Spotlight Author with Candace Havens

Happy belated Mother’s Day to everyone. For all of my readers who are mothers I hope your day was special. Today I have Candace Havens visiting the blog.

Candace tell us about your latest/upcoming release.

She Who Dares, Wins came out in late March. It’s about a private investigator and bodyguard, who protects a professor when his life is threatened. Truth and Dare is my late April release about a forensic anthropologist who is involved in solving a crime and falls in love with a handsome rancher. Both books are fun, have a mystery element to them and they are sexy.

Besides writing, you are also very busy teaching workshops on writing. What sort of workshops do you have to offer?

I offer a variety of craft and career workshops on the Write_Workshop yahoogroup. You can get to that through my website. I teach classes and I bring in other authors, agents and editors for classes. We teach everything from the basics of writing to how to promote yourself as a writer. I also teach paid classes that are really intense workshops where I work one-on-one with the writers.

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?

For the most part I’m a pantser. I just sit down and write. But my new editor likes to have some kind of a synopsis so I have something to work from if I get stuck. I’ve occasionally used the arch Jim Butcher talks about in his writing process where you hit the major story points and small scenes in between. But every book I write I do it differently. It depends on my mood and the type of book it is. Sometimes I write the end first. Sometimes I do a hodge podge of scenes and throw them together. Sometimes I write chronologically.

What is the hardest part about your job?

Time. I’m an author but I’m a TV and Film critic with weekly deadlines. And I’m going to graduate school to get an MH in Humanities. But it’s good because I can tell my students, if I can find the time, you can.

What is your best advice for aspiring authors?

Just sit down and write. Study your craft and take as many GOOD classes as you can. Spend your money wisely and invest in yourself.

You write several different genres, do you have a favorite genre out of the ones that you write? Maybe one that comes a little easier to you than others? Or do you love them all the same?

If I didn’t love everything I do, I wouldn’t do it. A year ago I had no idea it would be easier for me to write in my hero’s head, which has really surprised me. I’d pretty much done first person up until the first Blaze book, Take Me If You Dare. Now I love writing third person too. I love that we evolve and change as writers. I think that’s a good thing.

If you could pick one character that you wished you created from a movie, book or TV show who would it be and why?

Hands down it would be Selene from Underworld. When Kate Beckinsale came on the screen crouching down in that leather, I was sold. Love those movies, even when they are bad and she’s one of my favorites. Oh, and Mary Poppins but that’s a long story for another day.

Give us a glimpse into your writers life.

I’m not sure what you mean by this. But pretty much my dogs wake me up at 7:30 and I usually go until about 1 a.m. I sometimes have to write 18 hours day to keep up with everything I do. That’s why it’s important I love it. (Smile)

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

http://www.candaceahavens.com/

Readers thank you for stopping in and Candace, thank you for being a guest on my blog.

See you next week.

Hugs

Micole

Spotlight Author with Jennifer Lewis

November already? My eyes see the calendar but my brain just doesn't compute. This year has flown by. Today I have Desire author, Jennifer Lewis with me. Let's show her some love.

Hi Micole, and thanks for inviting me to your blog!

So glad that you could visit with us today, Jennifer. So tell us about your last release, THE BACHELOR'S BOUGHT BRIDE.

My most recent release was The Bachelor’s Bought Bride, which came out in May for Silhouette Desire. It tells the story of a wealthy heiress who’s used to being a bit of a wallflower, so she’s surprised when a gorgeous and successful man pursues her and proposes. She’s appalled when she discovered that her father paid him to seduce her into marriage. By this time they’ve both seriously fallen for each other, but can they have a real relationship after she discovers his deception? This story was part of a Silhouette Desire series, where six authors are given linked plots and characters, and each of us writes one book in the series. We then have the challenge of turning a paragraph of plot description into a full book, and I really enjoy the process. The Bachelor’s Bought Bride was set in San Francisco so I had fun with the romantic setting as well as the unusual storyline.

What are you working on now?

I’ve just finished writing the third book in a three-book Royal Rebels series that’s coming out next year. Each book is set in a different country and I had loads of fun inventing my sexy royal heroes and their kingdoms.

I noticed from your web page that you have had the advantage of living in some cool places. Do you think that this has helped your writing/imagination/muse?

Living in different countries gives you insight into each culture. You see how different things are important to, even how standards of beauty and what makes an intriguing mate are different. Then when you travel you can look for these interesting things that make a culture unique. It definitely inspires my muse! I also get inspired by settings. In fact sometimes the setting is what draws me to a book. In my Royal Rebels series I visited a tropical island, romantic central Europe, and the Pyrenees mountains, all in my imagination. A summer trip to Barcelona, with its unique Catalan culture and gorgeous medieval castles, was very inspirational for the last book.

What is your writing process? Plotter or Panster?

I’m a plotter all the way. I come up with the idea, write a synopsis and interview the characters before I start. I sell my books based on the synopsis most of the time, so this is essential!

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

I think the most important thing is to have a writing habit. Even if you only write one page a day you’ll have a book finished in a year. If you write three pages a day, like I usually do, you could end up with three or more books!
If you’re writing just for fun, then write whatever you want (and this is probably the best way to write your first book, just enjoy the process). If you’re writing to sell, then recognize that it’s a market and you need to fit into it somewhere and it may take several books and/or years of studying your craft and writing for you to find your niche, so be patient! I wrote 10 books before I finally sold one, and now I’ve sold thirteen, all written since that first sale.

Where do you see yourself in five years?

Who knows? I had no idea five years ago that I’d be back in England after living in the US for so many years, so it just proves you never know what life will bring. I’m just glad that writing is easy to do anywhere, and that I still enjoy it after writing more than twenty books!

What’s one thing that you know now that you wished you knew when you started your journey as a writer?

The internet is such a goldmine of information and inspiration. I think I would have sold a lot sooner if it had been around when I penned my first books nearly twenty years ago. It was actually a friend telling me about the eHarlequin site and all the tips it had, that convinced me to give writing another try after a long break.

Give us a glimpse into your writer’s life.

I wrote my first sale books by getting up super early in the morning and writing before my toddlers woke up. Now the kids are in school I usually drop them off and write during the day. I also love running, horses, yoga and spending time with friends. Writing a little bit every day leaves me plenty of time to enjoy the rest of my life and get out there looking for new ideas and inspiration!

Thank you, Jennifer for joining me at my blog. For more information about Jennifer and her books you can find her at http://www.jenlewis.com/

Hugs

Micole

Tawny"s Back!!!

Welcome back everyone! I am so excited to have such an awesome lady back on my blog. Tawny Weber is here to share some more about herself, her writing life, and her latest books, RIDING THE WAVES and LOVE WRITING. For those of you not familiar with Tawny here’s a little bio on her to get to know her a little better.

Tawny Weber is usually found dreaming up stories in her California home, surrounded by dogs, cats and kids. When she’s not writing hot, spicy stories for Harlequin Blaze, she’s shopping for the perfect pair of boots or drooling over Johnny Depp pictures (when her husband isn’t looking, of course). In September 2010, her eighth Blaze, RIDING THE WAVES hits the bookshelves. Come by and visit her on the web at www.tawnyweber.com

Doesn’t her life sound dreamy?


Since I had already interviewed Tawny once in March, we decided to things a little different this time. I do still have a few more things that I wanted to know! ;-) Yep, that’s me Nosy Rosy!;-) So you will find a couple of interview questions, as well as a teaser of her latest release RIDING THE WAVES. Enjoy!


Some writers say that they have a story that has to be told other’s say that the characters come to them and demand that their story be told… how does it work for you?

It’s actually a combination of the two. I usually start with a premise (one I dream up or my editor suggests), then the characters take over. For instance, in my current release, RIDING THE WAVES, my editor suggested I write a Forbidden Fantasy story. At that time (probably because of all the Robert Pattinson hype that was going on) the forbidden fantasy that popped into my head was Boy Toy/Younger Man. But for some heroines, that would totally NOT be forbidden, right? That’s where the characters took over. Drucilla, my heroine, started out pretty solid in my head – what her issues were, why a boy toy would be so appealing to her and what having one in reality vs fantasy would mean. From there, it was all about characters and how they’d react, how to make things harder for them, how to force them into situations that made them have to resolve their issues.


RIDING THE WAVES By Tawny Weber What happens in Mexico... doesn’t always stay there!

All uptight workaholic Drucilla Robichoux wants is to experience incredible sex, at least once in her life. So she heads off to Mexico for some sun, sand and sin. And she finds the perfect playmate in sexy surf instructor Alex. Her temporary boy toy teaches Dru to ride the waves, all right... ...right into the most intense climaxes she’s ever had! But all vacation flings must end. When Dru heads home, she buttons up tight again. Might as well keep this delicious fantasy right where it belongs... in her naughty memories. So it sure is a shock when she walks into work Monday morning and finds her secret fling is her new boss! And he’s definitely still interested in


RIDING THE WAVES Excerpt:

Reveling in the feel of the tiny grains shifting around her feet, Drucilla headed straight for the water. It wasn’t until she was halfway there that she saw him.

Her heart, and her feet, stopped.

Her mouth went as dry as the sand clinging to her ankles. She didn’t blink when the soft breeze sent tendrils of her hair into her eyes, just batted it away so it didn’t interfere with her view.

Oh. My. God.

He was incredible. Like some water god, he flew over the waves. The water glistened on his golden muscles like jewels in the fading light. Arms outstretched, biceps glinting as he balanced on the deep purple surfboard. Was he real? A figment of her lusty imagination? The manifestation of her every sexual fantasy? Dru’s breath came in long, labored bursts. Her eyes watered because she was afraid to blink, fearing he’d disappear.

Her hands itched to touch that bare chest, to run her fingers down the dusting of dark hair that perfectly highlighted his well-muscled chest. She stared as he got closer to shore, watching him shift his knees to a low crouch as he rode the wave all the way to the beach.

There was something so amazing about surfers. She’d always imagined them to be fearless. Able to embrace anything life handed them and ride it to success.

And talk about muscle control. That was the kind of guy who rock against-a-wall sex and not drop the woman as she melted in orgasmic glory all over him.

Was he real? Or had her sex-deprived imagination conjured up the perfect man to fulfill her every kinky fantasy?

About thirty feet away, she watched him walk across the sand. This close, she could see how young he was. Mid-twenties at the most. His dripping hair fell in inky black curls around his head, his beautiful face adding to the image of a Greek God come to life.

He stopped at the brightly decorated surf shop bungalow, and she watched him key in a code, then open the door and store his board. His familiarity made it obvious he wasn’t a guest. Did he work at the hotel?

Whatever he did, he was obviously out of her league. Not that it mattered. It wasn’t like a sweet young thing like him would have any interest in an almost thirty-year-old scientist with social anxieties and repressed sexual needs.

Needs she’d been perfectly fine ignoring until Nikki had gotten her all riled up over her crazy ideas. Insane ideas. Dru had no idea how to flirt, how to attract a man’s attention. Especially not a man like that. No matter what Nikki had suggested, Dru wasn’t here for a fling.

Except here he was. The most incredible man she’d ever seen. A man who would definitely not stop mid-thrust, but know how to bring a woman to a screaming orgasm, then make her writhe and beg for more.

And then he turned. Their eyes met. Dru’s breath lodged somewhere between her aching nipples and her suddenly dry mouth. His gaze holding her captive from twenty feet away, one corner of his mouth quirked in a charmingly adorable little boy grin.

And he walked toward her. Frozen in the sand, Drucilla didn’t know if she should pull back her shoulders, stick out her chest and smile beguilingly. Or turn on her bare heel and run like hell.

Coming September 2010
By Tawny Weber
www.tawnyweber.com


I’ve already got my copy!!! Can’t wait to read it! Just a few more questions for you Tawny.


Often time’s 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?


LOL, Luckily I don’t dread those love scenes! Because I never write a love scene until I know the characters really well, it has less a voyeuristic feeling and is just a simple extension of telling their story. Sex is an integral part of the stories I tell, and of my character’s growth and connection with each other. And the sex always has to intensify their conflict. I actually would consider poking into their psyches and exploiting their deepest fears and issues to be more personal, I think. Yet that’s what we have to do as writers – bare our characters in a multitude of ways.


What are you reading right now? If nothing at the moment then what do you like to read when you have time?


Because I’m in the middle of writing a new story, I’m not reading any fiction at the moment. I tend to binge on fiction between deadlines, though. After I turned in my last book, I spent a week re-reading the first 15 Stephanie Plum books so I could then read the 16th with them all fresh in my head  As for non-fiction, right now I have Happier by Tal Ben-Shahar on my nightstand, along with Warrior Writer by Bob Mayer.


What’s one thing that you know now that you wished you knew when you started your journey as a writer?


That it never really ‘gets easier’. The challenges change and shift, but there are always challenges to face and struggles to overcome. Oh –and I really wish I’d known that I’d have to learn marketing! I’d have started trying to figure that out a LOT sooner *g*

Any favorite books on craft?


The War of Art is one of my absolute favorite books, although calling it a craft book might be debatable. But it’s definitely my go-to when I’m feeling stressed with the writing and trying to stay motivated. For craft specific books, there is so much out there that is wonderful. I recently contributed to a book titled Love Writing (http://blog.tawnyweber.com/books/love-writing) that I think covers a huge range of craft topics.


Give us a glimpse into a writer’s life.


Hmm, how to put neurosis into words... :-D Just kidding. I don’t know about other writers, but I do love my writing life. Because my days are usually busy, I use those little in between moments to answer email, write blog posts, respond to the Facebook and Twitter stuff going on, etc. In presenting a workshop with one of the blogs I regularly contribute to, Healthy Writer, I discovered that the amount of time we writers spend sitting can cause serious health issues. So my awesome husband recently created a Tread-Desk for me so I can do all of that from my treadmill while walking at a very VERY sedate pace. The actual writing of my stories takes place at night when the family gets quiet. I tend to write from 9pm till 2 or 3am. After I turn a book in, I usually have revisions back within a month, and then go through two rounds of edits before the book is released. Since I always start a new story within a week or so of turning one in, I’m usually juggling at least two books at a time – one in process, another in edits. In between all that day-to-day is the promotion of books, RWA meetings and writing events, and staying in touch with other writers to keep myself grounded in the writing world and up-to-date with what’s going on in our industry.


Tell us where we can find your books and more info about you!


My current release, RIDING THE WAVES, should be in stores everywhere right about now. Bookstores and grocery stores, Target and Walmart, and anywhere in between that sells Harlequin books. Online purchase links are available on my website, too: http://www.tawnyweber.com/


Thanks again Tawny for coming back to Micole Writes Romance.


Micole, thanks so much for having me! I love visiting your blog 