Interview

Hi Anne and welcome. I am so glad you could join us here at RomanceJunkies. To start, will you please tell us a little bit about your current projects?

 

THE HUNT, my debut novel, released in October 2009 from Dorchester Love Spell. HUNT is a sensual paranormal romance set in a fantasy world with Egyptian overtones. The virgins who enter the twisting tunnels of the Guardians have little hope— or wish— to escape. But Miu has her own reason for participating in the Hunt, and she has no intention of being caught... until she meets the darkly sensual predator who's on her trail.

 

HUNT has a special place in my heart. I entered the opening chapters in the Orange County RWA’s 2008 Orange Rose contest for unpublished writers, hoping to get feedback. I certainly received a warm introduction to a fabulous community of romance writers. In addition, winning second place in the contest introduced me to Alicia Condon of Dorchester, who offered me a publishing contract and a chance to share Miu and Jafar’s story with all of you. Yay for RWA chapter contests! And yay for Dorchester—they are fabulously open to new writers and new voices.

 

My next novel is the first book a different series: it’s slated for release in September 2010 and is tentatively titled BOND WITH ME. Like HUNT, it’s a sensual paranormal romance, but this book is set in Moscow in the near-future. When Mischka Baran temporarily sells her soul to a fallen angel in exchange for a favor, she gets more than she bargained for. Her fallen angel is playing for keeps—and for an eternity as his bondmate.

 

How did you get into technical writing?  Do you find it an easy transition to switch back and forth between your two writing careers?

 

Technical writing was one of those auspicious accidents. I was an English major as an undergraduate; the only folks recruiting on Notre Dame campus that year for my major were the good folks from Lady Footlocker. No offense to them, but pink-striped shirts and store management weren’t really the way I’d envisioned my future (I still had those rose-colored glasses on!), so I headed off to graduate school for a PhD in Slavic Languages and Literatures. That HAD to be more marketable, right? Yeah… wrong. Fortunately, along the way I’d developed a strange love for exploring new software packages—and I’ve never had the writer’s block issue that seems to plague the business world. Plus, I can spell. Bingo! I like to look at my day job as translating Engineer into English—it’s not Russian (although sometimes, frankly, it really could be), but it’s interesting work.

 

I do find it easy to switch back-and-forth. Technical writing is very disciplined, word count is tight, and it’s fact-oriented. When the muse isn’t cooperating in paranormal romance land, technical writing is a welcome relief. And vice-versa: when I’ve had more than my fact quota for the day, it’s very liberating to sit down and Make It All Up for the romance work-in-progress. The hardest part is remembering not to mention the romance writing too much at work; I had to squee all over the place when I landed my first contract but, since I write on the sexy side, it’s better HR practice to keep those two worlds separate. Because really… who wants to walk into a software engineering meeting and KNOW that everyone in there read the hot sex scene in chapter such-and-such?

 

All writers ask for advice on how to succeed, and get plenty of it! What was the one bit you wish you had just ignored? What is the one thing you are sure to tell a new writer not to do?

 

I wish I had ignored all the well-intentioned advice agonizing over HOW to submit a manuscript—which font, which paper weight, how long to wait before follow-up, etc. It’s not that these don’t matter—but I honestly don’t believe, in retrospect, that Dorchester accepted HUNT because I submitted in Times New Roman rather than in Courier. It’s too easy to get caught up in the details and spends hours (days… weeks… cough) agonizing over these minute issues rather than just hitting the Send button or making the trek to the post office. You’re not going to get published until you submit, that’s the bottom line—so you have to put yourself out there and start garnering those rejection letters (I have ones from Harlequin and Dorchester that I prize—although Harlequin wins hands-down for best company letterhead!).

 

I’d tell a new writer not to be afraid of editors and agents. Yeah, it’s probably a tall order, but they’re people—and really great, funny, warm people. They love this business and they love our stories—and they are such a wealth of information. It’s OK to ask “Why?”—you just have to promise to listen to the answer. All of of the edits my editor suggested for HUNT were fine—but asking WHY she’d recommended a change really opened my eyes to certain craft and marketing issues.

 

Have you ever been in the position of having an editor ask you to cut out or significantly change something in a story that you strongly felt you should not compromise on? If so, how did you handle the situation?

 

My editor and I did do some substantial rounds of revisions on THE HUNT but, frankly, the changes were never ones I couldn’t live with. She’s fabulous at explaining the reasoning behind the changes she’s suggesting so, even if I don’t like the specific change, it helps me to suggest a slightly different change that does accomplish what she wants to accomplish. For HUNT, we did lots of cutting (more than 10% of the book--- although I’ve been promised I can save those snippets for the next book in the series!) and significantly reduced the number of characters. I had lots of fun secondary and tertiary characters who, while I loved them insanely, did absolutely nothing to advance the plot. The other major change we made was to really make the book super-sexy. My editor asked me to make all the hot scenes hotter—and much longer. I think we accomplished that goal ;)

 

Once you finish a book, do you find it easy or hard to put those characters aside for new ones?

 

I’m fickle. It’s easy. Plus, right about 80,000 words into a draft, my muse usually starts teasing me with ideas for another book. My favorite part is the first third of a book, so getting to start a new book is a treat. I also tend to meet the hero of the next book halfway through the first book—so I have that to look forward to as well. I personally believe that Hebon deserves his own HUNT story—don’t you?

 

Surprise! Surprise! The Trip Genie is going to whisk you away to wherever you want to go! Where are you going and how many suitcases are you taking?

 

Beach, beach, beach! I’ve had an illicit love affair with French Polynesia for the last eight years, so I’d head right there (illicit because I’m sure, if I was a better grown-up, I’d be putting my Tahitian vacation money into a 401K or would at least be buying stock in Air Tahiti Nui). The atoll of Tikehau is like something straight out of a Harlequin category romance—fabulously luxurious overwater bungalows, long stretches of pink sand beaches, a Michelin chef, champagne on a deserted motu with your lover… can I go now? Please? If there’s no weight restriction, I can make do with one suitcase—otherwise, there needs to be two. One for clothes and one for books and snacks. Unfortunately, the one itsy-bitsy drawback to French Polynesia is the serious lack of bookstores and books. Even in French (I was willing to compromise, but nada…).

 

What does your writing space look like? Do you have a window with a view? Do you eat at computer? Have a favorite beverage constantly by your mouse? Spill anything with dastardly consequences?

 

I have a laptop, so write wherever and whenever I can. I did quite a bit of THE HUNT on the BART commuting into San Francisco (and you haven’t lived until you realize you’ve just exclaimed “Oh my God! I wrote cat sex!” in very audible tones—at the peak of the commuter rush hour). I’ve also been known to write at the kids’ basketball practices (until the time the basketball ricocheted off the back of the laptop) and outside the kids’ classrooms while waiting to pick up.

 

Right now, I’ve got the Ikea loveseat for a home office, with a primo view of the Christmas tree and the unraked backyard (but the daylilies are about to rebloom, so it’s fabulous). I do eat at the computer, but blame the fingerprints on the kids. Spills… don’t jinx me. Not yet. But I haven’t backed up yet today, so there’s still plenty of time.

 

What are some of your future goals?

 

I’d like to have two series, with 3-4 books out a year. Honestly, though, I’m just enjoying the ride. And I get fan emails now! It’s so weird… people who aren’t related to me have forked over money to read my stories, so I really, really appreciate them and their enjoyment of Jafar and his fellow Guardians. Ideally, I’d like to have another HUNT book out at the end of 2010 or the very beginning of 2011 (here I send highly effective subliminal messages to you: go tell Dorchester that you MUST have another HUNT book because Jafar just wasn’t enough).

 

For you, what three attributes make up the “perfect real-life-guy hero”?

 

He’s a family guy who knows who he is, but who isn’t afraid to dream a little—and who has the mental discipline and energy to pursue those dreams. A sense of humor is a must. Strong enough to be there for me, but also to let me be there for him. Of course, I’m also not saying no to a Guardian or a Carpathian lifemate, should either care to materialize on my back lawn.

 

What is the best way to spend a quiet evening at home?

 

Bubble bath, a new (good) book, and something snack-y. Bonus points if there is a Captain Jack marathon on TV. Thank God you didn’t ask what I like to do when I go out. BOND WITH ME opens in a club and, as I was writing, I suddenly realized that I wasn’t sure I’d ever BEEN in a club. I walked past one once in Vegas… but I’m not a going out kind of a person. I was horrified to learn that RWA’s annual conference involves parties. At night. With costumes. Someone’s going to have to help me there… in exchange, I can hook them up with some awesome bubble bath (Tahitian vanilla and monoi—straight from the island of Tahiti herself!)

 

MORE FUN…

 

Who is the person who has had the biggest influence on your life? Whom will you pass this “influence” on to?

 

Dr. Seuss. I didn’t discover “Oh, The Places You’ll Go” until I had kids and was desperately seeking something else to read them at bedtime, but it’s a fabulous mantra for life. He hits the ups. The downs. The in-betweens. I’ve inflicted that book on both my nieces and my sister is about to present me with a third niece… so it must be time to order another copy!

 

What is the one food as a child you abhorred and refused to eat no matter what, but now as an adult, you love it and can't get enough of it?

 

I was a pretty picky eater as a child (although I learned quickly that if you cover your food in ketchup, your English father will be SO revolted that he’ll give you a pass on that particular item in the future—worked like a charm on both lamp chops and liver). I have learned to eat vegetables, although I would not go so far as to say “Can’t get enough of it.” And I do buy brown bread rather than Wonder Bread. Do I qualify as a grown-up?

 

Name the one modern convenience that you cannot do without.

 

Microsoft Word. I will never, ever be a longhand writer. Ever. Plus, no one (myself included) can read a word I write. I had to explain that to my son’s kindergarten teacher when she wanted me to help my son with his penmanship. Unfortunately, she didn’t feel he was ready to learn how to type.

 

What is your most prized possession?

 

My Christmas tree ornaments. Each one has a story (OK—most have a story… I may have bought a few too many to recall EVERY story, but we don’t have to tell my husband that, do we?).  I suddenly realized last week that it was going to be rather difficult to ever manage a Christmas-themed HUNT story—major oversight on my part!

 

And lastly, no interview of a writer would be complete without this question:  what is your favorite comfort food?

 

Cheddar jalapeno Cheetos! With Diet Pepsi Max (calorie-free soda and upteen bazillion calories in a bag… perfect combo!)

 

LOL… I am under the impression that Cheetos is one the best snack foods ever invented!  Thank you, Anne, for spending time with us.  Best of luck with your writing career.

By Brooke Wills

Romance Junkies Publishing Editor

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