Power Play: An Interview and Giveaway with Author Avon Gale

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Lisa: Please help us give a warm welcome to author Avon Gale today, on the tour for the third book in her Scoring Chances series, Power Play.

We’re so pleased to have you here hanging out with us today, Avon, so let’s just jump right into the thick of it. Tell us what inspired you to write your first book.

Avon: I was working in a miserable job with a boss I hated (though I did not end up as happy in the end as my MC, Avery, did in the book), and so I wanted to write an office romance with some conflict in it. I love a good enemies-to-lovers story! I had been in Montreal the summer before I wrote the book, and I remember seeing some really cool modern architecture and that made me want to set it in an architecture firm.

Lisa: What would you say is your favorite thing about building your own world?

Avon: One thing I really love about writing hockey and sports romances is that I get to decide who wins! Watching playoff hockey reminds me of how much less stress there is in my life when I decide the ultimate outcome of the games. The Scoring Chances books each take place during a season, and sometimes I’m surprised by the outcome but at least it’s under my control. I have no such assurances when it comes to actually hockey, and it makes me a nervous wreck!

Lisa: Would you say you have a specific writing style?

Avon: I think so – I tend to write character-driven stuff that focuses a lot on dialogue. I like people and I like to talk, so that’s probably why, hah!

Lisa: Who are some of the authors that influenced you to write?

Avon: It’s more of a genre—I started reading romance when I was 13, and I haven’t stopped since. I’m not even that romantic of a person, but the idea of people finding joy in each other despite their differences just stuck with me. I really loved Jayne Anne Krentz and she always had such fun, quirky characters in her novels. In the mid-90’s I read so many authors that it’s hard to remember, but that era of romance sticks out in my mind as an influence, definitely.

Lisa: What are some jobs you’ve held? Have any of them impacted your writing? How?

Avon: I’ve had quite a few jobs, haha! I initially was in college to be a history professor and studied ancient Spartan military history (yes, really). I hated Academia and went out into the “real world”, where I ended up working in development and fundraising for about ten years. I’m naturally very extroverted so that was a good fit for me, and I liked it for the most part until my last job at a public radio station turned into a toxic nightmare. (That’s dramatic, but I’m a writer. Also, it really was toxic.) I went to beauty school at 36, and when I finished I expected to be growing my career as a stylist. I also happened to publish my first book at the time, and it came down to my having to choose between writing and hair styling. It was a hard choice because I’d left a career to pursue one thing and ended up doing…something else. But I’ve always loved writing more than anything. In a way, I think having been willing to try new things has given me the confidence to push myself into new directions with my writing. Also, I spent a lot of time at said toxic! job writing in my office when I was supposed to be working, and finished both Let the Wrong Light In and Breakaway when I was there! The fundraising and outreach stuff helped me out a lot with the promoting side of being an author, definitely.

Lisa: Thanks so much for dropping in to chat, Avon. Tell us where we can find you on the internet.

Avon: Facebook || Facebook Author Page || Twitter @avongalewrites || Pinterest || Join my mailing list

About the Book

Series: Scoring Chances: Book Three
Standalone: Yes
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Length: 240 Pages
Categories: Bisexual Romance, Contemporary Romance
Cover Artist: Aaron Anderson
Blurb: A freak accident during the Stanley Cup Playoffs put an end to Max Ashford’s hockey career. Despite everything, Max gets back into the game he loves—only this time, behind the bench as an assistant coach of the Spartanburg Spitfires, the worst team in the entire league. But nothing prepares him for the shock when he learns the new head coach is Misha Samarin, the man who caused Max’s accident.

After spending guilt-ridden years for his part in Max’s accident, Russian native Misha Samarin has no idea what to do when he’s confronted with Max’s presence. Max’s optimism plays havoc with Misha’s equilibrium—as does the fierce attraction that springs up between them.

Not only must they navigate Misha’s remorse and a past he’s spent a lifetime to forget, but also a sleazy GM determined to use their history as a marketing hook. But when an unwelcome visitor targets the team, Misha revisits his darkest days, which might cost him and Max the beginning they’ve worked so hard to build.

Buy Links: Dreamspinner Press || Amazon || All Romance eBooks || Barnes & Noble || iBooks

About the Author

Avon Gale was once the mayor on Foursquare of Jazzercise and Lollicup, which should tell you all you need to know about her as a person. She likes road trips, rock concerts, drinking Kentucky bourbon and yelling at hockey. She’s a displaced southerner living in a liberal midwestern college town, and when she’s not writing you can find her at the salon, making her clients look and feel fabulous. She never gets tired of people and their stories — either real or the ones she makes up in her head.