Author Interview: Terri Herman-Ponce (and a giveaway)

This week's author at WLB is Terri Herman-Ponce, author of In This Life (review here) and Covet (review here). She is generously giving away a copy of her newest book, Covet, which releases on March 25. To enter, use the Rafflecopter below.

About COVET:

COVET is the story of threatening secrets, risky espionage, and one man’s discovery that instinct can be more powerful than reason. All professional soldier David Bellotti has to do is steal a wallet from drug lord, Zev Sahin. A simple operation to snag the key card to Sahin’s compound and hand the card over to the woman who hired him. But when David finds a photo inside the wallet of his lover, Lottie, kissing another man, he discovers his life isn’t what it seems and that the people in it are keeping dangerous information from him.

Ex-lover, Monica, is carrying the largest secret of all. Determined to get David back into her life, her secret will become her strongest weapon against him. But protecting his love for Lottie won’t be easy for David. As images of Lottie’s murder start surfacing, David realizes he’s reliving ancient memories from over ten thousand years ago—from a life that’s linked to Lottie and Monica now, and that will once again end in Lottie’s death if he can’t find a way to stop it.

Interview with Terri Herman-Ponce:

Describe your ideal writing space. How does it compare to reality?
If I had my way, I'd be sitting at a desk near an oversized window overlooking the beach. A sultry ocean breeze would blow through every now and then, and the sounds of surf would fill the background. In reality, I write on the train to work every morning, cramped into my seat with laptop at hand, and the sound of people having conversations that are way too loud and way too personal for anyone to feel comfortable. But fortunately, when I'm in the zone, I can tune it all out and concentrate only on the movie playing out in my head and the music piping through my earbuds.


What is the first story you remember writing and what was it about?
Oh man, do I really have to answer that? LOL I started writing Star Trek: TNG fanfiction about sixteen years ago. Yeah. You read that right. I can't remember the first story I wrote; I can only tell you that I was obsessed with the TV show and just had to write my own version with the characters I loved. I had lots of fun doing it, believe it or not, but have not reread any of those stories. I'm afraid to.


Name a memorable book from your childhood. Why is it memorable?
Hmm. You know, I can't think of one. I was never a big reader growing up, and despite my lack of desire to read I somehow ended up in an AP English class in high school. We read many classics that, unfortunately, never really stuck with me. Oh, except for one chapter from "As I Lay Dying" by William Faulkner. All it said was: My mother is a fish. Do any of you remember that? It's one of those things that I never forgot. Anyway, it wasn't until I started writing my own Star Trek fanfic that I really caught the reading bug. I now have over 1,000 books in my personal library.


If you could ask any writer (living or dead) a question, who would it be and what would you ask?
I'm a huge fan of Robert Crais. I've read all his books, several times, and study them so I can learn more about the craft and my own writing. In my opinion, he's a master storyteller. So, I'd sit him down and ask him, "How do you make your fiction and your settings and your characters feel so real?" By the time I've finished reading one of his books, I'm both wowed and sad. Wowed because his writing doesn't sound like writing, and sad because my journey with his story is over.


If you could pick any of the worlds or characters you have created, which would you want to visit or spend a day with?
Oh boy. I'd pick my male protagonist, David Bellotti. See, I have a secret affair going on with him. I wake up with him every morning, spend the entire day with him, and then think of him when I go to bed. No matter what I'm doing, he's on my mind almost constantly. He's loyal and he never lies (he hates it, in fact), he loves only one woman with his entire heart (and no, it's not me), and will go to the ends of the earth to always do the right thing. But the thing is, he still has his secrets and I want to know more about them. So I'd love to spend a day on the beach with him, drinking beer and just getting to know him better.


What is one thing you like to do when you are not reading or writing?
In the winter, sitting by the fireplace with a wonderful glass of red wine.
In the summer, sitting by the pool with a wonderful glass of Belgian beer.
And doing nothing else.


What are you currently working on?
David Bellotti's next book, tentatively titled Carry On. I had the general basis of a story just about the time I signed the contract for Covet earlier this year, and had a brainstorming session with my best friend who is also my Muse and Most Amazing Editor, and figured out where I wanted to take his story next. It's another paranormal suspense that's going to test David in ways he hasn't been tested before, in his relationship with the love of his life, Lottie, and with his family and with himself. He's going to discover things that were hidden from him, and learn about a past he didn't know about. I fully intend to push him to his limits.

BIO:
Terri Herman–Poncé looks for any opportunity to make stuff up. Born on Long Island, New York, she thinks anything that can’t so easily be explained is worth an extra look and often makes a great story. She loves red wine, sunrises, Ancient Egypt, and the New York Yankees. The youngest of five children, Terri lives with her husband and son on Long Island. In her next life, if she hasn’t moved on to somewhere else, Terri wants to be an astronomer. She’s fascinated with the night skies almost as much as she’s fascinated with Ancient Egypt. Terri is a member of Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, and Romance Writers of America. You can read about Terri and her stories at http://terriponce.com/ and can find her on Twitter (@TerriPonce) and Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/Terri.Ponce.Author).




Quick links:
Website
Twitter
Facebook
Goodreads
Amazon
B&N

a Rafflecopter giveaway