Red Roses Interview

Hi, Everyone! I have an interview up at Red Roses For Authors, a review blog! Pop on over and take a look at me, lol!

http://redrosesforauthors.blogspot.com/2007/07/interview-with-missy-sue-hanson.html

LORI DEVOTI ~ Interview

I had the pleasure of interviewing Lori Devoti, author of UNBOUND, a novel from Silhouette's hot paranormal line, NOCTURNE. Here's what Lori had to say;

What inspired you to become a writer?
I don’t know. I wrote a lot of poetry as a child/teen—who didn’t? Started a couple of novels in my twenties, but never went far with them. Then after I had my daughter my husband suggested I write a book—so I did. My first manuscript was actually a mystery.

Do you feel that UNBOUND is any different from others of the same genre?
Well, people keep telling me it is. I guess it is. I didn’t try to write something incredibly different. It is just what came out. I read a lot of fantasy and mystery—not just romance. I guess that is why.

What advice can you give an inspiring writer?
This is tough because it depends on what stage the writer is at. No agent is better than a bad agent is always a good piece of advice. A rejection doesn’t mean you are a bad writer, just that that particular person at that particular time isn’t looking for what you wrote. Everything in this business is basically one person’s opinion—reviews, agent rejections/acceptances, editor rejections/acceptances. Don’t let them get you down and keep going. Pick the pearls out of critiques and toss everything else. See, I have TONS of advice.


Did you feel you would go as far as you did?
I don’t think I am that far yet. So I hope to go much further. To be honest, I don’t think I thought about how far I would get.

Can you tell us a bit about your contemporary novels, LOVE IS ALL AROUND and LOVE IS ALL YOU NEED?
They are both set in Southern Missouri. They are very different from Unbound. Light contemporary romantic comedies. I have had people say they can’t believe they were written by the same person who wrote Unbound—but they were. J Love is All Around is about a small town girl who wants to get out and move to the city—St. Louis in this case. Love is All You Need is about a small town girl who has left and been working in Chicago at a high brow auction house. Her boss sends her to Southern Missouri to find a piece of legendary art pottery. The hero is after the same piece of art pottery. I think both books are fun and they both have characters similar to people I knew in my childhood—which made them fun to write. There are excerpts from both on my site.



What is your favorite thing about writing Contemporary? Paranormal?
Romantic comedy is easy for me. It just pours out. Writing dark is harder. I have to get into dark mode—and stay there. But I love the paranormal aspects and being able to just go with my imagination. Hellhounds can get away with a lot more than a small town girl from Missouri.



In which areas are the two genres the most different?
If asking about my particular books, it’s my voice. It is totally different between the two.

Where did the idea for UNBOUND come from?
I wanted to write about shape-shifters, but didn’t want to do werewolves. I came across a picture of the Black Dog of Ireland in a book and the idea for hellhounds were born. This is also where the seed for Lusse came from. This same book said some people believed a witch named Lusse ran the Wild Hunt (usually it is Odin). I just ran with it.

Was there a specific event or person who spurred the creation of Lusse's character in your UNBOUND novel?
Just the book I mentioned above. The rest just kind of happened. I am not a writer who does character sheets or anything. My characters are fairly organic.

Can you tell us a bit about GUARDIAN'S KEEP, your next book for the Unbound series?
It’s Kelly and Kol’s story. Lots of action in this one and lots of new beings. Kelly is harboring bad feelings against Kol for the death of her friend in Unbound. On Kol’s part—someone has been attacking his bar trying to take over his portal—he suspects Kelly. So each is watching the other when the book opens. There is a lot more about garm in this book and a new place that I love—Lyngvi and a new character, Fenrir. Plus dwarves, dark elves, trolls, mud type monsters and the corporeal undead. Lots and lots of action—and it’s hotter than Unbound. I really like Kol. He’s an alpha, but a protector. That is part of a garm’s nature—to protect.

How about the third book in the series?
This is Venge’s story and I am writing it now. I can’t say a lot about it because the proposal is still out with my editor, but I plan to introduce some more new beings: Valkyries and Norns. And the Wild Hunt is a focal point. And some characters from the first two books will make appearances.

On your website's hompage you feature Hellhound Bookplates. Can you tell us about those?
They are printed on Avery labels, but I think they look pretty nice. If anyone would like one, they can send me a self-addressed stamped envelope and a note letting me know if you want one or two. I’ll sign them and ship them back off. My mailing address to send the SASE is Lori Devoti, PO Box 46251, Madison, WI 53744-6251



Thanks for the interview!!

Lori

Thank you, Lori! I'm delighted and honored!

You can visit LORI DEVOTI to learn more about her books and the lady herself!

Author Interview ~ SARA REINKE

I had the privilege of interviewing award-winning author Sara Reinke. Her debut fantasy, BOOK OF DAYS, from Double Dragon Publishing, which was named one of the Top 10 Science Fiction/Fantasy Novels of 2005 in the annual Preditors & Editors Readers poll and a Finalist in the 2005 Dream Realm Awards competition. Other available or upcoming titles include BOOK OF THIEVES, the sequel to the award-winning BOOK OF DAYS; TETHERS, a science-fiction thriller; the historical romance, AN UNEXPECTED ENGAGEMENT and the paranormal romance, DARK THIRST. She is a member of the Louisville Romance Writers chapter of Romance Writers of America.


Have you always wanted to be a writer, has it always been a present passion in your life?

I've wanted to be a writer since I was very, very young. I remember writing stories and illustrating them myself when I was in pre-school and kindergarten. My mom tells me that before I even knew how to write, they'd give me a notebook and pen, and I could keep myself busy pretending to write on the pages. While I was growing up, as most kids my age were working their way through Barbies and bicycles, I worked my way through a series of typewriters and then, in high school and college, word processors and computers, always pecking out my stories. I can't remember -- or imagine -- wanting to do anything else with my life besides write.

Can you recall the very moment you decided to write a book?

As I said, I was very young when I began writing stories. I remember as a young girl, probably in second grade, my uncle gave me a set of the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy, and when I read them, I understood that what I wanted to do was write novels, not just short stories. I wanted to invent fantastic worlds and creatures of my own. That was about the time I wrote my first "series" of "books," each one in its own notebook, a trilogy about three unicorns. As I grew older, I tried my hand again at novel writing, this time in junior high school, when I was inspired by Anne McCaffrey, so I wrote another fantasy novel. In high school, I wrote a lot of short stories and plays and didn't explore novel-writing again until out of college, when I completed the original draft for what's become my sci-fi thriller, "Tethers," available now in ebook and trade paperback from Samhain Publishing. After college, I decided to pursue a more "grown up" career in journalism and all but abandoned fiction for awhile. In 2001, my uncle died of cancer -- the same one who'd given me the "Lord of the Rings" books -- and it really made me rethink the direction in which my life was heading. I decided to write fiction again, and to really aim for publishing and building a solid career at it. Thus, I began writing novels again.

Do you have a "dayjob" that you go to when you're not writing?

Yes. I work for AAA locally, in their public affairs department. My primary responsibilities are the writing, editing and coordination of content for their member magazine. I only recently returned to the position after a two-and-a-half year hiatus. I'd worked there for almost seven years prior to the birth of my son, and had left in order to stay home and care for him.

Can you explain The Romance Galleria and what it is you do for their promotions?

The Romance Galleria is a virtual venue offering chats, events, exhibits and storefront services to romance authors, publishers and related industry professionals. Like your local hotel or convention center, The Romance Galleria offers a variety of services and amenities for all of your promotional event needs. From public author chats to paid workshop events to private staff meetings, the Galleria has the flexibility to offer professionals a virtual environment available anytime, anywhere. It's the only truly interactive, real-time 3D world in the industry. Guests to the Galleria simply download a free, easy-to-use, completely safe software program that allows them to enter 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

I help coordinate their weekly marketing, including the preparation and distribution of press releases highlighting the week's events and promotional opportunities. It's a terrific position, because I'm really excited about the potential of the Galleria. It's already grown by so many leaps and bounds since its launch in February, it's amazing. And it's growing all the time. It's really rewarding and exciting to be a part of it.

Do you have a publisher? An agent?

At the moment, I have books available with several publishers. My fantasy series, The Chronicles of Tiralainn, are available in ebooks and trade paperback through Double Dragon Publishing. "Tethers," a sci-fi thriller is available in ebook and trade paperback from Samhain Publishing. My historical romance, "An Unexpected Engagement" is out in mass-market paperback through bookstores nationwide and leading online book retailers from Medallion Press. As of July 3, the first in a paranormal/vampire romance series, "Dark Thirst" hits bookstores shelves in mass market paperback from Kensington Publishing's Zebra imprint.

I've been very fortunate in that I've had the opportunity to work with such a wide variety of publishing companies, and have enjoyed positive experiences with all of them. Each one is different, but has been terrific for me in terms of my continued growth and development as an author, in their own way, and I'm grateful to each of them.

Any advice to aspiring romance writers?

Never give up. Make time in your life whenever you can to write. Don't let rejections discourage you, or keep you from submitting again. I think building a career as an author takes 10-20 percent talent, and 80-90 percent luck. It's all about presenting the best possible manuscript you can, and getting it in front of the right person at just the right moment. Putting together a top-notch manuscript is something you control completely. Getting your manuscript out there is something within your power, too. And while you can't control whether or not you get it in front of the right person at the right time, the only way that's ever going to happen is if you keep trying despite rejections.

Thank you for taking the time to visit us, Sara!

Visit Sara at her home on the web! http://www.sarareinke.com/




Stay Tuned for a look at Sara's novel, DARK THIRST......