10 Questions With…Lorraine Heath!

Novels Alive.TV and Be My Bard are very thrilled to welcome back, one of our favorite writers—New York Times and USA Today Bestseller, the lovely Lorraine Heath! Welcome!

[quote]“…The author of more than 60 novels, she writes historical and contemporary romance for adults and historical romance for teen readers. Under the names Rachel Hawthorne and Jade Parker, she writes popular contemporary, historical, and paranormal romance for teens readers. She also writes young adult with her son under the name J. A. London.” ~www.lorraineheath.com[/quote]

1) We’ve all pondered the age old question of which came first the CHICKEN or the EGG? As a writer, when creating a new story, which tends to come first for you—the CHARACTERS or the PLOT?

LH-Always the characters. I always see them first. It can be as simple as seeing them walk into a room or hearing a snippet of dialogue.

2) It’s inevitable that small bits and pieces of a writer’s own personality will make their way into the characters they create. But if you had to write yourself into one of your books, would your character most likely be the hero/heroine, the steadfast best friend, the comedy relief or the villainous mastermind?

LH-My character would most likely be the hero. Most of my stories are hero-driven. I love writing the hero and I usually struggle with the heroine, although maybe I struggle with her because she is too much like me .

3) Speaking of villains…do you prefer writing characters that are clearly evil from the second they appear on the page or the surprise villain that no one would ever expect?

LH-I prefer the surprise villain, especially if I am able to explore the reasons for his villainy, if I can make him somewhat sympathetic. Although often my stories call for the clearly evil from the second they walk on the page villain.

4) If you had the power to step inside the pages of any book for 24 hours, which one would you choose and why?

LH-Oh, wow, this is a great question! I would love to step into the pages of GONE WITH THE WIND. Heartthrob Rhett Butler and Southern belle Scarlett fascinate me. The scope of that story, the history it contains would be incredible to experience firsthand.

5) If you could use that same power to jump through the screen into the world of your favorite television show or movie, which would it be and why?

LH-I would have to jump into GAME OF THRONES. I’ve not read the books and while I think about doing so, I’ll probably wait until after the series ends simply because I love being surprised each week. There are so many characters, elaborate costumes, and stunning sets. I would love to experience all of it—as long as I’m able to escape the notice of George. R. R. Martin so he doesn’t kill me off.

6) Over the last few years, books of an erotic nature or with taboo subject matter have become more acceptable—even popular—in the mainstream marketplace. How, if at all, has this change affected the way that you write your own “love scenes”?

LH-I don’t think it’s really affected the way I write my love scenes. My very first novel, SWEET LULLABY, published in 1994 had 7 love scenes and they were fairly detailed although I used quite a number of euphemisms. The characters in my stories guide the love scenes more than I do. Some are more sensual because the characters call for it. Some less so. The explicitness of the scenes is also determined by the characters, since I write through their viewpoint.

7) There was once a time when authors had to rely almost solely on mainstream media like newspapers and magazines to find reviews written on their latest book. Now that the internet has made it possible for anyone with a keyboard to become an armchair critic, has the sheer number of reviews available for your books made it easier or harder to deal with criticism?

LH-I actually avoid reading reviews as much as possible. I do read the ones my publicist or editor sends me, as well as those that reviewers send me. If they take the time to contact me, then I feel I should take the time to read their review. But I don’t search for reviews. Reading is subjective. Not everyone is going to enjoy reading what I write. They are entitled to their opinion and I respect that. I write my stories as I believe they need to be written, as the characters dictate they be written, and to the best of my ability at the time.

8) Many authors have branched out into multiple genres over the years. Is there a particular genre of fiction that you have always wanted to tackle but, haven’t tried yet?

LH-I would like to give steampunk a go. And I have a fantasy trilogy that keeps tapping me on the shoulder.

9) If you could choose one historical/contemporary romance from your own or another author’s library of work to be made into a feature film which would it be and why?

LH-I would love to see TEXAS DESTINY made into a movie. There is a lot of action in it and I found the characters compelling.

10) Tell us a little bit about the project you are working on now or share something about your newest or upcoming release(s).

LH-My newest release is a novella, LONG STRETCH OF LONESOME, that was originally published in the TO TAME A TEXAN ANTHOLOGY. I updated it, added a couple of scenes, and now it is being re-released as a standalone entitled THE GUNSLINGER. This was the first novella I ever wrote and I loved the hero. He’s such a loner in desperate need of love. My heroine and her brother give him a home in their hearts. I really loved this story and I’m thrilled that it will be available in e-format for the first time, as well as in print once again.

Thanks Lorraine for stopping by. ~BMB

THE GUNSLINGER

[quote]“A hired gun falls for the one woman who’s completely wrong for him in this Western romance from New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Lorraine Heath.

Chance Wilder never wanted to be a hero. A road-weary gunslinger with a ruthless reputation, he focuses only on his next target—and his next payday. That is, until a young boy offers Chance everything he owns—a piece of string, a harmonica, and a bent penny—if he’ll save his sister from a couple of thugs. Chance agrees, only to discover that the beautiful, fierce young woman in need of rescue is actually the very person he’s been hunting: his next mark.

But after he saves her, Lillian Madison awakens in him long-buried dreams and possibilities. Facing the demons of his past, Chance is forced to question his next move. Dare he risk everything by following his heart … and trust that the road to redemption begins with Lillian?”

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Also COMING SOON from Lorraine Heath…

ONCE MORE, MY DARLING ROGUE—Book 2 in her sensational Scandalous Gentlemen of St. James series.

Available now for pre-order, to be released on AUGUST 26th!