Welcome fellow Wild Rose Press author, Kathleen Lash!

I love writing for The Wild Rose Press and love meeting my fellow authors there - this is the first time my path has crossed with Kathleen Lash, so I am so glad to welcome her here. So welcome, Kathleen! Looking forward to hearing more about you and your work...

1) Did you set any goals for 2011?

I hope to have three books come out in 2011. One is already slated for March, one in June and keep your fingers crossed with number three.

2) What is the best part of the writing process for you?

I love writing dialogue. Most of the time, what my characters are thinking or showing with actions doesn’t coincide with what comes out of their mouths. I also love stacking the odds against them and giving them a challenge. Real life isn’t easy. The moments of greatest peril, struggle and strife are typically what defines us as humans. I believe it should also be that way in books.

3) The worst part?

Details such as what the characters are wearing, hairstyles and things like that come later. I’m always adding that type of thing on my last go-through before sending it to an editor.

4) What is the book you wish you’d written?

Well, I love horror, you know, those page turners that you read late into the night? I wish I had more of a flare for writing really scary books.

5) Favourite author/s & book/s?

I can’t even begin to name just a few. With the boom of e-books, I have the opportunity to read so many talented authors. I love the e-book market and discovering new authors to read and follow.

6)

Tell us about your latest release?

Whisper from The Wild Rose Press is scheduled for release March 11^th. I originally wrote this book twenty years ago and revamped it for submission. I love the story. It hits home for a number of reasons. We’ve always had a houseful of kids. Many of them these last ten years. As my sons grew, my youngest always befriended those boys who’d gotten kicked out of their home, or their mom went to prison, or dad married a new woman and couldn’t have a nineteen year old from a previous marriage in the house. Whisper is about taking in strays.

7) Tease us with a blurb/short except

After an accident at work, Keith returns home to heal. What he finds is the soft spoken woman who lives across the street, running his household and caring for his brothers. When Whisper looks after him too, Keith finds it impossible to think about her anywhere but in his home. He believes he’s found the one thing missing in his life—someone for him.

That changes when he learns Whisper isn’t her real name. She doesn’t work at a computer company. Her sister is, in fact, her sister-in-law and Whisper’s being hunted by an ex-husband, private investigators and Federal agents. Common sense tells him to protect his brothers, turn his back, and forget about the woman who lives a lie. Every instinct screams for him to hold on and keep her safe.

8) What is your favourite attribute of the hero and heroine?

Keith is a typical blue collar worker who rolls up his sleeves, does what he has to and doesn’t concern himself with the sacrifices he makes in his life. He always has room for a kid who needs a hand.

Whisper lives a lie but can’t hide who she really is. I love her quiet, loving nature and her ability to sacrifice any and everything for the people she loves.

9) What’s next?

I’m working on a short erotic story and then off to revise another spicy contemporary about a doctor and a construction worker. Oh, and I have a sci-fi erotic series I continue to work on.

10) Tell me where you write?

I have an office which is cozy, organized, clean and has my framed book covers on the walls to remind me I need to keep writing.

11) Where would you like your career to be in 5 years?

In five years I’d like to have more published works and feel more confident in my abilities.

12) Where can we find you?

You can friend me on facebook - Kathleen Lash. Or you can visit my website at www.kathleenlash.com. My e-mail address is kathleenlash1@gmail.com.

Rachel, it’s been wonderful. Thanks so much for taking time to have me as a guest on your blog.

You're welcome and it's been great having you here! Love your covers, by the way. Who is the artist? I am obsessed with covers! ; )

Over to you guys for comments & questions...

Joselyn Vaughn is here with me today...talking Hot Rods! ; )

Hi Joselyn! You are another Astraea Press author who seems very happy to be working with this clearly wonderful new publisher. Can you tell us a little about them? I understand that their books/stories all lean toward the 'sweet' genre of romance, is that right?

Okay, on with the interview!

1) Who is your favourite author and why?

Do I have to choose just one? My favorite romance author is Julia Quinn. I love how she gives her characters quirks and memorable habits. Colin is always eating and the young lady who draws rabid squirrels. They crack me up every time I think about them.

2) When did you first consider yourself a writer?

I’ve always written and always wanted to write books, but it’s so hard to be able to call yourself a writer. Why is that? It certainly gets easier after you have a book published. J

3) Describe your writing space?

Ha! We recently rearranged our television room where my desk is. We moved my desk into the alcove where the ceiling slants from 7’ to 4’. My desk is against the short wall and I can’t stand up next to it. I think we’ll be rearranging it soon. The desk itself is really old and beat-up. It used to be my mother’s sewing table and my sewing table before kids, so it’s been around a lot of creativity.

4) What are you reading now?

Currently, I’m reading Pepper Wellington and the Case of the Missing Sausage by Tanya Eby. She has a unique sense of humor. I just finished The Help by Kathryn Stockett, which I absolutely loved, and Sunshine Boulevard by JQ Rose, which is a hoot.

5) How many books have your written? Which is your favourite?

I’ve published three and have two that are in progress. Of the published, I think Courting Sparks is my favorite. Noah is just so sweet. One of the in-progress ones may replace it though. The main character is so much fun. She just does whatever she wants. It’s great. I also feel like I’m really pushing myself with the story.

6) What comes first, plot or characters?

Definitely the characters. I have to figure out who they are before the plot develops. Then I can see what problems they might encounter. When I’m working on a story where I don’t really know the main character, it’s really hard to balance the story between the hero and the heroine.

7) Do you ever suffer from writer’s block?

When I do, I start bouncing ideas off my critique group. We get some ideas going and I’m off and running again. They really help figure out what’s getting me stuck and how to work it out.

8) What do you like to do when you’re not writing?

Reading of course. I also like to run. It feels so good to have that time alone where I can just think.

9) Tell us about your latest book?

Sucker for a Hot Rod is about a young woman having car troubles and the guy who can’t fix it. While trying to determine the origin of the car problems, they face the issues that have kept them from their dreams.

10) What’s next for you?

I’m going to keep working on the story about Minnie, the owner of the Lilac Bower Bed and Breakfast.

The story around a Bed & Breakfast appeals to me so much! Is it to be set in a small American town? Because I live in the UK, I am fascinated with the romantic notion of the American small town in the same way many Americans are fascinated with the English way of life. I LOVE small town stories!

Joselyn is waiting to hear from you, folks!

Welcome busy, versatile writer, Veronica Lynch!

So happy to welcome fellow Wild Rose Press & Class of '85 author to my site today! Veronica is unique in that she has two stories in this wonderful series under two different names. Can you tell us a bit about how that works, Veronica/Kat? How do you differentiate between the two names? Are there different quirks to your writing depending on the name you are writing under?

If any of my visitors have not dipped your toe into this fantastic series yet, I strongly urge you to do so - NOW! It has been a great success and if you were an '80s kid/teenager, I promise you it will be a fun and exciting trip back in time.

Ok, let's start the interview!

1) Where do you write? At a laptop in front of the TV. If I'm really into a scene and need to concentrate fully, I'll turn the set off.

2) What is the best & worst part about the writing process for you? The best is the beginning, when I first get the idea for a story then go on to creating the characters and bringing them to life. The worst is at the end when I must check for typos/missing words/extra words. By that stage of the process I am so thoroughly sick of the story I get lazy—then make mistakes. If I'm not persistent I miss simple errors then it comes back and bites me in the butt. Always. Never fails.

3) When did you first consider yourself a writer? The day I held my first published novel in my hands. It had all the power and emotion I experienced the day my firstborn child was placed in my arms. It's been seven years [for the book] and I still get weepy when I think about it.

4) What is the best & worst advice you’ve received about writing?

I'll start with the worst: the first RWA chapter I joined had several soon-to-be published authors who fawned over the founding member, herself multi-published with Harlequin Historicals. If she said the moon was made of green eggs and ham the soon-to-be-published followed the party line and agreed loudly. As was the practice at meetings, members were encouraged to read a few pages after which they underwent what was termed “a kind, gentle critique”. There came a time when I pumped up my courage and read from a WIP. The head witch in the coven made sour faces throughout the time I read, then said, “No editor will ever consider that book because it is unrealistic. Nurses don't talk that way.” The wannabes agreed of course and took up the Greek chorus.

The best advice I ever received occurred at the same meeting. Another member of the group, who'd laughed through my entire reading [because it was funny], came up to me and said, “Please don't give up. Your writing is fresh and new—and yes, nurses talk exactly like how you wrote the scene. I know, because I'm a nurse myself.” On the day the book was released I found that nurse in the phone book and let her know I'd found success. The book went on to win several major writing awards.

5) Which comes first? Plot or characters? Story idea, then development of characters, then the plot is flushed out.

6) What is a typical day for you? It depends on the day of the week. Two days I'm up at 5:30AM to drive 20 miles to care for my grandchildren and remain there till late in the afternoon. On the other five days, if I have a craft show coming up [I design and make tote bags] I am at the sewing machine from morning till night. On remaining days, I sleep as late as I can before getting up to work at the computer.

7) Where do you see your career in five years? Right where I am now. At the computer, creating fun stories.

8) What do you like to do when you’re not writing? I design and make tote bags, purses, infant care items [diaper bags, swaddling blankets, boppy covers, slings], to customer order.

Veronica also writes under the name Kat Henry Doran and her latest is part of The Wild Rose Press, Class of '85 series - here's the blurb & excerpt from Embraceable You

Award-winning photojournalist Dru Horvath doesn't stay in one spot for too long. Her vocation of documenting abuses against women worldwide prevents her from risking her heart.

Every day working stiff Rory McElroy is a two-time loser when it comes to women—and he doesn't plan to take a chance on a relationship again, thank you very much.

But when Dru comes back into his life, he's not sure which poses the greater risk: protecting her from third world thugs who want to silence her permanently—or allowing the one woman who captured his heart years ago to embrace him for good.

Excerpt:

“Tough way to find out about the other woman.”

“Woman, hell,” she groused. “The assistant was some young stud from Tommy’s gym with abs to die for.”

With that, she side-stepped him and made a grab for the doorknob.

Leaning forward, he brought them nose to nose. “Play much poker, Horvath? Before you started trash talking the cheating politico husband, your face lit up like the Fourth of July. That tells me you’ve got something more stashed in the tote. Until you let me search it, it stays with me.”

Clutching the canvas bag to her chest, she sneered, “The only thing in here is my outfit for tonight, McElroy. So if you think I’d parade around naked, one of us is a couple fries short of a happy meal.”

His response came in the form of another gimme motion with those thick, blunt fingers. “I’ll close my eyes if I encounter any lacy unmentionables.”

She knew the instant he found the back-up phone. The screw-you look morphed into a smirk. “It’s not smart to mess with Homeland Security, sweetie. Those guys eat small rodents for breakfast.”

Buy Links:

http://thewildrosepress.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=175_140&products_id=4432

http://thewildrosepress.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=175_140&products_id=4403

http://kathenry.com/

Veronica (or Kat!) is waiting for your questions!

My second guest from Astraea Press - Therese Gilardi!

Welcome, Therese! So great to have you here. The first thing I have to say is how much I LOVE your cover! It is so eye-catching and beautiful, I wish you loads of sales. Who was the artist? I love giving kudos to these lovely ladies and men who work hard to capture our stories in just the right cover. Okay, let's start the interview, shall we?


1) I became a published author in 2002. I suppose the cheeky answer would be that it was inevitable as I had spent all of my life up to that point making up dialogue and back stories about everything and everyone I encountered. Seriously, I have my mover to thank. I’d been a closet writer for years – not even my husband knew of the sheaf of lined yellow pages of poems, short stories and confessions and impressions about my life that I kept stored in the bottom cupboard of my grandmother’s old maple hutch. I’d forgotten to remove the papers from their space ahead of the arrival of the moving company. As the mover was packing the pages, he began to read. He became so engrossed that he spent the next hour pouring over my pages … even though it meant he’d finish his shift sixty minutes late. When I saw his reaction to my work, I thought that maybe it was time to finally call myself a writer and begin the submission process.

2) The best thing I learned from an editor has been the advice I’ve received from Stephanie Taylor at Astraea Press. She taught me the romance writer’s secret handshake, a.k.a. the deep third person point of view. I didn’t know that this is the gold standard for romance writing circa 2011. The worst thing I’ve ever learned from an editor or agent? I’m not sure I have a worst thing tidbit – throughout the years I have been fortunate to work with people who really know their stuff.

3) My favorite authors are Frank McCourt, for his brutal honesty and the lovely way he turns a phrase, Marian Keyes for her ability to fuse comedy and tragedy, Woody Allen for his laugh out loud prose, Maeve Binchy for her sense of place, and Charles Bukowski for his gritty, brilliant poetry.

4) My typical day. Well, I’m in the mountains above L.A. so the rest of the world is already humming along at quite a clip by the time I rise. Which means my inbox is always overflowing. I begin the day reading British newspapers online (I spent quite a while living in Europe and I am hopelessly addicted to their tabloids) while I eat, then I make the school run, answer all those e-mails, which by now have mounded into quite an impressive pile, choose one of my canines to be “dog of the day”, walk that dog and then settle down to write. I always make myself a fabulous lunch if I’m at home – maybe it comes from being Italian, or perhaps it’s having written restaurant reviews during my years in France, but I do not understand these people who don’t do a proper lunch. To me that’s one of the perks of being a writer – access to the stove all day. After I make another school run, I do a bit more writing and try to double back to e-mails once more.

5) Blurb for « Matching Wits With Venus » For centuries Cupid has longed to be more than Venus’s arrow boy. When he’s sent to eliminate “Happily Ever After by Amelia”, the matchmaking business threatening Venus’s status as the goddess of love, Cupid decides to steal Amelia’s methods and make his own matches. While spying on Amelia, Cupid accidentally shoots himself with his magical arrow and falls in love with her. But bereaved Amelia doesn’t believe in the existence of Roman gods, and she’s certainly not looking for romance. She’s too busy perfecting the patented personality profile that’s made her Hollywood’s favorite matchmaker.

Disguising himself as a mortal financial advisor, Cupid manages to break through Amelia’s guarded exterior. As their passion deepens so does Cupid’s guilt about deceiving Amelia. Cupid’s interference with Amelia’s life causes her business to falter, leads to a sterile spring that threatens the animal kingdom, and shatters the longstanding peace between the Roman and Greek gods. With the fate of the natural and under worlds at stake, Cupid must decide whether to reveal his true identity and risk losing the chance to live happily ever after with Amelia.
6) Wow, a casting question – I love it ! I would have to say that Amy Adams would make the perfect Amelia, and Jude Law is Cupid. Seriously.

7) I have to say that I both planned the book and wrote it as it came. The story came to me late one evening as I was at the Griffith Observatory, overlooking the Hollywood Hills. It occurred to me that people always think of the movies when someone says there’s magic in the hills. But those hilltops and canyons are mystical in their own right. I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that a family of Roman gods had set up shop at one of the villas clinging to the edge of the earth.

8) The biggest surprise about being a published author is that I never feel like my ticket is punched so to speak – there is always another challenge, a new goal or dream on the horizon. I think I’m a lot more critical of my work than I used to be, which I assume is a sign I’m getting better – at least I hope that’s what it means!

9) I do have a designated writing space. For most of my career I’ve written at the same desk, which I purchased at a street market in France. The desk sat in the corner of my combination living/dining room in my tiny apartment, used by the kids, the husband, and I swear even the pets. At least that’s what it always felt like, since it was always so crowded. However, when we moved to California a few years ago, I got an office of my very own, for the first time in my life. Naturally everyone still seems to use the desk.

10) What’s next: I am working on a contemporary romance, as well as a chapbook of poetry inspired by the paintings of Mary Cassatt. I’m also writing a memoir of my years as a wife, mother, writer, and ratatouille fan in Paris.

Please stop by. I love to meet new people! My website is http://theresegilardi.com. My blog can be found at http://theresegilardi.wordpress.com. I am also on Facebook.

Wow, you sound like a very happy lady, Therese! You're love of reading (I am a huge Marian Keyes fan too!) and your love of good food sounds idyllic to me. Can you tell us a little bit more about Astraea Press? How did you find them? What sort of stories are they looking for?

Comments?

Welcome Kay Springsteen who writes for Astraea Press...

Welcome, Kay! I have a few writers lined up from Astraea Press but I think you are the first, so a huge welcome. Once we are done with the interview, why not tell us a bit about this new and exciting publisher?

Let's get started!

1) What is your writing routine?

The specific hours are not set in stone. I have a medical transcription contract, which takes up 6-7 hours of my day, a couple in the morning and then again in the evening. Sometimes that becomes problematic when I can't disengage from an idea I'm working on in Fictionland.

2) Which author/s inspire you to write?

I have a list of favorite authors that goes back years. Right now, for romance, I still buy everything Tori Carrington writes, as well as Jill Shalvis, Nora Roberts, Kat Martin. Inez Kelley over at Carina Press is great. And Lisa Anne Vance has a nice style. But for other reading, I stil like Tom Clancy, Nicholas Evans, and Nicholas Sparks. Clancy is good for action and political intrgue, and The two Nicholas guys have a way with complicated or controversial relationships.

3) Which is your favorite romance subgenre to read?

Contemporary or contemporary suspense. I like a good emotional story with twists and complications and deep heroes/heroines. To write? I write contemporary with a lot of emotion. I tend to find myself bringing in some kind of social statement to a lot of my reading, like drunk driving, or teen pregnancy, and in the case of Heartsight, it was threefold--the stigma of being a divorced mom, the mental retardation of the child with Down syndrome, and the Marine who felt he had no productive place in the world now that he's blind.
I don't think society as a whole means to be negative about such things but sometimes people don't realize that their attitudes might be perceived as negative. Who would think that a Marine who was blinded in battle might not feel sorry for himself but instead might long to still be productive?

4) How do you deal with criticism/rejection?

Not everyone is going to like what I write, just like they won't agree with other aspects of my life. I would hope I'm big enough to wish the person criticizing well and just move on.

5) What do you expect from an editor?

I expect honesty and integrity first of all. After that, once you have a good relationship, everything else falls into place. Thankfully, I have a great editor in Stephanie Taylor at Astraea Press.

6) Tell me about your latest release:

It came about when I wondered whether I could write a blind hero. I started doing research and toyed around with different scenarios. I did research on things like extreme sports in which the blind participate, and I gained a new understanding and respect. To swim blind? Or would you let someone blindfold you then take you rock climbing? I initially was going to have just the hero and heroine and he would need to rescue her, but then I decided to raise the stakes and make it a small child who was mentally impaired.

7) Tease us with a blurb or short excerpt

With a moan and a mighty crack, one of the swaying telephone poles next to the road lost the battle to stay erect in the teeth of the snapping wind. As the pole bent in the middle, three wires popped in succession to become giant snapping bungee cords of arcing electricity. The scent of ozone clung briefly then was cleared away by Emily's snarling, sticky breath. Trish froze, mesmerized by the light show. Then the wires began to descend, heading with the precision of stabbing fingers directly for them.

Trish shrieked as terror spiked her adrenaline. "Run!" She pushed Dan to the left, across the street from the dancing showers of blue-white sparks.

He stumbled, touched a hand to the ground and regained his footing before she got a hand out to help him. The electrical lines hit the wet ground, protesting mightily when they made contact. Though not standing in the puddle, they were on wet ground and Trish felt the thrum of the electrical charge in the bottoms of her feet. She half pushed, half pulled Dan further up the street, not stopping until she no longer felt the tingling.

8) Which is your favorite character in the book?

I like the child, Bella, Why? Because she just rolls with the flow. She loves. That's it.

9) What are you working on right now?

I am working on a story about an older, washed up panter, who meets a younger, fresh artist and helps her find her inner artistic spark. Of course there will be complications... I've set it on Mackinac Island, in my home state of Michigan, which is a prety special place to me, a very unique spot with a lot of history...and fudge.

10) Your biggest piece of advice to aspiring novelists?

Don't quit. If you feel blocked, write anyway. If your current WIP stops working, switch to something else, skip the scene and go to the next, work on plotting, editing. But don't give up. And when you get rejected, which you will--it's part of the business--don't let that set you back. A story might not be right for one publisher but you never know, it might be perfect for the next. Oh, and best advice I can give: Find critique partners. They will be great for bouncing ideas off of, and they will find holes in your work that you missed. Trust me, there are ALWAYS holes and places where your story can be better.

11) Where can readers find you?

Heartsight is being sold through Astraea Press at www/astraeapress.com.

It will also be available on Amazon. However, for every copy sold through the Astraea Press website, $2 will be donated to the USO Wounded Warrior Program, from March 1 through June 1, 2011.

Great interview, Kay and a fantastic premise for your story, Heartsight - I think this is one I might be buying myself! Great stuff - over to you guys for questions and comments....

Continuing the Romantic Suspense Tour with Ursula Grey!

Hi Ursula, great to have you here and thanks for having me at your blog last week - I really enjoyed it! So you're here for an interview and continuing our successful Romantic Suspense Tour...I'm guessing your latest book is spicier than most I've hosted ; )

Over to you!

1) Where do you write?

I have a little room I call my own. It's filled with mementoes from my travels, paintings that I find inspiring, a desk, and four bookcases filled with booksJ.

2) What is the best & worst part about the writing process for you?

Sometimes the worst part is actually making myself sit down to write when I'm not sure where I'm going. The second worst part is wending my way through the first draft and wondering why I ever thought I could write!

The best part is losing track of time when I'm writing; that's when I enter a zone where my only reality is the story. Another rewarding part of the process is editing the first draft, playing with the words, rearranging, and pulling the story together into a cohesive whole.

3) When did you first consider yourself a writer?

Deep inside, I've always considered myself a writer. I guess it was validated when an editor thought enough of my work to accept it for publication.

4) What is the best & worst advice you’ve received about writing?

The best advice? If you want to write, you must sit yourself down and do it. Another is not to talk about your story until you've got the first draft down. I haven't received any bad advice.

5) Which comes first? Plot or characters?

Characters always come first for me. Most readers, myself included, are intrigued by the life stories of others. It comes with being human, I supposeJ.

6) What is a typical day for you?

On the weekdays I'm working. When I get in I try and do a little social networking, blogging, tweeting, etc. Just catching up on what's been happening while I've been away for eight hours. Afterwards, it's time to try and get in 1,000 words. I should probably write first and then socialize. Yes, I think that's what I'll do starting today. I'd be much more productive if I did! On the weekends I tend to relax, get out and have some fun. I also try and write more than usual, but it's all about balance.

7) Where do you see your career in five years?

Let's fast forward to the future…I've quit my day job because I'm a wildly successful authorJ.

8) What do you like to do when you’re not writing?

I'm a very laid back person. When I'm not writing, I'm spending time with my hubby, reading, playing with my "puppy" (she's a teen now but doesn't act like it), or I'm watching International House Hunters and trying decide whether I should live in France or ItalyJ.

Buy link: http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-adelaide039sadventure-521341-144.html

http://ursulagrey.wordpress.com/

Thanks, Ursula! Over to you guys for comments & questions!

It's my Day for the Fool for Romance Contest!!

I am taking part in a contest with 26 other romance authors where each day we post a blog and invite you to comment - at the end of the day I will pick a random commenter to be enter into a grand prize draw. The winning package is amazing! You will get books, smellies, candles, pens and best of all...a brand new KINDLE!!

I am adding a signed copy of The Sharp Points of a Triangle into the pot. So what do I talk about today?

Well, I thought I would take this opportunity to get a feel for what romance readers and writers are looking for right now. So answer these three questions in your comments and it will help me out as well as adding your name to the pot!

1) Favourite romance sub-genre? Contemporary or Historical? If historical, which era?

2) Alpha or Beta hero?

3) Setting? UK, US or somewhere else? Where?

Good luck!!

Rachel x

My Cyber 'sister' is here - Joanna Aislinn, yay!

Welcome, Joanna! So happy to 'see' you again. Joanna and I have really got to know each other over the last couple of years and we find it amusing how our hair is so similiar...what do you think? LOL! Great, isn't it?

Can't wait to read what you have for us today, Joanna!

Good day everyone! Thanks so much to my good friend Rachel for having me here today—I am honored.

Before we go on, can we take a moment to remember and/or pray for the folks in Japan and anyone and everyone dealing with the current or residual damage from natural disasters everywhere in the world? I thank you.

Rachel: Amen

Now: Alpha or Beta?

This past weekend I did an interview at Roses of Prose. Among the questions—which sent me scurrying to the net for a quick answer—was one re: my hero being an alpha or beta male? Being a pantster, I never really took the time to think about it. (For the answer to No Matter Why’s male lead as an Alpha or a Beta, click the above link and scroll down to Saturday, March 14^th’s post. Come on, folks! We writer people need to promote each other!)

Back to Alpha or Beta:

That angry, brooding, closed off tough-guy is usually your alpha guy. Guess I’m boiling this down, but here’s one classic example: Brandon Birmingham, from Kathleen Woodiwiss’ debut, The Flame and the Flower. The Wolf and the Dove’s Wulfgar, also fits that bill. Glen on Fox Television’s Glee and Pretty in Pink’s Ducky fit the beta bill, according to a website I found (and unfortunately, couldn’t find again in order to link to it—sorry L). And if I flip things around: I’d say ABC’s Castle reverses the male/female deal. Rick Castle has got to be beta; Ms. Beckett is definitely the equivalent of the alpha male but with awesome legs I’ll never have.

A quick aside: betas are definitely gaining more favor and lead roles in romances. Those nice guys-next-door who are the friend-turned-lover are making their presence known more than ever before. Why? I’m thinking, they’re as relatable as guys come. And, yes, I’ll stretch the imagination to believe any story in which I become invested, but if I feel like I could really meet a guy like that, why not write a honey I might actually meet?

So here’s the age-old question: Which type do you prefer? And, those of you who share any part of your life with a guy, I’d love for you to take the time and share about yours and where he fits in? My hubby of sixteen-years-next-month is most likely a beta. He’s an all-around nice guy who happens to be handsome and has the heart of a hero. (Even when I forget my keys he makes a big display of getting them to me, lol.)

Anyway, those are my thoughts.

For those inclined, there are excerpts and free reads at my website and blog. (You’ll also find excerpts, recipes, buy links and more. Do stop by!) And I’d love to add you to my growing list of Facebook and Twitter friends, too!

Thanks so much to Rachel for hosting me and to all of you who took time out of your busy lives to stop in!

Have a wonderful day!

Joanna

Well, for me, it's the Beta male all the way, Joanna. I have only ever written Beta males, completely unable to put the Alpha male to paper. The reason? How can I possibly create a strong Alpha male that women would want to love if I am completely put off by them myself. I know they don't have to be overpowering or chauvinistic anymore but I am yet to find a Alpha hero that I 'liked' yet alone 'loved'. If you want to challenge me, I'd love to hear you recommendations!

As for my hubby - Beta all the way, yum!

Joanna and I are waiting to hear from you...

Romantic Suspense with Mindy Mackay!

Hi Mindy & welcome to my site!

I see that you are published with Rogue Phoenix Press - can you tell us a little bit about them as a publisher? And also Noble Romance who I hear endless good things about. Great to have you here, let's get started...

1) What is your writing routine?

While I'm incredibly structured in the way I outline, I'm incredibly unstructured in the way I go about actually writing. My schedule is hectic, so I write in those few stolen minutes I might otherwise use to stare emptily into space. As a result, I don't get nearly enough space-staring into my day, but it's a small price to pay.

2) Which author/s inspire you to write?

A lot of older, classical authors serve as an inspiration for me--Dickens, Wilde, Steinbeck, Ballard…those guys. I'm a huge old-literature nerd, but I'm also inspired by some contemporary authors, like Palahniuk and Westerfeld.

3) Which is your favorite romance subgenre to read? To write?

Suspense is my answer to both those questions. I need the fast pace to keep me engaged.

4) How do you deal with criticism/rejection?

Criticism - embrace it. Some critique is good and some is garbage, but you'll never know until you mull it over and give it some thought, right?

Rejection - most of the time, I ignore it, because most of the time, it's a form letter. Once in a while I get a rejection that gives me genuinely good advice from someone who's read the MS though. I have those saved in a folder. There are about five.

5) What do you expect from an editor?

An eagerness and willingness to work with me to produce the best possible product while refraining from ripping out the creative backbone of my original work.

6) Tell me about your latest release

Well. My most recent release is Soulgame, the second installment in a scifi/thriller series. The short version: in book 1, my protagonist screwed up. In book 2, she begins to undertake the task of making things right. As per usual in my work, strategy war and mindgames ensue.

7) Tease us with a blurb or short excerpt

Here's an excerpt from near the beginning:

Isabella laid maps on the table and spent a quarter hour going over her plans to invade the American north. Once she’d finished, she dismissed her followers, except for one. "Cham, you stay." She held Chamika back as the others all left, draping an arm around her minion’s shoulders and flashing her a frightening blue grin. "So, how’s life, Cham? How are you holding up?"

"Um…just fine, I suppose," Chamika said nervously. In truth, she was slightly addled by the events of the war, but she never brought that out into the open. Vance’s near death had shaken her, but she had no right to complain. It could have been worse. She could have lost a lover, like Kiera.

"I like your new look," said Isabella. Chamika had added bright orange streaks in her hair in addition to her usual green and had started to wear more appropriate clothing in the workplace once in a while. "Can’t say I’m crazy about Kiera’s, though. Tell me, how is she? Is she alright after what happened?"

"She seems okay," said Chamika. "I mean, she doesn’t mope or act depressed, she hardly ever talks about Jack…but sometimes…"

"Sometimes what?"

"Sometimes she has…episodes. Spaces out, talks to herself. Nothing too serious," Chamika hesitantly admitted.

"Nothing too serious," Isabella repeated, her olive eyes contemplative.

"Well, if that’s all you wanted…"

"Wait." Isabella’s icy hand caught around Chamika’s wrist as she turned to leave. "I thought you should have a look at this." She handed Chamika the folder she’d been holding, which was stamped on the front with tiny black letters:

PERSONAL LOG OF V. ARTYOM

RECORD OF PRISONER 144

[MERCEDES CARSON]

It was the duration of Chamika’s sister’s jail sentence laid out on paper. Chamika flipped through the first few pages, biting her lip. "Why’d you give me this?" she asked.

"Not to make you cry. God, please don’t cry, Cham. I had a really important point in digging these files out of Fleischer," said Isabella.

"What is it?"

"More went on in there than correctional torture and the development of zombies. Remember when humans invented the H-bomb? This could be even bigger." Isabella betrayed herself to a mischievous smile.

"What do you--?"

A blood-curdling shriek interrupted Chamika. She and Isabella rushed into the hall, where they found Kiera pinned against the wall by Chantale, who was throttling her.

"You can fool Isabella, but you can’t fool me!" she growled as she slammed Kiera’s head into the wall.

"Chantale! What did I just tell you?" Isabella pried Chantale off of her second and threw her to the opposite side of the hallway. Chantale hit the ground with a grunt. "Friends…comrades…how much torture do you think Chantale’s infraction warrants, eh?"

Much to Isabella’s disappointment and Chantale’s relief, Isabella’s cell phone started to ring before anyone could suggest a punishment. She pulled out the phone and answered it, her frown deepening as she received news from an employee at the capital. "What do you mean?" she said.

"What is it, Madame?" asked Chamika.

"No, I’m not going to handle this personally! Do you think I have all the time in the bloody world?" Isabella snapped into the phone. "Have them contain the situation, send reinforcements if you must, and send me all video footage."

"What’s up?" asked Chamika after the Queen had hung up.

Isabella seethed. "A riot’s broken out at Gottschalk."

8) Which is your favorite character in the book? Why?

It changes every time I give one of these interviews, honestly. Currently, my favorite is my villainess, Veronika. This book provides a deeper look into who she was and establishes her as a human being, maybe even a redeemable one. Most of my readers disagree with me about this--they find her despicable, and with good cause--but up to the second book, she hasn't done anything objectively uncalled for, I don't think. As for why I like her: I wrote a lot of myself into her, and I don't think I'm the only one that can look at some of her actions and say, "I would if I could".

9) What are you working on right now?

It's a psychologically twisted novelette tentatively entitled Phenomenal Liar. It's about the frontman of a band, the lies he tells to his worldwide audience, the tricks people have played on him, the reality that may exist without his knowledge, and his romantic pursuit of a quirky, enigmatic vagabond.

10) Your biggest piece of advice to aspiring novelists?

Don't let your genre, your market, your press, or your heat level define you.

11) Where can readers find you?

My website: www.mindymackay.com

My blog: theylikemehere.blogspot.com

Twitter: @MindyMacKay

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Mindy-MacKay/127228420656362

Great to have you here, Mindy - I am so enjoying meeting and hosting other suspense authors as part of the tour. Mindy is waiting to answer your questions and comments!