Author Interviews for January 2008

 

J.C. Wilder - N.J. Walters - Mackenzie McKade

J.C. Wilder

 

ERW: JC, it's such a pleasure to get a chance to sit down and chat with you! I've read Winter's Daughter and it is an amazing book, I was literally gripped from the first page. Can you tell us a little about it?

JC Wilder - I'm so pleased you enjoyed it. Authors talk about books being a 'book of the heart' and this one is one of those books. It literally consumed me as I was writing it.

Winter's Daughter is the first book in my new series, The Coven. It is the story of Synnamon Angelov, the eldest of four daughters. Their witch mother is murdered and the daughters are separated at a young age. Synnamon is the first to return home twenty years after the murder and she's determined to find out what really happened to her mother and where her sisters are now.

Matthew Whitefeather is the hero and he is the police chief of Salem, Ohio. When Syn comes back trouble comes with her and Matt isn't too happy with that. He looks into the death of her mother and what appears to him to be an obvious homicide was ruled an accident years before he arrived on the scene.

This book is very dark and the body count is high. There are paranormal elements and a sexy love affair to boot!

 

ERW: It really is a great book. How many others are planned for the series?

JC Wilder - Four, one for each sister. The next title will be The Rites of Spring.

 

ERW: You've been on the publishing scene for quite a while now, what do you attribute your longevity to?

JC Wilder - I would say it is the ability to come up with something fresh with each book. Someone said there are only 16 plots in the world and its up to the author to keep it fresh and new. I'm firmly convinced that, as a writer, I will always be learning something new, researching different topics and pushing the boundaries. As much as my readers love to read my work, I love to create it for it - it is literally what I live for.

 

ERW: I know 2007 was a rough year for you both physically and mentally. What keeps you going?

JC Wilder - Sheer bull-headedness. I may have low points where I don't want to get out of bed and deal with day to day life, but I pull myself out of it. One of the most important lessons I've learned as I grow older is that nothing lasts forever - the good and the bad. So no matter how bad things can get, they won't be that way an hour, a week or a month from now. We become so mired down in our lives that we get tunnel vision and we can't see outside of ourselves. The universe rewards action - don't feel happy? - get up and move. Dance, Sing - whatever it takes, act your way to happiness.

Another thing that is a must have is a sense of humor. When I realized I could find humor in almost anything I knew I could handle anything that came my way. I don't take life so seriously anymore, what's the point? I used to be under the illusion that I was in control of my life and I realized that was such a fantasy. We can't control the people around us, we can only control how we interact with our environment. My choice is to be happy.

 

ERW: That's a good point. I don't think I ever looked at it that way.

JC Wilder - Yeah, well, it took me forty years to figure it out.

 

ERW: Do you have any obsessions in your life?

JC Wilder - Okay, who put you up to this one? :) I'm going to assume you're not talking about the stalking type of obsessions as I don't have any of those. That said I did have a very strange dream about Brad Pitt and that never happens to me!

Obsessions, let's see. Music is a definite obsession with me - I have music on all the time and I even sleep with it on. Books - I'm probably up to 7000 books now. And...America's Next Top Model. Don't ask me why, I just adore that show and if its on, I'm watching it. It's a sick obsession, really.

 

N.J. Walters

ERW: Welcome to ERW, NJ! I checked out your website and wow, you have a lot of books to choose from. When did you know you wanted to be a writer?

NJ Walters - Hi, Ana. Thanks so much for having me here at ERW. I dabbled in poetry when I was a teenager, but it wasn’t until I was in my early thirties that I actually started to write. Like  most writers, I was always a rabid reader and loved romance novels. After reading too many books to count, I decided to write one of my own. I stopped writing for a few years, but was drawn back to it again in late 2003. By October 2004, I’d published my first book, Annabelle Lee, with Ellora’s Cave. I haven’t looked back since.

 

ERW: What makes you so prolific?

NJ Walters - I’m not really sure. I love to write and when I’m working on a book, I sit every morning and write. When I finish one book, I’m already thinking about the next one. Writing has taken the place of my reading obsession. LOL

ERW: Can you tell us about your latest release?

NJ Walters - The Seduction of Shamus O’Rourke is book 4 of the Jamesville series from Samhain Publishing, but like all the books in that series it can be read as a stand-alone book. It’s a hot, contemporary read filled with secrets and the dark undercurrents of a small town. When Shamus O’Rourke stops to help a woman with a flat tire he has no idea how his life is about to change. He’s drawn into intrigue from the past and a threat to the woman he’s come to care deeply about.

 

ERW: How did you decide to write erotic romance?

NJ Walters - I first tried it in response to a contest. I’d never even thought about trying it before, but found I had a knack for it. *g*

 

ERW: What do you say to those who believe romances are porn?

NJ Walters - People have been saying that about romance since they first began to be released in the 1970’s. Romance will always have its detractors. But romance has evolved so much since the early days and many books in the genre tackle social and personal issues. Besides which, they’re fun, escapism from everyday life. It’s no different from picking up a mystery, sci-fi or a western in my books. I enjoy the relationships between the characters, the ups and the downs. Erotic romance takes it a step further, not stopping at the bedroom door. You get to see the relationship develop, not only emotionally, but physically as well.

To me, porn is more static, it elicits a physical response, but not necessarily an emotional one. In an erotic romance the emphasis is always on the relationship, the emotions shared between the characters. And the sex is part of that relationship. Not that one is better or worse than the other. It’s a matter of taste.

 

ERW: I see from your email addy that you live in Canada. Is the Canadian romance market any different than the American market?

NJ Walters - The American one is obviously much larger. Most of the romance publishers can be found in the United States and it has always led the industry. But every bookstore in Canada is stocked with romance books that get snapped up from the shelves. Romance readers can be found in every country and I’ve heard from readers in Germany, England, Australia, and Asia. The American market has always led the way in the Romance Genre and I don’t expect that to change. The onset of on-line publishers and e-books are making romance even more accessible to everyone. And that can only be good. There really are no boundaries or borders.

 

ERW- Is there anything you’d like to add?

NJ Walters - Thank you so much to ERW for having me. It’s been so much fun to chat with you.

 

ERW - And thank you N.J. Readers, you can check out her website at http://www.njwalters.com and you can read an excerpt of The Seduction of Shamus O'Rourke right here!

 

Mackenzie McKade

ERW: Hi Mac, welcome to ERW!. I see you have a release coming out on January 8. Can you tell us about BLACK WIDOW?

Mackenzie McKade - Ana, thanks for inviting me to chat with your friends and readers. I'd love to tell you about Black Widow. Here is a blurb:

After a brutal attack by a huge, dog-like creature, Tammy is left clinging to life by a thread. Her last memory is of her rescuer asking her if she wants to live. She awakes to a nightmare, bound in chains, nearly paralyzed by terror—and with a strange sensual creature slinking beneath her skin, screaming with hunger for only two things. Blood. And sex.

Roark and Marcellus, leaders of the werewolves and vampires, come together to destroy the results of a night gone terribly wrong. As a result of the attack, Tammy has become a hybrid—part wolf and part vampire—and to complicate things, she’s in heat. The transformation has thrown her into a sexual frenzy that makes her a virtual black widow. For the sake of their people, Tammy must die.

Yet they can’t bring themselves to kill her. Instead, Roark and Marcellus find themselves trapped in the femme fatale’s web of seduction. Her touch is heavenly…her kiss, deadly. To complicate things, they discover she is mate to each of them.

Soul-wrenching desire reigns over their struggle for dominance and possession, forging a unique bond between the immortals. Together Roark and Marcellus will fight to save the woman they love from the people they are pledged to protect.

 

ERW: Is Black Widow super spicy?

Mackenzie McKade - As hot as I could get it without starting a fire. <g> Actually, since the premise of the book involves blood and sex, I have a few more sex scenes in this story then usual. (wink)

 

ERW: And that is what we want to hear! Where did you get the idea for this story?

Mackenzie McKade - I wanted to write a story that involved both vampires and werewolves. What better way then to blend the species and see what would happen. Black Widow is the way I see the story unfolding.

 

ERW: I see you’re quite prolific. Did you choose to write erotic romance or did it choose you?

Mackenzie McKade - Erotic romance chose me. I started out writing paranormal mysteries and then historicals. During a conference an agent asked me if I could write Erotic Romance, so I gave it a try. My first attempt read like an instruction manual. But later I found my rhythm. The rest is history as they say. <g>

 

ERW: Do you have a word of advice for our readers who are thinking about writing an erotic romance?

Mackenzie McKade - Let your mind and inhibitions go. Don't be afraid of step out of the box. It's a little like wearing that first skimpy shirt out in public. It doesn't feel quite right and you want to cover-up or maybe hide, but after a while you begin to like the freedom, the feel, and the attention you receive. Not all the attention you receive writing erotic romance will be positive. Just remember everyone has a right to their opinion, including you. Be proud in what you write and have fun.

 

ERW: What else can we look forward to from you?

Mackenzie McKade - The following are tentative dates, but 2008 looks to be an exciting year for me. Look what I'll have to offer.

February 6th - DESTINY'S TOUCH releases with Ellora's Cave.

April 9th - SAND ANGEL releases with Ellora's Cave.

April 29th - SINS OF THE SUMMER featuring my story TAKE ME releases in print from Samhain Publishing.

May 20th BOUND BY THE PAST releases with Samhain Publishing.

August 8th - TAKE ME AGAIN releases with Samhain Publishing.

December 23rd - MERRY CHRISTMAS PAIGE releases with Samhain Publishing.

 

ERW: Fabulous! (rubbing hands together) I just love it when my TBR pile gets bigger. Thank you so much for chatting with us.

Mackenzie McKade - I like to wish everyone a Happy New Years. May 2008 gift you with health, happiness, and prosperity. Thank you for inviting me to chat with you.

 

ERW: You can check out Mac's website at www.mackenziemckade.com and Black Widow will be available January 8, 2008 from Samhain Publishing.

 

Graphics designed by: Glass Slipper WebDesign.
All contents © 2007 EroticRomanceWriters.com. All rights reserved.