Book Description:
Janessa Rowe is a twenty one year old college girl with
little respect for other people. She’s a rich, spoiled brat of a girl who gets
her kicks out of humiliating others. When she discovers that her boyfriend of
three years has in fact engaged in a physical relationship with someone else,
Janessa will stop at nothing to get a little payback. Even if that means using
her new rival’s disgruntled fiancée to get what she wants.
Dakota Blackwater is everything Janessa is not. He’s kind,
sweet, gentle, and a stand-up guy all in all, but when his girlfriend’s
betrayal hurts more than his pride, he agrees to take part in a plan that will
test both their self-restraints and their feelings for one another.
Problems arise, however, when Janessa’s interest for Dakota
shifts from being a pawn to achieve her ultimate goal, to potential lover.
After having her heart broken in the past, the last thing she wants is to get
involved in matters of the heart, but how can she follow through with her plan
when the more time she spends with Dakota, the less she cares about getting
payback? Sooner rather than later they are forced to confront the reality that
their game has slowly transformed into something else and that what seemed like
a scheme to exact revenge, now comprises both their hearts in ways neither of
them anticipated.
Excerpt:
Shaking his head as if to clear it of unpleasant
thoughts, Dakota gulped down the remainder of my beer. I watched as some of the
liquid dribbled down his chin and though I would deny it to end if anyone asked
me, I felt the sudden itch to reach up and lick the golden liquid off of his
skin with my tongue. I so desperately wanted to know what his skin tasted like
and the powerful urge was strong enough to force my insides to grow heated just
thinking about it.
Whoa! What the hell? What am I thinking? It’s the
lack of a sex life. Yeah, that has to explain my perverted thoughts.
My cheeks burning, I opted for distracting myself
by looking away before I ended up embarrassing us both. Having inappropriate
thoughts about my companion wasn’t going to help either or us. Sure, he was
attractive in his own way. He was tall and well-built. His face was perfectly
sculpted with high cheek bones, a pair of full lips, and hawk like nose, which
only added to his allure. Regardless whether he was my type or not, at that
moment, I found him more than just a little interesting.
He was downright hot.
Author Interview
1.
First, tell me a little about your book and why you wanted to
write this particular story….
Payback is Sweet is basically about a young, rich,
spoiled-brat of a girl that feels the need to exact revenge on her boyfriend of
three years after she catches him in the act—literally.
I wanted to write this book, which is the first book in the
Love Gamble series, because I wanted to create a character that has to have a
lot of emotional growth and maturing to do after specific events. Janessa, in
her selfishness, refuses to see that the world does not revolve around her. In
her need to get the best of others at all times she doesn’t realize her
decisions are not always the best ones and in the end not only does she end up
hurting others, but herself as well.
Trying to venture outside of my comfort zone, which is
usually the paranormal genre, I definitely wanted to move past vampires and
werewolves and stay in the contemporary world. With Payback is Sweet, I do
exactly this plus a little more.
2. Do you recall
how your interest in writing originated or did you always just know?
I have always
known. Ever since I can remember, I have always had an interest in books and
writing. I used to write my stories in notebooks and notepads growing up. My
brothers were my designated proofreaders.
3. What inspired
you to write your first book and what was it?
My first book,
Secrets of the Moon, was inspired by my love for werewolves. It started out as
a YA/Paranormal Romance novel, but it has swiftly turned into a time-consuming
project with two more installments due to be released this year and at least
two more in the works right now. But I love writing so I can’t complain—not
that I would want to.
4. Are experiences
based on someone you know, or events in your own life?
Some are. Some I
make up. It all depends on the storyline and the characters themselves.
5.
Out
of all the characters in your book, who is your favorite to write? There’s
always a fan favorite to read about but sometimes it’s the side characters that
are the most fun J
Okay,
I wasn’t going to admit this but since you asked…I’ll let you in on my secret.
For Payback is Sweet, my favorite character, is Dean McCarthy. Although in this
book he’s only a side character, mentioned a handful of times, in the next book
he has a more permanent appearance.
6.
How
did you come up with the lead character(s)?
Janessa’s
character is what really started the whole concept for the book in the first
place. Even before I started the first chapter I knew what she’d be like and
what she would look like. The rest of the characters, including Dakota took
some brainstorming. I knew I wanted someone Janessa could easily fall for.
Someone sweet and honesty, and above all, trustworthy. Someone who could win
her over without even trying. When it came to his physical appearance I had to
give this much more thought.
Initially,
I wanted Dakota to be much more attractive than I ended up making him, but I
realized he had to be the type of guy who could win someone as self-centered as
Janessa without having to be an absolute stud. It was all about what’s
inside—please tell me this doesn’t sound too cliché—because that’s what should
be important in a relationship and not what the person looks like.
7.
Is
your book part of a series, and if so, how many will there be?
Yes.
Payback is Sweet is the first in the Love Gamble series. There will be two more
books. Book 2 is already with the publisher. I don’t have a release date as of
yet.
8.
What
are you working on now?
At
the moment I’m currently working on finishing the Secrets of the Moon saga. I’m
on book 4 right now and I hope to be done with it very, very soon.
9. How do you chose
when/which characters die in your books?
I haven’t killed
any characters as of yet.
1
1 If you had to do
it all over again, would you change anything in your book?
No. I realize
some readers may not understand the concept behind the story, but I am
satisfied with how the book turned out.
1
17. We all love
Supernatural, so which Winchester brother is for you?
Oh, wow. That is
one of my favorite shows of all time, but I can’t pick out a Winchester
brother. Sorry, but I’m seriously crushing on both of them.
18. Do you have
anything specific that you want to say to your readers?
Thank you so
much for your support and your honest critique. Every one of your inputs helps
me take a second look at what I’ve done wrong and improve even more.
19. This
or that...
A. Coffee
addict?
Most definitely. I can’t function in the morning unless
I have a cup of hot Joe.
B. What’s
your favorite alcoholic beverage?
I don’t drink.
C. Favorite
Food?
Pasta.
D. If
you had to chose Coffee or Chocolate? –don’t laugh, I don’t like chocolate so
it’s quite easy for me, but a LOT of people NEED both LOL
Coffee all the way. Although, I do like chocolate too so
this was a tough one for me to choose.
E. Beach
or mountains?
Mountains.
F. Winter
or summer?
Winter.
G. vampires
or werewolves?
Oh, wow. Do I really have to choose? I love both.
H. Cold
or hot?
Depends on what we’re talking about.
I. Favorite
color?
Blue.
J. Night
or day?
Night.
K. Moonlight
or sunlight?
Moonlight.
L. Bad
boy or good guy next door?
Um, another tough one. If I could have both wrapped up
in one package that would be great.
Ok, that’s enough! LOL thanks
so much for coming visit me, and thanks so much, for doing this with us! I
appreciate it and I look forward to the next time!
Bio:
Kristy Centeno is an author of paranormal romance, young adult, new adult, horror, and
contemporary romance.
She has always had a passion for books and after
years of being an avid reader, she decided to transform her desire to write
into a reality and thus, her first novel was born. In her journey to create
memorable reads, she has delved into several genres, creating fictional
characters meant to entice readers and captivate the mind.
She is currently working on finishing off the
Keeper Witches series among other projects, which include sequels to her
published work. When she’s not busy taking care of her five children or holding
down the fort, she finds time to sit and do what she loves the most: writing.
Giveaway
A $5 Amazon Gift Card
