Blurb:
That guy—the one that most girls would run away from—captured Kara’s attention and wouldn’t let it go. As expected, he turned out to be a player. So she cut him off.
But he wasn’t done with her yet. He waited until the memory of their start would have been forgotten—at least, softened a bit. Then he returned to her life, and captured her heart.
Finally blissfully happy, they fall in love and decide to make it official…until his past catches up with him and he destroys her again. But this is it…this is the last time she’ll fall for him.
And she keeps telling herself that until she almost believes it.
This book is for mature audiences.
Note from Author:
The book, Flawed, is not erotica, but does include some steamy scenes, and contains adult situations (curse words, drinking alcohol, etc).
Excerpt:
Chapter 9
A few minutes later, I heard the door open again.
“That was quick,” I said while shuffling cards, not paying attention to Anna’s return. But it wasn’t Anna. It was Naheed…he walked around the corner, and leaned next to me, putting a hand on the back of my chair.
“You forgot your drink,” he said, setting the drink down in front of me while keeping his hand on the back of my chair, essentially enclosing me in his arms.
“Thank you.” I felt the heat emanating from him and I know my face was bright red. I couldn’t breathe. Butterflies were storming around my stomach.
“You’re welcome. Aren’t you going to even say hello? You’re acting like I’m a stranger.”
“Hello,” I said. I haven’t even looked at him yet. I was avoiding that like the plague. I knew our eyes would lock, just like they used to…and I can’t let this get out of hand.
“So, you’re engaged to Dominik. Why him?”
A slight fit of anger made me look up to Naheed; he’s still standing incredibly close to me.
“Why do you care?”
“Because…he’s not the one for you.”
“Ah, how ironic. That’s what my friends said about you.”
“Yeah, I remember.”
“And you still have a girlfriend…so, I guess things ended up the way they were supposed to.”
I got to him; he looked pissed. He was quiet for a minute…then sat in the chair next to me.
“Kara, I’m with her because you walked away. YOU WALKED AWAY from us,” he said loudly.
“What did you expect me to do?”
Vivian, thanks so much for stopping by. Tell us a little about yourself.
I was born and raised in the Washington, DC metro area with a couple attempts to live in Los Angeles (but neither time lasted more than a year). I have a bachelor’s and an MBA from American University in Washington, DC and am an Information Technology consultant fulltime. –not exactly the fulltime job you’d think an author has.
I am married with no kids and still live in the Washington, DC area. Writing romance novels is my hobby that I do in my spare time…and I love it!! Much of what I write about—restaurants, bars, and activities—I go to often…and most of the stories are based on true life events.
How did you get started writing?
I love to read romance novels and one day I thought I’d just write my own. It was literally that simple. I started to write a story based on true events, and continued to refine it. Initially, I wrote it for myself, but then I wanted to share it with friends and family. And when I started writing the second part of Kara’s story, I decided to officially become a part-time writer.
What was the inspiration for your book?
True life!! My late teens and twenties were quite social; I spent no more than one day a week at home, on my own, for a couple of decades. All of my friends back then were fabulous, and we all experienced so much. I held all of this in my mind until something triggered some memories…I can’t remember what that was now, but it was inspirational enough to make me put my memories in writing…and Flawed was created.
What’s a genre you haven’t written in yet that you’d like to?
I’ve never written anything in the fantasy genre, but I’d love to! I read fantasy novels all the time (you know, the usual vampire and witch type of romance books). I have to admit: the reason I haven’t written anything in that genre is because I’m just not that creative. I can’t come up with something new! I’m not giving up hope…maybe one day, I will write a fantasy story.
Are there any genres you won’t read or write in? Why?
I’m not a big fan of time-period novels, or Westerns. There’s no real reason for this, I just can’t relate.
What are you up to now? Do you have any releases planned, or are you still writing?
Yes! I’m slowly starting to write the sixth book in the Young and Privileged of Washington, DC series. The sixth book will complete Ava’s story, which started in book 4. All of the books can be read alone, but it’s always best to read part one before the others.
Aside from book 6 in the series, I’ve written a couple of screenplays in the past, and am thinking of a couple of new ones to write. I’d love to write a comedy screenplay and a horror story one; I have the core ideas for both in my head, I just need to flesh out the stories and get started.
Alright, now for some random, fun questions. Favorite color?
Black. Black has always been my favorite color. No, I’m not Goth or anything…I just love the color black.
Favorite movie?
This one depends on my mood, but my all time favorite movie is The Princess Bride. Other current favorites are Hanna, Twilight, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, and Devdas (a classic Bollywood movie).
Book that inspired you to become an author?
It wasn’t a book that inspired me to write; it was just the urge to get my stories on paper. For later books (#3 and #4), songs inspired those. Book 3, Let Go, was created based on a girl I met in a bar, and the song “Laura” by Bat for Lashes. Book 4, Girls Like Me, was conceived because of the song “Girls Like You” by The Naked and Famous.
You have one superpower. What is it?
Oh wow, this is a tough one! I think my superpower would be to read minds. It would be so cool to know what people are truly thinking. I have no idea what I’d do with that information, but it would be fun to have this as a superpower. I’d find a way to use it to protect the innocent!
You can have dinner with any 3 people, dead, alive, fictitious, etc. Who are they?
1. Arnošt Lustig. He was a professor of mine in undergrad, and he was a Czech writer. This man was brilliant, and so inspiring. I would love to have more time with him, to tell him that I’m now writing novels and get his advice.
2. Albert Einstein. OK, this sounds cliché, but my reason for wanting to dine with him is specific. I’ve always assumed he was exhilarated when his work resulted in the nuclear bomb—it was a scientific achievement of immense proportions. But was he more exhilarated or horrified? Did he know the impact it would make? And how did he feel after the bombs were dropped in Japan?
3. Oprah. I don’t watch her show, but think she’s an amazing businesswoman. I’d love to pick her brain about how I can better market my books—my biggest weakness—and other avenues I can take my writing.
Last question: Which of your characters are you most like and how/why?
Kara from Flawed and Found. She loves to go out with her friends, but is pretty shy and introverted. That’s so like me! Oh, and it helps to note that it was my story that inspired Flawed, so I wrote it from her/my point of view. This is a little-known secret, so ssshhhh. ;-)
That’s all from me, thanks for taking the time to stop by!
No, thank YOU! It was a pleasure.
Don’t forget to visit the other stops on the tour.
Author Bio and Links:
Vivian Kohlman writes romance novels based on stories of love and loss under the backdrop of Washington, DC. She grew up in Maryland just outside DC, but lived in Los Angeles on and off in her 20's before returning to the Washington, DC area to live out her adult life.
Vivian attended a private university in Washington, DC for undergraduate and graduate school, and lived a very active social life. During her teens and twenties she and her friends lived through a lot of ups and downs—these experiences have fed the stories of this series.
Currently, she loves to travel with her husband and reads or writes romance novels as often as she can. When she’s not writing, she works a fulltime job and enjoys all of the bars, restaurants, and other hot spots of the nation’s capital. Born and raised in the DC metro area, she adores the culture of the city and is passionate about highlighting the city's attributes, lifestyles, and norms—not including politics.
Buy Links:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B013M8PJDE Flawed, Book 1 of the Y&P series (Kara’s story, part 1)
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01801MRO2 Found, Book 2 of the Y&P series (Kara’s story, part 2)
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01GUDGQGW Let Go, Book 3 of the Y&P series (Billi’s story)
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B074ZN48CD Girls Like Me, Book 4 of the Y&P series (Ava’s story, part 1)
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07C1C5WSX Guys Like You, Book 5 of the Y&P series (Ava’s story, part 2)
Thanks for hosting!
ReplyDeleteSounds good
ReplyDeleteSounds like a good book.
ReplyDeleteGreat post - sounds like a book I'll enjoy reading!
ReplyDeleteFabulous post! I really enjoyed reading the interview!
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