Today's guest is a super-sweet lady with a talent for writing some steamy romance (that would put Alabama humidity to shame), Ms. Alannah Lynne. Her lastest novel, Last Call, the second installment of the Heat Wave series, is officially released today, October 2, 2012.
In case you missed my review, you can find that HERE.
Author Interview
Alannah Lynne
Last Call (Heat Wave #2)
GL: Thanks for joining us today, Alannah, and
congratulations on your latest release! Please introduce yourself to everyone.
Alannah: Hi. Thank
you! Thanks so much for having me! I’m a “hybrid writer” (I have a novella
published with Samhain Publishing, and I also self-pub). I write contemporary
and erotic romance, and I’m also working on a mystery series that will be
published under the name J. L. Wilcks (Those books will be available starting
in the spring 2013).
GL: Now, tell us a bit about Last Call.
AL: I wrote Last Call for the Kensington Brava
Writing with the Stars Competition. The story finaled in the competition, but
ultimately didn’t win. I wrote the story in about two months, from start to
finish, which, oddly enough, seems to be the best way for me to write. By
writing that fast, I get so wrapped up in the story it’s like I’m living it
with the characters, and I really enjoy that feeling and process.
Here’s the synopsis: Gavin McLeod is a man who has it all.
His corporate climb has positioned him for the coveted title of CEO. He’s
financially stable, allowing him to provide for the grandfather who raised him,
and his successful seduction of the sexy bartender last night proves his
private life is also on fire. Until the amazing woman in his arms turns
out to be a serious roadblock to his future. One that could bring everything
he's worked for crashing down around him.
Sunny Black has spent her entire life tending to the needs
of others, caring for her younger brother since she was ten, and serving bar patrons night after
night. For the first time in years, she thinks of herself and gives in to her
body’s demands, taking a trip to the wild side with a customer whose raw
sexuality is too strong to deny. The next morning, however, she learns
that, in addition to rocking her world, the stranger might cause it to crumble.
A game of sexual seduction and corporate chess ensues, with
neither Gavin nor Sunny realizing the ending could come in the form of a
permanent checkmate.
GL: What other books have you written/published?
AL: Reaction Time is a D/s
(Dominance/submission) novella published by Samhain. And I have 2 full-length
titles, Savin’ Me and Last Call, that are self-published. All are available at Amazon, B&N, Kobo,
Smashwords. The third novel in the Heat
Wave series will be available early 2013… Did you know we’re working on
that in December? <g>
GL: Yep, and I can’t wait!!! :-)
GL: What made you decide to write romance?
AL: I’ve always
wanted to write. I can’t tell you how many times I said, “I want to write a
book about XX.” But I thought I needed a special degree or to be… I don’t know,
something more than I was to be a writer.
Then I discovered romance. I was a late bloomer to the world of romance (I was
probably 35 or 36). The first romance I read was Janelle Denison’s The Wilde Side, and I was instantly
hooked! I read everything of Janelle’s that I could find, then branched out to
her Plotmonkey buddies. I became friends with them through their blog and, with
Janelle’s encouragement, decided I needed to at least give it a try.
GL: So far, who is your favorite character?
(Don't worry, we won't tell anyone.)
AL: Of the books that
I have published, Nikki from Reaction
Time is my favorite. But the characters in the story I’m writing now, Kevin
Mazze and Samantha Wallace… Wow! They keep me on my toes and make me laugh on a
daily basis. I am thoroughly enjoying writing their story.
GL: Who is your least favorite character?
AL: Hmmm… That’s a toss-up between Max Holden (Last Call) and Elise Winstead (Savin’ Me). They’re pretty similar in
nature, only concerned with themselves and not caring who they have to hurt to
get what they want, so it makes sense, I guess, that I dislike them equally.
GL: Which character do you think most closely
resembles you?
AL: I can’t say that
I’m MOST like any of them, but I identify with all of my female characters in
some way. Nikki (Reaction Time) is a
drag racer. I love racing and wanted to be a racecar driver when I was growing
up. I tend to have a smart mouth like her, and she drives a GT500—my dream car!
I worked in advertising for ten years like Kat (Savin’ Me), and like her, I got tired of the cutthroat aspects of
the business. It’s a tough field, and I burned out. I’ve had several people
tell me that Sunny (Last Call)
reminds them of me. Not in the physical description, but her strong-willed
tenacity and “Never Give Up” attitude. That’d be me to a T. A definite benefit
in this business!! LOL
GL: I can
definitely see you as a good mixture of the last two (I haven’t read Reaction Time yet :-().
GL: After working on Last Call with you, I told you I'd love to know more about Robby,
Sunny's brother. Any chance he'll get a
starring role in an upcoming novel?
AL: He will eventually get his own story. He’s just left for
college, so I think he needs a few years to grow and mature before that
happens. I’ll let him have a few good years of fun and games before I put him
through the ringer. <g>
GL: Sigh… I guess
I can wait. ;-)
GL: Do your novels typically cross over (certain
characters from one story get a story of their own)?
AL: They do. Savin’ Me
was the first in the Heat Wave
series, and Last Call is the second
in that series. Last Call introduced
a set of new characters, but from here on out, there will be a blend of
characters from those first two books. Book three will feature Kevin Mazze, who
was instrumental in Erik (Savin’ Me)
getting his happily ever after. At some point in the next year, Steve Vex,
another secondary character from Savin’
Me will get his own story. I already know how his story starts, and it’s
not a very happy place, so it’s going to take me a lot of mental preparation
before I write his. I’m not quite ready yet. J
GL: What inspires your steamier scenes?
AL: The characters. They inspire everything. I say it often,
but I truly don’t make this stuff up. I don’t know where it comes from… The
universal mind, I assume. But it’s filtered into my brain from someplace else,
and I just follow the characters where they lead me and try to get it all down.
I think that’s what allows me to write so fast. It’s like taking dictation.
Sometimes, I’m even a little uncomfortable with where they go. LOL When Kat (Savin’ Me) started doing her striptease
for Erik, I thought, What?! I don’t know anything
about this. How am I supposed to write this scene? I ended up doing some
online searches and watching “how to” movies before I was comfortable going
forward with that scene. :-D
GL: LOL… I can see it now… “What, honey? It’s just research!”
GL: Who does your cover art, and where do they
get the models? :-)
AL: Tricia “Pickyme” Schmitt did the covers for Savin’ Me and Last Call. She’ll also do the cover for the 3rd book in that
series. Whenever possible, she uses Jimmy Thomas. Jimmy and I have gotten to be
friends over the years, so I like to use his images whenever I can. He fits the
description of most of my heroes—not something I’ve consciously done; I just
tend to write dark-haired heroes. Plus, Jimmy’s images are so smokin’ hot they
work perfectly for my covers and website.
GL: Do your husband or kids ever read your books?
AL: No. Never. I have boys, so they’re not interested in
reading romance. And my husband is too ADHD to read anything. LOL I tried
reading him the opening scene of Reation
Time once. I wanted his opinion on whether or not Nikki would need to put
her car into 6th gear, if she was only going 110 mph. He said, “No.” I said, “No, she wouldn’t need
to use 6th gear?” He said, “No, that guy wouldn’t have thought about kissing her at the end of that scene. He would’ve
just done it.”
*blink* *blink*
I said, “It’s called romance, honey. You might want to learn
about it.” <g> He’s never read anything since, and I haven’t asked him to
read any of my writing since. LOL
GL: Hahahaha…
GL: What do you like to do in your downtime (if
you ever get any)?
AL: I watch a lot of sports, especially NASCAR and college
football. I like to spend time on the water. We have a place on the Pamlico
River, so we spend as much time there as possible when the weather is warm. I
also like gardening, but I’ve been so busy this summer I’ve totally neglected
my yard.
GL: Name one place, real or fictional, you would
LOVE to visit.
AL: I’ve spent a lot
of time thinking about this and I can’t come up with a single interesting thing
to say. LOL Put me on a beach, and I’m a happy camper. So, really, anywhere
there’s an ocean and a nice, sandy beach will work for me.
GL: If you weren't a writer, what would you be?
AL: If I wasn’t a writer and I was 25 years younger, I’d either
study quantum physics, do research on the brain, or be a forensics
investigator. LOL Pretty diverse, huh?! I’m absolutely fascinated by quantum physics
and love to watch documentaries like “Down the Rabbit Hole” and “The Secret.” My
interest in brain research comes from having two ADHD children and a husband
with a brain tumor. We’ve only begun to scratch the surface of what the brain
is capable of doing! I’m also fascinated by forensic sciences, so that would be
pretty cool, too.
GL: What authors/books have been an inspiration
for you?
AL: I think I covered this up above, but Janelle Denison and
the Plotmonkeys have, hands down, been the biggest inspiration for me. Not just
as writers, but in the way they interact with their fans and what great people
are they are.
GL: What are you working on now? What do we have
to look forward to?
AL: I’m currently
writing Chiaroscuro (It’s an Italian
term which means light/dark), which is Kevin’s story and is the 3rd in the
“Heat Wave” series. I’m also working on my mystery series and hope to release
both of those in early 2013.
GL: Where can we find out more about you and your
work?
AL: The usual places like Facebook
(www.facebook.com/authoralannahlynne) and Twitter
(www.twitter.com/AlannahLynne), as well as my website, www.alannahlynne.com,
and my blog, www.alannahlynne.blogspot.com. I’m also on Goodreads and have
excerpts on Wattpad.
GL: Thanks so
much, Alannah! I can’t wait to get my hands on Chiaroscuro… Keep
writing, lady :-)…
