The Wednesday Interview

Today brilliant author Anita Birt graces the Amarinda blog to discuss her excellent book Isabelle’s Diary. So, read, enjoy and then click on the cover and buy it. You won’t regret it. Next week is Halloween…spooky…so in line with that I will be a little more frightening than is usual - yes it is possible. Read on…

Isabelle’s Diary - The Blurb

Llandrindod Well, Wales

Can a ghost appear in broad daylight? Can she sit in a café weeping over the pages of a diary? Who is the beautiful young woman dressed in somber Victorian black whose tearful presence disrupts Sally Carter's orderly life?

Puzzled over the mysterious disappearance of the stranger Sally is compelled to discover her identity. She visits the town museum where a photograph of nineteen year old Isabelle Linden dating back one hundred years adds to the mystery. Isabelle is the image of the girl weeping in the café.

In her search to identify the stranger Sally is assisted by handsome Welsh historian, Dan Conway. During their search of parish records Sally is shocked to come across long buried family secrets.

But questions remain unanswered. Who was the girl in the café? And why was Sally the only person to see her?

The Interview

1. You have some sizzling sex scenes in your book. How hard is it to write sex and make it convincing?

I like to lead up to the scene. The location is important. A bedroom. A sofa. The floor! A tent.The lighting if it's the first time they've made love. The feelings. Thoughts in their heads. Uncertainty. It's easy to write a sex scene if I make it sound convincing as if the two people involved want it to happen but are not sure it should. Then gradually removing clothing. Admiring each other's assets! That delicious moment when he enters her and she wraps her legs around him. I like to feel that feeling without getting into clinical details.

2. Romance and the condom. How hard do you find to slip it in or on when the action is hot between characters?

I decided to do what Nora Roberts does. Don't mention condoms if they are a mature couple. Assume they know what they are doing. However, if he uses a condom, best not say another word about it or the action gets messed up.

3. Do you think romance just happens or do you make your characters work for it?

I believe that falling in love can happen quickly. I think men fall in love faster than women but that's just me. However, no sensible man or women believes in love at first sight so they have to get used to what has happened. Might try to walk away but can't. He might want to make love to her without a commitment and she will resist. When he finally realizes he's really in love, she might have up and left! But he'd get her back.

4. What is it about your hero that makes him irresistible to women?

First of all he has to have a non-threatening face. He doesn't have to be wildly handsome but he has to have integrity. He can cope with danger and with everyday complications as they arise. If he is divorced or his wife has died, he can have kids and show he's a good Dad. My hero will never put my heroine down or say rude things to her. He might lose his temper but never resort to any kind of violence or even hint at violence.

5. Do you think readers want to escape or do they want to identify with a character?

Both. We read romance to lose ourselves in a fictional world. Our readers will like a strong man who is trustworthy and handsome as hell. Even an evil character might resonate with some readers. They know he/she can't hurt them but like to watch how the hero and heroine deal with evil.

6. What do you think is the most important thing to remember when writing romance?

To work towards a happy ending. At they turn the last page I want a reader to feel as if they've met real people coping with real life situations and the ending is totally satisfying. Leave the reader thinking about the story and the characters.

7. What are you working on now?

I'm working on a historical romance set in the Regency period but most of the action takes place in the countryside. I have two heroines and hope I'm not painting myself into a corner so to speak. What is the story question? The return of a prodigal son who is not who he seems to be.

Click on the Cover and buy the book

Last weeks brilliant author – Judith Rochelle and Always on My Mind.

What is Anny and Kelly up to today? On www.annycook.blogspot.com Anny is wisely talking about the need to prepare for emergencies. I think we have all had a few of those in our lives. Speaking of lives, on www.kkirch.blogspot.com, Kelly is pondering UFO’s and time travel. Are we well rounded authors or what? And check out Brynn on http://brynnpaulin.blogspot.com/ and see what’s happening her life. How many loads of washing will she do today, hmm?

www.freewebs.com/amarindajones/
Go ahead: Live with abandon. Be outrageous at any age. What are you saving your best self for?