Spicing Things Up with Author Cassy Roop!

Hello everyone! It's that time again! What time, you ask? To interview another author! This week, we'll be learning about Cassy Roop and the start of her Celtic Knot series that I instantly fell in love with! Let's get to it!

The Blurb

Ashley’s Bend-a knot used to securely join the ends of two ropes together.

Ashley Carter thought she had the perfect life as the loving and supportive wife to her upcoming attorney husband. Marrying her high school sweetheart and moving to Chicago to start a life with him seemed perfect, until she ends up walking in on him with another woman.

Determined to start her life over after always sacrificing herself, she attends the grand opening of a new club in town with her best friend. She went expecting to have a good time, what she didn’t expect was to meet Dominic Michaels.

Dominic Michaels is the owner operator of a string of BDSM clubs, The Celtic Knot. He displays control and power over everything in his life, especially his women. Having suffered through a tragic event at a young age, he never allows a woman to remain a part of his life beyond the bedroom, that is until he meets Ashley Carter.

Can the love of a woman loosen the knots of control that Dominic securely holds on to?

Sometimes it is hard to make the shift from control to surrender

The Interview

V: Hey, girl! Thanks so much for doing this interview with me. How about we start off by knowing a little about you?

C: I live in Virginia with my husband and three kids. I am a work from home mom, where I run an in-home daycare, a Les Mills certified group fitness instructor at Gold's Gym, and a full time college student where I am studying Liberal Arts and Graphic design. I love anything with peanut butter!

V: Writing and self-publishing can be hard and intimidating to most people, which causes them to not follow their dreams. What was the life changing moment where you knew that this was something that you wanted to do?

C: I don't have a real life changing "moment" where I decided to be a writer. It is something that I have always wanted to do. After speaking to one of my favorite authors, I decided to just take the plunge.

V: Now that we've survived the basics, let's get down to my favorite part: the book. How do I feel about Ashley's Bend...honey, honey, honey, let me tell YOU! Wait, before I even go into that, how about you tell me what inspired you to write that? I see that you have another book, The Price of Love, but isn't Ashley's Bend your first erotica? How did you make the switch from romance to erotica? And yes, that's two questions in one.

C: I am a reader of most romance genres, so I decided I wanted to be a bit diverse in my writing. The concept of AB came to me one night when I was looking at my Celtic tattoo on my arm. Then I just associated it with knots, bondage, etc. and AB was born. My characters are pretty strong willed. They keep talking in my head until I finally put it down in words.

V: When creating your main characters, Ashley and Dominic, did you have any muses in mind to help you create their physical features? If so, let's see them!

C: Oh yes! Stuart Readon was and always will be my Dominic. Hayden Panettiere is my Ashley and Dewayne "The Rock" Johnson is my Knox!

V: One thing that I can definitely say is that your book actually made me reconsider the BDSM genre. After 50 Shades, I wanted NO part in it. But the way you incorporated it into the storyline and gave it PURPOSE, I thought it was very enjoyable to say the least. As far as BDSM goes, what influenced you to write about it?

C: I wrote it because it interested me. I had to do a lot of research in order to make sure that I was writing everything correctly to my knowledge. I also loved FSOG, so I decided to try my hand in it.

V: If you could bring any character from your book to life, who would it be and why? If I had to choose, I'd personally bring Jared in just to kill him because he irritated my entire life, but that's neither here nor there. Anyway, who was it for you?

C: Definitely Dominic! That man made me hot just writing him lol. I love how he broke through his own walls in order to let Ashley in. It also helps that he is oh so sexy too!

V: My assistant, Christie Mounce, told me about your book and I bought it the same night. I stayed up until FIVE in the morning reading it (knowing DAMN WELL I had to see my hematologist at NINE) and was a walking zombie all day. The book pulls you in from the first page, which is great for me because I have the attention span of a hummingbird! How about you show the people a couple of teasers!

V: There's always that one scene that's hard to write. Whether it's sad, hard to put into words, or too emotional, there's always that one part where we get stuck and have to really evaluate things. Was there any part of the book that was tough for you to write? Not necessarily like a writer's block type of tough, but tough emotionally?

C: The part that tore me up the most was the scene where Dominic takes Ashley on their first date. Knowing how hard it was for him to admit his feelings and emotions was  one thing, but knowing Ashley was going to destroy that was hard.

V: What was your favorite part of the book? As a reader, it's hard for me to say because I loved the entire thing. But as a writer, what scene(s) did you enjoy writing the most? I'll be open minded for this question and not put my mind in the gutter!

C: Honestly, my favorite part of any of my books are the intimate scenes. For some reason, the words just seem to flow easily for me during those times!

V: What are your plans for the Celtic Know series? Do you have any new releases planned any time soon?

C: The Celtic Knot series will be a three part series. Book 2, Figure Eight, will be out on July 24th. Book 3, Triquetra, will be along this Fall.

V: You currently have The Price of Love and Ashley's Bend available. Where can readers find your books?

C: The Price of Love is available on most eBook platforms. Ashley's Bend is exclusive to Amazon until September.

V: The places you can find Cassy Roop!

Website: http://www.cassyroop.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Cassy-Roop-Author/273152699508767?sk=info

Twitter: https://twitter.com/cassyroop

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7847487.Cassy_Roop

About the author

Cassy is a work at home mom where she spends her days surrounded by children, running her in-home daycare. She loves to cook, read and spend her nights and weekends being a Les Mills group fitness instructor. She has been a lover of all things romance from a very early age. She hopes and dreams that everyone can receive their happy ever after. A good ol' country girl at heart, she was born and raised in Arkansas and now resides in Charlottesville, Virginia with her husband and three young children.

Kicking it with Gypsy Rae Choszer!

I recently had the pleasure to read Gypsy Rae Chozser's debut novel, Rain Check. After reading it, I just HAD to interview her to get more information on how this book came to be! I absolutely loved it and if you haven't read it yet, be sure to get it!

Blurb

For Avery Montgomery, the devastation of losing her parents in a tragic accident has left her completely shattered. As she begins to pick up the pieces of her once perfect life, she uncovers a secret that will forever change her—she’s adopted!

In a search for answers, Avery ventures to Portland where she rents a room from Jonah, a quirky artist who quickly becomes her best friend. His house puts her in close proximity to the metaphysical shop run by her birth mother, the free-spirited Marianna Hutchins. Avery enters The Crystal Moon fully intending to confront Marianna, but instead she chickens out and inquires about a job. She's hired; yet remains leery about confessing her secret.

As Avery settles into town, she has an embarrassing encounter with Gabe, the incredibly attractive man who works a few doors down. Despite the awkward introduction, there is undeniable chemistry, but after a recent heartbreak all he’s looking for is friendship.


Everyone deserves a second chance. Will Avery get hers with a new family? Will Gabe allow himself a second chance at love? Will they embrace their new relationships, or will they simply decide to take a rain check?

The Interview

     V: Hey there, Gypsy! So happy to have you on my blog! How about you tell the people who you are, where you’re from, and what you’re about!

G: Thanks Victoria!  I’m Gypsy Rae Choszer, author of the new adult novel Rain Check.  I’m the lucky mom of three amazing boys, and married to my best friend.  We all live in Arizona with our crazy dog Rosie and two chickens.  We used to have four, but two of them mysteriously passed away.  Rest in peace Hilda and Henry.

      V: Not everyone is fortunate enough to come straight out of the womb knowing they wanted to be a writer. I, on the other hand, knew this when I was simply a fetus, writing my memoir in the icky pits of amniotic fluid. Okay, I’m totally kidding. I’m pretty sure I didn’t even know I had arms to do anything with at that point of my life. Moving on. Do you have any authors/friends/family members that helped influence you to write? Who keeps you motivated in regards to your writing? Who was it that gave you the push you needed to start typing or writing away?

G: I have always been a writer.  In high school I was a singer in a band and the drummer and myself would have epic lyric writing marathons.  The lyrics were always super angsty and emo…  basically, exactly what you might expect a couple of sixteen year olds to write.  I may have to dig up some of our old albums and share the lyrics one of these days. 

I have a lot of people in my life who encourage me; my husband and our families have been very supportive on this journey.  Jennifer Miller is one of my very best friends and she has been an amazing support and cheerleader.  She and I have been meeting for weekly writing dates for the last 1.5 years and I don’t think I could have come this far without her.  She has been there to hold my hand at every turn and I am enormously blessed to have her in my life.

      V:Now that we have the proper introductions and information out of the way, let’s get down to business. Rain Check. I absolutely loved the story and I actually became teary-eyed at one scene (which rarely happens). So tell me, what inspired the thoughts and genius words behind Rain Check?

G: I had been working on a different writing project that had stalled.  There had been a couple of deaths in our family and suddenly the subject matter of that particular project became too difficult to write anymore.  Jennifer Miller and I got together for our weekly writing date to discuss my issues with the project and we started talking about her next one, which ended up being Whispering Wishes.  As we spoke I realized that what I needed was to write something lighter.  Something that was mostly just for fun.  We came up with the idea to have a couple of crossover characters, and suddenly the ideas just started flowing.  By the end of our meeting I had most of Rain Check plotted out and I was able to go home and write out the first chapter.

V: If you could bring any character from your book to life, who would it be? Personally, before you say anything, I would probably have to ask you to say Jonah. But because this is your interview, that’s neither here nor there! Sorry, got a tad bit off topic there. Which character would you bring to life?

G: That’s an easy one.  Without a doubt it would be Jonah.  He is my favorite character hands down.  He was so much fun for me to write.   He seems to be a fan favorite too, every single message I get from readers mentions how much they love Jonah.

V: Avery works in a metaphysical shop in Rain Check, and there seem to be a lot of detailed information on what was sold there and done in that sort of shop. Was this something that you had to research or was this something that you actually know about and practice in real life? I think it’s rather groovy either way!

G: When I was in high school, my best friend and I used to ditch school and drive to Park City, Utah for lunch.  We would always stop in a little metaphysical bookstore while we were there to buy incense and look at the crystals, and drool over all the gorgeous tarot decks.  I didn’t have to do a ton of research because I have been in enough metaphysical shops to have a good idea of what to expect.  I DID have to do some research on tarot for the reading that Marianna gives to Avery.  Luckily I have some friends who are gifted in tarot and actually give readings.  They were so kind to help me and explain to me what different cards would mean in a reading.

As for myself, I have a tendency to lean towards natural health and the metaphysical. I’ve been known to carry a crystal or two in my bra for energy, and I was actually a licensed massage therapist for eight years until I injured my wrist several years ago.  I gave birth to all of our boys at home, I am working on becoming a certified aromatherapist (I am obsessed with essential oils), and I am certified in several healing energy modalities.     

V: Do you know when you’ll be releasing anything else? It’s totally cool if you’re just going with the flow and basking in the after glow of your release. But…not to be all demanding and what not…I need something to read from you like…yesterday. So yeah. Any release dates or word of any upcoming projects?

G: I don’t have any solid dates yet, but my goal is to have something out by October.  I have been working on a companion book to Rain Check which will tell Wren’s story.  There will of course be more Jonah. ;)

V:  I believe I have asked you this before personally, but I just want to ask again for the record. One of your characters in Rain Check is related to a character in Jennifer Miller’s book Whispering Wishes (which is also awesome)! Was that done on purpose or completely coincidental?

G: Totally on purpose.  The idea for having those crossover characters is actually what birthed the idea for Rain Check.

     V: If you had to pick any scene in your book, which would be your favorite one?

G: I love the scene where Avery and Gabe kiss at the top of the ferris wheel.  I had actually written that scene for the project I was working on before, but I loved it so much I decided to put it in Rain Check.  I also love when Jonah paints himself blue.

V:  Which scene was the hardest to write?

G: It isn’t a scene exactly, but the whole last section of the book.  I rewrote the ending twice before it felt right.  My first ending was a total disaster and I knew it.  It was rushed and just felt wrong.  After a few panic attacks and some good conversations with my critique partners and betas I went back in and rewrote the last 7 or 8 chapters. 

V: To show people how awesome this book is, can you give a small teaser? Between the dialogue and the amazing storytelling, I’m pretty sure you’ll have people eating out of your hand!

V: As an author, I know how important music can be in the process of writing. What was on your playlist as you wrote Rain Check?

G: I like music that doesn’t have a lot of lyrics, but has a good beat.  Not like a get up and dance beat, but more of a trance beat…  I listened to a Zero 7 station on Pandora, as well as Sigur Ros, Portishead, and Dax Johnson.  Dax is piano music, which I love to get lost in when everything else seems to have too many lyrics.

V: Where can people find your book to purchase?

G: Rain Check is available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Kobo.

Amazon-  http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00KMF8LKY/

Barnes & Noble-  http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/rain-check-gypsy-rae-choszer/1119617740

Kobo-  http://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/books/Rain-Check/

V: How can people connect with you on social network? (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Goodreads, blog, website, etc.)

Facebook-  https://www.facebook.com/gypsyraewrites

Twitter-  https://twitter.com/GypsyRaeWrites

Instagram-  http://instagram.com/gypsyrae

Goodreads- https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8109340.Gypsy_Rae_Choszer

Website/Blog-   http://gypsyrae.com/

About the Author

Gypsy Rae Choszer grew up in the valley below Mount Timpanogos where she watched the apricot trees in her backyard bloom every spring. When she was eighteen she packed her bags and ran away to the exotic locale of Mesa Arizona to begin the work of being an adult. 

Gypsy’s love of reading began as a child when her mom would take her to their local library and let her bring home stacks of whatever she wanted. This often lead to Gypsy reading with a dictionary nearby to explain words she intuitively knew her mother wouldn't approve of.

In her spare time she likes to explore photography, make jewelry, eat chocolate, and mix magical potions.

When she’s not writing, you can find Gypsy hanging out at home with her husband and best friend, their three children, a neurotic dog, and four chickens. However, Gypsy knows her family will not be complete until she brings home a peacock and a goat.