I was recently asked about my new book, BUTTERFLY TATTOO, and its rather unconventional storyline.  The question posted to me was whether I realized the novel would turn out to be controversial while I was writing it. After all, the hero of this romance, Michael Warner, does have a very complicated and unusual past.  In fact, everyone in the book has a complex past, with secrets and pain they’re trying to overcome and work through.  But this question wasn’t about the other characters, like Rebecca O’Neill, a once-successful actress whose career was ruined when she was attacked by a stalker.  It was about Michael and whether I realized writing a book with a bisexual hero might be a tough sell.  Did I write in the dark, so to speak, unconcerned about the market?  Did I listen to my inner agent and even consider the difficulties the book might face in finding a publisher?

I’d like to say that I was completely savvy and understood the inherent risks in writing the book.  And, to a degree, I was.  I knew that it wouldn’t be easy, but I will also admit I never dreamed it would take five years to find a publisher.  Somehow, because I was writing the book I was most passionate about, the story I had to tell…I convinced myself that selling it wouldn’t be that big of a deal.  Which, on one hand, is rather naive and foolish.  On the other hand, disregarding the market, writing for an audience of one—myself—allowed the book to blossom and truly come alive for readers.

You see, there’s a kind of purity and intensity to doing what many would say is unthinkable: not worrying how you might sell a book.  There’s no one reading over your shoulder, so to speak, it’s just you and the characters and the story.  You weave the tale because you need to read it and speak it, and you don’t worry what anyone will think.  It was also the longest I ever took writing a book, and there’s something to be said for letting a work breathe as you write it.  It’s one of the downsides of our current romance market that so many writers are having to write faster and faster to meet deadlines and reader expectations.

Sometimes I wish that we could all slow things down a little bit, so that writers would have more time to explore, to push boundaries.  I love that I took sixteen months with BUTTERFLY TATTOO because there were even things that happened while writing it that wound up impacting the story.  If I’d written it quickly, worrying about the potential publishing market, I truly believe the book would have been cheapened or sold short.

As an agent, authors sometimes ask me about their “crazy” ideas, the ones that seem most edgy or different.  I try my very best, always, to say that those kinds of ideas are where the magic happens.  Not all agents agree with me, but I think when you tap into passion and love of a project, and you don’t worry about controversy or taking chances, you set your muse free.

GIVEAWAY
If you’d like a chance to win a free copy of BUTTERFLY TATTOO, leave a comment regarding Deidre’s guest blog today. One lucky winner will be randomly selected from among the U.S. and Canadian readers who do.

BIO:
Deidre Knight, one of romance publishing’s most successful agents, established her literary firm, The Knight Agency, in 1996 after working in the entertainment industry. To date, her agency has placed over 2,000 titles in all genres and with everything from the largest publishing houses to the smaller independents. An author of two paranormal romance series, she recently published her first contemporary romance, BUTTERFLY TATTOO, as an e-book. Within days of its release in April, this novel took the online reading world by storm and has since been heralded by numerous reviewers as a brave, groundbreaking novel, due to its exploration of the potential fluidity of human sexuality and the healing nature of love. Deidre calls BUTTERFLY TATTOO, which Samhain is releasing as a trade paperback February 1, the book of her heart. Deidre is also the author of the Gods of Midnight series, which includes RED FIRE and RED KISS. The third book in the series, RED DEMON, will be released this June.

When ill health forced me to give up teaching some years ago at the age of forty-seven, I used my convalescence to catch up on reading. But bookshops were awash with chick-lit and I struggled to find fiction that reflected my own life. Few novels featured women of my age and romantic heroines over forty simply didn’t exist. Mature women appeared only as somebody’s mother or somebody’s wife and they never had sex (unless it was for comic effect.)

A thinking-woman’s romance
I gave up looking for fictional heroines I could relate to and decided to write a book myself, the sort of thing I wanted to read but couldn’t find: a thinking-woman’s romance that dealt with real issues, had believable characters and of course a gorgeous, complex hero! I put a sensitive, creative woman in the spotlight, ignored her age and just looked at her heart and mind.

As a matter of principle I made my heroine forty-seven – my own age. This was suicide in terms of finding a publisher, but I didn’t care, I was just writing to amuse myself. I had a whale of a time writing an off-beat love story about a sexy, middle-aged textile artist and a fragile younger man, a teacher and poet. I set their love story on a bleak but beautiful Hebridean island that I knew well from family holidays.

“Romance for Wrinklies”?
Encouraged by my writing group, I found an agent, then a publisher for what became my first novel, EMOTIONAL GEOLOGY. It was published by Transita, a UK imprint producing books aimed at mature women. The middle-aged heroines were a hit with readers of all ages, but the books were dismissed by the media as “Romance for Wrinklies”, “HRT-Lit”, even “Hag-Lit”! (The ageism and misogyny of British culture beggars belief but hey, they used to burn us as witches, so things are definitely looking up.)

Obsession with Youth
I’m sure I’m not alone in thinking female readers have been fobbed off for far too long with books about women under thirty. What is this obsession with youth? Most books are bought and read by women over forty. Why do publishers think female readers want stories about much younger women?

When EMOTIONAL GEOLOGY was published a young journalist asked me why I hadn’t made my middle-aged romantic heroine twenty-five (which would have made it easier for me to find a publisher.) I explained that I hadn’t been very interested in a 25 year-old’s take on life because I was nearly fifty. Young people don’t seem to realise that 25 year-olds are only fascinating to other 25 year-olds.

Telling tales
Mature women have lived. Their lives have been full and varied, sometimes exciting, often tragic. Women who’ve been around the block a few times have collected some interesting souvenirs and have wonderful tales to tell. I write fiction that reflects that.

One of the things that has struck me raising a daughter is how, despite a good education, she has little sense of women in the 20th century – what we fought for, what we achieved, what great changes a woman of fifty-plus has seen. In my second novel A LIFETIME BURNING (Transita), I took five women from three generations of the same family and used their interwoven stories as a way of looking at what it has meant to be a woman in the latter half of the 20th century – what choices, opportunities and limitations women faced. It seemed to me that what you could make of your life depended largely on when you were born.

Now aged fifty-seven, I feel very conscious of that. It’s a good time to be in my 50s. In previous generations, I would have been regarded as old. In fact, I would have felt old!

Standing at a bus stop one day, I was chatting to a minister’s wife. She said to me wearily, “I’m over fifty. I need to slow down.” I smiled sympathetically, but what actually went through my mind was, “I’m over fifty. I need to speed up.”

Time waits for no (wo)man. I still have a lot of living to do. So do my heroines.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Linda Gillard lives in Scotland and has been an actress, journalist and teacher. She’s the author of STAR GAZING (Piatkus), short-listed for Romantic Novel of the Year in 2009. Linda’s début novel, EMOTIONAL GEOLOGY (Transita) combined her love of quilts with her love of Scottish islands and was short-listed for the Waverton Good Read Award in 2006. Visit her website at www.lindagillard.co.uk

Win your own copy of STAR GAZING by leaving a comment or question for Linda.  A winner will be chosen randomly on January 12. The odds of winning depend upon the number of participants.  Void where prohibited.

Thanks very much for taking the time to answer our questions, ones which will let readers know more about you and the delightfully intriguing stories you have created.

Thanks for the invitation!

ST: First of all, tell us about yourself. What inspired you to become an author and when did you start writing?

SA: I don’t remember a time when I didn’t want to write books.  As a kid, Walter Farley’s Black Stallion books had me hooked on both horses and writing.  Then it was science fiction – let’s blame Isaac Asimov for that one.  Then gothic mysteries, ala Mary Stewart.  Then contemporary crime novels–my favorites were by Joseph Wambaugh.  I’m embarrassed to say that when I first read romance I hated it.  But hey, it’s not my fault!  Have you seen some of what passed for romance around 1980?  I’m happy to say I had a major conversion in the nineties thanks to some of the brilliant romance authors writing today.  I just had to be part of that!

ST: Please enlighten us as to the premise of your December 2009 release, OUR LITTLE SECRET, from Pocket Books.

SA: It’s about scandal and blackmail and corruption in high places — juicy!  The story takes place in Washington, D.C., but is as non-political as you can get.  Drew and Lauren are looking for a missing U.S. senator and his new wife – their father and sister, respectively.  Both are out to break up the May-December marriage.  That’s about the only thing they agree on at first, until danger and secrets throw them together and things start heating up.  I like to have my characters falling in love while people are hunting them down and trying to kill them; probably indicates a need for intense therapy on my part!

ST: Your romantic suspense stories are written with an original approach, as there is danger and threats yet you do not let any situation turn darkly dramatic by adding some humor to keep things light. What gave you the inspiration to take your stories in this direction? And are there any other writing projects planned?

SA: I tried to write that dark and spooky stuff, honest.  I love to read it.  But my characters keep making sassy comments and wry observations, which kind of takes the edge off that ax murderer hiding in the closet. Of course, I’m always planning more stories!  My next book will be a sequel to the first, following the story of two characters you met there.  Then I hope to begin a series based around a former whorehouse in a small Rocky Mountain town next.  You gotta love retired octogenarian whores!

ST: While we are discussing books, every reader wants to know: How do you get the creative ideas for your books, especially all the quick-witted banter and unusual situations which the characters must face?

SA: Uh…um…I dunno?  Really, drawing a blank here.

ST: Describe your stories in just a couple of words.

SA: Dangerous, sexy adventures!

ST: Are the main characters created from your imagination or do they possess traits belonging to a real people? Do you have a specific process for choosing the names of your characters?

SA: I HOPE they’re all figments of my twisted imagination.  If they resemble any persons living or dead, don’t sue me, I didn’t mean it!  I suppose every author takes bits and pieces of real people to make up their fictional characters, mostly their quirks and phobias.  But I never have an image in mind to work from.  And names…I don’t know them when I start writing, but somehow they just seem to fit when I need them.

ST: Was there any one person or event in your life that finally inspired you to sit down and write your first book?

SA:  No, I just never wanted to find myself sitting in a rocking chair at Shady Acres someday, saying, “I wish I’d tried to write a book.”  As far as I know, you only get one life – do what you want to do NOW.

ST: What do you truly hope readers gain from reading your books?

SA: I hope I provide that roller-coaster thrill you get from an exciting ride, with a few laughs and screams thrown in.  I hope when they close the back cover, they’ll smile and say, “That was fun!  I love those people!”

ST: Everyone needs a break from time to time, even when doing something they love, so how do you like to spend your time away from writing?

SA: Reading!  I like to spend time with my various animals too, but the best scenario is a dog at my feet, a couple cats in my lap, and a book in my hands.  Sigh…heaven.

ST: How has being published changed your life, if at all?  What would you like to accomplish with your writing career?

SA: I rashly quit my part-time job after selling my second book, so the major change is that I get to write every day.  As for accomplishments, a best-seller or five would be nice, but I feel blessed just to have made it to the point where I can say I’m a full-time professional writer.

ST: Do you have a favorite book and/or character from all the books which you have read? Do you remember the first romance novel you ever read?

SA: Ugh – don’t ask about that first romance novel, it didn’t deserve the name.  I still get mad about how it misled me into disliking romance for the next fifteen years.  But the first one I fell in love with was by Nora Roberts.  Still love her.  “Birthright” and the “Sea Swept” trilogy are favorites.  Also Jenny Crusie, Tami Hoag, and Susan E. Phillips.

ST: If you could do anything and travel to any place in the world for one day, what and where would it be?

SA: Disclaimer: This answer will change from day to day.  But for today, I’ll soak up the atmosphere of either an Alpine meadow or Stonehenge.  With a book.

ST: What is something that your readers may not already know about you?

SA: I love to read and write adventure stories, but in real life I have to be dragged out of the house.  I’m happy in my cozy nest.

ST: How can readers reach you?

SA: Through my web site, www.starrambrose.com , or by writing me directly at starramb@aol.com.

Win your own copy of OUR LITTLE SECRET by Starr Ambrose by leaving a comment.  A winner will be chosen randomly on December 24. The odds of winning depend upon the number of participants.  Void where prohibited.

Without a doubt, Jane Austen is my favorite novelist. She’s been my #1 writer ever since I picked up Pride & Prejudice when I was just 14 years old (a long time ago, trust me). Her incredible insight into human behavior forever altered my way of looking at the world and the people in it. If Jane were still alive, however, she’d be a tad older than 14 herself… In fact, if we were to celebrate her birthday—which is today!—we’d need to put 234 candles on that cake–LOL.

Because I’m a member of the Jane Austen Society of North America (JASNA), I get to talk to fellow Janeites and share our mutual love of her work all year long. Since early November, there’s been a lot of buzz in the group about an exhibit of Austen’s personal letters, her early manuscripts (like Lady Susan) and other fascinating items featured through March 14, 2010 at the Morgan Library and Museum in Manhattan (225 Madison Avenue at 36^th Street, 212-685-0008). It’s called “A Woman’s Wit: Jane Austen’s Life and Legacy,” and it’s a collection that has piqued the curiosity of Jane fans across North America. In the “Art & Design” section of The New York Times, reviewer Edward Rothstein wrote, “Like Austen’s own voice, the show is exquisitely informative while being almost laconic, displaying a wealth of material with careful explication, yet allowing the viewer to tease the writer’s sensibility out of the objects on display.”

For those of us—like me—who unfortunately live too far away from New York City to just drop by the Morgan in person, there’s also a 16-minute video entitled “Divine Jane: Reflections on Austen” that highlights pieces from the exhibit with the help of six writers and scholars. I think anyone interested in getting a behind-the-scenes peek at a famous writer’s private world will find the film as marvelous as I did. If you’d like, you can check out the video link here: http://themorgan.org/video/austen.asp

One of the authors in the video, Irish novelist Colm Tóibín, discusses Austen’s work and mentions an intriguing phenomenon. He said, as novelists, we spend most of our time when writing trying to figure out how to both conceal ourselves and disclose ourselves, simultaneously. He believes that’s especially true of someone who had Jane’s exceptional literary skill and, also, her ability to keep secrets. And author Fran Lebowitz added that “any artist who has that quality of timelessness has that quality because they tell the truth.” That, unlike writers whose work is dated, Austen’s perceptions about people are not dated “because they’re correct.” I’m in wholehearted agreement with that statement. It was this very sense of truth that I immediately recognized and identified with in Pride & Prejudice when I was a teen. It’s what kept me wanting to reread her books over and over through the decades, learning something more each time. (And, of course, watching those delightful film adaptations! Who else is a Colin Firth or a Matthew MacFadyen fan, hmm?)

My debut novel, According to Jane, is an homage both to Austen herself and to the music/memories of the 1980s, which is a favorite time period of mine and one I remember well. It’s a coming-of-age story about a modern woman who has the ghost of Jane Austen in her head giving her dating advice… And, yes, I’ll admit, there were times when I was a teen that I’d wished for such wise guidance! But, despite Jane never speaking to me personally, and in honor of her birthday today, I’m giving away an autographed copy of my book to one commenter in the post below who answers this question: Which author has greatly inspired you? (You can name more than one, by the way, if it’s too hard to narrow it down. J) Please include your email address in your reply so I can contact you. I’ll draw a winner before midnight tonight and will also post that person’s name in the comment section.

Happy Birthday, Jane! And, to all of you, Happy Holidays!

Author Bio:

Marilyn Brant is the award-winning women’s fiction author of ACCORDING TO JANE (Oct. 2009) and the upcoming FRIDAYS AT NINE (Oct. 2010), both from Kensington Books. She’s a former Chicago-area teacher, library staff member and national book reviewer for Romantic Times, who once studied the works of Austen at Oxford University. Still an active member of the Jane Austen Society of North America and a huge fan of English chocolate, you can visit Marilyn online at www.marilynbrant.com.

My setting for my debut novel, Spinning Forward, is where I live—Cedar Key, an island town off the west coast of Florida. We relocated here four years ago when my husband retired and never looked back (to the mainland, that is). Cedar Key is a delightful, caring and loving community and something is always going on here. Every November, right before Thanksgiving, the big event is the Pie Auction held at the local school.

Okay, so some people are addicted to gambling, or shopping or whatever. Well, I’m admitting right here that my secret vice is pie auctions. Sounds pretty benign, doesn’t it? Don’t be fooled!

Until I moved to Cedar Key, I had never heard of such a thing. I was simply told it was held each year at the school on the Monday before Thanksgiving, and the money raised went to assist the junior and senior classes with their prom. Hey, a worthy cause. It sounded good to me. So two years ago, Ray and I set off to attend our first pie auction . . . and walked away owning 10 pies!

I love both pies and the auction process. You’re given a sign with a wooden stick, and the paper paddle has a number on it. The bidding begins and, if you’re interested, you raise that sign. The pies started at $5, but don’t think one walks away with a “cheap” pie. Oh no! It’s very common for pies to end up going for $60, $70 and $80! One even went for $200 one year! And the locals have been working, i.e. bidding at, this auction for years. I was a newbie—up against what seemed like seasoned pros!

You have to know that most of the women on this island are noted for their homemade baking. We’re not talking store bought pies and cakes here. Oh, no. These southern women are born with the baking gene. So when they started showing cream pie and peanut butter pies and sweet potato pies, well, this Yankee girl just couldn’t resist. And that is how I came to walk away with 10 pies two years ago.

So you can imagine my delight the next year, when this fun-filled (and calorie-laden) event came around once again. There was no question that we would attend. I can still remember the auction paddle clutched in my sweaty palm. I was ready. Let the bidding begin! However, I promised Ray that this year, I would be sensible—we would not leave with 10 pies. But when I saw that Banana Split Pie literally slipping through my fingers or that Chicken Pot Pie (that Peter, the chef at the Island Room made) going, going . . . well, I did what any pie lovin’ woman would do: I bid a little higher. And I must confess, I sighed with relief when the auctioneer proclaimed, “Gone! To number 22!” and pointed right at me.

My husband may beg to differ, but I resisted the best I could. I really did. But somehow, this is what we ended up taking home.

Hey, what can I say? It was a worthy cause.

So tell me about your town . . . does it have all kinds of events when the holidays approach? And do you think smaller towns are more inclined to have such affairs or do you attend them in large cities, too?

Author Terri DuLong lives and writes in Cedar Key, Florida, where her debut novel for Kensington Books—Spinning Forward, a Cedar Key novel (November, 2009)—is set. An avid knitter, Terri knows of what she writes, and she promises that knitting will continue to figure prominently in her women’s fiction series. Book 2 comes out in November 2010.

Win your own copy of SPINNING FORWARD by Terri DuLong by leaving a comment or question.  A winner will be chosen randomly on December 10. The odds of winning depend upon the number of participants .  Void where prohibited.