Review Wednesday – Thailand with the Tycoon **Bonus Author Interview**

Thailand with the Tycoon is set mainly in Thailand, but begins and ends in beautiful British Columbia, which is a real treat for this Canadian author…

Malee Wattana, is a Thai-born, UK raised woman torn between two cultures, want for a family of her own, and her perceived responsibility to keep her extended family financially afloat. Adept in multiple languages, she’s the perfect translator to aid the purchase/sale negotiation of the run-down resort near her grandparent’s modest Thai village. Potential employment opportunities at the resort would benefit everyone in the community, not just Malee’s mother who’s an expert chef living and working in the UK because there’s no well-paid chef positions in or near the tiny village where she grew up. No pressure. Until Malee meets the rich and rugged Canadian she’s supposed to translate for, not fall in love with…

Caleb Doyle is a busy—and very wealthy—executive solely responsible for the company he built, and following his brother’s heart attack, important negotiations on behalf of the family business started by his father. Caleb not only craves, but needs adventure and freedom to keep him sane. Getting trapped at remote, run-down resort in the Thai jungle isn’t exactly what he had in mind, but his sexy and exotic companion has him re-thinking a lot of things, the least of which is his status as a bachelor…

Stranded together in the run-down resort chaperoned only by an elephant named Steve, Malee and Caleb begin to tear down the walls erected by personal and social expectation, childhood trauma, and fear, on their way to adventuresome and liberating love, and a heart-warming happy ever after.

***

I really enjoyed this book. Unlike some of my other recent reads, it’s fast-paced and for the most-part, light-hearted and fun. But also touching and heartfelt. I enjoyed it so much, I immediately pre-ordered Alexia’s next book, Bali with the Billionaire (out in June), and asked Alexia if she would consent to an interview. She said yes, so I am thrilled and grateful to share with you more about this amazing and strong woman. See Below!


Interview with Alexia Adams

Photo provided by Alexia Adams

Dear readers I’m delighted Alexia Adams agreed to be interviewed, because I really want for you all to meet this wonderful woman and author. Please, read on!


Who is Alexia Adams? 

Alexia Adams is a writer of contemporary romance stories who lives near Vancouver, BC with her husband and four children. She used to travel the world, seeking out adventure, but now lives vicariously through the characters she creates. In reality, I’m a woman who despises housework and makes lunches for far too many people. I grab every chance I can to escape into the storyline of a good book.

Alexia, can you share with my readers about what you write?

I write “category” length (around 200 pages) contemporary romance, most often featuring characters from diverse cultures or backgrounds. 

When did you first know you were a writer? When did you decide to act on that knowledge and begin writing your first novel?

For as long as I can remember, I’ve told stories to myself in my head when I was bored or stressed. Often those stories took weeks or months to unfold. It wasn’t, however, until after the birth of my fourth child and I was looking for something that would keep my mind active while changing diapers and making those dratted lunches, that I actually sat at a computer to put one of these stories down in writing. Once one story was down, others wanted to follow so took online courses and joined a writers’ group to hone my skills. But it wasn’t until I actually finished my second book that I thought, “Hey, I’m a writer.” So what started as a sanity-saving hobby turned into a so-far fifteen book career.

Can you tell us about that first novel? What inspired it, and did you go on to publish it?

The first book I wrote started life as Italian Renaissance and eventually ended up being published as An Inconvenient Love. It’s a Cinderella story where a disillusioned woman who is tired of struggling to make ends meet marries an Italian property developer who wants a marriage of convenience so he can further his business. Although it was my first book written, it was my third book published, but still one of my favourites. My children were all very young when I wrote it so I was undoubtedly inspired by all the Disney princess stories my little girls loved to listen to. After all, even grown women dream of being swept off their feet by a handsome Italian and take from a boring 9-5 job to live in luxury in a Tuscan villa.

Would you mind sharing with us a little about your publishing journey to this stage of your career? Highlights and low-lights?

I wrote five or six complete stories before I started submitting them to publishers. Shortly after I started writing I was diagnosed with breast cancer. While I continued to write, I didn’t want the negativity in my life that would come with rejection, so I just wrote, took courses, and practiced my craft. After my cancer was conquered, I then started submitting. My first publishing contract was for Singapore Fling and about a month following that I was offered a two-book deal with Entangled Publishing for what became Played by the Billionaire and His Billion-Dollar Dilemma.

Highlights of my career have been seeing one of my books (His Billion-Dollar Dilemma) hit number 1 in series romance on the US Amazon store and getting some great reviews on my stories. Lowlights have been when one of my publishers, Crimson Romance closed. Crimson was a champion of diverse books and they loved quirky stories that other publishers turned away.

Of all the books you’ve written, which is your favourite? What makes it special?

Oh, that’s like asking which is my favourite child. Can I choose three? An Inconvenient Love is probably my favorite storyline because I basically rewrote that book in two weeks following feedback from an editor. It has so much more depth now and one scene still makes me tear up when I think about it. My favorite heroine is Rania from The Greek’s Stowaway Bride. She was unstoppable and just took off with my imagination and the story. My favorite couple is Harrison and Jade in my upcoming release Bali with the Billionaire. They both come to the story with heavy baggage and through their interactions help each other heal old wounds and find a love to last a lifetime.

What do you find is your biggest challenge as a writer?

My biggest challenge is marketing. It takes an entirely different skill-set, one I haven’t mastered yet.

And your greatest desire as a writer?

My greatest desire is to continue to write stories that resonate with readers, take them away from the mundane and give them a taste of something different. When they put down the book at the end, I want them to think, “That was time well-spent.”

Do you have any special talents or skills, or knowledge that you think helps your writing, or lends authenticity to your stories?

I love languages and have a bit of a knack with them. When I write a book, I try to incorporate a few words or expressions from the language native to the setting to give my story authenticity. Can my special talent be that I can swear in five languages? Or greet people in ten different tongues?

It can be anything you want it to be! *lol*

You’ve been a professional writer for a number of years now, but harking back to the beginning, if you could share one piece of advice with writers starting out on the incredible journey that is writing, what would it be?

My advice would be to write the stories you want to read. Because if you’re not in love with your book, readers won’t be either. 

So, true. So, true. Speaking of in love with your book… What are you working on now?

I’m working on edits for the fourth book in my Vintage Love series and writing two other projects, one set in Tunisia and one where the plane carrying my couple has just crash landed in Gander, Newfoundland.

Wow. Very busy. And exciting! Tunisia and Gander, Newfoundland, Thailand, Bali… So many interesting and exotic places for readers to travel vicariously through your books. To do that, they need to know where to find you and your books. Where can readers go right now to connect with you, or buy your books?

I’m active on Facebook
(https://www.facebook.com/AlexiaAdamsAuthor/)

and Twitter
(https://twitter.com/AlexiaAdamsAuth).

And you can read first chapters of all my books, and learn about places where I’ve set my stories or always dreamed of visiting, on my website:

https://alexia-adams.com

My books are available online at Amazon, Apple, Kobo and Barnes & Noble. Or you can always ask your library to purchase a copy if you’re reading habit outstrips your book budget, as mine often does.

Yes! Libraries are a fabulous way for the budget conscious to indulge their reading pleasures. So many books, so little time… Speaking of time, that wraps up our interview for today. 

Thank you so much Alexia for joining me, and for being so generous with your time and in sharing about yourself. It was a real pleasure. Truly.

Thank you for hosting me today, Deb. It’s been wonderful chatting with you.

***
So that’s it Dear Ones. Thank you all for welcoming Alexia into your homes today. I hope you’ll take a moment to visit her website and maybe add to your reading pleasure with one, or all, of her published titles. Her next book, Bali with the Billionaire, due out in June, is available on pre-order now!

Learn more about Alexia here: https://alexia-adams.com/


Check out Alexia’s upcoming release, Bali with the Billionaire

She’s protecting her heart. He’s numbing his pain. Will a tropical fling change their future forever?

Bali with the Billionaire (Love in Translation Book 2) by [Adams, Alexia]

Harrison Mackenzie refuses to make the same mistake again. Over a decade since the death of his high school sweetheart and their infant, he’s locked his passion away to focus on work. But when a captivating woman without boundaries crashes through the billionaire’s broken heart, Harrison wonders if he’s worth a second chance after all…

Jade Irvine is done with lying, cheating men. But that doesn’t keep the Indonesian translator from the occasional no-strings-attached romp, especially with her handsome temporary employer. Surrounded by the beauty of Bali and fighting to open his spirit, she never expected that she’d fall so hard.

Struggling with intense emotions, Harrison and Jade try to keep things strictly physical until a shocking revelation forces the past and the present to collide.

Will a lovestruck couple break their own rules for a shot at true love?

Bali with the Billionaire is the second book in the irresistible Love in Translation contemporary romance series. If you like sizzling chemistry, fated destinies, and roller-coaster emotions, then you’ll love Alexia Adams’ second chance novel.


Deborah

There is a potential heroine in every woman.

~Jean Shinoda Bolen

Permanent link to this article: https://www.deborahsmall.com/review-wednesday-thailand-with-the-tycoon-bonus-author-interview/

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