What happens when a man and woman are attracted to each other, but he's a non-committer and she's a non-dater?

Edwina Taylor’s life changed drastically just before her senior year when her parents were killed and she learned her father had embezzled from the company he worked for. Determined to repay the stolen money, Eddie spent all her spare time, studying to become a realtor—and hung her shingle the day after graduation.

Now, a decade later, after selling her parents' home, she must consider selling the one thing that matters: her grandmother’s farmhouse in order to solve her continuing income woes. After a fire damages several rooms, Eddie believes she was to blame.

New to Laurel Ridge, firefighter Rhett Renoux offers her an opportunity she can’t refuse—to become a partner in flipping houses, starting with repairing and fixing up her grandmother's farmhouse. For the first time in her life, she’s falling in love.

But then, Rhett begins to learn secrets she’s kept hidden from the entire community all this time. Has she made a mistake letting him in?

Wild Women Authors welcomes back author, Diana Stout, with Burning Desire, Book 2 in the Laurel Ridge series. With Diana is realtor Eddie Taylor who will go first.

Good morning, Eddie. Thanks for taking time away from your busy office to speak with us. Let’s start with where you’re from. Laurel Ridge, Georgia

What did you think the first time you saw Rhett? He was at the fire station with a bunch of the other firefighters he works with. I knew he was a newcomer, someone who had moved to the community. At the time, the group was just a bunch of guys who looked good—because they work out—all in their navy-blue pants and navy-blue T-shirts. He didn't stand out and he fit in well.

What was your second thought? It was when I saw him in action, rescuing a child in the street from a speeding car that I really noticed him. He'd put himself in danger to save that child. I was mesmerized. That's when I noticed his build, when the rescuers removed his torn shirt and gave him a clean one. I couldn't help but notice that washboard stomach, his height, his good looks. Immediately, I was attracted.

Do you feel it was love at first sight? Never having been in love, is that what love at first sight feels like?

What do you like most about him? Now that I've been working with him and have been getting to know him, I find him even more attractive. He's kind, generous, thinks of others first, always wants to help. He's interesting. What I like most about him, though? His dimples and his eyes.

How would you describe him? Rugged yet tender. There isn't anything he can't do. He's ambitious and industrious. And he's a caring individual. He holds himself accountable and expects the same from others.

How would he describe you? I imagine he would say secretive, maybe shy. He's had to ask a questions to get any information or reveal much and even then I'm not telling him everything.

What made you choose real estate for a career? I became a realtor out of necessity. My parents died in a car accident a week after my dad revealed he'd been stealing money from the company he worked for. I believed they committed suicide, which wasn't part of the accident report, but no one knows about the theft, so to me suicide made sense. The accident occurred just before my senior year. I was a month away from turning 18. I knew at that time that college wasn't going to happen and because there was no money and little insurance money, I knew I needed a career immediately after graduation. I petitioned the court so I could live in the house as an adult, and then started selling my parents' art collection online and anything else of value so I could stay in the house. I turned away from school activities I had once embraced and focused on studying to become a realtor when I wasn't studying for my senior classes. The day after graduation, I obtained my realtor's license. From the time I discovered what my dad had done, I was determined to pay back every penny. For the last decade, that's what I've been doing.

What is your biggest fear? That others will learn how dishonorable my parents were. How ashamed I was of them because of it.

How do you relax? I can't say that I do. Some may say that I relax by building homes for Habitat, but it was a way for me to work out my frustrations early on by driving nails into the walls. Plus, I work at the animal shelter from time to time only because it wouldn't be fair for me to have a pet. I'm away from home too much, plus it's a cost I can't afford.

Who is your favorite fictional character? Pip from Great Expectations. I can relate to him, his having secrets. His not being sure of his place in society.

What is the best piece of advice you ever received? I realize now, that the best advice didn't come from my parents but rather from someone I discovered was a best friend of my mother: Connie, a long-time waitress in the downtown diner. In the story, she tells me that it doesn't matter what others think. It only matters what I think.

Thank you for this, Eddie. Now we’d like to chat with Diana.

What movies or books have had an impact on your career as a writer? So many books, so many movies. I was always fascinated by the characters of both movies and books—movies especially. What drove them? What make them so desirable, so engaging? What was it about them that captured my interest time after time, especially when I'd watch these movies repeatedly? It was those characteristics that I began discovering in my characters who would spring to life in front of me, never leaving me alone until I've finally written their story and gotten it published.

Is there an event in your private life that you were able to bring to this story and how do you feel it impacted the novel? I can't say there was any event in my private life that brought these particular characters to life. Rather, Eddie's reluctance to share is the result of many people. Both Eddie and Rhett came to life as I discovered their wounds, their fears, their desires for live.

Tell us a bit about your publisher: how did you hear about them and what influenced your decision to submit to them? I'm an indie publisher. I was traditionally published in the mid '90s when it was the only way to be published. Today, with so many more available options, I decided to go indie, where I got to make the decisions.

What book[s] currently rest on your TBR pile? I'm currently reading Jami Albright's Bride on the Run box set of four stories. They're laugh-out-loud funny. My other secret go-to romances right now are Amish romances. Having researched the Amish for a script I was writing, I feel I could easily live among them, so I enjoy stories in that landscape.

Lastly, what's up next and when can we expect to see it on the shelves? This is the year where I finish writing and am publishing the Laurel Ridge novella series. Arrested Pleasures, #3 in the series is schedule for a July 5 release and can be pre-ordered now, too. The others—#4, #5, #6, and #7—will quickly follow.

To learn more about Diana Stout, go to:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/writerDianaStout

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ScreenWryter13

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/drdianastout

Goodreads: http://goodreads.com/user/show/43124185-diana-stout

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authordianastout

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/diana-stout

To purchase Burning Desire, go to:

amazon.com/gp/product/B09W8ZCHMJ