5. Do you see yourself continuing to write romantic suspense or is there another genre you would like to try?
Oh, I definitely have my eye on other genres. I love YA – absolutely love to read it and would love to write it. I could definitely see myself writing women’s fiction (HIT REPLY was far more w/f than chick lit, really – it dealt with cancer, adultery and an empty nest) and I think I probably have a non-fiction book in me, as well. I’d love to write a cookbook with my husband – he’s a great chef, or a romance writer’s health and diet book since I’m really into eating well and exercising, which I believe have a very positive impact on creativity.
6. I’m sure a lot of people know who the Bullet Catchers are, but some don’t. Who are they and were did you come up with the idea for them?
The Bullet Catchers are an elite team of bodyguards, security specialists, and investigators who are hired by high-end clients for protection and special projects. The company is owned by a woman, Lucy Sharpe, who is a former CIA agent known for her world-class Machiavellian control and the ability to bring a grown man to his knees. Her staff includes former military and law enforcement types, some with special expertise, some just generally fearless and fantastic.
Each book in the Bullet Catcher series stands alone, and is the story of one of the Bullet Catchers who is tested both physically and emotionally before he or she can find bliss. But this year, we’ve done something a little different – the three Bullet Catcher books in 2008 have a story thread that ties them together, so they have been released as a trilogy: FIRST YOU RUN, THEN YOU HIDE and NOW YOU DIE. The last one comes out THIS WEEK (woo hoo!) and is extra special because the Bullet Catcher boss, Lucy Sharpe, is the heroine.
7. Who was your most ‘difficult’ Bullet Catcher to write?
Max Rop
er was tough because his defining characteristic is the unwillingness to ever reveal his emotions. So, that made it difficult to push him over the edge. But I found the heroine who could, and he eventually fell. (They all do.) But the book, and the character, wasn’t easy.
Of course, Lucy was the biggest challenge of all. She is fearless, unstoppable, brilliant, and doesn’t so much as go to the bathroom unarmed. So putting her in jeopardy was tricky – but I did, and I ended up loving her story.
8. Do you have to read them all in order to understand them?No, you don’t. Lots of people are starting with this year’s trilogy and working back to the earlier books. It’s more fun to read them in order, but there isn’t an overall “Bullet Catcher” arc – although the characters do change and grow, I like each book to stand all alone.
9. How is writing category romance different from writing single title books?I often say that writing category is like eating a sweet, gooey, delicious chocolate dessert and writing romantic suspense is like chowing down on a sizzling, mouthwatering steak dinner. Both are fantastic, but entirely different experiences. Category is easier for me because the of the total emphasis on romance with no dead bodies or tricky suspense elements, but single title romantic suspense gives me the chance to weave a rich and complex plot, using multiple points of view and layered subplots. In both, the love stories are front and center for me – I love the romance!
10. I read somewhere that you signed w/ Pocket books for more Bullet Catcher books for 2009. Do you think you’ll continue to write category now?
Sadly, I haven’t written a category book in a long while. And I love them! I spent all of 2007 writing the 2008 Bullet Catcher books, so I had to say no to category, and the same thing is happening this year. But I really loved writing Desires and hope there are more category books in my future. Yes, there are two more Bullet Catcher books coming out next year, but I don’t have the exact release months nailed down yet.
11. If you books were made into movies, what actors/actresses would you like to play your characters?
I HATE this question!! I just don’t know. I let my readers make suggestions. The one I love (because I use his picture) is Paul Walker for Wade Cordell, and I like to think Gabriel Aubry could play Adrien Fletcher. But I have such utterly clear images of my characters in my head that no actor really suits me. But I’d love to hit the casting couch and see who, uh, wins me over!
12. How long have you been writing?I started writing with the hope of seeking publication in 2000, sold my first book in 2002, and have written 23, which includes three novellas and nine category books.
13. Who is your favorite author?I love so many! Of course the queens of romantic suspense like Linda Howard, Nora Roberts, Sandra Brown. I cut my teeth on the glitzy books of the ‘70’s by Sydney Sheldon and Judith Krantz – I kind of miss those books, now. I’m also reading a ton of YA, including Melissa Marr and Melissa Kantor, and just dipping my toes into the paranormal waters with the amazing Kresley Cole, who is just talented beyond description.
14. What is your writing style like? Are you a plotter or a pantser?Was plotter, am pantser. I totally changed my style over the last ten books or so. When I write the words I hate most in the world, Chapter One, I have an idea of the story arc in my head, know a few major turning points, may or may not know the villain, and hope I know the characters and their conflict. I work a lot of that out in the first 150 pages, which often takes three times as long as the rest of the book and several massive rewrites. By the time I reach the middle of the book, all that has been revealed to me (or decided by me) and I can usually power through the second half fairly quickly. My books peak in action during the 80 pages or so, with multiple scenes of life-threatening danger and heart-threatening romance, and I write faster – literally type faster – when things are moving that quickly. I also edit extensively as I write, so that by the end, I usually only need one pass through to do “major polishing” (not revisions) before I send it in.
15. How many are you doing in the bullet catchers?
As many as I can! I’ll write the Bullet Catchers as long as the series stays fresh and fun, and the ideas keep rolling in. Then I’ll move on to something else, I hope.
16. How did you get started writing?
I always wrote stories, since childhood. I still have some of the early ones, all written in longhand, with heroes based on TV and pop music stars and titles that would reveal my age – one of my favorites being “Leavin’ On A Jet Plane” with a picture of a woman looking out a airplane window that I cut out of my grandmother’s copy of The Ladies Home Journal! But life and “a real career” in public relations left me as a reader and a dreamer. I used to send marketing plans to my clients with a cover note that said “Read it and weep!” knowing that I would so much rather write about emotional conflict than business-to-business communications programs, but I never had the nerve to try it. When the calendar turned to a new millennium, I decided I had to give it a try. I wrote a manuscript at night, when my kids were asleep, and from the first page, I started have *fun* as I confirmed my most secret suspicion: writing is actually more entertaining to me than reading. From there, I did the usual – joined RWA, entered contests, found an agent, hid that first pitiful manuscript under the bed, and finally sold. I was hooked from the beginning and knew this could never be just a hobby for me, and I’m thrilled it’s my full-time job.
17. Which Bullet Catcher is your favorite?
Oh, that’s tough. It’s always the one I just finished – he’s all satisfied and finished with his character arc, his words polished, his love scenes smokin’ hot instead of a hot mess. If I have to choose one of them to ravish me on a desert island, probably Johnny Christiano of TAKE ME TONIGHT. I have a weakness for Italian men – I even married one! I also never fell out of love with Alex Romero of KILL ME TWICE; he was the first Bullet Catcher I ever wrote and I adored him. Of course, I’m also very partial to Lucy Sharpe, and really loved getting into her Louboutins to write her story.
18. What suggestions would you have for beginning writers as far as "breaking into the bus."
There will be no getting on the bus without HARD WORK. Getting published is a job – and I don’t just mean writing manuscript after unpublished manuscript. You need to go to conference
s, hone the craft, enter contests, network with the industry and submit, submit, submit. Keep “five alive” at all times – five “publishing possibilities” out there, whether it is a partial, a full, a query to agent or editor. Hope is what kept me going. Once you have “nothing out” then you have no hope.
19. What's your favorite thing about writing?
Two words: The End. I hate starting a book, I really do. I love to rewrite, revise, and polish the finished manuscript, making it better every time I open the document. I also love the all too rare but heady sensation of writing a scene “just right” the first time. It’s so special when the words fly and the conflict is clear, when the banter is perfect and the plot is twisted into a tight knot. When I snap that last period at the end of a scene with bone-deep satisfaction that everything I hoped for – and more – is in the scene, I am utterly gleeful.
Thanks for such a fantastic interview! Reading about your perseverance, how you started, and how hard you truly work is an inspiration to all us newbies! Thanks for answering all our questions! Come back tomorrow for Roxanne's last day with us!!
Yesterday morning I decided to break my rule and go jogging with my husband. A while ago I made a vow never to go running or jogging with him and I’ve been sooooo good about it. Well, yesterday I was feeling uber motivated and wanted to go farther than I normally do. I couldn’t take the dog (too much humidity in FL) so to alleviate total boredom, I asked the man to come along.
zing all over the place, and I have leftover mascara (that I didn’t wash off the night before – yes, I’m sexy) smeared under my eyes. Not to mention, the entire front of my gray Notre Dame shirt was completely drenched. I looked like an accident victim. The man? Not a hair out of place or drop of sweat to be seen. He kissed me and tried to get frisky….Seriously??? All I know is he must love me if he wants me in that condition. Don’t know if I should be happy or horrified.
s to jump her. This is one of the times when a hero was truly turned on by a heroine’s actions and determination and I found it incredibly hot.
e didn’t get him. In the end, I chose Jack Culver from Roxanne St. Claire’s Now You Die because of his love for Lucy and because his attraction had very little to do with her looks. He saw past all her issues and was able to get in her face and break down her barriers without being a jackass. Lucy might be a badass but the woman has serious problems with trust (rightly so) and she’s so flawed and real it’s hard not to love her. When a woman has been through a lot but isn't a whiner or a martyr, it's just plain sexy.
