1. I hear you have a cat in your novel, Cleo’s Web. Tell us about the book.

A few years ago, hubs and I moved into one of those over 55 “active lifestyle communities.” At the time, a few of my new neighbors told me I didn’t look old enough to live here. (Even though I was.) I got to thinking, but what if someone wasn’t old enough and needed to slip in under the radar? And cat-sitting a cat who hates her was part of the gig? But she got caught? Thus, Cleo’s Web was born.

Cleo’s Web Buy Links:

Amazon short link: http://amzn.to/2dyvRT7
Universal Link via D2D: https://books2read.com/u/bP1L7j

Blurb:

Unconvincing disguises, reverse stripteases, and an uncooperative feline…

Itching to start over, Cleo Ward is preparing to leave her bad choices and troubled past behind. A temporary gig cat-sitting will benefit her relocation fund. All she has to do is blend in with her aunt’s retirement community.

Easier said than done when Daniel “Web” Webster, the sexy property manager shows up… Nothing gets by Web, especially an intriguing too-young-to-be-a-resident female masquerading as a senior citizen. But since it’s for a noble cause, he might be able to overlook Cleo’s rule-breaking for a favor—or two.

But what happens when Cleo becomes more entangled with Web than she intended? Does she even want to escape the invisible threads he’s woven around her?

2. Why did you add a cat to this book?

I used to be more of a cat person, but now I’m more of a dog person. We always had cats during my childhood, and hubs and I had two when we were first together. Then we had kids and got a dog, and I guess we became dog people. We found her at the SPCA shelter two years ago. Winnie is like a slightly smaller clone of our dog Pepper, who we had lost the year before. Winnie’s such a lady, who even crosses her legs:

A lot of my friends have cats, and they tell such funny stories about them. My daughter has two cats—one she adores and one who is the bane of her existence. I needed Cleo to have more than one good reason for sneaking into her great-aunt’s community and trying to fly under the radar. Having to care for a cat who despises her made for some funny moments. Also, the cat, whose name is Poe, adores the hero, which irritates Cleo even more.

3. What other romances have you written?

I won’t list them all, but more recently I released the first book in a stand-alone connected series (Red Bud, Iowa) entitled If You Knew. A former adult film actress relocates to a small Iowa town and becomes the target of a nasty political campaign. She’s recently widowed and is pregnant, and…the hero has a past he’s not proud of as well. Next up is the second book in the series, If You Dare, which features If You Knew’s villain as the hero.

If You Knew Buy Link: https://books2read.com/IfYouKnew

Blurb:

In a town filled with lies, is there room for one more?

Widow Devonny Campbell arrives in tiny Red Bud, Iowa, determined to make a new life for herself and the child she carries. But when her former career in adult films is uncovered, she becomes the catalyst for a nasty political campaign which creates a tornado of controversy.

High school coach and guidance counselor Luke Bradshaw knows one strong wind will collapse the house of cards he’s built to contain his demons. He’s falling hard for Devonny in spite of her past. And she might be what trips him up and exposes everything he’s kept hidden.

But Devonny and Luke aren’t the only citizens of Red Bud forced to face the judgment of their peers. As the campaign turns vicious, deeply-buried truths are revealed and lifelong relationships are shattered. Can Devonny and Luke stick together? Or will too much truth tear them apart?

White Roses in Winter is a shotgun wedding story, which features a struggling college-age hero, an overly controlling father who is determined to teach his daughter a lesson she won’t forget, and a jealous frenemy with an axe to grind.

White Roses In Winter Buy Link: https://books2read.com/u/4EDekO

Blurb:

The princess. The pauper. And a shotgun…

The only thing Jason is focused on is getting through his last year of college. But the instant attraction between him and Kerrie leads to one unforgettable night together.

When Kerrie’s wealthy, overly-protective father learns she is pregnant, he arranges a temporary marriage to teach her a lesson about choices and consequences. Jason reluctantly agrees to keep his participation in the plan a secret, because it’s the only way he can safeguard his future and his family.

Kerrie is blinded by her romantic fantasy and doesn’t suspect she’s been set up. Meanwhile, Jason guards his heart and vows that when Kerrie leaves with their baby, he won’t beg her to stay.

Just when it seems a future together is possible, lies, betrayal and deceit threaten to separate Kerrie and Jason forever. Faced with losing each other and their baby, will their fragile bond be strong enough?

4. Tell us about your kudos or reviews.

Here is one of the best reviews I received for If You Knew:

Review 4/1/19:

https://romance4thebeach.wordpress.com/2019/04/01/if-you-knew-by-barbara-meyers/

“Little did I know this book would make me confront my own biases and prejudices, and learn the importance of acknowledging that who a person is now is often more important than who they once were.”

I love this site [Romance Novels For the Beach] in particular because the reviewer is brilliant at analyzing why a book works or doesn’t. She posts the reviews with memes, and they are such fun to read. And, as the name of her site suggests, she only reviews romance novels.

A *****Five Star Review of White Roses in Winter from the GeeA Gaylene Atkins’ blog: https://gayleneatkins.wordpress.com/2018/03/15/book-review6-white-roses-in-winter-author-is-barbara-meyers/

“White Roses in Winter is definitely a romance in my view; but it comes with much more grit and reality than your average romance genre read. There is suspense. There is action.”

What I loved about Gaylene’s review [above] is she really got what I was trying to convey with White Roses in Winter. That doesn’t always happen.

5. How do you promote your books?

I’m admittedly terrible about promotion. I’m trying to be more active on social media, especially Instagram and Facebook, but I enjoy the creative process of writing so much more. I’d rather write books than talk about them!!

This year, I’m doing monthly giveaways for my newsletter subscribers themed around a holiday or season. The first was for Valentine’s Day. A basket with Starbucks coffee (because I work there part-time), a mug, one of my books, a gift card, chocolate. Who knows what else? Other goodies, for sure. I want to reach out to followers and subscribers who enjoy what I write. And I love giving stuff away to loyal readers. Next one will be for St. Patrick’s Day. J Sign up is via my website.

I’m giving away a free ebook of Cleo’s Web to a randomly chosen person who comments on this blog!

Here are my links:

Web Site: http://www.BarbaraMeyers.com
Draft2Digital: http://books2read.com/author/barbara-meyers/subscribe/1/33163/
Blog: http://barbarameyers.com/blog/
Facebook Author Pages: https://www.facebook.com/BarbaraMeyersAuthorPage and https://www.facebook.com/AJTillock
Amazon Author Page: http://amazon.com/author/barbarameyers
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/barbmeyers1/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/barbmeyers/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/barbmeyers
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/barbara-meyers-5b581842/
Twitter: @barbmeyers and @ajtillock
Twitter URL: https://twitter.com/barbmeyers
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/barbara-meyers
Lakeland Ledger Article: http://www.theledger.com/news/20160313/auburndale-author-finds-success-with-amorous-tales
Alison Nissen Podcast 7/17: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7O9gHayvU8&feature=em-share_video_use

Marcia James: Thank you, Barbara, for stopping by my Go Pets blog and offering to give away an ebook! I look forward to reading your romantic novels!

READER INVITATION: Would you like to win a Marcia James’ ebook in addition to Barbara Meyer’s ebook? Visitors to this pro-pet blog can join in the fun, comment, and/or share photos of their pets for a chance to win one of my ebooks! Each month, I’ll randomly pick one commenter to win. To leave a comment and/or a photo, click on the word “Reply,” which is just below the social media icons for THIS interview. (Don’t scroll past this interview to the next interview.) Go Pets!