Today, I’m talking with Alison Bliss about her recent release, Rules of Protection.

1. Jake is a hot hero. What’s your secret to writing sexy men?

Hmm…I don’t know that I have a secret to writing sexy men. More or less, I write what I think is hot and sexy and hope other women agree with me. I do have a strong preference for alpha men and southern gentlemen, though. So maybe those classify as my secret ingredients?

2. What’s been the most exciting moment of your writing career? The hardest?

Releasing my debut book, Rules of Protection, was definitely my most exciting moment of my career, though having three agents offer me representation (pre-publishing) probably came in as a close second. And you may find this hard to believe, but the hardest moment of my career is actually the same answer.

I don’t know that any debut author will ever be prepared for the onslaught of emails, mentions, notifications, promotions, etc… My to-do list was mind-boggling and only got longer closer to release day. Don’t get me wrong, I had a blast.

But can you ever really be prepared if you’ve never experienced something for yourself? So many authors told me to prepare for the crazy, so I did. Or I thought I did, anyway. But I was clueless as to how crazy it would really get.

3. What’s next for your Tangled in Texas series?

So many readers have asked me to write another story featuring Jake and Emily, but my series was never heading that direction. I have always had this certain idea for my Tangled in Texas series that involved three different women telling their own stories in first person POV.

Each book is connected by the characters from the previous book, though, so you will see Emily and Jake in each of the coming stories. They won’t be the main characters, but they will fulfill a need in each of the subsequent books.

4. What made you decide to write romantic suspense?

I don’t know that I ever made a conscious decision to write romantic suspense. I was two chapters in on a contemporary novel when this crazy storyline for Rules of Protection popped into my head and took over my thoughts. I couldn’t think of anything else, so I pushed aside the story I was working on and wrote ROP instead. I’m so happy that I did.

5. What advice would you give to other writers?

My advice is to think for yourself and trust your gut. Only you know what you should be writing. Don’t let trends tell you what to write or watch the market too closely. It changes constantly and you’ll never be able to keep up with it. So just write what your heart is telling you. Chances are, you’ll write the story that you were meant to.

6. What are you currently working on?

I’m currently working on the second book in the series, which will feature a secondary character from Rules of Protection. He was a fan favorite, so I’m pretty sure my female readers will be pleased by what’s coming next. After that, I’ll finish out the series with my third book. I’ve considered writing a supplemental novella, but I haven’t cemented that into the plans at this time.

About Alison Bliss

Alison Bliss grew up in Small Town, Texas, but currently resides in the Midwest with her husband and two sons. With so much testosterone in her home, it’s no wonder she writes “girl books.”

She believes the best way to know if someone is your soul mate is by canoeing with them because if you both make it back alive, it’s obviously meant to be. Alison pens the type of books she loves to read most: fun, steamy love stories with heart, heat, laughter, and usually a cowboy or two. As she calls it, “Romance…with a sense of humor.”

To learn more about Alison Bliss, visit her website at http://authoralisonbliss.com, where you can sign up for her newsletter to keep up with her latest book news.  You can also email her at authoralisonbliss@hotmail.com or connect with her on social media.

Facebook: http://facebook.com/AuthorAlisonBliss
Twitter: http://twitter.com/AlisonBliss2
Goodreads: http://goodreads.com/AlisonBliss
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/AlisonBliss2

I’m interviewing Lynn Lovegreen today about her book, Fools Gold and why she loves writing historical romance.

1. What was the inspiration behind Fools Gold?

My first attempt at a novel was in draft form, and I was learning more about my craft. At a writing conference, an editor told me I was an English teacher, and “could do better” than to write romance.

She advised me to write something dark and gritty, which is 180 degrees from my style. I left the conference thinking, I’ll show her, “I’ll write the best romance ever. And I thought of the premise for Fools Gold on the way home”. There are so many dramatic events in Skagway in 1898, it was a logical choice for a Gold Rush romance.

2. What draws you to writing historical romance?

I love history and I love romance, so it was natural for me to combine the two. It seems that all my main characters are ladies who meet the perfect man for them. I like capturing the giddy feeling of a budding romance. And the history of Alaska is full of drama, a great setting for fiction. Writing historical romance allows me to sneak in a little history to educate my readers in an entertaining way.

I should also add that my characters are young, coming of age or newly independent. My books are Young Adult/New Adult, so that adds another dimension to my writing.

3. What was your favorite part of writing Quicksilver to Gold?

My husband and I went to Nome as part of my research. Seeing Wyatt Earp’s business card for the Dexter Saloon was a big highlight for me, and the staff at the Carrie M. McClain Memorial Museum were very helpful. I had a lot of fun on that trip. And of course, details of Wyatt and Josie Earp and other bits of Nome history found their way into the book, and made it stronger.

4. You’ve released two books this year already. What’s next for you?

There are two more books in the Gold Rush series. Golden Days (set in Fairbanks in 1906) will be released this winter, and Gold Nuggets (set in Kantishna in 1916) will be released around the end of the year.

5. Do you find that the plot or the characters come to you first when writing?

The characters. I usually start with the setting in mind, for example Nome in Quicksilver to Gold. Then I imagine characters who might live there, and they come to life for me. I spend many hours of prewriting (brainstorming and researching) to make my characters well-rounded and historically accurate, and that leads me to the plot when I know what my characters would do in a certain situation.

6. Best advice you have for aspiring writers?

Persevere! Keep writing and perfecting your craft. And don’t take the first no (or the first forty nos, in my case) as a reason to quit. You never know which opportunity will become your path for publication, so keep working at it.

About Lynn Lovegreen

Lynn Lovegreen grew up in Alaska, and still lives there. She taught English for 20 years before retiring to make more time for writing. She enjoys reading, hanging out with friends and family, and hitting targets with a cowboy action shooting club. Her young adult historical romances are set in the Alaska Gold Rush, a great time for drama, romance, and independent characters. See her website at lynnlovegreen.com. You can also find her on Facebook, Tumblr, and Pinterest.

Wendy Byrne is here with me today and we’re talking about her newest book release, Hard to Kill.

1. Congrats on the release of Hard to Kill! What inspired you to write this book?

I love strong female heroines, you know the type that can give any man a run for his money. Think Angelina Jolie in Tomb Raiders. I thought about what would be a challenge for my heroine that she couldn’t back down from and came up with the idea of a girl being taken by human traffickers. My heroine allows herself to be kidnapped to find the girl and bring the people responsible to justice.

2. What was the toughest part of writing Hard to Kill? The best?

The toughest part was writing the fight scenes. While it’s easy to see how it looks like in my head, it’s difficult for me to come up with the right words to convey what I’m seeing in my head. I loved writing the ending showing the full character growth for Sabrina.

3. Will the follow-up book in The Hard Targets Trilogy be in Sabrina’s viewpoint or will it be about one of her brothers?

The second book is her brother Jake’s story. Both Jake and Sabrina work for an agency called The Alliance. Jake’s mission is to provide protection services for a CIA agent named Tessa Graham who is suspected of being a double agent.

4. You have another book releasing with Entangled Publishing soon. What’s that one about?

When her Uncle Jack is incarcerated on drug charges, Sammie Murphy travels to Key West and hopes to find out who set him up. Undercover DEA officer Enrique Santos sent Jack Murphy to jail. But when his niece Sammie comes to town proclaiming her uncle’s innocence, little by little his credibility and his case start to crumble.

5. What drew you to writing romantic suspense?

I read all types of fiction, but my favorite is romantic suspense. I enjoy the blend of romance and the edge of your seat kind of excitement.

6. What was your favorite book as a child?

I was always a big fan of Nancy Drew books. As I got older, I read Gone with the Wind and fell in love with it. I didn’t start reading romance until in my twenties.

About Wendy Byrne

Wendy has a Masters in Social Work and worked in the child welfare field for twelve years before she decided to pursue her dream of writing. Her first two books, Fractured and Mama Said were published in 2011 and 2012.

Mama Said was a finalist in the Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence Contest. She self-published The Christmas Curse in 2012.

The Hard Targets series through Gemma Halliday Publishing will be published in 2014 and 2015 starting with Hard to Kill in August 2014. To learn more about Wendy, visit her website, friend her on Facebook, or follow her Twitter.