Keeping Secrets by Kiru Taye

First off,

KA-POW!

Is that not a smoking hot cover?

Yup. Yes. Affirmative.

Well then, let me tell you, Kiru Taye did justice to this smoking hot cover, 'cos the book was also *cough cough* smoking hot.

Oh boy! She did not pull her punches, and just in case you think it's all about...hotness and hot people doing hot things to each other, it's not. It's about Ebony and Felix who have just gotten married, but not for love, nope, for business. He needs to get the board of his family's financial empire off his back, and she needs to get past the scandal and shame of a broken engagement. Unfortunately, Felix gets into a car accident ON THEIR WEDDING NIGHT, after a big fight with his bride and when he wakes up from his coma, six months later, he doesn't remember her, he doesn't remember being married but he likes what he sees and wants to have a real marriage with his wife.

Ghen Ghen!

What does his wife have to say about this? Read the book and find out. For now, say hello to Kiru Taye.

Who is Kiru Taye?
Thank you for having me on your blog, Timendu. So who am I?
Well, I'm an author of multicultural romances, entrepreneur of a small run-from-home business, wife to a generous man, mother to 3 wonderful kids, sister to 4 sometimes hilarious siblings, daughter to 2 patient parents and hopefully friend to a few beautiful souls. Okay, I ran out of labels. LOL

Why do you write?I write because there are characters in my head whose stories need to be told. If I don't write their stories they'll drive me mad. It's a compulsion. LOL.
 
When did you start writing?
I have to confess I'm new to writing. I wrote my first full-length story in 2010. In contrast, I've been reading all my life, so I guess I've been preparing to be a writer all my life. J

Why romance?
The simple answer is because I love romance novels. It's a love affair that started when I was a teenager and read my first Mills and Boon. J　

Why steamy romance?
I'm an adult. I write for adults. I enjoy steamy stories. So I write steamy stories. J Sex is a part of everyday adult life. As adults, we should embrace it and not be embarrassed by it. So why not?

When you started this, did you ever think, I'm going to be The Queen of Nigerian Erotica?Hahahaha...Queen of Nigerian Erotica. I love it. But where is my crown, and when was the coronation? LOL. Seriously though, when I started writing I was just hoping Nigerian/African women would learn to embrace their sexuality and enjoy their interactions with their partners. My message was simple—sex can be pleasurable and not just functional with the right, attentive partner. If this makes me the Queen of Nigerian Erotica, then I'll gladly accept the crown. J

Was it always romance or did you start in another genre?
I love reading romance novels but I read other genres too. With writing, for now, I'm only writing romances. One day I will write other genres, perhaps an epic fantasy or thriller, under a different pen name.

Why swing between sub-genres: historical, contemporary, and paranormal?
I think by the time I'm done, I'll probably have a story under every romance sub-category there is. LOL.
I really have no control over which eras the characters belong to. They simple make an appearance in my mind and I start writing their stories. As I said earlier, my writing is a compulsion driven by the characters. The plots unravel as I write them.

So far, you've published 10 books and contributed to 2 anthologies, what's the journey been like?
So far, so good. I've been very privileged to work with some wonderful authors, editors and publishers in my journey so far. I'm grateful to God for giving me the opportunities I've had.
Did you have help along the way - writing coach, mentors?
Yes, I've had great help from members of my writing groups, The Nuthouse Scribblers and also Romance Writers of West Africa.
Also, my editors have been Godsend. They have taught me so much.

What's the best piece of advice you received as a writer?Read widely – If you want to be a great author, you have to learn to read. Personally, I can't understand how anyone can call themselves a writer if they don't read.

What advice would you give to new writers?Don't take criticism to heart. Learn from it. Revise. Revise. Revise.

If you could do it over, what would you do differently?I don't have any regrets. So I won't change anything from my past.

What's your writing ritual?I don't have a writing routine as such. But here is what I do sometimes.
In the mornings, do the school run. Settle the baby. Write for an hour or two. Do some chores. Blog/Social media. Pick kids from school. Evening chores. More social media or writing later at night.

What's your favourite thing about writing?Creating stories people love. Getting feedback from readers who love my books.

What's your least favourite thing about writing?Editing. LOL

What do you do for fun?I love travelling to new places. I also love dancing and hanging out with friends and family.

What's your favourite dish?You know, I love food. A little too much, perhaps. At the moment I have a thing for sushi. But my favourite all time food has to be Giant fresh water snails and Ugba, both Nigerian delicacies.

Image Source: Tupelo&Green

What's your favourite drink?Mojito

What's your favourite snack?Roasted cashew nuts

What's your go-to movie/book to relax?Considering I have over 1000 ebooks on my kindle app, getting time to just relax with any of them would be great. J
These days we watch movies as a family so it has to be something the kids can watch too. But the kids and I love superhero movies. Avengers Assemble is a favourite in our house. Otherwise, it's something from the Nollywood Movies channel.

What kind of music do you listen to?
Depending on my mood, I can listen to anything from classical to rock, from Afrobeats to soul. You name it and I'll probably listen to it, if I'm in the mood for it.

Which would you prefer - a quiet evening with friends or a night out on the town? Why?I could do with a night out on the town. But most of the time, it's a quiet evening with friends.

Of all your books, do you have a favourite? Why?You can't ask me that. I love all my books.
It's like asking me which of my three kids is my favourite. J

What inspired 'Keeping Secrets'?Keeping Secrets is partly inspired by the life of one of my best friends. Unfortunately, she has passed on but the story is dedicated to her.

It's the first book of The Essien Trilogy so when can we expect the other two?The schedule for The Essien Trilogy is as follows
Keeping Secrets – out May 2014
Making Scandal – out Sept 2014
Riding Rebel – out Dec 2014

I can't wait!!!



Keeping Secrets by Kiru Taye
Contemporary Romance
Add to Goodreads


BOOK BLURB
Have you ever loved someone and didn’t even know it? That’s the dilemma facing Felix Essien when he wakes from a coma to find he is married to the most beautiful and sensual woman he’s ever known. He cannot remember her or their wedding; he who had sworn never to get married or to give his heart to another. Yet, he feels an intense bond with her that he intends to explore fully. Ebony can’t believe her good fortune when her paper husband wakes not remembering the temporary marriage arrangement with no intimacies he’d proposed, and is now the adoring husband she’s always dreamt of. She plans to make the most of the passion blossoming between them. However, would he still feel that way when he regains his memory and realises she’s been keeping secrets and their marriage is not what he thinks it is?

 

Top Ten Facts About The Main Characters

 

Amazon US | Amazon UK | All Romance | Smashwords | 

Coming to Barnes & Noble soon

A lover of books as a teenager, Kiru Taye used to read novels under the blanket with a torch at night. These days, with a young family to take care of, she's still sacrificing sleep for the pleasures of a good book.
During the day though, she transforms her wildly vivid imagination into sensual, atmospheric romance stories with passionate characters.
When she’s not writing or reading, she'd hanging out with family and friends or travelling. Born in Nigeria, she currently lives in the UK with husband and children.

You reach her via her blog, Facebook, Twitter, Google+ or Pinterest

Follow her blog for latest news and giveaways:
http://kirutayewrites.blogspot.com

Read book excerpts and free short stories on her website:
http://www.kirutaye.com

Link to her Amazon author page

To celebrate the release of Keeping Secrets, Kiru is giving away a goodie pack which includes $20 Amazon gift card, signed paperback of An Engagement Challenge, Keeping Secrets t-shirt and face cap. Leave me a comment to stand a chance of winning and complete the rafflecopter to enter the contest.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

  

So...

Let's start with the bad news. I think I've put on weight. I don't want to talk about it. I'll just make myself feel better by having a couple of jammy dodgers, and a Coke.

In other news, SuperGoo is still on vacation. I hear the theme songs of all her Disney Jr. and Nick Jr. shows in my sleep. When we do turn off the TV, she scribbles then tries to stab me with her crayons.

Sigh.

Oh, she naps for all of two hours, and doesn't fall asleep till late.

And, she thinks I double as a Jungle Gym.

Ain't motherhood great?

As far as my reading challenge goes, I've gone through five books, but according to goodreads.com - At my current pace, I am one book behind. Thanks a lot. Nothing I love more than pressure.

Maybe childbirth.

Anyway, I've decided to cheat with romance novels. They're nice, short, and don't require me to be fully awake, or lucid. No disrespect. It's a genre I have enjoyed for many, many, many years.

In writing news, all I've done is respond to interview questions (borrowed from J.R. Ward's The Black Dagger Brotherhood: An Insider's Guide) for my heroine/protagonist for Good Intentions. I should actually be banging out an outline.

On the income side of things, I'm still talking contracts for possible freelance jobs, and exchanged a couple of emails with an illustrator for a non-fiction book I'm editing. I'm waiting for everyone, including myself, to get back to me.

How about I add you to the list ? Check out my heroine/protagonist's response sheet below, and let me know what you think. Feel free to send interview questions of your own.

MARY

Age: 26

Marital Status: Married. 2 months.

Height: 5'9

Weight: 60kg

Hair Colour: Black. Shoulder length when relaxed.

Eye Colour: Light Brown.

Identifying Physical Marks: Gap teeth with overbite. Multiple birthmarks scattered all over her back.

Occupation: Model/Housewife

Dimensions: 34 - 28 - 32

Description: Mary was beautiful, tall and somewhat striking, for such a shy person. You could almost feel her willing herself to be invisible. Maybe that's why she was such a great runway model, she was the perfect clotheshorse. Designers loved her. Skinny, with just enough curves to satisfy the local clientele, but not so much as to throw off a design. She was damn near perfect. If only she wasn't scared of cameras.

Married to: Tochukwu Clement Okoro.

Last Movie Watched: Love, Actually

Last Book Read: Summerhouse by Jude Devereux

Favourite TV Show: The Late Show with David Letterman

Last TV Show watched: Desperate Housewives

Last game played: Scrabble (with the computer as an opponent)

Greatest Fear: Divorce by Adultery

Greatest Love: God

Favourite Quote: My beloved is mine, and I am his.

Preferred Sleepwear: T-Shirt and Shorts

Watch: Kate Spade (a gift from Tochukwu)

Car: I don't drive

What time is it while you're filling this out?: 2 p.m.

Where are you?: In the parlour

What are you wearing?: T-Shirt and Shorts

What's in your closet?: Skinny jeans, a couple of black pants, lots and lots of T-Shirts in different colours, One black blazer, and one army green jacket. a couple of sundresses, a couple of leggings - one purple, one pink (got them at a show, never worn), a couple of dress shirts, one ankara dress from Jewel by Lisa (I saw it and couldn't resist), ballet flats in different colours, one pair of black Mary Janes, One brown Fossil handbag, jewellery box with one gold set from my mum, a lot of studs, and a lot of costume jewellery necklaces. A lot of skin care creams. A fully stocked, barely touched make up bag.

What was the last thing you ate?: Can't remember.

Describe your last dream: I can't remember. I did dream. It wasn't pleasant, but I can't remember a thing about it.

Coke or Pepsi?: Coke.

Audrey Hepburn or Marilyn Monroe?: Can I say both? One is strong and classy, the other's feminine and sexy. I love them both.

Omotola or Genevieve?: I love Genevieve, but Omo-sexy is so sexy.

Sports or Video Games?: Video Games, although I love to swim.

What do you like most about Tochukwu?: He’s so attentive. He’s always there when I need him.

First words spoken to him: “I’m not bored. I’m tired, and I want to go home”.

His response was: “I want to go home too! Wow! We have something in common”.

Last gift given to him: Had a cake delivered to his office on his birthday.

Most romantic thing he’s ever done for you: Proposed. He somehow managed to get a private dinner set up in one of my favourite restaurants on the island. It was on the 5th anniversary of our relationship, and I thought he just wanted to make it special. The mood was perfect. There were candles and everything. There was even some jazz playing, I think. When he went down on one knee, just before dessert, I swear, I almost threw up.

Most romantic thing you’ve done for him: Surprised him with some designer cufflinks he had mentioned wanting on Valentine’s Day.

Anything you’d change about him: No. I think he’s amazing just the way he is.

Best Friend: Naomi. We’ve been BFFs since secondary school. She’s like a sister to me.

Last time you cried:  No comment.

Last time you laughed: No comment.

The Year in Review: My Favourite Books

Hey people!

Y'alright?

As the year comes to a close (Yay! Another year almost done!), I'm reviewing my journals (yes, I do journal), and taking a look at what this year has been for me. I found a journal entry called My Favourite Books, and thought it would be nice to share it.

DISCLAIMER: I'm not very good at book reviews, so please bear with me.

My favourite books are:

1. The Alchemist by Paolo Coelho: My husband got this for me on our first wedding anniversary. It's such a beautiful story. If I ever write a book like this I can die happy. I loved the simplicity of it. A story of a boy on a journey at the end of which he would become a man in every sense of the word. I loved the story. I loved the way it was told. Both story and storytelling were what I consider stripped down and pure. Nothing unnecessary. Nothing wasted.

2. The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis: A rather dark book by a Christian author. I'm scared of the dark, but sometimes dark stories need to be told, and C.S. Lewis did not shy away from it. He didn't sensationalize it. He did not condemn it. He did not celebrate it. He told the story of darkness. I was impressed.

3. The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien: I could say this is a simple story well told, but it's much more than that. It's not a simple story - it's a story of magic and hobbits; dwarves and trolls; giant eagles and gold; a dragon, and of course, Gollum. It was a story of magic and adventure, simply told.

4. Ake by Wole Soyinka: This was the first 'grown-up' book that inspired me. I read an excerpt in my English Textbook in JSS2 and I was hooked. I skipped through the pages of the textbook looking for more excerpts and reread them as often as possible. Imagine my delight when I discovered an autographed copy (oh yeah!) in my father's study. Naturally, the book became mine, and I have enjoyed the rambling description of Wole Soyinka's childhood years many a time since then.

5. The Icarus Girl by Helen Oyeyemi: My sister recommended this book to me. Her words, "Timi, you'll like this". I did. I was especially impressed by (and a little envious of) the author's age by the time she wrote that book. That aside, I loved the story. I had never read Nigerian fantasy that wasn't heavy on rural melodrama. This was a story with clean lines, and I absolutely love the open endedness (is that a word?) of the end.

So there you have it. My favourite books so far. With my 300 book reading challenge next year, who knows how this list will change? I can hardly wait!

Now your turn, what are your favourite books, and why?