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   Allaire Prescott West Mercer is the gutsy, independent heroine in Awakening Allaire and Avenging Allaire. She stopped by for a chat recently. As you can imagine, things are pretty crazy at their house with Christmas less than two weeks away but Devon attracted a lot of interest when he blogged with me, so she definitely wanted her 15 minutes of fame. (Do you get the feeling these two are headstrong?)

MC: Welcome, Allaire. You are looking fabulous these days. Being in love definitely suites you!

AM: Thank you. I love your holiday sweater. The Midwest sure has taken a dive into the deep freeze recently. Polar fleece is one way to survive it!

MC:  LOL That’s true. Would you please tell everyone a little about yourself and especially where your name comes from?

AM: Certainly. I’m a cop’s daughter. I have no siblings. My folks divorced when I was pretty young and mom remarried a guy named Jack. You never did give him a last name, you know.

MC: My bad.

AM: Anyway, mom died years ago and I am pretty close to my father. He was a horrible cook and that rubbed off on me. I think if I ever cooked a casserole, Devon would hire a chef to make sure it never happened twice. My father works hard and that also rubbed off on me. That’s why I am a working mother even though Devon is loaded. We never talk finances but he gave me a credit card with no limits and no questions. Devon is such a great guy.

MC: And your name? Where did "Allaire" come from?

AM: You must be losing your mind. I heard you had a BIG birthday recently. Remember, you saw it on a lottery ticket and liked it?

MC: It almost sounds cheesy when you say it that way.

AM: You’re the author…

MC: Okay, that’s enough insults. What was it like to be kidnapped?

AM: That was beyond difficult. I mean the physical aspects of it were horrid. I was freezing to death most of the time and so filthy. The drugs actually helped me get through some of the worst of it but I missed my children so much and Devon, of course.

MC: How did you cope with not knowing if you were going to live or die, Allie?

AM: I focused on getting back to my kids. I got lost in some of those drug-induced fantasies about them and Devon. I was really angry that Cade and Axe treated me the way they did, especially since they got the ransom. At the end, I was scared out of my mind. I felt like a shell of the woman I used to be. I was unrecognizable to myself and even if I lived, I had nightmares that Devon and the twins would reject me.

MC: Because of the drugs?

AM: Yeah.

MC: There are some really steamy scenes between you and Devon in the book. Tell us about those.

AM: I’m not very sure why you had to make them so graphic.

MC: Well, if I wanted readers to know what it was like to be you when you were kidnapped, I thought this was a powerful aspect of your story the readers should experience as well.

AM: To put it bluntly, you didn’t jip them.

MC: LOL

AM: Devon is a marvelous lover and we are crazy about each other. I think our love scenes are tastefully portrayed even though they get a bit hot at times.

MC: Do you have a favorite scene in the first book?

AM: I think when Devon came to my apartment and confronted me about the twins’ paternity. It was very poignant and loving. I knew I loved him with every fiber of my being but at the time I was still married to Jeff. I really didn’t know how I was going to live a lie. Devon didn’t either.

MC: What about the second book?

AM: Avenging is Devon’s book. He pretty much runs the entire show but New Year’s Eve is very sexy.

MC: Speaking of the holidays, last Christmas was really chaotic for you and Devon.

AM: I’ll say. Devon pretty much collapsed under the antics of our twins. Some of it was really hilarious.

MC: He promised this year there would be wooden choo-choo trains and a lot less sugar for Katy and Kai. How’s that going?

AM: Devon has gotten an ample supply of scotch for the holidays. We’re taking the kids to my family’s place again on Christmas Eve. It’s sure to be chaotic and loud as usual. LOL He has another year under his belt as a father and I hope he realizes that insane family holidays are just something he’ll have to cope with! LOL

MC: Anything else you want to share, Allie?

AM: I want all you women to know that Devon Mercer is officially OFF the market. There are some other men in the books who are available but you ladies need to quit calling. It’s annoying.

MC: LOL I guess that’s what happens when you have a bestseller.

AM: No kidding? The books are bestsellers. Well, in that case…

  
Both novels are available from Class Act Books in print and Ebooks. Ebooks are on sale through the end of 2009 if Ebooks are your thing.  If you live in the US and want autographed copies, send me a note and I'll be happy to handle it for you.

Until the next time.
The Churchlady