New Romance Line from The Wild Rose Press: Lobster Cove...Here's a Lobster Cove Author!

My fellow Wild Rose Press author Nicki Greenwood is an author in their Line "Lobster Cove".

Lobster Cove is a fictional small town on the coast of Maine, near Bar Harbor. It is quaint and quirky with a colorful history, a friendly population of charming residents, and a vibrant tourist business. It is home to research scientists and small shop owners, grumpy cops and sassy chefs. Back in the day, it was a bustling fishing town and home to many immigrants, from both the state cabins and the lowest decks.

How about this fitting title: HEAVY NETTING

Read about Nicki and HEAVY NETTING here!

Nicki Greenwood graduated SUNY Morrisville with a degree in Natural Resources. She found her passion in writing stories of romantic adventure, and combines that with her love of the environment. Her works have won several awards, including the Rebecca Eddy Memorial Contest. Her first book, EARTH, debuted in 2010 through The Wild Rose Press.
Branson Cudahy is as southern as it gets, a cyber crime investigator from happily-landlocked Lexington, Kentucky. He has been chasing a hacker for three years, and now the trail has led him to Lobster Cove, Maine ... which is a real problem for a guy with a shellfish allergy.
Nicki lives in upstate New York with her husband, son, and assorted pets. When she's not writing, she enjoys the arts, gardening, interior decorating, and trips to the local Renaissance Faire.
About HEAVY NETTING
Jenna Sanborn waits tables to pay the bills, but she dreams of opening a quilt shop in the heart of town. She’d never even think of leaving Lobster Cove, but the handsome newcomer is tempting beyond her wildest imaginings.

Bran and Jenna never expect the whirlwind romance that comes out of their meeting. As hard as they fight to control their feelings, their hearts are fighting to push them over that dizzying lover’s leap. Will love win out, or will the hacker—and their dreams—slip the net?

An Excerpt from HEAVY NETTING
“All right, Jenna,” he said. “Tell you what. I’m gonna be there about four o’clock. If you want to meet me there and talk Lobster Cove, I’ll be all ears. If not, no pressure.”

She giggled. Giggled. Like a teenager going to her first concert with a cute boy. Mortified, and now convinced that her cheeks were as red as a stop sign, she backed away. “I’ll keep it in mind. See you later, Mister Cudahy.”

His grin sent a flutter through her midsection. “Bran.”

“Okay. Bran.” She waved goodbye, then hurried off down the street with her groceries and would-be-truant oranges.

As she walked, she sensed his gaze on her, and she beamed, flattered and flustered, and for once, feeling beautiful.

An Interview with Nicki

 

You, the Author

 

If you have 2 hours free time tonight, what would you rather do? Why?

If no one’s in the house, I use that as quiet time to recharge.  I love to garden or browse Pinterest for decorating ideas!

What kind of books do you love to read? Why?

I read a little of everything, but Julia Quinn is my auto-buy. The Regency era was so romantic!

What type of music do you enjoy relaxing to?

It often depends on the season, but I regularly listen to soundtracks.

What is your stress buster?

Yoga—when I can get to class—or art.  Even cleaning the house is one of those automatic tasks that frees my mind up from hectic chatter.

What is your favorite food? What food do you seek when you’re sad, sort of a comfort food?

I have never been able to answer this question with any regularity—but it’s probably on Panera’s menu. *grin*

Describe yourself in one word.

Eclectic.

If a fairy grants you one wish and one wish only, what would it be? Why?

I want my son to have a happy life.

What’s your biggest regret in life?

I no longer have one, now that I’m writing and publishing!

What is the most adventurous thing you’ve ever done?

I would have to say getting published is it.  Sticking your neck out there and presenting such an intimate part of yourself for all to see is nerve-wracking, but so very worth it.  Writers put their souls on paper, and those who work up the courage to submit their work are extremely courageous!

What makes you happy/sad/disappointed/frustrated/hopeful/angry? (Pick one)

Dishonesty frustrates me beyond belief.  If you can’t speak truth, what’s the point in speaking?

What are your wildest dreams/fantasies/kinks/quirks?

My wildest dream is to write full-time.  I want to own a nice, big piece of property where I can look out the window of my writing office and see horses.

Your writing

When did you write your first book? How long did it take you to write it?

I’ve been writing since I could put pen to paper, but the first published book was EARTH, released in 2010.  It took me about a year to write.

Did you encounter any obstacles in writing? What are they? How did you overcome them?

My biggest obstacle was myself.  Procrastination is writing’s worst enemy.  I overcame it by setting myself a simple limit: one page per day, minimum.  I keep to that pretty strictly, minus holidays or the occasional short break, which I will allow myself if I get ahead of schedule.

How did you feel when you receive your first contract? What did you do? Any celebratory dinner, dance, event, etc to commemorate the occasion?

Getting a contract was thoroughly satisfying.  After doing the happy dance, I got myself a pint of ice cream to celebrate.  I still do that when I reach “The End” on a book.

Any writing peeves, things you wish you could improve on, things you do with exceptional talent?

I wish I could write faster!  I also hate my first draft, every single time.  Editing is where I live.  It’s my favorite part of the process.

What kind of books do you love/hate to write? Why?

I love to write adventure.  I’m not adventurous myself, so I have my characters do it for me.

What do you think about editing?

I love it.  Nothing bothers me more than picking up a badly edited book.  Any writer wanting to be taken seriously should really work on his/her editing skills, because nothing screams “inexperienced” like bad editing...especially if an otherwise good book is ridden with errors.

Where and when do you write? Tell us about your favorite work place and time. Any special reason?

I normally write in the mornings in my office at home.  This is where my muse knows to find me, and if I stick to a regular schedule, I find the words come much more easily.

How do you write? Do your characters come to you first or the plot or the world of the story? How do you go on from there? Maybe you can give us an example with one of your books.

Most of the time, a character will begin talking to me—the more vivid, the better.  I will get snatches of a scene, and with any luck, that character runs away with me.   My fifth book, FLASHPOINT, did this.  The hero was a very opinionated sort of guy.  He more or less took me on a ride, and I wrote down whatever he told me to write.  Those are my favorite kind of books.

What books can you recommend to aspiring writers to improve on style, character development, plot, structure, dialogue, etc?

I have a page on my website devoted to my favorite resources: http://www.nickigreenwood.com/writers/index.html

What is your must-have book for writing?

THE FIRST FIVE PAGES by Noah Lukeman.

What is your advice to aspiring writers?

Read.  Write.  Learn to edit.  Don’t give up on yourself.  Know that you’ll only get better with practice.  Rejections get easier.  Find your voice and your niche.  There are readers who will like your work, and your job is to find them.

Your books

What genre(s) do you write? Why do you write the stories that you write?

I write romance, with a focus on paranormal romance, but I am currently working on a book that has taken me in a new direction.  I write the stories whose characters refuse to stop talking to me.  They’re the easiest, and the most fun.

Among those that you’ve written, which is your favorite book and why?

THE SERPENT IN THE STONE is the book of my heart, a story over twenty years in the making.  I wrote the original draft in high school, and over the years, tweaked and added and subtracted until releasing it in 2013.  I’m very proud of this book and how the story evolved over time.

Where do you get your ideas? Do you jot them down in a notebook, in case you forgot?

Everywhere.  An overheard snippet of chatter, an exciting movie character, a beautiful place—everything is fair game.  I have a file on my computer with snippets of scenes, dialogue, plots, and even book titles.

Which book is the closest to your heart? Why?

THE SERPENT IN THE STONE, for the reasons mentioned above.  Second to that is EARTH, my first published novel.

Which of your books feature your family/friends, etc? What characters are modeled after them? Why?

There are bits of many of my acquaintances in each of my books.  No one character really embodies the whole personality of any one person.  Some resemble people I know more than others, but I think every fiction writer does that, to some extent.

Which of your heroes/heroines is most similar to you? Why?

Sara from THE SERPENT IN THE STONE is who I wish I could be...if I was way cooler and had paranormal powers. *grin*

Who is your strongest/sexiest/most lovable/hottest hero/heroine? Why?

I love Elsa and Harry from AIR, Book Three in the Elemental Series.  They pop off the page, and their relationship is so intense!

Have you ever wanted to write your book in one direction but your characters are moving it in another direction? What did you do in such a situation?

I usually write with a loose outline, but I’m more than willing to let a character change things on me.  If a character is vivid enough to demand a plot change, I find they know what they’re doing.

Tell us more about your latest release AIR, published by The Wild Rose Press.

Air Elemental Elsa Pemberley is a born idealist. Instead of resenting her power over the wind, she uses it to help others. The best way to do that is to chase storms in the heart of Tornado Alley. She meets her match in Harrison Litchfield, a man who is fleeing from a past both treacherous and tragic. Masquerading as a traveling blues singer, he has managed to keep moving, but beautiful Elsa stops him in his tracks.
She makes a life out of chasing. He’s made a living by running. When Harry’s past catches up to them both during a devastating storm, there’s only one thing to do—hold on tight with both hands...

Any new projects, work in progress?

I am finishing up FIRE, Book Four in the Elemental Series.  After that, I’m working on a totally new project in a different genre, but it’s under wraps at least until I finish the first book.

Do you outline your books or wing it?  Describe your process. 

I do a little of both.  My outlines are loose and subject to change.  When writing, I follow my nose with only an occasional glance at the “road map.”

How do you decide on setting?

Setting is usually dictated by the character (i.e., what’s the best place to bring out the best and worst in these characters?), although I often write about places I’d like to see.

What genre(s) do you write in?  Why?

Right now, I write romance, because relationships are messy and wonderful!

Has your muse always known what genre you would write and be published in?

No.  I started out in fantasy, actually!  My muse still throws me ideas in that genre, and I keep a file just in case.  Never say never as a writer!

What is your favorite part of writing?

The editing stage!  By the time I reach it, the nuts and bolts are pretty clean, and I just have to strengthen what’s there to the best of my ability.

What is your least favorite part of writing?

First drafts.  They’re hell.  Every time.

Some writers edit excessively as they write; others wait until a novel is finished to do the bulk of editing.  How about you?

I edit as I go, out of habit.  I can’t shut off that internal editor, so I have come to an agreement with it: I let it “steer” me a little, with the assurance that it can have full rein once I write “The End.”

How much research was involved in writing your book?  How did you go about it?

I had to make the storm chasers in AIR sound plausible, so I did a boatload of research on storm systems.  I’d love to go on a storm chase, even if it might be terrifying!

What’s the strangest thing you have ever done in the name of research?

I can’t say anything I’ve done (yet) is out-and-out strange, but I wouldn’t say no, either.  Every experience might be used in a future book!

What inspired your latest release?

Since she’s an air Elemental, the most challenging place for Elsa to be is Tornado Alley in the Midwest United States.  It’s right where a daring, idealistic person like her would choose to go.

Can you tell us about your road to publication?

It’s really been a slow-and-steady kind of race for me.  I don’t measure myself by the success of others anymore.  I did that in the very beginning, hard as it is to admit, and it’s a sure way to make yourself unhappy.  When I gave up that yardstick for success and began focusing on producing words, things got much better.  Rejections stung less and became a fact of the business.  The biggest lesson I learned is that it’s not personal.  It’s often a matter of the right manuscript hitting the right desk at the right time.  Nothing more, nothing less.

E-books, print, or both?  Any preferences?  Why?

Both.  I used to be a “print snob,” but I think that world is changing as eReaders get better and better.  I do still love the smell of a library, though!  “Old books” is one of my favorite smells.

How much time do you spend promoting your books?

Sadly, not as much as I ought to—but I am online daily doing some promotion, and I try to schedule regular guest blogs or appearances.

Please tell us your experiences with social media.  What are your favorite and least favorite parts of it?

I enjoy Facebook and its opportunities for give-and-take communication.  Sometimes I view Twitter as shouting into a crowded room—but it’s great if you want to write haiku.  *grin*

How much of you is in the books you write?  In what ways?

There’s some aspect of me in many of the characters I write.  The characters usually dictate which side of me comes out on the page!

What is your latest book, in the works or just published?

AIR debuted in April of this year.

What else have you written already?

I have written a total of seven romance books now, with no plans to quit anytime soon!

Have you had other careers before becoming a writer?

I still have a day job but, as with many other writers, I look forward to the day when I can write full-time.

Were you “born to write” or did you discover your passion for writing later in life?

At first, it was just random scribbling to pass the time, but I found I enjoyed entertaining my friends with stories.  Doing it became such a part of me that I decided I should pursue it professionally, so it’s not so much a case of a “born” writer as a “made” one.

Do you have or belong to a writing organization?  Which one?

I am a member of RWA and its local chapter, CNY Romance Writers.

Do you have a view in your writing space?  What does your space look like?

I live in suburbia, so the view is power lines and trees across the street – but my desk is on the opposite wall, so I write to the sound of windchimes, traffic, and birds.  If I faced the window, I might wind up daydreaming and staring out there at nothing.  *grin*

What do you keep on your desk?

I have lots of candles on top of my rolltop desk.  I love this desk beyond all reason.

Tell us about your hero or heroine.  Give us one of his/her strengths and one of his/her weaknesses.

Harry, the hero in AIR, is loving and extremely protective, especially of his kid sister.  Unfortunately, that blinds him to the possibility of opening himself up to trusting others.  Elsa, the heroine, needs to connect and bond with others.  Part of the draw of this story was watching that push-pull play out on the page.

You’re having a party.  What character from your book do you hope attends?  Why?  What character do you hope doesn’t attend?  Why?

I would love to see Ian from THE SERPENT IN THE STONE—and I would hate to get a visit from Vincent, one of the characters in AIR.  That guy’s just scary.

What do you read?  Do you read different genres when you’re writing versus not writing?

I love historical romance.  When writing, I don’t read anything at all unless it’s related to research.  When I finish a book, I go back to reading historicals or decorating magazines.

What books are on your nightstand or by your chair?

Currently, HORSES FOR DUMMIES.

What’s your favorite film of all times?  Favorite book?

Favorite film and book will always be THE BLACK STALLION.  The book was written by Walter Farley, who was born in Syracuse, New York.  As a Central New Yorker, I’m terribly proud of that.

What’s the coolest surprise you’ve ever had?

Getting published at last!

If you could have one skill that you don’t currently have, what would it be?

I’d like better skill at self-promotion!  I’m not much of a mingler, online or off, but I’m much better at it than I used to be.  That’s one positive note that came out of becoming a published author!

What might we be surprised to know about you?

I’m also an artist, though not published.  I love sketching portraits, and I have done some of my books’ heroes.

What’s your favorite comfort food?  Least favorite food?

I like Panera’s sandwiches, and soups in the winter.  I hate liver!

What music “soothes your soul”?  Do you listen to music as you write?

I listen to harp during the spring and jazz in the fall!  I make soundtracks of most of my books as inspiration for writing, though I don’t always play them while writing.

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