EJ Shortall was born and raised in London, England where she currently still resides. Having worked in education for the better part of 12 years, EJ decided a change was needed and, following a moment of inspiration, she decided to put pen to paper and start writing her first novel, Silver Lining. Not content with just the one, she continued with book two and has many more ideas in the pipeline. She has always enjoyed reading, but found it was mostly just a holiday extravagance. Then she discovered a certain worldwide best seller, and that was it she was hooked. Reading quickly became an obsession and she couldn't devour books fast enough. The books on her shelves and reading device range from sweet, Young Adult romances, to smouldering erotic encounters. Aside from reading and writing, EJ also enjoys amateur photography, cake decorating and more recently - thanks to the skills she has picked up through creating teasers - graphic design. "I am on one amazing roller coaster ride at the moment, meeting new and wonderful people, discovering new music gems to integrate into my stories, and learning so many new skills. I can't wait to see where this journey takes me. I hope you jump on board and enjoy the ride with me." Genre: Contemporary romance Author of: Silver Lining (Silver series book one), Prepared To Fight: A MMA romance (Golden Oakes book one), Prepared To Fall (Golden Oakes book two) Website | Facebook | Twitter | Amazon Tell us a little about yourself.
I live in a town just outside of London, England. During my formative years, I enjoyed getting lost in the worlds of fictional characters and writing their tales. Sadly, as I begrudgingly had to accept growing up, real adult life got in the way of my fictional world and making up stories was forgotten. That all changed following a moment of inspiration in the shower in 2013. Deciding to put pen to paper to jot down the few words I had, but not expecting anything real to come from them, I quickly got caught up in my characters and the words started to flow. A few initial words soon turned into my first full-length novel. With the encouragement of friends and family, Silver Lining was published in February 2014. Now, several books later, it is safe to say I love this writing business. Getting lost in narrating the fictional worlds has become my passion, my escape from the real world. I write ‘captivating contemporary romantic fiction’ that I hope will draw you in and leave you wanting more. I’m on one amazing roller coaster ride at the moment and loving every minute of it. I have met so many new and wonderful people, discovered new music gems to integrate into my stories, and learned so many new skills. I cannot wait to see where this journey takes me. Are you an action, paranormal, or romance type of person? Definitely romance, although I do have a few paranormal romances on my Kindle. Tell us about your latest release. My latest release was Prepared To Fall (book two in the Golden Oakes series). The series is based around the gym/leisure corporation that is GO (Golden Oakes) owned and run by MMA hero Nathan Oakes, who you meet in book one, Prepared To Fight. Prepared To Fall follows the story of Adam and Cassie who we also meet in book one. Without adding any spoilers from book one, lets just say Adam and Cassie shared chemistry, but due to Adam’s hang-up’s a relationship wasn’t in the cards for them. Or was it? Cassie moved on to her kick-boxing coach and friend, Jay. She soon finds that Jay isn’t just a domineering force in the ring and has to make a decision, live a life that isn’t her or say goodbye. Could it be that easy? Meanwhile, Adam has noticed the change in Cassie’s usually bubbly and feisty character and he doesn’t like it. At all. Realising something has to change before Cassie becomes a mere shadow of her former self, Adam fights. Does he get through to Cassie, or does she fall into Jay’s web? I loved writing this book so much. At times it was difficulty because of nature of some of the content, but these characters took a firm hold on my heart and would not let go. It was also great to reconnect with Olivia and Nate from book one and see a little bit more of Wesley who will be our hero in book three. Do you have any upcoming releases in what’s left of 2016? Nope What can readers expect from you in 2017? I am working on a few different projects at the moment. I hope to have Prepared To Win (Golden Oakes book three) ready for release in early spring. I have resurrected a story I put aside over a year ago which I would like to have out in the summer and will continue working on a couple of secret projects that will be a different genre for me. I’m excited about them all. If you were stranded on a desert island with one of your characters, who would you pick and why? Nathan Oakes. He has it all; strength for creating our love nest… umm I mean shelter, he is smart, caring, funny, serious, and is gorgeous to top it off. He’s the full package. Do you have book boyfriend? If yes, who? I don’t have one in particular. I tend to fall for them all. Have your family ever read any of your work? What do they think about it? They are all guys; romance isn’t their thing. One of my hubby’s aunts has read each of my titles and boosted me up with her wonderful feedback. What’s the best reaction you’ve ever received over one of your books? I have a loyal fan base that love messaging me as they are reading. One such instance was with a blogger reading an ARC of Prepared To Fight. She kept messaging me with, “Noo… I want to hurt him,” and the, “he’s an idiot,” finally to “OMG, I LOVE him.” Her complete 180 had me laughing hard. What was your favourite book as a child? Sad as it sounds, I didn’t have one. I just loved reading. Who are your must-read/one-click authors? I don’t have any now. I will buy anyone’s book of if the blurb and cover grabs my attention. What book has made you laugh the most? Seduction & Snacks by Tara Sivec, or Wallbanger by Alice Clayton. It has been a while since I read them but I remember chuckling my way through each of them. Are any of your heroes based on real men in your life? So far, no, not really. Are any of the experiences in your books based on events that have happened to you/someone you know? To a certain extent, yes. Many of the situations in Silver Lining and Silver Dove were based on my own experiences, including a very real, very heart-breaking battle with infertility. Typing up many of my own deepest feelings, regrets, and painful memories was kind of therapeutic. It helped me purge so much that I had buried deep inside me. Following that release I had a lot of messages from people who had also suffered as Amber had done; they understood, could empathise. Knowing my words had helped even one person meant a great deal to me. Child loss and infertility can be a very lonely place, a place that you feel so alone, where nobody understands. I only hope that my words also help others get a glimpse of how it feels. What is your drink of choice while writing? Coffee, lots and lots of coffee. What is your favourite writing snack? Sweet and Salted popcorn, Jaffa cakes or Rowntrees Randoms sweets. Do you have any pets? One cat, a black moggy. She is my baby and is spoiled rotten. She definitely rules the roost. If you could have any superpower, what would it be? Teleportation. I would love to be able to teleport from a dull rainy London day to a sunny beach somewhere at the click of my fingers. What is your favourite season? Summer, although I do love Christmas (just not the depressing months afterward before it starts warming up and the sun comes out again). I love the freeing feeling that summer brings, open windows, breeze blowing, sun on my skin. Nothing beats it. Do you prefer night or day? It depends on the time of year. It has to be day in the summer months. But in winter, I love curling up at night with a good book. Are you a morning person? Sort of. I’m not the type to jump out of bed at an ungodly hour and am raring to go. I’m also not the type to sleep in late. I just can’t do it. My body is trained to wake at 6am and will not let me sleep much beyond that. Unfortunately. Cowboys, fighters, mafia men, billionaires, or soldiers? If we are talking book hero’s, of you list it would have to be a toss-up between cowboys and fighters. My one true book love has to be rock stars though. I can’t get enough of them. What book are you reading now? Speaking of rock stars, I’ve just started reading the Stage Dive series by Kylie Scott AGAIN. I love those guys so much. For those who are new to your work, which book would you recommend starting with? Prepared To Fight, if you are into MMA fighters.
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