Hangin' Out with Dani Pettrey (Plus Giveaway)

Y'all forgive me now...I've been a bit MIA for the past few weeks.  I have a good reason, though.  Really.  :o)

Some of you may remember that I got laid off about 7 months ago only to find myself with a new job the very next day.  While the job itself was the same, there were several things I had to adjust to in a new office.  A couple of weeks ago, I knew I would have to start the process of finding a new job.  If you're like me, job hunting is one of the most exhausting things to do, and quite frankly, probably one of my least favorite things to do...period.  Then last Monday, my hours were cut from 35 to 20.  The job hunt was really on at that point.  After applying for oodles of job openings and sending up numerous prayers for help, I scored a new job in about 10 days.  Woohoo!!!  What it means is that my career in insurance has come to end (hopefully to never be revisited) and I'll be back in a dental office environment where I was before I got into insurance.  Seriously...I cannot wait!  I'm all kinds of giddy to be working about 8 minutes from my house, and with a full 40-hour work week.

So, I said all that to say....please forgive me for being absent!  I've missed interacting with you guys, especially through these interviews.  :o)  And what better way to get back on the bandwagon than with another debut author--Dani Pettrey!  Dani is a new author in the suspense genre, and her book is the next one in my TBR stack.  No joke...just looking at the cover of her book makes me shiver with that dark blue lake and snowy mountains in the distance (see below)!!!  I hope y'all love our fun chat today, and please be sure to sign up for the giveaway at the end!

Welcome, Dani!

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Not including writing, what was your first job?

My very first job was babysitting. My first ‘official’ job was working at a country club/gym in their child care center.

What is one movie that you could watch over and over again?

Pride and Prejudice--both the Colin Firth version and the Keira Knightly one.

Ok, looks like we're gonna have to change this question to simply be "Which version of P&P is your favorite?" *grin*

If you could have any one superpower, what would it be?

To fly. I think that would be so amazing.

Be honest now, ‘cause we girls tend to exaggerate here...  How many shoes do you really have in your closet?

Sixteen pairs, though with my oldest daughter being a shoe thief, I usually only have about half of that amount in my closet at any given time.

Even though I have no kids, I consider myself fortunate that I never had a sister if only for not having to share my shoes.  :o)

Which magazine do you pick up when you’re stuck in a waiting room?

Budget Travel or Travel and Leisure

Have you ever met anyone famous? If so, who?

I’ve met a few: Larry King, Colin Raye, Amy Carter, and Henry Kissinger.

What did you do growing up that got you into trouble?

Made up stories. :)

You have the opportunity to choose between appearing on American Idol or Dancing with the Stars (and that’s without an audition). Which set of producers give you cold, hard cash to go home so they and all of America are spared?

Producers on American Idol would definitely give me cold, hard cash to go home. I can’t carry a tune in a bucket. Think Lucille Ball on I Love Lucy.

Oh, dear!  Should we break out the earplugs? :o)

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Dani, thank you so much for being my guest today, and for being such a great sport with those questions (especially the last one)!  Folks, if you'd like to connect with Dani online, feel free to visit her website, or connect with her on Facebook and Twitter.

And now for the part that we all love...a giveaway!!!  I've got one extra copy of Dani's debut novel, Submerged.  Simply complete the form below with your full name, mailing addy, and email addy, and your name will be entered to win a copy!  Be sure to complete your entry before Tuesday, June 5th, 11:59 CST, if you want it to count.  :o)  Giveaway is limited to US residents only, and void where prohibited.  Odds of winning are based upon number of entrants.  I am not responsible for lost or damaged books.

And if you'd like to leave a comment for Dani, scroll down just a little further past the giveaway form to the comment section, and talk 'til your heart's content.  I know she'd love to hear from you!