Marie is the bestselling author of UPON YOUR RETURN and 19 other books. Honorable
Mention in the 2014 BTS Red Carpet Book Awards. Finalist and Runner-up in the
2014 MARSocial's Author of the Year Competition. Honorable mention in the
January 2014 Reader's Choice Award. Liebster Blogger Award for 2013 and 2014.
Top 50 Authors on AuthorsDB.com. Winner of the Great One Liners Contest on the
Directory of Published Authors.
Marie lives in the Midwest with
her family and three cats. She has been writing for over twenty years. She has
more works in progress than she can count on two hands. Since 2010, Marie has
published twenty books in the genres of historical romance, contemporary
romance, romantic suspense, paranormal romance, fantasy, mystery/thriller,
literary fiction and poetry. She just released Second Nature, a paranormal
romance/urban fantasy, in December of 2014. She released Magick & Moonlight,
a romantic fantasy, back in March of 2014. Upon Your Honor, released in last
April, is her second historical romance. Her current series are The Heiresses in
Love Series, The Magick Series and The Blood at First Sight Series.
Marie Lavender
Here's a
list of Marie's books and pen names:
Marie Lavender:
Upon Your Return;
Magick & Moonlight;
Upon Your Honor;
Second Nature
Erica Sutherhome: Hard to Get;
Memories;
A Hint of Scandal;
Without You;
Strange
Heat;
Terror in the Night;
Haunted;
Pursuit;
Perfect
Game;
A Touch of Dawn;
Ransom;
Leather and
Lace
Kathryn Layne: A Misplaced Life
Heather
Crouse: Express Café and Other Ramblings;
Ramblings, Musings and
Other Things;
Soulful Ramblings and Other Worldly Things
About Second Nature
She never expected it…
Desiree Edwards has a problem.
She's been attacked, kidnapped and forced to get along with a vampire of all
things. It's something right out of the story books she reads, or her worst
nightmare. But, sometimes he's not the monster he appears to be. He seems so
humanlike that she can't help it when her emotions betray her, when her body
betrays her. To make matters worse, she finds out more about herself than she
ever wanted to know.
She was unlike any other…
Alec has a
problem. The animal in him wants Desiree. But, so does the man. The more he
learns about her, the harder it is to deny what he wants. But, he's a freak,
and she's just a human. The two species don't mix that way. Then an old
enemy surfaces and Alec is forced to make a choice. His life or hers.
Can Alec's soul be saved by this unique human? Or will it be far too
late?
Excerpt
Desiree rose on shaky legs to look in the mirror. She looked the same. When she tilted her head, she saw the blood. Damn, that man really had bitten her! What kind of freak did that? “Shit,†she muttered, and grabbed a washcloth to wipe away the blood. What met her gaze next was startling, and even as she cursed once more, she backed away. Two single red puncture marks stood out in sharp contrast to her skin tone. Two holes. Two holes instead of a tooth pattern. She shivered, aware of the implications and how ludicrous it was. There was only one word for it really.
Shit, she whispered as reality glared at her.
Vampire, her mind screamed. But, how was it possible? She shook her head. It couldn't be. She looked at the puncture marks again. Vampire. Vampires existed? It went against everything she'd previously believed. Vampires. And it was so much worse than she'd thought. She'd had sex with one.
Vampires. The air left the room and her knees gave out, sending her toward the hard tile. She was faintly aware of a soft landing, a ragged curse and a hint of aftershave before she blacked out.
SECOND NATURE will be free on Amazon Kindle from May 14-18.
Purchase SECOND NATURE
An Interview With Marie
Tell us more about yourself! Readers love
to know about the authors, and this would give you the chance to make them feel
close to you!
I have been writing for over twenty years. From the tender age of
nine, I knew I wanted to be an author. I’ve spent most of my life trying
to fulfill that dream. In the past, I had two short stories published in
a private university publication.
I began publishing in 2010, and I published my first historical romance
novel, Upon Your Return, in February of 2013. The sequel, Upon
Your Honor, was released in April of 2014 through Summer Solstice. I
have a lighthearted romantic fantasy, Magick & Moonlight, that
released in March of 2014 through Solstice Shadows. Second Nature,
a paranormal romance/urban fantasy, book one of the Blood at First Sight
Series, also was just released in December of 2014 through Solstice
Shadows.
I have published twenty books under various pen names in the following
genres: historical romance, contemporary romance, paranormal romance,
fantasy, romantic suspense, mystery/thriller, literary fiction and
poetry.
Here is my full list of published books:
Marie Lavender: Upon Your Return; Magick & Moonlight; Upon
Your Honor; Second Nature
Erica Sutherhome: Hard to Get; Memories; A Hint of Scandal;
Without You; Strange Heat; Terror in the
Night; Haunted; Pursuit; Perfect Game; A Touch of Dawn;
Ransom; Leather and Lace
Kathryn Layne: A Misplaced Life
Heather Crouse: Express Café and Other Ramblings; Ramblings, Musings and Other Things; Soulful Ramblings and Other Worldly Things
If you have 2 hours free
time tonight, what would you rather do? Why?
I think I’d spend it with my fiancé. Our
schedules are fairly hectic these days, and I treasure my time with him.
What kind of books do you
love to read? Why?
I love romance of any kind. Give me a good
love story and I’m set! I just love reading about love. I love getting invested
in the characters, and rooting for them. And there are always a few surprises
to look forward to.
What type of music do you
enjoy relaxing to?
Right
now, I’m into Owl City and Ellie Goulding so I often tune into their Pandora
stations because similar artists are played along with them. I also like
OneRepublic. Now and then, I listen to
Celtic music or something else I come across.
What is your stress buster?
Good question. I find reading very relaxing
or I listen to music to unwind. Sometimes I’ll do some cooking because it
relaxes me. And then there are those times when I have to put everything down
and do some “me” time (I don’t often do that). I will pop a movie in the DVD
player or fire up my DVR to catch up on a show that I missed.
What is your favorite food?
What food do you seek when you’re sad, a sort of a comfort food?
I love pizza, of course. I love any Italian
food. Another favorite is risotto; I love that stuff. What do I eat when I’m
sad? Probably chocolate. I love chocolate, especially dark chocolate, but I
will go for cookies or ice cream if I’m feeling emotional, which I know is bad.
LOL.
Describe yourself in one
word.
Resilient.
If a fairy grants you one
wish and one wish only, what would it be? Why?
I would wish for a wedding. It
doesn’t have to be fancy or anything; I just can’t wait to spend the rest of my
life with the man I love.
What’s
your biggest regret in life?
Right
now? I think not going to grad school and getting my master’s. I’ve always
dreamed of getting my MFA, and I think I’d still like to do that at some point.
What are your wildest
dreams/fantasies/kinks/quirks?
Wow!
What a loaded question. I’d love to do tons of traveling, namely go to Ireland
someday. In my wildest dreams, I’d be standing on one of those cliffs with my
hair blowing around, and simply amazed by that awesome sight of the wild ocean
below me. Another fantasy of mine is to live on the beach. I want to have a
beach house someday, and live there with my future husband. I can’t think of anything
more relaxing than opening the back door, padding out to the beach in my bare
feet, and breathing in the sea air. A quirk of mine? I am pretty precise about
some things. If something looks out of place, I have to fix it.
How would readers find out
more about you?
They can learn more about me and my books on
my website at http://marielavender.com/
They can also friend/follow me on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Google+.
Your writing
When did you write your
first book? How long did it take you to write it?
Ah, technically my first foray into book
writing was in the third grade when we had an assignment to write one. Their
version of publishing, however, was lamination and then spiral binding the book
to take home. LOL. The title was ‘The Mystery of the Golden Chair’. Needless to
say, I’ve matured since then. Though I always wrote stories, I began writing my
first book in 2002 and that project took me nine years to write. That was a
historical romance novel titled Upon Your
Return, and it was published in 2013. I, of course, had published other
books before that time.
Did you encounter any
obstacles in writing? What are they? How did you overcome them?
Research is always an obstacle with
historical fiction. If you are trying to place a book in a certain year or span
of years, it becomes a great challenge to find relevant information for that
time period. Another obstacle with Upon
Your Return was the road to publishing. After the manuscript was polished,
my goal was to publish. So, I sought out literary agents and potential
publishers that might accept the book. I received many rejections and even
feedback from a few places, stating that I should change major parts of the
book. I couldn’t do that then as I feared the final result would be
unrecognizable; I had a duty to honor my characters. In any case, I stayed true
to the vision of the story, and a publisher did accept the manuscript the way
it was. I think it worked out fine in the end!
How did you feel when you
received your first contract? What did you do? Any celebratory dinner, dance,
event, etc to commemorate the occasion?
Well, after the initial shock of staring at
the acceptance letter for ten minutes, yes, I did celebrate by going out to
dinner with my fiancé. Oh, it was so exhilarating to receive that contract!
What kind of books do you
love/hate to write? Why?
I love reading and writing historical
romance, but as aforementioned, finding the right research can be a major pain.
I have a love/hate relationship with research. I love learning new things, and
absorbing myself in how the time period played out, how it must have felt to be
there. I may not be the only one who feels this way, but it seems like it’s
getting harder to find accurate data these days. You have to be very careful
about your sources.
Urban fantasy and fantasy are also pretty
challenging genres to tackle. I love keeping my mind open to the extraordinary,
but creating another world in that sense can be difficult at first. I’d have to
say that any genre or subgenre has its own challenges. I think the general
consensus with science fiction and fantasy is that you wouldn’t have to do
research for them, but that’s not true. You have to research every book, some
more than others. You have to make the story believable. The point is to still
love writing and care about the characters in the process, which I do.
What do you think about
editing?
It’s
a necessary evil, and truthfully it’s not always painful. Only when you’re
cutting huge sections does it really hurt. LOL. But seriously, it’s something
writers have to face. Editing is necessary because we become better writers in
the process, and our readers will thank us for not having a million typos in
the copy.
Where and when do you
write? Tell us about your favorite work place and time. Any special reason?
I write any time of day, but my strongest
writing happens at night, before I go to sleep when the ideas are keeping me
awake. I write stretched out across my bed, or if I write during the day, I
just try to find a comfortable place that I wouldn’t mind sitting while the
scene is flowing out of me. I know that when I finally lift the pen from the
page and my hand is starting to cramp up, I’ve been in the zone. Sometimes I
also write outside. The backdrop of fresh air and singing birds can be
inspiring.
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.
I
would have to say that the characters and the world of the story start to play
out for me at first. A scene just comes to me randomly and I start writing.
Later, I can piece scenes together to figure out how the story will flow. In
the back of my mind, I know the basic plot, but I don’t know the finer details.
That comes out in the writing of the book. And yes, I can provide an example.
When the sequel to Upon Your Return, Upon Your Honor, came to me, I could
only see the scene from the first chapter of Chloe stowing aboard a ship. This
is how it looked before I filled in the rest of the book:
Chloe
Waverly made her way along the gangway of the dark ship, trying her best to
look as inconspicuous as possible in a pair of brown trousers, a matching coat,
cap, and boots. The starch in the fabric made her skin itch, and the clothing
felt large on her small body. She had always cursed her size. She hated that
she wasn’t as tall as other women around her age. At nineteen, she was very
petite with a cloud of blonde tresses flowing around her heart-shaped face and
hazel eyes. It was difficult to hide her hair underneath the cap she wore. She
needed to look like a sailor or at least a man that belonged there. This was
the last place she was supposed to be and, fortunately, the last place Lamonte
Beckett would search.
The
man she was betrothed to would be angry when he discovered her missing. That
house was the last place she wanted to be. Ever since her father’s passing a
few months before, she had been trying to dodge Lamonte. His advances had
become a tiresome yet fear-filled reality. He was a scoundrel and she simply
couldn’t understand why her father would entrust her protection and the rest of
her life to that man. Chloe had heard rumors of his behavior from the maids,
not to mention that she had once witnessed him ravaging one of them, only a
young girl of fifteen. And of all times, during her father’s convalescence.
Of
course, she’d intervened. She had outraged against the injustice then, and
swore he would not carry on so with such indiscretion in her house. He had been
angry with her, but she was far too distracted with caring for her father at
the time to heed his threats.
Her
plan now was to get as far away from Lamonte as possible without drawing too
much attention. If she could reach New Orleans, then she could locate her
grandmother, who would take her in. A few days before she left, Chloe had sent
a letter off to Nana to warn her of her possible arrival. Nana, her father’s
mother, had always been kind in her occasional letters she sent to the house
and she knew very little, if anything, of the arrangement between her father
and Chloe’s fiancé. She didn’t know what kind of reception she’d have if her
grandmother knew she was affianced and to marry within the next few weeks.
Leaving
had proven to be very difficult. Chloe had no allies in the house. All of the
servants worked for Lamonte now, so she couldn’t enlist the help of any maids.
Her own nursemaid, Veronica, had quickly become controlled by her fiancé after
her father’s bout of pneumonia. He made it clear that it was better to be loyal
to him than to Chloe. Therefore, when she began planning her escape, she did it
alone. She had to wait until Veronica had gone to her own quarters and everyone
else in the house was asleep as well. Of course, as she’d assumed, Lamonte
would be preoccupied with his own pleasures and so he wouldn’t notice her
leaving.
She
gathered what she could and wrapped it in a makeshift sack that she slung over
her shoulder on a pole. She had retrieved the items while observing the
gardeners a few days before. That was also when she had discovered the extra
men’s clothing lying about. They were clean and simple, but they would do. She
hid everything under the bed so that a maid wouldn’t find them. She had left
the house tonight and had taken one of the spare horses to the docks. Luckily,
the boy who guarded the stable was asleep.
Chloe
chose a ship called La Voyageur.
It was large enough and it appeared to be a cargo ship of some kind, but she
could not be sure. She figured she could hide easily enough among the shipments
or pretend she was a sailor at least for a while until she could find a way
off.
Now,
on the ship, she tried to look busy or move out of the way of the sailors
moving crates around. She ducked her head to avoid eye contact with any of the
men. She feared that if enough attention was drawn to her, they would notice
she was not who she claimed.
Chloe
moved towards the back of the ship and went down the companionway below only to
shrink back when a massive form came into view. His dark auburn hair was
rakishly drawn in waves over his head and he had the darkest eyes she’d ever
seen. Her heart raced, and her breath came in small gasps. Stunned, she tried
to get control of herself, but she came to the realization that she wanted to
drown in that gaze.
“What
are you doing there, boy? Get some cargo moved in here. We have work to do.
We’ll be leaving shortly, as you know.”
She
tried for her best sailor dialect. “Aye, Captain.”
One
eyebrow rose sardonically. “You know damn well I’m not the captain, sailor.
But, you still have to follow my orders.”
“Aye.”
She discreetly discarded her sack, saw some small crates nearby and bent to
pick one up. Aware of the heft, she struggled under its weight.
“I
don’t think I’ve seen you before. What’s your name?”
“Uhh…Charlie,
sir.”
“Well,
Charlie. I suppose you’ll learn soon enough. Did Captain Hill recruit you?”
She
had to seem convincing. She tried to look as if the question was natural. “Aye,
found me down by the harbor poking around, he did. A fella can’t help where he
finds a meal.” Chloe grinned, feeling silly.
He
nodded. “Like I said, you’ll learn soon enough. Those crates will do good in
the back store room. It’s nearly full. I’ll let the others know there’s no more
room there.” He looked her over once more. “I’m keeping an eye on you, boy.”
“Aye,
sir.”
The man moved past her. When he took the
companionway to the upper deck, Chloe breathed a sigh of relief.
What
is your must-have book for writing?
Natalie
Goldberg’s Writing Down the Bones. It
not only gives Goldberg’s fascinating journey to being a writer, it has tons of
advice and lots of writing prompts to get your creative wheels spinning.
What is your advice to
aspiring writers?
Practice
writing as often as you can, and subscribe to blogs with writing tips. You can
only get better. You’re a writer as soon as you’re writing. Be patient with the
publishing process. It will take as long as it takes. If you want to be
published traditionally, you have to jump through the same hoops as everyone
else. But, don’t forget perseverance. Never lose that spark or love of writing.
Never give up. If you do, you’re the only one who will suffer.
Your books
What genre(s) do you write?
Why do you write the stories that you write?
For
the most part, I write romance or variations of it. I count myself lucky that
the industry has come to accept so many different kinds of romance: Western,
time travel, paranormal, romantic fantasy, and the list just keeps going. I
have also written some mystery/thriller, literary fiction and poetry. I love
writing romance not just because I love “love”, but also because the characters
call to me, begging me to tell their stories. I write for them, and if I
didn’t, my writing would suffer. I also write for my fans who want to see the
next book in a series, or to learn more about the characters they’ve come to
love. I write to hopefully make a difference, even in the smallest way, to
someone.
Among those that you’ve written,
which is your favorite book and why?
I think Upon
Your Return will always have a special place in my heart. I can really
identity with Fara Bellamont, the heroine, not only because she is a dreamer,
but also because she refuses to accept the standards set for women in her time.
She does everything she can to attain her desires, and I respect that.
Where do you get your
ideas? Do you jot them down in a notebook, in case you forgot?
Although this is the usual question, it tends
to stump me. Why? Because in truth, I don’t know where my ideas come from. They
just come to me out of the blue. There’s no rhyme or reason usually. It simply
happens. Now and then, I will be inspired specifically by something I read or
saw, but I look at my ideas as a collage of information and life experiences
somehow exploding onto the page. The idea is the easy part. What happens after
that is when the real work begins.
Which book is the closest
to your heart? Why?
Well,
as aforementioned, Upon Your Return
is one that definitely gets to me. Another one is A Touch of Dawn, previously released under my alternate pen name
Erica Sutherhome. It is a story about two special people who have been through
horrific experiences, and somehow manage to find each other. This story makes
me cry, and think that anything is possible. I truly believe there is someone
special for everyone, and I try to convey that with my books.
Which of your books feature
your family/friends, etc? What characters are modeled after them? Why?
I haven’t modeled any characters specifically
after my family, though some traits may unintentionally seem like them. One
character, named Adrienne, from the Heiresses in Love Series, reminds me a
little of my sister because of her antics. I do have a work in progress that is
a time travel romance, and I did model the hero somewhat after my fiancé.
Who is your
strongest/sexiest/most lovable/hottest hero/heroine? Why?
Wow. That’s a hard question because I love
them all. I still find Captain Grant Hill from Upon Your Return to be very strong and sexy. He continues to be
just as appealing in the following books. And I have to fan myself a little
here because Alec Sullivan from Second
Nature is a total hottie. Add the vampire element to him? He becomes
hotter. Gabriel from Upon Your Honor
is sexy and only dangerous because he is so lovable. And with regards to my
female characters, I love how strong they are. I admire Fara Bellamont, Chloe
Waverly and Adrienne Hill from the Heiresses in Love Series for their inner
strength. They are all beautiful women inside and out, and more appealing
because they don’t always see it. Angie from Leather and Lace, another book released under my pen name Erica
Sutherhome, is a strong, yet gorgeous character. I had a lot of fun making her
completely irresistible to the hero, Patrick. And I have to mention Desiree
from Second Nature. She is thrown
into an impossible situation, awakened to a world she never knew and there are
things about herself she has to come to terms with. I admire her resilience and
her ability to face her strange circumstances.
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?
Yes,
eventually I have to listen to the characters alone. They have a story to tell,
and I must follow the muse.
Tell us more about your latest
release.
Second
Nature, book one of the
Blood at First Sight Series, is my latest release. It is a paranormal
romance/urban fantasy. Here is the blurb:
Any new projects, work in
progress?
I have a ton of works in progress so I really
never have to worry about getting ideas. The problem is picking a story and
focusing on it. I just finished writing Upon
Your Love, which will be book three of the Heiresses in Love Series. This
will finish up the historical romance saga about the Bellamont-Hill family. The
manuscript is being edited now. Recently, I wrapped up work on the second book
in the Magick Series, a children’s fantasy titled A Little Magick. That is currently being formatted for release. As
for my future projects, I plan to finish writing Blood Instincts and The
Bloodseer Legacy, books two and three of the Blood at First Sight Series.
Beyond that? I will probably write the final book of the Magick Series; that is
titled Magick Sunrise. I also have a
historical romance/fantasy series about a coven of witches planned for the
future. You can see my full list of projects, including other works in progress
here: http://marielavender.com/about/projects-and-writing/
Do you outline your
books or wing it? Describe your
process.
Actually, I do both. At first, the scenes are really random
and I don’t know much of what will happen in the book except for a basic idea
of the plot. After I get enough scenes written, a picture begins to form in my
mind and then I do a detailed outline to keep me on track while I’m writing
chapters. It isn’t unheard of, however, to occasionally stray a bit from this
outline if a character or plot element requires it.
How do you decide on
setting?
That actually comes later. Though I may have a general idea
of what the setting looks like, I haven’t pinned it down to an actual place
until I start doing more writing and some research. Then I decide the best
location for the story, and what would work for that scene.
Has your muse always
known what genre you would write and be published in?
Yes, my muse tends to lean more towards romance, though
other elements – suspense, aliens, ghosts, vampires, shifters, witches, police
procedural, and history – may be thrown in from time to time.
What is your favorite
part of writing?
Oh, my favorite part is getting immersed in the scene and
letting it play out, learning about the characters and coming to care about
them, and then stepping back later to reread everything. There is an excitement
and a kind of awe to the writing process.
Some writers edit
excessively as they write; others wait until a novel is finished to do the bulk
of editing. How about you?
I’m a bit of a perfectionist so if I notice any glaring
errors, they can be a little distracting while I write. Often I will correct
those, but not worry about the minor ones until I finish writing the
manuscript. I do a lot of editing later.
How much research was
involved in writing your book? How did
you go about it?
Second Nature
required me to learn more about Baltimore, which I found to be a blast. I would
so love to visit that city. It looks lovely. So, yeah, it did take me some time
to find out everything so that I could naturally fit what I knew into the
story. I did a lot of research online, but I kept most of the research to
Wikipedia or to the city of Baltimore’s website. I also used Google Maps a lot
so that I could make sure everything was within a reasonable distance. The most
challenging aspect, I’d have to say, was learning what I needed to know about
the Civil War. There was a specific piece of information that kept eluding me for
one reason or other – perhaps the government didn’t want people to have access
to it at the time – but I was determined to find the answer to my question. I eventually
did find it, and it all worked out.
What’s the strangest
thing you have ever done in the name of research?
My research takes me into some pretty strange places on the
internet. If someone looked at my web searches, they’d probably think I had lost
my mind. From types of poisons to drug overdoses to how crimes are solved to
the human psyche, yeah, I guess I’m pretty crazy. Or at least completely normal
for a writer. Anytime a question comes up while I’m writing, I am adamant to
find out the answer. So, it definitely makes for an interesting experience.
What inspired your
latest release?
I always wanted to write a vampire story, and luck would
have it that the small scene that began with Desiree’s kidnapping fit the idea
perfectly. I was inspired by the idea of a woman being attracted to her captor
and struggling to come to terms with it. Of course, I had to give Alec some
redeeming qualities or the whole thing would have been creepy. After the book
was written, I began to have ideas for sequels, and it just got more exciting!
Here is a little teaser for that scene:
Desiree struggled to awaken. There was a
jostling movement, and the sound of an engine. Her body began to tingle all
over. She opened her eyes to see that she was lying across the backseat of a
car. As her vision cleared fully, she could discern the shape of the driver.
Wide shoulders, short black hair. She shivered. Dear God, she was a captive!
She should have called the cops right away. At least then someone would guess
what had happened to her.
“You’re safe,” a voice rasped.
Her voice was hoarse when she replied, “I
don’t believe you.”
“I don’t blame you, but I assure you it’s
true.”
The deep rumble of his
tone reverberated through her body, lighting fires where they shouldn’t be. She
sucked in a breath and tried to sit up, but her wrists and ankles were bound,
making her body little more than dead weight. She moaned at the situation she
found herself in. She was dressed, she realized. Fully dressed in jeans and a
camisole. That was very … enterprising of him.
Can you tell us about
your road to publication?
I always knew I wanted to write. In college, I studied Creative Writing to
further my goals toward writing a novel. I published two short stories in a
private university publication, a couple of years after I began writing my
first book. I had an idea that
Upon Your
Return would be my first published novel, but fate intervened when the
self-publishing craze began to get popular. In 2010, I published a literary
fiction and poetry anthology titled
Express
Café and Other Ramblings. I went on to publish subsequent books,
encompassing other genres as well and the idea of a pen name was appealing. In
2011, once
Upon Your Return was fully
edited, I began submitting the manuscript to literary agents and publishers. No
matter what, I was firm in my belief that I would reach a traditional publisher
somehow. In August of 2012, I received a wonderful surprise in my inbox, with
an email from Solstice Publishing. I received a book contract for the book;
they loved it! And the journey just keeps going. Since 2013, I have published
four books with them. It has been a real blessing to be a part of the Solstice
family.
E-books, print, or
both? Any preferences? Why?
Both, but I prefer print books. I don’t have an official
Kindle reader yet, but I do have the apps on my phone and PC. It is more
convenient to read paperback or hardback, but I will still read an ebook now
and then.
How much time do you
spend promoting your books?
Quite a lot, actually. Years ago, if someone had told me I
would be promoting so much, I probably would have laughed. But, the industry
has changed, and now a lot of authors have to do their own promotion.
Please tell us your
experiences with social media. What are
your favorite and least favorite parts of it?
I think the different social media companies like Facebook
and Twitter are cracking down so much with their rules that it sometimes makes
it impossible to get things done. I will still keep trying, though. I like
Facebook because it’s easier to connect personally with a reader, though.
How much of you
is in the books you write? In what ways?
I see bits of myself in my characters, just as I see bits of
my family or friends in them. For example, I am a dreamer with a bit of a
stubborn streak. I can be feisty when pushed too far. So, I can identify with
Fara Bellamont from Upon Your Return
in many ways. Also, Desiree from Second
Nature, my latest book, reminds me a little of me.
Have you had other
careers before becoming a writer?
Oh, sure. Let me list them for you: shirt department
personnel at a tuxedo warehouse, busser, hostess, appointment setter and
executive assistant. But, truthfully, I was always a writer.
Were you “born to
write” or did you discover your passion for writing later in life?
Yeah, sometimes I think I was born to write. It just came
naturally from the time that I could put a pen to paper. Well, it happened
before that too, but most of my ideas came out in playtime, and I would enact
the scenes with paper dolls or Barbie dolls. That still makes me laugh to think
of it. Eventually, I had to write them down, to reset the switch, so to speak, in
order to make room for more ideas.
Do you have or belong
to a writing organization? Which one?
I’d like to join RWA, but I haven’t had a chance just yet. I
am so busy! Maybe when I free up some time, I will do that. I am in the
official directory of Poets & Writers, though.
What do you keep on
your desk?
My desk is cluttered right now. I am in the process of a
major spring cleaning. When I am working on a book, I try to keep a set of
notes on hand, however, to keep me on track. Post-it notes are my friend; they
help me stay organized. I also try to keep notebooks, lots of pens, snacks,
Tylenol and a spare flash drive on my desk, among other things. My cell phone
is also nearby so that I don’t miss notifications from social media, and I can
launch the Pandora app for mood music whenever I need to.
Tell us about your
hero or heroine. Give us one of his/her
strengths and one of his/her weaknesses.
Yes, let’s talk about Alec, the hottie! He is actually more
magnanimous than he realizes, but he tends to push some people away because
attachments, in his opinion, only lead to heartache and complications.
You’re having a
party. What character from your book do
you hope attends? Why? What character do you hope doesn’t attend? Why?
Oh, I definitely want Alec to attend. He would be fine to
look at, wouldn’t he? I will include a picture of him so that you can judge.
*Sigh.
I hope his sire doesn’t attend. The man who made him a
vampire is a complete…er, jerk.
What do you
read? Do you read different genres when
you’re writing versus not writing?
I read whatever I can when I have time, but I do tend to
focus on paranormal romance, historical romance, contemporary romance or
romantic suspense. I recently read a riveting time travel romance called Rogue on the Rollaway by Shannon MacLeod;
it was somewhat reminiscent of the Outlander TV series, but not quite. My
reading habits are about the same, regardless of whether I’m immersed in a
project or not.
What books are on
your nightstand or by your chair?
LOL.
Okay, I’ll share. I just finished Kerrelyn Sparks’ How to Seduce a Vampire (Without Really Trying) so I set that aside
this morning. Other random titles on my nightstand? Dukes to the Left of Me, Princes to the Right by Kieran Kramer, Moonlight Cove by Sherryl Woods, Bride of the Tower by Sharon Schulze,
and A Hunger Like No Other by Kresley
Cole.
What’s your favorite
film of all time? Favorite book?
It’s so hard to choose. Let me go with ‘Ever After: A Cinderella Story’ with Drew Barrymore and
Dougray Scott. It is a very romantic tale and I just love Dougray in that
movie! This film makes me cry and causes my romantic’s heart to soar. And who
doesn’t love a female character who can take care of herself?
My favorite book? I’ll go with Dark Lover by J.R. Ward since I am a paranormal romance freak.
Although I also love any book by Nora Roberts.
What’s the coolest
surprise you’ve ever had?
This isn’t book related, but kind of cute. So, on my
thirteenth birthday, I received a box wrapped in kitten wrapping paper. It was
adorable, and since I loved cats, I couldn’t wait to open it. But I couldn’t
figure out why there were holes in the box and why it was making noises. So, I
opened it up and my present was a real six month old calico kitten! That was
one of the most memorable birthdays I ever had!
If you could have one
skill that you don’t currently have, what would it be?
Sometimes I wish I was better with numbers. Math was never
one of my strengths so even though I can do basic math, I don’t really get
algebra or anything else. I always
wondered what I’d use it for in real life, since my interests were related to
literature instead, but now and then I can see a use for it, like if you’re
trying to figure out how much paint you’d need for something, you know? So, I
guess I would have liked to be better at math than I am.
What might we be
surprised to know about you?
I am a soprano, and I used to sing a lot of solos for choir.
What’s your favorite
comfort food? Least favorite food?
I like risotto. Sometimes I’ll just make it and throw in
some extra ingredients. I love the flavor of risotto. Least favorite? I’m not
exactly a fan of brussel sprouts.
What music “soothes
your soul”? Do you listen to music as
you write?
I think anything by Owl City, Ellie Goulding or Lights is
kind of soothing. All of these artists also have the ability to lift you out of
a melancholic mood because some of their songs are upbeat or happy. I also find
some Celtic music kind of calming.
