Author Spotlight: Alexa Martin talks Intercepted

I'm so happy to welcome author, Alexa Martin, onto the blog! In addition to writing sexy (and funny!) romance, Alexa is a stay-at-home mom to four children. She lives in Colorado with her husband, a former NFL player who now coaches at the high school where they met. INTERCEPTED is the first book in The Playbook Series, out now with Berkley/Penguin.

Praise for INTERCEPTED:

“Fresh voices and strong multicultural characters from every rung of the social ladder make Martin’s debut novel a must-read for fans of contemporary romance with a sporty twist.”—Booklist (starred review)

One of Amazon's "Best Books to Read in Romance" for September 2018

An iBooks "Best of September" Pick

One of Booklist's Top 10 Romance Debuts for 2018

And now, here's my chat with Alexa!

Hi, Alexa! Welcome and congrats on Intercepted. Can you share a little about the story and what inspired it?

Hi, Megan! Thank you so much for having me! INTERCEPTED is about Marlee, a long time girlfriend of her NFL playing boyfriend. She finds out her boyfriend is a cheating jerk just as an old fling reappears in her life in the form of the new Quarterback for his team. We follow Marlee as she struggles to find herself and not get lost in the wild world of WAGS again. INTERCEPTED was inspired by the eight years I spent as an NFL wife and all of my years as a devout viewer of all things Real Housewives.

What do you love most about Marlee?

She is so sassy. She says what’s on her mind and she is loyal beyond belief to her friends. She’s a bit of a hot mess, but she owns it. She’s more worried about finding herself, no matter how big of a disaster it is, than pretending to be someone else ever again.

And now for the romance! In your opinion, what are the top three qualities needed for an irresistible love interest?

I love a little bit of alpha in my heroes, but not too much that I want to punch them. Good hair is key—whether it is a fresh cut or a man bun, I don’t care. Devotion. I don’t care what they do or how they do it, but I need the hero to look at the heroine like they are the reason the sun rises and sets.

What part of the writing process do you find most challenging and how do you tackle it?

I am not a plotter. I want to be one, I just cannot pin that far ahead. What I do now is focus on one part of the story that I know and find to be the most important and build a loose guideline using a beat sheet. Beat sheets have changed my life when it comes to writing.

I’m a firm believer in the idea that every story teaches the writer something new, so what did writing Intercepted teach you?

It taught me to have fun. I get so worried an tend to overthink every single detail, but because I rewrote INTERCEPTED during Pitch Wars, I didn’t have time to worry, I just had to get it done. I was forced to trust my instincts and it paid off.

What are you reading, watching, or otherwise currently infatuated with?

Oh goodness, I get a little obsessive when I find something I like. My husband and I binged on Taken the TV show and I’m still bitter it got cancelled. I also discovered RuPaul’s Drag Race and I cannot get enough. If I didn’t have kids, I would be locked inside of my room for weeks watching ever single season. Reading? I’m finally digging into the sports romances I’ve avoided since I started writing INTERCEPTED. I’m starting with Kennedy Ryan’s LONG SHOT.

And finally, what’s the most important lesson you’ve learned so far in your writing/publishing career?

To run my own race. This is an industry where it can become very easy to lose yourself in others' successes. Focus on yourself and celebrate even the smallest win. It’s not a sprint, publishing is definitely a marathon and you need to pace yourself so you don’t burn out.

Many thanks go out to Alexa for taking the time to tell us more about INTERCEPTED! Be to sure to add her steamy romance to your Goodreads list, or order your copy (WRITE) NOW from retail sites like Amazon, and Barnes & Noble. And to further support the author (and your community!), don't forget to request this title at your library/local independent bookstore!

Look for FUMBLED, Book 2 in The Playbook Series,

to release in April 2019!

For more, follow Alexa on Twitter, and visit her author website at alexamartinbooks.com.

And, as always,