An interview with Amber Daulton.

JL PERIDOT: Trevor's Redemption is about secrets and lies... and danger! Tell us more. What are we lying about? What are we running from?

AMBER DAULTON: Trevor’s Redemption takes place in the bustling city of Denver, Colorado, but unlike a lot of books set in the Centennial State, this one isn’t a cowboy romance. It’s fast-paced romantic suspense with an urban flavor, gritty undertones, and steamy love scenes amid a backdrop of organized crime. Onyx is a massive criminal organization with sets in several American cities, and the Capularia set controls the drug trade in Denver, Aurora, and the surrounding areas.

Trevor and Shea meet for the first time off-page and date for a few short weeks before a huge misunderstanding tears them apart. Fast forward a few months, and their story begins with them unexpectedly running into each other at a bar.

Trevor is a reluctant, guilt-ridden enforcer for Capularia, and he’ll do anything to keep that information on the down low. Shea is a graphics designer at a TV news station, so she’s up-to-date on the criminal activity in the city, but Trevor’s gang affiliations is news to her. When she uncovers his secrets, she’ll have to decide if he’s worth the trouble to fight for or if she should turn tail and run.

JL: Forgiveness and redemption are both excellent turns in a romance. What's the deal with Trevor and Shea? What pulls them apart; what brings them together?

AMBER: Shea has been lied to and cheated on before, so she when catches Trevor in the arms of another woman, she immediately assumes the worst and breaks off all contact with him without first hearing his side of the story. Once she learns the truth—that he was ending his on-again/off-again fling with the other woman because he wanted to commit to Shea—she then seeks his forgiveness for not giving him a chance to explain.

I think readers will enjoy Trevor and Shea’s romance because it’s an adventure story where the main characters have to learn how to trust each other and themselves to see another day. They’re flawed with a ton of baggage under their belts. Life happens, and you gotta do what you must to survive. Hopefully, readers can relate to that.

JL: It sounds like you researched more than just characters and setting. What else did you you uncover while writing this series?

AMBER: I researched various real-life American gangs and the problems they cause (and arise from), and though I took some liberties in creating Onyx to suit my needs as an author, it’s a realistic organization that could exist anywhere.

Most gangs seem to stem from the great social divide that has taken over this country, and most countries in the world. Poverty, prejudices, fear, intolerance, and a lack of basic resources and education has influenced the choices of so many people.

What I hope readers will understand is that circumstance more than ignorance, cruelty, or base desire will often drive poor choices. The world isn’t black or white, and when all the choices you have in life are bad, what else can you do?

JL: So, Arresting Onyx is a collection of hot romances set against the backdrop of organised crime. Where did you draw inspiration for the world of your novels and novellas? Have you ever had a brush with organised crime in real life?

AMBER: A brush with organized crime? Nope, thank goodness! I would hate to go through what I’ve put my characters through. I can dish it, but I certainly don’t want to take it.

The plot for book one, Arresting Mason, came to me in a dream, and as I was writing the story, I found myself entrenched in this new fictional world, in particularly all the trials and pitfalls of my crime organization. It was fascinating. More and more characters kept speaking to me, demanding a story of their own, so the series snowballed into what it is today. I’m grateful for that.

JL: Tell us a bit about life in North Carolina. What got you into writing? Where did your love of books come from? What has your writing journey been like?

AMBER: It’s so beautiful here in western North Carolina, USA. A five-hour drive east takes me to the beach, but an hour drive west takes me up the Great Smoky Mountains where I enjoy hikes and picnicking at a waterfall. I love waking up to thick morning fog, and at night, the stars are so crisp and clear.

I read my first romance book when I was 12 after I snuck a Harlequin paperback out of my mom’s bedroom. I couldn’t stop thinking about it, and I wanted to create my own story about two people having an adventure and falling in love. I wrote with pencil in a spiral-bound notebook and finished that 200-plus-page story in about six months. After that, I focused on writing short stories but jotted down a lot of ideas for future full-length novels, some of which I’ve actually written as an adult.

I published my first book almost eleven years ago, and Trevor’s Redemption is now my seventeenth book to date. I have several more manuscripts on my computer waiting to see the light of day.

JL: Obviously one doesn't release seventeen books without learning a thing or two. What would you say are some of the most important things you've picked up about writing and publishing?

AMBER: This isn’t the most recent thing I’ve learned, but it’s something I have to remind myself about far too often—don’t compare yourself to other authors. When I see on social media that an author friend won an award for a book, I’m truly happy for her (or him), but sometimes I feel like a failure because my book hasn’t won anything or was in the same contest and lost. Then I feel bad and petty for feeling bad.

It’s an endless, frustrating cycle that I’m struggling to break free from. I know I’m not alone in this since I’ve spoken to other authors who feel the same way, and that knowledge drags me out of my slump—at least until I see another celebratory post.

The writing and publishing business can be lonely and competitive, but luckily, the indie and small press market is full of authors who help and encourage their fellow authors. When I first started out, however, I wasn’t aware of writing groups and forums where I could talk with my peers and learn from them. And when I did find out, I was too nervous to communicate with anyone. As a natural introvert, I had to force myself to be more personal and outgoing. This was probably the hardest lesson that I had to learn.

JL: Finally, what what the last book you read that took your breath away?

AMBER: I can’t say. I’ve read a lot of books, and while several of them are wonderful and worthy of a five-star rating, I don’t have a favorite that I can reread again and again. Believe me, I wish I did.

Trevor's Redemption by Amber Daulton

The danger and lies are more than she can handle.

Shea O’Bannon feels like a fifth wheel around her romantically paired-off friends, but there’s too much slime in the dating pool for her to bother with it. Then she sees her two-timing ex, Trevor Madero, serenading the mostly female crowd at a live-music bar. God knows trouble follows him around, but her desire for him rushes back in anyway. After he rescues her from a handsy drunk, temptation takes over.

Determined to prove he never stepped out on Shea, Trevor slides back into her life—and her heart—with forever in mind. Even with the wall he keeps up to protect her, his secret criminal life weighs heavy on his soul and drives a wedge between them.

When the truth comes out and his enemies target them both, they’ll have to fight for their love, or kiss it goodbye.

Buy this book

Series: Arresting Onyx (book 3.5)
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Length: 50k words
Heat Rating: 4 Flames
Publication Date: 22 August 2023
Publisher: Daulton Publishing
Cover Designer: Satin Rose Designs

Excerpt

He rolled his stiff shoulders and pushed aside pasta bags, crackers, and vegetable cans in the cabinets. Where were the croutons? After he checked the fridge, he pulled the cracker box off the shelf. “I usually top the casserole with croutons, but this will have to do.” He dumped the square bits of wheat into a bowl to crush.

“No worries. I’m already impressed you’re not feeding me a TV dinner. A man who can cook gets top notches in my book.”

He winked at her. After he drained the water, he layered the pasta-and-vegetable mixture with the chicken in a large casserole dish, topped it with crumbs and cheese, and popped it into the oven.

“Come here.” He pulled her close and kissed her warm, welcoming lips. Her sweet taste rocketed through him. She twisted her fingers into his damp hair and tugged hard enough to sting his scalp. He groaned. This was real. Normal. The skanky women who flocked to him at clubs and after his gigs no longer thrilled him. Did he have a shot for something real with Shea?

She moaned into his mouth and nibbled on his lip.

Tingles shot through his jaw. “Let me take care of you. I want to give you candles, music, the works.”

“You mean to seduce me?”

“I’ll only go as far as you’ll let me.”

A soft noncommittal noise rumbled from her mouth. He drew her hand up and kissed her knuckles. Was she weighing the pros and cons? Would she let him treasure her as she deserved? He licked the underside of her wrist.

“Oh, God.” Her breathing sharpened, her chest rising and falling faster. She clutched his biceps as he planted light kisses along her nose and brow. “Don’t stop kissing me, Trevor. I want to forget about everything, except you.”

“As you wish.”

About the author

Amber Daulton is the author of the romantic-suspense series Arresting Onyx and several standalone novellas. Her books are published through Daulton Publishing, The Wild Rose Press, and Books to Go Now, and are available in ebook, print on demand, audio, and foreign language formats.

She lives in North Carolina with her husband and demanding cats.

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