Interview with author Tess Oliver!

When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer? 
About ten years ago my sister and I teamed together to write some romances for Samhain Publishing. After that, I couldn't stop.

Do you read much and if so who are your favourite authors? Which writers inspire you? What book/s are you reading at present? 
I almost always read romance but occasionally I step out of my comfort zone. I love Gabaldon, Austen, Penelope Williamson. I recently finished Poldark by Winston Graham and now I'm loving the BBC miniseries to go with it.

What book that you read in your early days of literature do you most attribute to your success as an author? 
"Heart of the West" by Penelope Williamson. Her style and characters and vivid descriptions really captured my heart.

While you were writing, did you ever feel as if you were one of the characters?
Occasionally I hear a piece of dialogue that reminds me of something I said or something my husband said. My characters are purely fictional but occasionally I see traits that match people I know. I'm never sure if I do it consciously or not. Who is your favorite character from your books? I think my first book, Camille, still has my favorite characters, Camille and Nathaniel. 

Where do you get your information or ideas for your books? 
The ideas come from my head but when I need information, I go straight to the books and the internet.

Would you like to have a movie made based on one of your books? Which would that be? 
That would be a dream come true. I guess I'd have to go back to my book Camille again. It's set in Victorian England, a great place for a movie to take place.

For your own reading, do you prefer ebooks or traditional paper/hard back books? 
I like both. 

What is the hardest thing when writing paranormal books for teens?

Plotting is always the hardest thing for me. I love coming up with the characters but making up the storyline is hard. 

What do you like to do when you're not writing? 
I love to hike and hang out with my family and my many pets. I've got five dogs, a cat, three goats and two ponies. When I'm not writing, they keep me busy. 

What steps did you take to get your first book published? 
Most of my books are self-published. My daughter helps with all the editing, formatting, covers and marketing. The few books I have with a publisher (different name) I went through the usual painstaking process of querying and submitting. I prefer the self-published route. Lots more freedom.

You write a lot of amazing love stories, so tell us: Do you have an amazing love story of your own? 
I do. I've been lucky in love. I'm married to a man who I'm still just as nuts about as I was when we first met. And we're heading toward our twenty-seventh anniversary. Passion is still going strong!

What was the hardest thing about writing your latest book? 
Making the plot work is always my biggest hurdle.

What are you working on now? 
My current project is Heart of Stone, book 2 of the Stone brother series. I'm writing it with an author friend, Anna Hart. It is the love story between Hunter Stone, a rough-edged bad boy and Amy Linton, the girl he's known and loved since childhood.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years? 
Hopefully as happy and healthy as I am now but with a few more wrinkles, I suppose. 

Who designed it? Why did you go with that particular image/artwork? 
My brilliant, talented daughter Nikki makes almost all of my covers. She searches out the images and creates the cover. She has a great eye for design.


What advice do you have for young writers starting out? 
Stick with it and make sure you write the stuff you love. Don't try to squeeze out stories if they don't come from the heart.

A few words for the readers of our site and generally for the readers who love you. 
Thanks so much for reading my stories. There are no writers without readers! 

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Interview with author Cory Cyr !

When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?
I have been writing all of my life. I started out writing music but then switched to horror in school.

Why the Adult Romance genre? What made you approach this genre?
I actually have over thirty unfinished manuscripts. In 2013 I decided to write a young adult dystopian novel. I had severe WRITER’S BLOCK. A really well known author told me “Stop writing what you think they want and write what you know.” Well I know YOUNGER MEN/OLDER WOMEN. I am an expert(LOL) so I began to pen Reviving Haven. Writing Adult is the hardest thing I’ve ever written but now I really like it and can’t imagine switching it. Although one day I may do some horror or YA—maybe.

Do you read much and if so who are your favourite authors? Which writers inspire you?
I love to read. I have over 6,000 books and have close to 400 on my TBR shelf. I ride an exercise bike two hours a day, I use that time to read. I love Jodi Malpas, pepper Winters, Cambria Hebert. My list is long of authors that inspire me. I have my book cases (13) divided by genre.

While you were writing, did you ever feel as if you were one of the characters? Who is your favorite character from your books?

My favorite character so far is Cass from Acquiesce. I love smart, hot nerds. I always use people I know as characters. I think all writers put themselves in the place of the main character. Sometimes I have to put myself in their place to write the emotions honestly. 

How did you get the idea for the book Bite & Release? Is it based on a real story or is it just fiction? How do you create your characters?
Well you know what they say. There are always bits of truth in fiction. So yes, I did experience some of the things in Bite and Release. I also felt it was time for a nice guy. I wanted a character that had experienced a horrible childhood but still became a good man. I love bad boys but I felt it was time for readers to meet someone like Shea.

Would you like to have a movie made based on one of your books? Which would that be? 
Well the fans would want Bite & Release. I could see an HBO movie of Acquiesce, but I think Snatch-another book coming would be a great movie or series because it combines action, mystery and romance.

I read two of your books (Bite & Release and Acquiesce) and I love it. Will they get to be published in Romania?
I have no idea what the future holds. I never even thought I’d ever get published here (LOL). To have my books go worldwide would be a dream. 
Tell us a little bit about your cover art.

Who designed it? Why did you go with that particular image/artwork?

All my covers are created by WICKED BY DESIGN. My concept, my photographs-their creation.  When I first saw the photo of Daniel Boos-I wasn’t convinced it was what I wanted for Bite & Release. It took seven weeks for me to decide and once I did. I knew that was my cover and he was Shea. Reviving Haven had three title changes, and I looked for almost 12 weeks for a model for the cover. Once I saw the stock photo, I knew what the title should be. With Acquiesce-I saw the photo about eight months prior-I had NO idea who it was because the photo had NO head. I looked every single day for months. Then one day I was able to find out it was international fitness star Matus Valent. I added the tattoo and the handcuffs (LOL). The photo shoot for Snatch is in Canada on Feb. 3rd.  This will be my first cover  that will be shot specifically for me. And my first cover with a couple. The male model is French Canadian and he is crazy HOT!!!!!!!!!!  

How does the writer Cory Cyr see herself in 50 years’ time?
Dead (LOL) but hopefully living on in my books. What I write isn’t Pulitzer Prize material but I hope that people love it enough to remember my work.

A few words for the readers of our site and generally for the readers who love you.
I love my fans. My next book is dedicated to them. Hell, I never thought I’d have fans or receive mail from them. Nothing puts a smile on my face and inspires me like an email or PM from someone who just read one of my books and loved it. They mean the world to me and I hope every book I write will be one they enjoy. I could write a masterpiece but without my readers, it wouldn’t mean anything. The overwhelming support and love from them is amazing. I never thought I’d be embraced as a romance writer as I have been and I thank them all. 

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