Dee has generously agreed to answer a few questions about writing, juggling life and adorable kids *g* and her sexy new Samhain release, Love Me Knots, available August 4th
here.
Dee has also offered to send an ARC of Love Me Knots to a random commenter! So comment away! :)First, the good stuff about Love Me Knots.... and isn't that cover
gorgeous?
Genre: Contemporary Romance,
Red Hots!ISBN: 978-1-60504-666-2
Length: Category
Price: 4.50
Publication Date: August 4, 2009
Cover art by Scott Carpenter
Nothing twists you up quite like love…
When she interrupts what looks like a tryst in her fiancé’s office, former heiress Krista James has only one thought: “It’s over!” True, they both signed a marriage contract that didn’t include a love clause. But she’ll be damned if she gives the two-timer the satisfaction of knowing she gave up her heart along with her hand.
How to say goodbye to a man who makes her forget her own name in bed, and all her principles everywhere else? Simple. Run.
CPA-on-the-rise David Ellison thinks everything is perfect. Perfectly planned, perfectly ordered, perfectly moving forward. Until he arrives late—again—for a lunch date. Suddenly he has a broken engagement, a guilty receptionist and a missing fiancée.
Tracking her down is easy. She’s traded their honeymoon tickets for a luxury holiday for one. Reasoning with her? Impossible. Especially since they always seem to end up in bed, in the shower, on the floor…everywhere but at an understanding.
David didn’t follow his woman all the way to Tahiti to return home empty-handed. To get her back, he’s even prepared to empty his heart of all his secrets.
Question is…is he prepared for hers?
Warning: Emotionally repressed, sexually gifted accountant on the loose in Tahiti, intent on seducing his lady back into his life and completely redefining the phrase “awesome lei”. Mai Tais and fresh ice recommended to counter the extreme sexual heat.
Want more? For the tantalizing trailer and excerpt...
Well, the short story is, it's about a marriage of convenience contract with a man who personifies still waters running deep. Raised by an autistic single parent, David's really not good with all those communication things most people take for granted--understanding tones, facial expressions, tact. He REALLY doesn't grasp tact. Now imagine being the woman who loves him, but signed the contract because she thought she was in love alone. Yeaaaaaaah, Krista hasn't had it so easy. So...when she walks into his office and discovers a couple having sex, it's the last straw. Even after discovering the clandestine affair wasn't him, she can't bring herself to stay with a man that doesn't love her back. But David's finally got a few words to say on the subject...
As for the inside scoop, David's situation is actually based on a distant cousin of mine. Autistic at a time when they were considered "slow" or just not all their, he had an arranged marriage. It didn't last long--the wife took off (the cow)--but because of it, he did have kids. The kids are fiercely protective of their father and very loving with him. They know they're loved by him, too. Having an autistic child of my own, I began thinking about if the roles were reversed and the child had to learn to adapt to the parent...and what that might mean for him in his own life. And that's how David was born.
His love life, he messed up all on his own, lol.
2) You're building quite a backlist. Have you found the pros to epublishing far outnumber the cons? What are some of them?
LOL, wow, now that's a question!
I've never been published by a print first publisher, so it's a little difficult to compare the two. But there are some definite positives to ePublishing that I really like.
1) It's a great way to learn about the publishing business--contracts, publicity, reviews--and how to handle it. But it's also flexible, to a degree, in that your editor--even your publisher--is very hands on and direct.
2) I know my publisher gives the authors a degree of say on the covers. (I know for a fact that doesn't happen with print pubs on the regular.)
3) Turn around is MUCH faster. You'll generally hear from your e-pub editor much faster on submissions and if you contract, you'll see your book within a 12 month period. Print first publishers are usually set out 2 years.
4) Hands down, you're not going to beat a 35-40% royalty rate in print, which is usually more a 6-8% royalty for the first run. True, distribution is an issue that can level the playing field, but if you become a name in eBook, believe me, eBook has the advantage for earning.
There are more, definitely, but those are the ones that really stand out to me.
3) I love hearing about an author's journey. Were you always a writer? How many books did you write before your first sale?Oh, yeah, I've always been a writer. I don't remember a day in my life that I wasn't reading or writing--my family says they realized what I was up to slowly, when I seemed to know way too much about what was in the TV Guide. (What, a gal's gotta start somewhere!) I was about 3. If I don't count the books that are too horrible to be counted, lol... I'd probably written around 10 books before my first sale. I'd been trying to sell for about eight years when Angela James contacted me and asked me if I had more of the stories I'd posted on my website. Turns out, she'd been directed to me from a friend of mine, Shannon Stacey and then also by Heather Rae Scott. She'd liked the samples so I sent her "Betting Hearts". And she's been unable to get rid of me ever since. (So have Shannon and Heather, for that matter)
4) You have adorable twin daughters and a son under the age of 12, yet you're also a prolific author. How do you juggle it all? Any tips for those of us trying to prioritize around our writing, whether we're managing a day job, kids and a husband, or just life in general?Awww, thank you. I'd take credit for the adorability, but they all look like their father, lol.
Well, as anyone with twins can tell you, you don't sleep much, lol. I have a day job too, so I know what it is to feel totally behind the eight ball. I tend to look at my life as a sliding tile puzzle game. You know, slide the tiles to create the image? Well, I usually wake up, work for 2-4 hours, work on writing for 2-4, put the girls to nap (often knock out with them cause they're awful warm and cuddly), work on house stuff for a few hours--bills, errands, etc--then try to do a little more online as needed. Of course, the most important thing is to NOT be tied to a schedule. Kids derail plans like ants on a dead bug. Flexibility is the name of the game, because you're not going to get to everything each day no matter how hard you try. My house pays the price during deadline time. (At the moment, I have like 8 loads of laundry to put away). Oh, and a very forgiving family. I slide the puzzle pieces to fit everyone's needs and worse comes to worse, I'm up at night while it's quiet to get a little writing done.
Oh, and I eat a LOT of sugar.
5) What can we look forward to from you next?Well, let's see. Love Me Knots is out on the 4th of August. Then I have a full novel out in November, entitled "Burn For Me", which is a Rancho Del Cielo romance. If you've read "Love Me Tomorrow", then you'll be familiar with the hero, Raul Montenga. Sexy Mexican firefighter who's come back to his hometown and is in for a little surprise. Maybe not SO little. She's about eleven years old, actually.... Though, I should warn, despite the girl, this is a steamer. Bring oven mitts.
After that, I have a slightly darker romance, "All Or Nothing" in 2010, about a couple that have loved each other all their lives but have never been able to make it work. A "What do you do when Love isn't enough?" story. I'd bring tissues if I were you. This might hurt a little.
6) And for fun...so many writers seem to have a "seekrit project," one they're not sure they will ever sell but that is a true labor of love. Do you have one? If so, can you tell us anything about it?
Yes *sheepish* I'm a secret paranormal writer. I am trying to sell a series currently--fingers crossed--about a wolf shifter, his extremely deadly mate and the killer they need to catch before everything they hold dear is destroyed. That's an absolute labor of love, not just in that the story possessed me, but it also helped me to get back on my feet after my sister's death last winter. I have another paranormal series in mind, but that's a six book monster I'm a little afraid of. I can see that one swallowing me whole if I don't watch it. But that's a deep DARK seekrit!
Thanks for stopping by, Dee!
Now it's your turn! Leave a comment or question for Dee to be entered into a random drawing for an ARC of Love Me Knots! Winner will be drawn Monday, August 3rd at 9 PM EST, so please check back!
