Welcome to the blog tour for K.A. Tucker and
Four Seconds to Lose!! One of my absolute favorite books this year is now available and I have my review PLUS AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW with the wonderfully lovely K.A. Tucker!!
But first, let me tell you about the book:
Four Seconds to Lose by K.A. Tucker
Genre: New Adult Contemporary
Publication Date: November 4th, 2013
Owning a strip club isn’t the fantasy most guys expect it to be. With long hours, a staff with enough issues to keep a psych ward in business, and the police regularly on his case, twenty-nine year old Cain is starting to second guess his unspoken mission to save the women he employs. And then blond, brown-eyed Charlie Rourke walks through his door, and things get really complicated. Cain abides by a strict “no sleeping with the staff” rule. But being around Charlie challenges Cain’s self-control…and it’s been a long time since any woman has done that.
Twenty-two-year old Charlie Rourke needs a lot of money, really fast, in order to vanish before it’s too late. Taking her clothes off for men makes her stomach curl but Charlie tells herself that at least she’s putting her acting and dancing skills to good use. And though her fellow dancers seem eager to nab their sexy, sophisticated, and genuinely caring boss, she’s not interested. After all, Charlie Rourke doesn’t really exist—and the girl pretending to be her doesn’t need to complicate her life with romance.
Unfortunately, Charlie soon discovers that developing feelings for Cain is inevitable, that those feelings may not be unrequited—but losing him when he finds out what she’s involved with will be more painful than any other sentence awaiting her.
* * * * * * * An Interview with K.A. Tucker * * * * * *
Hi lovely readers! In sitting here today with the absolutely wonderful K.A. Tucker, the author of one of my favorite series EVER! She wrote Ten Tiny Breaths, recently released in paperback, One Tiny Lie, and the newly released, Four Seconds to Lose!
Welcome Kathleen! Here, have some fudge...
I’m fresh out so I’ll take it!
I'm not going to ask which book or character was your favorite to write, because I know for authors it's like asking which is your favorite child (which you probably have but can't admit to! haha). So, instead...which character and which novel was your most challenging to write and why?
FOUR SECONDS TO LOSE was by far the most challenging to write. Both Charlie and Cain tested my skill. I honestly didn’t think I would be able to get them right. Cain is an intense character with an unpleasant past and a heart of gold. He’s trying to lead an honest, respectable life but… he owns a strip club. He helps women make money selling their bodies. He battles with a degree of self-loathing, both for past sins and current decisions. Charlie is the oddest character I’ve ever read/written before. Her situation, her personality… everything. It was difficult making her feel like a three-dimensional character and not wooden, given her traits. Plus the intimate scenes damn near killed me to write.
Do you plot out your stories or do you just let them form naturally as you write?
I have done everything from plot to just write. I did outline FSTL because the plot it very complicated. Did it change? Absolutely. I can never stick to an outline. When characters begin coming to life on the page (or screen) is when I find the story begins to form.
Did you set out deliberately to write your first New Adult novel with Ten Tiny Breaths or did the idea just come to you?
The idea just hit me and I had to write it. I was finishing the third book in my YA Fantasy series and ready for a creative break from the fantastical. When I wrote TTB, I didn’t intend to write three more books in the series because I didn’t want to get locked into writing another typical series. The great thing about this one is that each book is its own complete standalone story.
Describe your average day.
I drag myself out of bed (usually with children screaming), grab breakfast and my coffee, sit down in front of my computer to check/respond to email, FB messages, posts, etc., and then start writing. That’s the ideal day, anyway. Sometimes I’m driving my kids to and from school. Sometimes I’m doing all the other things involved with publishing that keeps me from writing. I really need an assistant…
If you weren't an author, what do you think you would be doing instead?
Ha! I’d still be living my other life as a sales professional (the one I left last February). I consider myself very lucky to be doing something that I truly love.
That's amazing! And it was not so long ago either! I'm glad for your change in profession...
If you were hanging out with any three of your characters, which would you choose and what would you do to entertain yourselves? Haha.. a trip to Penny's, perhaps?
I spent too much time at Penny’s while writing FSTL. I need a break… LOL. I’m not sure if this answer is because I’m currently writing the last book in the series but I’d have to choose Ben, Reese (new character), and Kacey. I know I’d be laughing constantly and I love to laugh. Where? I don’t think it would matter where I was but I’ll pick Storm and Dan’s beach house because I get to see everyone then.
Do you give extra personality quirks or back stories to your characters that don't necessarily make it onto the page? If so, can you tell us a few little things that we might not learn about in your books?
Everything that makes the character who he or she is makes it onto the page. Whether it’s in one line or a paragraph, it’s always there. I like to make sure my readers see these characters in the way that I see them (no secrets).
Did you know that you would want to feature certain Ten Tiny Breaths characters in their own books ahead of time? if not, when did their “main character qualities” reveal themselves to you?
Absolutely not. No clue. Not one. I mean, I loved every single one of them and I’m a big believer that strong characters will make or break your story but it wasn’t until I realized how much the characters resonated with readers that I realized they could actually hold their own in a book. I had decided that I was going to do Livie’s book shortly after TTB was self-published. When I began speaking with Atria Books about publishing a series and they asked me which characters I could see myself writing, Cain and Ben appealed to me. I’ve had many people ask me about writing a book for Storm but I don’t see myself doing it. I see her as the constant for all of the other characters. She had her rough start but she’s got everything working for her now, with the marriage, Mia, and the coming baby. To throw strife into her life now feels like killing off someone’s mother. I don’t want to do that.
The two main characters of your latest book, Four Seconds to Lose are pretty mysterious to us fans. In 5 words or less, give us a description of Cain. And then of Charlie?
Cain = intense, conflicted, passionate, impatient, dependable
Charlie = deceptive, clever, determined, vulnerable, manipulated
What’s one of your favorite things about Four Seconds to Lose? (Something you experienced while writing, a great scene, a random little aspect of your characters?)
For me, this book is all about high stakes. It’s very much about winning or losing everything and, as a reader who takes this journey with Charlie and slowly discovers just how impossible her situation seems, you’re basically just waiting for the impending explosion, wondering how Cain is going to handle it.
So, you're in the midst of writing the last novel of the series. Though the books are stand alones, there are interconnecting characters. Are you sure you don't just want to stay in this world forever? *I'd* certainly read them! Haha, but really, how did you decide it was time?
I’ve had people ask me to write a book for Reagan (Livie’s roommate from ONE TINY LIE). I’ve also thought about writing a book for Dana (Ashton’s ex, also ONE TINY LIE). As much as I could see fun stories coming from them, I definitely need to dive into a new world after this.
Well, if you decide to come back to this world, I'll be the first in line to read it! But the same can be said for whatever you start on next.
Ok, time for some little random tidbits about you.
What's something interesting that we wouldn't know or guess about you?
This is my standard answer (because there’s not much interesting about me) but I was in a tornado when I was six years old. Needless to say, I have a very strong dislike for storms.
Anything you're particularly afraid of?
See point one above. Add sharks to that. And goats running loose. If they’re in a pen, they’re fine (though their eyes are still freaky).
Oh dear, I hope you haven't seen Sharknado!
Celebrity crush?
I’m still on a Charlie Hunnam kick (I heart Sons of Anarchy)
Biggest pet peeve?
Being woken up. I’d say it’s more of a pet peeve though. It’s a public safety hazard.
Your go to comfort food?
Licorice
You just won the lottery. What's the first purchase you make?
My mortgage (yeah, I’m practical)
One of your favorite books growing up?
Anne of Green Gables
The last book you read & would recommend?
I’ll say series. Karina Halle’s The Artists Trilogy. Fantastic, witty, creative, and super edgy
Okay Kathleen! That's it! Thank you so much for visiting with me today!! I wish I could keep you forever, but alas, I do really need Ben's book. ;)
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR HAVING ME HERE TODAY! <------------ see that? Shouty caps :D
(I *heart* her so much)
And now for my review:
Review:
"I believe you don't have years, or months, or weeks to impact a person's life.
You have seconds.
Seconds to win them over,
And seconds to lose them." - CAIN
K.A. Tucker has amazed me yet again with her unique, riveting and breathtaking storytelling. There is not a wasted or misplaced word and her abilities extend past skillful writing into an art form in and of itself.
Four Seconds to Lose is a perfect fit to this series of interlocking novels, but has notably pushed farther than the first two installments to portray a gritty and intense exploration of second chances. Each novel is vastly different from one another and each explores very different characters, yet, all share the common thread of captivating storylines, palpable chemistry between characters, and a beating heart that stays with you long after the last page.
We first met the mysterious club owner Cain in Ten Tiny Breaths Cain is beautiful and tortured and almost saint like. But he's not untouchable. He treads a fine line between being too good to be true and deliciously bad.
Charlie is intriguing, brave, and oh so heartbreaking. Her story is one that I had never read before and was so captivating at every turn that I could not, would not put the book down. I fell in love with her just as much as I did with Cain.
Four Seconds to Lose explores a world that is anything but black and white and instead embraces all of the nuanced shades of grey. K.A. Tucker has created a beautiful and emotionally complex novel that is definitively one of my absolute favorites of the year. If you haven't had the pleasure of experiencing her novels, you are truly missing out. While each of the novels can be read as a standalone, they are all so fantastic, why would you want to only read one?
Rating: 
About the Author:
Born in small-town Ontario, Kathleen published her first book at the age of six with the help of her elementary school librarian and a box of crayons.
She is a voracious reader and the farthest thing from a genre-snob, loving everything from High Fantasy to Chick Lit.
Kathleen currently resides in a quaint small town outside of Toronto with her husband, two beautiful girls, and an exhausting brood of four-legged creatures.
And now for the giveaway!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
If you HAVEN'T discovered this series yet, what are you waiting for?!? To learn more, check out
my Review for Ten Tiny Breaths HERE and then
my Review for One Tiny Lie Here
This blog tour is brought to you by the FAB:
all the best, dear readers!
Needing Her by Molly McAdams
