Tuesday Teaser: Donna Gallagher

 Hi all, 

Today's Tuesday Teaser is a lovely lady who has come all the way from Australia to answer my questions and tell you about her books. She's addicted to rugby, loves her bubbly and uses it to make the voices in her head talk to her. Ladies and Gentlemen, please welcome 

Donna Gallagher! 

Hello Donna, thanks for being my guest. Sit back, have a glass of bubbly and relax. We'll start with some easy questions while you're still sober - The business ones

 

Please give us a short introduction about yourself

Firstly, thank you Sage for inviting me on your blog. My name is Donna Gallagher and I was born and bred in Sydney, Australia. My three great loves are family, footy and fiction. I never imagined that I would be able to combine two of these into a series of books that would be published and still have to pinch myself every now and again to make sure I’m not just dreaming. For someone that left home and school at fifteen to take on the world I always questioned my ability to unleash my muse coherently. I still do battle with those self-doubt issues regularly but lucky for me my Total E Bound editor Amy is always just an email away to give me a *hug* or word of advice.

 

What genre(s) do you write in and why?

My League of Love series are Contemporary Erotic books set around the lives and loves of the fictitious Sydney Jets rugby league team. I didn’t set out with any particular genre in mind it was just the way each story unfolded. I was asked to be a little more explicit in a couple of scenes though! 

Do you need a special setting to write in or do you have a ceremony to get you in the mood? What does it look like?

I write when the voices tell me to – mostly sitting at my desk in the family room, usually with the television on a sports channel in the background. I have been known to put pen to paper at my son’s hockey games.

Describe your feelings when you learnt that your first book was accepted for publication

Terror! Followed by a huge dose of gratitude for my fabulous editor.

 

Has the release of your first book changed anything in your personal life? If so, what?

Yes, my youngest son spends a lot of time trying to stay out of my way so I don’t ask his advice. Lol! Poor kid, think I’ve traumatised him for life.

Where do you find inspiration?

From the voices in my head!

Who is your favourite character and why?

There is a character that stands out and I fear I have a little crush on him. JT is always in my head trying to push his way into every story I tell. He has such a strong personality and I love his loyalty to his friends. He is big and tough but with a good heart, how could I not love him.

A favourite line from one of your books (1)

My favourite line is from JT in book two Mandy’s He-man. Not at all sexy or romantic but is the premise of me writing the books. I was sick of all the bad publicity that surrounded sportsman when they did something a bit naughty, the common use of the word ‘role model’ when referring to sports people always annoys me.

“Yeah okay some young upstarts should be given one on the chin for the way they acted. Disrespecting the public in displays of uncouth behaviour, but hey people we’re not all angels. Just ‘cause you can play sport doesn’t make you a nice bloke or good role model, just sporty”

A favourite line from one of your books (2)

This is when Brodie finally notices that Caitlin is singing at the charity event he has organised. I loved imaging the always in control Brodie stupefied.

“There she was, standing not more than a few feet away from him. His heart raced, stopped, raced again, and he realised he was caught suspended somewhere between sitting and standing, staring at the most gorgeous woman he had ever seen. She was no girl. He had been wrong. Caitlin was all woman.”

Your favourite drink and food when writing

I write at so many different times of the day that’s a hard one. I do know that when I get stuck a few pieces of dark chocolate or a glass of bubbly helps.

Ah, the glass is empty already. Great, have another and let's move on to The nosy ones

How much of the real “you” is in your stories?

That’s a hard question to answer, at first I would have said none, but I think that would be dishonest. There is a little bit of my experience or emotion in all my characters to some degree and I have always related to Mandy.

Have you ever had a crush on a fictional character? Who was it?

I’m still infatuated with Angel from Buffy the Vampire Slayer days but I think my first crush was Heathcliff from Wuthering Heights. And I must not forget to mention the voice of Optimus Prime from the Transformers movies - gives me goose-bumps.

What’s the silliest error in a book you’ve submitted?

Mixing up my heroines names - But I blame JT for this as he is always rabbiting on in my head about Mandy.

Favourite comfort food?

Pizza - I love a cheesy vegetarian pizza.

A person you admire

I gave this a lot of thought, decided not to bore everyone with Aussie sportsman or the like. So I focussed on authors and kept coming back to the same person – N.J. Walters. I find her books always sweep me up and carry me away and I get so invested in each and every story. She can bring me to tears or fill me with laughter with her writing. I could only wish that my books might affect someone the same way. I have a lot of must read authors but I stop everything for a new NJ book – just ask my family!

If you could ask any person in the world one question of your choice, who would it be and what would you ask them?

Following on from the question above I would love to meet NJ in person so my answer would be - I’d ask NJ Walters if she would meet me for a coffee J ( I’m starting to look like a creepy stalker!)

As Donna and I move on to the third glass of bubbly, it's time for The fast ones

Favourite colour?

Black - I can hear previously mentioned son saying “Black is not a colour mum.”

Favourite pet?

My turtle - He is a Murray River long-neck and about the size of small dinner plate. He often wanders around my house while I’m writing.

Dog or cat?

Dog I have a mini fox terrier but would love a husky- that whole looks like a wolf thing.

Coffee or tea?

Coffee and don’t stop bringing it. I have coffee with a group of friends every morning. A ritual that started sixteen years ago with us meeting up after dropping our kids to school and has just continued on.

Hunky or chunky?

I can do both ;)

Suit & tie or jeans & boots?

Jeans and boots easily the winner here and what my husband wears most days. Nothing like denim hugging a good bum or muscled thighs…Mmmm!

  

Walk in the park or chat over cocktails?

Cocktails or Champagne every time.

Thanks so much for stepping by, Donna, and helping me drain this long overdue bottle. And now, folks, read more about Donna's fabulous new book  

  

Mandy's He-Man

Can this rugged mountain of a man really protect her, teach her to trust and love again? Or will the choices she’s made in the past destroy her future?

Having managed to break free from an abusive relationship with a cruel and dominating ex-boyfriend, Australian artist Mandy Magenta—a.k.a. Amanda Smith—should be terrified when she first meets the enormous bulk that is Jonathon ‘JT’ Thomson. He is fierce. Not only is JT the biggest, most muscular man Mandy has ever set eyes on, but he makes a living playing the brutal sport of Rugby League.

So why, then, does Mandy’s body go into lust overdrive at the mere sight of him? She doesn’t feel a hint of alarm as the colours that exist in her mind—created and inspired by her own emotions and her artistic talents—explode with vibrant and passionate intensity. Could JT be the man to remind her that she is still a sensual, amorous woman, a woman deserving of love and tenderness—and can he protect her from the threats her ex has promised to deliver on?

Mandy's He-Man is available from Total-E-Bound now and will become available from all big distributors on January 21st.

 If you've missed the first in the League of Love - series, now's the time to meet 

Caitlin's Hero

Falling for him is easy. Dealing with his high-profile life—a life deemed public property by his fans and the press, plus an ex-wife out for blood—now, that’s the hard part.

Twenty-year-old Caitlin Walters was living a normal life. She attended university, socialised a little and had a good relationship with her mother and stepfather. But when her parents are tragically killed in a car accident, Caitlin’s life is forced to change. The once carefree girl becomes sole guardian of her stepbrother. Giving up her university course to support and raise eleven-year-old Riley, Caitlin struggles to deal with her new responsibilities.

Her job, singing at a local Italian restaurant, brings Caitlin some peace. On stage, she leaves her life and its troubles behind. Feeling comfortable and sensuous, she is like a siren calling out to lost souls. It’s on one of these nights that Caitlin begins a romance with Australian Rugby League captain, Brodie James. Brodie, not content with his so-called perfect life and struggling with commitment issues following a disastrous marriage, falls hard for Caitlin.

The relationship does not run smoothly for the self-sacrificing Caitlin, as she learns how to deal with Brodie’s nasty, jealous ex-wife, a muck-raking reporter and intrusive but well-meaning rugby fans. Along the way she makes new friends, and awakens the untapped sensual desires of the woman inside.

 

You can pick up Caitlin's Hero from Total-E-Bound and all big distributors

Author bio:

Sydney-born Donna Gallagher decided at an early age that life needed be tackled head on. In her twenties Donna married a professional sportsman, her love of sport — especially rugby league — probably overriding her good sense. The seven-year marriage was an adventure. There were the emotional ups and downs of having a husband with a public profile in a sometimes glamorous but always high-pressure field. Now happily re-married and with three sons Donna is on an even footing with the keenest man when it comes to watching and talking rugby.
An avid reader, especially of romance, Donna finally found she couldn't stop the characters residing in her imagination from spilling onto paper. Naturally rugby league is the backdrop to her spicy 'League of Love Series' available through UK publisher Total-E-Bound, tales of hunky heroes and spunky heroines overcoming adversity to eventually find true love.

Visit Donna's website: www.donnagallagherromance.com