale the (un)official bio.

I have spent over two decades teaching students how to write, and now I am doing it myself. Originally from Canada, I graduated from University with my Bachelor of Arts and then went on to get my Bachelor of Education Degree in Secondary Education. Reading has been a part of my life since I was a child. I am an avid lover of classical English and American literature, but romance has always held a special place in my heart. I devour historical romance novels all summer long, and any type of fiction; thrillers, crime, suspense, and drama. I have two books published and third soon to be released.  All three, Fire In His Eyes, Afraid to Love and Afraid to Hope, are erotic romance standalone novels and are part of my Secrets & Seduction Series. I am also working on a new series The Bounty Hunters for 2015. I currently live in Florida, where I continue to teach, with my wonderful husband of nine years, and my sons. I plan on pursuing a writing career full time very soon.


Website: https://www.facebook.com/pages/MJ-Nightingale/185806224943537?ref=hl
Blog:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/MJ-Nightingale/185806224943537?ref=hl
Twitter: @nightingale_mj
Amazon:  http://www.amazon.com/MJ-Nightingale/e/B00HG2GRRK/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0


How did you come to the decision to self-publish? A friend encouraged me to do it.  I have always wanted to write, but facing the daunting task of sending manuscripts out, and ending up in slush piles, never to be seen seemed like such a shot in the dark. Self-publishing was a guaranteed way to get published and get my books out there.

Please tell us your favorite event from last year.

My son has cerebral Palsy. He is five years old.  Every time he reaches a milestone event I am thrilled beyond measure for months. Last year, he was able to take three steps. That was huge. He also just this year was able to sit up for the first time.
Did you have a playlist for your latest book? If so, what were some of the songs?

All of Me by John Legend inspired by newest book Afraid to Hope, set to be released June 23, 2014.  The character of Jay Fairbanks has PTSD, and served in the War in Iraq. The lines in the song about being crazy and out of his mind, yet finding true love spoke to me.

What are your favorite books, movies, tv shows, songs, ice cream flavor, special occasion meal, color (pick one or all and tell us why)?

Favorite book of all time is The Great Gatsby. It is a love story, although one that did not have an HEA. I love that Gatsby has set his heart on the wrong girl. Haven’t we all experienced falling in love with the wrong person, but we were too blinded by love to see their faults? 


Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?

Being too detailed at times is a problem.  I want to be clear, and help my readers visualize what is happening. I sometimes worry that too much description takes away from the story. I ask myself all the time when I am writing a detailed description, is this important to the storyline?

Have you ever hated something you wrote?

No, not yet.

Do you have any hobbies? How did you get into it? What about it brings pleasure?

I love going to the beach, but never have the time to do it.  I love reading of course.


Who’s your favorite artist? What draws you to their work?


Where is your favorite place to write?

I write outside in the evenings on the deck by my pool. It is quiet with night sounds that are soothing.  I can focus, just me and my computer.


Can you provide a picture of your writing space?

Do you have any writing rituals? Coffee made, check.  Pad of paper and pen, check. Laptop, check.

Do you ever write in longhand? Yes, my outlines are done in longhand. They are brief, about ten to fifteen pages. I just briefly tell the story and what should be in each chapter. 


How often do you write outside of your comfort zone? I haven’t done this yet. My new series will require some research. 


Coffee, tea, soda, water, or wine? Coffee morning, noon and night. And, I sleep fine!
Are you a night owl or early riser? Both. I get five and half hours sleep each night. I take an hour nap in the afternoon to revive before the kids get home from school.


Do you make up your bed every morning? No. Haha.  Good question.

Your favorite gadget? I love my new iPad. It makes posting teasers so much easier.

Favorite sport? Favorite team? I enjoy watching playoff games. My husband is a nut about sports, and every year we have superbowl parties. He likes the New York Giants, so that makes me a Giant fan.

What makes your genre special? I write erotic romance. I am told my sex scenes are off the charts in hotness.  But, I love my characters.  All my books are based on real people I know so far. I wanted to explore in my first three books how our past effects our choices in love.  The characters all have secrets from their past that effect their psychological make-up.  Monica was raped. Victor is made to think his sexual predilections make him a freak. Ana is unable to have children due to an STD. Teddy was adopted. Jay has PTSD. Lou was abused by her ex-husband. Those are just some of the characters secrets. We all have secrets, pasts that effect our decisions and I think the readers will be able to relate to one or more of my characters.
I also write about real people with real problems. They are not millionaires, rockstars, just real people who happen to have really amazing sex.

What’s your guilty pleasure?

Chocolate, potato chips.  I am a foody!

Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp? Yes, most definitely.  Communication is key in any successful relationship.  The past doesn’t have to plague or sabotage our new relationships. Often our biggest stumbling block in our own lives is not letting go of the past, not coming to terms with what has been done, and holding back because we are too worried about the past when we need to focus on the present and the future.

If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?

Lynsay Sands, Eloisa James and James Patterson.  Love them. Sands is creative, crisp, and weaves a good tale.  James is smartly funny, but her love stories, her romances, are so well written and full of miscommunication that you can’t help talking to the characters and telling them to get their acts together.   Patterson’s chapters, love them. Crafty, cliffhanger endings, and sentence style keep me flipping pages as fast as I can.

What books are you reading now?

Sadly nothing.  I have no time.  I did buy a bunch of indie author books that I am planning to read by MaryAnn Jordan, ML Steinbrunn, Victoria Brock, Brandy Jellum, Sandra Love, A.d. Ellis, Andrea Michelle, and Jen Andrews. I want to give back to the indie authors who have supported me so much.  This summer, I want to explore what readers like, and see what I can do market my books a bit better.

Are there any new authors who have grasped your interest? I have read MaryAnn Jordan’s debut novel, Emma’s home, and loved it.  A great romance with a dash off suspense.  It inspired a sub-plot in my newest book Afraid to Hope.  Hope she likes what I did.  I did ask permission from her to reference her book.  She said yes!!!!

What are your current projects? I am nearly finished putting the finishing touches on Afraid to Hope.  Then I am on to my BOUNTY Hunters series!!!  Very excited about it.  I will tone down the sex, although it will still be pretty steamy, but include more suspense and mystery as well.

Did you learn anything from writing your book and what was it?
Editing is a BIA^%$^!  Be true to your characters. Listen to your betas. Good betas are like gold mines. 

What were the challenges (research, literary, psychological, and logistical) in bringing it to life?
This first series didn’t require a lot of research as I stuck close to home in all three books.  I wrote about what I knew.  I think it helped the story to come alive. 

What do you think makes good writing?
Style is important, and characters, creating ones that people love.  Edit, edit, and edit!  The readers want clean books. They are paying good money for your books and they deserve that.

What do you think people search for in a book? I think it is mostly the characters and a story they can relate to. Your characters have to pull them in.  But, I don’t know exactly what they are looking for. If I did, I would have written that book, and made a million dollars by now. Haha. 

Did you have a favorite toy as a child?

MOLLY – she was a doll that I loved and will not forget. She got decapitated on a camping trip.  It traumatized me so much that my dad spent weeks trying to find another one just like it, but it freaked me the hell out when it showed up in my bed one night, head intact.  The new MOLLY was not the old one. 
The decapitation involved me at five holding the doll out the window of my dad’s station wagon and her head flew off.  OMG!  She just wanted to look outside, but we couldn’t stop we were on a busy highway. 

What are your pet peeves? Misunderstandings, lack of communication, one-sided friendships.

Any pets that you would like to tell us about, share a pic? I had a cat named cookie growing up, my sister’s cat was named milk.  We would call for the cats to come in at night, “Cookies and Milk?”  I always thought the neighbors must be laughing at the little fat kids calling for cookies and milk out the front door of their house. 


What are the things you never leave home without (apart from keys, money and phone)?
Picture of my sons in my wallet.  A rock a student game me, a touchstone.  I note a teacher gave me in college that says, “Don’t teach a subject, teach a child.”

Where is one place in the world that you would really love to visit someday? Australia.  I want to know why they won’t buy my books.  Haha!  No, seriously, I made some friends in Europe back in 99 who were from Australia and New Zealand, when I did a back pack thingy all summer long. Damn, those Australians were fun. We drank every night, hopped on a bus, saw a different city every day. It was the best trip of my life, other than my honeymoon.  We have stayed in touch ever since, and I would love to see that country.

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