The Asset Blog Tour: Interview + Giveaway

Today I'm so pleased to welcome author Anna Del Mar to the blog as part of the promotional tour for the first book in her new Wounded Warrior romance series, The Asset. Those of you who are frequent visitors to this blog know what a romance lover I am, and when you add a military hero (in this case a SEAL) to the mix I basically go into meltdown mode. Must. Read. Now. Anna was nice enough to answer a few questions for me, so I hope you guys enjoy the interview! Be sure and check the bottom of the post as well for all the details on a special giveaway:)

I’m 99% sure I would last approximately 4 minutes in Navy SEAL training before I curled up in the fetal position and started crying. How long do you estimate you’d last?

Four minutes? You’re tough, girl! I don’t think I’d make it to the sixty second mark. Plus, I’d want to talk about my challenges with my instructors. I don’t know about you, but the term Hell Week? Not very appealing to me.

What are 3 small things about The Asset's wounded warrior hero, Ash Hunter, that will surely make female readers everywhere want to pick this book up immediately?

First, Ash might be wounded, but he’s by no means out of the game. He’s got the skills, training and experience that allow him to discover Lia’s secrets. This wounded warrior is about to kick some ass.

Second, there’s a lot more to Ash than meets the eye. He has access to resources Lia could only dream of and he won’t hesitate to use them. Now, if he could only win Lia’s trust, he’d clear the path to her heart.

And third, Ash recognizes Lia as a survivor. He understands that she’s a veteran of life’s most terrifying battles and that she suffers from her own version of PTSD. Most importantly, he’s patient. He will watch. He will wait. And he’ll be there when she’s ready for him.

If Lia could ask you one question about why you wrote her and Ash’s story the way you did, what would she most want to know?

Hmm. What an interesting question. I’ve never been asked that one before. I think Lia would want to know why I started with Ash being wounded in the first place. Yeah, I think she might throw that one in my face a little, not angrily, that’s not Lia for you, but she’s very protective of Ash.

I always have a soft spot for the heroes who have physical or mental wounds they’re trying to heal, so I have little doubt I’m going to fall madly in love with Ash. Who would you say are your all-time favorite romance heroes?

I’m the exact same way. I like heroes who are brave, strong, smart and sexy, but also vulnerable. I think contrast makes for the best kinds of heroes. A hero who knows suffering is a hero who values life and love. I don’t want perfection. I want my heroes to be human, like you and I, struggling, conflicted. What better way to get to know the depth of someone’s character but to watch him or her fight their way out of their weaknesses and reclaim their strengths?

As to my all-time favorite romance heroes, that would be a long list. How about I give you one that really stuck with me over the years? One of the first romance novels I ever read was Outlander, by Dianna Gabaldon. I fell in love with Jamie Frasier on the spot. I think it was precisely because he suffered from the get-go and then came back with the sort of resiliency that made him a better person and a phenomenal hero. He made my heart melt every time. To this day, when I travel to Scotland, I look around the streets of Edinburgh, wondering if Jamie is around, time-traveling and—ehem— available.

If you were to make yourself a heroine in the Wounded Warrior series, what are a few of the traits your leading man would have?

Well, I’m definitively not one of the heroines in the Wounded Warrior series, but I can say, with a measure of confidence, that I’ve had a little say about the traits of the leading men of The Asset and the Wounded Warrior series.

My leading men are leaders, brave, strong, smart, sexy, resilient, decisive, determined, skilled. But they’re also sensitive, emphatic and compassionate, because they’ve experienced suffering and struggled with survival and recovery. They’re not big talkers. That’s just not who they are. But they’re big doers. They’re going to show you what they mean with their actions. They look at life from a different perspective. They’ve been close to death. They know what’s important. This time around, they’re going to give love all they’ve got.

Thanks so much Anna!

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THE ASSET

Anna del Mar’s explosive, sexy debut novel in the Wounded Warrior series, perfect for fans of Lisa Marie Rice and Lora Leigh—the story of a woman desperate to escape her dangerous past and the navy SEAL who would lay down his life to save her

Ash Hunter knows what it is to run. A SEAL gravely injured in Afghanistan, he’s gone AWOL from the military hospital. Physically and mentally scarred, he returns home to his grandmother’s isolated cottage—and finds a beautiful, haunted stranger inside.

Like recognizes like.

Lia Stewart’s in hiding from the cartel she barely escaped alive, holed up in this small Rocky Mountain town. Surviving, but only just. Helping the wounded warrior on her doorstep is the right thing to do…it’s loving him that might get them both killed.

Soon, Ash realizes he’s not the only one tormented by the past. Pushing the limits of his broken body, testing the boundaries of her shattered soul, he’ll protect Lia until his last breath.

Amazon • B&N • GooglePlay • iBooks • Kobo • Carina Press • Goodreads

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ANNA DEL MAR

Anna del Mar writes hot, smart romances that soothe the soul, challenge the mind, and satisfy the heart. Her stories focus on strong heroines struggling to find their place in the world and the brave, sexy, kickass, military heroes who defy the limits of their broken bodies to protect the women they love. She is the author of The Asset (Carina Press), the first novel of her Wounded Warrior series and three other novels scheduled for release during 2016.
 
A Georgetown University graduate, Anna enjoys traveling, hiking, skiing, and the sea. Writing is her addiction, her drug of choice, and what she wants to do all the time. The extraordinary men and women she met during her years as a Navy wife inspire the fabulous heroes and heroines at the center of her stories. When she stays put—which doesn’t happen very often—she lives in Florida with her indulgent husband and two very opinionated cats.

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GIVEAWAY

Thanks to the team at Harlequin and Carina Press, one lucky winner will receive the following:

•     $25 Amazon Gift Card
•     eCopy of  The Asset
  

Please enter via the Rafflecopter form. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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• Friday, February 26th - The Book Cellar Interview

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