VBT – ZOEY’S PLACE

Zoey’s Place

by E.M. Bannock

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

GENRE: Modern Adult Romance w/Erotic elements

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

BLURB:

Zoey DeLucca is a successful Michigan divorce attorney. Growing up the center of a bitter custody battle between her neglectful mother and her caring father convinced her to become a Family Law attorney and champion the father’s that seldom won in court.
Her handsome husband, Mickey, works for an oil development company. The money is great but as he climbs the corporate ladder, he must spend more time traveling and away from home.
It was love at first sight when they met in college. Their storybook marriage is the envy of all of their friends. They keep the spark in their marriage glowing red hot with wild, uninhibited behaviors in the bedroom. So why does the feeling of impending doom occupy Zoey’s thoughts?
Zoey’s Place is a modern erotic romance about bonding friendships and life’s lessons. See how Zoey handles the challenges that come her way. Experience her joys, fears, and unusual solutions.
This book contains explicit sex scenes and very mature subject matter. It is intended for adult pleasures only. So, turn on the fan, because it’s going to get hot!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

EXCERPT

It was early evening. A scarlet sunset had faded into muted grey tones. The shimmering reflection of the moon danced on the surface of the lake as the lovers emerged naked, hand in hand.

The subject of love was not brought up nor was the word uttered by either. But it was love that was made that night. It was passionate and personal. They were two unwittingly becoming one.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AUTHOR Bio and Links

E.M. Bannock grew up in the Detroit suburbs. She is the second child of seven and eldest daughter of a working class family. Her parents had traditional, old style, European ideals which clashed with her modern, adventurous personality. The daughters were not encouraged to attend college. Instead they were expected to get married, have children, and be homemakers.

Her father was a great storyteller and sparked her love for writing. In high school she enjoyed writing short stories and poetry. A small inheritance from her father gave her the funds needed to begin her career as a published author. She has published two books, Totally Devoted, which is also available in audio, and Zoey’s Place. 


Born with the wanderlust, she found herself in Los Angeles. LA was an exciting place to be in the early 70’s and she experienced all that it had to offer. She met her husband there.

Marie and her small family have lived in California, Oregon, Alaska, Florida, and Wyoming, where she now lives with her small family which includes a spoiled dog and cat, two horses, also spoiled, and a brood of chickens that live like queens in the chicken-coupe-de-ville.

She has made her living as an office manager, computer programmer/analysts, project manager, clothing sales person, substitute teacher, and buffalo meat packer. Throughout it all, she never lost her love for writing.


E.M. Bannock is a Goodreads Author, a BookHub Author, a member of the Romance Writers of America, and a Rocky Mountain Fiction Writer. Her book, “Totally Devoted” is a finalist for a 2019 NERFA (National Excellence in Romance Fiction Award) in two categories.

Web site: www.embannock.com

Facebook: E.M. Bannock – Author https://www.facebook.com/EMBannock/

Twitter: @EMBannock

Instagram: e_m_bannock

Buy links: https://www.amazon.com/Zoeys-Place-M-Bannock-ebook/dp/B07SCPT611/

The book will be $0.99 during the tour.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

RAFFLECOPTER GIVEAWAY

E.M. Bannock will be awarding a $15 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

Enter to win a $15 Amazon/BN GC – a Rafflecopter giveaway

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thanks for being my guest here today. Tell us about you as a person.

I like to think of myself as a good person. I’m not a perfect person by any stretch or even close. I’m spiritual but not religious. I’ve got lots of weird habits and superstitions. For example, I lift my feet when I go over train tracks. I read somewhere that it’s bad luck if you don’t. I throw spilled salt over my left shoulder and make a wish on the first star I see every night.

I believe in past lives and I think habits from the past carry forward. I have a very strong, horrific, personal experience whenever I see anything having to do with WWII and especially the Holocaust. I may have died in a concentration camp in my last life. Most people are disgusted, ashamed, and/or horrified by this part of history, but for me, it feels very personal. It’s a feeling I can remember as one of my earliest emotions when confronted with pictures of the war as a child.

I also think that I’ve had some very wonderful past lives, maybe as a Native American, or even royalty back in the days of ancient Egypt. I believe it is the cumulation of these experiences that make me who I am. I hope and feel that I’ve learned the lessons I was meant to learn in every lifetime to help me on my path to enlightenment.

Most people don’t know that about me. Now you do.

If you could hang out with one famous person for one day, who would it be and why?

Paramahansa Yogananda has always been a person I truly admire. He is the spiritual founder of the Self Realization Fellowship. He passed away in the 1950’s but I’ve read his autobiography and find him to be truly enlightened soul and fascinating person. He traveled extensively. I would love to spend the day with him talking spirituality and universal truths. I have visited the SRF Lake Shrine in LA and it sends shivers up my spine walking the same paths that he walked. It would be very special to speak with him.

What’s the story behind your latest book?

Zoey’s Place kind of naturally evolved from a writing challenge I took on a Facebook page I belonged to at the time. It had to be a short blurb about summer love. I like to keep fit and I do Zumba with a group of friends at our local Rec Center. One of the songs we danced to was Apple Bottom Jeans (Low), by Flo Rida. That short blurb became part of the first draft of chapter one for Zoey’s Place. In it, Zoey is described as having “her apple-bottomed ass protruding below her way-too-short cut-off jeans.”

From there the story just grew as I wrote it. I knew I wanted her to be independent and strong. I had to think of a situation that would seem insurmountable. One that she could overcome using her intelligence and a solution that exemplified her feminine uniqueness.

Many of the situations in the book were therapy for me. It helped me release pent up emotions and resolve situations in my life as I directed Zoey through her trials and tribulations. There’s always tidbits of real life in my books. I think an author needs to do that to make the characters believable and likeable or unlikable as the case may be.

When I started Zoey’s Place, I didn’t know how I was going to get from Point A to Point B. But I knew what the points were, and like Zoey, I never gave up until she got there.

What is your writing process?

There’s a lot of mental work that goes into my stories before I even write the first word. Usually the first thing I do is think about the time and place of my story and the name of the main character. Then I think of what the storyline will be. I try to write tales that are believable but different, not your run-of-the-mill love story. I want them to be something that nobody else would ever think possible. Luckily, I have a wild imagination.

I always write at my office desk using my desk-top computer. I start with a timeline and a character list. I have no set times, special music, or customs for my writing process, except when it comes to the love scenes.

They are quite personal and, believe it or not, I’m rather shy. I will only write those scenes at night, after my husband has gone to bed and I’m sure I will not be disturbed.

After a few chapters, I send them off to my sister for review. There are usually a few changes and a few calls to her telling her not to read the last chapter I sent because I just rewrote it.

I don’t have a complicated process. It just happens.

Tell us about your main character.

Zoey DeLucca is a Michigan family law attorney in the late 1990’s and early 2000’s. She only defends men. This is because of the struggle her father went through to get custody of her after her parents split up. She is very good at her job. She’s intelligent, independent and strong-minded. Zoey knows the meaning of life and is appreciative of all that she has.

She grew up an only child and her friends, Joanne and Carol, are the closest things to sisters she has. They are always there for her and she treasures the close sister-like relationship she has with them. She knows that you don’t have to be blood to be family.

When she met her husband, Mickey, it was love at first sight. They bring out the best in each other and have very similar tastes including a voracious appetite for sex. They love each other truly and deeply.

Zoey and Mickey worked hard to be able to live in an upper class neighborhood and they enjoy all that life has to offer. But lately, Zoey has been getting feelings of impending doom and she doesn’t know why. She has to use logic to overcome what life obstacles are thrown in her path. The comfort and support of her friends and her resourcefulness are her key to true happiness.

I like Zoey because she’s a realist when it comes to life. She doesn’t sugarcoat things for herself or her clients. She understands love and friendship and places those attributes above all else. Mostly, I love Zoey because she never gives up.

If your book was to be turned into a movie, who would play the lead role and why.

I would love to see Natalie Portman play Zoey. She’s got a trusting, strong, yet not unapproachable look to her. Her age is perfect for the character. She has a look of mature, leadership authority that make her stand out in a crowd from the hundreds of other actresses in the field. Her acting talents are proven and I think she could convey the emotion needed for the role beautifully.

What are you working on next?

I’ve not decided yet but, at the urging of some of my gal pals, I’m toying with a period piece that takes place in the small western town that I live in back in the late 1880’s or early 1900’s. All of my books have strong-willed, intelligent, independent, stubborn women in them so that would open up a treasure trove of interesting situations for that time period. There is also a lot of relative historical facts regarding the military, Native American’s, and western outlaws from the area that I could draw upon for adventure.

Writing has always been a kind of therapy for me and living in a small town, such as the one I live in, there are many different and opposing points of view to every issue. I tend to be a little more feminist and liberal that the common ‘man’ in these parts and this book would be a way to work out my ‘feelings’ toward these individuals and their ideas.

What advice do you have for other writers who want to get the word out about their book?

I’m still trying to get this right myself. So, I’ll just say what I’ve been told. You need to get yourself out there. Go to book fairs and other crafty gatherings. Advertise. Go on Virtual Book Tours. It’s expensive but a necessary evil. Get on all the social media you can. Talk to other authors. I’ve found authors to be a friendly group and everyone is willing to give freely of their knowledge. Network in any way you can. It’s hard. I don’t do it well myself. It’s a constant struggle. I’d rather be sitting at my desk writing my next novel. But it won’t happen unless YOU make it happen.

What is your favorite book on your shelf right now?

Didn’t have to think twice about this one. It’s the Outlander series of books by Diana Gabaldon. It’s the greatest, sexiest, love story I’ve ever read. Next to my own, of course.

Do you have any special/extraordinary talents?

I am a rather good cook, if I do say so myself. I don’t eat meat so I’ve had to delve into that alternative end of cooking. I do eat fish which makes it a little easier. I enjoy cooking and exploring with different tastes. The only problem with that is sometimes I create something delicious but I couldn’t recreate it because I’m not quite sure of what and how much of what I put into it.

I’ve been experimenting with the Keto diet lately, an extremely difficult task for someone who doesn’t eat meat. Don’t know how long I’ll stay on the diet but I’m enjoying all the different tastes and dishes.

You are given the choice of one super power. What super power would you have and why?

This may sound selfish but I would like the superpower to acquire large amounts of money. Besides making my life so much easier, it would add years onto my hard-working husband’s life. There are so many worthy causes out there that need financial help. I would build a new Rec Center here in my town. I’d build animal shelters around the country that spay and neuter animals for free and house them if they are not adopted. I’d give to medical research and provide medical services at no charge. I’d build and provide free pre-schools in needy communities. There is so much good that could be done if only there was enough financial aid.

List 5 things on your bucket list:

1. Go to Scotland and visit the Outlander sites
2. Live long enough to see my great-grandchildren
3. Become a New York Times Best Selling Author
4. Lose 10 more pounds
5. See my husband clean the bathroom.

Any final thoughts?

I’d like to thank CA Milson for hosting this Zoey’s Place Virtual Tour Stop and getting me to tell some things about myself that I’ve never said publicly before.

I hope the readers have enjoyed my interview answers and I hope I’ve whetted your appetite for Zoey Place. I welcome all readers.