Get to Know: Joya Fields: Beneath The Surface

Hi, Joya. So glad you could visit the PP today and share insider bits about yourself and Beneath the Surface. Here we go:

How did you get from your day job to writing romance? Great question. I eased into romance novels. I started by writing non-fiction parenting articles. I learned a lot about editors, deadlines, and treating writing as a profession. Soon, I wrote short fiction stories for the confession magazines. All the while, I wrote romance, learning more with each novel

What's your three favorite books of all time? Ahh, so hard to choose. I hope I’m not cheating by answering with series instead of books. As a kid, I loved the Little House on the Prairie series. I pictured myself as Laura Ingalls, thriving in spite of the harsh conditions. As an adult, Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum series keeps me turning pages. And lately, I’ve been tearing through The Hunger Games series.

Joya Fields

Morning, afternoon, or evening person?   No hesitation here! I need two cups of coffee to wake up in the morning. I’m a night person big time. Often, when I get caught up in a story, I’ll write until 3 or 4 in the morning. Of course, I regret that when I have to get up the next morning, but that’s when the creative juices flow the best.

Music--with or without? What kind? I just started using a soundtrack for my books. I don’t listen to it when I’m writing, though, I need complete silence. So I listen to music before I write, to get me in the mood, and then I write.

First or third pov?  I’m lucky because I’m comfortable in either first or third person. Sometimes, I start out in first person, but then, once I know the character better, I switch to third. I think first person can sometimes help a writer connect with a character quicker.

How's tricks? Do you juggle multiple projects? Oh yes! I love working on multiple projects. At least three projects at a time. Lucky for me, I write short stories and novels. So when I get stuck on one, I switch to the other. But I can only work on one novel at a time. Otherwise, I might confuse the characters.

What's harder: beginning, middle, or the end? Beginnings are hardest, for sure. In fact, I usually go back and rewrite the entire beginning once I get to the end. I don’t really know the characters that well when I start the story, and I know them a lot better by the end.

Revisions: Love 'em or hate 'em? Is this really a question? LOL. Hate ‘em! I love writing the first draft, and do it fast. Usually in a month or less. But revisions. Ugggggg! They take so much time.

How did you come up with that title? I love titles with double entendres, so Beneath the Surface fit with underwater archaeology and with the issues Brooke and Garrett are dealing with (like all of us do) that are underneath the surface of who they show the world.

Best advice anybody ever gave you? I think the best advice anyone gave me was when my sister helped me train for a marathon. She told me, “When you think you don’t have anything left, put one foot in front of the other and keep going. Before long, you’ll be at the finish line.” It was good advice for running, and it’s great advice for life.

Fill in this blank: My ideal fictional hero would think me gorgeous no matter if I fell in the mud inside the pig pen while wearing an old t-shirt and shorts. (Uh yeah…been there, done that.)

What's your favorite dessert?  My favorite dessert is homemade chocolate cake with homemade fudge icing and homemade vanilla ice cream.

Here's the blurb and excerpt from Beneath the Surface:

She’s fighting to stay independent—he’s determined to protect her no matter what…

Brooke Richards survived the earthquake that took her parents and most of her leg, but she needs time to regroup. A trip to Florida for a state-of-the-art prosthesis and to visit her best friend Linda seems ideal. But the trip turns traumatic when Brooke witnesses Linda’s boat disintegrating in a fiery explosion.

Police officer Garrett Ciavello believes the blast was intentionally set to hide something Linda found on a dive. When Brooke offers her expertise in underwater archeology, Garrett accepts her help with the investigation. But since his fiancée’s death years ago, Garrett has become overprotective, and as they are drawn to each other, Garrett realizes he will risk anything to keep Brooke safe.

Brooke is fiercely independent. Garrett is fiercely protective. Will they heal each other’s wound and find a killer…before it’s too late?

            For the first time since the accident, Brooke forgot about her leg. Forgot about all she’d lost and focused on the way Logan made her feel.

            She knew she needed to stop him. She should find a way to resist the temptation to be with him. But for a few minutes, she could enjoy the taste of him, the feel of him, couldn’t she?

            He dropped his hands to her waist and softened the kiss before trailing a line of kisses down her neck. A weak cry slipped from her mouth. “Garrett,” she whispered.

            She should stop this now before it got any more intense.

            He cupped her chin and forced her to meet his brown eyes, smoky with desire. Heat spiraled to her middle and she caught a whiff of his sawdust scent.

            “I…I can walk you back to your own room before I head to mine.” His voice broke as he whispered.

            She swallowed hard. She couldn’t do this right now with him. Too many obstacles stood in their way. But as she looked in his somber eyes, she realized none of those complications were bigger than her need for Garrett.

            “Let’s go to your room,” she said, her voice shaking. She moved her hands inside his shirt and ran them over his tight abs and chest. Heat soared through her body at the feel of him. “Together…”