Kristina Knight: What the Gambler Risks

Welcome back Kristina!  We’re all anxious to hear about Book 3 in your Billionaire Cowboys series.

WHAT THE GAMBLER RISKS

     Twenty-something ice queen Sabrina Smith enjoys fame and fortune writing about her life of celibacy. The fact she's the Oldest Living (Supposed) Virgin in Vegas? Just keeps her readers interested in how she juggles dating, working and friendships in Sin City.
     Jase Reeves knows Sabrina's secret – that she's not nearly as cold as she would like people to think – and he's through keeping it. He didn't intend to have a one night stand with the Vegas Virgin but he can't get her out of his head.
     When Jase returns to Vegas, Sabrina has one goal: stay away from the handsome gambler before he melts her career – and her heart.

If What the Gambler Risks was made into a movie, who would play your main characters, and why? 

Ooh, good question! I actually have  Pinterest board filled with all kinds of inspiration pics - including the characters! I picture Sabrina as a Kaley Cuoco type - only wearing glasses from time to time...and I could totally see Josh Henderson playing Jase. I loved him in the Dallas reboot from a couple of years ago!

We all need a hero! Tell us about your protagonist(s)? Was there a real-life inspiration behind him or her?
Other than for my inspiration board, no. I am fascinated by gamblers, specifically the professional poker players. Their ability to school their features and read other players is so interesting, so it was fun delving into that world to develop Jase's character. 

Give us an interesting fun fact (or a few) about your book or series. 
The series is set in Las Vegas, one of my favorite destinations. RadioMan keeps telling me we're going to retire there, and although I haven't said yes yet...I just might! The three brothers, Connor, Jase and Gage, kind of raised themselves, and they watched a lot of old movies along the way. It was really fun to work in references to some of my favorite movies (the Star Trek franchises, The Truman Show and The Big Lebowski) as I was writing.

What does your writing process look like? 
My process is always evolving. I try to draft as fast as I can, just getting the bones of the story on the screen. From there, I go back and take more time to flesh out character goals and motivations and (hopefully) hit the right notes with those conflicts!

You’ve written several series. What advice would you give to an author writing his/her first series?
Create a series bible. Seriously! My cast of characters was fairly small with this series - the brothers, their women, and a couple of recurring characters - but having all of those little details like eye color and accents in a single place was so handy!

If you could change ONE thing about your book, what would it be?  Why? 
If I went through looking for one thing to change, I'd find at least twenty...so I'm going to cheat and say nothing! Once I turn in those final edits, I really try not to look back. My process is very much about the next book, not the previous one.

Where did your love of books/storytelling/reading/writing/etc. come from?
I've always been a bookaholic. My mom read to us when we were little, and I think that started my obsession. Along the way, I realized that the books I read are very much like movies because I 'see' the scenes playing out as I read the words on the page. Those movies in my mind keep me coming back to books all the time.

Are there any new authors that have grasped your interest? 
Always, always! Right now I'm obsessed with Jessica Lemmon's 'Billionaire' series (go figure! lol). If you haven't checked those books out, go forth!

Do you read your reviews? Do you respond to them, good or bad? Do you have any advice on how to deal with the bad? 
I don't respond to them, but I am aware of them. My advice on reviews, in general, is not to read them, good or bad. Because if you start out reading the good, sooner or later a bad one will creep in and ruin your day.

What is your best marketing tip? 
Be friendly and personable. Social media has created the ability to really get to know readers and authors, and I think it's great, but you have to be authentic in those interactions. Share the good, be silly if you like being silly, be serious if you prefer serious, but think of social media as an extension of who you are in real life.

What is your favorite place or way to meet readers? 
I attended my first book signing this summer and it was amazingly fun. But random meet-ups in our local bookstore is right up there at the top of the list, too!

What question do you wish that someone would ask about your book, but nobody has? 
I can't think of anything that hasn't been asked that I want to be asked! I'm sorry!!

What’s up next for Kristina Knight? 
I'm in the middle of my first series - right now I have 4 full length books contracted, but I have ideas for several novellas and more single titles, too. The books are small town, contemporary romances that center on a group of guys who made their town famous through football...and are now dealing with real life post-football. It's been really fun to write! The books will be out next year.


Best-selling author Kristina Knight's Billionaire Cowboys are back for one final ride with this seductive story of long-simmering feelings and hot Vegas nights.

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Excerpt

     “One more hand. Winner buys the loser a drink?”
She tilted her water bottle toward him. “I already have a drink.”
Jase snickered but was careful to keep the sound light and friendly. “That’s not a drink.” He lifted his glass of soda water with lime to his mouth. Most people wouldn’t consider the contents of his glass a real drink, either, but he rarely drank when he played. Alcohol and cards did not mix well in Jase’s opinion. “What do you have to lose?” he pressed.
  “We’ll see,” she said, not meeting his gaze directly, and he was 75 percent positive she was on her way to a yes.
The dealer switched decks and then dealt the cards. Jase had random cards in his hands, but he didn’t care. The woman studied her hand, one manicured nail tapping against the cards. Considering.
“Twenty,” she said, throwing a chip on the table.
“Raise to forty,” Jase said, tossing two chips on the table. The best plan of attack when the cards in his hand were useless was to make her think he held something amazing. He didn’t bluff in real card games, but despite her two wins, he didn’t peg this woman as a true card player. If she were a regular player, she wouldn’t be so transparent about what she held in her hands.
The woman blinked, and her teeth began nibbling at her lower lip.
“Are you in?” he asked, a bit more forcefully than was necessary.
Her finger tapped faster against the cards in her hand. “I’ll take three,” she said and slid three cards to the dealer.
As soon as her new cards were in her hands, Jase said, “I’ll stand.” And he stacked his worthless cards with all the careless confidence he used in high-stakes games around the globe. The kind of confidence that made big-time, big-money gamblers think twice about going against him in the second betting round.
The woman circled her index finger around her remaining green chip, considering her options. Call, take the gamble, lose, and have a drink with him. Of course, it would take a truly pitiful hand to lose to what he held. She could fold and have a drink with him. She could also call his bluff and, depending on the cards in her own hand, win. He didn’t like the thought of her winning, but if her winning at the table landed the two of them at the bar, was it really a loss for him?
“Call,” she said, and Jase felt a wave of admiration for his opponent. Which was not good, because if she was calling she had to have something in her hand, and he had a big, fat zero. Which meant she would win. Jase didn’t like to lose, especially at poker, not even when it was a friendly game instead of a high-stakes match with thousands of dollars to lose.
She laid down her cards: three queens, a two, and a ten.
“Three of a kind. Nice.”
“I was hoping for a full house.”
“I was hoping you’d fold, so I could buy you that drink,” he said and laid his cards—all four suits, random order—on the table.
“Nice bluff, I almost folded.”
“If it had been a better bluff, you would have folded.” He watched her for a moment across the table. “Now you have to buy me the drink; all in all, not a bad night at the table.”
The woman pushed back from the table, pulling the pot in the middle to her side. Jase pocketed the chips he had left in his stack. “I never agreed to that bed,” she said, and her hands stilled over the chips. Her gaze flicked to his, and despite the dim light, he saw the flush that crept over her cheeks.
“And here I thought we were just talking about a drink. I have to tell you, I’m not the kind of guy to go off to a strange woman’s hotel room after a lousy hand of poker,” he said with mock outrage.
“Bet. I meant bet.”


About Kristina:  
     Once upon a time, Kristina Knight spent her days running from car crash to fire to meetings with local police--no, she wasn't a troublemaker, she was a journalist. Her career took her all over the United States, writing about everything from a serial killer's capture to the National Finals Rodeo. Along the way, she found her very own Knight in Shining Cowboy Boots and an abiding love for romance novels. And just like the characters from her favorite books, she's living her own happily ever after.
     Kristina writes sassy contemporary romance novels; her books have appeared on Kindle Best Seller Lists. She loves hearing from readers, so drop her a line!

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