Please Welcome My Guest...

Please Welcome my guest, Romance Author Linda Carroll-Bradd.  Linda has kindly allowed me to interview her and shared a great excerpt from her new release, ON WITH THE SHOW.

Tell us something about yourself both writing and not writing related.

When I’m in the middle of a writing project, I need to read outside of that genre for my pleasure reading. I guess I’m worried that I’ll unconsciously pick up the author’s voice. Recently, I’ve been reading thrillers by Scandinavian authors—suspense and quasi-travel guide wrapped up in one book.

The last year we lived in Texas, my husband and I got involved with training our dogs (Shiba Inu and a terrier mix) in dog agility. Our vacation travels centered around attending a match and I even got to the point where I ran the terrier in a competition. We’re still searching for similar events close to where we live in California.

The agility competitions sound interesting. Do you have a writing routine?  Where do you usually do your writing?

For November and December, I’ve been busy with edits, cover art sheets, galleys, and promotion for the five contracts I signed in August and September. I started NaNoWriMo and wrote about 4,500 words of a new story and then my inbox started filling with edits and revisions.

When I’m writing, I like to answer email/post blog/update website for the first hour to let the coffee kick in and then switch to my work in progress—either research or writing new pages. I write at a PC in a little corner upstairs in the mountain cabin my husband of almost 34 years and I share with our two little dogs. The skylight opposite my desk faces the forest up to the ridge of the mountain peak—wonderful for inspiration.

Five contracts! Congratulations! Your writing space sounds great. I think I'm jealous. :o) Why do you write in the genre/sub-genre that you do?  Any plans in the future to write in a different one?

I first discovered romances in high school when I’d peek at my mom’s Phyllis A. Whitney or Dorothy Eden gothics. Twenty years later when I rediscovered romance books, I found Harlequin romances—the thin books—and I’d read one a day. After a couple years, I decided to write one and that’s the genre I knew best. I wrote at least four full-length novels that never got past the 3-ring binder on the bookshelf in my writing area. When a good friend and her critique partner opened The Wild Rose Press in 2006, I discovered an outlet for my short and novella length stories.

I also love writing short historical stories. My dad got me hooked on westerns when I was growing up and the appeal has never died.  I have one light paranormal published and would like to try another—because everyone needs a bit of magic in their lives.

I love that - everyone needs a bit of magic in their lives. How do you stay motivated when writer’s block hits or your muse won’t cooperate?

This is a tough one. Several years ago, I was unemployed for 14 months, which would have seemed like a great time to focus on writing. But there’s something about employers not wanting to even interview you that kills the idea that someone might want to read your creative writing. I did a lot of revising and tweaking of already written stories but didn’t create new pages.

When I relocated from Texas to California this summer, I had a goal of responding to as many publisher calls for submissions as I could. These calls contained an overall or specific theme, a word count and had a due date. The first two stories I submitted were rejected, but the next five found a home. Adopting this method was great to get my creative juices flowing again.

What’s the strangest thing you’ve ever done in the name of research?

Three writer friends and I took a research trip to a 24-hour adult video and sex toy store in San Antonio. I’ve learned a notebook and pen are handy to have to bolster your courage in potentially intimidating situations. Surprising the things you learn about your friends as you window shop through the gadgets and accessories section.

That's funny. I don't know if I'd have the courage to do research at an adult video/sex toy store. What’s the best writing advice you were ever given?

That revision is at least 50% of writing. At the time, I may not have really believed whichever writer stated that in a presentation or workshop. But I believe it now. I have learned the process of layering in sensory details, setting description, and emotion is more enjoyable than slamming down the basic story.

Good advice. I agree I much prefer revisions over writing the first draft. What do you like to do in your leisure time?

These days I don’t feel like I have much free time. My husband and I are movie buffs and go to the budget night at a local theater. When the promotion frenzy slows a bit, I’ll start a new crochet project. I like having my fingers busy while I watch TV in the evenings.

Tell us about your current release in a couple of sentences.

Every Thanksgiving, Franzi Mueller returns to her hometown, Freedom Valley, to help with the musical show at the veteran’s hospital. After a decade of living in Houston, Franzi is feeling nostalgic for the sense of community in her small Texas town. Moving home wouldn't be a problem if she could stop her matchmaking mother's plans to reunite her with her ex-high school beau, Dietz Reinhardt.

Sounds interesting. Can you tell us a little about your next project?

The project I started for NaNo that I will return to is a follow-up book to a historical, Dreams of Gold, that will release in 2013. The story is set in a fictional small town in Wyoming in 1871 and involves a schoolteacher (who is a twin) making a new start after years spent aspiring to the Broadway stage in New York but only finding employment in a burlesque show. The hero is a lawyer who writes dime novels in secret about the time he spent in a short-lived stint in the wild gold fields of South Pass City.

I admire anyone who does NaNo. Your NaNo project sounds interesting too. Anything else you’d like to share?

I’d love for fans of sweet romance to follow me on my Facebook author page. http://www.facebook.com/pages/Linda-Carroll-Bradd-author/440814942635289 or subscribe to my blog http://blog.lindacarroll-bradd.com. Those who join either Facebook or the blog will be eligible for a drawing (pulled on 12/14/12) to win a 2013 calendar from The Wild Rose Press.

An excerpt from On With The Show

“Closing in five minutes.”

That deep voice she remembered so well. A quick glance told her not much had changed in the store's decor. A little bit of everything and not much of anything. She forced a smile and strode to the wooden counter on the platform that stood half a foot higher than the floor. The man who'd spoken had his back to the door, a broad back that stretched the black t-shirt imprinted with Reinhardt's Hardware, family owned since 1854. A fact the Reinhardt family was immensely proud of, but the crux of the reason she and Dietz had gone their separate ways. “Hello, Dietz.”

“Franziska Mueller...to what do I owe this pleasure?”

The smile on his lips didn't reach his blue eyes. A fact she knew was totally her fault. “I just came in on the westbound train for my Thanksgiving visit and nobody was there to meet me. Erich Bruno happened by and he was driving me out to the ranch when he had to respond to a call.” Again, she sounded pathetic. Inside her coat pockets, both hands drew into fists. God, facing him one-on-one was harder than she'd thought it would be. “Can I use your phone?”

“Pay phone's outside the door.”

Her body tightened. “What is with this town and pay phones?” She paced a couple steps and back. “Normally, I'd use my cell but the battery needs charging. I don't have coins for a call.” Could she sound any more unprepared for life?

“So, you're askin' for a favor?” A black eyebrow arched over crystal blue eyes and he leaned an elbow on the counter. “Is that what I'm hearing?”

TWRP buy link  http://bit.ly/Ybzi89

Amazon   http://amzn.to/WolfXF

Barnes and Noble  http://bit.ly/S3sG72

Sounds great, doesn't it.  Be sure to enter the contest.  The Wild Rose Press calendar is well done and features books by their many different authors in many different sub-genres.