Hi Rosemarie 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?
My most current project is that I’m on a man hunt. No, just kidding. Thank you so much for having me on RJ, Brooke. Currently, I am just having so much fun promoting my first romance novel FALLING ROSES. Its sequel, FALLING ROSES: THE YEARS BETWEEN, will be out this summer and I can’t wait to have two books in print. My website at www.falling-roses.com keeps me extremely busy. Also, I’m assisting Denise Fleischer with the Gottawrite Network’s 3rd Authorfest which will be held in June.
What is the best thing about being a writer?
The best thing about being a writer for me is to get out there and meet people. I have made so many new friends and have been contacted by old ones. Someone who I haven’t seen in 20 years contacted me last month. A fourteen year old girl came up to me and asked me for my autograph and then purchased FALLING ROSES----that really was a day to remember.
What is the least best thing?
Well, I guess it would be that I’m not in touch with realty as much as I should be. I don’t watch TV. I never know what the weather is going to be. I don’t spend a lot of time outside in the summer because I need to be where my computer is. I never get a tan.
Is there any one thing about the writing profession you wish you could change?
The rules of a how a story line is supposed to be. We should be able to write for us and for the people. We shouldn’t have to write with rules.
Do you edit as you write, or write and then edit? What about researching? Do it all first, or as you go along?
I write scenes first and then I piece it all together. After it’s together I edit it 20 times and then I give it to my editor. I research as I go along. For instance, when I wrote the Christmas scene with Bobbie and Johnny, I knew what I was looking for, but I needed more information so I went to Tiffany’s and did some research. I found the earrings that Johnny gave to Bobbie and found out what the price was. After I write certain things I have to do research to make sure that it’s believable and then I tweak it. I do a lot of analyzing. Is this believable? Although I’ve seen it in a daydream, will it work on paper?
How do you overcome writer’s block when it hits?
With FALLING ROSES: THE YEARS BETWEEN, toward the last few chapters I had major writer’s block. I didn’t want the story to end, but it was----ending. I just stopped writing for a couple of weeks and then finally the ending hit me. Then, my editor pulled me together even more.
What is the best way an author can promote herself?
Well, I’ve done TV shows, radio shows, and sent out press releases. I’ve looked for every free place that I can promote myself on the internet. Get a myspace. But, the best way is to get yourself into festivals and meet people. Word of mouth. Another good way is to do those book signings. Contact your local libraries, local bookstores. Start close to home and work your way outward. And after you think you’ve hit big, never forget your roots.
Hear you have quite a few pets, including a rat! Who are these guys? Which one is your particularly favorite?
Well, they are all guys. I’m the only female in the house. I have two sons, three cats, and now a mouse. The rat died a few months back, due to old age. He was a fancy rat. His name was Splinter. Due to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Splinter did tricks and was the cutest little rat. He’d jump from one couch to the other. Follow my son around. Sit on your shoulder. We miss him. Surprisingly, the cats didn’t bother him. Actually one of my cats was afraid of the rat. The other two would just sit next to him and pretend he wasn’t even there. We got a fancy mouse a few weeks ago. The first day that mouse jumped two feet into the air. We named the mouse Boomer. The cats like to watch over him, if you know what I mean. Who’s my favorite? The cats like to stick their butts in my face so I’d have to go with the mouse right now.
Let’s pretend! You’ve been given an unlimited budget to redecorate any room of your choosing in your house. Which room will you pick, and what will you do with it?
My living room. I need a new couch. I want the walls a different color than white. Perhaps a wine color. I want more paintings and pictures up and I want the room to be strictly black and wine. I want a coffee table that’s a fish tank. But, I can’t do anything nice with my living room right now because I have two crazies running around. Maybe when they get older I’ll be able to get my dream couch. Now, I could only imagine what would happen to a coffee table aquarium in the middle of my living room. Those poor fish.
Humans tend to be creatures of habit. Which habits do you have that you like, and which ones would you like to change or get rid of?
A habit that I like about myself is that I’m able to pick things up easily. Give me a software program that I haven’t heard of and I’ll be able to figure it out within the hour. A habit that I would like to get rid of (I have so many.) I pull my hair out, grind my teeth, bite my nails, crack my knuckles, fart in public, I can go on and on. I’m just kidding about farting in public. I don’t do that. I’m very discreet. Seriously, I can’t even blow my nose at my desk. I have to go to the bathroom.
How old were you when you had your first “romantic” kiss? Was it with your little kindergarten classmate, or the first major crush of your young life?
I remember my very first kiss. I was nine and it was very slobbery. Please don’t make me remember the drool.
How do you describe Rosemarie Piemonte?
I’m reliable, responsible, dependable, efficient, truthful and a workaholic.
How do Rosemarie Piemonte’s family and friends describe her?
Hold on, I’ll have to make a phone call. Okay, my brother says that I’m annoying, a pest, bothersome, troublesome, irritating . . . all those words in a nutshell because he’s trying to eat. My father describes me as mental and he can’t think of all the words. Demanding, dominating, high maintenance, extravagant. However, deep down I’m supposed to know how he feels about me. I think that’s his way of trying to tell me that he’s proud of me. My mother says I’m a workaholic and that I spoil my kids. My kids say that I’m the best Mommy in the world when I give them what they want or take them places. Otherwise, they don’t like me very much because I’m always on the dumb computer.
MORE FUN…
Gotta ask: did you make any New Year’s Resolutions? Have you broken any yet?
The only one was to get my second book published this summer. I will definitely be getting by book published this summer, so I’m not planning on breaking it. Ever keep any that you made in previous years? I usually keep them. Except for the weight loss thing. I’ve given up on making that a New Year’s resolution.
What is the best appliance ever invented; the one that you will defend its worth to one and all?
The electric can opener. I never had one and my mother bought me one for Christmas. I don’t know how I ever did without one. This thing is so cool. All you have to do is attach the can to a magnet, touch the lever slightly, and in a few seconds the can is opened. No more trying to adjust the manual can opener and twisting and twisting the wrist and then readjusting the can opener. I could be there for 10 minutes trying to open a can of cat food while my poor little cat is crying and telling me to hurry up.
And lastly, no interview of a writer would be complete without this question: what is your favorite comfort food?
Pizza. I can eat pizza all the time. Even when sitting on the toilet. You don’t need a utensil to eat pizza, you don’t need a plate, and you can always use your clothes for a napkin.
LOL! Thank you Rosemarie for spending time with us at RJ! And good luck with your writing in Year 2007!
