Spotlight Author with Cherry Adaire

Welcome Cherry to Micole Writes Romance. I’m so excited that you are here with us to announce and celebrate the release of your latest book RIPTIDE. Can you share a little bit about this book with us?

Hi Micole, and thanks for inviting me.

RIPTIDE is the second in my Cutter Cay series. Middle brother Nick is working a salvage off the coast of the Canary Islands, but he makes a detour to Morocco to do a favor for a friend. While he’s in disguise, a woman approaches the group of men he’s with, and asks to be taken to the his ship the Scorpion. Thinking he’ll easily give her the slip, Nick is not a happy camper when pain in his ass Princess Gabriella Visconti show’s up unannounced the next day.

Nick was a lot of fun to write. He’s not called Spock by his family and friends for nothing! Uncommunicative, he keeps his thoughts and feelings close to his chest. Even more so on this salvage because he’s playing a dangerous cat and mouse game by smuggling uncut diamonds onboard.

Gabriella Visconti is the perfect foil for him. She’s determined to get a refund on the money her brother foolishly invested in the Cutter’s salvage business. She’s fun, opinionated and volatile, and refuses to take no for an answer. Uh-oh!

Of course sparks fly. 

One of the things I really loved while writing RIPTIDE was that I got to revisit a place near and dear to my heart; the island of Marrezo.
I invented Marrezo on a long (and smoky!) flight home from Italy many years ago. I fell in love with the country, and wrote (my first published book) The Mercenary – LONG HAND- on the plane.

When I wanted a spicy heroine with a temperament opposite Nick’s I gave him a long lost Italian princess, with very American sensibilities. Put together a hot-blooded woman, and an uncommunicative man well versed in masking his emotions and sparks fly. I hope these two are as much fun for people to read as they were for me to write.


What are you working on now?

I’m writing AFTERGLOW which is the second book in my LODESTONE series. (No, Gideon Stark is not the hero – just sayin’!) It’s a fun, fast and furious chase across Europe with two intriguing characters, and I’m having a blast seeing what they do next. 

What do you think makes your writing unique?

My books are a little tongue-in-cheek, a little over the top. A lot larger than life action adventures. I love writing running-chasing-falling-down-wild monkey-sex-shooting-running-chasing-loving-wild monkey sex-happy endings. Maybe people love reading running-chasing-falling down-wild monkey sex-shooting-running-chasing-loving-wild monkey sex-happy endings?



Every author that I have spoken to has their own writing process. Some spend weeks working on character building charts. Some use post it notes to plot their entire book. Other’s pull pictures from magazines and make a story board of sorts. What is your writing process and how long would you say it takes you when a new idea is sparked from sketching out the details to getting to THE END?

I spend several weeks plotting (3M company LOVES me, I buy at least half the PostIt notes sold in the US! (ok not literally, but I do have every color they make. lol) I spent two to three weeks building my characters, plotting and doing the initial research. Then I’m ready to rock and roll.

Being an author comes with its fare share of joys and disappointment whether you are just starting or you have been in this business for many years. All of us need advice no matter where we are at on this journey. What is the most valuable piece of advice that you have received through out your writing career that you would like to pass along to other authors out there?

Most valuable piece of advice given to me? Give yourself permission to write crap – as long as it’s on the page it can be cleaned up later! (I have this PostIt note stuck on my monitor!)

My advice to other writers? Sit your butt in the chair and write. Have a career plan (yes, even if you haven’t sold yet.) Stay focused on what you want. Don’t look at what other people have or where they are in their career, you’ll be doomed for disappointment. We each have our own journeys. Like fingerprints, no two writing careers are the same. And once published, don’t read your own reviews! If they’re great we believe them. If they suck you not only believe them, you remember that crappy review forever!


Out of all of your books, which one would you say is your favorite? And why?

THE MERCENARY because it was my first, and we always remember our first.  But I think our books are like kids. (Sometimes messy, expensive to raise until we sell them (the book, not the children lol) and time-consuming! Lol) All different and loved in their own way. I can’t think of any job I’d love more than this. Every day is an adventure and a thrill a minute. Even the most mundane tasks associated with being an author are better than just about any job out there.

What type of hero do you find irresistible?

Tall, dark, and rich. (Hey! This is my hero and my heroes are never poor! Lol) He has to have an ethical compass, a sense of humor (even if sometimes it’s well hidden!) and know his way around a woman’s body as well as he knows his way around weapons. 

When you aren’t writing steaming hot romances what do you do in your spare time?

Spare time? I don’t have much. My bar-none favorite place to be online is my Facebook page. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE playing with my readers there! We have a ridiculous amount of fun every day. It’s the carrot on the end of the stick, and my reward when I’ve reached my goaled page count during the day.

I’m also crazy about TV (we didn’t have it in South Africa when I was growing up) I’ll happily watch anything, any time. And most of all I love to read. But I don’t read nearly as much as I did before I was published, and I never read anything remotely similar to what I’m writing when I’m writing (which is all the time)

Where can we find out more about you Cherry Adair?

On my website www.cherryadair.com, Twitter http://twitter.com/#!/CherryAdair and my beloved Facebook http://tiny.cc/l1iva I love hearing from readers – wherever you may find me. 


Thank you so much for being a guest on my blog. Looking forward to the release of RIPTIDE!!

Thank you so much for having me, Micole! This was a lot of fun.
Cheers
Cherry

Spotlight Author with Rogenna Brewer

Kid’s are back in school and everything is falling back into place at home now that they are back on a schedule. Crazy thing is I’m not doing that “Happy Mom” dance that I usually do when they go back to school. I don’t know what it is this year, I already miss them. I have Rogenna Brewer to keep my company today! ;-) She will be giving one lucky commenter a copy of MITZI’S MARINE. So make sure to stop in, say hi, and ask questions!

Tell us a little bit about yourself Rogenna and what you write.

Hi, Micole! Thanks for having me.

I write long contemporaries for Harlequin Superromance. I’ve been married for too many years to admit to in writing and have three boys somewhere between the ages of adolescents and adulthood.

I’m a working mom and a writer, who has yet to find a way to balance family and writing. Though I keep hoping one day I’ll get it right.

I always knew I wanted to be a writer, I just didn’t know it would be so hard or that the odds were against me. I’m glad I didn’t know any of that when I first started out.

Oh, and once upon a time I was in the Navy. I’ve traveled the globe, even crossed the international dateline without ever needing a passport or stepping outside of US territory.

I hope to remedy that some day. I’m kind of tired of bragging about that.

What do you think makes your writing unique?

I write military heroes and heroines from the perspective of someone who’s actually been there, done that. A lot of my fan mail comes from readers either in the military or with a family member in the military who thank me for getting it right. And if I don’t or if my experience was different from theirs they let me know that too.

Can you share with us what you are currently working on?

I just finished a marriage of convenience story between a single mom who wants desperately to join the Marines and a Navy SEAL struggling bitterly with being medically discharged after losing an eye in Iraq. Needless to say he’s none too happy being the Manny while the wife goes off to war.

The book is called Marry Me, Marine and comes out in February 2011.

I’m on a bit of a wounded warrior kick. The hero in my May 2010 release Mitzi’s Marine lost a leg in Iraq.

To me the real heroes are the men and women who serve.

What is your process? Are you a plan every aspect before you write kind of gal or the one that flies by the seat of her pants and lets the story and its characters take you for a wild ride until THE END?

Process? You mean there are writers that actually have that all figured out?

I have written each and every book by the trial and error and pulling out hair method.

I love the freedom of writing by the seat of my pants. That’s not always possible once you’re published. In order to write under contract I have to submit an outline (or sysnopsis) and chapters.

Sometimes getting those sample chapters polished take you out of the story. And some of my longest and most complete outlines have been my hardest books to write.

What do you do when you get stuck?

Haha. You really do ask the tough questions. Usually, taking a step back is key for me. Letting go of the problem and taking a walk or a shower can get me back on track. Unfortunately I’m usually on deadline when I get stuck with no time to stop and think.

If I try to jump ahead of the problem or work around it I usually make matters worse.

Give us a glimpse into the day in your “writer’s” life?

I’m coming off a deadline, which looked like this… Up at 6am. Day job from 7am-4pm. Home by 5pm. Up in my office until midnight or 2am (with a 5 hour energy break at 7pm—which I would not recommend). Bed. And then start all over again.

Weekends were 16 to 20 hours in a chair.

I was tired all the time. I gained about thirty pounds. This is not a schedule I would recommend.

No matter what I did I could not get even a page an hour. So I had to keep to grueling schedule, which I’m pretty sure compounded the problem, because I was losing ground daily while on deadline.

How long was your road to publication?

April 5th 1995 was my butt in the chair date. That’s the day I made up my mind to sit down and write every day in order to get published. I got the call June 1st 1998.

Did you receive rejection letters during your journey to become published? If yes what is your best advice to someone who’s received their first one?

No, I’m perfect . I’ve never received a rejection letter that read something like, this book is too category. And same book, this book is too single title.

When I won a contest and Supers bought the sequel to that book, I was like, duh. Why didn’t I think of that?

I write long contemporary category romance.

And the rejections haven’t stopped just because I’m published, but they’re usually phone calls or emails from my editor.

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

I’m really bad a picking out agents so no advice from me there. It’s true what they say about a bad agent being worse than no agent.

As far as writing advice; make today your butt in the chair day and write a little something every day.

Thank you, Rogenna. I am so happy you were able to make it by Micole Writes Romance.

Make sure to leave a comment for Regenna to be entered in her giveaway of MITZI’S MARINE! ;-) Thank you for stopping by Micole Writes Romance.

Hugs

Micole

Spotlight Author with Cynthia Eden

Hope everyone has been enjoying their summer. Mine has been filled with craziness, though it’s been a good craziness. ;-) I have Cynthia Eden here with me today. She is sharing her upcoming release with us as well as giving away an ARC of the ANGELS OF DARKNESS. So make sure to stop in and say hi in the comments section at the bottom.

Tell us a little bit about your latest release NEVER CRY WOLF.

NEVER CRY WOLF is sexy paranormal romance about one fierce alpha. J Lucas Simone is the alpha of his pack, but Lucas has a big weakness—ladies in distress. So when Sarah King comes to him for protection, what’s a wolf to do? (Trust me—he does a lot!)

What are you working on now?

Right now I am working on the fourth book in my Fallen series (a series about Fallen Angels of Death). These angels are dark & dangerous & they can kill with a touch—I love them! (And I sure hope readers do, too!)

Where does your inspiration come from?

Everything. I get inspired by songs, movies, walks on the beach. Story ideas can hit me anytime, and when they do hit, I try to write them down as quickly as I can so that I can develop the stories more later.

How long does it take you to write a manuscript?

It takes me about 2 months to do a draft of a 90,000 word novel. After that draft, I put the manuscript away for a week so that I can get some distance from that story. That distance helps me to go back with a more objective eye. I use that objective eye to edit/revise for about 2 weeks—then I send the story to my editor.

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

The best way to learn about the craft of writing is to read stories in your genre. What do you like about those plots? Those characters? How is POV handled? Read to learn…then write the story that appeals to you. Don’t be afraid of rejection (that’s just part of the business). Keep writing, keep submitting, and never give up on your dream.

If you had to pick a favorite character that you have created or one that you wish you had created who would it be and why?

That’s tough!! Okay…I really enjoyed Niol, my all-powerful demon from MIDNIGHT’S MASTER. Niol was a bad guy—very bad. I guess I just have a thing for bad boys. They make life interesting & more than a little interesting.

Now pick a character that you wished you had created from one of your favorite stories.

I wish I’d created Spike! I love both the Buffy shows & books, and I absolutely wish I had created the sarcastic and sexy Spike.

Cynthia, I am so glad that you joined us today at Micole Writes Romance. Thank you for all of the information as well as inspiration. I wish you many sales. Where can we find out more about you and your books?

Thank you, Micole! I really appreciate you inviting me over. Readers are welcome to visit my website (www.cynthiaeden.com) in order to learn more about my books. Thanks!