Contemporary Romance Author Marianne Rice on Multitasking, Real-Life HEAs, and those Delicious McKay-Tucker Men

Today I am thrilled to welcome my fellow Liquid Silver author Marianne Rice to my blog for a cup of tea and a chat! Marianne is the author of the McKay-Tucker Men series and a real-life superwoman! A full-time teacher, a mom to an active family, and a survivor of multiple mud runs and obstacle courses (that she did voluntarily...for fun!), Marianne still finds the time to write sexy contemporary romances for us to enjoy. Here's your chance to get to know her before Joss Whedon inevitably casts her in the next Avengers movie (as herself, of course). Read our interview, pick up one of her books (or three!), and tell all of your friends that you saw her here first! 

Ladies and Gentlemen, Marianne Rice!

Tea With Marianne Rice

What are you drinking?

I know most writers (okay, humans) drink coffee, but I’ve never been a fan. I love the smell but never acquired the taste. In the morning I drink Yogi Green Tea Detox. This makes up for the wine and vodka I drink at night ☺

You’re a teacher! I know a lot of teachers who want to write and quite a few writers who would like to teach – do you think the two careers can co-exist? 

I think any careers can co-exist, but teaching actually gives me more time to write than a traditional 9-5 job would. Sure, I bring stacks of paper home, but I do get summers off and a smattering of vacation weeks here and there. I use those chunks of time to bang out my writing. I use my “non-writing” time to think about my stories.

You have had three books come out in the past year! How do you find time to write? 

Well, I wrote the McKay-Tucker Men series years ago and finally found some time to actively pursue publishing. I love to write; the query and synopsis writing are not fun so I procrastinated on those and built my stack of manuscripts. I actually wrote seven books before getting published!

What do you do in your time off? Do you get time off? 

I guess it depends how you look at it. Does a stay-at-home mom have ‘time off’? Nope. When I’m not working I’m home with my three kiddos. I love them to pieces but wish I could send them off somewhere for a few weeks. In the summer I write a lot and read a lot. In the sun. It’s pretty much all I do while the kids play and splash in the pool. Yeah, I made that sound like paradise. In reality, I’m up every ten minutes breaking up a fight, making a snack, cleaning up a spill, doing laundry, or grounding someone. Sometimes myself. I like to lock myself away in my room. The kids leave me alone then because they know they have free reign of the house…until someone starts fighting.

For fun, our family loves to go camping and hiking and biking. We’re fortunate to live by a lake and spend a lot of time on my brother-in-law’s boat in the summer, or camping on a deserted island off the shores of Maine. Fun! When the weather isn’t suitable for the outdoors I love to bake. And eat. To compensate, I also enjoy running in obstacle courses. I’ve done the Tough Mudder twice (12 miles and 15+ obstacles. So. Much. Fun), the Rugged Maniac, and some local Mud Runs. I love getting dolled up and wearing my ‘ho shoes, but I can get down and dirty as well.

You have lived in some very different places in your life so far! Do you think the change of perspective has had any effect on your writing?

I’m a California girl by birth, and my family still lives out there, but I absolutely love the calmness of Maine. I have a beautiful view of the White Mountains from my living room couch, and am fortunate to see the most breathtaking sunsets. However, I tend to act like a city girl. I love fashion, killer shoes, and snobby drinks. City life is fun for a girl’s night out, but not for a happily ever after…well, for my HEA (no offense to you city girls who are happy in love!)

You’re based in Maine now, but if you could live anywhere else in the world, where would it be?

Honestly? Nowhere. I wouldn’t mind traveling a little more (I’m bi-coastal. Our vacations consist of Maine, New Hampshire and California), but I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else. I feel blessed to have it all. Four seasons (the snow has melted so I can say this now), gorgeous views, oceans, lakes, mountains. I’m an outdoorsy girl who hates traffic. There’s nowhere else for me.

False Impressions, the third book in your McKay-Tucker Men series, is coming out at the end of June already! What can you tell us about it?

A mother isn’t supposed to have a favorite child (I do, but it depends on the day…it’s constantly changing), and an author isn’t supposed to have a favorite book, but since I’m new to all this, I can break the rules, right? Cole Tucker is my kind of guy. He’s a goof, a flirt, a family guy, but he’s hurting inside. He cracked me up so many times throughout the series, and I fell in love with him more and more with each book and each edit. He has a huge wake up call at the end of False Hope, and starts off in False Impressions in a pretty bad place. Then he meets Samantha Chase, a widow and single mom. So not his type. Yeah, right.

Tell me about these McKay-Tucker men! 

The three brothers are very different: In False Start Connor McKay is a retired NFL player, hurt by a gold digger, and surprised to fall in love again. Especially with a woman who detests athletes; In False Hope Mason Tucker is shy and insecure, and most content in front of his computer screen. He’s a protector, but doesn’t know it until Emma needs protecting; Cole Tucker steals our hearts in False Impressions with his humor and never taking life seriously approach, until single mom and widow Sam walks into his life. The women in the brothers’ lives compliment them and fulfill an emptiness none of them knew they had.

Some authors like to write certain types of characters, or they’re partial to specific themes or subjects. Although it’s still early in your career, do you think there are any signature features that make a Marianne Rice romance? 

An editor once told me, “You do men well.” Well, thank you very much! I love writing about family dynamics, especially from the men’s POV. I’ve always been comfortable hanging out with men, enjoying their humor, their flirting, their (limited) serious sides. I try to incorporate real drama into my light-hearted contemporary romances. In the McKay-Tucker Men series characters deal with rape, teenage pregnancy, diabetes, stalking, alcoholism, and death. Geesh. Sounds morbid, but these are issues that most people face in some way, shape or form, and I want to show how life can continue and be fulfilling—and fun—even when devastation hits.

What can we expect from you and the McKay-Tucker Men in the future? 

Sadly, False Impressions ends this series, but expect to see the Wilde Sister on your ereader by the end of this year, or early in 2016.

You're amazing! Where can we find out more about you and your books? 

All my books can be found on my Amazon author page here. I love connecting with readers and writers. You can find me on:

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/MarianneRiceaut
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/MarianneRice
Pinterest: https//www.pinterest.com/mariannericeaut
Twitter: https://twitter.com/mariannericeaut

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