Spotlight Author with Diana Cosby

I have Diana Cosby here with me today. She has a lot to tell us about her books, her writing, and herself, so sit back and enjoy.

Q: Tell us a little bit about your latest release HIS CONQUEST.

A: His Conquest is a story of risk, trust, and learning to love.
When the eldest MacGruder brother, Seathan MacGruder , Earl of Grey, is captured and sentenced to hang in the morning, unknown to him, the mysterious woman who offers him freedom, is his enemy's sister.

Lady Linet Dancort is determined to escape and repay her brother's cruelty by freeing his prize captive, except she doesn't anticipate falling in love with the Scottish rebel or of him ever leaning who she truly is.

Q: If you had to pick one character in your books, who would be your favorite? And why. Or if you don’t want to pick a favorite… which one do you connect with the most? And why?

A: Each of the brothers has a special place in my heart, Seathan for his no nonsense manner, Alexander, an intense man too often guided by his emotions, Patrik who is haunted by his past, Duncan the charmer, and Griffin, who is the brother to the heroine of His Captive. Another major character is the grandmother, who makes subtle but powerful appearances throughout the series, her lessons those that teach the brothers the most important passions are those from the heart.

Q: Where does your inspiration come from?

A: Most often while I'm researching, I find a historical fact about a place or people that is so amazing, I know I have to use it in a story.

Q: How many books do you have under your writing belt?

A: I'm working on my 14th single title novel, and to date have sold four.

Q: Do you have any advice or writing secrets for aspiring authors?

A: Follow your heart, write what you love, and define your goals. It's your responsibility as a writer to take charge of your career, to learn the industry and make the decisions that allow you to achieve your dreams. Everything you need is out there, you only need to look.

Q: What is your favorite thing about writing romance?

A: It's an amazing inspiration to readers that we can persevere, that even against life's challenges we can achieve our hopes, dreams and find love.

Q: Can you give us an idea of how long a completed manuscript takes you from start to finish?

A: It takes me approximately 9-11 months per manuscript, which normally includes seven passes until it's finished.

Q: What do you do when you get stuck?

A: When I get stuck this means that I did something out of character, so I go back to where the story is flowing and read up. If I still can't figure out the issue, I call one of my writer friends or critique partners and brainstorm :)

Q: Now tell us a little bit about Diana. Who are you? What do you do when you’re not writing hunky heroes and romantic love stories?

A: I'm a military brat (daughter of a military member), and once I turned 17, I joined the Navy. I retired as a chief, AGC(AW), my job a meteorologist/oceanographer. I'm on my 32nd move, have had the pleasure of living and traveling to many countries, experiences which often transcend into my stories.

Also, I'm a firm believer of giving of self and making a positive difference in others lives, which is why I volunteer for Habitat For Humanity, Ducks Unlimited and started a local high school scholarship. In addition, I donate 10% of my royalties to a charity of my choice.

My biography: http://www.dianacosby.com/biography.html

Diana, thank you for being a guest on Micole Writes Romance. It has been a pleasure. Where can we find out more about you and your books?

My sincere thanks for having me on your blog. His Conquest, the third book in the MacGruder brothers series is released on 1 November, but is available for pre-order in stores or on-line. All of the MacGruder books are available for Kindle!

For more information on each book and to read excerpts or links to order, please go to my website:
http://www.dianacosby.com/books.html

Thank you for your time!

Diana Cosby, AGC(AW), USN Ret.
www.dianacosby.com
His Captive/Alexander MacGruder
His Woman/Duncan MacGruder - 4 star Romantic Times review - 2009 Booksellers Best Finalist
His Conquest - Pre-Order now! / His Destiny - Nov 2011

Thanks for stopping in friends.

Hugs

Micole

GEMINI NIGHT

Halloween is quickly approaching. What better way to celebrate than by running out and picking up, Bonnie Hearn Hills latest YA novel, GEMINI NIGHT Follow the Stars. Here's a little sneak peak, to tease you! Enjoy!

GEMINI NIGHT

Follow the Stars.

Logan McRae’s guy is far away and out of touch, and she is heartbroken. She turns to her mentor, renowned journalist Henry Jaffa, who helps her land a job as the Friday intern for CRUSH magazine in San Francisco. With a little luck, she could also be the mag’s teen astrology columnist. All she has to do in order to prove herself to Stacy, her editor, is figure out the astrology chart for one of the celebs who will be attending the CRUSH launch party Halloween night. But when she studies the mystery person’s chart, she sees disaster predicted for the weekend of the costume party. Who is the in-danger Gemini? Is it fashion designer Graciela Perez, the “Silver Dragon”? Is it her friend Chili’s new guy, teen celebrity chef Alex Keen? Or is it, as Logan suspects, out-of-control singing star Arianna Woods? As Logan turns to her book, Fearless Astrology for guidance, she sees something she’s missed before. Big trouble is predicted that night for her sign as well.

I can't wait to get my hands on this one! Make sure to get your copy. Bonnie will be doing a book signing Saturday, October 23, 2010 at the Barnes & Noble in Fresno, California, from 2-4 pm. There will be a reception following the signing at Scene Gallery starting at 4:00. (Southwest corner of Palm and Nees Ave.)


Make sure to pick up the first two books in this series (if you haven't already). ARIES RISING AND TAURUS EYES. You won't be sorry!

Once again, thank you for stopping by.

Hugs

Micole

Spotlight Author with Vanessa Kelly

I know I have said this already, but I LOVE the fall. October is especially one of my favorite months. And so far October has turned out exactly the way I have hoped. Now that we are no longer country folk, we are closer to everything in town. And though I greatly miss the country, I am also happy that our new closeness to everything has given us the extra time to do the things we have missed out on the last few years. So far I have decorated the house, taken the kids to the Corn Maze, hand picked our pumpkins and just last night had a great pumpkin caving party! Everyone’s pumpkins turned out amazing!!!

Speaking of amazing, I don’t think I’ve had the chance to introduce this weeks Spotlight Author, Vanessa Kelly. So enough about me, let’s see what Vanessa has to share with us.

What is it about the Regency era that made you decide you wanted to create your stories and characters there?

What I love most about the period is that fascinating combination of glamour, glitter, and wit exemplified by London’s elite society, co-existing alongside a truly gritty and flourishing underworld. The beauty and culture of the Mayfair mansions was only a few blocks away from the worst stews of London. But those worlds often intersected in a strangely democratic way in places like Covent Garden and Vauxhall. Throw in the danger and intrigue of the Napoleonic Wars and you have a killer combination. I also studied the writers of the Georgian and Regency era in grad school, so it was natural that I would be drawn to writing about that particular and very vibrant period in history.
What makes your voice different from others?

That’s a tough one, because what we think of as voice can be so ephemeral. Several readers and reviewers have told me that my voice combines elements of the traditional Regency with the “steamy passion” of today’s Regency-set historical romances. That’s certainly the effect I want to achieve. I love the wit and storylines of the trads, but I also like the more sensual stories of today’s historical romances. I try to bring the best of both those worlds into my stories.

Tell us about your latest release.

My latest release is called Sex And The Single Earl, which is the second book in the series that I started with Mastering The Marquess. It’s a classic friends-to-lovers story with a dash of suspense thrown in. Book three in the series is due out in May, and it’s called My Favorite Countess. It’s got a bit of a twist – the villainess of Sex And The Single Earl is the heroine of this book. It was a challenge to reform her, but I really enjoyed it.




What are you working on now?

I’m starting work on the fourth book in my series, which is a Christmas story, and I just finished wrapping up copy edits on My Favorite Countess. My other project is something completely different. I write contemporary romance with my husband under the pen name of V.K. Sykes. We published our first book together this past July with Carina Press. It’s called CaddyGirls, and it’s a very fun and sexy read. Right now we’re working on another book.

When you are not writing, what do you like to read?

Naturally, I read a lot of historical romance, especially Regencies. I love Loretta Chase, Teresa Medeiros, Anna Campbell, and Eloisa James. I’m also a huge fan of Kris Kennedy, who writes fantastic medieval romance. And I’m a big fan of romantic suspense and contemporary romance. One of my favorite writers these days is Toni Blake, who writes wonderful contemporary and erotic romance, and I also love Karen Rose and Cynthia Eden, who both write spine-tingling romantic suspense. As you can imagine, I read a lot of history and biography, which is a necessary but very enjoyable element of my research. It never feels like work!
You have an anthology coming out in February 2011. How do you get chosen to be part of an anthology?

My editor asked me. Since I’ll be featured in that anthology with Jo Beverley, Sally MacKenzie, and Kaitlin O’Riley, it was no hardship to say yes! The anthology is called An Invitation To Sin, and the stories are just great.
What steps did you take to make your dreams come true?

The first thing I did was to join my local Romance Writers of America chapter. RWA is an invaluable resource to writers just getting started. I also took my time writing the best book that I could, and then I set the goal of acquiring an agent. Getting published can be a frustrating experience, but I did my best to be patient. We still have to live our lives and take care of ourselves and our families while we’re waiting to get the call, so it’s important to keep a balance and not get overwhelmed by the process.
Do you have any advice about finding an agent or getting published?

Join RWA, get a good critique partner, work on your craft, and be patient. Writers feel so much pressure today to get published and stay published, that I think they sometimes forget why they do it in the first place – to write and to share stories.
Vanessa, thank you so much for being a guest on my blog. Where can we find out more about you and your books?

You can visit me on the web at http://www.vanessakellyauthor.com/ and http://www.vksykes.com/. Thanks for having me on!

It has been a pleasure, Vanessa. I wish you many sales on all your tittles. Readers as a special treat, Vanessa has offered one lucky commenter a copy of her book MASTERING THE MARQUESS. So friends, make sure to leave her a comment.

Thanks for stopping by. See you next time!

Hugs

Micole

What Makes a Hero Hunky?

Hero’s come in all shapes and sizes. Thanks be to God for that! The best thing about being a writer is that I can shape and form my characters into what I want out of them. For example… I love a tall (6’5”), rough and rugged, hard-working, hard-to-tame, cowboy. The more stubborn the man the better I like him. I want a man who thinks he knows what he wants until he meets his heroine and then he falls to his knee’s in love with her. He fight’s his feelings but in the end he is tamed by his lady.

Call me primitive. Hey, maybe I am. That’s what I like. I am all about that Alpha male. You know… the one beating his chest. Ha ha. Maybe that’s going a little too far. But I still want the man to be the one in charge (or at least think he is)(wink). Today when writing a book, we are told that our heroine has to be strong, able to take care of herself. And yes I do agree with that to a certain extent. Nobody wants to read about a whiny helpless woman. That can be totally annoying. But let’s be honest. How many of you ladies still want a car door opened for you or the door of a building? Groceries carried in? Flowers every now and again? How about a man actually asking you to go have dinner with him, instead of texting, "wanna go out?" Let's face it the future is here, and our electronics are showing it. They have taken over every old fashioned ritual, put them into extinction and taken the charm out of courting. A man still needs to take a woman's hand in the crook of his arm. He needs to pull out a chair for his woman and by golly, I want my man to pay for my dinner! :-)

Hero’s are usually defined as someone who serves and protects us everyday, someone who rescues kittens from a tree, people from a burning building, or fights for his life and our freedom in a war. Hero’s are roll models to all of us. They are who we hope our children will take lessons from. They are such amazing people. But not everyone can be pulling someone from a burning building or fighting for our country.

There are also the hero’s that teach us things about ourselves. The one’s that take care of us and show us how to love ourselves and that we deserve to be and can be loved—the prince that rides in on his white horse to save the day. A hero can be so many things. He is something and someone different to each individual.

And what makes a hero attractive can be so much more than just their hunkiness, ie. tall, dark, handsome, Mr. Muscles, dark hair, blond hair, wavy or straight hair, blue eyes, brown eyes, eyes dark as coal, dimples, bronzed skin and well even that all famous cowboy hat. All of those things are just icing on the cake. (wink)

So this is what I want to know. What makes your hero hunky? Think about this and leave me a comment. One lucky commenter will win a surprise from my goodie bag.

I am looking forward to hearing from all of you. I will leave the comments open for a couple of days in order to give you some time to think about your hunky hero’s! Thanks for stopping by Micole Writes Romance.

God Bless all of our hero’s.

Hugs

Micole

Spotlight Author with Trish Milburn

Last week we had two great authors here on my blog, Anna Campbell on Monday and Sharon Lathan on Thursday. Sending out big thank you’s to both of you!. ;-) If you missed the interviews scroll back and take a peek, but not before you spend a few minutes with my newest guest, Trish Milburn.


Tell us a little bit about your latest release…

Elly: Cowgirl Bride is the fifth book in a six-book, multi-author continuity series from Harlequin American called The Codys: First Family of Rodeo. Ellen “Elly” Cody has had the goal of making and winning the National Finals Rodeo in barrel racing for as long as she can remember. And this year, it’s finally within her grasp. All she has to do is stay focused and practice, practice, practice. But in the weeks leading up to the final competition that will determine if she makes the NFR, she didn’t expect to be dealing with the revelation of secrets that could tear her close-knit family apart. Or the return of Will Jackson to Markton, Wyoming — a Will Jackson who is no longer the geeky, allergy-ridden kid she remembers. Far from it.

You write for two very different genres… how do you divide your time between the two? And how do you keep everything straight? (Like agents, editors, publishing houses, stories?) 

Based on when the deadlines are.  Seriously, I typically just go back and forth. Work on a Harlequin to completion, then switch to a YA. But it really does just depend on when the deadlines fall. Whatever is due first, that’s what I work on. I have one, wonderful agent who handles all my work. I’ve worked with three different editors, but it hasn’t been difficult keeping everything straight.

How long does it take you to write a manuscript?

I’m a fast writer, so it’s possible for me to crank out a first, rough draft in a month, though because of other responsibilities it ends up being more like two. Of course, then I have to go back and do a good amount of revising and polishing before I submit the book.

Does writing ever get any easier?

There are days when it flows easily and days when it’s like pulling teeth. Depending on the part of the book I’m writing, I can get 10 pages written in a morning or it can take me from the time I get up until I go to bed.

If you had to choose one of your books which one would be your favorite? Why?

Oh, that’s a hard question. I like them all for different reasons. I love Heartbreak River, my first young adult novel (written as Tricia Mills), because it was the first book I sold after 11 years of trying. I love A Firefighter in the Family, my debut release from Harlequin American, because it was the first book that actually came out. There’s nothing like seeing your book on a store shelf for the first time.

Where do you see yourself in five years?

I hope to still be writing and publishing books and have achieved a level of success that allows me to replace the income I gave up when I left my full-time job as a magazine journalist. I’d really love to have established a popular book series by then.

Give us a glimpse into your writer’s life.

Well, I’m not an early riser, so I crawl out of bed around 8 a.m. when my husband goes to work. My days differ depending on approaching deadlines, travel, and any freelance jobs I might have to do. I craft my day around writing/editing, getting some exercise, online time, house or yard work, errands and whatever else ends up on that day’s to-do list. I don’t write on my desktop computer. I use a laptop, and I end up writing in different places – sitting in a comfy chair in my office, alternating writing pages with watching programs on the TiVo; at my dining room table; sitting at a picnic table at a nearby park that overlooks a lake; Panera Bread – wherever sounds good for that day. I like to mix it up so I don’t get bored.

Do you have any advice on writing, getting published, or finding an agent?

Perseverance. After you’ve spent years improving your craft and studying the market, there comes a time when it comes down to just sticking it out, waiting for one of your projects to hit the right editor at the right time. And even after you get published, I think it’s important to continually be looking for ways to improve our writing and to keep abreast of what is happening in the industry without making ourselves crazy about not being able to control it. As for finding an agent, start at the top. Do a lot of research into which agents represent the types of books and authors you feel fit well with you and your work. Create your list of top agents with whom you’d love to work and query them. Each time a rejection comes in, get another query out there to the next person on your list. And when you have the chance to go to agent panels and meet agents in person, take those opportunities. You might not only find agents with whom you’d like to work but also gain valuable information about the market and even strike agents off your list.

Where can we find out more about you and your books?

I have a Books page on my site at www.trishmilburn.com.

Trish, thank you very much for taking time out of your busy schedule to be with us here at Micole Writes Romance.

Thank you for having me. I really appreciate the opportunity.

Thanks for stopping by friends. See you next time.

Hugs

Micole

Breaking Up Is Fun To Do

Here we are again, just a few days later. I had such an amazing interview on Monday with, Anna Campbell I thought I would do it again. It’s always a delight to have a fellow writing friend stop by my blog and hang out. This will be Sharon Lathan's second visit here. Welcome back Sharon. Let’s show her the same love thaat we gave Anna!

Sharon stopped by today to share her story with us. I found it very interesting. I think you will find the same. So sit a spell and take advantage of the writer’s process. Make sure to leave her a comment, she’ll be checking in on the blog all day. Here you go Sharon, I am handing the reigns over to you.


Breaking Up is Fun to Do
By Sharon Lathan

When I decided to take the fifty plus chapters I originally posted online under the title Two Shall Become One and attempt to entice a publisher, my first chore was to split the massive tome into separate novels. I was incredibly naïve when it came to word count and page numbers, basing my division on a logical “feeling” of what was best.

Fortunately I was successful in obtaining an editor who loved my story and I am thrilled to say she still does. She had no problem with volume one, Mr. and Mrs. Fitzwilliam Darcy: Two Shall Become One and its word count of slightly under 120,000. The second installment, Loving Mr. Darcy, was considerably larger at something like 150,000 words! I know!! Crazy. We trimmed here and there, but she did not comment too much on the size.

Then we turned to the third novel.

At that time it was titled The Darcys at Year’s End and like the other two had been previously self-published and sold very well. During the publishing process for the first novels I had continued to write and by the time we got around to initial edits for The Darcys at Year’s End I already had another novel completed and was starting on a companion novel for Georgiana.

Deb, my editor, was thrilled about the new material but a bit concerned about my third since this one was – Are you ready for this? – slightly over 200,000 words!

Yikes! Yes, you can say it! By now I was no longer naïve and therefore I wasn’t a tiny bit surprised when she encouraged me to consider cutting in down. I’m not Tolstoy or Steven King! It was sensible to avoid epic proportions, but naturally my panic was the fear of deleting and destroying massive portions of my story.

To my joy Deb had a better solution and that was to trim off the latter chapters and defer them into the fourth novel. Brilliant!

I can’t tell you how happy I was about this. Instinctively I knew that stopping My Dearest Mr. Darcy (as it was re-titled) right after the birth of Darcy and Lizzy’s first child was the perfect place.

Three wonderful results came from this.

One, I now had the freedom to completely rearrange large portions of My Dearest Mr. Darcy, editing and rewriting liberally. For instance, the gradual revelation of Dr. George Darcy’s life, romance, and decision to stay at Pemberley was emphasized before he delivered the Darcy firstborn, creating a more poignant relationship and connection.

Second, the total word count was significantly decreased giving me the opportunity to add new sections! Darcy dealt with a band of poachers, the gamekeeper compound of Pemberley was explored, and Georgiana’s character arc was enhanced.

The best part, however, was that I now had a wealth of material so instead of only one book to follow the third I now had two! Georgiana’s love story therefore became my sixth. How awesome is that? I was rejuvenated! I looked at the chapters surrounding Christmas, Alexander’s christening, the Twelfth Night Masque, and Darcy’s murderous adventure in Derby with new eyes. These portions once the latter third of My Dearest Mr. Darcy were given a facelift so that those familiar with them from the self-published version will be pleasantly surprised. Additions and rewrites galore!

Next I turned to the completely unique material never seen by anyone. Even here I had the joy of being able to rearrange to my heart’s content and add more to the story than originally written. Now I could accurately present a Regency Era presentation to the Court of St. James. Lizzy and Darcy were finally able to take the trip to the Peak District denied them. They also enjoyed the healing springs of Matlock Bath. Colonel Fitzwilliam’s romantic entanglements became much more exciting. Every chapter was tweaked to some degree and it was glorious!

And now here it is! My new and vastly improved fourth novel after numerous transitions and title changes is one store shelves. Yes, the bits and pieces have altered to varying degrees but one aspect has remained: The Darcys live happily ever after!

Thank you, Micole, for allowing me to share my story with your readers. I’ll be checking back throughout the day so if anyone has any questions or comments, feel free to add them on! For more information about my series, come to my website: www.sharonlathan.net. I also invite everyone to join me at the group blogs I participate in: Austen Authors (www.austenauthors.com) and Casablanca Authors (www.casablancaauthors.blogspot.com)



IN THE ARMS OF MR. DARCY BY SHARON LATHAN—IN STORES OCTOBER 2010
If only everyone could be as happy as they are…

Darcy and Elizabeth are as much in love as ever—even more so as their relationship matures. Their passion inspires everyone around them, and as winter turns to spring, romance blossoms around them.

Confirmed bachelor Richard Fitzwilliam sets his sights on a seemingly unattainable, beautiful widow; Georgiana Darcy learns to flirt outrageously; the very flighty Kitty Bennet develops her first crush, and Caroline Bingley meets her match.

But the path of true love never does run smooth, and Elizabeth and Darcy are kept busy navigating their friends and loved ones through the inevitable separations, misunderstandings, misgivings, and lovers’ quarrels to reach their own happily ever afters…

About the Author--
Sharon Lathan is the bestselling author of Mr. and Mrs. Fitzwilliam Darcy: Two Shall Become One, Loving Mr. Darcy: Journeys Beyond Pemberley, and My Dearest Mr. Darcy published by Sourcebooks Landmark. Her newest release is In The Arms of Mr. Darcy, available now, and the soon to be released anthology A Darcy Christmas. Along with her duties as a writer she works in a Neonatal ICU, is a wife and mother, and is active in her local chapters of the Romance Writers of America and the Jane Austen Society.

Sourcebooks eBook Promotion: Sharon Lathan’s bestselling book, Mr. and Mrs. Fitzwilliam Darcy: Two Shall Become One, (epub: 9781402235184, pdf: 9781402228865) will be available for free download from 10/5 – 10/11. Please visit http://www.sourcebooks.com/special-offers/ebook-deals.html for more information!

Thank you Sharon for spending your day here on Micole Writes Romance. Wishing you all the best with the sales of your new title’s IN THE ARMS OF MR. DARCY & A DARCY CHRISTMAS. Maybe soon we will be able to plan that lunch we have been talking about! ;-)

And readers…. A big THANK YOU goes out to all of you.

Hugs

Micole

Spotlight Author with Anna Campbell

October happens to be one of my favorite months of the year. I love Fall. The color’s of the fallen leaves, the cooler weather, all of the yummy food, and the awesome holidays. I spent all of last week trying to gather everything for my Halloween dinner table decorations. Maybe I will include a picture on my next blog. It is done after having disassembling it a couple of times. I have finally come up with something I am able to live with looking at for the next month! ;-) Enough about me… I have an awesome guest here with me today, Anna Campbell. You won’t want to miss this one. Anna has great advice and all of the info you will need to know about her latest and upcoming releases. Let’s not waste any more time. Here’s Anna…

Hi Micole! Thanks so much for asking me to be your guest today.

It is my pleasure Anna. So what’s the 411 on your latest release?

Right now, I’m in between releases so if it’s OK, I’ll talk about two books. Last June, MY RECKLESS SURRENDER, my fifth historical romance from Avon hit the stands. It’s the story of a dangerous seduction in Regency London and you can read an excerpt on my website: http://www.annacampbell.info/recklesssurrender.html Romantic Times Book Reviews chose MRS as a Top Pick and called it “quite a book!” In May 2011, MIDNIGHT’S WILD PASSION comes out. How’s that for a luscious title? It’s the closest I’ve ever come to writing a classic Regency romance. Sparks fly when rakish Nicholas Challoner, Marquess of Ranelaw, intent on revenge, meets opposition from spirited and mysterious chaperone Antonia Smith. It’s an immovable object and irresistible force romance – I always love them! It’s still too early to share the cover, the blurb or an excerpt, but all of those will appear on the website in the coming months.

What drew you to writing Regency Historicals?

I love the elegance and the wit of the period – and they have to be some of the nicest fashions. Yeah, I know, call me shallow! LOL. But there’s something to be said for men in boots!

What are you working on now?

Right now, I’m writing a short story for a forthcoming Mammoth anthology. In August, my extended short story ‘Upon a Midnight Clear’ appeared in the MAMMOTH BOOK OF REGENCY ROMANCE so I jumped at the chance to write another story for them. This one’s a bit off the beaten track for me. After that, I’m starting a new book which features a wonderfully tortured knight-in-shining armor hero and my first Scottish setting since CLAIMING THE COURTESAN.

What is your writing process? Plotter or Panster?

Definitely a pantser! I like to describe my process as ‘organic’. I start with two characters (and sometimes a villain), an opening scene and a problem and see where the story takes me. It’s messy and longwinded and I’m positive plotting would be more efficient but it seems to be the way I put a book together so I’m stuck with this process.

How long does it take you to write a manuscript?

I basically do a book a year.

What is your favorite thing about being an author?

Going to work in my pajamas? Oh, you want a serious answer! There’s a stack of wonderful things I love about being an author. I love being able to share my stories with people all around the world, I adore hearing from readers saying they’ve enjoyed the books, I love that I write full-time and I can set my own timetable.

Often times writers describe writing a love scene like being an intruder in something so very personal. Do you feel this way and how do you get through the dreaded love scene?

Actually, I’m not sure what this says about me but I really enjoy writing love scenes. I adore the way a really good love scenes strips the characters naked, not just physically but emotionally as well.

Pick one of your characters that is your favorite, which one will it be and why?

Oh, no, that’s like asking someone to pick their favorite child! Right now, and only because he’s my most recent hero, I think my heart belongs to Nicholas Challoner, Marquess of Ranelaw, the hero from my next release MIDNIGHT’S WILD PASSION. He’s such a delicious rake and he falls like a ton of bricks for the heroine Antonia. Gotta love a bad boy brought to his knees by love!

Do you have any advice on writing, getting published, or finding an agent?

Ha ha! How long have you got? People write books about this stuff. Here’s a couple of bits of advice I think are invaluable. One is sit down and write the book right to the end. You’ll hit a point where you think you’ve got a better idea and the temptation will be to abandon what you’re working on and pick up the new story. DON’T! It’s your mind playing horrible weasel tricks on you because it doesn’t want to face the hard work of finishing the current project. You’ll notice if you do listen to the voices of doubt and start the new book that about the same stage in the new project, that voice will start whispering with yet another new project. Repeat ad nauseam. I know how dangerous this is because it’s something I used to do and I have the numerous stumps of books under the bed to prove it. Another piece of great advice is once you finish a story, put it away for as long as you can (six months is good if you can manage it). When you come back to edit that manuscript, you’ll have some distance and you’ll be amazed at what you pick up in the way of mistakes and ways you can improve the story.

Give us a glimpse into your writer’s life.


When I’m home and writing, I get up really early, I check emails and do a bit of promotion. Then I have breakfast and settle down to writing or whatever else is urgent. I stop for an early lunch around 11:30, have a bit of a break, then I usually go back for a couple of hours in the afternoon. That’s usually when I do my serious writing. I spend a lot of time with my computer so I love stuff like Facebook and email that remind me there’s a real world out there!

I am so happy that you were able to join us Anna. I know you have been a very busy woman. Here’s to great success on your latest release MY RECKLESS SURRENDER . You can find out more about Anna and her books at…

My website: www.annacampbell.info

My Facebook Fan Page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Anna-Campbell-Fan-Page/464724380503?ref=ts#!/pages/Anna-Campbell-Fan-Page/464724380503?ref=ts

My HarperCollins Author Page: http://www.harpercollins.com/authors/31961/Anna_Campbell/index.aspx

The Romance Bandits blog http://romancebandits.blogspot.com




Thanks for having me as your guest, Micole. I’d love to offer one commenter to your blog a signed copy of MY RECKLESS SURRENDER, my most recent release. Good luck!


You heard her friends. She’s offering up the goodies, so make sure you are the lucky commenter. Thank you for stopping by, Micole Writes Romance. Appreciate any and all views that I get. Make sure to tell your friends.

Hugs

Micole