The guest author for today on Interviews with Dante is Deborah Camp. She is a writer of Thriller/Suspense/Paranormal Romance and she has also write Western Historical Romances​. Her latest work is Through His Heart. The third novel in the Mind's Eye series.

Please tell us a little about yourself.
I’m Deborah Camp, author of more than 45 published novels, both contemporary and historical. My first book was published in 1979 by Simon & Shuster. I live in Oklahoma with my significant other and a bunch of sweet dogs.
I’m a charter member of the Romance Writers of America and I’m a member of The Authors Guild, Oklahoma Writers Federation, Inc, and the Tulsa Night Writers.
When I’m not writing or reading, I’m usually volunteering with the Animal Rescue Foundation in Tulsa, rescuing pets from kill shelters and finding great new homes for them.
I’ve made my living as a writer my whole adult life, so I’m very blessed.

Tell us about your latest book.
My most current book is the third novel in my Mind’s Eye series, which features psychic detectives Trudy Tucker and Levi Wolfe. Each book is stand-alone as far as the mystery goes, but the relationship between Trudy and Levi continues to evolve throughout the series. THROUGH HIS HEART deals with the kidnapping of a child – a step-sister Levi has never met – and Trudy’s insistence in helping find the girl, even though it means dealing with Levi’s father, John Comfort. The Rev. Comfort is an evangelical TV minister who rejected Levi when he was a child, which threw Levi into a world of mental and physical torture. He hates his father and his father has no use for him, so being in the same town together is explosive for both of them.
Caught in this tangled web of deceit and hatred, Trudy and Levi try to find the girl using their psychic abilities while Levi tries not to spin out of control and into the emotionally charged chaos he’s tried so hard to avoid.

Levi and Trudy approach their work from different angles because Levi can commune with the deceased or victims of crimes and Trudy can get into the criminal’s mind and see what he sees, hear what he hears, etc. They make a formidable team.

What do you have coming out in the future?
My work-in-process is a western set in Texas, two years after the end of the Civil War. It’s a love story, dealing primarily with the aftermath of life after the war and the festering hatred, animosity, and fear most people struggled with at that time. It’s a story of redemption and how men and women deal differently with the trauma of war. Its scheduled release is in early 2016.
After that, I’ll write #4 in the Mind’s Eye series.
 
The Mind’s Eye series is different from most because it has something for everyone – romance, hot sex, suspense, danger, intrigue, and paranormal. I think I’m successful in weaving all those elements into each book. From the reviews I’ve received, readers are pleasantly surprised by how much they love the books and the series. Readers who generally don’t like to read paranormal books like them because they are more down to earth and they have complex and interesting main characters. Levi is smoking hot and Trudy is a strong woman who can handle all his complexities and hotness!
 
I focused on Levi in the first three books of the series. In the next three, I plan to focus more on Trudy and her own unique psychic talents. She’s new at the detective game and still struggling with how to use her gifts. She’s always been afraid of them and tried to deny them, but now she is attempting to embrace and control them.

Is your book a stand-alone or a series?
 My book is part of a series (The Mind's Eye series), but it is stand-alone in that a murder is solved in each one. The relationship between the characters continues throughout the series.

Why romance and what makes your particular brand of romance special?
 I write romances because that's what I like to read. My Mind's Eye series is a bit different because the psychic detectives work both "sides." She can see through the killer's eyes and he can commune with the deceased crime victims.
 
Is romance the only genre that you write in or do you write in other genres? If so what other genres do you write in?
I write romances, both contemporary and historical.

​Do you base your characters on real people?
I have done this. In the Mind’s Eye series, a character named Quintara is based on my writer mentor who ran a Writers Roundtable. She was quite a character and loved by many writers in Oklahoma. Mostly, my characters are a combination of people I’ve met or watched from a distance. Writers are observers.
 
What was your road to publishing like?
Although I have a Bachelor’s degree in journalism and I was a newspaper reporter for a few years, I knew that writing a mass market novel wasn’t the same thing. So, I took classes in novel writing at the local junior college and I joined local writing groups and critique groups. My first novel went through a critique group before I submitted it to a literary agent or a publisher. It was contracted by Simon & Shuster for their new romance line called Silhouette. Shortly after that, I signed with my first literary agent. I would say that my road to publishing was methodical and I approached it as a business I had to learn before I hung out shingle.
 
What authors inspire your writing?
I admire many authors and add new ones to the list every year. LaVyrle Spencer, Sandra Brown, Nora Roberts, Janet Dailey, Mary Stewart, C.D. Reiss, E.L. James, and Abigail Barnette are a few that have influenced me as a writer and thrilled me as a reader.
 
What is the hardest part of writing for you?
The hardest part is after a book is written and I have to find ways to let readers know about it and get them to place reviews of it online! That never gets easier and it’s very time-consuming and expensive.
 
What is the easiest part?
Dreaming up the plot and creating the character profiles. That’s always fun.
 
What is my preferred writing environment?
I like to write at home. I carry my laptop all over the place and plop down and write.
 
What influences my writing?
I like to hang my plot on a lesson or moral judgment. I don’t want to pound readers over the head with it, but I expect them to “get it” by the end of the novel. In the Mind’s Eye series, the overall lesson is to not judge people prematurely or ignorantly. In the western I’m writing now the lesson is that hatred is learned and passed on. Humans are not born hating.
I’m influenced by the wonderful people around me – my friends and my lovely, gorgeous, sexy, very own hero. We’ve been together, off and on, since I was a senior in high school and he was an older, experienced, guy with a “bad boy” reputation.  We’re definitely “on” now, but we have a long-distance relationship. I live in Oklahoma and he lives in Connecticut. Thanks to flying, texting, e-mails, and phone calls, we make it work. We hardly ever go longer than two weeks without seeing each other.
 
Do you plot or go with the flow?
I used to plot, chapter by chapter, and sometimes I still do. However, with the Mind’s Eye series, I go with the flow. I know the mystery and how it will be resolved, but I don’t know all the subplots and key scenes. So far, it’s working for me on this series.
 
Advice for new writers:
I taught novel writing and romance writing for more than 20 years at a local college, so I think I can speak to this with some confidence. I’m proud to say that several of my students are published romance writers now.
Do your homework! Study the books you love to read as if they were textbooks. Underline sections you love and ask yourself why you love them, why they’re successful, what the author did to pull your heartstrings or make you gasp. Concentrate on a good plot and don’t rely on coincidences and contrived outcomes. The conflict has to be real and wrenching and both of your main characters should wish they could extricate themselves, but they can’t because of realistic and believable reasons. If it’s something that they could deal with in a conversation or by answering a few questions, then it’s not a good conflict. Too often, I see flimsy plots that rely on a misunderstanding that could be cleared up if the heroine or hero simply questioned the other person instead of flying off into a rage or pouting.
Hire a copy-editor and a proofer! Don’t rely on good friends or relatives to tell you they love your book and didn’t find anything wrong with it. Invest in a professional editor and proof reader. They are worth every cent you pay them! Listen to their advice – especially the editor. You don’t have to make every change suggested, but listen and compromise when possible.
When you’re just starting out, find a good critique group, preferably one that consists of both published and unpublished writers who are writing the in the same genre as you. Check with local writing groups for one. If you can’t find one, start your own! Again, you don’t have to take everyone’s advice, but if several people in the group have the same problem with something in your book, you need to change it. Don’t love your book so much that you think every word and every scene is necessary. Rewriting is where you find the real gold.
 
What is your favorite quote?
Don’t wait for your ship to come in. Swim for it!

The guest author for today on Interviews with Dante is Casey Lehman. He is a writer of Sci/Fi/Fantasy/Anthro Romance. His latest work A Second Chance, coauthored with Ronald Steven Lessiter, is the first book in the TalonFrye Chronicles.

Please tell us a little about yourself.
I am an avid dragon, anime romance fanfiction lover.  I suffer from aspergers, tourettes, depression, bipolar disorder and have slight PTSD from certain incidents in my past.  Although I am hesitant to spout the technicalities behind how this series began, I will say my co-author and I are still in the process of writing our series.  I feel D&D (Dungeons and Dragons) is a large inspiration for my work nowadays.
 
Tell us about your latest book.
The actual world in which The TalonFyre Chronicles, Book 1: A Second Chance, was originally based on the Legend of Spyro world, but I desired to pull this kind of idea and base it on Dungeons and Dragons instead.  In the the first book of the series, the odd and very dense 19-year old lava-blooded dragon mercenary known as TalonFyre meets a (seemingly)22-year old light dragon by the name of Flare.  Flare promptly  introduces him to his violence-loving, extremely tomboyish and exceptionally attractive 17-year old daughter, Hikari.  She almost instantly falls for him, despite his unromantic attitude and extreme unintelligence.  This book is about their struggles, the healing power of love, redemption, and the fact that you don’t have to be the same species to fall in love(see the two of the four side-characters, Ultimar and Mian).
 
What do you have coming out in the future?
The TalonFyre Chronicles, Books 2 and 3, The TalonFyre Epochs(a darker and more adult series taking place after the chronicles) and War of the Third Demon Parts 1, 2 and 3, the latter most being, the darker, complex-worded prequel to the series/history of the world in which The TalonFyre Chronicles takes place.  It will have multiple D&D-like qualities, a semi-large cast,  and may cause controversy due to the nature and traditions of said world.
 
Is your book a stand-alone or a series?
As stated before, both the Chronicles and the Epochs are part of the same series.  War of the Third Demon is a spinoff/prequel.
 
Why romance and what makes your particular brand of romance special?
It’s something that hasn’t been done that much before in an actual book series.  An anthro-romance novel about dragons.  What makes it truly interesting is that my aunt actually sometimes forgot they were dragons, but instead humans due to the fact that they have almost no bestial qualities in their personality whatsoever.  This, coupled with nearly zero instinct, causes it to be somewhat unique.  I hate to give spoilers, but later books will delve deep into interspecies romances as well.  Even with this, they are all still fully-sentient species.
 
Is romance the only genre that you write in or do you write in other genres? If so what other genres do you write in?
The TalonFyre Chronicles will mostly be romance, but will have multiple adventures qualities in later books.  War of the Third Demon will most likely be as follows - Part 1: Romance/ HurtComfort/Drama.  Part 2: Politics/Adventure/Romance/Drama/HurtComfort/War.  Part 3: War/Drama/Adventure/Romance/HurtComfort/Politics.

​From where do you draw your inspiration?
Originally Legend of Spyro/Animes.  Now it’s D&D/Animes/Dr. Who and multiple other series as well as my own imagination to be more original.
 
Do you ever base your characters on real people in your life?
Some characters are based on myself/others as well as their situations, albeit sometimes mixed and/or exaggerated.
 
What authors inspire your writing?
Piers Anthony, J.R.R. Tolken, Emily Roddda, Clare Keating and multiple fanfiction writers
 
What do you like to do when you are not writing?
Play video games, read fanfictions and watch anime
 
What was your road to publishing like? Tell us about it.
It was… interesting.  I was originally a fanfiction writer, but retired when I realized that it wasn’t something that could make money or a real impact on lives.  The TalonFyre Chronicles, although originally Spyro fanfiction, the world was completely revamped into a D&D-style with a multitude of species.  The Golems in War of the Third Demons will be basted of the personifications of different emotions/situations, etc. from mythology (I.E. Thanatos, Eros, Styx, Hypnos, Aergia and others)
 
How did you come up with the title of your book?
The TalonFyre Chronicles seemed to the a basic yet efficient name for the series.  The subtitle “A Second Chance” is due to TalonFyre having the decision to either give up his mercenary past or continue on the road to the destruction of his body, mind, heart and soul.
 
What is your absolute favorite book or books and why is it special to you?
Romance above all.  I really don’t know why.  Maybe it’s because I was always more feminine than masculine.
 
What celebrity would you chose to play the main character(s) in the movie rendition of your book?
TalonFyre: J.S. Gilbert’s Sweet Tooth Voice from Twisted Metal without the distortion as per the desire of my co-author.
Hikari: Anna Kingsley
Flare: Chris Niosi
Angel: Rachael Lillis
Ultimar: Vic Mignogna
Mian: Imogen Fox

Have you joined any writer’s groups?
GoodReads and a few DeviantArt Groups
 
Have you won any awards for your writing?
No, and I don’t expect to yet.
 
What is the hardest part of the writing process for you?
From a writer’s perspective, The TalonFyre Chronices would be translating the dialogue into a book format and coming up with the emotions behind the characters.  As for War of the Third Demon, that would be researching the effects of the characters’ traumas and mental problems.  From a mental perspective, any childbirth scenes.
 
What is the easiest part of the writing process for you?
The TalonFyre Chronicles: Taking the dialogue into the story.  War of the Third Demon: Coming up with ideas for species.
 
Which of your characters is your favorite and why?
Ultimar, because of his job, soft, kind heart, selflessness, and redemption story.
 
Who or what are your inspirations/influences?
Ronald Steven Lessiter, my co-author, Shalone Howard A.K.A. ShaloneSK on DeviantArt for the original designs of the dragon characters, Clare Keating A.K.A. echodusk on DeviantArt, Montecristo709 on fanfiction.net for his religious influences and ideas, animes/movies (mainly Shonen Jump, Monster Rancher and Studio Ghibli), multiple video games, Gary Gygax/Dave Arneson, Dragon City and other games like it, Dragon Heart, Legend of Spyro, Lord of The Rings and some histoical events
 
What is your preferred writing environment?
And here’s where my oddball personality comes out - FIND THE COMPUTER ROOM!!!
 
How would you describe your writing style?
The TalonFyre Chronicles is more common and laid back, while War of the Third Demon is complex-worded, semi-scientific, and makes elaborate comparatives.  Both have a very feminine style of writing, but the femininity is much more prominent War of the Third Demon.
 
Do you have a careful plan when plotting your stories or do you just go with the flow?
The dialogue for The TalonFyre Chronicles is pre-written, but for War of the Third Demon I have very few things pre-planned.  In short, for the latter I “go with the flow” more than a stereotypical laid-back surfer in a 90’s movie.
 
With many publishing routes available today, which felt the most reliable to you when it came to the many choices?
Amazon.  Echodusk told me it would be the best route to self-publish, and since she had published novella on there, I trusted her judgement.
 
When did you know you truly wanted to give writing a shot?
That’s a hard question.  In honesty I was always a good writer, but I stopped in high-school.  I think writing TalonFyre: Portrait of a Merc (the original fanficion.net version of The TalonFyre Chronicles) was actually something that got me back into writing.  It’s a passion now.
 
What is your favorite quote?
“Ultimate power ultimately corrupts”
 
Do you have any advice for other writers and what is it?
If you want to write, I suggest you look at the more professionally-written books.  If you have no interest in original stories, go to fanfiction.net or DeviantArt and read some of the few well-written stories of your preffered fandom.  If you truly want original ideas, you may want to find a D&D group, as the games you play will give you an extreme amount of inspiration, especially if your DM(Dungeon Master) is creative enough to make his own storyline and possibly even classes/abilities.  In fact, you and your friends can actually make a book out of your game if this is the case - just give credit where credit is due.
 
Wild Card Question.
As an author, what is the one question that you wish people would ask you, but no one ever has and what would your answer be to that question?
 
Do you think interspecies romances are wrong?
I am going to give an answer and then propose a series of questions - For my answer, I feel it depends if the species are both fully-sentient and the conditions of the romance.  Technically speaking, depending on the species it can be somewhat creepy.  However for my question we must ask ourselves this - what is the measure of man?  Do we consider “sentient” to be only applied to humans?  If so, is it because of ignorance, or is it because we have never met a specie with our reasoning and intelligence?  If we do, will be see it as “human” or “sentient” or will said ignorance blind us to the friendship or possibly loves that could come of accepting them into our fold?  If this world were to be populated with other sentient species, would it be for better or worse?  Would it cause humans to see that race is nothing but an illusion of physical traits?  I, for one, would welcome new sentient species into our world, providing they did not come to kill us, but rather live with us.  If they saw us as beneath them due to their power or technology, yet restrained themselves from doing horrible things due to it, I would see that as amazing restraint.  If even one saw that we are, in the end, equal, I would see that as amazing strength.  Who’s to say that any sentient species is better than another?  It would be the same as saying one race of humans is better, which is untrue, despite those who think otherwise.  In the end, are we not all mere “humans” of the same cosmos?

The guest author for today on Interviews with Dante is Ash Night. She is a writer of Young Adult Paranormal Romance. Her latest work Embracing Shadows is the first in the Embracing Shadows series.

​Please tell us a little about yourself.
I always thought I’d end up in Neverland with Peter Pan, and when that didn’t happen, I made my own version of Neverland and just never stopped. I love camping and love walking in the woods, especially in the fall. I grew up outside a small town in Wisconsin. I’m the oldest of four kids and I started writing when I was eleven.
 
Tell us about your latest book.
My latest book is about love coming in more than one form.
 
What do you have coming out in the future?
I have the sequel to Embracing Shadows coming out early next year and a short story about my favorite orange-haired vampire. I also plan to work on a few random projects as well.
 
Is your book a stand-alone or a series?
Embracing Shadows is a series. My first novel, Juliet’s Lullaby, is a stand-alone told from Topaz’s POV but is sort of a spin-off of Embracing Shadows.
 
Why romance and what makes your particular brand of romance special?
My first experience with romance was watching English-dubbed anime (Japanese cartoons with English-speaking voice actors). When I was young, I watched an anime called Rurouni Kenshin. I had a huge crush on the main male character and was envious of how sweet he was with the main female character. Since then, I still love sappy anime romances, but I’ve become more realistic. My brand of romance is special because, although my vampires are from the days of when men controlled their women, most of them believe in change and are willing to be considerate of what the opposite gender wants. I also believe in females who can hold a scene on their own and not have to always depend on a guy.
 
Is romance the only genre that you write in or do you write in other genres? If so what other genres do you write in?
I’m hoping to branch out a bit and write other types of romances, other than paranormal, but I think I’ll stick to romance.

What authors inspire your writing?
Amelia Atwater-Rhodes was a big influence on me. She even inspired my pen name. I even got the chance to tell her on Facebook how much she inspired me and it was wonderful being able to actually tell her how much she helped me grow as a writer.
 
What do you like to do when you are not writing?
I share my love of anime with my little sister Brooke so we can waste an entire day watching our favorite anime, One Piece. I’m very family-oriented. On the weekends, I’m usually babysitting at least one of my ten cousins. I also have an extensive movie collection, including seasons of my favorite shows. I love to go camping. I love everything about nature. I also love video games, especially RPGs.
 
What was your road to publishing like? Tell us about it.
When I was fourteen, I had a teacher who believed in my writing. She also knew I had trouble in a class due to my mild Cerebral Palsy (trouble with fine motor skills) so she changed my schedule so I would have forty-five minutes free every day instead of having to take that class. I used that time to research how to get published. At that time, I used to think the only way of getting published was to get an agent.
 
I wrote to agents and got a handful of rejection letters. A few didn’t even write back. By the time I was a sophomore in high school, I was getting frustrated. In my mind, I was supposed to be famous by now with everyone reading my writing. Through my author page on Facebook I was introduced to some very nice authors who were self-published and they seemed very happy.
 
Now, right I am. I believe I made the right decision. Sure, being an indie author has its drawbacks. I have to do all the promotion myself. I have to do all the editing or pay a pretty penny for someone to do it for me. But I wouldn’t trade it for the world.
 
I love being able to have control of what covers go on my books. I love that I can schedule my own time instead of being told where I’m going next. Most of all, I love being able to have time to interact with my readers and other authors. The community is so welcoming. I love being surrounded by such positive people, and, to me, that outweighs every single drawback.
 
What is your absolute favorite book or books and why is it special to you?
The Den of Shadows series by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes is one of my favorites. One story in the series, specifically Demon in my View, is very special to me because it had a very profound effect on me. I love the writing style, the characters, the setting. Her vampires had a unique human-like quality to them that I loved. Interview with the Vampire, Twilight, and the Vampire Diaries series are also some of my favorites.
 
What celebrity would you chose to play the main character(s) in the movie rendition of your book?
I would have Kelan Lutz play my character Aubrey Asher because I loved his performance as Emmett Cullen. Robert Pattinson would be great to act as Topaz Tylers because I think he could pull off Topaz’s goofy personality while perfectly portraying his darker moments. Ian Somerhalder would be absolutely perfect for playing Alex Asher because Alex and Damon Salvatore have similar personality traits.
 
What is the hardest part of the writing process for you?
Editing. I hate it. I also hate that once I start, I have a hard time stopping until I’m finished. I noticed I tend to be a little crabby during this time so, if I’m editing, there better be a good reason for someone to interrupt.
 
Which of your characters is your favorite and why?
I have three I could not possibly choose between. My characters Aubrey Asher, Alex Asher, and Topaz Tylers are my favorites. They’ve been with me almost my entire life. I love them equally, but for different reasons.
 
What is your preferred writing environment?
I love writing in my living room, but I can really write anywhere as long as it’s quiet or if I have music.
 
How would you describe your writing style?
My writing is character-driven and most of my characters have an internal problem that the other main character tries to help fix.
 
Do you have a careful plan when plotting your stories or do you just go with the flow?
I have used outlines twice in my life and twice I stopped and just started writing. I’m a very hands-on person. If I have a character pop into my head, I want that character to talk and the fastest way is to sit in front of a blank word document, turn the music up loud, and just get lost in it. It’s the most powerful feeling in the world.
 
When did you know you truly wanted to give writing a shot?
I knew the day I handed my sixth grade teacher one of my stories after class, as I did every other day, and she asked, “Have you ever thought of publishing your stories?” At that moment, my life changed forever.
 
Do you have any advice for other writers and what is it?
My advice would be to write whenever you can, even if it’s only a few minutes a day. A novel happens one sentence at a time. Even if it takes your whole life to write it, a novel is something to be proud of. It’s also one of the most incredible experiences I have ever had.

Wild Card Question.
As an author, what is the one question that you wish people would ask you, but no one ever has and what would your answer be to that question?

I would love for people to ask me about the little things about my characters like their favorite food or the type of music they dislike. When I was first starting out as a writer, I used to fill out character sheets and always had so much fun answering the questions like, “what would be in your character’s fridge right now?”, or “what would your character serve on a first date?”, etc. I love to imagine what my characters would be doing on a typical Tuesday afternoon. Of course, it wouldn’t be much fun for my reader to read about that, but it’s fun to think about.

​The guest author for today on Interviews by Dante is Gabriel Constans. She is an author of Contemporary Erotic Romance. Her latest book is Loving Annalise.

Please tell us a little about yourself.
Raised in a lumber town in Northern California, where father worked in the mills for over 40 years. Mother worked as a bookkeeper, later remarried and took in 9 foster sisters and 1 foster brother. Biological sister lives and works in same town.
 
Been writing since first publishing an alternative newspaper in high school against the Viet Nam war, for civil rights and sex education, for which I was threatened with arrest. Am practicing parent for 5 adult children (2 adopted) and 4 grandchildren.
 
Tell us about your latest book.
Loving Annalise is based on a true story for a woman I used to work with at hospice. She was kind enough to sit down with me for extensive periods of time and tell me about her life, which I then made into a fictional romance (keeping many of the actual events that took place).
 
What do you have coming out in the future?
I’ve been teaching about mindfulness meditation and mental health for loss and trauma for almost 40 years, and will start to put together a book about it next year.
 
Is your book a stand-alone or a series?
Loving Annalise is a stand-alone romance.
 
Why romance and what makes your particular brand of romance special?
Love and sex are two wonderfully pleasurable aspects of living. Loving Annalise is not only unique, because a lot of it is true, but also because it involves a lot of background and insight into the characters and how Annalise eventually has the courage to stand on her own and be the person she chooses.
 
Is romance the only genre that you write in or do you write in other genres? If so what other genres do you write in?
All of my romances, Loving Annalise, The Last Conception and Buddha’s Wife, have twists and turns that are not usually found in most romantic genres. I also write children’s fiction and non-fiction for adults, that include books about grief, loss and trauma, sexuality and smoothies. I also write screenplays.

From where do you draw your inspiration?
The primary inspiration for my stories come from personal and family experiences and people I admire, some publicly known and other’s close friends and role models (such as my Judo and Jiu-Jitsu teacher Prof. Jane Carr).
 
Do you ever base your characters on real people in your life?
All the time. Observing people I’ve known in the past and present, and situations and families I’ve been involved in through work in hospice, hospital, coroner’s office, prisons, etc., are a big part of what brings my character’s to life and makes them realistic, flawed and believable.
 
What authors inspire your writing?
A variety of writer’s have, and do, inspire me. Bell Hooks, Alice Walker, James Baldwin, Isabelle Allende, Ruth Ozeki, Pat Conroy, Chitra Divakaruna, and Zora Neal Hurston are the first that come to mind.
 
How have your real life experiences influenced your writing?
I’ve been married three times, once when I was very young. Each marriage, and other relationships in-between, have influenced who I am and how I see the world. Each partnership provided emotional, physical and psychological experience that shaped who I am and how I write.
 
What do you like to do when you are not writing?
Some of the things I enjoy are film, reading, playing music, gardening and sculpting stone.
 
How did you come up with the title of your book?
Loving Annalise captures both the reality of other people wanting Annalise, as well as her learning to love herself.

A successful embryologist (Savarna) must make difficult and life-changing choices. Should she continue devoting her soul to work and party with her girlfriend Magdalena or settle down with Charlemagne (Charly) and have children? If she decides to have children, how and when will they start the process and what will it take to convince her conservative East Indian mother to stop trying to marry her off to a “good man”? If that isn’t enough pressure, throw in the bomb her parents plant when they tell her she MUST have a baby because she is the last in line of a great spiritual teacher who reportedly never had children.​

What is your absolute favorite book or books and why is it special to you?
Two of my favorite books are Their Eyes Were Watching God by Nora Zeal Hurston, and Communion by Bell Hooks. The first book is so amazing at portraying an individual, time and place, with which I would never have contact or knowledge, and bringing the character’s to such life, that they felt real. The second, taught me about myself and feminism, in ways I had not imagined.
 
What celebrity would you chose to play the main character(s) in the movie rendition of your book?
For Loving Annalise I’d like Yvonne Maria Schaefer to play Annalise. For The Last Conception, which I’ve written the screenplay for, I’d love to see Archie Punjabi play Savarna.
 
What is the hardest part of the writing process for you?
The most difficult aspect of writing, for me, is editing, and knowing when enough is enough.
 
What is the easiest part of the writing process for you?
The easiest aspect of writing is developing story ideas.
 
Which of your characters is your favorite and why?
One of my favorite character’s is Yasodhara, in Buddha’s Wife. She is left in the throes of grief, and learns how to not only survive and carry on, but also develops great insight and compassion for others.
 
What is your favorite quote?
“Life is what happens to you while your busy making other plans.” John Lennon
 
Wild Card Question.
As an author, what is the one question that you wish people would ask you, but no one ever has and what would your answer be to that question

Nobody has ever asked whether writing has any personal, cultural or societal importance for living and if so, how?
Personally, writing helps me externalize what is going on in my head and heart and have a better perspective. Culturally, writing keeps our history alive and in the consciousness of the human race. Society uses writer’s for information, pleasure and escape; all of which have their place and time.​

​The guest author for today on Interviews by Dante is Libby Cole. She is an author of Contemporary Romance. Her latest book is Hawaiian Heartbreak. It is the first installment in the Hawaiian Heartbreak Trilogy. Libby prefers some anonymity as an author so there is no photo with this interview. ​

​Please tell us a little about yourself.
I was a journalist before I became frustrated with seemingly only bringing people bad news. I still believe it’s an important job, but decided that wasn’t the environment I wanted to be in every day. So I moved from being a romance fan, to a romance writer. Now I bring people happy ever afters, and hopefully an entertaining thrill along the way!
 
Tell us about your latest book.
Hawaiian Heartbreak is the first in a trilogy, about a holiday fling unexpectedly turning into so much more. Some of the reviewers have said the Hawaiian setting is like a character in itself, which is exactly what I wanted! Love and wanderlust all in one, but of course, with complications along the way.
 
What do you have coming out in the future?
The rest of the trilogy, Hawaiian Healing, and Hawaiian Homecoming. Hawaiian Healing is almost ready to go to my editor now. I know that people need resolution, so I’m aiming to get all three out by January next year. No rest for the wicked!
 
Why romance and what makes your particular brand of romance special?
Romance is what I love reading, and I really believe in writing what you love. It shows in your writing if you genuinely care about the story and the characters. My brand of romance is ever-changing, but currently it’s about rediscovering yourself, finding your place in the world and what you want from it. Falling in love with someone might be the catalyst for that, but rest assured, these are strong women in their own right!
 
Is romance the only genre that you write in or do you write in other genres? If so what other genres do you write in?
Only romance for now, although never say never. I’m enjoying getting to write in a longer form than when I was a journalist, and focus on happiness and new beginnings. In the future? Who knows.

From where do you draw your inspiration?
Anywhere and everywhere – a holiday, problems that a friend is dealing with, a movie. The important part is sitting down and not feeling too beholden to the original idea. Start with that grain of a story, then think, if that’s true, what else is true?
 
Do you ever base your characters on real people in your life?
To a certain extent. Jay in Hawaiian Heartbreak was originally based on a real life tour guide on a real life tour, but as I worked out the story, he took on a life of his own. Now he’s very far from that original tour guide. And much hotter!
 
What do you like to do when you are not writing?
Going out with friends, going on a long walk, curling up with a good book. Anything to break the cycle of staring at my computer, and willing the story to come!
 
What was your road to publishing like? Tell us about it.
For me, I’m a control freak. I’d had enough of being bossed around by big companies, so I researched indie writing and went for it, without ever trying the traditional route. The biggest challenge was finding a good editor and cover designer. I had to trust them to help me put out something that was top quality. Being a control freak doesn’t mean I get to ignore constructive criticism!
 
How did you come up with the title of your book?
I knew the basics of my story, and I knew the first book was all about heartbreak. It percolated for a while, and I kept a list of maybes on the first page of the book. And then one morning I switched on my computer and I knew. Which makes it sound a bit magical, but believe me, there was a lot of thinking to get to that point!
 
Do you read romance or do you prefer other genres?
Romance is definitely my preferred genre. You can find so many different stories within romance that there’s something great for any mood. But I also make sure I break out of my rut sometimes, read something new, give myself a fresh perspective on what makes good writing.
 
Have you joined any writer’s groups?
Through Wordpress and Goodreads I’ve been lucky to meet some really wonderful writers. Every time I’m online someone’s offering some great advice, an insight, or even just talking about a struggle I hadn’t considered that now I can try to work out in advance. So nothing structured, but I really couldn’t go without my online author friends.
 
What is the hardest part of the writing process for you?
Whichever part I’m currently working on! When I’m writing that first draft, working out what’s next, I’m certain that’s the most difficult thing. When I’m on round five of editing, and I’m sick of reading the same words over and over, I think that’s the worst. Then when it’s ready for release and I’m waiting to see what readers make of it – that’s torture!
 
What is the easiest part of the writing process for you?
Coming up with ideas. My ideas list is enormous, so I’ve certainly got plenty more books coming. Turning them into a proper book though, that takes time and sweat.
 
What is your preferred writing environment?
Kitchen table, cat on my knee, and absolute silence all around me. If anyone else is home I can’t manage anything useful.
 
Do you have a careful plan when plotting your stories or do you just go with the flow?
I have a page of plot points when I start, a loose skeleton of things that will happen, character reactions, and the outcome. But I certainly don’t do a full chapter-by-chapter breakdown. I like to just get going and get it on the page.
 
With many publishing routes available today, which felt the most reliable to you when it came to the many choices?
For me, I’m currently an Amazon/CreateSpace loyalist. They know what an indie author needs in terms of promotion, their systems are user friendly, and they reward loyalty. As I continue, I may branch out, but that’s likely to be a few years from now. 
 
Wild Card Question.
Answering this question is not required, but I would really like to see what your answer is.
 
As an author, what is the one question that you wish people would ask you, but no one ever has and what would your answer be to that question?
 
I hear a lot of people say that love scenes in romance novels are unrealistic. And sure, some are. But I try to write things that are realistic – as long as you’re in the right hands! So I wish those people would ask me where I get THAT inspiration from. There are some great non-fiction books out there that will change your perspective. Start with I Love Female Orgasm, by Dorian Solot, Marshal Miller, and Shirley Chiang. It’s friendly, funny, and I guarantee you’ll learn something.