Hello lovies!

Susan Peterson Wisnewski invited me to join in on a very cool blog hop. We’re each introducing you to a character from our book or work-in-progress. My first release isn’t available yet. Lucky for us Sam Newman and Val Saunders, the sexy hero and heroine from my novel Starstruck, were interviewed about their starring roles on their hit show, We the People. In their universe, the show has a very loyal fan base and is climbing in the ratings, thank to the off-the-charts chemistry that they share on-screen.

TV Magazine – Exclusive interview with the stars of ‘We The People’ – by Alicia Cromwell

I was recently on the set of TV’s hottest new show and had a chance to sit down with Sam Newman and Valerie Saunders. You know them better as Finnegan Green and Tara Thorn, or Tara and Finn. Hardcore fans simply refer to them as ‘Finnara’ and have made them the hottest couple on primetime. Being in the same room with these two gorgeous people is a bit intimidating, but they were warm, wonderful and welcoming. Sam and Val gave me some insight into their onscreen relationship, what we can expect going forward, and also discuss the reaction from the fans.

Alicia Cromwell: Thanks for taking time out of your hectic shooting schedule, I know you guys are amping up for the season finale. Any word on a renewal?

Valerie Saunders: Thanks for coming out, we love having visitors. No, as far as I know, we haven’t heard anything.

AC: I find that shocking, to be honest.

Sam Newman: Us too! [Laughs.]

VS: Well, studios can be twitchy about these things. It’s a lot to invest in a show and maybe they’re waiting to see if we’re just a passing fad.

SN: Are we a thing? Like, a trend?

AC: I think you’ve made a lasting impression on the television viewing public. I, for one, am forever changed by the love story between Finn and Tara.

VS: Aww, thanks! So kind of you.

SN: I think [that] it’s something that resonates with people because we all want it. We all want to find that on person that drives us crazy in all [of] the right ways.

VS: So true, so true. I mean, who doesn’t want an all-encompassing, life-altering love?

AC: And yet, you have your detractors. There are some critics of the show that say that the relationship is unrealistic.

SN: You know, I’ve heard some of that and, I have to say, I really don’t get where they’re coming from. What part is unbelievable?

VS: I know that some people have…an issue with the racial aspect.

AC: Yes, there is a very vocal segment that has come out against the portrayal of an African-American woman having an affair with a married, white man.

SN: Extra-marital affairs, by their nature, are something that society frowns upon, and for good reason. You don’t want to glamorize infidelity. But…I think that the fact that this is a television show, created for entertainment, gets lost on people. And also, this isn’t just about sex. These two people genuinely love each other.

VS: Exactly. I don’t think the show pretends to be a morality play. It’s about politics and people; people with flaws and faults. No one on the show is perfect. And I have to agree with Sam, at the end of the day, the part of the show that is about Tara and Finn is ultimately about love.

AC: Well, you will get no argument from me. Watching you two on screen together gives me goosebumps! How do you explain the crazy chemistry that you seem to have?

VS: [looks at Sam and laughs] I…I don’t know we just-

SN: People ask us this all the time, and… [Looks at Valerie. They’re just adorable!] I don’t know, we just have this connection and fortunately it comes across.

AC: So, this isn’t limited to your scenes together?

VS: Well, some of it is! [Laughs.]

SN: We are amazing friends. Valerie is an incredible human being and very trusting, and I am lucky to have someone like her to play off of.

VS: And that feeling is more than mutual, Sam is a brilliant actor. He always gives 110% and I think that’s made me…that’s caused me to raise my game to meet him. [Val is blushing like crazy! These two…]

AC: Is there any insight that you can give us into what we can expect in these next two episodes? Will things come to a head, so to speak?

VS: Yes, well…I can’t give away too much, but-

AC: Does, for instance, does Tara find out that her editor Jason Smart – played by the very handsome Devin Wilder, by the way – is in fact the man behind the assassination and cover-up?

VS: I think it’s safe to say that she learns the truth, and there will be consequences.

SN: Oooooohh. [Laughs.]

AC: That sounds exciting! Sam, have you not read the script? Do you know what happens?

SN: I’ve read my script, but there’s this thing that the writers do. They give us each slightly different scripts. So there are some moments on the show where the surprise, the reactions [are] real.

VS: Oh yes. [Laughs.] That happens.

AC: Is it true that Finn’s declaration of love wasn’t scripted?

VS: [Laughing and pointing to Sam.] You have to tell this one.

SN: Well, yes and no. [Laughing.] In my copy of the script, it said something like ‘Sam tells Tara that he loves her.’

AC: You mean Finn.

VS: Finn.

SN: Yes, Finn. Didn’t I say Finn?

AC: You said Sam.

SN: [Turning bright red with laughter.] Oh! I meant Finn, though I love Tara too.

AC: Don’t we all!

VS: I know I love her. [Laughs.]

SN: But yeah, Finn tells Tara that he loves her, but it’s not…it wasn’t in Valerie’s copy of the script.

VS: Right, it wasn’t in my copy. They’d removed it, and all I had was Tara’s reaction which was ‘me too.’

AC: Oh! So, you had no idea that he was going to say ‘I love you Tara’, or…what did you actually say?

SN: I don’t remember.

VS: I do. He said ‘I’m in love with you.” Or-

SN: No, no, I remember, I said ‘I’m hopelessly in love with you.’

VS: That’s right. That’s right.

AC: Wow. That completely explains the expression on your face at the end of that scene.

VS: Right? What girl wouldn’t be floored by a declaration like that? [Laughs.]

AC: I know I would.

SN: Hell, I would too. [Laughs.]

AC: So, is there happiness in the cards for our two lovebirds? It seems like this conspiracy is a pretty big obstacle for them, not to mention Finn’s wife, BethAnn.

SN: Which reminds me, Desiree Stanley plays my wife on the show and she [laughs] she gets so much flak from the viewers for the way her character treats me, treats Finn. She’s such a great sport.

VS: Oh yes, she really does. Poor girl!

SN: I just want to go on the record and say that Desiree is a lovely person, really caring, and you guys should be nicer to her.

VS: I second that.

AC: I couldn’t agree more. Well, thank you both for taking time out to sit with me. You’re both lovely, and I wish you every success. And I hope the show is renewed for a second season, because I really want to see more Finnara on my screen on Wednesday nights, come autumn.

VS: Thanks for coming!

SN: Yeah, thanks. We really appreciate it!

Next Week I’ll sit with Devin Wilder, Desiree Stanley and show creator Wanda Lands.

UPDATE: FTN announced this morning that ‘We the People’ had been renewed for a second season based on their skyrocketing ratings over the last few weeks. Congratulations to cast and crew!

So there you have it! You might be wondering if that flirty, sexy, yummy vibe spills off the screen with these two. You’ll just have to wait to read the book to find out! Look for it in 2015. =)

Hop on over and visit my friends next week to get the inside scoop on their characters:

Carlene Love Flores is a fan of the stars (especially Orion), music (especially Depeche Mode), and her traveling family (no favorites-she loves them all). These inspire her intimate romance stories. If she could touch someone’s heart with writing the way others have for her, she’d say there never lived a luckier girl.  Stop by and see her at: https://www.facebook.com/carlene.l.flores

Native Philly girl Kim Golden now lives in Stockholm, Sweden. She writes romantic fiction for women who know love comes in many colours. She is the author of the award-winning novel, Maybe Baby. You can find Kim at: http://www.facebook.com/SeeKimWrite

Susan Scott Shelley is an award-winning author of contemporary romance and romantic suspense. She currently resides outside Philadelphia and spends her days writing about tough heroes, smart heroines, and love being the strongest magic there is. She is the co-author of Tackled By the Girl Next Door, available October 15, 2014. Visit her: http://www.susanscottshelley.com