Taking the Bait by Audrey Noire Excerpt, Interview & Giveaway

Taking the Bait

Arc Operatives

Book One

Audrey Noire

Genre: Romance Sci-Fi/Superhero

Date of Publication: May 6, 2016

ASIN: B01EMABWEQ

Number of pages: 43

Word Count: 12,817

Cover Artist: Avery Knott

Book Description:

Daria Griffin is a newly-minted undercover operative with ARC, on a mission with her partner. Nicolai Novik an augmented human with super-fast speed. Their first job? Infiltrate a conference of billionaires as a newly-wed couple and dig up the dirt on shady business dealings.

Daria's the bait, tasked with luring in businessmen with her unhappy-trophy-wife routine while Nicolai talks shop. But the operation goes all wrong when Nicolai starts acting strangely in the middle of it. Will they be discovered by forces who may not have their best interests at heart? And why is Nicolai acting so possessive of Daria when he never said more than a few words to her during training?

Part one of a three-part romance story in The ARC Operatives series!

Author's Note: Taking the Bait is a 12,000-word novella. No cliffhanger, HFN ending. Due to strong language and sexual content, this book is not intended for readers under the age of 18. The first scene from it's sequel is included as a bonus at the end of the book!

Amazon

Excerpt:

“You want my first mission to have me pretending to be what?!” Daria Griffin gripped the side of her chair as she stared at her boss, and then looked back down at the dossier open in front of her on the desk. She wrinkled up her nose and tried not to make a noise of distress as she wondered if she was really ready for something that required that level of acting skill. Daria had never been particularly confident in her own appearance on a good day, let alone having to pretend to be a trophy wife while undercover (although damn had she day-dreamed of being swept off her feet by billionaire-du-jour when reading those frequent eligible bachelor articles). She shot a look over at her future-partner.

About the Author:

Audrey Noire grew up in the pacific north west, climbing trees and swimming in the sea. She spent her formative young adult years travelling the globe alongside her musician husband as he toured and played across Europe, North America, and parts of Asia.

They’ve settled down (sorta kinda) with a bundle of cats in a sea-side town. When she’s not on the road watching her rocker husband from side-stage, she’s writing about handsome gents and lovely ladies falling for one another.

She believes that every day is ripe with possibilities, and that life is precious. Don’t waste a second – fall in love with your life all over again!

Interview

Where are you from?

I'm from the Pacific Northwest. I grew up in a coastal town, surrounded by cedar trees and the ocean.

Tell us your latest news?

I'm really excited to have released my first novella, Taking the Bait. It kinda felt like I took forever to get to the point that I'd actually sit down and do the 'thing' so to speak, so finally publishing after telling myself I would for years? Pretty awesome.

When and why did you begin writing?

I had a great professor in my final year of high-school who'd just transferred from a fairly competitive eastern school who really pushed me to pursue writing. I ended up having a few pieces published that year, and won a scholarship for creative writing at my local college. When I graduated, I promised my teacher I'd dedicate my first book to her, although I am fairly certain she didn't expect it to be a sexy romance novella!

When did you first consider yourself a writer?

More recently when I actually made myself sit down and finish a project. It wasn't until I was able to put my butt in the seat and get it done that I really felt I'd earned the title of 'writer', although I have so much further I hope to go with my writing.

What inspired you to write your first book?

Comic books and superheroes. I've been collecting comics since I was a kid, and always had a massive infatuation with super-powered guys with tragic backstories. I wanted to combine my love of romance novels with the feeling I get when I watch a Marvel movie or pick up DC comic.

Do you have a specific writing style?

While I enjoy writing in first person (it really helps you totally immerse yourself in the character's head), third person limited-omniscient is my standard go to in general.

How did you come up with the title?

The story was based around my favorite romance trope: the fake relationship. It's quite a literal title, in that the young leading lady is actual facts the bait for the people they're trying to fool.

Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?

That going with the moment can be wonderful, fun, and super enjoyable.

How much of the book is realistic?

Hmmm. Not really much at all. I don't expect that any man on Earth has the power of super-speed, sadly! That being said, Daria's dress is most certainly real, and based off a gorgeous thing I saw on Net A Porter.

Are experiences based on someone you know, or events in your own life?

I spent a lot of my formative young adult years in the music industry, going to red carpet events as part of a coterie of public relations people. I've definitely seen a lot of conversations where one person is barely listening to the other, waiting for 'something better' to come along. I wanted to incorporate that into my book's public scenes.

What books have most influenced your life most?

I Am The Cheese. No seriously, it's a total mind-trip of crazy. A ton of graphic novels. Slow News Day and Love Fights by Andi Watson. Pretty much anything by Tamora Pierce (she knows how to write an amazing heroine!), and some old-and-gold fantasy by Mercedes Lackey.

If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?

I would quite literally pull my own teeth out to mentee under Tamora Pierce. Her dialogue is basically perfect, and she always walks the delicate line between too much and not enough when it comes to description.  Plus her character development is second-to-none.

What book are you reading now?

Love in a Cold Climate by Nancy Mitford, Escape by Leah Pink, and The Hobbit.

Are there any new authors that have grasped your interest?

Leah Pink for sure. Leah's writing these great short novellas that I'm really into, with a pretty different premise from anything else in the erotica genre.

What are your current projects?

After Taking the Bait comes out, I've got two more on the same series lined up, as well as a full-length new adult romance novel that I've almost finished. I have a lit about as long as my arm of projects I want to work on. There just aren't enough hours in the day!

What would you like my readers to know?

You can find me across various social media sites, but my favorite right now is my mailing list because I'm sending out a free story once a month to my subscribers. You can get on the list right here: 

 Newsletter signup: http://eepurl.com/bYOTGT

Website: http://www.audreynoire.com

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Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/audreynoirebooks

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/audreynoire

Tour giveaway

$20 Amazon

3 copies Taking the Bait

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