Hello Dear Reader!

I’m celebrating the New Year with a giveaway here on my blog, co-sponsored by the fabulous Delaney Diamond. Delaney was kind enough to take the time to answer a few questions so we could get to know here. Then once you’ve checked out her interview, be sure to check out the excerpt and the details of the giveaway at the end of this post.

Good luck!

Interview with Delaney Diamond

Delaney, what was the first job you ever had?

The first job I ever had was in elementary school, if you can believe that. My dad worked for a company as a carpenter and mason on the island of St. Thomas where we lived. He also did that work on the side for himself, to make extra money. One of his customers was an older woman who lived on our street, and she needed someone to help her do some typing and filing a few hours a week. I had started taking typing classes when I was 9, so I could already type and was fairly fast. She hired me, lol.  I was maybe 10 or 11 and can’t remember how much I was paid, but it was cool to earn my own money.

What are you currently reading and enjoying?

I’ve been reading a lot of suspense lately, and I’ve become somewhat addicted to Harlan Coben’s writing style. I’m working my way through his backlist, and I’m currently listening to Deal Breaker. It’s another well-paced suspense that’s keeping my attention. On the romance front, I just finished The Senator’s Daughter, a romantic suspense by Amaka Azie. The story is set in Nigeria and the hero kidnaps the heroine. But it’s not a dark romance! He did it for a good cause and is actually a great guy. Rita and Nosa end up falling in love (of course!) and work together to solve the crime. I’ve got to go through my TBR pile to see what I’m in the mood for next.

Favorite romantic movie(s)?

Love Jones is one of my all-time favorites. Also enjoyed Love Actually, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days (hilarious movie), The Best Man, and Think Like a Man (Part 1).

If you could only eat one meal every day for the rest of your life, what would it be?

Ugh, this is tough. It’s a toss up between meatloaf or this lemon butter chicken served with Virgin Islands stuffing  or macaroni and cheese (if dairy didn’t hate me so much).

Is there anything you want to do this year that you’ve never done before?

I’ve always wanted to learn to play the piano, and I’ve been tossing around the idea of taking lessons. But don’t hold me to it because I have no idea how I’ll squeeze lessons into my schedule at this point.

Just Friends (part of the Johnson Family box set) is a friends-to-lovers story. What makes Alannah and Trenton’s friendship so special?

So many reasons! They’ve known each other since they were eight years old and Trenton defended her on the playground, so their bond is tight. They’re best friends and probably know each other better than anyone else does. They eat together all the time, especially since Alannah likes to cook and uses him as her guinea pig—sometimes with disastrous results, lol. They joke around a lot, too. Without giving too much away, they also take care of each other, but tensions arise in the book that test their ability to do that.

What was your favorite scene in Just Friends?

The scene where Alannah cooks Trenton dinner and she’s dancing in the kitchen. He makes fun of her dance moves because she’s a terrible dancer. The scene goes from funny to emotional when Alannah says something that upsets him. That’s when you start to realize just how much she means to him, and you experience the fear that he does when he realizes he might lose her to someone else.

What are your writing goals for 2019?

My goal is to release at least four titles, like I did last year. First up is the second book in the Royal Brides series, Princess of Estoria. I also want to wrap up the Brooks Family series by releasing the last two books (fingers crossed), and I’m working on a series with two other authors, where we each write one of the books in the series. I did that before with the Bennett Triplets, so I’m looking forward to this next collaboration. Optional books (if I have time): another Quicksand novella and the start of my romantic suspense series called Plan B.

Excerpt

She started dancing to the music. “This is going to be so good,” she sang.

“Please stop,” Trenton said. “You’re the most uncoordinated black woman—no, black person—I know. The only reason you still have your black card is because I bribed a bunch of folks during the appeal process so you could keep it.”

“You’re just jealous of my moves. Bet you can’t do this.” Alannah performed a very awkward moonwalk.

“Michael Jackson is rolling over in his grave right now.” He shook his head. “Sorry, Michael. I tried to stop her.”

She stuck out her tongue and returned her attention to the stove.

Trenton took a seat in one of the high-backed wood barstools at the breakfast bar, in front of a tall glass of lemonade, and watched her work. He licked his lips, mouth watering from the scent of the rib-eye steak.

On occasion, a personal chef cooked his meals whenever he wanted to eat at home and didn’t feel like cooking himself, and he also had the option of going to his mother’s house and eating some fine cooking from Adelina. Yet there was something about Alannah’s food that always tasted that much better and brought him comfort.

She was much better than she used to be. He recalled her failed attempt at making bananas foster.

“What are you smiling about?” she asked. She set a ribeye on a plate in front of him and spooned blue cheese sauce over it. His stomach danced in anticipation.

“Thinking about the time you almost burned down the kitchen trying to make bananas foster.”

She swirled the sauce around the plate. “What a mess. I can’t believe the towel caught fire like that.”

Trenton chuckled. “Be glad it wasn’t worse.”

She joined him in the laughter, but kept her eyes on the plate, concentrating on the artistry of the dish. “I am glad, believe me.”

“Even with that mess and the panic, the bananas turned out delicious,” he pointed out.

“They did, didn’t they? I should try that recipe again. I’ve been too nervous to attempt it because of the near accident.”

“I’m sure your flambé skills will be much better now.”

Alannah spooned roasted potatoes beside the steak. “Then, of course, there was The Great Quiche Incident of ’09.”

Trenton groaned.

“I can’t believe you ate so much of it and didn’t say anything.” Alannah shook her head in disbelief. “I gagged once I tasted it myself.”

“I didn’t want to hurt your feelings, but man, that was some nasty stuff.”

“You really took one for the team, and I appreciate it. Thank goodness for The Best Thai Restaurant.” She spooned creamed spinach beside the steak and used a paper napkin to swipe the circumference of the plate for a cleaner look. She finished by dropping chopped parsley onto the potatoes as a garnish.

“Oh yeah, that was the first time we ate there.” With dinner a bust, they’d driven to the restaurant to get something to eat and had been loyal customers ever since.

Alannah cut into the steak. She twisted it in the blue cheese sauce and then blew on it. “Tell me what you think of this.” She lifted the fork to his mouth.

Trenton leaned in, pulled off the meat, and chewed. Well seasoned and cooked to a perfect medium rare. Delicious. “Mmm…that’s good.”

She pumped a fist. “Yes! You really like it?”

“Mhmm.” He yanked away the fork and knife. She giggled as he cut another piece of meat. “I can’t believe how good this is.” The creamed spinach and roasted potatoes tasted perfect, as well. He could have been dining in a fine restaurant. “This is better than your steak and mushroom gravy.”

“No way. You love that dish. You rave about it for days every time I make it.”

“I know, you don’t make it enough,” Trenton said around a mouthful of food, enjoying the dish too much to stop eating long enough not to talk with his mouth full. He pointed at the plate with the fork. “But seriously, I’m saying this is even better, so you know it’s good.”

“Great,” Alannah said with satisfaction. She skipped back to the stove. “This is good practice, because I’m serving it to my new guy friend for dinner on Friday night.”

A piece of meat lodged in Trenton’s throat. With difficulty, he swallowed it and then took a big gulp of lemonade. He cleared his throat. “You’re cooking for him now?”

Boxset buy links

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Johnson-Family-limited-box-set-ebook/dp/B07F65TTWQ

B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/johnson-family-series-delaney-diamond/1128985939?ean=2940162108061

Apple: https://geo.itunes.apple.com/us/book/johnson-family-series-limited-edition-box-set/id1405817142?1000ldsT

Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Delaney_Diamond_Johnson_Family_series_limited_edit?id=HIhiDwAAQBAJ&PAffiliateID=1011lwN2

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/johnson-family-series-limited-edition-box-set

Author bio

Delaney Diamond is the USA Today Bestselling Author of sweet, sensual, passionate romance novels, born and raised in the U.S. Virgin Islands. She reads romance novels, mysteries, thrillers, and a fair amount of nonfiction. When she’s not busy reading or writing, she’s in the kitchen trying out new recipes, dining at one of her favorite restaurants, or traveling to an interesting locale. To get sneak peeks, notices of sale prices, and find out about new releases, visit her website and join her mailing list. Enjoy free reads and the first chapter of all her novels at www.delaneydiamond.com.

Where she can be found online

Website: https://www.delaneydiamond.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DelaneyDiamond

Twitter: https://twitter.com/DelaneyDiamond

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/delaneydiamond

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authordelaneydiamond

Enter the Giveaway

Visit Delaney’s book page and complete the form below with the name of one of her series and a title from that series.

Form Link: https://goo.gl/forms/vXmOzb3MrxsE78wK2

About the Contest:

• 1st place: $25 gift card and reader’s choice of an ebook from each of our backlists.
• 2nd place: Reader’s choice of an ebook from each of our backlists.
• Eligibility: Open to U.S. and international readers.
• Deadline to enter: January 13, 2019 at 11:59 PM EST