LLC 2013 interview Cherry Adair

 

Interview with Cherry Adair, our first author for LLC 2013!

 

Hi, we are Aurian from Boeklogboek and Maia from www.boekenlijstjes.blogspot.com, and today we have best selling author Cherry Adair visiting us here in Utrecht, Holland.

Of course you want to know, what is LLC 2013? It is short for Autoren Love Letter Convention 2013, which takes place in Berlin, Germany, on May 25 and 26, 2013. Cherry Adair is one of the American romance authors attending. We had a blast this summer, so we immediately bought the tickets once they became available for next year’s convention.
 

Our first guest is Cherry Adair, author of numerous romantic suspense novels, which I have been reading for many years now. So the prospect of meeting Cherry in person is awesome. I especially loved her Wright brothers series, and the T-FLAC Black Rose trilogy, so I am very happy that the third book has recently been released. I do hope the mailperson will deliver it soon.
 

Aurian:      Welcome to Utrecht, the Netherlands, Cherry. Have some of your favourite Mocha Frappuccino and some Dutch cookies.

Cherry:      Mff- sorry I don't want to talk with my mouthful of these delicious cookies, warm from the oven. Yum. Thank you. And thank you for having me here, Aurian. I've always wanted to visit Holland, and this is a nice introduction, since I will be there in person, next May. I can't wait.

Maia:         Can you tell our readers who might not yet know you or your books, a little about yourself? Something that is not in your official bio (which is at the bottom of this post).

Cherry:      I’m pretty much an open book. I, apparently, have an accent, I have a passion for mentoring new and unpublished authors, I adore my Pips on Facebook, I’ve learned to embrace my notoriously atrocious math skill (I tend to give away 46 books out of 10 on Facebook when I’m doing giveaways to promote a new book) and my husband trains our two agility Standard Schnauzers, Chase and Storm, while I sneak them treats under my desk.

                  I can summarize what I write quickly <G> – Running-chasing-shooting-wild monkey sex- running-chasing-happy ending . . . Repeat.

LL Convention questions

Aurian:      Could you tell us why you are attending a convention in Berlin, Germany, Europe? Have you been there before? Or other places in Europe? Were you surprised at being invited to a convention this far away?

Cherry:      I was delighted to be invited, and the timing was serendipitous, since I was planning a trip to Europe at about the same time. I've always wanted to visit Germany and Holland, so this convention is a wonderful jumping off point, and the opportunity to meet German readers is so exciting for me.

Maia:         The convention is in Berlin, a beautiful city. Are you planning to do some sightseeing? In Berlin or even in the rest of Europe?

Cherry:      I will be sightseeing, and can't wait. I have to control myself so I don't start research what I want to see, and where I want to go, TOO early. I have books to write between now and then, and once I start researching a place, I want to be there right away. J (I must admit, I already have my clothes ready to pack. Lol)

 Aurian:    There's a lovely group of authors coming his year. Do you personally know any of the other authors present?

Cherry:      I know many of them, and am so looking forward to getting to know the others, but most of all I'm excited about meeting readers from around the world.

Maia:         The convention promo and books are in German. Will it be possible for you to bring some English books and/or swag?

Cherry:      Of course! I don't travel light anyway, so I intend to bring all sorts of fun goodies for readers. (I suspect – looking at the boxes of goodies in my office already – that I'll have to ship things to myself before I get on the plane!)

Book questions

Aurian:      I especially loved your stand alone novel Black Magic, even though I am terrified of snakes. Any chance of another book set in this world?

Cherry:      I HATE snakes, and writing that book scared the $#*& out of me! Lol I have several other books in mind for that series, but I'm so busy writing Cutter Cay, Lodestone and T-FLAC books, I'm not sure when I can schedule another <shudder> Snake book. lol

Maia:         Now that you have finished the Black Rose trilogy, what is next on your writing schedule?

Cherry:      A LODESTONE novel– RELENTLESS in March, A CUTTER CAY novel STORMCHASER in June, and a new T-FLAC book at the end of the year.

Aurian:      I also love your Cutter Cay series. Did you do much research into this world of treasure hunting and diving, or do you have a friend who tells you all you need to know? Is there such a place as Cutter Cay Island?

Cherry:      Alas, there is no such place as Cutter Cay, it lives only in our imaginations <g> I have several real treasure hunters from all over the world who are happy (or so they tell me (Lol) to answer all my questions. Sometimes they don't understand why I want to know certain things, but they are always willing to suspend disbelief and go into my imagination with me.

Personal questions:

Maia:        We both have enormous TBR mountain ranges, how big is yours? And what do you plan on reading next?

Cherry:      I have an enormous TBR pile! First, I buy books recommended to me, then I always buy 2 books of friends or authors I mentor, so that is a GIANT pile. Unfortunately, I hardly read for pleasure these days because I'm so crazy busy writing. Now my real TBR pile consists mostly of research books. I'd be a great person to have along if you ever get lost in the jungle, or your plane crashes in the desert or you want to know how long a certain poison takes to kill you. <g>!

 Aurian:      What would you be if you could not be an author?

Cherry:      I hate the idea of not writing. I love what I do so much. It makes me crazy sometimes, but I wouldn't want to do anything else. But if I wasn't a writer, I'd teach writing.

Aurian:      Who are some of your favourite authors? Do you still have the books you loved reading as a young girl?

Cherry:      I have thousands of books on my keeper shelves. I've kept almost all of my keepers over the years. The walls in my office have floor to ceiling bookshelves, and they are packed with thousands of books! I re-read many of them, and happily, most still hold up after all these years.

Aurian:      I can never part with my books either.

 And now for some fun quick questions:

Are you left-handed or right-handed?

I write with my right hand, but I can eat with both hands. Lol

What is your favourite movie, and which is the last one you saw in the theater?

It's hard to pick a favourite movie. I've loved everything from Monsters Inc.to Conair and of course, Gone With The Wind is right up there with my top picks. The last movie I saw was Skyfall. I enjoyed it, but I still don't see Daniel Craig as James Bond!

Are you a morning person or a night owl?

I love to write and seem to be more creative late at night. And when on deadline (and I always seem to be on deadline lol) I’m tend to write until 4 or 5 in the morning, than take a nap while the rest of the world goes on about their day. My dogs enjoy my schedule and sleep under my desk while I write, then wake up to follow me upstairs so they can sleep at the foot of the bed. I have a husband whom I see on occasion. lol

What famous author, dead or alive or undead, would you love to meet and why?

I’ve met all the author’s I’ve ever wanted to meet who are alive. I have no desire to meet or converse with long dead authors – no matter how lovely or talent they were. I have a hard enough time carving out social time as it is without bringing Shakespeare or Charlotte into the mix.

 

************************

 

Always an adventurer in life as well as writing, best-selling author Cherry Adair moved halfway across the globe from Cape Town, South Africa to the United States.
She settled in beautiful San Francisco, where she started what eventually became a thriving interior design business. "I loved being a designer because it was varied and creative, and I enjoyed working with the public." A voracious reader when she was able to carve out the time, Cherry found her brain crowded with characters and stories of her own. "Eventually," she says, "the stories demanded to be told."

Cherry writes five to seven hours a day, six days a week. When asked why she chooses to write romantic suspense, she says, "Who says you can't have adventure and a great love life? Of course if you’re talking about an adventurous love life, that's another thing altogether. Actually I write romantic suspense with adventure because I like to entertain and nothing keeps readers happier than a rapid pulse with a happy ending."

Popular on the workshop circuit, Cherry gives lively classes on writing and the writing life. Pulling no punches when asked how to become a published writer, Cherry insists, "Sit your butt in the chair and write. There's no magic to it. Writing is hard work. It isn't for sissies or whiners."

Their dream house finally complete, Cherry loves to spend time at home. A corner desk keeps her focused on writing, but the windows behind her, with a panoramic view of the front gardens, are always calling her to come outside and play. Her new office has nine-foot ceilings, a fireplace, a television and built-in bookcases that will house approximately 3,500 paperback books. "What can I say? My keeper shelf has been breeding in the middle of the night, rather like dryclean wire clothes hangers."
Because she loves to entertain friends and family, Cherry’s favorite part of the house is her Tuscan kitchen, which features large terracotta tiles on both the floor and counter, and glossy cobalt blue tiles on the center island accented with a gorgeous hand painted tile mural over the stove.

Now that the inside of the house is completed, Cherry has turned her attention to the garden. She loves flowers, and everything in her garden has to do double duty. "If I can't see it, smell it or cover something over with it, it simply must go." Especially since the lake and view of snowcapped Mount Rainer is always in view.

Her other passions include laughing with David, reading, Ben & Jerry's Fudge Brownie ice cream, and her daily Starbucks Mocha Frappuccino. "Now if I could just get the two of them together and make Fudge Mocha Frappuccino ice cream, we'd really be in business."

Where to find Cherry?

website: http://cherryadair.com/home

twitter:  https://twitter.com/CherryAdair @CherryAdair
facebook: http://www.facebook.com/cherry.adair.7

Cherry’s latest book is Ice Cold, the third in her T-FLAC Black Rose Trilogy. You can find a beautiful book trailer on YouTube here:

YouTube video of Ice Cold -  http://bit.ly/SvUvI7

gelezen in november

De maand december is al weer aangebroken. Ik heb afgelopen maand niet zoveel gelezen. In totaal drie romans en drie novella's.

Van Jennifer Ashley heb ik een kort verhaal in de anthology Stroke of midnight gelezen. Het verhaal Born of the night is en lief historisch verhaal over een man vervloekt om als weerwolf rond te lopen bij volle maan en een dochter van zijn vijand, de oorzaak van de vloek.

Van Lara Adrian las ik Taste of midnight, een kort verhaal uit de Midnight Breed serie. Niet de beste, heldin is een beetje TSTL. Binnenkort krijg ik eindelijk Darker after midnight binnen. Dan ben ik helemaal bij met de serie.

Als tussendoortje las ik nog een kort verhaal van Maya Banks: Exiled uit de Cherished anthology

  

Een boek dat ik heel snel uit had, was Thea Harrison's Lord's Fall. Het vijfde deel in een geweldige serie. Dragos en Pia zijn een geweldig stel! Achterin het boek zat een voorstukje van een nieuwe serie. Daar schrok ik even van. Was dit het laatste boek? Gelukkig kon Aurian me geruststellen, de serie gaat door, Yay!

Via audioboek heb ik Beast van Judith Ivory 'gelezen'. Een verhaal over een rijke Amerikaanse erfgename en een rijke Franse adelijke parfumier. Het boek was charmant. Hoewel de heldin een stuk jonger was dan de held, was ze heel volwassen. Het verhaal had onverwachte wendingen en ik heb aardig wat geleerd over amber (van de walvis, niet de steen).

 

Als laatste had ik eindelijk tijd om de laatste J.D. Robb te lezen, Delusion in death. Geweldig verhaal. Spannend. Dit keer heel veel doden. Eve was super slim bezig. Het blijft een geweldige serie!

blij, blij, blij een maandstapel boekjes erbij

De afgelopen maand heb ik nog wat boekjes gekocht

Via marktplaats deze:
 

Ashley, Jennifer	Born of the night
Balogh, Mary	Simply Magic	Simply	3
Anthology	Stroke of Midnight
Chapman, Janet	A highlander Christmas	Highlanders	7
Dodd, Christina	Storm of visions	Chosen ones	1
Dodd, Christina	Chains of ice	Chosen ones	3
Dodd, Christina	Move heaven and earth
Handeland, Lori	Red moon rising
Howard,  Linda	Cry no more
Kenyon, Sherrilyn	Winter Born
Lowell, Elizabeth	Innocent as sin	St. Kilda	3
Lowell, Elizabeth	Blue smoke and murder	St. Kilda	4
Lowell, Elizabeth	Death echo	St. Kilda	5
Phillips, Susan Elizabeth	Breathing room

Via the Book Depository deze:
 

Adair, Cherry	Kiss and tell	T-FLAC - Wright family	2,1
Adair, Cherry	Hide and seek	T-FLAC - Wright family	3,2
Adair, Cherry	Out of sight	T-FLAC - Wright family	5,4
Adair, Cherry	On thin ice	T-FLAC - Wright family	6,5
Adair, Cherry	Night fall	T-FLAC - Bodyguard	13,1
Adair, Cherry	Night shadow	T-FLAC - Bodyguard	15,3

Een mooi stapeltje. De boekenkast is weer helemaal bijgewerkt. Nu nog wat meer lezen.....

blij blij blij veel boekjes erbij!

De afgelopen twee weken heb ik een behoorlijke stapel boeken erbij gekregen.

Via The Book Depository

Dodd, Christina

Chosen ones

5

Wilder

Via marktplaats (dankzij Aurian, die is goed in zoeken  ;-) )

Anthology	Stroke of midnight
Alexander, Victoria	Effington	4	The prince's bride
Alexander, Victoria	Effington	6	Love with the proper husband
Alexander, Victoria	Effington	7	The lady in question
Balogh, Mary	Simply	3	Simply Magic
Chapman, Janet	Highlanders	7	A highlander Christmas
Dodd, Christina	Move heaven and earth
Enoch, Suzanne	Griffin family	1	Sin and sensibility
Enoch, Suzanne	Lessons in love	1	The rake
Enoch, Suzanne	Lessons in love	2	Englands perfect hero
Enoch, Suzanne	Samantha Jellicoe	3	Billionaires prefer blondes
Enoch, Suzanne	With this ring	1	Reforming a rake
Feehan, Christine	Dark	2	Dark Desire
Garwood, Julie	Clayborne	1	For the roses
Garwood, Julie	Clayborne	5	Come the spring
Garwood, Julie	marriage	2	The wedding
Heyer, Georgette	Frederica
Rose, Karen	You belong to me
Rose, Karen	Silent scream
Rose, Karen	Nothing to fear

Al met al een mooie oogst aan boeken, dit najaar. Nu heb ik nog een probleempje. Alles moet ook in de boekenkast. Ik sorteer op auteur en en dan op serie. En ik heb de afgelopen maanden een goede hoeveelheid boeken bijgekocht:

Dat wordt weer een werkje.....
;-)

Interview met Jean Johnson

Aurian (boeklogboek) en ik hebben ons tweede interview gehouden! Deze keer met Jean Johnson, schrijfster van onder anderen de Sons of Destiny serie en recentelijk de Theirs is not to reason why serie. Het is weer in het Engels, en is hieronder toegevoegd.

Hi, we are Aurian from Boeklogboek and Maia from Boekenlijstjes, and today we have the awesome Jean Johnson visiting us here in Utrecht, Holland.

Aurian:       I have first read her Sons of Destiny series, a great fantasy romance series, a few years ago. 8 brothers, 4 sets of twins, all strong mages with different magical powers who find their bride. I loved it. After that, I read her shifter series, which I enjoy, and recently I fell head over heals in love with her psychic military sci-fi series Theirs not to reason why, of which there are now two books published, A soldier’s duty and An officer’s duty.

Maia:          Most of the times when Aurian is very enthusiastic about a book, she makes me try it (she just won’t quit nagging me otherwise ;-) ) . And as I have also read and enjoyed the Sons of Destiny series, I wanted to give this series a try as well. I do like some sci-fi now and then, even though this series doesn’t really have romance in it.

                  Jean Johnson lives in the U.S. near the city of Seattle and has written over a dozen novels and single-author anthologies, with more to come.  Most of her books have been bestsellers, including a New York Times Bestseller and a nomination for the Philip K Dick Award, and a few have been translated into German.

Aurian:       Hi Jean, welcome to Utrecht, we hope you will enjoy your stay here.

Maia:          Would you like tea or coffee or perhaps some hot chocolate with some Dutch chocolates?

Jean:           Definitely the chocolate, thank you.  I might live near Seattle, the so-called Espresso Capital, but I cannot stand coffee, so I’ll take chocolate any day.

Maia:          Can you tell our readers who might not yet know you or your books, a little about yourself?

Jean:           Well, I’ve always wanted to be a writer.  I started when I was around 8 or 9 years old just for fun, but really began focusing on making it my career when I was 15.  Of course it took me 20 years after that to actually land a publishing contract.  That was when my fanfic writings were noticed by an editor at a major publishing house.  She works for Berkley, part of The Berkley Group under Penguin, in their women’s literature department, which handles romance among other things...so that’s where I got my start.

                  However, romance isn’t the only thing I’ve been writing for the last 20-plus years.  I also write straightforward fantasy plots, science fiction, and as you ladies have read for yourself, I have also written kick-butt military scifi.  Even the romance I write is either going to be science fiction romance, or fantasy/paranormal romance.  To me, hopping across genres isn’t a problem.  I know how to write in all three categories, because I love to read in all three.  I approach my writing from the viewpoint of a fellow reader, and try to write what I myself would want to read.

Aurian:       When I posted my review of A Soldier’s Duty, you commented on it, and I was very happy with that. You mentioned: “Ia's tale is a story I've been wanting to tell for about 20 years now, so I'm very glad my writing is finally capable of handling the scope of it...at least, I hope it is. I'll try!”

                  Have you been writing bits and pieces of it all this time, or did you just sit down one day and started writing?

Jean:           Most of the novels that are currently out are first draft novels.  I sat down, wrote them out, did a little bit of editing while I wrote them, but when I typed “The End” at the end—which you’re supposed to do to let the publisher know it’s a finished manuscript—that was it.  The only changes after that have been minor.  With this series, I started writing it back in high school, back when my writing was...well, to be honest, it was crap.  It had potential, but it was still manure being composted, and not yet ready to grow a rosebush.  So this series has undergone several draft attempts.

                  I’ve also changed the way how I work on a story over the years.  Before, I’d write a scene here, a scene there, and not always chronologically as the book is read from page one to page 300 or whatever.  These days, I tend to write chronologically as it’s meant to be read.  So while I’ve incorporated many of the bits and pieces in the Theirs Not series from its earlier versions, some of it did change substantially when I sat down to write the final drafts.

Maia:          How long did it take you to write the book? And is this average for you?

Jean:           It varies from book to book, but in general, I spend about 3 to 4 months writing, three weeks to a month on beta-editing, and then hand a polished draft in to my editor, Cindy.  She has told me she really appreciates how clean my manuscripts are, compared to the majority.  They’re not perfect and we’ve had to edit some scenes out and insert others along the way, plus continuity errors and so forth, but I and my beta-ladies try to make the final version look good.

                  The last book in this series has taken me a lot longer than 4 months, but that was due to some health problems in the background.  Thankfully, it has a deadline that is a lot more flexible than my others, but that does mean I’m having to work on it in between working on the less flexible manuscripts.  Ace, which is the sister company to Berkley in the Berkley Group and is the house that handles the science fiction and fantasy publications, has also asked me to come up with a new series to publish, preferably one they can print at the same time as the last two in the Theirs Not series, set in the same scifi universe.  I’m not quite sure where I’ll squeeze them into the schedule just yet, as I’m contracted to write 4 fantasy romances for the next year and a half, but I’m going to try.

Aurian:       I’ve seen on your website that there will be at least two more books. How many books will there be in this series? Will it always be Ia’s story, or also what happens in the next 300 years, until the enemy Ia has foreseen is defeated?

Jean:           There will be 4 books in Ia’s story, Theirs Not To Reason Why:  An Officer’s Duty, A Soldier’s Duty, HELLFIRE, and DAMNATION.  The last one will be thicker than the others, but there’s a lot of story to cram in there before the series is done.  After that, I’m hoping to land a contract for the three book series that follows the events of what happen 300 years down the road, when the galaxy is invaded by the big bad guys Ia’s been warning everyone about.  I’ve labeled that trilogy the Jack series—it follows the main character, Jack, obviously—and it is not predominantly military science fiction.  But I won’t be working on rewriting the old drafts I have of that one for several more years.  The series which Ace is currently interested in, another trilogy, actually takes place 200 years before Ia’s time, and details the Terrans first meeting up with the rest of the known galaxy, and the details of the First Salik War, as opposed to the Second Salik War.

Maia:          Could you tell us some more about the Fire Girl Prophesy? In An officer’s duty Ia states that she isn’t the source, then who or what is? When will the prophesy come to pass?

Jean:           Heheh, that’s a spoiler.  That’s a very big multi-series spoiler.  There is a small clue in the first book that hints at where the source of the Fire Girl Prophecy comes from...but I am planning on a book or a series regarding what happens when that prophecy starts coming true, which will be about 200 years after Ia’s time.  Plus, more of that same prophecy and its underlying causes and needs is very pertinent to the events in the Jack series a hundred years after the Fire Girl events take place.

                  Because of all these things, I cannot at this time reveal exactly what is going on.  I myself know because I’ve been working on the interweaving of all these plots for over 20 years by now, but alas, the rest of you will just have to wait for me to actually write the final, finished manuscripts and get them published.

Aurian        Do you already have plans for a new series or stand alone book, or are you concentrating on the Shifters and Theirs not to reason why series for now?

Jean:           As I mentioned, Ace is interested in a sort of prequel series to Theirs Not, and there’s the Jack series, the Fire Girl series—for lack of a better name for it, since I haven’t come up with an official one.  At this moment, I am also finishing up the writing for my next fantasy romance novel, The Tower, which is the first in my new 8 book Guardians of Destiny series.

                  The first four are under contract, my editor knows and likes the plots for all 8, and while it won’t be quite as closely interconnected as the Sons of Destiny series was, it will be set in the same world, the plots will all interweve, and you will get cameo appearances from the Corvis brothers and their wives.  The biggest difference in this series is that the eight Guardians are not related by blood, though they are by occupation and communication.  There is another point which ties them all together, but it’s a major plot point that builds toward the climax of the series, which would spoiler everyone, so I cannot discuss it at this time.  I will say this much:  when you destroy something and walk off into the sunset, the pieces you leave behind still need to be cleaned up, and this series covers that cleanup.  I think everyone will enjoy the meat of the fantasy plots, as well as the sweet of the romance stuff.  Or at least, I hope you will.

  

Maia:          Do your books need to be read in order, or can people jump in anywhere? Both Aurian and myself prefer reading books in order, but we know other people who just grab a book and start reading.

Jean:           The Sons of Destiny series can be read in any order except the last book, The Mage, which is the conclusion of the series.  It’s better to read them in order, but I made sure someone picking up one of the first seven wouldn’t be completely lost.  The Shifter series, the two books are related, but they’re also designed to stand alone, so you can read them in either order.  The Shifter does spoiler you that the main characters in Shifting Plains do end up living Happily Ever After, but c’mon, that’s an obvious thing for a romance novel.  The journey of how they get to that Happily Ever After ending isn’t spoilered by the second book.

                  Theirs Not To Reason Why, however, really should be read chronologically in the order they’re being released.  You won’t be completely lost if you pick them up out of order, but each book builds up to the next, which in turn builds up toward the following book.  It is one woman’s story as she progresses through her journey toward her goal.  On the plus side, when I do release the Jack novels and the First Salik War, and so forth those will be able to stand on their own as a series, though they, too, should be read in the correct order internally—for instance the Jack series should be read Jack, Jack’s Battle, Jack’s War, in that order, but you don’t have to read all four books of Theirs Not To Reason Why first.  Unless you want to, of course.

Maia:          We both have enormous TBR mountain ranges, how big is yours? And what do you plan on reading next.

Jean:          Alas, my To Be Read mountain is not the same size and shape as most others’, since most of what I need to read are research things.  I have a stack of Science News magazines to wade through, some military tactical maneuvers books, so on and so forth.  I do a lot of research for the background of my books, to flesh them out and make them feel more real.  This doesn’t leave a lot of time for leisure reading.

                  I do, however, have a stack of movie dvds waiting to be watched!  Cowboys and Aliens is on the list, Tron: Legacy, Battle: Los Angeles—which has been praised by other military scifi writers, so I’ll probably watch that one as soon as I’m done with The Tower, so it’ll get me into the mood for DAMNATION.  Also X-Men: First Class.  I haven’t seen all the movies I’ve wanted to in theaters, so I’ve been adding to my To Be Watched pile.  But like leisure reading, I don’t have as much time for it as I’d like—though I did make time to go see the Marvel’s The Avengers movie twice in the theater.

Aurian:       Would you come to an author’s convention in Europe, and if so, are there some plans in progress already?

Jean:           Yes, I actually have bought my membership to Loncon 3, which is the WorldCon that will be held in 2014 in London, UK (World Science Fiction Convention).  This last one was held in Chicago, Illinois, and 2013 will be in San Antonio, Texas.  Overseas travel is expensive, so anything that makes it a business expense makes it slightly cheaper when tax credit time comes around.

Maia:          What would you be if you could not be an author?

Jean:           ...I’m sorry, I don’t understand the question.

                  Okay, okay...even though that really is my reply, because this is my absolute dream job...I’d probably would have been a singer of some sort.  I’ve been singing, storytelling, and entertaining in public venues for at least 25 years now.

Aurian:       What are some of your favourite authors? Do you still have the books you loved reading as a young girl?

Jean:           Way too many to count, but among the big ones are Alan Dean Foster (with some very dog-eared old copies I’ve had forever), Mercedes Lackey, Robert Asprin, Deborah Simmons...I’d better stop there or I’ll be stuck on this question all day.

And now for some short and fun questions:

Are you lefthanded or righthanded?

                  Righthanded.

What is your favourite movie, and which is the last one you saw in the theater?

                  Marvel’s The Avengers in the theater, and too many favorites to count.

What is your favourite flavour of icecream?

                   Several different varieties with chocolate in it.

Are you a morning person or a night owl?

                  Night owl, definitely.  My body just naturally wants to stay up all night and sleep through that dreaded 7-letter word “morning.”

What paranormal creature would you like to be?

                   It’s a toss-up between a mage spellcaster type and a shapeshifter.  It all depends; if the mage can cast spells to change shape, then definitely the mage, and if not, then if the shapeshifter can take on several forms—cat, bird, that sort of thing—then the shapeshifter.

What famous author, dead or alive or undead, would you love to meet and why?

                   Already did, and his name is Alan Dean Foster.  He was the first author who I noticed was popular in two separate genres, fantasy, and science fiction.  I figured if he could make that work, I could make that work...and since I’m a bestseller in both science fiction and romance, I think I’m achieving that goal nicely.  I just need a few more scifi novels out there for everyone to enjoy.  As for meeting him, I got to be on 3 panels with him back in 2011 at a convention.  The hardest part was acting calm and professional instead of squeeing and acting like a dork in his presence.  For the record, he’s a very nice guy.