Please Welcome Joya Fields and Garrett Ciavello

Good morning from frigid Western New York!
At last, winter has hit this part of the state. The wind chill factor is right down there and baby we are cold outside!!
Never fear, inside we are toasty warm, especially after meeting Garrett Ciavello from "Beneath the Surface". Remember--Joya is presenting a lot of prizes to several of those who leave a comment, so tell us who was President [of the US] the day you were born, what your day job is, and ask an original question. . .
So now, for for the guy who needs no further introduction . . .

Where are you from, Garrett? Thanks so much for inviting me to visit this great blog today. I’m from Flagler Beach, Florida.

What is Beneath the Surface about? This story takes place during a tough time in my life. My twenty-year-old cousin has been missing for two months and, although I’m a police officer, I’ve been unable to find any trace of her. I’m very protective of people around me. After her friends’ boat explodes, I meet Brooke Richards, an underwater archaeologist who is determined to find out who was trying to hurt her friends. The case might be tied my cousin’s disappearance, and Brooke offers to help.The problem is, my overprotective nature suffocates her. She is a below-the-knee amputee who is determined never to rely on anyone. I need to protect her, but she needs her independence. We clash a lot on this issue.

Kat: Wow! A heroine who's an amputee AND works under water. Takes some guts and a lot of strength to maneuver through water without all four limbs. A true heroine. I can certainly see why you would be over-protective.

What did you think the first time you saw Brooke? Her short blonde hair was spiked in all sorts of directions. I thought she was a punk rocker. Turns out, the saltwater and wind had styled her hair while she was trying to save her friend after the boat explosion.

What was your second thought? My second, third, then ongoing thoughts were that Brooke is a fighter. She’d been through a tough morning the day I met her, and she’s had some bad things happen in her life, but she offered to help me find the person responsible for the explosion.

Did you think it was love at first sight? It was definitely “like” at first sight, but love grew from it. The more I spent time with her, the more I needed to be with her. Do you know what I mean? Being with her made me want her more.

What do you like most about her? I love her smile and the way she steps in to help friends even if she risks her own safety. I’m not too happy about that last part, but there’s no stopping Brooke when she’s determined.

How would you describe her? Brooke is smart, determined, sensual, beautiful and unstoppable.

How would she describe you? That’s a tough one. She’d probably say I'm a control freak.

What made you choose police work as a profession? I've wanted to be a policeman ever since I was a kid. One of my dad’s friends was a policeman and he told the coolest stories.

What is your biggest fear? My biggest fear is that someone I care about will get hurt and there won’t be anything I can do to stop it.

How do you relax? I like to build things from wood. In the evening, I like to sit on the deck I built and relax by looking at my canal view. With Brooke by my side, of course.

Who is your favorite fictional character and why? Cool Hand Luke is my favorite fictional character. Even though he doesn’t make the smartest decisions, he stays true to who he is and is a daredevil.

What is the best piece of advice you ever received? I grew up hearing my mom say, “You can do anything you want to in life. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.” She lives by that rule, and I like to think I live by it, too. If someone tells me something is impossible, I see that as a challenge.

For author Joya: What movies or books have impacted your writing? Growing up, I loved the “Little House on the Prairie” series and “Little Women.” Those books intrigued me and probably planted the seed for my desire to write. Stephen King’s books have been the most recent impact on my writing.

Tell us a bit about your publisher. How did you hear about them? I heard about The Wild Rose Press through different writing loops I subscribe to.

What influenced your decision to submit to them? A few my writing friends got published with TWRP and had a good experience. That gave me confidence in the publisher to know others had used them with success.

Tell us a bit about the submission process. How long did it take from query to release? I submitted Beneath the Surface in October. About a month later, I received a “revise and resubmit” request. I resent the revised manuscript in February, and got a contract offer on April 11^th (yes, I remember the exact date ).

Thanks very much for having Garrett and me to visit your blog today, Kat! We appreciate the opportunity to connect with new people. Here’s a blurb from Beneath the Surface:

After surviving an earthquake that killed her parents and left her an amputee, Brooke Richards needs time to regroup. She heads to Florida for a state-of-the-art prosthesis and a visit with her best friend. When her friend is seriously injured in a boat explosion, and the police determine the blast was intentional, Brooke knows her expertise in underwater archeology can aid the investigation. She decides to stay.

After his fiancé is killed, Garrett Ciavello, A local policeman, becomes overprotective of everyone around him. His cousin is missing and he thinks it's his fault. When a boat explosion leads to a possible clue about his cousin's body, Garrett turns to Brooke for help, unwittingly putting her in harm's way.

She is fighting to be independent, he needs to protect those around him. In spite of their differences they are drawn to each other. They need to heal each other's wounds and find a killer...before it's too late.

To learn more about Joya and the stories she creates go to: http://www.joyafields.com/

Follow Joya on Twitter @joyafields

Purchase links for Beneath the Surface

Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Beneath-Surface-Joya-Fields/dp/1612170048/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1325702490&sr=8-2

The Wild Rose Press http://www.thewildrosepress.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=191&products_id=4738