Entries Tagged 'Author Interviews' ↓
March 15th, 2010 — Author Interviews, Contemporary, Cowboy, J-L, Mystery, Western
Keira: What made you decide to write about cowboys?
Joanne: I’ve always loved Western history, and when I first moved to Wyoming, I was amazed to see how much of the Wild West is still alive and kickin’ out here. Libby makes a comment early in the book that moving to Wyoming and seeing a guy wearing chaps is like moving to Austria and finding your neighbors decked out in Lederhosen, and that’s how I felt. Cowboys are the norm here in Cheyenne, especially during our annual Frontier Days rodeo, but at first, they seemed like another, very exotic species to me. I was like a googly-eyed tourist for the first two years I lived here, just taking in all the frontier flavor.
Keira: What does it take to win a cowboy’s heart?
Joanne: Well, it turns out they’re humans like the rest of us, so I think they’re looking for what all men look for—though a tight pair of Wranglers doesn’t hurt when it comes to getting things started! Seriously, though, I think what cowboys want in a wife is different from what they want in a girlfriend. When things get serious, all of a sudden honesty and smarts matter a lot more than looks!
Keira: What makes a hero perfect? What makes Luke Rawlins a hero readers will fall in love with?
Joanne: To some extent, what makes a hero perfect is imperfection—or at least, his own awareness that he has a few flaws, as well as a sense of humor that lets him laugh at them.
What makes Luke special is that the qualities that draw him to Libby are the ones that might drive other men away—her independence and spirit. He also understands that she’s been hurt and he’s willing to wait until she’s ready for a relationship. At one point in the story, Libby tells him to give up, that she’s damaged goods. His reply is simply, “You’ll heal. I’ll help.” I think that’s the heart of the book, and the essence of Luke’s appeal.
Keira: You’ve worked in bookstores all your life; what’s your favorite job in one? What would you say is the biggest perk?
Joanne: It’s hard to say what my favorite job is. I loved management because I could make a difference; I love being a bookseller because I get to sell my favorite books; and I loved being a buyer because it was a lot like shopping!
But the biggest perk? I met my significant other at the store; he was my best customer! And my favorite:)
Keira: Cowboy Trouble takes place in Lackaduck, Wyoming. Is the town fictional and are they lacking ducks there? Does Lackaduck resemble small town life in Wyoming?
Joanne: Lackaduck is a combination of many small towns in Wyoming, with elements taken from each. To some extent, it’s also my hometown of Cheyenne, distilled and condensed.
As for the lack of ducks, I don’t know. I just love weird town names, like Bug Tussle, Kentucky and Burnt Corn, Alabama. I wanted a name that had that kind of quirkiness to it, and Lackaduck just popped into my head and declared itself. A writer’s mind often makes about as much sense as calling a town Bug Tussle!
Keira: This next question is tough. Ready? How do you define romantic love?
Joanne: Oh, that is tough, because to some extent, it’s indefinable. I think the core of it is that the two people in love know, deep down, that they belong together, and that being together makes them complete. Being with that person gives you a feeling of deep satisfaction that makes the stress of everyday life trivial in comparison.
Keira: If you were in a romance novel, what subgenre would you be in and why?
Joanne: I’d be in one of those zany contemporary romances where the heroine always has her head in the clouds and screws up a lot!
Keira: In your opinion, is it tougher to write mystery or romance? Do you do anything in particular to keep track of key points and facts?
Joanne: I think they both have their challenges, and it really depends who you are. I originally started “Cowboy Trouble” as a mystery, but Luke and Libby couldn’t keep their hands off each other and their love story totally took over. Romance just comes naturally to me.
To keep track of the story, I use multicolored sticky notes. I write in the attic, and I stick the notes to the slanted ceiling above my desk. The different colors represent different elements of the story, and I move them around to make changes as the story takes shape.
Keira: What is your secret guilty plot or character type that you love beyond reason?
Joanne: I love gutsy screwball heroines! Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum is probably the best example. My favorite books have a mixture of humor and kick-a** adventure.
Keira: Shameless self promotion time: What’s next?
Joanne: Next is “One Fine Cowboy” which will be released this fall. It’s another cowboy contemporary about a psychology grad student/animal rights activist from New Jersey who goes to a horse-training clinic in Wyoming to learn about inter-species communication. The cowboy who’s teaching the clinic isn’t much for talking, but it turns out he’s an expert in non-verbal communication.
Keira: Is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
Joanne: Just a big thank you for inviting me for an interview. I love your site – your reviews are fun to read and I think you do a great job of helping readers make informed choices.
And for readers – I hope you enjoy reading “Cowboy Trouble” as much as I enjoyed writing it!
COWBOY TROUBLE by JOANNE KENNEDY—IN STORES MARCH 2010
Fleeing her latest love life disaster, big city journalist Libby Brown's transition to rural living isn't going exactly as planned. Her childhood dream has always been to own a chicken farm—but without the constant help of her charming, sexy, cowboy neighbor; she'd never have made it through her first Wyoming season.
Handsome rancher Luke Rawlins is impressed by this sassy, independent city girl. But he yearns to do more than help Libby out with her ranch…he's ready for love, and he wants to go the distance. When the two get embroiled in their tiny town's one and only crime story, Libby discovers that their sizzling hot attraction is going to complicate her life in every way possible…
Buy: Cowboy Trouble
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Joanne Kennedy has worked in bookstores all her life in positions ranging from bookseller to buyer. She is a member of Romance Writers of America and Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers, and won first place in the Colorado Gold Writing Contest and second place in the Heart of the Rockies contest in 2007. Joanne lives and writes in Cheyenne, Wyoming. For more information please visit http://kennedysmyth.com/ and http://www.cowboytrouble.com/.
Giveaway: 2 copies of Cowboy Trouble are up for grabs. Perfect for anyone in the mood for a lighthearted mystery! Open to US and Canadian readers only. Sorry international readers! To enter ask Joanne a question. One entry per relevant comment; multiple entries allowed. Ends: March 22, 2010. Best of luck!
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March 5th, 2010 — Author Interviews, P-R
I’d like us to extend a warm welcome to a Kensington Zebra debut author. Her name is Erica Ridley. Welcome Erica, to Love Romance Passion! We respect every author’s privacy and try our best not to intrude in their private lives. That being said, when did you have your first romantic kiss? I’m kidding, of course! Actually, here’s what I’d really like to know:
Susan: You became a reader at a fairly early age, age three to be exact; what do you like to read?
Erica: In those days, fairy tales. These days, romance! (The more things change, the more they stay the same... LOL.) Actually, I'm a huge fan of genre fiction in general, including mysteries and thrillers and just about anything that packs a punch. But my very favorite is definitely romance, primarily historicals, paranormal, romantic suspense, and contemporary romantic comedies.
Susan: What is it about Regency-set historical romances that appeals to you?
Erica: Oooh, everything! I love the clearly defined roles, the equally defined rules, and the characters who do their best to bend and break them. I love the fashion, the witty banter, the glamorous lives of the ton, and the not-so-glamorous lives of everyone else. In fact, some of my favorite stories involve just such class differences. I also really like the complete lack of modern technology--it opens up the door to so many plot twists that simply wouldn't work in a contemporary story!
Susan: What states and countries have you visited?
Erica: So far (because it's my goal to explore as many as possible!) I've been lucky enough to visit Austria, Belgium, Canada, Costa Rica, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Luxembourg, Mexico, Morocco, Netherlands (Holland), Poland, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. I've visited exactly half of the continental US (namely: AZ, CA, DE, DC, FL, GA, IL, IN, KY, MD, MA, MI, NV, NJ, NM, NY, NC, OH, OR, PA, TN, TX, VA, WA, and WI) and I hope to some day have visited all 50 of our states!
Susan: Do your travels inspire you to write?
Erica: Well... on the one hand, my travels inspire me to procrastinate. I absolutely adore exploring new places, particularly when if the language and/or culture is different from my own. On the other hand, I've stumbled across the best surprises while traveling. Tours of historical houses, museums with period furniture or costumes, libraries of old texts. And every time I do, my head overflows with story ideas, and I definitely long to sit down and write!
Susan: In your novel Too Wicked To Kiss, you introduce us to one H-O-T hero named Gavin Lioncroft. Does Gavin know the effect he has on women?
Erica: Mmmm, Gavin Lioncroft...! When he was younger, it's safe to say he was pretty arrogant about his effect on women. But after being away from Society for so long, he no longer takes that for granted. If anything, he's now suspicious that those who try to engage him are concealing ulterior motives... and he's almost always right.
Susan: (Blushing) Does he know the effect he had on me?
Erica: He may not, but Evangeline sure does, and she's giving you the hairy eyeball right now... 
Susan: The sequel for Too Wicked To Kiss is Too Sinful To Deny. Will it be another whodunit mystery romance?
Erica: There's definitely a murder to be solved (the hero's primary goal is avenging his brother's death) but it's less of a whodunit-style mystery. It is definitely full of Gothic romance goodness, however!
Susan: Shameless self-promotion here. What would you like to say to readers who haven’t read your novels?
Erica: I would like to say... it's release week! What are you waiting for? LOL. Actually, I'd like to say that I try to write sensual, suspenseful, atmospheric love stories, and I hope you enjoy Too Wicked To Kiss!
Thank you Erica, for spending the day with us here at Love Romance Passion. Please feel free to visit us anytime!
Buy: Too Wicked To Kiss
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February 15th, 2010 — Author Interviews, J-L
Hi Robin and welcome back! I’m so excited to talk to you again. As with before, you’ve wowed me. I am really enjoying your Domestic Gods series. Loved Mike Flynn, who doesn’t? He cooks, cleans, and diagnoses!
Robin: Thanks for having me back to your wonderful blog. I love it here.
How tough was it for you to take side characters from a previous novel and flush them out to be main characters?
Robin: Not hard at all. Even my secondary characters are so real to me. They tend to try to take over the book, so taking a character and giving him or her their own book is somewhat of a relief. I can let go of the tight reign I’ve always had to use to keep my secondary characters from running away with the story.
What was some of the medical research you had to do?
Robin: I have an incredible doctor on speed dial. I schedule my appointments just before noon, and then I take him out to lunch and grill him. We had great discussions about partnerships, fellowships, and how much debt a person incurs becoming a doctor. He told me horror stories about some of the people he knew in nightmare partnerships and from our conversations; I came up with Mike’s conflict. When I’d write a scene like the interview for instance, I’d run it by him. I think that was actually during an appointment. LOL He seemed impressed that I understood both the business and the medical side on the interview.
He’s a wonderful asset and has been really great about it. He doesn’t even seem to mind that all his nurses suspect I’ve used him as the blueprint for Dr. Mike in my book. I haven’t, there’s way too much of an ick factor to do that, but I think he enjoys telling his wife I have. The only time he has a problem with helping me out is when I forget to tell him the person in need of medical care is a fictional character.
This story features some heavy emotional issues. How difficult was that to balance?
Robin: The emotional issues were a challenge. In Romeo, Romeo Annabelle wasn’t a very sympathetic character. At the time, I had no idea she’d be the heroine in the second book or I probably wouldn’t have made her so…difficult. I knew going in I had an uphill battle but even when Annabelle came to me in Romeo, Romeo I knew she had a lot of baggage. The trick was getting it out there in the very beginning without an info dump. I hope I succeeded. After that, everything seemed to flow.
What are some of the themes in your book you feel readers should know about before they start reading?
Robin: Wow, that’s a hard one. I’d love for people to open the book not knowing the theme and discover it as they read, but since I have to give you an answer, I guess the thing I discovered while writing Too Hot to Handle
, is that when people grow, their definition of love changes. Annabelle loved her first fiancé, Chip, but looking back, they were both young and their love was immature. It probably would have died a natural death if Chip’s illness hadn’t made their relationship problems seem inconsequential. Two years later, when Annabelle falls in love with Mike, she’s a mature woman who lived through loss and overcame it. The love she shares with Mike is a mature love, one that will last.
In your opinion does love redeem or does it absolve and how does that idea play in Too Hot to Handle?
Robin: You really make my work sound so deep! I love it. LOL
I think love does both. It redeems and absolves. When you truly love someone you accept them, warts and all. Everyone comes into a relationship with baggage and the one thing I’ve learned is that if you love someone, you are able to see their true essence even when no one else can. From the get-go, Mike knows there’s more to Annabelle than meets the eye. He might not be exactly sure of what it is, but he sees it.
In every loving relationship each person has to learn to forgive and accept his or her lover throughout the relationship. That’s something both Mike and Annabelle learn by looking at the situation from the others point of view. I hope that answers the question. I don’t know a way to explain it better without giving the conflict away.
What do you think are Mike’s and Annabelle’s biggest flaws are as characters/people?
Robin: Mike’s biggest flaw is trying to control everything. He’s always been very responsible and tends to take responsibility for everything and everyone. In some respects it’s a quality, but every quality taken to the extreme is a flaw.
Annabelle is very closed and repressed. In a way she’s taken the easy way out, she’s just refused to deal with the hard stuff, the hurt and the loss. She’s really good at avoiding her feeling until she’s forced to when she meets Mike. She’s spent the last two years sleep-walking through life, allowing her family to push her into situations she would never have accepted if she were more in touch with her feelings.
Meeting Mike forces her to overcome the loss of her first love—two years too late. She grows up a lot during the course of the book. She learns to experience both the pleasure and the pain that love brings to a life. She also learns to stand up for herself.
In Too Hot to Handle, you’re really building the world around the characters. There are several who’ve come back to make a reappearance. Will they be in future books?
Robin: Yes, I love my secondary characters. In Too Hot to Handle, we get to see Nick and Rosalie (the hero and heroine of Romeo, Romeo
) Vinny, Aunt Rose and the rest of the Ronaldi clan. They also play a part in Breakfast In Bed, my next book in the Domestic Gods series.
Speaking of future books, who’s next? Rich, Becca, Ben? Tell me Benjamin Walsh is getting his own book! I do love a marriage of convenience romance, especially when it blindsides the guy!
Robin: Breakfast in Bed
is Rich Ronaldi’s book. And rest assured, Ben will get his own book too. I’m going to start working on the fourth book of the series just as soon as I finish the revisions of Breakfast in Bed. I can’t wait!
You're telling me! Don't forget to swing by and check out Robin Kaye's post on the Top Ten Reasons Women Love Domestic Gods for a chance to win a copy of Too Hot to Handle!
Originally posted 2009-05-08 05:25:01. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
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February 12th, 2010 — Another Planet/Dimension, Author Interviews, Dragon, Fantasy, J-L, Magic Users, Young Adult
Warnings... if you weren't curious about Choices Meant for Gods or Sandy Lender before this interview you're going to be chomping at the bit to get this book to devour! Mwuahaha...
1. How did the idea for Choices Meant for Gods first come to you?
Sandy Lender: Way back when I was in junior high or early high school, the evil bad guy, Jamieson Drake, showed me Amanda Chariss. She was standing on a balcony, holding back the curtains as if embracing the morning sunrise and she was beautiful. I fell in love with her instantly. I got her name wrong at first...and I wasn't sure how she met Nigel Taiman at first...but I always knew she'd been running (with her wizard guardian) from this nasty old sorcerer Drake since she was a child.
I've got a notebook somewhere with a scene of Chariss and Hrazon meeting up with Nigel in the forest before they get to the Taiman estate. The names are all wrong but the camaraderie between Chariss and Hrazon is amazing. It shows Nigel instantly falling in love with this young lady, which I think is way too obvious, of course!
2. I'm pretty curious about Chariss. Why is she a heroine readers can get behind?
Sandy Lender: On one hand, Chariss is this amazing, kick-butt, no-holds-barred gal who possesses a well-controlled form of magic (the geasa) through years of training and self-sacrifice. On the other hand, she's just a 20-year-old girl who's been running from a madman since age four when the guy killed her whole family in front of her. She's sympathetic that way. She doesn't think of herself as any great shakes. She's done all this training so she can protect herself; not to impress anyone. She doesn't believe she can do anything great (flaw #1); she can't cook (funny flaw). She loves her guardian wizard like a father and would lay down her life to save his. She's kind to everyone because she just feels that's the right way to be. When she finds a fledgling dragon, she's excited and wants to feed it. She's just approachable and fun, strong and fabulous. There are reviewers on Amazon who state it more succinctly than I can because I'm too close to her. I've had her in my head for 25 years or so.
Oh. And then there's this amethyst on her cheekbone, high up near the corner of her right eye that she was born with. It's a "birthmark" of sorts that seals her fate...
3. What are some of the overarching themes that will drive your Choices trilogy?
Tolerance
Love
Spirituality
4. What are some of the difficulties in world-building?
Sandy Lender: Tracking those darn moons. I have a big ol' desk calendar, though, that I've plotted the moon patterns on so I know when the two moons in the world of Onweald are both full, both waning, etc. I need that information...
Another difficulty was measurements when I've got a flooding river in the mix. I have the evil bad guy in cahoots with an evil bad goddess (because one evil bad guy isn't enough, you know?) and they've got an evil bad army marching toward Chariss's latest refuge. Well, I've got to measure out how long that's going to take so everyone converges on the same place at the same time in Book III. So far, I think I have it timed just so...
5. Of course world-building isn't all work-a lot of it is fun. What's your favorite fantasy element you've incorporated into your world?
Sandy Lender: This is a really great question, Keira! There are a few elements I love...like Malachi, the dragon. I can't go into "why" because I would be giving away a bit of a mystery that the reader is supposed to solve before the end of Choices Meant for Gods. Chariss doesn't solve it (silly girl), but the reader figures it out. Mwuahahahaha.
I will pick: the geasa. I'm one of those funky Southern Baptists (even though I write bizarre fantasy about polytheistic societies - go figure) that believes sorcery and magic are things you best be pretty darn careful about. So, in my fantasy novels, I didn't want to confuse any impressionable minds (teens, etc.) who would be reading by having my "good guys" using sorcery or magic. So I made up a form of magic that comes from the good side of nature in my world. Now, you can argue that we're still using magic, and I agree, but, hey, it's my fantasy world and I'll cheat if I want to. 
So I made up the geasa as a god-breathed form of power that some people get while they're forming in the womb and some people don't. It's not necessarily hereditary, but many frightened bigots in the world of Onweald fear that it is, and many families have been murdered for producing Geasa'n children. That's where the theme of tolerance comes into play in the series. People who are intolerant and bigoted don't fare so well in my novels...
6. When it comes to the written word and real life, how do you define love?
Sandy Lender: I've just gone through a 17-month divorce, after a 13-year marriage that was mostly devoid of love, so I might not be the right person to ask. He he he. In fact, not long before I filed, my ex-husband informed me that he'd spent most of the marriage resenting me. Nice. So...I think I'll say that love would be NOT resenting the other person.
To be very serious, though, I would define love as mutual affection, respect, and, in romantic love, passion. Isn't it Eleanor in Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility
who throws "esteem" into the mix? I agree with the concept. Even for romantic love, the friendship qualities have to be in there or your characters are just having a fling.
In Choices Meant for Gods, when Nigel and Chariss first see each other, Chariss is so distressed over a plot development that's happening that she doesn't really notice too much about him. But Nigel is instantly enamored. He wants to come to her rescue. A friendship builds between the two before Nigel ever announces his intentions. Chariss wouldn't have had it any other way.
7. How did ArcheBooks first hear of Choices Meant for Gods?
Sandy Lender: I had a pitch session with the publisher, Bob Gelinas, at a writer's conference in Southwest Florida. He took my proposal, synopsis, marketing plan, first three chapters, and then requested the full manuscript a few days later. Woo-hoo! That was probably the most stressful interview of my whole life. Bob was a kind person, rather informal, just havin' a conversation about my book, but he probably doesn't realize I was on the verge of cardiac arrest the whole time.
8. Fill in the blank: If you're not writing, you are irritable.
9. What do you hope readers will gain from Choices Meant for Gods and the rest of your trilogy?
Sandy Lender: Even though life isn't always fair, even though we don't always get what we want, there are amazing people we meet during our journeys who lift us up. Without these people, the journey wouldn't be worth much.
10. Is there anything else you'd like to share with us?
Sandy Lender: This might seem a wee bit odd, but in addition to my Choices Meant for Gods, I would encourage folks also to read Jane Eyre,
by Charlotte Bronte. This novel is one of the best ever written. It's my favorite of all time. There are elements in Jane Eyre that influence my writing on a conscious and subconscious level, and folks who have already read the book will probably pick out a few of those elements in Choices Meant for Gods.
Also, thank you so much for hosting me! And thank you to all the visitors who've stopped in to read our interview today. It's been a fun exercise.
Thank you so much Sandy for sitting down and doing this interview with me! I'm so excited about this book and I hope everyone else is too.
If you're interested in WINNING an autographed, hard cover, first edition of Choices Meant for Gods leave a COMMENT on today's post AND tomorrow's post because at the end of each week one commenter (from all the blogs in the tour that week) will be randomly drawn and awarded. It might be you!
Buy: Choices Meant for Gods
To learn more about Sandy and Choices Meant for Gods check out the rest of her blog tour:
Originally posted 2009-06-12 03:39:34. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
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February 1st, 2010 — Author Interviews, Comedy of Manners, Contemporary, M-O
Have you ever wanted to get out of your current job? Anne Wyatt feels that way too. Ever want to put in less than 110% and in fact put 110% in doing the wrong thing? That's exactly what Anne does in Fire Me! Come meet Libby Malin, the author behind this hilarious outtake of working life in corporate America.
Was Fire Me your original title for your book?
Fire Me was definitely the original title and the one I dearly loved and wanted to keep-I was very lucky to have an editor who helped retain it even as other titles were considered.
What were some of the other titles that your book went through?
At one point during my writing, I did title it Feels Like Today
, from the Rascal Flatts song of the same name, since the book takes place in one day. But Fire Me kept calling out to me!
What were some difficulties that you faced when writing Fire Me?
Thinking of things for Anne to do to get her boss' negative attention and get her name on the lay-off list was actually harder than I thought it would be! I could think of plenty of things she could do to mess things up, but her stunts had to be attention-grabbers (her boss' attention, that is) and they couldn't be...cruel....or mess things up too much for those with whom she worked.
How on earth did you come up with all those crazy antics that were pulled? I was laughing my butt off throughout the whole book!
Aww....thank you! I love hearing that people laughed out loud while reading the book. I came up with a bunch on my own, trying to think what I'd LOVE to do (like having the boss announce a cut in his own salary!). But I also surveyed friends and relatives and asked what they would do or what sorts of weird things they'd seen employees do. One friend mentioned how she'd had to wait to talk to an employee who was finishing a computer game.
How do you come up with characters (names, appearances, personalities)?
Anne's name and appearance just came to me. I thought of her as having an impish personality, so a pixie-like look fit perfectly. Ken I struggled with a bit, wanting to create someone who had an artistic bent (and thus a rebel kind of look) but who was also very grounded in financial issues. For Mitch....well, there are some CEOs whose images came to mind when I was mentally drawing him.
Do you work with pictures when it comes to appearances and if so who did you base your characters Anne and Ken?
No, I can't say I worked with any pictures other than the ones in my crazy head!
What was your inspiration for this book?
I had a dear friend who was struggling with whether to stay at her job or seek something else more fulfilling. We started joking about how she could mess things up enough that she'd be let go, and thus the torture of indecision would be lifted from her. That lit the spark of the story idea.
Do you believe in love at first sight?
Yes, I do.
How do you define love?
Wow-that's a deep question. I guess I define love as the feeling of connection and affection that transcends the mundane, a bond between two souls.
What do you think makes a good contemporary romance?
I think characters you can relate to makes for a good contemporary romance. I like characters who are finding their way, muddling through. Not perfect, in other words.
Is there anything else you'd like to share with us?
Just a big thank-you to everyone who's read the book so far, enjoyed it, and let me know!
Visit Libby at her website.
Buy Fire Me
Originally posted 2009-05-05 05:11:52. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
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January 27th, 2010 — Author Interviews, Guest Blogger, S-U
Today, we’re welcoming back a familiar voice here at LRP, hello Terry Spear. Thank you for visiting, let’s chew the fat awhile. Susan looks over at Terry whose shapeshifted into an Arctic wolf, and is currently chewing the fat from a rib bone. Terry, honey, what I meant was, let’s have a friendly talk.
- Susan: I understand you enjoy reading, particularly historicals and paranormals. Would you share the title(s) of some of your favorite reads?
Terry: I loved Celtic Fire
and the Immortal Highlander
, but so many others too. Both have a paranormal bent with a historical past. I love time travels, but there aren’t as many out there that I can find to read!
- Susan: I’ve read other shapeshifting novels where the hero uses a fur pelt to shift. What is the catalyst that initiates your weres to shift? Is it a certain moon phase, or a strong emotion such as anger?
Terry: I was just reading about wolfsbane and how in some fables, the flower can cause the person to shift, in others, it prevents them from shifting, in others, it kills the creature. LOL. I love how stories can be so different from one another, which shows just how vivid imaginations can be.
In my stories, werewolves for the most part are born as such. The full moon has more of a draw on werewolves who have more human roots in their genes, than for royals who have had mostly werewolf genetics. And the royals are the only ones who can shift during any phase of the moon, whereas, the others can’t become a wolf during the new moon. So that leaves newly turned wolves with little control over their shapeshifting ability in the beginning. In To Tempt the Wolf
, two of the men who are turned, deal with it in different ways, just like people will handle a situation differently based on their personalities. Some are stronger, some more weak-willed. In Wolf Fever, the heroine has been recently turned, and she’s fighting the shift. But when she’s accosted at one point in the story, she suddenly feels the urge to shift. In another instant, she’s cold and can’t get warmed up, as well as the full moon’s strong pull is causing her trouble with the compulsion to shift. In Legend of the White Wolf, the heroine also has difficulty controlling the shift when she’s threatened. So for each, it depends on their personality as to what might trigger the need to change.
- Susan: Your heroine (Faith O’Malley) in Legend of the White Wolf
is smart, beautiful and fearless. Which heroines do you prefer writing, the strong heroines, or the vulnerable ones?
Terry: Definitely strong, with vulnerabilities. I’ve never cared for the Tomb Raider
type who had no flaws or vulnerabilities, or the heroine in Alien
who was the same way, tough, hard as nails, no feelings. At least that’s the way it seemed to me. On the other hand, weepy heroines who rely on everyone to do their bidding, doesn’t do it for me. I remember years ago watching a movie where the hero was struggling to fight some evil bad guy and the woman was standing helplessly nearby, screaming, her hands on her cheeks, eyes wide, and my mother saying, “Pick up a lamp! Clobber him! Do something!” I agreed with my mother. A heroine who stands up for right is a heroine in my book.
- Susan: I consider you a multi-faceted author. You have been known to write urban fantasy, YA, Scottish-Medieval romances, romances with paranormal and romantic suspense elements. Is there another sub-genre you “secretly” wish to write for?
Terry: I’ve written a couple of time-travels and someday, I’d like to do some for publication. In part, it’s my love of history. Tossing a hero or heroine into the rabbit hole of the past and watching them thrive, stirs my imagination. Making them realistic is the real challenge though. I’d still love to do it.
- Susan: Some readers may not know this, but you create gorgeous wooly teddy bears. Have you created one to resemble an Arctic wolf?
Terry: LOL. Thanks, Susan! I’ve been asked to create a werewolf bear…In fact, if I ever design one, I have a couple of orders for them! I did create vampire bears for authors. Someday, if I ever get caught up, I do want to try my hand at one.
- Susan: In Legend of the White Wolf you familiarize your readers with at least two packs. I personally would love to be part of Leidolf’s red wolves. Will you include new packs in your upcoming werewolf series?
Terry: Seduced by the Wolf
is all about Leidolf and his poor pack. In Heart of the Wolf
, readers got a glimpse of the abused pack under Alfred’s rule. Leidolf took over that pack, and now has the task to heal them. I have to make a comment here, that if it hadn’t been for my editor, Deb, being upset that the red pack was doomed for extinction, Leidolf wouldn’t have come into the picture to save the day. So thanks to Deb for her concern for the reds in the Portland area! Leidolf has also taken on another real problem, and he’s one of the characters in Legend of the White Wolf.
For Taming the Highland Wolf, we’ll see what Highland werewolves are made of. That’s Book 7 coming in the spring of 2011. I’m pretty sure there’ll be two conflicting clans…it’s a Scottish thing, you know.
- Susan: Could you give us a little glimpse of your next title in the series, book five called Seduced by the Wolf due out in August 2010?
Terry: Ah, yes, Seduced by the Wolf, Leidolf’s story. He’s a royal red, with barely any human influences, and is pretty arrogant about it. Fans thought he ought to have a newly turned heroine because of it. But what he encounters knocks him totally off balance—a wolf biologist, red royal werewolf type—who plays by her own rules. She has NO intention of joining his pack or any other. And man does he want her. Now, if she didn’t want him back, he might give up on her. But he knows, or at least he hopes it’s not just wishful thinking on his part, that she’s just as intrigued with him as he is with her. And so, he’s not about to give her up. But she’s not about to give in either. The perfect couple, don’t you think?
- Susan: What would you say to readers who “haven’t” had the pleasure of reading your werewolf series? Why should they pick up your novels?
Terry: If you’re looking for werewolves who are real wolves at heart, look no further. For adventure, mystery, romance and intrigue, the series has it all. I love combining mystery and intrigue, having cut my teeth on mystery novels when I was younger. But adventure stories with a combined mystery like the Bourne
series, fascinated me even more, and add a romance, some subtle humor, and even better yet, the paranormal, and you’ve got the perfect scenario!
Heart of the Wolf, Book 1, started off the series with its wolfish characters and more realistic portrayal of life as a werewolf and the trouble with pack behavior. Destiny of the Wolf, Book 2, came next, which showed a gray pack that actually runs a town in Colorado. To Tempt the Wolf, Book 3, reveals a rare werewolf scenario, and a hero who has lost everything—his pack, his sister, his home, and his memory, and fights the urge to take a human for his own. And Legend of the White Wolf, Book 4, presents Arctic werewolves in Maine, who move about freely, not secretly like the wolves in other stories, although that’s only their wolf counterpart. No one, or mostly no one, knows what they truly are. Seduced by the Wolf, Book 5, shows what happens when a wolf biologist prefers living with wolves rather than her own werewolf kind, and the red pack leader in the area has other plans in mind. Wolf Fever, Book 6, coming in the fall of 2010, is about a psychic newly-turned werewolf nurse, who fights fully becoming one of the werewolf kind when she can’t even control her psychic visions. But Chester McKinley can’t quit thinking about the woman who solved the murder case through her psychic talents that HE was trying to solve. Is she for real? And do her abilities include a mesmerizing kind of sensuous control that she’s used on him? Taming the Highland Wolf is Book 7, and I can’t wait to get started on the hunky Highland story! And Dreaming of the Wolf, Book 8, is Jake’s story from Destiny of the Wolf. He doesn’t believe in dream mating. So what happens when the woman of his dreams desperately needs his help?
Susan: Thank you Terry, for spending the day with us at Love Romance Passion. Please feel free to visit anytime, even as a white furred Arctic-if you prefer.
Terry: LOL, Susan, thanks so much for having me again! I loved your fun questions and wish you and your readers a warm and cozy den with the best to read during the winter season.
LEGEND OF THE WHITE WOLF—IN STORES FEBRUARY 2010
Award-Winning Author introduces the next installment of her paranormal romance series
A 2008 Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year Award Winner!
Night Owl Romance Reader Choice Award for Best Paranormal 2008
In this fourth in Spear's series, Private Eye Cameron MacPherson and Faith O'Mallery are both on quests that lead them into the world of magical wolves...
Cameron arrives in the Canadian Arctic to search for his partners in his P.I. business who are late returning from a hunting trip. Faith is there to discover what her father had seen in the same area years earlier that had made him lose touch with reality—man-wolves, he called them.
The two tumble into an icy world of enemies bent on destroying the lupus garou kind. As they turn into lupus garou themselves, and bond with the pack that only they can rescue from destruction, Cameron and Faith find their soul mates in each other.
Buy: Legend of the White Wolf
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
A retired lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army Reserves, Terry Spear has an MBA from Monmouth University. As an eclectic writer, she dabbles in the paranormal, historical and true life stories for both teen and adult audiences. She is the author of Winning the Highlander’s Heart and The Vampire in My Dreams (young adult). Spear lives in Crawford, Texas.
You can find Terry at the following places:
www.terryspear.com
http://www.wickedlyromantic.blogspot.com/
http://casablancaauthors.blogspot.com
http://fierceromance.blogspot.com
http://www.facebook.com/reqs.php#/home.php?ref=home
http://shapeshifterromance.wordpress.com
Buy: Legend of the White Wolf
Giveaway: 2 copies of Legend of the White Wolf are being generously donated by Terry and Sourcebooks. That means 2 winners! Open to US and Canadian readers only, sorry international readers. To enter, simply ask Terry a question. One entry per relevant comment; multiple entries allowed! Ends: February 3, 2010.
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December 19th, 2009 — Author Interviews, D-F
Hey there! Look who's here! Meet Mary Margret Daughtridge! Mary Margret is a romance author who's current SEALed Series about "Hard men...soft hearts" is making a splash. She's joined us today for an author interview and I couldn't be happier to have her. To keep things easy Mary Margret Daughtridge will henceforth be referred to as MMD!
Keira: It's obvious that the hunky men who comprise the Navy SEALs inspired SEALed with a Promise
, but why focus on SEALs versus say men from other armed forces?
MMD: Honest and truly, the choice of SEALs was serendipitous. I didn't know at the time that I was starting a series-if I had I might have chosen a group which would be a little easier to research-like Green Berets who train at Ft. Bragg, only ninety miles from here. I just needed someone in the military whose job made extreme demands on his time. That would be a SEAL. Everything about them is extreme.
Keira: I read in the back of the book the acknowledgment blurb and it talked about several of the people who let you pick their brains in the name of research. How does one go about finding and then approaching these people for assistance?
MMD: Years ago when I worked as a family advocate, I used to brag I could find out the answer to any question in six phone calls or less. The same principle applies. I just go in a direction that seems promising and keep asking people who do they know who would know. SEALs are a relatively small group. One can lead to another, especially since I have demonstrated that I'm not a groupie, I don't want to know any secrets, I'm not nuts-okay, not dangerously nuts-and I won't misuse their time.
Keira: What was the hardest part of writing SEALed with a Promise?
MMD: The fact that Caleb had chosen such a hard path. I understand that a desire for revenge can be a healthy response to powerlessness, but I don't really like revenge plots, and I resisted writing it. Still, I loved Caleb. The fact that his great strength had made him so vulnerable grabbed my heart. It was often emotionally difficult to let the story unfold because I wanted to protect him from himself.
The above makes it sound like the book is heavy or dark. It isn't, but SEALed With A Promise was emotional for me to write. I cried. A lot.
Keira: Caleb and his Brad Pitt lips - is there an inspirational photo to go along with this fabulous hero? I would love to see! How about Emmie?
MMD: LOL. Caleb looks a little like Matthew McConaughey, and radiates the same laidback charm, but a little rougher and a little colder, at least on the surface. Try this one:
Emmie? I don't know. It's more a look of intelligent innocence than any particular features. A young Teri Garr would come closest I think. Traylor Howard, who plays Natalie Teeger on Monk, has some of the same look.
Keira: What do you think makes Caleb a heroic character and hero to swoon over?
MMD: I hate to admit this, but...I don't know. LOL. All I know is, I write characters I love, and to me that means writing characters-both men and women-who are full of heart. I think there is no sanity without humor, so they have a sense of humor and the ability to laugh at themselves. They need generosity and the capacity to put another's needs before their own. Finally they need to be human. That means they get it wrong sometimes. They mess up. They have blind spots. And sometimes they are led astray, not by their faults, but by their virtues.
Keira: How do you define love?
MMD: The definition I'm always working from as I craft the relationships between hero and heroine is I love the person I am when I'm with you. I believe love heals and allows us to show ourselves, and others, our best, while making space for the fact that we are human.
While I enjoy a fantasy fairytale romance, I have a strong resistance to writing them myself. My intention is to craft a relationship which really would work. And that means neither party gets "fixed" by the relationship, and yet the relationship creates a safe space in which each can grow.
I don't think any intelligent reader believes Caleb and Emmie will live happily ever after, but I do hope readers will see that a good strong foundation of respect, appreciation, and fun has been established from which Caleb and Emmie can continue to grow in love.
Keira: How do you decide on the character names (for Caleb and Emmie especially)?
Names are important. They summarize a character's history. Caleb's nickname, Do-Lord, popped into my mind the same instant he did, and I knew that it was given to him at the start of his SEAL career-a mark of his acceptance into a special group, but also a name he hid much his true self behind.
But I didn't know what his real name was for quite a while. I thought he needed a Biblical name and played around with Jesse, but it just didn't' work. One day another writer mentioned Caleb. I looked up the Biblical story and realized Caleb was an Israelite spy sent by Moses to spy on the Promised Land to determine if it could be captured.
It was perfect because Caleb was determined to use his covert skills to spy on Senator Calhoun, and Caleb's mother (who named him) would have considered Calhoun's life to be the Promised Land.
The Biblical Caleb is often designated as "the spy who told the truth," which adds a layer of irony to my Caleb right up to the moment when he decides to tell the truth, knowing the truth will destroy his relationship with Emmie.
Emmie needed a name that put her solidly outside the mainstream. Her full name is Emelina Theodora. Her missionary parents had waited for children so long that they considered her birth a miracle. They named her for a grandmother, Emelina, and added Theodora which means "gift of God."
But despite her brains, she needed a name that showed that those who knew her best valued her and held her in affection. Thus the pet name of Emmie.
Keira: Why did you decide to write romance or "mush" as some people are inclined to think (wink)?
MMD: I believe in the message of romance. Oh not happily ever after-that isn't possible, of course. But the structure of romance always carries the message that good people working together can overcome adversity, and find valuable qualities in themselves and others. I happen to believe that this message is true, and we need stories that keep us going in the dark times.
Another reason is that romance of all the genres is the most psychological. In the romance genre I have the freedom to explore character at some depth.
Your wink is referring to some of the SEALs who have helped me in my research. They tease me about writing mush. I teased them back by having Caleb, a voracious reader, read romance novels while in Afghanistan-because he's already read all the techno-thrillers, and the romance novels are all that are left.
SEALed With a Kiss garnered a lot of praise, but the praise that meant the most to me was "Mary Margret understands the human condition-and makes you feel good about it." That was written by a retired SEAL who has become a dear friend, JC Roat.
Keira: What do you think is the greatest creative risk you've taken?
MMD: Deciding to cast a SEAL as a feel-good-romance hero. Until my books, the SEALs were always the leads in romantic suspense-a subgenre I thoroughly enjoy in the hands of Suzanne Brockmann and others, but I didn't want to write it. I knew my books would confound some people's expectations.
There are people who don't get it. Occasionally, I'm criticized for not idealizing my characters, especially the SEALs-the suggestion being that I am disrespecting them. The truth is, I respect them too much to portray them as little tin gods, shiny but hollow. SEALs' extraordinary qualities seem more amazing to me because they exist in thoroughly human, fallible, vulnerable creatures-not Superman.
I'm very fortunate that Deb Werksman at Sourcebooks was willing to take a chance on a "novel" concept. (Sorry, couldn't resist the pun.)
Keira: What do you hope your readers will gain from your books?
MMD: First of all, I write entertainment fiction, and make no apology for it. Making people happy for a few hours and leaving them feeling good is honorable work. Anytime I've done that, I'm happy.
If readers gain an appreciation of the fact that people-even wonderful people-aren't perfect, and that very often their greatest strengths are also their greatest shortcomings, then maybe they will have more compassion for others. And for themselves.
Keira: Is there anything else you'd like to share with us?
MMD: Just my thanks. You offered some great, insightful questions which I thoroughly enjoyed discussing.
I love hearing from readers. They can contact me through my website http://marymargretdaughtridge.com.
Well you heard Mary Margret! Go visit her site! Thanks for joining us today it's been a blast! Don't miss SEALed with a Kiss
.
Originally posted 2009-04-11 05:50:29. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
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December 18th, 2009 — Author Interviews, Georgian, Gothic, Paranormal, S-U, Suspense/Thriller, Werewolf
Q - I had so much fun reading Lady Anne and the Howl in the Dark; what was your inspiration for the book? Do you have any photos you worked from for the imposing castle and grounds?
A - Thank you, Keira... I appreciate the kind words! I am a rational person, and so is Lady Anne. When she hears a werewolf has been spotted, she thinks, 'big dog on the loose'. Once I saw that, and put it together with the Georgian era, when there was a lot of superstition (not that there isn't that now!) the rest flowed from there. As for photos of the castle... what actually inspired Darkefell Castle is a pen, ink and watercolor picture I bought at a rummage sale; it is of an old castle with a modern (Georgian modern, probably mid-1700s) addition, and it is exactly Darkefell Castle! I've searched and searched online, but I can't find the original that the artist worked from.
Q - What was the hardest part of writing your book?
Thinking up the plot.
Outlining.
Writing it.
Editing final drafts.
Depends upon what stage I'm at working, what I would answer to that question. Right now I would say, final editing is agonizing, because you know that after it's gone, sent off to your editor, you will likely not have any opportunity to substantially change the course of the book again. You have to be sure of it!
Q - How did Sourcebooks find out about your novel?
I have a great agent with his nose to the ground, looking for intriguing new opportunities. When we were looking about for a publisher for the Lady Anne series, he included Sourcebooks Casablanca among the recipients, as he found their recent acquisitions interesting. We took it from there, sending it to the acquisitions editor, Deb Werksman, and she like it!
Q - How much time do you spend writing each day (or each week, if you prefer)?
It depends on a) what I'm writing and b) what else is on my plate. If I have a book due, it's full-time days writing. If I have a book being released, then promotion takes over. But most days, overall, I tend to write about five hours a day.
Q - What do you think is the greatest creative risk you've taken?
Blending mystery and romance so thoroughly in the Lady Anne series. I adore romances with mystery elements and love mysteries with a strong thread of romance, and I hope readers do, too. I mean, both romance and mystery are parts of life, why can't they co-exist in a novel genre?
Q - What are some plot devices you like? Can't stand?
I don't know so much if they are plot devices, but I despise emotionally manipulative writers, the ones who set you up to have certain expectations, then dash them. I think they believe that it's more 'literary' to put characters (and readers) through pain than to give them a happy ending. Not necessarily.
Also, I hatehatehate (I feel so strongly about this I had to repeat it three times!) writers who aren't true to their characters. When I close a book, I want to know, even if the end is sad, that it makes sense, that how the characters acted was true to their soul as the writer created them, and not some behavior that feels superimposed by the author because he or she had a certain ending in mind.
As for plot devices I like, all I ask of a writer is that they are true to their characters, and I'll go with almost anything!
Q - Could you provide a picture of your bookshelf?
I don't have just one bookshelf! They're kind of scattered all over the house!
Q - Share some of your favorite books!
Favorite books... ah, the list is endless! A Flaw in the Blood
, by Stephanie Barron blew me away... such a great writer. People know her from her fabulous Jane Austen as a detective series, but she's good at everything she writes. I like classics, of course. Who hasn't been inspired by Pride & Prejudice? But for day-to-day reading, I love mystery novels! Anne Perry, Victoria Thompson, many others!
Q - What do you do to relax and get away from writing? Is there something that really gets you away from it all?
Mostly, just ordinary stuff. I love to read; I can't imagine there's an author alive who wouldn't say that! Reading is such a great escape, and that's what I try to write for my readers, a great escape from care and worry. I do have a few hobbies - including karaoke - and hanging out with friends on the weekend. That is about it. I'm a very simple gal. A good book on the patio and a glass of wine or cup of tea is about the perfect end of a day.
Q - I have a spoiler question... Will there be a sequel so that Darkefell can win over Lady Anne? Oh please say yes!
Okay, I'm not one to release spoilers, but I will say this much, in Lady Anne and the Ghost's Revenge
(August 2009) things heat up considerably between Darkefell and Anne, and in Lady Anne and the Gypsy Curse (November 2009) the passion reaches bonfire proportions on the heat scale! Some do like it hot!
Q - How do you define love?
Love: wow, definitions are tough, but my idea of love is caring so much about another person, that you put them first in your thoughts. You know their faults and don't give a damn. You would make any sacrifice to make them happy.
Q - Is there anything else you'd like to share with us?
I had a great time with these characters; they often did quite unexpected things! And I hope readers enjoy them as much as I did writing about their adventures.
Visit me at http://www.donnaleasimpson.com for more information on the Lady Anne series, and if you'd like to learn more about the Georgian era, in which they are set!
Originally posted 2009-04-04 05:11:00. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
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December 17th, 2009 — Author Interviews, Gentry, J-L, Jane Austen, Regency
Sharon Lathan Q&A
Mr. & Mrs. Fitzwilliam Darcy ~ Two Shall Become One
LRP: Would you say your versions of Darcy and Elizabeth match closer to the actors' portrayal of the characters in the 2005 movie of Pride and Prejudice or to their personalities in Austen's original writing?
Sharon: Ah, the controversial question right off the bat! Let me see if I can answer without upsetting someone! I was inspired by the movie, absolutely, and I proudly proclaim this. So, yes, when I began writing it was with Keira Knightley's and Matthew Macfadyen's general appearance in mind, as well as how they were directed to portray Miss Austen's written characters. That is where I fell in love with P&P. I adore Lizzy and Darcy in the movie! I fell utterly in love with them and wanted to tell their love story, even before I read the novel or watched the other versions. Therefore it is their story I am telling to a very large degree, yes.
The interesting aspect of this question, the unspoken assumption if you will, is that the characterization in Joe Wright's adaptation is vastly different than how Austen wrote them. I do not agree with this opinion and here is why: Before I wrote one word, I scoured through dozens of Austen fan-sites where the debates and/or arguments regarding aspects of the text (including but not exclusively the characters' personalities and motivations) were hashed over without agreement. After reading the source novel myself, reading tons of JAFF, and reading the endless forum discussions, it became clear to me that there was a wide variance in how folks interpreted details of the novel. Of course, this is normal, isn't it? I know that when I reread a novel I always see something I never saw before, have a new revelation, or feel toward it in a way that is altered from how I felt before. And when I talk about a book or movie with someone else? Well, how often do two people see it precisely the same way? The point is, I love how the movie portrayed the novel - all of it - and although it was truncated and creatively rearranged, I do not think it missed the essence of Miss Austen's novel or perverted the characters.
LRP: When writing, who speaks to you more clearly - Darcy or Elizabeth?
Sharon: Strangely, it is Darcy. I suppose that is because I am like him. I understand his character as I too am shy, uncomfortable in unfamiliar crowds, and bad at casual conversation! I am quiet and reserved. I am much more relaxed with a few close friends or just alone with a book in my hand. His character, as portrayed in the movie especially, called to me. Perhaps some of that is my empathy as well. I felt sorry for Darcy. He struck me as this sad individual that not only needed to be brought down a peg or two, but also needed the love of a good woman! I really adore his mixture of strength and intelligence, with softness and humor.
LRP: What was the hardest part of writing your book? Easiest?
Sharon: Although I did not realize it when I started this venture, the hardest part is emotionally dealing with the too often hateful attitude among the Austen purists who despise anyone touching Jane or have rigid conceptions of how it 'must be.' I had no idea that attempting to humbly give her creations additional life for fans of all kinds to enjoy was considered taboo. Criticism is rough. I now know it is part of the process and my shell is thicker, but I do wish people would think twice before they cruelly attack with their words. I shall say no more!
The easiest part is the writing itself! I have hit a few blocks, but for the most part it has been effortless and incredibly fun. It is natural, and a tremendous joy, to create this happy existence for the Darcys.
LRP: What is your favorite aspect of writing? Least favorite?
Sharon: My favorite is the research. I have always adored history, so delving into a past world is marvelous. Secondly it is the language. I do not claim to attempt an Austen-style, but I am crazy about vocabulary and a well-written page. I prefer reading a book that makes me think, that draws me in with vivid descriptions, and that captures me as if I am standing right there. The thrill in accomplishing this with my words is incredible. Thirdly it is pleasing the fans of this timeless love story who never tire of journeying with the Darcys.
There truly is nothing about writing itself that I dislike. Except that I find less and less time to be able to do it! I suppose it is the work required to publish, maintain a website, correspond with fans, market, and even write guest blogs that, although wonderful and amazing and fun in its own right, is also time-consuming and not exactly relished. It keeps me from doing what I desire to be doing 24/7: Write! The proverbial catch-22 I guess.
LRP: What do you think is the greatest creative risk you've taken?
Sharon: Writing in the first place! I am still scratching my head in bafflement as to how this has happened. I remember enjoying the obligatory college research papers and English compositions, was actually really good at it, but never translated that into having a gift for writing. Too focused on my nursing career and then raising a family to think of creativity. So, taking the leap from swirling visions and conversations in my mind to putting them into words, and then posting it on the internet for all to see....Yikes! That was scary.
During the course of writing my Darcy Saga, I have forced myself out of the comfort zone many times. I have a perverse attraction to a challenge! Guess that is why I work in an intensive care unit! Writing action sequences, such as a duel that takes place in Mr. and Mrs. Fitzwilliam Darcy, was a challenge. All along I have striven to stretch myself beyond just writing about the main lovers. I think this is more evident in the volumes beyond my first novel as the Darcys travel away from Pemberley. Action and encounters vary widely with the diversity of peoples and situations immense.
LRP: What is your greatest weakness in writing dialogue?
Sharon: Finding the balance between making it essential to the story and keeping it natural. By that I mean I want to avoid inane conversation that serves no purpose, so I try to have a focus or direction to the dialogue. However, random discourse is a normal part of life! In order to maintain the essence of my tale - i.e., a life being lived - I have to provide the mundane, even if that is pointless. On the other hand, I love all my characters so much that sometimes it is fun to just let them out of their cages now and again! Let them speak, laugh, tell jokes, pontificate, whatever. But if I am not careful they will take over the scene and before I know it they have been chatting for pages with nothing of any use having been said! Some of them are horrid show-offs, so I have to rein them in and remember what the intention of the scene was. See, balance.
LRP: How do you define love?
Sharon: Love is a feeling. But not primarily that. As the Bible teaches, love is about reaching beyond the emotions of the moment to the deeper foundations. Commitment to the person you love no matter what emotion you are experiencing at the time is a key factor. It is unconditional. We love our kids no matter how bratty they may be acting because there is a bond between us that is unbreakable. It can, and should, be the same for our life partner.
Love is selfless. Humans are inherently selfish creatures. But, we also divinely have the infinite capacity to open our hearts to others; to share of ourselves; to need that connection. To lose oneself, to sacrifice our desires and comforts, to give in order to please the one we love is the greatest blessing and joy.
LRP: What makes a great (written) bedroom scene?
Sharon: Ha! Good thing you clarified the 'written' part!! Obviously folks differ in what they want to read in erotic scenes, so I can only speak for my preference. For me it is the emotion that is attached to the act itself that is central. I figure my readers know the mechanics and body-part names, so I have no need to get too specific! LOL. Whether Lizzy and Darcy are caught up in sheer animal lust, feeling frisky and silly, or experiencing a deeply bonding lovemaking session, my goal is for the reader to appreciate the interlude for what it signifies - that is, the exceptional relationship these two people possess. I do not add bedroom scenes for gratuitous titillation, but to convey the amazing love, marital affinity, and supreme happiness that Lizzy and Darcy have found with each other. And, hopefully, thus instill faith that it can happen for the reader.
LRP: If you could be one of the characters in Mr. and Mrs. Fitzwilliam Darcy ~ Two Shall Become One - who would you be?
Sharon: There is actually a character who shows up in my second novel, Loving Mr. Darcy ~ Journeys Beyond Pemberley (release date September 2009) that has the panache, quick-witted humor, and eccentric confidence I wish I possessed. He is my favorite character and I can't wait for the readers to meet him!
In this novel I suppose I'll go for the obvious and chose Lizzy. I may be like Darcy, and I love him so have no problem with that, but who wouldn't want to be fiery Lizzy?! She has spunk and spirit, a quick intellect, and sharp wit that I would love to have. She is loving, kind, graceful, and passionate. And, let's face it: Who doesn't, just a teeny bit, want the fairy-tale dream of the handsome rich man who sweeps you away to his luxurious castle... Pemberley...where you will be lavished with finery and reign supreme with servants at your bidding? Or maybe I am saying that because right now I would give anything just to have a housekeeper!
LRP: Name one guilty pleasure that you indulge:
Sharon: Just one? You're killing me here! Truthfully, I am a pretty boring individual whose big excitement is catching a movie and dinner with my hubby! Lately I have developed a serious addiction to Facebook that is threatening to take over my life. LOL! Otherwise it is fairly average stuff: chocolate anything, food, the espressos homemade by my dear heart every day, way too many TV shows (thank the Maker for TiVo), and the Saturday afternoon snuggly naps with my own Mr. Darcy that keep me functional and satisfied.
LRP: Is there anything else you'd like to share with us?
Sharon: First off I have to thank Keira for giving me the opportunity to share my ideas, speak from my heart, and talk about my novel. I am so proud of what I have accomplished with Mr. and Mrs. Fitzwilliam Darcy ~ Two Shall Become One, and the entire Darcy Saga for that matter. I am a firm believer in romance and living happily with one's soulmate. If we women didn't believe in that potential, why would we keep reading romance novels? Yet, perhaps there is a fear that the ending will not be happy after all. I have endeavored, and I believe succeeded, in showing that marriage can be wonderful. That the romance can live on. I have taken the passion highlighted in the movie and carried it forward into the life of the Darcys.
I am convinced that Jane Austen would have wanted a happy life for her characters. But we have to ask ourselves if her opinion, especially since we have no way of knowing it, really matters. Her tales are timeless and they belong to everyone who has read and loved them on down through the centuries. Fan-fiction in all its incarnations is an expression of that devotion. Isn't it utterly fantastic that in the Austen realm, as in all literature, there is something for everyone's taste? I say YES, and if it is an everlasting honeymoon you desire, then my Saga is for you.
LRP: That concludes this author interview! I want to thank Sharon for taking the time to sit down and answer all these nosy questions. Be sure to check out her website for more information on the Darcy Saga.
Originally posted 2009-03-12 05:38:05. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
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December 12th, 2009 — Author Interviews, Erotica, J-L, Vampire
Today's intimate interview is with Rhonda Leigh Jones, the author of Maestro's Butterfly, which was reviewed the other day. I'm excited to share her with you today as we're going to be discussing audio books, epublishing, her books, writing and more!
Q: I have just finished listening to Maestro's Butterfly on audio and it was wonderful. What was your inspiration for the book?
A: First of all, thank you for listening, and for having such kind things to say. For me, characters usually come before story, and so I was aware of Claudio for some time before I began to write MB. I didn't know his name at first; I just had a face and the hint of personality. That actually came from a minor character in a movie I'd watched.
Q: Have you had the chance to hear your audio book? How did you feel hearing your writing the first time?
A: It was both thrilling and painful! Thrilling because Rebecca did such a wonderful job. I really wasn't expecting French accents and the whole nine yards, and so it was a great pleasure to hear someone "act" my story. But hearing her say some of the things I'd written made me blush terribly. I kept putting my hands over my ears and saying, "No, turn it off; turn it off!" And then, "Turn it back on!" I can't believe I write these things, lol.
Q: What do you think of your narrator and the voices? Did she give you chills? My favorite voice was that of Claudio. Shiver. Grin.
A: Yes, it's pretty amazing that, on one level, you hear this woman reading the part, and on another level, you hear his voice, at the same time. I think she did a great job with Claudio. He was so much fun to write. If I have a character that could be considered my "Lestat," meaning that I love him as much as Anne Rice
obviously loved Lestat, then that would be Claudio. He's such a beast, lol. There is an interview with him on my blog by the way, and another with Chloe.
Q: Do you think readers get more out of the audio version than they do in the print?
A: I think it depends on the reader. And I think it's hard for the writer to say, because I'm so close to the material. I personally get a lot out of the audio version because I've been looking at this book in print for years, and I'm fairly sick of seeing the words. But when it comes to me in a different format, it's like experiencing the story for the first time. For the first time, I can really step back and see - or hear, rather - what I did. I'm very glad there is an audio version because I know that there are plenty of people who would rather experience books that way. And who knows? Maybe some readers will like the story so much they have to experience it both ways.
Q: Do you prefer listening to or reading erotica?
A: I would rather read it because, honestly, I tend to skip a lot. I'm a very tough customer, and easily bored. Especially when it comes to sex, because my buttons are hard to reach. And I'm a very visual person. And if I'm terribly interested in a story, I'll devour it quickly, which you can't do with audio.
Q: Can you share a bit about Maestro's Apprentice and Maestro's Maker? What order should your books be read or does it matter?
A: Maker is the second in the series, but it's actually the prequel. It's the story of how Claudio became a vampire, and it's set at the beginning of the French Revolution. "Claudio" is actually an Italian name, so we see how he got that. If you look beyond Claudio's arrogance and his frightening qualities, you'll see that he really is a very loyal man who is very concerned with family. Maker goes into that, and also reveals some of the reasons why that is true. And there is another person in the book that Butterfly readers will know. Apprentice takes place right after Butterfly, and focuses more on Adam, although it's really more about one of the feeders. All of these books are really about how Claudio affected other people. So, though he's the series main character, the books have their own main characters-the women he has affected.
Q: Of the three works, which is your personal favorite and why?
A: Easy! Maestro's Butterfly, because it was the first. It was the work that really taught me how to write a novel. I suffered terribly while writing it because I wasn't sure at first what the story was, but Claudio's presence was so strong I couldn't stop tinkering with it. It was a very romantic time of my life. I spent many late nights working for my vampire muse. And it led to my meeting one of my best friends, who is also a writer with a sexy vampire. We would both be up working late, and so ended up emailing and supporting each other quite a lot.
Q: I sort of have this mental picture of Claudio in my head and you mentioned earlier that he was inspired by a minor character... so dish if he were played in a movie by an actor, who would it be?
A: LOL! Stephen Rea, because he looks like Rea's Santiago in Interview With the Vampire. Except that was 20 years ago, so Rea is a bit older now, so we'd have to get someone younger. But Victoire would definitely have to be played by Adrien Brody, lol.
Q: Tell us a little about your experience with Ravenous Romance and epublishing. How are you finding the whole affair?
A: That would be so much easier to answer if I had something to compare it to! They've been very good about keeping in touch and troubleshooting things and listening to me. I know that friends who are published by traditional publishers have communication issues that I don't have. And if a mistake is made, it's very easy for Ravenous to fix it. They seem very enthusiastic about what they're doing. In addition, I think they're on the cutting edge, because the industry is changing, thanks to the alternatives that technology gives us and the shifting economy. I really like the idea of epublishing for various reasons. It's greener. It's convenient. You can have so many more books this way. So I've been happy with the experience. And I think the name is perfect, since my first series happens to be about vampires!
Q: What do you think makes a great [written] bedroom scene?
A: I'm glad you asked me this, because almost everybody does it wrong. A great sex scene is all about the conversation. It isn't enough to tell readers who is doing what to whom. Let's face it: Sex is basically "insert Tab A into Slot B." The rest is foreplay and there are only so many variations. Once you see where a scene is going, physically, you don't need to read the rest. However, if the scene is about how and why this or that is done, then you have a conversation. If you stress the conversation, then you have as many unique scenes as you want to write. The conversation of sex is going to be different at different times, even with the same couple. The actions should show mood, power structure, and whatever else is going on in the person's mind.
For instance, think about blow jobs and power. If the dominant male demands that his submissive female give him a blow job and she complies happily, that is one story. But what if she is angry with him? That should come out in the scene. What if it is a dominant female giving her submissive male a blow job? What if she is angry with him? See how many different scenes you have? And all with the same act. Nuance is everything.
Q: Got any pet peeves when it comes to romance or writing?
A: I hate HEAs. I do. I like a certain realism in writing and I don't want things tied up neatly at the end. It seems silly to me. So I write Happy For Nows. I like to have the suggestion of motion present, even at the very end. I prefer grit and darkness, which is why I write about things like punishment. Real corporal punishment is something you will see in every erotica story I ever write. As far as writing in general goes, I don't like it when authors get so happy about what they can do with words that they forget to tell a good story. If you must sacrifice prose or story, sacrifice prose.
Q: Is there anything else you'd like to share with us?
A: I can't think of anything at the moment, but something may come later.
Thanks again. 
Rj
It was a pleasure to talk with you Rhonda! Be sure to check out Rhonda's blog at http://rhondaleigherotica.blogspot.com.
You can buy the audio version of Maestro's Butterfly here.
Originally posted 2009-03-16 05:20:18. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
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December 10th, 2009 — Author Interviews, Bodyguard, S-U, Suspense/Thriller
Keira: Good morning everyone! Today we have a very special guest and a giveaway. Please join me in welcoming Roxanne St. Claire to the blog!
Roxanne: First of all, thank you SO much for inviting me to do this interview! I love the blog and how much you clearly love our genre.
Susan: For readers who are unfamiliar with your Bullet Catcher series, who are the Bullet Catchers?
Roxanne: The Bullet Catchers series consists of eight novels and two novellas. Each one stands alone as an individual romantic suspense adventure, but many of the characters reoccur over the books and each has their own story. The Bullet Catchers organization is an elite group of bodyguards, investigators, security specialists and all around brilliant, hot crime fighters run by a former CIA operative named Lucy Sharpe.
Keira: Bodyguard romance – be still my heart. What do you think is most appealing about bodyguard romance
Roxanne: Who doesn’t want to be protected by a fearless, sexy, smart, resourceful, gorgeous (did I mention sexy?) guy who is willing to die for you? I’ve no doubt that’s the timeless and universal appeal of the bodyguard romance.
Keira: What qualities must every Bullet Catcher have? What makes them unique heroes?
Roxanne: In every story, a Bullet Catcher is given an assignment that will test them physically and emotionally, so the hero (it is usually the hero, although there have been two stories with female Bullet Catchers as the heroine) has to strong on the outside and the inside. He (or she) has to make split second decisions, face ruthless villains, and solve complex crimes…and he (or she) has to navigate the treacherous seas of love that they think they don’t want or need…but can’t live without.
Keira: You’ve written and published 25 books so far, of which 8 (+2 novellas) are Bullet Catcher stories. How do you come up with all the plots? Is it hard for you to keep it fresh?
Roxanne: Ideas are easy – execution is a bear! The concept of the Bullet Catchers has a built-in “danger and romance” element that is at the heart of every book I write. The challenge is to keep it fresh, of course, give each character memorable and appealing traits (and some flaws, yes, they must have those) and craft a non-stop story that continually ups the stakes and increases the passion. It’s not easy, but usually it is fun. Sometimes, it is harrowing and I want to weep until I get the story just write.
Keira: What do you like best about writing romantic suspense?
Roxanne: I like the mix of sensuality and danger, and how things are constantly “at the edge” for the characters. But it does complicate a love story, and usually the plots have to unfold over a very short period of time, so it’s difficult to make the romance believable.
Keira: How do you define love?
Roxanne: Complete and utter trust combined with toe-curling attraction and a willingness to do anything – absolutely anything – to protect and save the relationship and the other person.
Keira: What do you think makes a great sex scene?
Roxanne: Conflict and plenty of it. I try to end every sex/love scene with a twist of precisely the thing that makes what they just did a HUGE mistake. Then they have to work through that.
Keira: Do you read what you write? Is suspense romance your favorite genre to read?
Roxanne: I do read, but I read very little romantic suspense. I should read more and I try to, but I also like to read YA, straight romance, some thrillers, and nonfiction. When I’m deep into a book, it’s hard to read anything at all because, frankly, I’m too tired and when I’m done writing, I just want to hang with my family and watch TV.
Jane: Will there be more Bullet Catcher books?
Roxanne: I honestly don’t know. Right now, they are on hiatus as I write a spin off series for a new publisher. Called The Guardian Angelinos, this series is about an extended family of renegade crimefighters based in Boston. It will be similar to the Bullet Catchers (and may have some overlapping Bullet Catcher characters as the Angelinos are distant cousins of Johnny Christiano, the hero of Take Me Tonight) but I think the new series will be a little bit grittier, and the stories will have higher “save the world” kind of stakes. I’ve turned in the first one and am currently writing the second. The series will launch next fall, and I’m really excited to see what my new publisher, Grand Central, does with the packaging and promotion. I expect great things!
Keira: Is there anything else you’d like to share?
Roxanne: Just that I’d love to introduce your readers to a Bullet Catcher! I’ll give one commenter the Bullet Catcher book of her choice! To see the complete list and read excerpts (and bios/pics of the hotties) go to my website: www.roxannestclaire.com. Leave a comment (or question – I’ll answer anything!) at the end of this interview and we’ll pick a winner!!!
And thank you!
Giveaway Ends: December 17th, 2009 and is open to all readers worldwide.
Author Bio:
Roxanne St. Claire is a bestselling, RITA-award winning author of twenty-four novels of suspense and romance. She currently writes a popular romantic suspense series called “The Bullet Catchers” that features the adventures of an elite cadre of bodyguards and security professionals, published by Simon & Schuster's Pocket Books. In addition to being a four-time RITA nominee, her books have won the National Reader’s Choice Award for best romantic suspense for two consecutive years, as well as the Daphne du Maurier Award, the HOLT Medallion, the Maggie, Booksellers Best, Book Buyers Best, several Awards of Excellence, the Aspen Gold and multiple Gayle Wilson Awards of Excellence. In 2011, she will launch a new romantic suspense series, featuring a renegade family of street smart crime fighters known as the Guardian Angelinos, published by Grand Central Publishing.
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December 7th, 2009 — Author Interviews, Contemporary, Historical Romance, Paranormal, Regency, S-U, Vampire
I can't think of a better way to start the weekend off than with an author interview with romance writer Lynsay Sands. I got the opportunity to pose a series of questions about her writing and tips and advice for new writers. Her responses are a joy to read! Thank you again, Lynsay for interviewing with us, and now on with the interview!
LRP: So first question, what do you enjoy doing besides writing?
Lynsay: Walking and nature. Luckily the two things go together.
LRP: You like to write paranormal romance on top of historical. What do you think is the appeal of vampires?
Lynsay: Actually, I just like to write, period. I don't prefer any genre. I have written medieval, regency, vampires and shape shifters. I've also written contemps and will do so again. I wouldn't mind trying my hand at horror too, although I don't think I write dark enough. My horror would probably be black comedy rather than strict horror.
As for the appeal of vampires, I can't really answer that, that's not what it's about for me. With the Argeneaus it was the family and the situations that appealed to me. The vampire stuff was just handy as a problem of sorts, something that was both a blessing and a little bit of not-so-much-a-blessing at the same time. These are people who just happen to be vampires. They still have the same issues everyone else does.
LRP: How do you decide on character names and book titles?
Lynsay: That is the hardest and most important part for me. The names usually have a lot to do with their character for me and when I say I struggle at the beginning of writing a book, the name is part of what I'm struggling with. I can change the name several times until I find the character and the name that suits them.
As for book titles . . . I suck at those and my editor is always changing them. The Accidental Vampire is one of the few they didn't change.
LRP: What is your advice to would-be authors?
Lynsay: Write what you enjoy and do it for your own pleasure. Do not go into writing for the money, or even thinking you'll make any. Most writers don't make much money. I've been lucky of late and can work at only this, but most writers have to continue to work a day job throughout their career. And this is HARD work. Believe me. At least it is for me. I work long hours. It isn't just the writing you have to do. You come into it thinking it will just be writing your stories, but there is the writing of the book, the corrections, the proofs, the fan letters, the promotional stuff they want you to do, etc. etc.
And then it isn't like accounting or engineering where if you get it right, it's just right across the board. Writing is more subjective and a story is NEVER just right. You can't please everyone and there is ALWAYS going to be someone who hates your story and seems to delight in telling you that. Even those who like them overall, may criticize the pants off you for something. That is life as a writer. You either develop a thick skin quickly, or . . . So make sure you love it if you're going to give it a go.
LRP: How long does it take you to write a novel on average? What work took the shortest amount of time and what book gave you the most trouble?
Lynsay: Usually a month for the first round, I tend to write them straight through. The fastest I've ever written one was two weeks. That was my first book, The Deed. The one that gave me the most trouble was A Quick Bite. It was my first book for a new publisher and I was a bit anxious (read panicking like CRAZY) so I really struggled with it.
LRP: How do you handle writer's block? (Or better still... coffee or tea?)
Lynsay: Tea . . . and sometimes coffee. As for writer's block, moving work to a coffee shop and writing there by hand in a notebook usually loosens things up.
LRP: What is your favorite aspect of writing?
Lynsay: Finishing it. LOL. That's not really true, though sometimes it is a relief to print them up and send them out. There are several aspects of writing that are great. Working from home is one. My commute is a short walk to the sunroom and I can go there in pjs or a toga if I like (grin).
Making my own hours is nice too, although with me, I tend to not know when to stop, I just work around the clock which isn't good. But I guess the stories themselves are my real favorite part. I am experiencing them as I write them. It's kind of like reading them but it takes longer and involves more work (grin). However, I laugh, or smile my way through the stories, and sniffle at the occasional touching scenes too and for me, that's probably the best part. I get to enjoy the stories as I write them, and I write exactly what I enjoy. I'm just lucky others seem to enjoy them too.
LRP: What do you think makes a good bedroom scene?
Lynsay: I'm not sure. I've been told I write them well, but I'm not sure that's true and if so why it is. I have a friend who has a real struggle with the sex scenes. I think she thinks too much. She seems to think people will think it's her sex life she's writing about, so she gets all self-conscious and is very stiff when writing them. I don't get caught up in that. For me the beginning of the book is where I struggle. I can often write the first chapter or two twenty or more times. I've come to realize that what's happening then is I'm getting to know my characters. Once I have a handle on them (how they think, feel, react, etc) the stories usually flow after that and become a film in my head that I'm just typing up as quickly as I can, sex scenes and all. That gives me a certain amount of distance from it all I guess and less self-consciousness than others might suffer.
LRP: What do you hope your readers will gain from your books?
Lynsay: I hope they get an escape from their everyday lives, a chance to relax and hopefully smile if not laugh. I don't aspire to write something that makes them stop and think or changes their views on anything, I just think life is tough and we all need a break from it and I hope my books give readers the opportunity to do that
LRP: Thank you again Lynsay, for taking the time to answer all my questions.
Lynsay is really friendly and welcomes questions. Be sure to visit her website @ http://www.lynsaysands.net/.
Lynsay also writes a blog, which you can visit @ http://lynsaysands.spaces.live.com/.
Don’t miss out on her upcoming vampire novel this fall: The Rogue Hunter (Argeneau Vampires, Book 10)
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What's your favorite book by Lynsay Sands?
Originally posted 2008-11-23 19:17:17. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
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December 1st, 2009 — Author Interviews, Erotica, J-L
LRP: I just read Market For Love and I was impressed by your details of the work atmosphere. Granted I have no background in finance America, you could have said anything and I would probably buy it, but that's not the point. What you did write was entirely believable for me as a reader. So my question for you is how do you go about researching topics like corporate America to be able to include it into your writing?
Jamaica: -----I actually worked in Corporate America as a professional writer and editor for many years---including in Chicago's LaSalle Street financial industry----so it is actually very easy for me to write books in that setting. I mostly wrote Market For Love based on my own experiences as a single woman working in the man's world of finance, so very little independent research was needed for this particular book.
LRP: There were some pretty hot and heavy sex scenes in Market For Love in which your writing never faltered. I take it you're pretty comfortable writing about it. In your opinion what makes a great bedroom scene?
Jamaica: ----I think a great bedroom scene (or sex scene, since very few of the sex scenes I write take place in actual bedrooms) involves three major things. First, there has to be a lot of dramatic and sexual tension leading up to the scene itself, and you have to establish that through the story's plotline and characterizations. Second, you need to describe the sex acts in great detail, frankly, and without embarrassment. Third, there needs to be a payoff----and not just in terms of giving the characters orgasms. There has to be a satisfying sexual payoff for the reader as well. A well-written sex scene is really a ménage a trois between the man, the woman, and the reader.
LRP: That's a very savvy statement! I'll back you up on that one! Now Miranda and Max are some pretty solid names, easy to get behind because they're not so far off the wall. Plus the alliteration helps I think. How did you decide their character names and naming characters in general?
Jamaica: ----You know, I usually just name my characters at random. Whatever names pop into my head are usually the ones I use. I also am pretty lucky in that I seem to have a talent for writing characters that live up to their names, too. On the rare occasion that I find myself looking up names in a baby book or something, it's usually to name minor characters. I never have any difficulty naming my heroes and heroines.
LRP: I like to ask authors this question about the genre: what do you think is the most abused aspect of or in romance novels?
Jamaica: -----I think a major weakness of most "sweet" romance novels is the fact they leave the sex out. One reason I'm so drawn to writing erotica is because it leaves the sex in without asking the reader to fill in their own details. Don't get me wrong----I still like a good non-erotic romance novel----but there still needs to be at least some sex and/or sensuality in order for it to appeal to me. Even Jane Austen understood the importance of sex in romance-----all of her heroines are quite sensual, even though her books make no direct mention of sex.
LRP: Now it's time for a really tough question, no answer is wrong here so don't be shy. How do you define love?
Jamaica: ----I define love as an emotion that has no conditions. Someone who truly loves you accepts you just as you are, warts and all, and doesn't expect you to "change" for him/her. And true mutual acceptance is an important part of sex, too.
LRP: Why did you decide to write romance instead of writing in another genre?
Jamaica: -----I actually do write in other genres besides romance. I write romance more than anything else because I love the genre. But more than that, I just love a good story.
LRP: What are some challenges you face when writing romance?
Jamaica: ----I think the biggest challenge is the inaccurate perceptions many people have of the romance genre. So many people dismiss romance as "trash" when in fact 53% of all the books published every year in English are romance novels. The entire publishing industry is dependent on the revenue generated by the romance genre, in fact. And that's quite enlightening, considering too many writers in other genres think they are somehow "above" it. Romance (and indirectly, erotica) go all the way back to Jane Austen, and anybody who disses Jane Austen answers to me!
Plus, there's a very time-honored literary tradition when it comes to erotica as well----D.H. Lawrence, Anais Nin, Henry Miller, even James Joyce wrote erotica. The longstanding literary tradition of erotica is what I focus upon whenever people try to criticize me for choosing to write it. There's also a pretty vocal subset of romance authors who really look down upon erotica authors, even treat them with open hostility----which I don't think makes sense at all when you consider how intertwined sex is with romance.
LRP: What do you hope your readers will gain from your books?
Jamaica: ----I hope they enjoy a good story, have their hearts set aflutter, and get a little turned on. And also learn something in the process.
LRP: What do you do to relax and get away from writing? Is there something that really gets you away from it all?
Jamaica: ----I enjoy spending time with my husband and 1-year-old son. I also enjoy reading, working out, sewing, painting, and gardening.
LRP: What would you say to aspiring writers about the whole process?
Jamaica: -----"Just Do It!" Make time to write every day. Make writing an integral part of your life. Because if your goal is to become a working novelist, you will have deadlines and financial obligations that will require you to write every single day in order to make a living. Career novelists usually have to write about 2,000 words a day to make their deadlines. And writing 2,000 high-quality, PUBLISHABLE words a day, every day, takes time, commitment, and a hell of a lot of stamina.
LRP: Thank you so much for joining with us today Jamaica, I really appreciate your time! I know my readers will be grateful for all your insights and advice! Good luck with all your future writing projects!
Jamaica keeps a blog and you can get all her updates at http://jillelainehughes.blogspot.com/ or catch up with her on her author website.
Originally posted 2008-11-20 05:22:45. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
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November 21st, 2009 — Author Interviews, Contemporary, D-F, Great Britain, Historical Romance, Regency
Today readers at Review Romance Novel have are truly gifted with a great opportunity. I recently got in contact with Jacquie D'Alessandro and she was kind enough to grant me an interview. I got to ask her a bunch of questions and the following transcript is in her own words directly. I hope you all enjoy.
LRP: What do you enjoy doing besides writing?
Jacquie: Reading (big shocker there, I know ), spending time with my family, being at the lake, playing tennis (I play poorly but I'm determined), cooking, traveling, movies-really everything except pulling weeds in the garden, doing laundry, housework, and cleaning out the cat's litter box.
LRP: In your own words, what is love?
Jacquie: I think it ultimately boils down to caring about someone more than you care about yourself. Wanting their well-being and happiness above anything else.
LRP: What is your favorite type of romance to read? Is it the same as what you write?
Jacquie: One that gives me a hero I can fall in love with, a heroine I like and respect, and an entertaining story that makes me laugh, cry, and sigh with pleasure. I HOPE that is the sort of story I write-it's certainly what I strive for with every book.
LRP: What is your favorite book that you've written? How about one you've read?
Jacquie: My favorite book is always the one I've just finished writing because the hard work is done so I'm loving it! I have so many favorite reads, most of them romances, but my number one favorite book of all time is The Prince of Tides by Pat Conroy.
LRP: How do you decide on character names and book titles?
Jacquie: I give my heroes and heroines names that I personally like. Bad guys and murder victims tend to be either just pulled out of my character naming sourcebook or inspired by people who were nasty to me in high school (heh, heh, heh). I have several baby name books I refer to when I'm stuck. I've also flipped through the phone book on occasion for surnames.
LRP: What sort of research, if any, do you do for your novels?
Jacquie: I own a large collection of research books on England and the Regency period. I prefer to purchase the books and keep them rather than borrow them from the library because the library wants you to GIVE THE BOOKS BACK!! And I don't like to give the books back! I WANT TO KEEP the books! So-I have a LOT of books. And on some interesting subjects-sailing, Tarot card reading, poisons, weapons, chemistry, cowboys. Several years ago my husband and son gave me the twenty volume set of the Oxford English Dictionary for my birthday. I was SO excited! (I'd prefer a gift like that to jewelry any day!). I also use the internet quite a bit-Google is a beautiful thing.
LRP: Does your home life ever interfere with your writing? Or vice versa! What do you do to stay focused?
Jacquie: Things get tight time-wise when a deadline is looming, but luckily my husband and son (who's off to college this fall) know their way around the laundry room and kitchen. To stay focused I close my office door, put in my earplugs and immerse myself in the story. I don't go to bed until I write the number of pages I need to write for the day. Some days it goes better than others and I'm done in the early afternoon. Sometimes I'm up writing until two a.m.
LRP: How many rejections did you go through until your first novel was accepted?
Jacquie: I think it was three-I'm sure it would have been more except I didn't submit everywhere. One rejection was so heartbreaking that I quit writing. I'd started out with a query letter, then sent in a proposal, then when it was requested, the full manuscript. In the meanwhile, I started another book. When I finally heard back from the editor on the full manuscript (about a year had passed from when I first sent in the query letter) she said she loved the book, but unfortunately she was leaving that publisher for a job at a non-fiction imprint. So, I re-submitted the manuscript to another editor at the same house. Another six or seven months passed before I heard back from the second editor-a rejection. I'd been so close, and it had taken such a long time, and I was so discouraged. I'd finished the second book, but had no desire to write another one. So I quit. Didn't write for about four or five months. Then I decided to try it again, but I wanted to try something new. So instead of writing another historical, I wrote a short contemporary. Soon after, through an RWA sponsored contest which I won, I got my agent. Within a few months she sold both of the historical books and the contemporary to two different publishers.
LRP: What is your advice to would-be authors?
Jacquie: Keep writing and honing your craft. And never give up. It's not easy to get a book published, but it's not impossible. Yes, it takes talent, but even more importantly, it takes persistence-and luck. The biggest difference between an unpublished writer and a published writer is that the published writer kept submitting until she hit the right editor with the right project at the right time. Never forget that publishing is a business and conduct yourself accordingly and in a professional manner. Join Romance Writers of America and your local chapter. If you don't already have a critique partner, look for one-but one who is going to give you honest, helpful critique as opposed to gushing compliments. And once again, never give up.
LRP: Do you write or have plans to write works that aren't romances?
Jacquie: I've never written anything other than romance, nor do I have any plans to. I've always been most attracted to the love aspect of any story. Even if I'm reading a biography, the part of the person's life I'm most interested in is their love life. A mystery? I want the detective and the suspect to get together. Even my favorite Nancy Drew books were the ones where Ned Nickerson played a part. Clearly I'm a hopeless romantic!
LRP: How long does it take you to write a novel on average?
Jacquie: Depends on when my deadline is . I can write a 400 page book comfortably in six months.
LRP: What work took the shortest amount of time and what book gave you the most trouble?
Jacquie: Shortest amount of time would be for an anthology story I recently finished. The actual writing time was ten days (that doesn't include about a week of planning, plotting, brainstorming, etc.)-but keep in mind it was only about 120 pages. As for which one gave me the most trouble-they all do. None of them are easy. I wish they were. But they all pretty much beat me into the ground before I finally tame them into submission. It's a blood-letting battle every time. I keep hoping it will get easier, but it doesn't.
LRP: How do you handle writer's block?
Jacquie: I make a cup of tea, check e-mail, read a magazine, work a few pieces in a jigsaw puzzle-basically anything to give me a15 minute breather. Then I plop my butt back in the chair and press on. Even if what I put down on the page reads like doo-doo, I can always delete it or revise it or fix it. I can't do any of those things to a blank page.
LRP: What do you think makes a good bedroom scene?
Jacquie: Regardless of how explicit or tame the scene is, I like a love scene that provides emotional growth between the characters, where they learn something about themselves and the other person.
LRP: What do you hope your readers will gain from your books?
Jacquie: I hope I give them a few hours of entertainment and leave them with a smile on their face when they close the book. My keeper shelf contains books that left me with a happy glow when I finished the last page and that's my goal-to leave the reader happy.
LRP: Could you provide a picture of your workspace? We'd love to see how and where you write!
Jacquie: Okay, I'm laughing because my office is a DISASTER! Seriously, it is. I normally clean up my office when I finish a deadline, but I've had 4 back-to-back deadlines, so there's been no cleaning. There are papers and books stacked everywhere-I can barely see the floor. The top of my desk is littered with notes written on everything from post-it pads to paper napkins. I couldn't take a picture of it even if I wanted to because the digital camera is buried in here somewhere! I don't always write in here where I have my desktop computer. Sometimes I use a laptop and move around the house to give myself a change of scenery. If I ever get things organized (translation: find the camera), I'll let you know!
LRP: Is there anything else you'd like to share that I haven't asked?
Jacquie: Only to say thank you for the opportunity to "talk" with you and your readers. Thank you so much for your support-I really appreciate it!
LRP: No, thank you, Jacquie, for taking time out of your busy schedule to chat with me.
If you have any questions you would like to add leave them in a comment and I'll pass them along at a future opportunity. Jacquie is a sweetheart. I and the readers here at LRP wish you great success with all your future novels. Thank you again for speaking with us.
Visit Jacquie D'Alessandro's website @ http://www.jacquied.com/.
Originally posted 2008-11-23 06:53:50. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
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November 18th, 2009 — Author Interviews, Dark Ages, G-I
Hello readers! I'm delighted to announce that Hellen Hollick has agreed to answer a few questions.
Keira: What inspired you to tell Arthur's legendary tale?
Hellen: I have never been very keen on the Medieval tales of Arthur which are set in the 12th - 13th Century, but when I discovered that if Arthur had existed he would have lived circa 450 - 500 AD I became interested. I researched the "facts" and the early legends of Arthur - and became hooked!
Keira: What is your favorite scene in the Kingmaking?
Hellen: Where Gwenhwyfar pledges her future unborn sons to the young Arthur when he is declared the next Pendragon.
Keira: What are some challenges in writing the Banner Trilogy?
Hellen: I wrote what turned out to be The Kingmaking and half of Pendragon's Banner before I was accepted by a mainstream publisher - before I knew I was any good as an author, so the hardest part was keeping going during those times when I wondered if I was wasting my time. I also found writing the third part, Shadow of the King, hard as I knew Arthur had to die at the end. It had taken about ten years to write the first two books, so Arthur was a very close friend by then. I felt like I was breaking off a long-term relationship!
Keira: How would Arthur define love? Gwenhwyfar? You?
Hellen:
Arthur: As honour and loyalty - though not fidelity. He was not faithful to Gwenhwyfar physically - but he never loved anyone else.
Gwenhwyfar: she was faithful but Arthur made her so angry at times - and tragic events sometimes overtook her feelings. Both of them would die for each other though.
Me? Love is without condition. Love is being loyal and understanding. Love is getting angry - but always forgiving.
I heard a wonderful quote once: Love is what is in the room at Christmas when everyone stops talking and you sit and listen.
Keira: Arthur has a bunch of affairs in the Kingmaking; what do you think makes a great (written) bedroom scene?
Hellen: Not going over the top. By all means be explicit where necessary - but not in every scene and not for pages and pages, a paragraph - or even a sentence is sometimes enough. My personal rule is: would I feel comfortable reading this aloud before a group of strangers? If the answer is no, it doesn't go in.
Keira: Outside of Arthur and Gwenhwyfar, who is your favorite character to write?
Hellen: Do you mean in the Trilogy? Oh Bedwyr without a doubt.
Outside the Trilogy - my pirate, Jesamiah Acorne (who funnily enough is very like Arthur!)
Keira: What is the worst character flaw in Arthur and Gwenhwyfar?
Hellen: Arthur's bloody-minded stubbornness - and Gwenhwyfar's hot temper.
Keira: What can we look forward to in Pendragon's Banner?
Hellen: The deepening of their relationship - and more tempestuous quarrels. Arthur is now King - and has his work cut out to stay King. I suggest you have a box of tissues (Kleenex? Is that the US term?) handy though!
Keira: What do you hope your readers will gain from your books?
Hellen: An insight into what life was like in the Dark Ages - and that there is much, much more to the story of Arthur than the Medieval made-up tales of non-existant round tables, Holy Grails and knights in armour.
Keira: Is there anything else you'd like to share with us?
Hellen: Only that I hope your readers enjoy my books - and perhaps fall in love with Arthur like I did, despite him being the rogue he is.
Keira: Thank you Hellen! You can learn more about Hellen and her writing at http://www.helenhollick.net/
Originally posted 2009-03-03 05:20:48. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
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