Romance
What Ever Happened…
Just a quick follow-up on my interview with Lily Koppel, author of The Red Leather Diary; Reclaiming a Life Through the Pages of a Lost Journal. My curiosity got the best of me and I just had to ask Lily about the time Florence went back to Europe in her forties.
As a forty-something woman, my mind sometimes gets to wondering, “Hmmm, I wonder what ever happened to him?” Well, evidently, I’m not the only one…
Carly Phillips, author of Hot Property (audio Quick & Wordy author interview)
**Scroll down and click the gray arrow to listen to the interview
In her earlier years, Carly Phillips attempted to embrace the life of an attorney, but her colicky infant altered Carly’s life course. She started devouring romance novels as a way to escape the stress of mothering young daughters and then eventually tried her own pen at romance writing. Carly got hooked, got published, and never looked back.
In our Quick & Wordy interview, Carly Phillips admitted how, as a romance writer, it can sometimes be awkward trying to explain to others how she comes up with such steamy bedroom scenes. She confided that for the most part, when she got past the fear of what people would think, her stories flowed quite naturally. Carly appreciates Kelly Ripa who put her book, Bachelor, on her Reading with Ripa book club list. “Talk about a lucky break–that really made my career,” said Carly. “I’m really grateful to her.”
When I asked Carly what is important to her beyond writing, she said, “I’m very close with my own mother and having good relationships with my girls is very very important to me.” She’s also very passionate about her Wheaton terrier, Buddy, and is a self-proclaimed TV junkie. Carly writes with her MacBook Pro on her lap, television blaring, and daughters flitting about the house. Rather than distract, these sights and sounds energize Carly to create her unique characters.
Come along and listen in on a fast-paced conversation with Carly that will undoubtedly entice you to read her latest, Hot Property. And if that doesn’t do it, just take a peek at the book jacket…H-O-T!
Susan Mallery, Sweet Talk (audio Quick & Wordy author interview)
According to Susan Mallery, she is quite possibly one of the few authors who can actually understand her royalty statements. She first got into writing romance while studying accounting in college. On a whim, she took a romance novel writing class and her life was thereafter destined for a different course. Though she completed her degree, she never actually worked in the accounting field, but rather got straight into writing romance novels right out of college–publishing her first novel her graduation summer. Now, after almost 100 published books, she most likely needs to hire an accountant to keep her finances in order.
I spoke with Susan not only about her latest release, Sweet Talk, but about what is important to her on a personal level. She responded with one word–Relationships. Her life revolves around relationships, writing, travel, and researching her novels…oh, and her tiny poodle.
Trust Me, Brenda Novak
Brenda Novak is a wife and mother of five, a juvenile diabetes research fundraiser, and New York Times BESTselling author. Talk about life-work balance! And…we do!“Dreams really do come true,” says Brenda about landing a spot on the coveted New York Times Bestseller list the day before we chatted! “Congratulations” to Brenda who sold her first book almost a decade to-the-day Trust Me appeared on the print list!
What we chat about:
Even to this day, Brenda admits feeling guilty about not realizing her trusted day-care provider had been drugging her kids with over-the-counter medications to get them to sleep—Every mom’s nightmare. Brenda turned that painful experience positive by choosing a practical way to stay at home with her kids—Writing Books! Having never before put pen to paper, Brenda had a lot to learn about the writing craft and the challenges of her chosen genre—historical romanc, but after five years, her choice paid off.
Listen in as Brenda shares how she got her first novel published by taking advantage of Romance Writers of America (RWA) resources (i.e., contacts, market, and contest information). Since then, she’s moved into romantic thrillers and has published a slew of books including The Last Stand series.
Twenty Wishes, Debbie Macomber
Debbie Macomber is considered one of the leading voices in women’s fiction with over 100 titles and 100 million copies of her books in print. In this one-on-one casual conversation, she shares her struggles with getting published in the early years—Battling Dyslexia and having four kids in five years. Debbie admits to feeling that guilt most women do when as she puts it, “dedicating ourselves to a project or to a goal, we feel we’re taking time away from our families, because we’re working so hard towards this.” Even though she felt torn, she now says ”In retrsopect, I really taught my children some of the most valuable lessons of their lives…the power of a dream—of what patience and persistence and working hard can accomplish.”
Debbie talks about her personal wishes and how she differentiates between goals and wishes. “Wishes are not the things you should do”—that endless to-do list—but, the things you fantasize or dream about like Ann Marie, the main character in Twenty Wishes—dancing in the rain barefoot or visiting Paris with someone you love ~ OR like Debbie reveals…learning how to decorate cakes, so you can create masterpieces with your grandchildren.Debbie Macomber is a true delight ~ my conversation with her reminded me to take that extra time in the morning to get spiritually and physically grounded through prayer/meditation and exercise, before setting out to knock the world out professionally.
Let’s hear some of your twenty wishes. Leave a comment below and be sure to visit www.twentywishes.com to share your wishes with Debbie and possibly win $10,000.
Go to www.DebbieMacomber.com and join the community of over 75,000 readers—interact with Debbie’s fans, share recipes and thoughts about her books, and chat with Debbie herself. It’s really a terrific website.
Call me at 206–309–7318 to leave your voice mail comments and don’t forget to subscribe on iTunes.
Win $10,000 Cash ~ Mira Books and Debbie Macomber’s “Make Your Wish Come True” Contest
I’m thrilled to report New York Times Bestselling Author Debbie Macomber has agreed to be a guest on Words To Mouth. We’ll speak about her her new book, Twenty Wishes–a story of hope, renewal, and inspiration–AND the exciting contest she and Mira Books are offering to readers.
Twenty Wishes follows a group of women who are drawn together at a time of loss. As their friendship grows, they bond together with a simple, but compelling notion that each of them should make a list of all the wonderful things they hope to experience in their lives. In line with the recent movie, The Bucket List, with Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman, simply jotting down one’s dreams can change your life for the better.
In Twenty Wishes, Debbie Macomber welcomes some familiar faces from her best selling Blossom Street books–The Shop on Blossom Street, A Good Yarn, and Back on Blossom Street–and introduces some new characters continuing her moving exploration of the complex relationships among family and friends.
Mira Books and Debbie Macomber are inviting readers to enter a special contest to make your most-desired wish come true. One lucky winner will be chosen to receive a $10,000 cash award to help make his/her dream a reality. To enter the contest, visit www.setyourwishfree.com. It’s as easy as jotting down your dreams in 50 words or less! Go for it! Entries must be postmarked by June 30th and received by July 7th, so don’t miss out on your chance to win!
I’ve got two copies of Twenty Wishes plus some Knit Along with Debbie Macomber companion books for the Words To Mouth book giveaway drawing, so check out the Free Book Drawing page above to find out how you can win. Okay, so it’s not $10,000, but a close second.
**Be sure to check out the audio interview I had with Debbie. Just go to the PODCAST category and you’ll find our conversation. Take good care!
Deep Dish, Mary Kay Andrews
I admit to recently vying for a spot in Kathy’s virtually endless line of fans at my local book store. Her admirers chatted with one another as though mingling at a cocktail party in honor of their dearest friend and Kathy graciously greeted and signed copies of her latest book, Deep Dish, like a school girl passing a note to her BFF—each fan got her undivided attention and a smile that reflected her genuine sense of appreciation. Conversation with Kathy is as easy as talking with your next door neighbor in the days when talking with your next door neighbor was easy—She’s down-to-earth and downright FUNNY! Her Southern sense of humor shines through in her books and on her blog, so I encourage you to read her writing wherever you can get your eyes on it…and try some of her signature recipes ~ I know I’m going to try my hand at her family’s carrot cake…or at least try to get my youngest daughter to attempt it, since she’s recently taken to baking. 
Send me an email at Carrie@WordsToMouth.com with Deep Dish in the subject and I’ll enter you for a drawing to win a free copy of Kathy’s book.
Visit www.harpercollins.com to enter a chance to have Kathy call in and join your book club for a chit chat ~ AND make sure you hit www.MaryKayAndrews.com to find more information about Kathy’s long list of excellent books, read about what’s going on in Kathy’s life in-between books, and get some wonderful new recipes.
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About WordstoMouth
Carrie created Words-to-Mouth—a blog & companion Internet talk show introducing new book releases and their authors to a community interested in excellent writing that may not necessarily top the New York Times Bestseller List—Yet! To learn more about Carrie, click here
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