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 WITH BERENGARIA BROWN!

Author Bio: Berengaria Brown is an award-winning, best-selling, multi-published author of erotic romance with over one hundred published digital, print, and audio books.  She writes contemporary, paranormal (magic, ghosts, vampires, fairies, dragons, and werewolves), futuristic, medieval, and Regency-set historical. She loves to read all different kinds of romance so that is what she writes: MMF, MFM, FMMM, FFM, MM, FF, and MF. Whatever the characters need for their very hot happily-ever-after, Berengaria makes sure they get it.

The Interview:

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

BERENGARIA: Hi Gracie. Thank you for inviting me to visit with you today. I’ve always loved to read. One day I had no new books to read and didn’t feel like rereading any of my old favorites so I began to write a book myself. When it was finished, I still didn’t have anything new to read so I wrote another one, and another one, and…. the rest, as they say, is history.

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?

BERENGARIA: I write all different genres because that’s what I read. Anything from sweet to very kinky and everywhere in between. My dad had to watch me when I was very small and my mom was ill, so he taught me to read. I credit him with giving me my love for books.

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

BERENGARIA: I wrote three books one after the other and sent each one to a different publisher. All three were accepted and all three were published quite quickly one after the other. But the very first one was “Intensity” which released from Siren in April 2010.

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

BERENGARIA: I did a lot of research before I sent off those first three books, so there were no big surprises. But I guess I never stopped to think how difficult it would be to find appropriate names for characters after I’d written quite a few books. All the “best” names have already been used.

GRACIE: Please, give us a little story behind the story and what inspired your Siren Publishing, Menage Amour series, Possessive Passions.

BERENGARIA: I wanted a world where ménages would be reasonable and logical. There have been cultures in the past where all the brothers in a family shared the one woman, so I started thinking what if. What if one of those cultures had moved to America many years ago, but they’d had to hide from everyday life to continue their cultural traditions. What if the men still choose their woman like that and treat her as their treasured possession. What if they chose a woman not from their culture and brought her to their hidden community.

GRACIE: In Possess Me, what do you think is Shiloah’s Achilles’ heel and how do you go about stomping it?

BERENGARIA: Shiloah’s two fathers were murdered in the outside world for sharing Shiloah’s mama. Shiloah falls in love with Goa and Stan, but they live outside on a farm. Shiloah can’t leave her mama alone but she can’t expect her to leave the safety of the hidden community either. So Shiloah has to work out what to do. Her mama or her men. Or maybe….

GRACIE: Aside from the fact that Connor and Patrick have just saved Phoebe’s life in Flash Flood and she shares one of the most memorable and fulfilling nights of sex with the two men, what makes Phoebe a perfect match for Connor and Patrick and vice versa?

BERENGARIA: Phoebe loves to work out mental puzzles and there are things about the men which don’t quite sit right with Fi. Oh, they’re kind and helpful and very sexy, but there’s something about them that she doesn’t understand and she’s not going to rest until she’s figured it out. Connor and Patrick learn that they can trust Fi and share their story with her.

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

BERENGARIA: The “Elinor’s Stronghold” series. These are medieval-set historical ménage romances which were a lot of work to research, but the characters just gripped me and wouldn’t let go. Besides, what’s not to like about half-naked warriors with big swords?

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

BERENGARIA: Okay, this will be right out of left field, but two very minor characters. Deborah is nine and the youngest child in the Arnott family whose stories are in the “Virgins No More” series. She’s very clever and always thinking of new ideas, some of which have entertaining consequences for the adult members of her family.

Ava is only six. Her father was killed when their village was attacked in the Elinor’s Stronghold series. She has courage far beyond her years, and her tiny, frail body, and plays a part in “Restoring Garnet’s Heart”.

GRACIE: In general, what about your characters makes them unique?

BERENGARIA: They are all different. Each one has his or her own quirks, beliefs, problems, weaknesses, and strengths. However all my heroines are strong on the inside, even if it takes a perceptive man to realize this.

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

BERENGARIA: Favorite: When the book is almost finished and I finally understand how everything is going to come together. Least favorite: Sitting down, concentrating, and getting from the excitement of the beginning to the resolution of the end.

GRACIE: Are you a pantser or do you outline?

BERENGARIA: A mixture. I don’t start writing until I have the characters clear in my mind with a beginning, an end, and a few points I want to make along the way. How I get there is pure pantsing. Things happen that I never expect and often new secondary characters just turn up and start talking to me.

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

BERENGARIA: I want to be the mistress of a 90-year-old billionaire.

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

BERENGARIA: Georgette Heyer introduced me to historical romance and she’s a long-time favorite author. I love Anny Cook’s Mystic Valley books. Edith Pargeter’s Brother Cadfael books are also firm favorites of mine. But basically I just love to read.

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

BERENGARIA: I’ve just sold a new MM series, “The Paint Store Boys”. It’s a series of four books about men who buy a paint store.

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

BERENGARIA: My blog: http://berengariasblog.blogspot.com/

My website: http://berengariabrown.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/berengaria.brown?v=info

Twitter: https://twitter.com/BerengariaBrown

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

BERENGARIA: Bookstrand: http://www.bookstrand.com/berengaria-brown

All Romance ebooks: http://www.allromanceebooks.com/storeSearch.html?searchBy=author&qString=Berengaria+Brown

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Berengaria-Brown/e/B00541R3YQ/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1403658211&sr=1-1

GRACIE: What advice do you have for beginning writers?

BERENGARIA: Keep reading, keep writing, keep perfecting your craft. Never give up.

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

BERENGARIA: I love to hear from readers. Please drop by and say hi.

GRACIE: Berengaria, 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!

BERENGARIA: Thank you for letting me visit with y’all today.

Spotlight Interview with Award-Winning Paranormal Romance Author STEPHANIE BURKHART!

Author Bio: After spending 11 years in the US Army, 7 overseas in Germany, Stephanie Burkhart found a home in Castaic, CA and is now a 911 dispatcher for LAPD. She loves Andes Chocolate, Starbucks coffee and is "Mom's" taxi service for her boys. She's been writing stories since was six. You can find her on the web at:

Website: http://www.stephanieburkhart.com

Blog: http://sgcardin.blogspot.com
Twitter:
http://twitter.com/StephBurkhart
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/StephanieBurkhartAuthor
Good Reads:
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4031660.Stephanie_Burkhart

The Interview:

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

STEPHANIE: My gosh, I remember watching a kid's show in the 1970's called "The Electric Company" and my favorite was the Spiderman skit. I'd finish watching then go to the kitchen table and draw comic books about the Spiderman episodes.

Growing up as a teenager, I loved reading Claremont's "X-Men," and the Wolfman/Perez "Teen Titans." I also discovered Victoria Holt and fell in love with gothic romance. My early attempts at comic books grew into short stories and then into novels. My love for Holt's gothic romance evolved into a love for paranormal romance.

GRACIE: Wow, we followed a similar path <g>. “The Electric Company” was one of my favorite shows too (“Hey you guuuuuuys!”, LOL). 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?

STEPHANIE: I'd have to say the one person who inspired my writing is Dina Hickman. She believed in me early on, always offering an encouraging word. She was never critical – always constructive.

I write in the romance and children's genres. I kind of "lucked" into children's writing. I wrote a couple of plays for my church's Sunday preschool and Vivian at 4RV Publishing offered to publish them. As for my romance writing, I wanted to write in that genre since discovering Victoria Holt.

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

STEPHANIE: My first published book is a paranormal romance with Desert Breeze Publishing, “The Hungarian”. Werewolves and witches haunt the streets of Budapest at the turn of the 20^th Century. I self-published a couple of books before that one, but I've taken them down to retool them a bit.

 

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

STEPHANIE: Be patient. We're so used to "instant gratification" in our modern society, but it takes time to write a functional first draft, edit, publish then market the book.

GRACIE: Good point and very true. Please, give us a little story behind the story and what inspired your paranormal romance series Moldavian Moon.

STEPHANIE: The Moldavian Moon series is set in the Romanian principalities of Moldavia, Wallachia, Carpathia, and Transylvania. Mind you, I take fictional liberties with the story and Romanian unification.

I originally wrote book 2, “Twilight Over Moldavia”, first. It was intended to be a fairytale in reverse, in that the princess had to kiss the hero to save him. There was the gothic castle and an evil curse. Only Caroline could save Stefan. Once I wrote it, I was left with the question: How did Stefan become cursed? "The Wolf's Torment" is that story. It won GOLD in the 2012 Reader's Favorite Contest in Fiction: Supernatural.

 

GRACIE: In “The Hungarian” (Budapest Moon Book One), what do you think it is in Katherine Archibald’s character that makes her the perfect match for Hungarian Count, Matthias Dumas and vice versa?

STEPHANIE: What makes Katherine perfect for Matthias? She harbors the same romantic heart Matthias does. Matthias is moody to the bone, but he believes in classic old-fashioned romance. He loves to give flowers and observe the stars. These are extremely personal gestures to him; he doesn't make them lightly. Katherine appreciates his attempts.

What makes Matthias perfect for Katherine? He's not afraid to let her find her passions, be it books or traveling. He shares in her delights, embracing them.

 

GRACIE: In “The Count’s Lair” (Budapest Moon, Book Two), what do you think is Count Anton Vargas’ Achilles’ heel and how do you go about stomping it?

 

STEPHANIE: Count Varga's Achilles' heel is his insecurity when it comes to family. His family and brother treated him poorly. They died and left him with practically nothing. He had to rebuild his life and he didn't have a good, solid role models to emulate. When the Martins and Amelia come into his life, he's offered a second chance at having a family and he's determined to do it right. It's a scary endeavor for him because his concept of family is a bit skewered.

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

 

STEPHANIE: My favorite story? That's a tough one. I love them all for the different opportunities they've afforded me. If anything, I love my steampunk romances, “Victorian Scoundrel” and “A Gentleman and a Rogue”. The Windsors are hoot to write. The series is a bit more light- hearted than my paranormals.

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

STEPHANIE: Yikes, this one is just as hard. Edmund and Alice Windsor from the “Windsor Diaries” are two of my favorites.

GRACIE: What about your characters makes them unique?

STEPHANIE: Despite the paranormal or fantastical elements, my characters are very human.

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

STEPHANIE: My favorite aspect is writing the beginning. The creative juices are really flowing. My least favorite is writing the middle. The juices have waned a little and I must concentrate to stay on course.

GRACIE: Are you a pantser or do you outline?

STEPHANIE: I outline the first 3 chapters and go from there.

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

STEPHANIE: A 911 dispatcher! I like helping people.

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

STEPHANIE: My favorite authors include: Victoria Holt, the original VC Andrews, Anne Rice, George RR Martin, and JK Rowling. I love their books because they allow their imaginations to soar while keeping their characters very human.

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

STEPHANIE:  I'm working on book 3 in the Moldavian Moon series, "Sunrise Over Brasov." I'm telling Michael and Rosa's story.

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

STEPHANIE:

WEBSITE:

http://www.stephanieburkhart.com
TWITTER:
http://twitter.com/StephBurkhart
FACEBOOK:
https://www.facebook.com/StephanieBurkhartAuthor
GOOD READS:
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4031660.Stephanie_Burkhart
YOU TUBE CHANNEL:
http://www.youtube.com/user/botrina?feature=mhee
PINTEREST:
http://pinterest.com/sgburkhart

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

STEPHANIE: My Amazon Author Page has a comprehensive list of my stories. http://www.amazon.com/Stephanie-Burkhart/e/B003R00R5I/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1355892458&sr=1-2-ent

GRACIE: What advice do you have for beginning writers?

STEPHANIE: Don't rush.

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

STEPHANIE: Here's a nifty little fact: I was married in Denmark in 1991. My marriage certificate is in 5 different languages. Can you guess which ones?

GRACIE: I’m not even going to try and take a shot, but if my readers would like to, they’re welcome, LOL.

Stephanie, 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!