20 Questions
(Author Interview)
Brought to you by
Book Nook Nuts
(Author Interview)
Brought to you by
Book Nook Nuts
1. Where do you write
from?
Almost always from
home. I prefer working on my desktop computer. I see people working on laptops
but I hate it!
2. When did you first
realize you wanted to be a writer?
I started writing
poetry (bad poetry) when I was a kid, probably 10 or 11. I dabbled in different
types of writing my whole life, from journalistic to short fiction to novels.
3. How long does it
take you to write a book?
For most category-length
books, it takes me about 4-5 months. Novellas I can usually write in 2-3
months.
4. Where do you get
your information or ideas for your books?
Oh – everywhere.
Ideas spark from reading news stories, things friends tell me, or just thinking
up ‘what if’ scenarios.
5. When did you write
your first book and how old were you?
When I was in college
I started a murder mystery (also really bad), but put it aside after a few
chapters. Years later when I was working at a very boring job, I started writing
a novel. A fellow Girl Scouts mom was a writer who’d just published her first
novel. She brought me to a local RWA meeting where I learned that what I was
writing was actually romance. About a year later I entered a contest with a brand
new publisher and won the erotic romance category. They published my short
story and I was on my way. I think I was in my mid-thirties at the time.
6. What do you like
to do when you're not writing?
I love crafting and
shopping, and entertaining, since writing is such a solitary endeavor (and I am
a total social butterfly!)
7. What Genre do you
write?
My first love is
writing contemporary, and that is what I’ve written the most of, but I also
write some paranormal romance and some romantic suspense.
8. How many books
have you written? Which is your favorite?
About 30—some full
length, some novellas. A favorite? Yikes. Like picking one of my kids! If I had
to choose, it would be either The
Surrogate Husband or Not Enough.
Or Maybe Hidden Magic. See how tough
that question is? LOL.
9. Do you hear from
your readers much? What kinds of things do they say?
Sometimes – I always
love getting mail from readers. When they tell me that they really connected
with a book, well that touches my heart and makes my day. Reviews also are
wonderful. They are so important for authors. Nod, nod, wink, wink!
10. As a child, what
did you want to do when you grew up?
Ha! I saw a movie
about a famous stripper when I was six years old (my grandmother let me watch
things like that), came home and told my parents I wanted to be a stripper!
11. Tell us about
your current project.
Well, I’m writing
book #3 for my Miami/South Beach contemporary series for Entangled Publishing. It’s
a Cyrano De Bergerac trope story that features a character who speaks in baseball.
Did I mention I know almost nothing about baseball? So it a bit challenging for
me. Thank goodness for social media. I’ve gotten lots of help from some of my
baseball fan friends! I think it’s going to be a super fun story when it’s
done, though.
12. How do you handle
writers block?
I usually turn to
another project. Since I’ve always got another synopsis due or another book
deadline looming, I can usually work on something else for a little while. That
often jars the block on the first story free for me.
13. What one subject
is TABOO in your writing?
Since I often write
erotic romance, I have to keep in line with my own comfort level. Sexually,
acts that most publishers would list as taboo, I wouldn’t write about. Aside
from sex, I don’t like writing about things that I find very hard to think
about, like child abuse or animal cruelty.
14. If there was one
book you wish you'd written, which would it be?
Just one? Okay, I’ll
pick one of my all-time favorites – Bridget Jones’s Diary. Looove that book.
15. What is your
biggest pet peeve?
I’m a little OCD, so
I’d have to say sloppiness, of all kinds.
16. Is there one
current tv show that is a "can't miss" for you?
Game of Thrones, of
course!
17. Who was your
greatest influence?
Probably Stephen
King. I read every book he wrote from the time I was a teenager until my early
twenties.
18. How do you choose
your book covers?
I have no say on the
covers for the books that my publisher puts out, so it’s fun to choose covers
for my self-pubbed books. I have only two cover artists that I regularly use.
They both like me to find some covers that appeal to me. We go from there,
scouring images and adding in key elements from the book.
19. Something
personal about you people may be surprised to know?
I’m terrified of big
dogs. Readers of a certain romantic suspense book of mine may have figured this
out, though, as the heroine has the same affliction.
20. How would a
reader find you online? IE: Website, Facebook, Twitter
I also have a
fantastic street team – Wynter’s Wenches. Fans are always welcome to join.
There’s a link on my website.
0 Comments