Author Feature: Shari Copell

Hey Loves Our Author Feature Is Shari Copell and let me just say she is one of the baddest Rocker Chicks around!!

WARNING: It goes without saying that this book has sexual content and adult language. However, if you like your books to have a neat and tidy happy ending, you probably won't enjoy this one. Life is messy sometimes. This story reflects that.

Synopsis

“Asher Pratt had been a drug for me, and I wasn’t sure I wasn’t still addicted.”

Chelsea Whitaker works as a waitress at Tapestries, a trendy Pittsburgh bar. She’s doing her best to avoid Asher Pratt, the Pittsburgh rock legend who shattered her heart years ago.

When he takes a job at Tapestries just to be near her, Chelsea has some decisions to make.

She soon discovers that some things never change. It’s all she can do to keep a tight hold on her heart as Asher takes her for another wild ride.

As she struggles to gain some perspective on their relationship, she learns that he’s never needed her more. She must put the past aside for the sake of the future.

Buy Links

Buy Rock’n Tapestries at:  Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FE6O0HO

Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00FE6O0HO

Amazon Canada:
http://www.amazon.ca/dp/B00FE6O0HO

Rock’n Tapestries will be available for Nook after April 28, 2014.

Teaser

Black Friday was upon us. Pittsburgh goes nuts on Black Friday. Bumper to bumper traffic, short-tempered people yelling at each other in the stores, long lines trailing out of every restaurant. To make things worse, they play all that schmaltzy Christmas music in the background.  It’s worse than a Steelers’ home game. Yeah, I’m not interested in being out there in that insanity.

I always offered to work a double that day. First, because I’ve never been a hard-core shopper. I’ll do my Christmas shopping when things settle down a bit, thank you. Second, it’s the day we always put up the trees and decorations at Tapestries. My most favorite thing ever!

I stared down at Asher’s torso as he lay on the floor, his head and shoulders hidden under the branches of a fake spruce. He was trying to level it for me so I could decorate it. Unfortunately, I was preoccupied with staring at the bulge in his jeans. As far as I knew, there was no law that said I couldn’t look, right?

“Chelsea!” 

“What?”

“Did you hear a word I said?”

“No.”

“What the hell are you doing up there?”

“None of your business.” I tried to stifle a giggle and snorted instead.

One hand came out from under the tree and cupped his crotch area. “Are you checking me out?”

I snorted again. “No.” Then I thought about his package being under the tree and what a great gift that was. I laughed out loud. “Yes!”

“Well, stop it until we get these trees up.  Can I take you out for Taco Bell tonight? Then you can molest me with your eyes all you want.”

“Sure!” I was in a very festive mood. “I’m on until midnight though.”

He slid out from under the tree and sat up. He had on a white T-shirt and tight jeans. I thought he looked a lot like James Dean.

“That makes two of us then. Now I’m going back under here, and I want you to tell me whether it’s straight or not. Focus on the tree, Chelsea Whitaker.” He lay back down and shimmied under the branches. “If you can.”

I laughed again, a sound of pure delight that bubbled up from a happy place inside me. It was one of those days I was just glad to be alive.

Review 

5 stars of pure rock.This book was amazing. I love the rock star love stories but this story was like no other each character pulled me in and had me wrapped up till the end. Chelsea has fell for two different guys but how she ends up with her true love you'll have to read to find out. This book is so hard to write a review for when all you want to do is tell it all it was that amazing!! This book had my emotions all over the place and broke me at the end but I loved every word every character everything about the book. I love a book that has you reading and then BAM the unexpected happens and this is the definition of a book like that . Shari pulled me in with her characters and her intense writing she had me wrapped in this story I couldn't tear myself away I finished in one sitting because I could not get enough of this book. Shari is brilliant and I cant wait to read more by this amazing Author!!
~Raquel~

New Adult romantic suspense with paranormal elements. Here are the usual warnings about sexual content, naughty language, and there's also a bit of brutality and violence. I promised you all a happy ending after Rock'n Tapestries though, and I never break a promise. :-)

Wild Angel will be released May 17, 2014 for both Kindle and Nook

Synopsis

“Hello, Pittsburgh! You ready to rock?"

Nicks Sorenson, guitarist extraordinaire for the band Wild Angel, has a lot going on during her last year of high school. In fact, she sometimes wonders if someone has painted a bull’s eye on her forehead.

Stone Jensen, lead guitarist for the band Heavy Remedy, shows up everywhere she plays despite the bad blood between them. The high school principal is targeting her with endless detentions for some reason. And she’s starting to wonder if her mother is losing her mind.

Life soon spins into chaos for the Sorenson family. It began when Nicks learned the name of the dead musician who’d willed her his four guitars. Then came the dreams of a man shrouded in mist. She doesn’t recognize him, but he seems to know her.

As the strange occurrences escalate, Nicks goes on an unexpected—and painful—journey into the past.

She’s about to learn what you don’t know can hurt you.

Teaser

The plan was to finish the sound check and walk around the festival together. Nicks was hoping to grab some cotton candy somewhere.  It was her favorite carnival food, and she hadn’t gotten a single bag of it that summer.

They didn’t even get fifteen feet away from the stage.

Just as they cleared the corner, Stone seized the opportunity to push her between two white box trucks parked side-by-side. He wasted no time backing her into a stack of Anvil amp cases and holding her there with his body.

“What’re you doing?” she asked as he captured both her wrists and held them over her head against the cases.

“I have some questions I want to ask you.”

“Is that right?”

“Yeah.” He bent his head until his lips were nearly touching hers. “What do you think of Stone Jensen?”

“I think he’s pretty hot. Why? Do you know him?”

“Yeah, I do. What would you give me if I introduced you to him?”

He pinned her down with those dark eyes like a butterfly specimen. She was dimly aware that some sort of response was required to whatever he’d said, but she couldn’t remember what it was.

“What?”

 “Girls who don’t listen get spanked.” His lips tickled her right cheek as he spoke.

“What?” She started to giggle.

He ran his nose up and down the column of her throat then nibbled on an earlobe.  She tipped her head to the side to give him better access. “Jesus, that feels amazing.”

“Are we a thing, Nicks?” It was odd how his lips pressed against her neck seemed to complete some type of circuit to her clit.

“A thing?”

“Do you want me the way I want you?”

Oh, God. Flames of longing licked at her, triggering a flood of moisture that made her squirm. “Yes. God, yes. I want you as bad as you want me.”

Review 

5 stars. When I read Rock'n Tapestries I thought there is no way Shari can top book one of course i was wrong she nailed it and she nailed it  hard. Chelsea has went through above and beyond in the first book and all you want is for her to be happy. Well good to finally see that she gets that happy ending with Tage. I loved getting to know the daughter that Asher never got to know. I loved hearing Nicks story and watching her grow into a beautiful woman. Her searching her past and figuring out who she is with Stone by her side. I loved Asher but damn Stone has my heart. Shari did it again had me so deep in love with these characters I can't get enough. Her writing pulls you in and has you emotional and a maniac for more. With each page is something different you never know what will happen next and I loved every minute of it . I am thrilled to be able to read these books by Shari and will definitely be reading anything she has come out. 

~Raquel~ 

Author Bio 

Shari Copell

Sherry Jesberger (writing contemporary romance as Shari Copell) is a life-long native of central Pennsylvania. She’s been married to her husband Gordon for nearly thirty years. The first time she ever laid eyes on him, he was playing bass guitar in a band called Arrow. They were both seventeen.

Needless to say, Gordon and the various bands he’s played in during their marriage have provided quite a bit of fodder for Rock’n Tapestries and Wild Angel. Many of the things that happen in the Rock’n books happened in real life, though the names have been changed to protect the not so innocent.

Rock’n Tapestries and Wild Angel are unique in that the first book (Rock’n Tapestries) is actually a journal that was written by one of the main characters in the second book (Wild Angel). Rock’n Tapestries is first person past, approximately 47,000 words. Wild Angel is third person past, approximately 125,000 words. They could both be read as stand-alone books, but will make more sense if read in order.  (Sherry apologizes in advance for any tears that may be shed.)

Sherry enjoys gardening, sweet wine, a warm summer day spent on the back porch with her Kindle, and laughing until she nearly pees her pants. (Damn you, Tosh.O and Ridiculousness!) She believes rules were made to be broken, or at least badly bent, and she has come to despise Candy Crush Saga.

Hearing from those who enjoy what she writes makes her whole day.  Email her at sharicopell@gmail.com or catch up with her here:

https://www.facebook.com/sharicopellauthor

http://www.goodreads.com/sharicopell

One of these days, she swears she’s going to put up a blog.

Author Interview

  

Shari Copell (Wild Angel)

What inspired you to write your first book?

Long story short, my husband lost his job.  Anxiety does funny things to your brain. The premise for my first book under my real name started swirling around in my head during that time.  I ignored it for a while, then found that writing was tremendous stress  relief for me.  Wild Angel is my fifth book.

Do you have a specific writing style?

I am a seat-of-the-pants writer, though sometimes if a scene or situation is complicated, I’ll make an outline. 

What’s your favorite food?

Pizza.  Pizza is like sex: even when it’s bad, it’s still pretty good.

Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?

I didn’t consciously have a message as I wrote Rock’n Tapestries or Wild Angel.  I guess the takeaway from Rock’n Tapestries is that you can deeply love someone but find out in the end they’re still wrong for you. And you’re the better person if you can find it in your heart to be kind, even if the recipient of your kindness has left your soul in pieces.  Asher has now fully repaid his debt to Chelsea for staying by his side.

Wild Angel? I guess the message there is that no one can drive you crazy quite like your family, but when push comes to shove, you would do anything for them.  Even sacrifice yourself to protect them.

Do you have any strange writing habits (like standing on your head or writing in the shower)?

An occasional glass of wine and chocolate is as strange as I get.

Are experiences based on someone you know, or events in your own life?

Actually, yes.  My husband was sixteen and had a bass guitar slung over his shoulders the first time I ever laid eyes on him.  The first time we dated (which didn’t go well) was the basis for Chelsea and Asher’s relationship.  We had to try twice to get it right.

The blow-job story Spencer tells Nicks in Wild Angel?  Yeah, it happened. Names and circumstances have been changed to protect the not-so innocent.

What books have most influenced your life most?

Without a doubt, the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon and the Fever series by Karen Marie Moning. Everything that KMM writes is freakin’ amazing.  I’d love to spend some time inside her head.

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

She’ll never know it, but Karen Marie Moning.

What book are you reading now?

A Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin.

Are there any new authors that have grasped your interest?

Just out of curiosity, I downloaded “Captive in the Dark” by C.J. Roberts. I thought I was going to freaking need therapy by the time I finished it, and yet she made me like Caleb.  I don’t understand how the hell that happened, but that’s some top-notch writing right there. I literally couldn’t breathe at certain points in that book.

That said, I don’t think I could ever write that dark.  I’m just not in a dark place, but I certainly admire those who can.

 
What are your current projects?

I’m currently working on the third book in my historical fantasy Àlainnshire series. It’s called Tempest. I’m taking my time with that one.  I have many loose ends to tie up between the first two books of the series.  I love these characters though, and it’s a pleasure to be working with them again.

As Shari Copell, I have approximately 3,000 to 5,000 words written for two stories that just fell into my head. One is a story about a romance novelist who comes home to find a sexy male vampire in her apartment.  (This after her agent badgers her to write a vampire novel because they sell well. She refuses, saying everyone does them and she wants to be different.)

The other is the story of a woman preparing to go home for a class reunion.

Of course, Nicks and Stone will probably have to go on tour at some point. And Lindsay will have her own issues to work through, poor girl.

What is your most embarrassing moment?

It involved an entire bottle of Bailey’s Irish Crème and a bucket that smelled like Pine-sol. Yes, there is a picture.

Do you have any strange writing habits?

Nope.

If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your latest book?

I don’t think so.  This book was the easiest of the five I’ve written.  It came to me complete from beginning to end.  It’s almost too long, but I couldn’t find any scenes I wanted to cut.

Do you recall how your interest in writing originated?

I read A LOT and wrote stories as a child, though then it was with a notebook and ballpoint pen.  I found some of them when I cleaned out my grandmother’s house after she passed.  Unfortunately, I threw them all away.

Can you share a little of your current work with us?

This is a scene from Tempest, written as S.L. Jesberger. Subject to change as I edit:

Dreams of Fionn woke Aislin before sunrise. Thank the gods they were pleasant.

He stood in the middle of the roundabout with a smile on his face, his arms wide, welcoming her into his embrace. And she went to him, reveling in the way his hands felt against her back.  She could even smell him, that familiar scent of hay and fresh air that always seemed to linger in his hair and clothing.

“I miss you,” he said simply.  He seemed to know he was dead. 

“And I miss you. If I could do things over, I’d save you this time. I’d find a way.”

“Some mountains can’t be moved, little sister.” He kissed the side of her head.

He was right about that.  Death was the biggest mountain of all. “I know.”  She closed her eyes.   “I needed you though. I thought of you so often. You would’ve known exactly what to do. And you wouldn’t have taken so long to do it.”

“You did fine.  You had a problem and you solved it.  Your technique was dreadful, but you managed to take Arianrhod back. I applaud you.”

He was teasing her.  She grinned. “What technique?  I flew by the seat of my breeches most of the time.  I am here to tell the tale only because of Roderic, Devin, and Uncle Stanis. And Tristan.” The smile left her face. “By rights, I should be dead right now.”

“No one struggles alone, Aislin.  Not me. Not you.  Not Bryce.” She felt him stiffen. “And thankfully, not my Gwen.” 

Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?

Oh God, sometimes you know what you want to say, but the words won’t come.  Working a full-time job while writing a book is difficult too. Sometimes a really awesome scene will pop into my head while I’m sitting at my desk.  I either take a pen and jot down some notes or let it ruminate until I get home.

Who is your favorite author and what is it that really strikes you about their work?

Karen Marie Moning.  The Fever series has absolutely ruined me for most other books. Sheer freaking genius. I was lost when I was done reading those five books. I wanted to go to Ireland!

Diana Gabaldon is a close second. Lord, that woman writes the shit out of her Outlander books. Such delicate, elegant prose.  I’m squeeing that they’re making a Starz Original series out of her books!

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

I’ve got lots of ideas, so I’d like to be able to put out a book a year if possible, either as Shari Copell or S.L. Jesberger. Doesn’t matter.

 What was the hardest part of writing your book?

Just finding the time to put my butt in the chair.  I had no shortage of ideas with Rock’n Tapestries or Wild Angel.

Do you have any advice for other writers?

TAKE. YOUR. TIME.  You aren’t doing your best work if you’re churning out a book a month.  I can apply my own advice to my ebook novella “Micah’s Island.” I still cringe when I think of it.  You don’t know how many times I’ve had my damned finger poised over the delete button then someone emails me and says how much they like it. So I leave it up. But it’s not my best writing. I know that!

Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?

Your kind words literally keep me going on those days when I want to chuck it all and run away from home. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

What were the challenges (research, literary, psychological, and logistical) in bringing it to life?

More than once my husband and I made trips to Pittsburgh so I could check out the places I mention in both books or the local Guitar Center. I looked at quite a few Les Paul guitars to get the descriptions right. Psychological? As I said, I’m not a dark person. I had a helluva time writing a couple of scenes that involved Nicks and Lindsay  toward the end of Wild Angel.  Though they really aren’t that dark compared to some of the books that are out there, it was hard for me to imagine and channel that kind of terror. I paced the floor and took deep breaths outside my office a few times trying to calm down.

If you could cast your characters in the Hollywood adaptation of your book, who would play your characters?

Anna Popovic = Nicks Sorenson.  I’ve seen this woman live twice and she never fails to blow me away.  Check her out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UMDFsnyv314

Kit Harrington would make a good Stone Jensen. Rafael Lazzini is a perfect Asher Pratt. Kate Upton as Chelsea Whitaker.  I always pictured Nikolaj Coster-Waldau as Tage Sorenson, thought he’d have to bulk up and his hair would have to be much lighter.

Do you write naked?

Uhm...no.  I’m usually cold.

 What is the biggest lie you've ever told?

Pretty sure I haven’t told it yet. Saving it for a time when I really need it.

 Have you ever been in trouble with the police?

No. My mother would’ve skinned me alive if I’d have come home in the back seat of a cop car!

Have you ever gotten into a bar fight?

My husband played in a band called P.F. Flyer for the first eight years of our marriage.  I had to punch out a groupie once. No one touches what’s mine.