THE BILLIONAIRE'S MIRACLE FAMILY - Arabelle Stevens - One Free Book

Happy Valentine's Day, Dear Readers!!!

Welcome, Arabelle. Tell us how much of yourself you write into your characters.

Almost none. Part of the fun for me is to get into the skin of another person, i.e., my characters. I often give them personality traits and have them say things I’d never dream of in myself. It’s fun.

What is the quirkiest thing you have ever done?

Quirkiest thing. Well that’s easy. Sick of being on the hamster wheel, I sold my big house and moved into my camp. My 12x28, off-grid cabin, complete with composting toilet. That’s right, I live in a “tiny house.” I own it outright, I have more land than I ever have, I have minimal bills, and I empty my own toilet. Daily. It’s no big deal.

I’m happy for you. When did you first discover that you were a writer?

I’ve always written stories, even back into childhood. Then in high school, my English teacher entered one of my short stories in a national contest . . . and I won. I knew I could write and maybe do something with it at that point. I put myself through college by doing freelance commercial writing. That wasn’t what I wanted to do though . . . writing ads for Coke and the local utility companies didn’t feed my soul. Fiction did. That was a real craft to me.

Tell us the range of the kinds of books you enjoy reading.

I enjoy many types of books. I do find myself gravitating to romance and books by Dan Brown. It would be easier to say what I can’t read. I can’t read gory, it makes me nauseated and I creep out, and I can’t read erotica . . . I giggle and get too embarrassed. I don’t mind some pretty steamy and a little violence if the story calls for it, but if it all gets too in depth (pardon that, no pun intended), I just feel naughty, lol.

How do you keep your sanity in our run, run, run world?

I don’t. Peace and quiet grounds me, it centers me. That’s one reason I got off the hamster wheel and moved to a small cabin in the woods. I get my inner Thoreau on almost every day. Now THERE’S someone who knew how to live!

How do you choose your characters’ names?

I use the internet a lot. There are lots of sites that list men and women’s names. I find that very handy. I also eavesdrop. A LOT. You wouldn’t believe some of the very cool names floating around in every restaurant.

What is the accomplishment that you are most proud of?

My kids. They grew up to be really good people. Strong, self-reliant, capable, smart. When they went out into the world on their own, they were ready. I did that.

If you were an animal, which one would you be, and why?

An eagle. I often have dreams that I’m soaring and flying way overhead, exploring the world, seeing amazing sights.  I’m sure some dream interpreter would have something interesting to say about that.

What is your favorite food?

Lobster. You can’t live in Maine and not love lobster. If you do, we can’t be friends because I’ll never understand you.

We can be friends. I love lobster. I just don’t get to eat it very often. What is the problem with writing that was your greatest roadblock, and how did you overcome it?

I didn’t think my writing was interesting. Because I didn’t like to write violence or sex, I thought my stories would be perceived as boring. I dabbled with all of that at the beginning of my fiction career, but I just wasn’t comfortable with it. I finally just wrote what I thought was a decent story, with minimal steamy. I still thought it wouldn’t do well and was about to set it on a shelf when a good friend told me to get over myself and just publish it. It was well-received with pretty good reviews. That book was Everything More.

Tell us about the featured book.

The Billionaire’s Miracle Family is the first book I’ve written “to market.” Billionaire books don’t seem to be fading in popularity so I thought I’d try my hand at it. It was so fun having a character who was a billionaire that I could write virtually any situation money could buy. I also wanted a book with some cerebrality to it so there had to be some depth, I didn’t want anything to be as it appeared. The book starts out in the usual way of romances with some conflict and some humor, but then it all gets deeper with (I hope) lots of rich themes and character. And, of course, the happy ending that I always love.

Some reviewers of a Christmas book of mine that released in September brought it to my attention that it was also a billionaire romance. Please give us the first page of your book.

Audrey Edlin rolled over in frustration, her silky ash-blonde locks falling over her face. She grabbed a pillow and pinned it over her head, trying to block out the sound of kids skateboarding on the sidewalk under her bedroom window.  Wasn't there some kind of curfew for kids in Boston? Where were these kids' parents?

Audrey looked over at her clock. One in the morning. One loud burst of laughter as a skateboarder crashed into empty metal trashcans, and that was it. Audrey flew to the window and threw it open.

"Do you kids know what time it is?! Some of us have to get up in a few hours! Get out of here!"

The group of skateboarders looked up at Audrey in her second story window, messy-sleep hair covering her face. Except that they weren't kids. They were full-grown men, mouths hanging open like naughty children, looking with guilty, blinking eyes at one another.

Finally, one of the men spoke up.

"I'm really sorry, Miss. My buddy, Rem, here didn't think I could still do a jump, and then my other friend here, Mark, dared me to do it . . . and . . . well . . .  we're sorry we disturbed you."

Audrey recognized the one speaking as her next-door neighbor. He didn't seem to have a job, didn't seem to do anything but play loud video games, and drink beer.

"Oh. It's you," she said disgustedly. "I should have known. 

How can readers find you on the Internet?

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/arabelle.stevens.754

Website:  www.arabellestevens.com

Thank you, Arabelle, for sharing this book with us. I’m eager to read it. My mother died when I was 7. Here name was Frances Arabella, but she went by Fanny Belle.

Readers, here are links to the book.

The Billionaire's Miracle Family: Billionaire Miracle Series (Book 1) - Paperback
The Billionaire's Miracle Family: Billionaire Miracle Series (Book 1) - Kindle

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