SPOTLIGHT AUTHOR INTERVIEW WITH JEAN HART STEWART!

The Interview:

GRACIE: I’m excited to have you here at The G-Spot, Jean! Please tell us a little about yourself (or a lot J) and how and when you got into writing?

JEAN:  I had a successful career in real estate but when the business turned snarky just walked into my manager’s office and quit. His response was a shocked ‘you can’t’ and  I smiled,  waved, and walked out.

GRACIE: Is there any one thing or person in your life that inspired your writing? Any one thing or person that influenced the genre you write in?

JEAN: Mary Balogh’s advice to me once still guides me out of the dreaded void of dangling middle. I asked her once what she did when she hit that and she said “Make it worse”.

GRACIE: As a prolific author with an extensive backlist and current titles, can you still remember when you got The Call and what was your first published book?

JEAN: Druid’s Daughter was my first published book. I was doubly excited when my new editor asked me if I had anything else ready and I sent her the next book in the series, My Darling Druid.  Two books at once after three years of rejections! I think I’ll always remember that.

GRACIE: What do you know now about writing and the publishing industry that you wish you’d known before you started?

JEAN: That publicity and promo are endless and I mostly dislike this part of the business.

GRACIE: Please, give us a little story behind the story and what inspired your Passionate Pursuits series.

JEAN: Elves seems a natural sequel to Druids and Mages. There are so many elf types and I want the strong blonds found in Scandinavian literature. Some elves are tiny, as in the leprechauns and of course I wanted elves that were sexy.

GRACIE:  What brought about your interest in Elves, Druids and Mages?           

JEAN: I grew up reading a lot about King Arthur and those tales are really about magical super heroes.  And I’m a dreamer.  Seems a natural progression to me

GRACIE: In Forbidden Pursuit, besides destiny, what is it you believe makes Arden and Brielle a perfect match?

JEAN: Arden is destined to fall in love only once and that love will last forever. That’s part of an elves’ destiny. Brielle needs plenty of help, including growing into her feelings.  They need each other.

                               

GRACIE: What do you believe is Gareth’s Achilles’ heel and how do you go about stomping it in Gareth’s Gambit?

JEAN: That’s interesting phrasing for this book!  Gareth has one leg a little shorter than the other and he’s conflicted by his feelings of power as a Mage, and his feelings of inferiority over what he regards as a defect. Our heroine has a big job on her hands to get him to declare his love when he doesn’t feel worthy. In spite of the fact his strengths are quite evident. He’s unsecure.

GRACIE: Of all the stories you’ve written, which is your favorite and why?

JEAN: My first one published, Druid’s Daughter. It  brought me so much joy and was the start of my career. In fact my license plate is Druids  1.

GRACIE: I know this is like asking a mother which is her favorite child, but which of your characters is your favorite and why?

JEAN: Now that one I really can’t answer. Maybe Gareth in Gareth’s Gambit. Wounded heroes always grab at my heart.

GRACIE: What about your characters makes them unique?

 JEAN: Not an easy question to answer. I don’t really know, except for the fact  that I love them all and maybe that comes through.

GRACIE: What is your favorite aspect of the writing process? Your least favorite?

JEAN: The best part is the days when the words just flow. The worst part is the publicity.

GRACIE: Are you a pantser or do you outline?

JEAN: I’m a pantser who outlines as she goes.  Does that make sense to anyone but me?

GRACIE: Makes sense to me! You mentioned a previous career in real estate, but if you weren’t a writer, what other profession would you have chosen to pursue?

JEAN: Something artistic, but I don’t know what.

GRACIE: Who are some of your favorite authors and why? Name some of your favorite books and why they’re your favorites.

JEAN: Mary Balogh, Sabrina York, Judith McNaught, Tina Donahue. As you can see I have pretty eclectic tastes. And I love history.

GRACIE: What are you working on now and what should readers be looking forward to from you in the future?

JEAN: A loooong historical titled The Lame Lord.  Also a shortie for a boxed set of Romance4Us writer. Not titled yet, but it will be a short, sensual historical, set right after the Peninsular War.

GRACIE: Do you have a website and/or how can readers contact you?

JEAN: www;jeanhartstewart.com   jswriter@earthlink.net  I would love, love, love to hear from a reader.

GRACIE: Where and how can readers purchase and/or read samples of your work?

JEAN: I’m at Ellora’s Cave, I blog regularly at Romancebooks4us and

Seven Sexy Scribes, Facebook, Twitter, my own e-mail at jswriter.earthlink.net, and just about any place they have internet.  I’ve soon have eight books at MuseitUp.  I find I no longer enjoy writing erotica and Ellora’s Cave wants only that, so I’m shifting a lot of my stuff.

GRACIE: What advice do you have for beginning writers?

JEAN: Keep writing.  Don’t let anything stop you. Don’t listen to the negative voices.

GRACIE: Anything else about yourself or your writing you’d like to share with your readers?

JEAN: Nope, think this excellent interview covers everything.  Thank you so much for having me.

GRACIE: Jean, thanks so much for taking time from your busy schedule to share yourself and your work with us at The G-Spot and giving us a little insight into your writing and the writing process! We’ll let you get back to writing those wonderful books you write! All the best!

SPOTLIGHT AUTHOR INTERVIEW - EROTIC ROMANCE AUTHOR KAREN S. JOHNSON!

BIO: I grew up in southwest Missouri and currently live near Branson with my cat Bobby Joe (who is deaf). I grew up in a Christian home with a minister for a father so it is a little ironic that my genre is erotic romance. I love the outdoors and enjoy gardening, fishing, and hunting. I have been a nurse by profession for thirty years and love helping others. I have enjoyed writing all my life. Through my stories, I am able to live vicariously through my characters doing things that I might not ever do myself.

The Interview:

GRACIE: I’m excited to have you here at The G-Spot, Karen! Please tell us a little about yourself (or a lot J) and how and when you got into writing?

KAREN:  Thank You for having me Gracie, I am happy to be here. Hmm tell you about myself, well I lived a somewhat sheltered life growing up in the Ozarks of Southwest Missouri. I was the daughter of a minister, and spent the majority of my childhood and teenage years in church which kept me out of a lot of trouble I am sure. Growing up I always enjoyed reading but it wasn’t until the seventh grade that I took an interest in writing. My English teacher Mrs. Sears had us writing poems and short stories and it was then that I knew I wanted to write. I became obsessed with poetry and it opened a whole new world to me. It was in high school that I decided I wanted to write a book. I have started several books over the years but didn’t finish one until I was fifty.  My first book Red Skies At Dawn was published the day after my fifty first birthday and that was about the best birthday present I ever had.

I would say that I have lived an interesting life. I have been to Sturgis four times two of which I rode my own motorcycle. I always liked the bad boys and that has given me my share of excitement, trouble, and heart ache. It seems that no matter how hard I try to be the bad girl, the good girl inside me always wins out. My experiences and my very vivid imagination have given me a lot to write about. I believe it is the collection of all our life experiences good or bad that make us who we are and I like myself so I have no regrets for the life I have lived.

GRACIE: Is there any one thing or person in your life that inspired your writing? Any one thing or person that influenced the genre you write in?

KAREN: I have always been an avid reader and according to my mother have always had a vivid imagination. I can remember reading the Little House series in grade school and thinking I wanted to write stories too. In my teen years I read every Harlequin Romance I could get my hands on and dreamed of finding my hero. If I had to credit a single person with my desire to write it would have to be my seventh grade teacher Mrs. Sears. It was in her class that I came to realize the power of words. As far as my genre, I guess I would have to give an ex husband the credit for that.

GRACIE: When did you get The Call and what was your first published book?

KAREN:  By the time I reached high school I knew I wanted to write a book someday but it wasn’t until my 51^st birthday that my first book “Red Skies At Dawn” was published. It is a story about a young woman who is involved with a biker and agrees to go to Sturgis with him. His true colors come out and she realizes he is the wrong kind of biker. He basically abandons her on the way and she is thrown into the arms of his half brother who comes to her rescue. There is a kidnapping, drugs, alcohol, and of course some hot sex scenes. This story was based in part on my own experience and of course my vivid imagination.

GRACIE: What do you know now about writing and the publishing industry that you wish you’d known before you started?

KAREN:  It is a lot harder than I thought it would be. Writing takes time and working a fulltime job as a nurse doesn’t allow for much of that.  I have also learned that just because I think my work is good doesn’t mean that anyone else will. Having a book published takes work and getting the book to sell now that is the hard part.  I think that one of the secrets is to get your name out there and to do that you need to have several books out. Looking back, I wish that I would have kept up with my writing when I first had the urge years ago.  

GRACIE: Please, give us a little story behind the story and what inspired your Siren Allure title, Red Skies at Dawn.

KAREN:  I road my Harley to Sturgis one year and the experience made such an impact on me that I wrote a short story about the ride. When I was finished I read what I wrote and thought, gosh I could make a book about this so I started. There are many of my own experiences scattered throughout the book. I think to make your story interesting and believable it is important to know what you are talking about. The book was originally to be a sweet romance that I could send to Harlequin, but my characters had a mind of their own and the book has a few scenes that are quite dark and “in your face.” Of course love wins out in the end.

GRACIE: What is it you believe makes Sammie a perfect match for biker Mitch and vice versa?

KAREN: Sammie is rather innocent and is easily taken advantage of. She is mixed up with the wrong kind of guy, Jake. Jake is a biker and he is a selfish man who is always seeking his own pleasure. He doesn’t care who he hurts to get his way. Mitch, Jake’s half brother is a biker but unlike Jake, he lives by the biker code. He cares for his “family” and would do anything for them. He has so much more depth. He is a little older and knows what life is all about. Sammie is a little naive and needs someone to look out for her and Mitch knew the first time he met her that he was the one who could do it.

GRACIE: Mitch or “Cowboy” as the other bikers call him, seems to be a bit of a rebel. What is it you think is his Achilles’ heel and how do you go about stomping it?

KAREN: Mitch is a man who has always taken care of himself. He is strong willed and his job has always been his focus. Mitch is a man who has always been in control of his life and his emotions. He is a man of action and when things go wrong his first instinct is to go balls to the wall to take care of things. He doesn’t need to count on anyone for help because he can take care of himself. People think he is a little arrogant because he is so so sure of himself. His weakness is his love for Sammie, being thrown together with her has turned his world upside down.

GRACIE: Do you have any more books planned in the biker universe or sub-plot characters you think warrant their own book in the Red Skies vein?

KAREN: I am currently working on revisions for “Red Skies At Night” which is a sequel to my first book. It has the same characters and starts shortly after they return home. There are a few twists and turns that are sure to surprise. There are some strong secondary characters and two of them are the main characters in a third in the series which I have outlined. It is possible that there might also be a fourth book depending on how the third turns out. I have also written another “biker” novel that I recently submitted and I’m crossing my fingers that it will be accepted. I am thinking that the title for it will be Undercover Lies.

GRACIE: I know this is like asking a mother which is her favorite child, but which of your characters is your favorite and why?

KAREN: That is a hard question. Sammie is a lot like me in that she is very caring and maybe a little naïve. She is always looks for the best in others and that tends to get her in trouble. She has had pain in her life yet she is not afraid to take chances. She is strong although she doesn’t realize it. What is not to like about Mitch. I just wish that I would meet someone like him. I think that Grizzly is also a great guy and would be a great friend to have.

GRACIE: What about your characters makes them unique?

KAREN: They are all bikers yet each one has their own unique characteristics. Jake is hard core, seeking pleasure where ever he can find it. Sammie is young and naïve, and sometimes she does things that she doesn’t want to in order to please others. One of the things that makes her unique is that she has a distorted view of herself. She sees herself as average and in reality she is a beautiful woman inside and out. She is also very strong which she doesn’t realize. Mitch is always in control. He comes across as aloof or arrogant at times yet inside he is a mess of emotion.

GRACIE: What is your favorite aspect of the writing process? Your least favorite?

KAREN: I love to sit down and lose myself in writing. I can interject things from my own life into the story and it is quite cathartic. I like to visualize the scenes in my head as I go and it is almost like being there. Writing allows me to experience things that I might never do in my own life. It is very liberating. My least favorite thing about writing is that it takes time and time is a valuable commodity.

GRACIE: Are you a pantser or do you outline?

KAREN:  Well in Red Skies at Dawn I was more of a panster, letting my characters go their own way. Red Skies at Night was much the same, however in Undercover Lies I made an outline about half way through and finished it uisng the outline. I found that if I don’t have a little bit of an idea of where things are going next my characters would take off in their own direction and the story would change completely. My third book in the Red Skies series is already outlined and I think that will help me to keep on track. Although I do believe there are some stories that need to tell themselves, you know evolve on their own much like life does.

GRACIE: If you weren’t a writer, what other profession would you have chosen to pursue?

KAREN: Well I wish I was a full time writer but I do have a day job. I knew as a child that I wanted to make a difference in some way. I have been a nurse for the last 30 years and being a nurse has allowed me to touch the lives of others every day.  I love helping people in their time of need. I believe that if we look hard enough, we can find something good in even the worst of situations. I strive to remain positive and like to encourage and motivate others. We all need encouragement and I try to make an inspirational post on my Facebook page every morning. We need to choose our word carefully because we don’t always know who is listening and how our words will affect their lives. I actually have started an inspirational/motivational book as well which I hope to finish before the end of the year.

GRACIE: Who are some of your favorite authors and why? Name some of your favorite books and why they’re your favorites.

KAREN: J.R.R. Tolkien is my absolute favorite. My sixth grade home room teacher read a chapter of The Hobbit to us every day after lunch. I had never read a book like that before and it awakened my imagination. It is still one of my favorite books. I love all his books. Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, is a classic romance and her characters were so developed you could feel their thoughts. Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women has always been a favorite as well. She was able to make each of the sisters so real, and so different. Both these women were remarkable writers. In my genre, erotic romance I am partial to Tymber Dalton, her Reluctant Dom is a real tear jerker. I love a book that evokes an emotion from the reader.

GRACIE: What are you working on now and what should readers be looking forward to from you in the future?

KAREN: I am currently working on revisions to Red Skies at Night the second in the Red Skies Series which I hope will be out sometime this summer. I just submitted a third book which I think will be called Undercover Lies and I am keeping my fingers crossed that it will be accepted. The third in my Red Skies Series, Red Skies Again  is outlined and I will be starting it as soon as I finish my revisions on book two. I am hoping to have it finished by the end of the year. As I said earlier I am also working on an Inspirational book which I hope to finish by the end of the year as well.

GRACIE: Do you have a website and/or how can readers contact you?

KAREN: The best place to contact me is by private message on my personal Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/ksjohnsonrnc or by private message on my Red Skies page on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/RedSkiesAuthor.

GRACIE: Where and how can readers purchase and/or read samples of your work?

KAREN: Red Skies at Dawn is available at http://www.bookstrand.com/red-skies-at-dawn, as well as Amazon.com, Barnesandnoble.com, Kobobooks.com, and Goodreads.com. I will be posting non-adult excerpts from Red Skies at Night and Undercover Lies on my Red Skies page on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/RedSkiesAuthor on a weekly basis. Check out my web page as well http://karenbennett-johnsonauthor.com/.

  

GRACIE: What advice do you have for beginning writers?

KAREN:  Write, write, and keep writing. Don’t give up and don’t get discouraged. There is no one else who can tell the stories inside your head. They are unique only to you, and you are meant to share those with the world.

GRACIE: Anything else about yourself or your writing you’d like to share with your readers?

KAREN: I don’t know who said it originally but I have always loved the saying: “Life is like a Piano, what you get out of it depends on how you play it.”  Don’t let life pass you by, get out there and play.

GRACIE:  Karen, thanks so much for taking time from your busy schedule to share yourself and your work with us at The G-Spot and giving us a little insight into your writing and the writing process! We’ll let you get back to writing those wonderful books you write! All the best!

Spotlight Interview with Erotic Author Liz Adams!

 

 

Bio: Liz Adams, author of erotic fairy tales such as Alice’s Sexual Discovery in a Wonderful Land and Amy “Red” Riding’s Hood lives in the San Francisco Bay Area, CA. Liz studied music and creative writing at UCLA and worked as a freelance model before making her writing her career. In her spare time she cuddles with her husband on the couch to watch her favorite shows.

The Interview:

GRACIE: I’m excited to have you here at The G-Spot, Liz! Please tell us a little about yourself (or a lot J) and how and when you got into writing?

LIZ: when I was 14, my girlfriend and I found a dirty newspaper in the bushes. She and I returned to her house and giggled over the pictures of naked women. But when she read aloud some of the letters of men's fantasies, more than just my face got hot! She was gracious enough to let me keep the paper. That is, I pulled it out of her trash can when she wasn't looking. When I think back on it, she made such a show of throwing it away, she was probably going to retrieve it from the trash herself after I left! Anyhow, I really wore that newspaper down as I read those letters over and over. I finally tried writing out my own fantasies when I was 16. About a year or two later, I sent one to Penthouse Forum and it was published! I was so excited, I decided to work hard at improving my writing so I took up creative writing in UCLA.

GRACIE: What was your first published book?

LIZ: Alice’s Sexual Discovery in a Wonderful Land was my first published book. I also put out an erotic version of Red Riding Hood and shared an erotic experience I had when I was in college in the anthology Campus Sexploits 3: Naughty Tales of Wild Girls in College. But both of those are short stories. Alice’s Sexual Discovery is my only full book, albeit a novella.

GRACIE: What do you know now about writing and the publishing industry that you wish you’d known before you started?

LIZ: In the writing business, especially in erotica, self-publishing is the way to go. I have two great book coaches, a husband and wife team. Beth and Ezra Barany have helped me so much with the process on how to get my books published without having to spend a ton of time or money. Beth helped me with getting connected to my readers, and Ezra did the cover art, book layout, and did his search engine optimization (SEO) magic to determine the best titles for my stories. Now the likelihood of readers stumbling upon my writing is much greater, thanks to the titles.

GRACIE: Please, give us a little story behind the story and what inspired your erotica novella Alice’s Sexual Discovery in a Wonderful Land.

LIZ: I was a kid when, at a neighbor's place, I saw a cartoon cover for a rated X video version of Alice. Being the curious girl I was, I got upset when my mother wouldn't let me watch it. I always wondered what was so forbidden about it and eventually did see it when I was older. The idea of making a better story stayed with me. So I started with an erotic version of Alice in Wonderland and went from there!

GRACIE: What do you think is Amy’s Achilles’ heel in Amy “Red” Riding’s Hood and how do you go about stomping it?

 

LIZ: I would say that the Achilles’ heel which Amy Riding – nicknamed “Red” for her red hair – has is a fear of wolves. Ever since she had a traumatic experience finding herself accidentally stuck in the middle between a mother wolf and its cub. Though she survived the moment, the growls of that wolf stayed with her. The trouble with having this fear is that she now loves a lycan named Sean. What will it be like seeing her beloved grow a snout? Will he ever wind up finishing what that mother wolf threatened to do years ago?

That’s her inner issue. The external issue is that she lives in a community that frowns upon human-lycan relationships. She’ll have to be strong to keep Sean as her boyfriend.

GRACIE: What do you think it is in Sean’s personality that makes him a perfect mate for Amy?

LIZ: I’d say it’s that Amy needs an alpha male. Someone who will stand up for her and her love in times when her parents and her community demand that she stop seeing him. That, and his wicked bulge. (wink)

GRACIE: Both Alice’s Sexual Discovery in a Wonderful Land and Amy “Red” Riding’s Hood are adult versions of two popular children stories and fairy tales. What was the appeal of revising these two specific stories with prerequisite erotic elements?

LIZ: I mentioned how my desire to write Alice came from wanting to write a better version than the rated X movie I saw. After publishing that, I wanted to write a short story. Something just 2,000 words or so. I flipped through a book of fairy tales and noticed Red Riding Hood was the shortest, so I chose that one. The result ended up being over 14,000 words, though, ha, ha. But to answer your real question of why fairy tales, there’s something about the visceral fear and excitement in fairy tales. The heart pounds, the breath quickens. There’s something about that moment when we can’t tell whether we’re afraid or excited that thrills me.

GRACIE: Of all the stories you’ve written, which is your favorite and why?

LIZ: That’s a hard one. I’ve only written three stories but still, I love them all. And the best part about writing erotica is that I get to edit it. In what other genre can you edit your own work and fully experience the pleasure of the story over and over again? My fingers sure get tired. If I had to choose, I’d say Amy “Red” Riding’s Hood because the story had the opportunity of building a true relationship among the characters. In Alice’s Sexual Discovery, Alice doesn’t stay long enough with any one character to build a relationship. So that was a harder story to write.

GRACIE: I know this is like asking a mother which is her favorite child, but which of your characters is your favorite and why?

LIZ: My favorite character is myself in Campus Sexploits 3: Naughty Tales of Wild Girls in College, the autobiographical telling of my experience in college. My heart pours out to that younger version of me.

 

 

GRACIE: What about your characters makes them unique?

LIZ: In my fairy tales, I think it’s that my characters live in a world where anything can happen. Something else stands out. As one reviewer said, all the characters in my stories come across as real people, not just fillers.

GRACIE: What is your favorite aspect of the writing process? Your least favorite?

LIZ: I love discovering what will happen in the story and can’t wait to reveal it to others. My least favorite aspect of writing is the waiting. When I send out the story to beta-readers and when I publish, I have to wait to see how the story is received by the public. Will they like it? Will they hate it? I get very antsy waiting.

GRACIE: Are you a pantser or do you outline?

LIZ: Unlike a lot of my fellow writers, I prefer to heavily outline the full story first. It’s the best way for me to make sure the story has a compelling plot and doesn’t ramble into nowhere.

GRACIE: If you weren’t a writer, what other profession would you have chosen to pursue?

LIZ: I’d still be a model. I was a freelance model for a short time after college, but now I get to do this wonderful job. I get to do a lot of wonderful research with my hubby. It keeps me on my toes (and on my knees!).

GRACIE: LOL! Who are some of your favorite authors and why? Name some of your favorite books and why they’re your favorites.

LIZ: I’m so impressed with Anne Rice’s erotic writing style. I absolutely adore her. I also love Poppy Z. Brite’s writing. No specific books stand out, though.

GRACIE: Wow, another Poppy Z. Brite fan! Cool. I love her work too, and I can see where you would like her sensual writing style. What are you working on now and what should readers be looking forward to from you in the future?

LIZ: I’ve fully outlined an erotic version of Goldilocks and the Three Bears where Goldie is a clever thief skilled at picking locks and is caught by three bearish men when they return home. The working title is Goldie’s Locks. I’ll also be coming out with a version of Alice Through the Looking Glass. Alice and her new boyfriend run into each other frequently in this version. Tweedle-Dee and Tweedle-Dum? They’re twin versions of her boyfriend. Can you imagine being taken by your boyfriend and your boyfriend’s clone?

GRACIE: Do you have a website and/or how can readers contact you?

LIZ: The best way to contact me is via Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/Liz.Adams.Author. I’d love to hear what my readers think!

GRACIE: Where and how can readers purchase and/or read samples of your work?

LIZ: The best place to go is to my author page on Amazon. (http://www.amazon.com/Liz-Adams/e/B007VXOXHU) Once there, choose the book you’d like to sample and download that taste onto your Kindle or Kindle app. Ready for the full load? You can get both stories of Alice and Red in my Adult Fairy Tale Erotica Bundle. (http://www.amazon.com/Erotica-Discovery-Wonderful-Ridings-ebook/dp/B009195DZI/)

GRACIE: What advice do you have for beginning writers?

LIZ: The trick is to finish your story. Turn off that inner editor and let yourself write an awful story. When you’re done, then you can edit. Your best editors, however, are your beta-readers. They’re your specific audience, they care about how it comes out, and best of all, they’re help is free. Ask them “What would I need to change to make this be a five-star book?” Then, incorporate their advice in your fiction.

GRACIE: Anything else about yourself or your writing you’d like to share with your readers?

LIZ: It’s been an honor being with you and for all you readers out there who read this far, thank you so much for your time. I truly appreciate it.

GRACIE:  Liz, thanks so much for taking time from your busy schedule to share yourself and your work with us at The G-Spot and giving us a little insight into your writing and the writing process! We’ll let you get back to writing those wonderful books you write! All the best!