I am delighted to be taking part in the blog tour for ‘The Aftermath’ by RJ Prescott, whom I’d like to welcome to the blog today…

Welcome! Tell us a little about you.

Hi, it’s great to meet you! I’m British, married to a fireman and have to two young sports loving boys who are basically small versions of the Tazmanian devil. Our motley crew lives in Wales, where it rains. A lot! Seriously, despite the terrible weather I love living here! My debut novel, The Hurricane, follows the story of Em, a gifted mathematician in hiding from an abusive stepfather. Fate throws her into the path of young and upcoming Irish boxer, Cormac ‘The Hurricane’ O’Connell. Neither of them were ever meant to find each other, but some things are just worth the fight!

Your inspiration for writing The Aftermath?

By the time I finished The Hurricane I just knew that I wasn’t done with Em and O’Connell’s story. I couldn’t bring myself to move on with the series until I’d written the Aftermath and given them both the happy ever after that they deserved. I can’t say that there was one thing that inspired me though. It’s more that I see the plot in my head beforehand like a movie, and I just do my best to capture it on paper.

Was it harder to write The Hurricane or (its sequel) The Aftermath?

The Aftermath was definitely harder. When I wrote The Hurricane I had no idea that so many people would read it and connect so well with the characters. So when I came to write The Aftermath I felt an obligation to do the characters justice and not let down the readers who’d fallen so in love with Em and O’Connell. Hopefully, I’ve succeeded!

Where and when do you write?

Everywhere! Both The Hurricane and The Aftermath were hand written in little black journals that I carry around in my handbag. As a busy Mum of two I write whenever I get five minutes free and then type up and develop what I’ve written in the evening when my boys are in bed. It helps keep my writing spontaneous, because I write quickly with what feels like a natural progression of the story, rather than over-thinking everything.

Are you a planner or a pantser?

I’m both! Day to day I’m a complete planner. I like to know exactly what I’m doing, where I’m going and how to get there. But when it comes to writing books, I fly by the seat of my pants. Although I have a vague notion of the plot, I don’t really write chapter plans. I wait until a scene or conversation comes to me and roll with it from there.

Do you do any research? If so, any sites or sources you care to share?

Most of my writing comes from my personal experiences. My brother boxed when he was younger and my husband kick boxed when we first met, so I’ve spent lots of time in boxing gyms. Most of my online research tends to focus on the technicalities of the sport and watching boxing technique. Believe it or not, watching real fights on Youtube has really helped with that.

Do you read inside your genre or out when writing?

I only ever really read inside my genre, and I guess I enjoy writing what I love to read about. That being said, I enjoy a lot of variations in the within the genre from sporting romance to historical. I do enjoy a lot of paranormal as well, as long as it has a romantic element, and I’m a sucker for a happy ending!

Your author heroes?

Oh man, there are so many! If you had to pin me down to name them, I think Kirsty Moseley, Katy Evans, Kristen Callihan, Narlini Singh, Jamie McGuire and Jeanienne Frost would definitely be up there. These are my one click authors, but with so many great writers out there now, I’m finding new ones every day!

Thank you, RJ, for joining me on the blog today!

THE AFTERMATH:
When you’ve got nothing, you’ve got nothing to lose. But what happens when you have everything you ever wanted? You fight to keep it.

Cormac “the Hurricane” O’Connell’s star is on the rise. Billed as the most promising young boxer of his generation, his new career is taking him to places he never dreamed. But O’Connell only needs one thing in life: his wife. In her final year of college, Em cannot follow him around the world but together they make it work.

Just when everything they ever wanted is on the horizon, the past resurfaces to haunt them and O’Connell realizes that justice might not be a part of his happy ever after.

He couldn’t protect Em once before, but in the aftermath of the hurricane, he will make sure that never happens again.

The Aftermath is available on Amazon UK and Amazon.com.

 

A little bit more about R.J. Prescott:
I was born in Cardiff, South Wales although I left to study law at the University of Bristol, England. Four weeks before graduation I fell in love, and stayed. Ten years later I convinced my crazy, wonderful fire fighter husband to move back to Cardiff with me where we live with our two equally crazy sons.

Juggling work, writing and family doesn’t leave a lot of time, but curling up on the sofa with a cup of tea and a bar of chocolate for family movie night is definitely the best part of my week. “The Hurricane” is my debut USA Today Best Selling New Adult Novel.

You can connect with RJ on Goodreads, Facebook, and Twitter.