Bea's Book Nook: Outback Dirty by JoAnne Kenrick: Review, Interview & Swag Giveaway

Are you ready to get dirty! Yes? Okay, grab a towel and let's begin. Today CarolKat is reviewing "Outback Dirty" by JoAnne Kenrick, then there's an interview she did with JoAnne and at the end, a chance to win some swag from JoAnne. "Outback Dirty" is the kick off to a new series, Calendar Men, from Decadent Publishing. For more on the Calendar Men books, please visit: http://calendar-men.blogspot.com/

Publisher: Decadent Publishing
Series: Calendar Men #1
Format Read: Kindle
Source: reviewer purchased
Release Date: January 1, 2014
Buying Links: KindleUS* KindleUK KindleCA KindleDE Nook ARe* Smashwords
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission for purchases made through these links.

Blurb from the author:

She'll do anything to win him back... even if it means getting OUTBACK DIRTY.

Chris Ruter's plan for Australia Day is to beat the heat by letting the beer flow. His New York ex, Janine, seems determined to drive the heel of her sharp stiletto right through the wall he's built to avoid memories of her--but does she want him in front of her camera or in her bed?

Janine Red is ready to get outback dirty to win back her sexy ex. Following him to his plantation, their bushwalk turns into a trip down memory lane. Can the magic of the outback heal her sprained ankle--and their hearts?

Exclusive excerpt at the ARe Cafe

CarolKat's Thoughts:

I always like visiting places I have never been but want to visit when I read a book. JoAnne has taken me to Australia this time and I am not disappointed.

Chris Ruter inherited the family plantation when his Grandfather died. He asked the love of his life, Janine to marry him and move there with him. She said no, and with a broken heart and his mother, he left New York and took up residence at the Ruter Plantation.

One year later, his friend Leo talks him into using his land for a photo shoot in the hopes of winning a prime account for the advertising firm he partnered in with Janine. Janine shows up on his doorstep with Leo and then the fireworks start.

A favorite scene is when Janine arrives and calls him Mr. January since he had done a charity calendar a couple years before. She sort of asks him to be the model for the photo shoot Chris says no and this is her response.

“Fine. Okay. I get it. No modeling for you. But I still need to unpack. Are the bedrooms that way, Mr. January?”

Chris doesn’t want her staying in the house and instead puts her in a small cabin with Leo. I must say spiders make for some real chuckling on my part. Of course between that and a small incident while Janine was out scouting locations, she ends up in the house.

Talk about conflicting emotions! Between the sparks flying between Chris and Janine and the interfering of his Mother and Leo, this tale takes many interesting twist and turns.

A delightful read I couldn’t put down.

Bravo, JoAnne! Five stars for you!!!!

CarolKat: Before we begin let me congratulate you again on your latest release Outback Dirty. It was a great read for me.

JoAnne: Thanks so much, Carol. Music to my ears. I’ll let you in on a little secret; the day I finished and subbed OUTBACK DIRTY, I got the worst book hangover ever. I have a feeling we’ll be revisiting Pine Creek…you know, in the imaginary sense with a new book series.

CarolKat: Please tell us a little about your new release?

JoAnne: Outback Dirty is book one in the Calendar Men series… holy moly with hot hunks and sizzling stories. The Calendar Men series promises to be one popular series for 2014 with a new book releases every 1st of the month, each by a different author. In short, the books are each stand-alone stories that all tie together with one common theme: the hero Is a model for a charity calendar to help military families of fallen heroes. Each has his own special reason for wanting to help the fictional Hero Family Fund, and each has his own obstacles to overcome.

CarolKat: This book was set in Australia, I loved how vivid your descriptions of the area were. Have you been to a resort similar to the Plantation?

JoAnne: Thank you, it’s wonderful to hear my descriptions came across so clearly and helped you feel as if you were in the story. To answer your question, I have been to Australia, but I’ve never been to Pine Creek…or to a melon plantation. I have, however, been to some amazing wineries in Orange, NSW, which is the town where I lived for a short period.

CarolKat: Can you please tell me a bit about yourself?

JoAnne: I write stories because if I didn’t, I might just lose my sanity. In the past, I’ve been a ghost tour guide, a ghost hunter; a window dresser….the list goes on. This chicka has been about the place a fair bit, and has lived in some very colorful places. My favorite, of course, being Australia. I grew up in a wee seaside town in North Wales where every bloody Tom, Dick, and Harry from Manchester and Liverpool would go to for their summer hols; my goodness, the trouble that town has seen. Oh the stories I could tell…bwahaha.

CarolKat: What’s coming up next for you with your writing? Are you working on your next book? Can you tell us a little about it?

JoAnne: I’m working on a few different projects, but I can’t tell you about most of them except to say Isle of Man and Selkie Book two is progressing along nicely, and I’m almost finished with a cheeky little contemporary number. My next planned release is for a short CRAVING THE BEST MAN I wrote for the Cleis Press anthology, Can’t Get Enough. That releases this summer and the pre-order page is up already. That anthology promises to be one hot number.

CarolKat: What’s a typical day of writing for you? Are you a planner or do you wing it?

JoAnne: I wing it all the way. I’ve tried planning, and the Capricorn in me wishes I could plan this stuff. But my creative self just won’t let me be organized in this area of my life.

CarolKat: What would you say is your most interesting writing quirk?

JoAnne: That I’m guilty of typing ‘insert sexy times here’ when it comes to the sex scenes, and I fill them in at the end. I don’t do this because I’m lazy…well, maybe I do…but mostly it’s because once the first draft is complete, and I’ve gone through various layering stages, I know more about the characters and how they’d react to certain situations/positions. It just makes sense to me to leave those deep emotional scenes until I’m myself emotionally invested in the story.

CarolKat: What prompted you to start writing? Would you continue to write if you were no longer published?

JoAnne: I’ve always been a story teller. Even as a youngster, I fancied myself as a writer and would type away on my little red typewriter in my free time. Would I continue to write if I was no longer published. Heck yes! Just try stopping me.

CarolKat: What is your favorite part of writing? What is your least favorite part?

JoAnne: Writing is who I am, I live for it. The least favorite part of that is that I can’t write 24/7.

CarolKat: Why Romance/Erotic Romance? What do you like about it?

JoAnne: I actually don’t know how I ended up in erotic romance. I started to write my first story with a gothic horror in mind…it ended up as a romance. And things have just heated up with each story. A natural, organic process. Although I still do write the odd horror from time to time…in my free time.

CarolKat: Was there someone who was, or is, particularly helpful to you? Was there someone who inspired you in your writing? In what way(s)?

JoAnne: Many author inspire me on a daily basis. Some through their tenacity for their work and drive for success, others through their amazing works.

CarolKat: What genres do you enjoy reading? Do you have any favorite authors?

JoAnne: The genres I read vary depending on my reading mood. My tastes range from dark gothic horrors, to paranormal romance, and then all the way across to cute n fluffy chick flicks. Spicy hot to sweet and swoony. Currently, I do prefer spicy contemporaries…Anne Rainy, Shelly Stevens, Heather Long, Cate Masters, Lucy Felthouse, Virgina Nelson…erm, You know my list could go on and on and on and on…and on, right? ;)

CarolKat: Do you think that social media is important for an author to be involved in?

JoAnne: Yes, and no. For some authors, it’s a vital part of their working day. It helps make what would be a very lonely profession, not so, well, lonely. And of course, it’s always great to have a tool whereby readers can reach out to their favorite authors and have easy access to them and feel ‘connected.’ However… sometimes social media keeps an author from writing. And we all know there are authors out there who don’t ‘need’ social media to make sales…but yet they still use them. Do we need social media? No. But it sure does help. (Note: CarolKat and I both found JoAnne and started reading her books through social media ~ Bea)

CarolKat: Does your family read your books? What do they think?

JoAnne: My immediate family does not. My children will have to wait MANY MANY years before that’s even an option for them. Although, I do know my sister is a loyal reader and one of my biggest fans. Love that! She’s so dedicated, she reads them on her phone. On her phone! Love ya, sis.

CarolKat: Do you prefer to read paper books or eBooks? Why?

JoAnne: For reference books, paperbacks/hardbacks work better for me, but eReaders have been my preference for reading fiction ever since I bought my first eReader (which was a Sony 505) five years ago. Now, I find reading a novel in paperback awkward and annoying.

CarolKat: Tell us what you’re reading at the moment and what you think of it.

JoAnne: I’m currently reading a couple of books. Mark Henry’s Parts and Wreck (HILARIOUS) and Heather Long’s new release, "Some like it Royal" (loving it, and I could totally see it being a hit chick-flick series).

Thank you JoAnne for answering my questions and visiting us at the Nook.

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Giveaway

JoAnne has kindly offered up a magnet to a reader and it's open internationally. Just comment below about your way to get dirty, interpret that any way you like. :D

Please read my Giveaway Policy. The giveaway ends Jan. 29th, 11:59PM EST.