Fool Me Forever is the newest contemporary romance from enigmatic Australian author, Ainslie Paton. Full of laugh-out loud moments, a hero named Halsey and a heroine called Lenny, the novel takes a fast-paced ride through the world of professional con artists and leaves you wanting more.
Lenny Bradshaw comes from a family of con artists, so when she meets Halsey Sherwood, she thinks she knows exactly what type of man he is. But with her father’s recent jail term ruining her reputation, all but destroying her charity, and loading her up with two unexpected dependants, she has little choice but to team up with the normally desk-bound numbers whiz. Just like Lenny, Halsey feels like a fish out of water. Fieldwork is way outside his comfort zone and trouble brews as soon as his brother flees the country and he is forced to step into the field – and straight into Lenny’s whiskey glass throwing range. Lenny and Halsey are both desperate to bring a foreign fraudster to justice, and despite their differences and the simmering heat between them, they team up to try overthrow a corrupt government.
This was the first of Ainslie’s books I’ve read, and as well as enjoying the expertly-drawn characters and sizzling plot, I was impressed with the way she handled the hot topics of contraception and consent without jolting the reader out of her spicier scenes. When she’s not wrangling fluffy grey and white cats and inverting herself in pilates classes, Ainslie describes herself as a serial not-for-profit board member and occasional funky suit wearing consultant in the marketing, public relations and advertising industry. Fool Me Forever was released by Entangled Publishing in October, 2018 as book two in The Confidence Game Series.
Hyperlinks to your social media and website:
Website: www.ainsliepaton.com.au
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ainsliepaton
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AinsliePaton
Instagram: www.instagram.com/ainsliepaton
Short and sweet questions
Current book on your bedside table: There are way too many books in my kindle. A groaning TBR that I will never live long enough to finish. But right now, I’m mostly reading the Washington Post and the New Yorker.
Where do you do most of your writing? I write in my home office. I also day job mostly from there. It’s word central.
Favourite Australian holiday destination: Ah holidays. I remember them, but it’s been a while.
What’s your preferred drop? Coffee all the way.
Guilty pleasure? Netflix binges
Pet peeve: Unkindness
Favourite fictional couple? Mulder and Scully
If you could pack two non-essential items for a deserted tropical island, what would they be? Private plane with handsome pilot slash barista with full complement of coffee making tools because a charged kindle is an essential and no one wants to live on a deserted island without coffee and a way to get off it.
Established authors who inspire you? I’m always inspired by authors who’ve not had a background in writing and have come from other disciplines and lives to writing. It’s an incredible achievement to become good with words and storytelling when that’s not part of your training.
Best thing about being a writer? Ugg boots in winter. Sarong in summer. Cat on desk year round.
Worst thing about being a writer? The amount of time spent at the desk – my aching bones and promo. Does anyone genuinely like promo?
Do you prefer music, podcasts or silence? A cat who meows non-stop for no good reason is best. Kidding. I vote for silence, I often get cat.
Favourite perfume: Estee Lauder Private Collection Tuberose and Gardenia
TV/film crush: Lee Pace in Halt and Catch Fire
The best non-writing related prize I won was … I don’t know that I’ve ever won anything – other than various dodges of near fatal traffic accidents.
Top three tips for aspiring authors?
- Finish what you’re working on. You don’t know what you’ve got until you finish.
- Enjoy the writing part of being a writer as much as you can, because that’s the only part you can control
- Beta readers who aren’t afraid to tell you your story sucks are life
What theme do you hope shines through in your writing? Fairness, equality – and fun.
Proudest author moment? Completing that very first – now long unpublished – novel, because I didn’t think I could.
My favourite thing about writing romance is… The power and responsibility to create the most entertaining story I can.
Maya Linnell
Rural fiction writer Maya Linnell honed her journalism skills at a country newspaper before moving to PR and now fiction. She recently completed her debut rural romance manuscript and is hard at work on the sequel. A voracious reader, Maya also loves baking, gardening, preserving home-grown fruit and veggies, and raising three little bookworms. She lives on a small country coastal property in regional Victoria with her family and a growing menagerie of animals, gathering inspiration from her rural surrounds and the close-knit communities within.
Follow Maya online
Website www.mayalinnell.com
Instagram @maya.linnell.writes
Facebook maya.linnell.writes
Twitter @maya_linnell
Comments
I love the sound of this book. A family of con artists with a mix of humour sounds like something I would want to read.