Please join me in welcoming historical romance author Carrie Lofty. Ms. Lofty’s newest release WHAT A SCOUNDREL WANTS is in book stores now.

In Sherwood Forest, outcast warrior Will Scarlet rescues a blind woman who dreams of fire.

Now, to defeat the new Sheriff of Nottingham, he’ll need to become a hero for the ages. It’s amazing what a scoundrel will do for love…

Ciara: What a Scoundrel Wants stars Will Scarlet of Robin Hood fame. What attracted you to Will out of all the merry men?

Carrie: Initially, I was attracted to Christian Slater’s portrayal of Will Scarlet in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. He’s angry, young, petulant, and very hurt. As I dove into my research, I learned that the character of Will Scarlet has always been flexible. He’s served whatever purpose the story required: a cad, a thug, a dandy, an inexperienced youth, a confidante. I wondered what sort of hero he would become, given a little time, the right set of challenges, and the right female motivation.

Ciara: The heroine, Meg, is blind. What challenges and benefits did you encounter writing without using the sense of sight?

Carrie: One of the first scenes I imagined for the book is where Meg is nearly burned for witchcraft. I saw it all: the angry villagers gathered below, torches against the dark night, the smoke and flames coming up from the pyre. But then I realized that Meg wouldn’t be able to see any of that. Every scene then became a matter of translating what I saw in my mind into what Meg would be able to take in with her other senses–the smell of burning wood, the heat against her legs, the frantic shouts. So it was a challenge, but it had the benefit of sinking me deeply into her point of view.

Ciara: Whose point of view was more challenging to write: Will’s or Meg’s?

Carrie: Meg, by far. She’s very angry and hurt by circumstances from her past, but she’s also heartbreakingly vulnerable. Delving into her was an emotional journey. Will was just a piece of cake. Fun, snarky, sarcastic, brave, he’s a hero I could imagine from the very first page.

Ciara: Why do you think the legend of Robin Hood has had such staying power captivating the common imagination over so many retellings?

Carrie: The best legends and myths are not about the actual stories, but about the function they have at any given moment in society. I studied this same phenomenon for my master’s on the societal impact of gunfights legends after the Civil War. There’s just enough history to give it credence, but then a dearth of details. We can fill in the blanks to make the story relevant. For example, ballads from before the 16th century portrayed Robin Hood as a devout Catholic. He risked life and limb to take money to the nuns. After the Protestant Reformation, however, his stories became more adamantly anti-Catholic, to the point where bishops and nuns were villains in disguise. The change reflected the times.

Ciara: Which version of Robin Hood is your favorite? (Men in tight tights? *grin*)

Carrie: As I mentioned above, I was inspired by Prince of Thieves, even though I know it’s the best sort of utter crap. I’m enjoying the new “Robin Hood” series from the BBC, slowly catching up on what I’ve missed with that one. And although Men in Tights was terrible (or brilliant, depending on who you talk to), it featured a very nice Will Scarlet-ish character played by Matthew Porretta.

Ciara: Are you a plotter or do you write by the seat of your pants?

Carrie: I use a method I call telephone poles. I brainstorm a series of images, scenes, themes, or bits of dialogue I’d like to seen in a particular story, then arrange them in roughly chronological order. Roughly. The wire connecting these plotting telephone poles is the story itself, which I pants. That’s where unexpected things happen, generally to the betterment of the story.

Ciara: What was the first romance novel you read and how old were you?

Carrie: Santana Rose by Olga Bicos, an historical spy/white slavery thriller set in 19th century New Orleans. I think I was fifteen. It opened up a whole new world to me. History and romance?? Fantastic!

Ciara: If you were stranded on a desert island and could choose six books to be stranded with, what would they be?

Carrie:

1. The Complete Shakespeare (I might finally finish it)
2. Atonement by Ian McEwan
3. The Siege by Helen Dunmore
4. The Time-Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
5. Night in Eden by Candice Proctor
6. Fire & Rain by Elizabeth Lowell

Ciara: What was your path to publishing? When did you get “the call”?

Carrie: My husband took a three-month internship position in Virginia in the summer of 2006, while I stayed in Wisconsin with our two young daughters. I needed a creative and professional outlet for myself, and for the first time, I took my writing ambitions seriously.

That summer, I finished my first manuscript, Serenade, in with a widowed violin prodigy in 1804 Salzburg falls for a composer who stole the symphony he’s most famous for. (I’ll be posting Serenade as a serial on my website beginning in January. Visit www.carrielofty.com for details.)

I began What a Scoundrel Wants shortly thereafter, then pitched it to Hilary Sares of Kensington at Nationals in 2007. She bought it in September, along with the late 2009 sequel, Scoundrel’s Kiss, in which a Spanish warrior monk falls for the opium addict he’s sworn to cure, but she tempts him to abandon his vows of obedience, non-violence and chastity.

Ciara: What advice do you have for aspiring authors?

Carrie: Set a manageable daily goal and meet it. When you can meet it consistently, push a little harder. Find reliable critique partners to help you see where you’re stuck or where you can best improve. Take your career intentions seriously, especially if you expect others to honor your ambitions. And most importantly, trust that you have a story worth telling. Good luck, and thanks to Ciara for letting me stop by!

Ciara: Thank You!

Watch the Book Trailer for WHAT A SCOUNDREL WANTS:

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Author Jennifer Ashley (AKA Allyson James AKA Ashley Garner) shares the books she would bring if stranded on a desert island. She writes historical, paranormal, contemporary, and erotic romance, historical mystery, and historical mainstream fiction. Her latest book will thrill fans of tortured heroes:

IMMORTALS: THE REDEEMING

For centuries they have walked among us–vampires, shape-shifters, the Celtic Sidhe, demons, and other magical beings. Their battle to reign supreme is constant, but one force holds them in check, a race of powerful warriors known as the IMMORTALS

He is going to take her. And it won’t be gentle. After all, the last 700 years of torture and captivity haven’t been gentle on Tain. This woman, this half-demon who leaves him burning with desire, is pretty tough herself. She needs to be, for the world is not safe for demon-kind these days. A violent backlash has disrupted the balance of power, and now Tain finds he may have to rescue the dark ones instead of fight them. He feels compelled to protect the alluring Samantha–whether she wants him to or not–but all he can think of is seduction. Ultimately, she’ll either destroy him or bring exactly what he needs most…THE REDEEMING

Watch the book trailer:

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Vampires, succubi, spirits, OH MY! Urban fantasy, paranormal romance, and YA author Richelle Mead shares the six books she would bring if stranded on a desert island. Her YA series, VAMPIRE ACADEMY, garnered high marks from the Book Smugglers on their recent Richellapalooza week. Richelle’s Georgina Kincaid series is an Adult Urban Fantasy featuring a succubus heroine from Seattle. Her latest book, STORM BORN, is the first in a whole new series called Dark Swan.

This week Ms. Mead is the featured author on the Romantic Times’ Ask the Author Forum. Stop by and chat about writing, books, world building, and Team Seattle.

STORM BORN

Just typical. No love life to speak of for months, then all at once, every creature in the Otherworld wants to get in your pants…

Eugenie Markham is a powerful shaman who does a brisk trade banishing spirits and fey who cross into the mortal world. Mercenary, yes, but a girl’s got to eat. Her most recent case, however, is enough to ruin her appetite. Hired to find a teenager who has been taken to the Otherworld, Eugenie comes face to face with a startling prophecy–one that uncovers dark secrets about her past and claims that Eugenie’s first-born will threaten the future of the world as she knows it.

Now Eugenie is a hot target for every ambitious demon and Otherworldy ne’er-do-well, and the ones who don’t want to knock her up want her dead. Eugenie handles a Glock as smoothly as she wields a wand, but she needs some formidable allies for a job like this. She finds them in Dorian, a seductive fairy king with a taste for bondage, and Kiyo, a gorgeous shape-shifter who redefines animal attraction. But with enemies growing bolder and time running out, Eugenie realizes that the greatest danger is yet to come, and it lies in the dark powers that are stirring to life within her…

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Paranormal and Erotic author Lauren Dane shares the six books she would bring if stranded on a desert island. She writes for Samhain and Berkley heat. Her futuristic erotic novel Undercover will be released from Berkley in December 2008. Whoever designs her covers is doing an amazing job. The second book, Relentless, is just as stunning.

UNDERCOVER

A sexy debut exploring an erotic future universe of passion, danger, and deceit…

On the battleground or in the bedroom, one woman and two men fight for dominance in a bold, new, and excitingly different direction in erotica…

As a lieutenant of the Federation military, Sera Ayers is accustomed to giving orders, not taking them. Now she must obey the one man she can’t stand—and can’t stop thinking about.

With the enemy Imperialists gaining ground, a covert team is assembled by Ash Walker. Ten years before, Sera had lovingly submitted to Ash’s dominance in the bedroom. But when he was forced into a political marriage, she refused to play mistress. His marriage now over, Ash wants Sera on his team—and back in his bed.

The third team member, Brandt Pela, has an elegance to match Ash’s savage sexuality. And when their undercover plan requires Sera to pose as Brandt’s lover, it ignites a passion among the three of them more dangerous than their mission.

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Dina James, debut Paranormal Romance author, shares the six books she would bring if stranded on a Desert Island. She graciously agreed to the impromptu video interview at the 2nd Rose City Romance book signing at Powell’s Cedar Hill Crossing on September 19, 2008. Dina loves Jacqueline Carey, is goth, and has a very large tattoo on her back (with pictures on her website). She handed out vampire teeth at the signing, which were quite popular. In my humble opinion, authors should hand out more fun things, like stickers. I have too many book marks. One can never have too many stickers.

Dina’s debut is a short story called “Play Dead” in the Mammoth Book of Vampire Romance, edited by Tricia Telep. The anthology is chock full of great authors, including Sherri Erwin, Caitlin R. Kiernan, Jenna Black, Jenna Maclaine, Raven Hart, Delilah Devlin, Keri Arthur, Kimberly Raye, Alexis Morgan, Lilith Saintcrow, C.T. Adams, Cathy Clamp, Susan Sizemore, Dina James, Colleen Gleason, Barbara Emrys, Savannah Russe, Shiloh Walker, Vicki Pettersson, Rebecca York, Rachel Vincent, Amanda Ashley, Karen Chance, and Nancy Holder. Phew!

In “Play Dead”, soulless vampire Nikolai travels to London to hunt down the outcast Kyle the Betrayer. Instead, he discovers his soul mate in a cheesy wannabe-vampire bar. With Kyle’s help, Nikolai protects his bride from the vampires sent to kill them and challenges the head of his vampire family, the Destrati, for control of the clan.

Stop by the Book Smugglers today for a fabulous interview with Melissa Marr, author of the 2008 RITA winning book for best YA WICKED LOVELY. The Book Smugglers posted excellent reviews of WICKED LOVELY and the darker companion novel INK EXCHANGE. I’ve had the pleasure of reading Wicked Lovely and strongly recommend it.

(photo above: Melissa Marr at the Publisher Signing at the 2008 RWA National Conference in San Francisco)

WICKED LOVELY

Rule #3: Don’t stare at invisible faeries.

Aislinn has always seen faeries. Powerful and dangerous, they walk hidden in mortal world. Aislinn fears their cruelty—especially if they learn of her Sight—and wishes she were as blind to their presence as other teens.

Rule #2: Don’t speak to invisible faeries.

Now faeries are stalking her. One of them, Keenan, who is equal parts terrifying and alluring, is trying to talk to her, asking questions Aislinn is afraid to answer.

Rule #1: Don’t ever attract their attention.

But it’s too late. Keenan is the Summer King who has sought his queen for nine centuries. Without her, summer itself will perish. He is determined that Aislinn will become the Summer Queen at any cost—regardless of her plans or desires.

Suddenly none of the rules that have kept Aislinn safe are working anymore, and everything is on the line: her freedom; her best friend, Seth; her life; everything.

Faerie intrigue, mortal love, and the clash of ancient rules and modern expectations swirl together in Melissa Marr’s stunning 21^st century faery tale.

INK EXCHANGE

Unbeknownst to mortals, a power struggle is unfolding in a world of shadows and danger. After centuries of stability, the balance among the Faery Courts has altered, and Irial, ruler of the Dark Court, is battling to hold his rebellious and newly vulnerable fey together. If he fails, bloodshed and brutality will follow.

Seventeen-year-old Leslie knows nothing of faeries or their intrigues. When she is attracted to an eerily beautiful tattoo of eyes and wings, all she knows is that she has to have it, convinced it is a tangible symbol of changes she desperately craves for her own life.

The tattoo does bring changes—not the kind Leslie has dreamed of, but sinister, compelling changes that are more than symbolic. Those changes will bind Leslie and Irial together, drawing Leslie deeper and deeper into the faery world, unable to resist its allures, and helpless to withstand its perils. . . .

Y’all know how much I love Meljean Brook‘s Guardian series. The lovely ladies at The Book Smugglers have interviewed Meljean today on their blog. Check it out here!

The series in order:

1. FALLING FOR ANTHONY (in the anthology Hot Spell)
   
2. DEMON ANGEL
3. PARADISE (in the anthology Wild Thing)
4. DEMON MOON
5. DEMON NIGHT
6. THICKER THAN BLOOD (in the anthology First Blood) – To Be Released 8/08!
   
7. DEMON BOUND – To Be Released 11/08!

My review of Demon Angel, which I lurved: Click Here

My review of Demon Moon, which I also lurved: Click Here

Linda Winstead Jones holds a special place in my heart for authoring the very first romance novels I ever read (The Sisters of the Sun Trilogy) and starting me on a long delirious love affair with the genre. This is a big year for her: two of her books are 2008 RITA finalists and the RWA is honoring her with a lifetime service award. She was kind enough to take time out of her busy schedule to answer my questions.

Raintree: Haunted is a finalist for the 2008 RITA and earned 4.5 Stars from the Romantic Times, which called it “nonstop action from start to finish.”

Prince of Magic is also a 2008 RITA finalist and earned 4 Stars from the Romantic Times. Publishers Weekly wrote that the story has “Punchy battle scenes and steamy lovemaking,” and praised Jones’s “gift for creating complex heroes and villains.”

Ciara: This year you are being honored with the RWA’s Emma Merritt Service Award. Can you tell us about the service you have done to earn this distinction? How has working with the RWA aided your development as a writer?

Linda: I was shocked when Sherry Lewis called to tell me that I was getting this award. It truly is such an honor. I served on the RWA Board of Directors as a Regional Director for four years. Honestly, I don’t feel my contributions were more worthy than those of so many other women who served on the board. Everyone who reads the Policy and Procedure manual from beginning to end deserves some sort of award! <g>

Serving on the board was such an interesting and rich experience, and I made many very good friends in those four years. Nothing is accomplished by one person alone. The best of our accomplishments were joint efforts, always. I truly am honored that the current board believes I made a significant contribution.

Ciara: Lets talk about the RITA, the Oscar of the Romance Industry. You won in 2004 for Shades of Midnight, and are a double finalist this year for Prince of Magic and Raintree:Haunted, all in the paranormal category. How did you feel when you got the call?

Linda: Long before I was a finalist, I heard the words “It’s an honor just to be nominated,” or other words to that effect. Until I got the first RITA call, I had no idea how true those words are. I was thrilled, of course. I’m not one to scream into the phone, but I did laugh (perhaps a bit hysterically) and once I was off the phone I did a little dance around the kitchen. (Because dancing is always an appropriate response to good news.) This year Donna Grant called me, and honestly, I thought the contest calls were going out the following day. I greeted her with a “what’s up?” and thought she was calling about some old board business. So, I was truly shocked, and then to be told I was a double finalist – more dancing was called for. Lots of phone calls and e-mails to friends and editors. Celebrations ensued. And then I had to make dinner and do laundry and get back to the work in progress, since a deadline is looming.

While I would of course love to win, it’s true that to be in such great company is an honor. When I won in 2004 I was sitting with my friend Lori Handeland, who had insisted that I write out something just in case. I had a short list of people I’d have to thank if I did win, and when my category came around and they started calling out the names of finalists, I realized I didn’t have a chance so I stuck that piece of paper somewhere in my program. Then they called my name and Lori screamed at me and I’m desperately looking through my program for that scrap of paper while she’s trying to push me out of my chair. <g>

Ciara: How did you get started writing paranormal and what has influenced you most in your work in this sub-genre?

Linda: While not technically paranormal, my first crack at stories which were very much out of the ordinary were with the fairy tale romances I wrote for Leisure/Lovespell. I loved writing those books! They were so different, and so much fun. From there it was a short hop to time travel, then to ghosts, and finally to fantasy set in an alternate world. It’s almost as if you give your brain permission to go beyond the bounds of reality, and it happily takes off.

Influences are everywhere, in fiction and in non-fiction, in television and in music. Often simply in letting your mind roam completely free. No constraints, no boundaries. You ask that question that always has to be asked – What if? – and then sit back and listen.

The characters from Sisters of the Sun, my first trilogy with Berkley, had been with me for a while before I actually got them onto paper. I could see the first chapter or two, but then it died from there. Nothing. Nada. Their stories just didn’t go anywhere. Then one day I was in the hammock in my back yard, watching the sky and thinking about the Fyne sisters, and it came to me out of nowhere. “They’re not from here.” From that moment The Sun Witch, and the other books in that series, flowed.

Ciara: You have written in many sub-genres under the names Linda Devlin, Linda Fallon, Linda Jones, Linda Winstead, and Linda Winstead Jones. What was your favorite book to write, and why?

Linda: You might as well ask me who my favorite child is. <g> The Sun Witch was very special, as was Cash. Madigan’s Wife, one of my first Intimate Moments, because I adored Ray. Raintree: Haunted, for so many reasons, not the least of which was Gideon. Prince of Magic, because Sian really spoke to me. I’m seeing a pattern here. Love the hero, love the book. There have been several favorites over the years, but the true favorite has to be the one I’m working on at that moment – whatever that moment might be.

Ciara: You were first published in 1994. What got you interested/started in writing and how long was your path to publication?

Linda: Like so many writers, I’ve been a reader all my life. As a child, as a teenager. I even loved writing term papers in high school, which definitely marked me as different. When I was in my mid-twenties, I took a creative writing course. We wrote poems and vignettes, and that was enough to get me hooked. With three small children, there was little time to write, but I tried. Those early efforts were not particularly good, but I learned a lot. It was strictly a part time hobby, one I gave up when my husband and I opened our own picture frame shop. With three kids in school and a business that was opened six days a week, there was no time for any hobby, much less writing a book.

In a twisted way, running that business is what lead me into writing. After a few years my husband took a job that took him out of town for weeks at a time, leaving me with a business and three kids who were attending three different schools. They all had activities – band, baseball, soccer, roller hockey. I painted the living room pink, but what the heck? I did it all. Now and then someone would as me how I got it all done, which surprised me. I got it all done because I had no choice. Being in that position made me realize that I was capable of doing whatever I wanted to do. And though it had been a while since I’d written anything, I knew I wanted to write.

When the lease on our shop was up, I told my husband I wanted two years to see if I could sell a book. He agreed, but he saved all our framing equipment so if things didn’t work out we could go back into that business. We closed the shop in August 1992. I set up my typewriter (yes, my TYPEWRITER) at the dining room table, and I wrote Guardian Angel. I bought a copy of The Writer’s Market and found a publisher that accepted unagented books (and also published western romance) and in May 1993 I sent them the first three chapters of my book. (without making a copy. Yowza.) In June I got a request for the full and sent them the rest (since of course that was all I had. Again, no copies.) In June I also found a local RWA chapter, which was a real turning point for me. I remember walking into the room and realizing that these were my people. They still are. In October of that year, I went to my first writer’s conference, Moonlight and Magnolias in Atlanta. I didn’t get much sleep that weekend, so when I got that call Monday morning, I was asleep on the couch and dazed when I talked to Alicia Condon at Leisure. I wrote all the details of the offer on a MacDonald’s napkin that was sitting nearby. <g> My first book was released in August 1994, exactly two years after we closed the frame shop.

And so it goes.

Ciara: What advice would you give writers just starting out?

Linda: Join a writing group – RWA or something else that suits you. We write alone, but the support of a group is invaluable. Also, don’t allow yourself to be paralyzed by the constant bombardment of rules that are around these days. Tell the story – that’s the most important thing.

Ciara: In your opinion, what are the most important elements of good writing?

Linda: There’s good writing and there’s good story telling. I’m not a perfect technical writer, I realize that, and the books I love might not be technically perfect. Compelling characters and a gripping story are what will bring a reader to an author again and again. What one man loves another will not, but in the end I don’t know anyone who raves about sentence structure or the scathingly brilliant use of adverbs. <g> Not to say that anyone wants to read a grammatical mess, of course, but loving the characters and caring about them is what makes for a great book, IMO.

Ciara: What is your favorite book of all time, and why?

Linda: This changes, too. I grew up devouring Nancy Drew, and for a long time Little Women was my favorite book. Then Gone With the Wind. The Stand, by Stephen King, Son of the Morning, by Linda Howard. I couldn’t possibly pick one.

Ciara: What are you working on next?

Linda: I’m working on another Nocturne, currently titled The Last of the Ravens – though of course that title could change. The story is set in the mountains of Tennessee, near to the place my good friends and I sometimes go to unwind, shop, and plot.

Ciara: If you could leave your readers with one legacy, what would you want it to be?

Linda: Legacy is a strong word. <g> All I want to do is make my readers laugh and cry and escape from real life for a while.

Thank you so much Linda! I look forward to meeting you at the Book Signing Event at the National RWA Conference in July!

Author Mary Margret Daughtridge joins us today to talk about covers and her new book SEALed with a Kiss, available now from Sourcebooks, Inc. The Romantic Times gave the book 4.5 stars and called it “a heart-touching story that will keep you smiling and cheering for the characters clear through to the happy ending.”

Readers: Leave your questions for Mary Margret and one lucky commenter with win an autographed copy of the book! (contest open for one week)

Covers, and the paranormal, and me

Covers—the good, the bad and the ugly have been a recent topic here at Ciaralira.

Having seen a bunch of covers over the years that I found appalling, the delight I felt when my editor sent the cover of SEALed With A Kiss was liberally mixed with relief. And then I noticed an odd sort of déjà vu.

Turn back the hands of time to the RWA national convention in Atlanta. There I met my agent, Stephany Evans, with whom I had just signed, face to face for the first time. We sat at a tiny table in a deserted coffee shop area of the hotel one afternoon, and chatted about a mutual acquaintance who writes books on metaphysics.

Stephany asked me if I thought I was psychic.

Since I think everyone is, I answered, “Yes, although I don’t think I have more than average talent.”

“Can you see what the cover of your book will be?” Stephany asked. I should insert here that SEALed was not sold at the time. In fact, the title back then was Designated Hero.

I shook my head. “I wish I could. I’ve tried and tried. But when I try to picture it all I can get is an impression of ‘blue.’” I shrugged. “Just lots and lots of blue in all different shades.”

The story proves I’m not much of a clairvoyant. I mean, you’d think if anything was going to make a psychic impression it would be the hot bod on the cover—not the blue (yes, lots and lots of blue in all different shades) background.

I think the story is a metaphor for how I write romance. I have scenes like that in SEALed With A Kiss. I even have a character who is influencing my SEAL hero, Jax, from the Other Side, and a dog who is…well, it’s hard to know exactly what Hobo Joe is, but he’s not just a dog.

I didn’t plan either one. Truthfully, I don’t plan my books at all. When I begin, I know who the hero is, and what qualities the heroine must have to balance him. I know that the book is going to have to end well, although it doesn’t look good for them right now. Then scenes just come to me in pieces, out of order. Sometimes I know where the scene should fit; a lot of the time, I don’t.

After a while I see what my hero and heroine are going to have to learn in order to deserve a happy ending. And when the story comes together, and the I realize I have been seeing the background all the time. Once the background is understood, the pattern is visible, and the figures emerge in the foreground.

Mary Margret was kind enough to satisfy my burning questions about her writing process:

Do you have a set schedule for writing? Do you write at a certain time of day?

Lately, going through the first move in twenty years, my schedule is shot, however what works best for me is to get up around 4.30 and write until noon. My brain seems to be most creative then.

Do you have any superstitios rituals that you do before you start writing? (my mom had a magic eraser she always took to tests in med school.)

[grin] I have a friend who made it through law school, she swears, because of a lucky green sweater she wore to exams. I’ve tried on everything in my closet. Nothing works. Sometimes when I get stuck, it helps to switch to longhand. It won’t work though, unless I use a yellow legal pad, and a yellow number 2 pencil.

What are your favorite books of all time? What books have influenced you most in your writing career?

I’m a voracious reader, often with five or more books open at a time. There are so many books I’ve loved, I couldn’t possibly choose a favorite. I’d have to say the most influential writer would be Robert A Heinlein. That man could write a story that could entertain anyone of any age, and I often think to myself, “What would Heinlien do?”

How did you decide on names for your characters?

I’ve already admitted a lot my writing process is a mystery to me. Take Pickett. She’s the heroine in SEALed With a Kiss. She’s a character who had lived in my head for years, waiting for me to find a hero for her, and her name had always been Pickett. Some people even advised me that it wasn’t a “good” name for a romantic heroine, but I couldn’t help it. Pickett was her name, and if I tried to change it, the character went flat. Fortunately, a lot of readers love the name, and think it makes her stand out.

I fumbled around for a good while though to name the SEAL hero. Then one day in an airport I saw a luggage check with JAX on it. Suddenly I knew he was Jackson Graham the third, and when he was a kid, his best friend thought that name didn’t fit him, so he nicknamed him Jax, because “that sounds like the name of a Jedi.” And what was the name of the best friend? Corey. I knew it instantly.

What do you like most about military heroes?

Writing military heroes chose me, more than the reverse. I read a newspaper article about a soldier in Iraq who had been ordered by a judge to leave the army, or she would lose a child custody battle. I was incredibly touched by the soldier’s internal and external conflict. When I started constructing a story about that, I asked myself who among the military would experience the most conflict between his job and his duty as a parent? The answer was easy. Someone in Special Operations. Those men make huge sacrifices around their personal life and relationships. I chose a SEAL.

When I began to research them, I learned what extraordinary men they are. They are already larger than life. Something one might not guess about them, is that they are funny. All the SEALs I have met have this insouciant, irreverent wit that cracks me up. I tried very hard to capture that in Jax, and I think it’s a large part of his charm.

How do you think curent military conflicts will impact the military hero sub-genre?

Good question. Actually SEALed With a Kiss is a blend of sub-genres. The hero is military, but the plot is a home and hearth, feel-good romance, that totally focuses on relationships, rather than the action adventure or romantic suspense usually associated with SEALs.

Since 9/11, romantic suspense and paranormals have gotten darker and darker, and more and more cynical, reflecting the spirit of the times. We see the heroes and heroines fighting inhuman evil that has persisted for eons. I think part of their appeal is that the reader gets to experience, vicariously, at least a momentary triumph over vast and incomprehensible forces–while being thoroughly entertained!

I have a theory that, now that people have absorbed 9/11 and recognize there aren’t any easy answers, there will be an upsurge of demand for romances that offer not only entertainment and escape, but light, and the hope that very, very human people of goodwill can face the challenges that confront our world today and prevail.

What projects are you working on next?

Jax’s friend the wily MENSA-material, Caleb “Do Lord” Dulaude, demanded his own book, before I was half through with SEALed With a Kiss. For this ex-bad-boy who grew up at the dirty fringes of society, becoming a SEAL saved his life, and possibly his soul. Now, to finally fulfill a promise he made to his mother, Do Lord must depend on an absent-minded professor, rather than another SEAL, to have his back; and he must lose his heart if he’s going to mend it.

Do you have any advice for aspiring authors?

Learn to control your imagination. It’s your greatest asset, but it can also be your inner saboteur. When you imagine what might happen to yourself, make up happy stories. You will live out whatever stories you make up about yourself.

Thank you Mary Margret!