Spotlight on Raven McAllan and her new release: The Girl on the Bus

Welcome to my guest today, Raven McAllan, who is here to tell us a little bit about her latest release from Evernight, The Girl on the Bus. Take it away, Raven!

***

Stop the bus and join in the fun…

The Girl on the Bus is now published and yes I’m doing the chair swivel jiggle. As you do.

The title hit me, and I guess so did the story, as I watched a bus driver and a white van man get into a stooshie (Scottish slang for a row) in Glasgow earlier this year. They were blocking the road, and there was more than a few good old Anglo-saxon words bandied about. To say nothing of a few earthy Scottish ones. Stuck in front of me, was a drop dead gorgeous play your cards right mate and you can have me guy in a more than acceptable sports car. Top of car down, wearing shades and tapping his fingers to music. I was smitten.

I didn’t think too much of it at the time, until I suddenly (and no idea how or why) had the idea of how a guy sees a profile of a Girl on a Bus, tries to find her and can’t. Until later on he does, by accident.

Then it got complicated. As it does. Well what’s the fun if there’s nothing to cause a bit of angst? Nothing in life goes 100% smoothly, not really, so why should it in a book?

I reckon as an author, I’m incredibly lucky to be able to write my hero and heroine’s story. Okay it get’s a bit fraught at times, when I think that the story should go one way, and they (either or) are determined it’s going in another. I’ve learned to my peril to ignore them.

I write strong willed characters, with very definite ideas on what they’ll get up to. I’m their mouthpiece. I just write as I’m told. I have a very rough plot. I know—well I hope I know—where the story ends up, but not always how I’m going to get there. Just as real life throws you curve balls, oh so do my characters.

Do I mind? No not really. It all adds to the excitement. I love working out their problems for them. Then I have to hope, what I think is going to happen actually does happen.

So far so good.

Tying all the ends up, arriving at a Happy Ever After, is so very satisfying. Hopefully for my readers, my characters and me.

By the time I get to the end of a story, the population of the book are as well known to me as my own family. I know what their favorite food is, whether they prefer tea or coffee, and if they watch the soaps or prefer the gardening programs. I can describe their homes, their neighborhood and what car they drive ( or if it’s regency what horses they ride.)

Strangely the one thing I don’t go into great details with is my character features. Oh I’ll tell you height, and body shape and hair and eye color. Apart from that, it’s over to you.

Why? Because I had a reader tell me that telling her my hero looked like a specific person turned her off him and the book. Because in her mind he was totally different. So now you can decide your self. Johnny Doofer, Joe Whoosit or Richard Whatsitt. Over to you.

Now take Tay. Well no don’t take him, just drool…

Here’s the blurb…

Julia ran out on Tay five years ago, so she cannot be the face he sees on the bus. However, when she ends up being the one taking notes at his meeting, he knows he will move heaven and earth to make her his once more.

Will she agree, or will she run again?

And here’s Tay…

…his heart never engaged. He did everything proper, and not one sub ever realized his inner self wasn’t part of what he did. Yes, he’d scene, and no sub ever left unsatisfied. After all, many considered his wax play second to none. However never ever did he engage in a sexual way. Tay might have a screwed set of personal rules, but they were his and he kept to them. No false promises, no untrue declarations, but no one unsatisfied … except, perhaps him.

For five years it had been that way. It could well be the same for another five. Until he discovered why the one person he hoped might become important to him left without explanation. Was he now going to get his answer and find out?

It seemed not. As the bus turned yet another corner, he looked to where she’d sat. To see the profile of a shaven headed, tattooed bloke.

Tay nearly ran into a bollard. Fuck, shit and bollocks. When had that happened?

and Julia’s thoughts…

Her thoughts warred with each other. She’d run because of her relative innocence, and the revelation at how arousing and perfect the night had been. Even though she’d been well over the age of consent, the way she’d responded to his demands shocked the life out of her, and she’d been scared rigid. So after a perfect evening where she just begun to understand the beauty of submitting, she’d slipped out and raced back to uni.

She’d never stopped thinking about the night, and eventually realized how lucky she’d been with her first experience in a Dom/sub relationship. Even so, she’d never been tempted to try again with anyone else. Master T had spoiled her and she knew she’d be hard pressed to find that mesh of ideals elsewhere.

I hope I’ve whetted your interest…

If I have, The Girl on the Bus can be found at an eBookstop near you:

Evernight Publishing

Amazon

All Romance eBooks

Bookstrand

and check out Raven on www.ravenmcallan.com

Happy Reading. Love R x

About Raven:

Ever since she won not one but two, Cadbury, ‘where does chocolate come from’ competitions in primary school, Raven was convinced, one day she would write a book. Her parents encouraged her. Her schoolteachers despaired of her. Flowery. Romantic. Not factual. Raven loved weaving stories about anything and anyone.

So what happened to her grand ideas?

Life got in the way.

So more years later than she wishes to disclose (hey a woman has to have some secrets) Here she is, an author. Not even that, a published author! Happy or what?

Married to her own hero, Raven lives on the edge of a Scottish Forest.

She writes on her laptop in her study, watching the birds on the bird table, the strange big black fluffy ‘ I’m pretending to be a bird’ cat, sitting on it and trying to convince the many birds he is invisible, occasionally seeing deer and red squirrel moving past. She is privileged.

As a non-closet romantic, sometime neurotic, and lover of words, Raven enjoys getting involved with her hero and heroines.  She hopes you do too.