Dancing into Danger

With the hot days of summer keeping us inside or relaxing by the pool, a good book to read is a necessity!  My guest today in My Writing Corner is Natalie Cross and  she brings us an offering that sounds like a perfect summer read.  Natalie says she's a  lifelong lover of the written word and used to spend her school recess hours reading books like  Jurassic Park  or the works of  Jane Austen.  She says not much has changed since then, except now she says she writes stories about strong, smart women and the people who adore them. She also says sometimes there are even pirates involved.

Natalie tells us she lives in Los Angeles, where she is married to a man who literally brings life into the world. She says she is mom to two lovely young munchkins who despise brushing their hair and eat way too much cake. She also says she is unapologetically terrible at taking selfies.

Natalie, what do you enjoy about being an author?

Connecting with other readers and writers. I’ve always been a huge reader, and meeting more people who love the same books and stories that I do is so much fun. If even one other person reads and likes one of my books, that is so incredibly satisfying. 

What do you find is the most challenging part of being an author?

I know a lot of people say marketing is the biggest struggle, but I have a serious problem with titles. I second guess them constantly, even after the publication stage. And blurbs. Writing a captivating blurb is so much more difficult than writing a 50,000 word novel.

Tell us about your road to publication.

I wrote my first book, the romance suspense Ballroom Blitz on a whim, and had absolutely no idea what to do with it after I wrote it,  so I joined the Romance Writers of America and their subchapter the Kiss of Death. I took a few classes, learned more about story structure, editing, different publishing routes, including self-publishing vs traditional. When Kiss of Death held their annual Pitchfest, where you pitch certain agents and editors, I figured I would try that, and if no one nibbled at Ballroom Blitz, then I’d go down the self pub pathway. I had a low frustration tolerance at the time, haha. To my incredible surprise, The Wild Rose Press was interested in my story, so I signed contracts, and Ballroom Blitz was released to the world October 2022.

Writing Ballroom Blitz and the excellent experience I’ve had with The Wild Rose Press inspired me to keep writing, and now I also self publish, some under the name Natalie Cross, and then also some spicy novellas under the name NC Ross. 

Let's find out more about Ballroom Blitz.  How about a blurb: 

In the glamorous world of ballroom, love and dancing do not always mix.

Professional dancer Anita Goodman has learned that lesson the hard way. With her studio and her reputation on the line, she has to take a chance on the last person she ever wanted to partner with: her best friend.

Patrick O’Leary has loved Anita since high school, but he has languished in the Friend Zone for long enough. He will take this last chance to prove to her that love is greater than winning.

Neither of them realize that conquering their rising attraction won’t be their biggest obstacle. Someone does not want them to be together, and will stop at nothing to get their way.

Love, dance, and danger. It’s a Ballroom Blitz.

We want more. How about an excerpt?

        The ballroom still thrummed with the clack of heels and the slide of suede, though its last inhabitants had vanished over an hour before. Applause and cheering from the final night party echoed across the hallway. The tables were strewn with hair pins, empty water bottles, and sweaty towels tossed with exhilaration before another heat. The perfume of sunless tanner and hairspray drifted toward the apex of the ballroom’s ceiling, and it almost seemed that a few notes of a Viennese waltz still clung to the utilitarian white hotel tablecloths.

        Rapid footsteps broke the waiting silence. Stilettos from the click click click, glimmering with crystals, a few of which scattered from the shoes with a brackish clatter as the heels struck the parquet of the ballroom floor. Heavy breathing, panting. “No!” A stumble as one heel of the red satin crystal-encrusted stilettos snapped. Sobbing. 

        Then another pair of footsteps, flats, fashionable. Something hard, with an edge that might draw blood. These footsteps were measured. No panic. No anxiety. Calculating.

        The sobs intensified. “Please, please, please, no, I didn’t do anythi—”

        A gurgle, a grimace, a thud. The wash of silk from a bone-white evening gown susurrated along the cold parquet floor. The scent of copper flooded the air.

        A grunt, a vicious exhale, an audible sneer.

        Then the ballroom closed upon itself again. The tables, the cloths, the chandeliers, the lights. All waiting for its new secret to be discovered.

Want to read more? Here is the buy link to get Ballroom Blitz:

https://books2read.com/u/47grqR

Natalie, what is your next book and how did you come up with the idea to write it?

The sequel to Ballroom Blitz, titled Ballroom Fever, comes out October 2023, and I am so excited for it. I get ideas for books in all sorts of strange places, and the idea for Ballroom Fever was no different. Probably when I was half awake one morning, I thought, “hey, what if there was like a Rear Window situation, where Patrick broke his leg but he thinks he witnesses a crime next door, and then it uncovers all this other shady stuff going on in the town.” I am also really into psychological and domestic thrillers, so a lot of those vibes leeched into Ballroom Fever, too. I am so excited for its release. It’s heartbreaking and funny and I’ve introduced some really great new characters, along with some old faves.

How do you come up with your plots?

Most of the time it starts with a vague idea, like what if two ballroom dancers were old friends but secretly were in love with each other, and then they have to solve crimes? It’s probably obvious that I listen to a lot of true crime podcasts. That’s where I come up with a lot of my other romance suspense ideas. The whole ripped from the headlines thing, because truth sometimes is stranger than reality. 

I’m a pantser, but I try to have a loose outline. If a story goes off the rails, I try to roll with it, because most of the time it works out really well. It just means that editing and re-editing is my life. 

What’s your next project?

Currently, I’m working on the third book in the ballroom mystery series, but it’s taking me a while because the original idea I had didn’t fully pan out. It’s the problem with being a pantser haha.

I am also working on the spicy billionaire novella series I self publish under my other pen name, NC Ross. The series is International Desires, and it follows the premise of a travel agency that provides bespoke couples’-focused experiences in faraway lands. That’s the PG explanation. The first book in that series is Two Dukes in Denmark, and I’m working on the third, Tied Up in Thailand. They’re really fun to write, and it’s like taking a fantasy vacation, delving into each of these places.

Good luck with your new book! Thank you, Natalie, for being my guest today.

Here is Natalie's social media contact information.

Website and Newsletter: www.nataliecrosswrites.com

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/natalie-cross

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

Instagram: www.instagram.com/nataliecrosswrites

Tiktok: www.tiktok.com/nataliecrosswrites

 Any comments or questions for Natalie?