Get to know our published authors! This week, meet Tiffany Smith, author of The Roll of the Dice.

Name: Tiffany Smith   

Hometown: Porterville, CA

Book: The Roll of the Dice

Genre: Romance

1. Describe your book in 10 words or less.  Steamy, pulls at your heartstrings, keeps you wanting more.
2. What made you want to write The Roll of the Dice? I chose to write The Roll of the Dice because it is very much a part of me. Going through heartbreak is never an easy task, but over time things do get better. I am a hopeless Romantic at heart and felt the need to share my words and *some* of my story with others.
3. How long did it take you to write your book?  It took me very close to 3 years to write The Roll of the Dice.
4. How do you choose the names of your characters?  I was actually very lucky when it came to choosing the names. I sat in front of the computer screen and they just came to me quite quickly. They were not based on anyone I actually know in real life.
5. What do you do when you have writer’s block? I leave the computer. This happened many times. I would sit down thinking I had an idea to continue where I left off and it just wouldn’t work. I would begin writing nonsense, so I would delete it and walk away. For me to write, I had to be motivated; it had to flow easily for me or I wouldn’t do it.
6. What was your favorite chapter (or part) to write and why?  My very favorite part was writing the introduction. That is where I got to develop my main character who is very much me in some ways. I also enjoyed creating the love scenes. People always joke with me asking if they came from experience and I always answer with, “I have a great imagination.”
7. If you were stuck on an island and had to have one person from each category with you, who would they be and why?
   1. One character from your book: Katarina Davies, because she is in so many ways, me. She is smart, beautiful in her own way, playful, romantic, and absolutely strong when she didn’t think she had it in her.
   2. One fictional character from any other book: Sookie Stackhouse from the Southern Vampire Mysteries (True Blood novels), because I think it would be very helpful to have the power of reading people’s minds. She is also a romantic in her own kind of way and she has to be tough as Hell to keep up with Vampires. And who doesn’t love a good-looking vampire? I know I do!
   3. One famous person: Julia Roberts. because she is my all time favorite actress. She is charismatic, beautiful, insanely talented, funny, and that is the one person I would love to meet one day.
8. Besides writing, what are your other interests? I love to read, paint, and travel (my goal is to get to Iceland or Greece one day. Or both!). I spend a lot of time with my family. I like to go shopping just like the next girl, and food. I am a picky eater but I do love going to new restaurants and trying them out!.
9. Do you keep a journal? I do but not consistently. I think it is a great tool to jot your thoughts in and to use when we are having those difficult moments, days, etc.
10. How did you celebrate the publishing of The Roll of the Dice? I of course posted on social media to not only spread the word but to say I finally did it and here it is! I also took it to show my family first thing.
11. If your book was made into a movie, who would play the main characters?  I actually wrote this book with the idea in mind of it becoming a movie one day. I think it would be a great love story to be told. For the role of Katarina, I definitely see Maggie Gyllenhaal. For the role of Nick, I see Miles Teller and for the role of Bryce, I see Ryan Reynolds.
12. What did you enjoy most about working with Dorrance Publishing? Dorrance Publishing was the one company I always wanted to work with should I finish a book. I love their name and what they stand for. Every person I have worked with so far has been great and they have very much exceeded my expectations.
    
13. Five favorite books of all time? Carrie by Stephen King, The Wedding by Nicholas Sparks, Dancing Through Life by Candace Cameron Bure, Miracle on the 17th Green by James Patterson, and The Twilight Series by Stephanie Meyer.
    
14. One sentence of advice for other writers? Stand behind the work you do because if you aren’t excited about it, then there’s a chance others won’t be, either.