A few weeks ago, I sat down with my publisher, Literary Wanderlust, and discussed my historical romance, The Pirate's Bride, which will release on Jauary 1, 2017. Here is the rest of that interview. I hope you enjoy it.
Tell us about the conflict in this book. What is at stake for your characters?
There are many conflicts in this book. Sophie must overcome her fear of intimacy, or she will never be able to love, or be loved. She must also show her husband that she is a strong, independent woman, so that he doesn’t use her as a doormat. Andre’s conflict is that he thinks love makes a man weak. If he doesn’t realize that the opposite is true, he will never know true love until it is too late. There is also the conflict between Sophie’s suitors, as well as between Zheng and Andre. The layers of conflict are what propel this story along.
If you could spend time with a character from your book, which character would it be? And what would you do during that day?
I would love to spend time with Louis Dubois, Andre’s father and the leader of all the pirates. I would love to hear stories of his sailing experiences. I would also like to sail with him, and then eat dinner at his home in New Orleans. I think he’s a man who enjoys good food, and would make sure I was well fed. I also think he knows how to treat a woman.
What was your favorite part of writing The Pirate’s Bride?
My favorite part of writing The Pirate’s Bride has to be the scene where Andre discovers Sophie has become a pirate. His reaction, and the subsequent confrontation, was so fun to create. Pitting the two characters against each other was like lighting a dynamite fuse and waiting for the explosion.
How do you develop your plots and characters?
Usually a plot pops into my head from something I see around me. My first book, Prisoner of Love, came to me when I saw a prison work crew on the side of the freeway. The Pirate’s Bride came to me from a “revenge” prompt given in an online writing group to which I belong. That scene is an integral part of the story to this day.
My characters develop organically. That is, I usually have an inspiration picture of my hero and heroine based on various film stars already in my head. I may know that I want my hero to be an Alpha male that thinks he doesn’t need any woman in his life, and a strong heroine that doesn’t want a man telling her what to do. However, their individual personalities come out while I’m writing. Their dialogue and behavior evolve as I write particular scenes, often as though they have minds of their own. They follow the general idea I imagined, but they create themselves to a large degree.
And, there you have it. I hope you've enjoyed this piratey discussion, and that it has tempted you to purchase the book. If so, I've provided the buy links to both digital and print copies below. I look forward to hearing what you think!
Tell us about the conflict in this book. What is at stake for your characters?
There are many conflicts in this book. Sophie must overcome her fear of intimacy, or she will never be able to love, or be loved. She must also show her husband that she is a strong, independent woman, so that he doesn’t use her as a doormat. Andre’s conflict is that he thinks love makes a man weak. If he doesn’t realize that the opposite is true, he will never know true love until it is too late. There is also the conflict between Sophie’s suitors, as well as between Zheng and Andre. The layers of conflict are what propel this story along.
If you could spend time with a character from your book, which character would it be? And what would you do during that day?
I would love to spend time with Louis Dubois, Andre’s father and the leader of all the pirates. I would love to hear stories of his sailing experiences. I would also like to sail with him, and then eat dinner at his home in New Orleans. I think he’s a man who enjoys good food, and would make sure I was well fed. I also think he knows how to treat a woman.
What was your favorite part of writing The Pirate’s Bride?
My favorite part of writing The Pirate’s Bride has to be the scene where Andre discovers Sophie has become a pirate. His reaction, and the subsequent confrontation, was so fun to create. Pitting the two characters against each other was like lighting a dynamite fuse and waiting for the explosion.
How do you develop your plots and characters?
Usually a plot pops into my head from something I see around me. My first book, Prisoner of Love, came to me when I saw a prison work crew on the side of the freeway. The Pirate’s Bride came to me from a “revenge” prompt given in an online writing group to which I belong. That scene is an integral part of the story to this day.
My characters develop organically. That is, I usually have an inspiration picture of my hero and heroine based on various film stars already in my head. I may know that I want my hero to be an Alpha male that thinks he doesn’t need any woman in his life, and a strong heroine that doesn’t want a man telling her what to do. However, their individual personalities come out while I’m writing. Their dialogue and behavior evolve as I write particular scenes, often as though they have minds of their own. They follow the general idea I imagined, but they create themselves to a large degree.
And, there you have it. I hope you've enjoyed this piratey discussion, and that it has tempted you to purchase the book. If so, I've provided the buy links to both digital and print copies below. I look forward to hearing what you think!
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