Welcome, today we are talking with Angela Smith! I would like to thank you for taking time out of your busy writing schedule to answer a few questions. First, I think it’s important for readers to get a little insight on an author that they don’t necessarily get from your professional bio. You’d be surprised at what readers connect to, and sometimes the simplest ‘I can relate to that’ grabs their interest where nothing else can.

Can you share a little something about Angela Smith that’s not mentioned in your bio on your website?

I’ve had type I diabetes for thirty-three years and control it with an insulin pump.

What is your favorite:

Animal – cat

Food – avocado

Movie – Top Gun

TV show – this is a difficult one. It used to be The Walking Dead, but I lost interest long ago. Same for Gotham. I lost interest in most of the shows that have interested me, but that does leave more time for writing!

Actor – Do I have to choose a favorite?

Singer – Axl Rose (esp. in the younger Guns N’Roses days)

Author – Sandra Brown

 What are your pet peeves?

Rude people and bad attitudes. Drivers who fly past you and get in your lane only to turn and you have to slow down.

 Who is your hero?

My husband!

Give us one thing on your bucket list.

A road trip to the Redwood Forest, up into Seattle, then onto Glacier National Park and making stops in Montana and back to Texas with many stops in between.

What would readers find surprising about you?

I have worked for a District Attorney’s Office for twenty years now and have never once gotten any story idea from my work.

If you could go to heaven, who would you visit?

My mom. But many others, too, including Jesus.

Any bad habits?

I tend to drum my fingers together a lot. I think it must be a sign that I should be typing on my story instead of doing whatever else I am doing at the time.

What’s the funniest thing that ever happened to you?

I tend to trip a lot. I’m not sure if that’s funny, or downright embarrassing. I once tripped in a movie theater and spilled my soda all over a guy’s lap. He was nice about it, but I doubt he thought it was funny. 

Now that our readers know a little bit more about Angela Smith, let’s get down to the business of your book, Dark Ride. How long did it take you from beginning to end before your novel was completely finished, and how did you decide on the topic and title? 

Dark Ride took forever from start to finish, over two years at least, mostly because I let it sit far too long and almost didn’t finish it. I started Dark Ride with an idea of a woman who witnesses a terrible accident outside her home. She’s outside in the dark hunting for her cat. She watches the accident, realizes it wasn’t an accident, and decides not to call the cops. Later, the “hero” AKA the man she thought was the villain, and caused the accident, comes to “rescue her” AKA she thinks he is there to kill her. I wrote the first scene and the one where he goes to her home before I ever had the actual story idea. I melded it and rewrote to fit the rest of the story once I finished it, but the first scene is how Dark Ride came to be. 

Please tell us a little bit about Dark Ride.

Adrienne is a witness to a human trafficking ring. Zan is the undercover agent meant to bring down the bad guys. Fate thrusts them on a dark ride, and falling in love could be the key to their survival.

What was your hardest challenge writing this book?

Finishing it! Especially getting past the ending, climatic scenes. I had something else in mind for the characters, and I tried to fight them and do what I wanted. Even when I tried to rewrite it to my original intention, I froze, got stuck, I couldn’t move forward. It’s like my characters knew that’s not how it was supposed to end and they stopped me from proceeding. But I’m glad I listened to them!

What in your opinion makes good chemistry between your leading characters? 

The first thing Zan notices about Adrienne is her fiery red hair. The first thing Adrienne notice is his strength, but she thinks he’s a killer and that he’s come into her home to kill her. She still doesn’t trust him when he convinces her he’s undercover and she has to come with him if she doesn’t want to die. Their chemistry continues to explode, and doesn’t let go. It was fun to write these two characters and develop their attraction, which they continually fight for several reasons. At one point they go on the run together, and everyone thinks they are dead, and she has to pretend to be his wife. She learns how important it is to be undercover. It isn’t just a job to him anymore, but a means to their survival. Every moment of their time together was filled with chemistry and I tried to reveal that in several ways. 

Any other works in progress?

I just finished Luke’s story. Luke is Adrienne’s brother, and we hear a bit about him in Dark Ride. He has been exonerated from prison, and I’m in the editing phase of that story and now starting a new story on Adrienne’s sister.

Any advice for aspiring authors?

Don’t ever ever ever ever ever give up. Don’t compare yourself to others. Keep writing, but don’t be afraid to take breaks. Sometimes those breaks are when the real magic happens.

Final words?

Thanks for the interview. I had a great time! I always love to hear from readers and other authors, so please feel free to reach out!

Please include the following links:

Website:  www.loveisamystery.com

Blog:  www.loveisamystery.com/my-blog

Email: angelaswriter@gmail.com