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was lucky enough to "meet" Susan Lyons at a Writerspace chat for the Kensington Aphrodisia authors. I was intrigued by the premise to her debut novel "Champagne Rules" and thought it would be fun to interview her. She said yes, and the following is the result of my...um...pestering. Thank you, Susan, for taking the time to do this!


SA: It appears you've had many other careers and studied many different fields before finding your niche as a writer. I must say I'm really impressed by your wide range of interests. Do you use that knowledge in your stories, or fell that it has contributed to your experience as a writer?

SL: How flattering to say "wide range of interests", rather than "it sure took you long enough to figured out what you wanted to do"! Yes, I've studied psychology and sociology and anthropology, and those do influence my writing, but more in a subconscious than conscious way. And I studied law because I care about justice and values, and yes, those themes are reflected in my writing too. What it really comes down to is, people fascinate me. Each human being is so amazing. I especially love writing about people at transition points in their lives, where their beliefs and values are challenged and they have to figure out where to go from here.
SA: How do you feel about writing for such an erotic line as Aphrodisia? Do you have any boundaries you are not willing to cross in your writing? Have you felt pressured to crank up the heat beyond what you prefer?

SL: Aphrodisia is a blast. The authors are wonderful women, the stories are diverse and the editors aren't telling us what to do. My brand of erotic romance is definitely "lite" compared to what some of the others write, and it has a fun, chick lit element, as well as dealing with some significant conflicts and emotional issues. As for boundaries - as a writer, I don't see myself writing paranormal or BDSM (heck, I even had to look up what that meant, so it's obviously not "me" - and for other innocents who don't know, it's bondage, discipline/domination and sado-masochism). I'm not putting these things down and I know lots of readers love them, but they're not my, or my characters', idea of sexual fun.

SA: You reside in a very beautiful place on earth - Vancouver, Canada. Do you think it has been easier or more difficult getting published being outside of the U.S.? Or in today's various markets - such as many of the ebook publishers - do you think it's a moot point?

SL: I think geography is making less and less of a difference. Kensington certainly publishes a number of authors from British Columbia, and I've heard editors say that the Pacific Northwest has more than its fair share of great writers. I had definitely heard that Canadian settings and heroes were hard to sell (people think we live in igloos and are deadly dull, and our heroes are all Dudley Do-Right types of guys). But I'm from Canada and I want to promote our great cities and towns and our wonderful people, so I've almost always written Canadian settings. And I've never heard an editor complain. My firist 4 books are set in Vancouver and Kensington doesn't seem to have any problem with that.

SA: The necessity of promoting your work: how do you feel about this side of the business? Are you able to spend much time attending chats and going to conventions? What do you have planned for 2006? What's your next work?

SL: I notice you say necessity. Some authors would disagree, but I'm with you. Today, it's expected that an author will help promote her work. I still think the best thing I can do for my writing career is get great books out into the world as frequently as I can, so that's where I devote the majority of my energy. But I do keep my website updated ( www.susanlyons.ca ) and run a monthly contest. I send promo items to romance-friendly bookstores. The Aphrodisia Authors have a blog (www.theaphrodisiaauthors.blogspot.com) and I participate in chats whenever I can. This year I'm speaking at the Writers Weekend conference in Seattle in June, I'm attending RWA National in Atlanta in July (my first literacy signing!) and I'm considering proposing a couple of workshops for the Emerald City conference in September. (Note: I just found info for October 2006 so since I wasn't sure if it was the same event, I didn't post the link). I'm also co-authoring an article (with Aphrodisia author P.J. Mellor) for the August issue of RT Bookclub as we both have books coming out then. That's my next book - Hot In Here, where Chinese-Canadian journalist Jenny Yuen and hot firefighter Scott Jackman create the Fantasy Rules.

SA: Romance readers: they are a devoted and passionate group of people. What have they taught you about the business and their support of their favorite writers? Do you believe readers are entitled to certain liberties when it comes to what they expect from a writer?

SL: With my first book out this month, I'm definitely hoping to acquire devoted and passionate readers, and then we'll see what they teach me. As for what readers can expect from me: I'm hoping to entertain each reader with a story that makes her grin, touches her heart, and sends her rushing off to seduce her sweetie.

SA: You grow orchids, though you claim not be an expert. Orchids are such a...sensitive and temperamental plant - do you find it frustrating to cater to the whims of the orchid? They are such beautiful and elusive flowers, some only appearing for just a short time. What makes you so passionate about them? What has this interest taught you, and what types of orchids grow in your region?

SL: I'm looking at my orchids right now and they're saying, "cater to our whims? - you have to be kidding!" No, I'm afraid I don't do that. They get light and water and share desk space with me, and other than that, they're on their own. Right now only one's blooming - with the cutest little pale purple flowers. Why do they appeal to me? For the same reason cats do. It's exactly what you mentioned - they're lovely and elusive and when they do bloom, I feel so rewarded and blessed. They're exotic and arguably the most passionate flower. In Victorian times, women were kept away from orchids because the flowers were considered to be dangerously erotic and seductive. One has to wonder what the guys thought we'd do, when exposed to an orchid! Make sexual demands they couldn't fulfil? Anyhow, I figure orchids help to set the atmosphere for someone whose writing is sensual and sexual. What have I learned from orchids? Patience! As for what orchids grow locally, the only one is a lovely little plant called lady's slipper that's found in the woods in the spring. www.2bnthewild.com/plants/h8.htm
(Note: the Lady Slipper is the state flower of Minnesota, where I, the pest, was born).



SA: Writers are also readers. Which authors do you spend your time reading? What do you like about their stories?

SL: I read lots of different kinds of fiction, but the authors I love the most are the ones who touch me emotionally. Some of those are Some of those are Barbara Samuel, Kristin Hannah, Luanne Rice and Jodi Picoult.

SA: Now for some fun. Who do you consider to be totally "hot"? What music might you be playing as your typing away diligently on your computer?

SL: Denzel Washington! (Note: I am a huge Denzel fan!) Gary Dourdan who plays Warrick Brown on CSI. Robert Redford, especially in his younger days. Morgan Freeman. They all have wonderful eyes and amazing faces, with great charm and expression. And the bodies aren't so bad either! As for music, there's rarely anything playing while I'm writing. For me, it distracts rather than enhances. Occasionally I'll have guitar music or Carlos Nakai flute.

SA: Guilty pleasures - we all have them. What are some of yours? Cheesecake for breakfast? A martini snack at 3PM? A favorite t.v. show you just can't miss?

SL: Bubbles. Champagne's my favorite drink and I keep those mini bottles of Henkel Trocken in the fridge to celebrate writing events. Yesterday, my excuse was, I got covers for Hot In Here (gorgeous!) and learned that Champagne Rules has made a foreign sale, to Germany. (Yay, Susan!) I love bubble baths too, with exotic flower scents like plumeria, white ginger and pikake. And okay, I confess, I watch The OC and Everwood - but no daytime soaps, I swear it.

SA: Thank you Susan, for taking the time to answer my questions. Any last words you'd like to share?

SL: Thanks to you, Stacy. What a fun bunch of questions! I've been traveling the road to publication for a very long time and it's been an amazing journey. I'm not sure I would have made it without the support and wisdom of my RWA colleagues. Now that it's happened, things are really taking off (5 sales in the first 8 months!) and I'm thrilled, and feeling exceptionally lucky and grateful. I'm still on a journey, and the road ahead will definitely have rocky patches, so I'm even more grateful for all the lessons I've learned and the friends I've made along the way. And I'm looking forward to making new friends, both writers and readers, and learning even more lessons.



August 2006 release:
Champagne Rules introduced the Awesome Foursome - four Vancouver gal-pals who are looking for mind-blowing sex. Hot In Here continues their sexy escapades. Journalist Jenny Yuen lands a very steamy assignment: cover a firefighter calendar competition. Her personal favorite? Mr. February. Also known as Scott Jackman. Also, known as hot, hotter, hottest!
Read all about it: the sexy rookie is the man of Jenny's wildest fantasies. And they're going to play by her rules: the Fantasy Rules. No taboos, no holding back. No commitment. The question is, will Jenny be able to stick to her own rules?

sneak preview

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Right around the time I discovered adult romances, I was still reading YA romances, like the Sweet Valley High books, and the Bantam "Sweet Dreams" books.  They fit in a little more with my own expectations of romance, though some seemed a little childish to me.  I guess that's why most avid readers read at a level much higher than their age range.  I was at the point where I was caught somewhere in the middle of the spectrum.

 

From that time, there is one book that stands out for me during those years, and it was from Bantam, and it was actually #1 in the "Sweet Dreams" series.  It is this book, "P.S. I Love You" by Barbara Conklin.

 

 

What is so special about it?  Well, there will have to be spoilers here to give you the full reasoning behind my everlasting love of this book.  (But before I go there, I want to mention that I always wanted to be the girl on the cover.  She is so pretty, with soulful brown eyes and long brown hair, which I never had growing up.  There, I had my little superficial moment).  So, the story is about Mariah, an aspiring novelist, who is all set for summer until she finds out her parents are getting divorced, and she goes with her mother and sister to Palm Springs to house-sit.  While there she meets Paul and falls in love for the first time.  Over the course of the summer, Mariah feels all the highs and lows of young love - the joy of being with someone who makes your heart race, the insecurities of believing you're not pretty or interesting enough to hold a cute boy's attention.  But Paul is not like that, and as time goes by, it becomes bittersweet - Mariah finds out that Paul is very ill.  He has cancer.  She is angry, and afraid, and desperate to get away from the worst case scenario.  I remember reading this and hating that the author ruined their love story.  I thought it was cruel to make Paul sick.  I cried every time I read it.  I cried for Paul and the life he would never live, and for the pain Mariah experiences when she loses Paul, and I cried for the strength she draws from her memories of her summer spent with her first love.  Their story was both magical and tragic, capturing so well those intense teenage feelings, yet by adding the very real and tramatic element of death, it projected that intensity to a higher level.  It was both a celebration and a memorial to the relationship, one that was made all the more poignant by the characters' ages. 

 

The author decides not to let Mariah grieve indefinitely, however.  There is also a 2nd book called "Falling In Love Again" (see, same girl) that follows Mariah as she grieves for Paul, and eventually begins to care for someone else.  I enjoyed the story, but at the same time I couldn't help but wish that Mariah hadn't found someone quite so soon.  Paul was special; he was her first love - yet I think it was important to show young girls that life does go on, even when something truly tragic happens, and that you can have feelings for someone else, and not feel guilty about it.  I don't remember the other boy's name, but I guess it's not that important.  What was important was that Mariah did move on, and that it was with someone mature and understanding of her feelings for her first love and who found her to be very special because of it.  I believe things happen for a reason, and that Mariah had to experience these events exactly as they happened. It made for a richer, stronger story that still stays with me to this day.  Thank you Barbara Conklin, wherever you are.....   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Currently, you can find this book at any CVS Pharmacy (which is where I got mine). 

 

For more information, check out Eddie's website at www.edwinacolumbia.com

 

 

....this book....

 

 

 

This book, by Marie Brennan, sounds wickedly good.  I'm on my witch kick lately.    Vamps, weres and shapeshifters are great, but I've always wanted to be a witch, and this story sounds like it's just what I'm in the mood for: good vs. evil, power, death, magic - yep, a rockin' good time. 

 

Why a witch?  Well, I've always imagined having magical powers - never bad ones, of course, unless it was to make my mean math teacher go "poof", but I would love to zip around like a bat on speed, conjuring up wild winds and unicorns and surfing the clouds with abandon.  I'd point a finger and zap creepy crawlers or conjure up a cute boy to go to the dance with.  The boys I usually liked were too cool to go to the dances.  The curse of loving the bad boys, I guess.  Now that I'm, ahem, an adult, my witch dreams are a bit more complicated, something like: blink - my taxes are done!   Anyway, I think I'd rather like being a witch.  Well, somedays, I believe I actually am one - though my powers are severely limited.....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is the first book I've read by author Elda Minger, and I thought it was an enjoyable, sweet read.  Will is the kind of hero we wish we all knew, though he be a little too perfect to hold your attention for long.  He's gorgeous, easy-going, and has a British accent, which I admit does nothing for me, but if I pictured him talking with a Scottish accent, then the picture totally worked for me. 

 

Also, I am a sucker for animals, especially dogs, and little Toby and her new friend Sugar will steal your heart with their antics and adoration for Tess.  It just goes to show you show much our pets enrich our lives, and help get us through some very difficult times.  I will never understand people who don't love pets.  It's almost like I can't really relate to people who don't like to read.  "Does not compute".

 

Anyway, if you're in the mood for a sweet, likeable story without a lot of angst, action, or violence, then this story will work for you.  Enjoy.

 

It all started with a writing contest held by one of readers' favorite romance authors, Lori Foster, that lead to.....

 

 

 

 

 

 

~Today I'm chatting with a very classy and sweet lady, LuAnn McLane, and her adventures in romance writing.  March happens to be a good month for LuAnn, with it being her birthday month and the recent release of her newest romantic anthology "Wild Ride".  Happy birthday LuAnn!

 

 

 

~ As you can see, LuAnn is just as sweet as you'd imagine her to be.  Check out her books - you won't be disappointed! ~ 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Whiplash"

Indiana farmgirl Andi Cooper has seen it all in her career as a travel writer, and is known for her honest and straightforward opinions when it comes to her reviews. This time the presence of her company is requested specifically by WIld Ride Resort owner Oliver "Max" Maxwell. Andi is not too thrilled to be reviewing a place that in her mind is the equivalent of an eyesore, but the owner insisted and Andi is determined to do the best job she can, but she's going to be honest. No way is she going to give the place a 5-star review just because Max is a good-looking charmer....

Max loves his resort, loves fixing the roller coasters that he grew up with, and believes his resort offers something extra for adults beyond another amusement park. He truly believes Wild Ride is special, and he thinks once Andi Cooper gets to know the place more intimately, so will she. Max isn't prepared for their initial meeting, or for his reaction to the lovely and tempting Andi. But this is about business, and Max promised himself he would not interfere in order to win brownie points. But he's having a difficult time keeping his hands to himself...

"Hold On Tight"

Krista Ross is Max's right-hand woman, taking care of the all those big and rich details and setting up the entertainment for his resort. Hot country star Travis Mackey has requested to stay at the Wild Ride to relax before starting another grueling tour, and it's up to Krista to make sure Travis relaxes and enjoys his stay, no matter how high maintenance this former rodeo rider has become in his rising singing career. Professional and serious Krista grits her teeth and gets the job done while trying to ignore the charming and sexy cowboy, despite thinking that yeah, maybe he actually can sing....

Uptight entertainment coordinator Krista sets Travis' blood on fire, as much as he'd like it to be otherwise. This sexy no-nonsense blonde is determined to make his stay at the resort enjoyable, all in the name of business. But Travis is really tired of people sucking up to him, trying to impress him, and right now there's nothing he enjoys more than agitating this fiesty woman and getting under her skin, just like she's getting under his.....

"Worth the Wait"

Jenna Wagner has had a serious crush on Cole Forrester since she was a teenager, and those feelings have blossomed into love over the years. But Cole is a player, and Jenna is not willing to be another notch on his bedpost. Besides, he treats her like another sister. So when his real sister and new husband can't go to the Wild Ride resort for her honeymoon, Cole asks his friend Jenna if she'd like to go in their place, each paying for half the price and enjoying the amusement park, even going their separate ways if that's what they choose to do.

Cole knows Jenna's thinks he's a player, and it's his own darn fault. But recently Cole's feelings have started to change, and a lot of that has to do with his friendship with Jenna. She has become more important to him than he even realized, and now all he wants is a chance to prove his feelings are real, and forever. Taking her to the resort is his way of being alone with her, and showing her exactly how he feels. Turns out that his little school teacher might have a little bit of a wild streak in her after all.....

One of the aspects I love about LuAnn's stories is the colorful dashes of humor she sprinkles throughout her stories that mix really well with the charming small-town feel of the characters. It's refreshing to read about people that lead glamourous lives but are not so worldly and jaded that they take their pleasure carelessly and often. I also enjoy LuAnn's stories because they are romantic, and intimate, not just cookie-cutter versions of today's more erotic stories, which I actually happen to love, but feel the need for a more traditional, satisfying romance. She creates likeable, charming characters that readers immediately care about, and reaching the happily-ever-after is definitely worth the ride. I continue to look forward to future stories by one of my favorite authors.

 

Okay, he's technically not my hottie (unfortunately), but I do feel like a was the one who found him.  I'm sure others feel the same way, LOL.  I've had this crazy obsession since before Christmas last year, and I am forever indebted to a lady by the name of Billie Jo for providing me with his website:

 

 

 

 

 

Sylvia Day mentioned my hottie, er, Nathan at Romancing the Blog when she wrote about "Judging a Book by it's Cover".  He's the model that's everywhere....

 

I love this cover because to me, it signifies what the ultimate male fantasy is: rugged, masculine, sexy, a bit dangerous, and good-looking but not pretty.  He appears very capable, very confident, and of course a bit arrogant.  And I love the fact that he's alone on the cover.  Who needs the heroine when this guy is more than enough?

 

 

 

 

 

Michelle Buonfiglio mentions him in a post at Romance By the Blog (note: that's me who gave the link.  Yep, told you I was obsessed!)

 

One of my favorite authors, Lori Foster,  also mentions him since he is on the cover of her "Wildly Winston" re-release of all the Winston brothers.....I don't like this cover as much because of the shorter hair, but he's still pretty hot.

 

 

 

 

Even Jaid Black's tag board is talking about him - says he was on "Guiding Light" and "One Life to Live" - well, he is on her latest cover.....

 

 

 

This book by Sherrilyn Kenyon is one of the first covers I remember seeing his face.  I think that's when I first began to wonder who he was.  It took several months to get that answer.

 

 

 

 

Look at that face, that mouth.  Wouldn't yo just loved to be kissed by this guy???? 

 

 

 

Now this is a SEXY cover.  Look at how dangerous he looks.  Um, yeah, I like it.  A LOT.

 

 

 

 

What a gorgeous body to go along with that beautiful face of his.....

 

 

 

 

Hey, why stop at one when you can show 2, or 10????

 

 

 

 

 

Okay, I've rambled on enough, but stay as long as you like, admiring this guy.  I know I would....and any other info you have on Mr. Hottie would be greatly appreciated! 

 

Thanx for sharing in my obsession......

 

 

 

I'll admit that I'm pretty open-minded when it comes to what I read.  Of course there are certain topics/storylines that drive me nuts, but overall, I just enjoy the process of losing myself in a good story.  Sometimes though, I wish there was a little more imagination out there.  A little more originality.  What I really want is an author who comes up with a concept that's been used before and makes it fresh, exciting, bold.  Someone who stands out, and consistently tells amazing stories.  I've recently found one that fits that description, and I'd like to share. 

 

Shiloh Walker writes stories like that.  Now let me warn you, her stories fall under the category of "blazing hot".  They are erotic, they are sexually explicit, they are very intense, but they are also fabulous. 

 

 

 

There are so many different elements to her stories, and Shiloh likes to break the rules.  I think that is one of the reasons I admire her writing so much; she's not afraid to push the envelope and create stories outside the box.  The covers that I have here are from her Hunters series, which I end up re-reading everytime a new book comes out so I don't miss anything.  They are currently my favorites, but there are many other stories to choose from as well.  The thing about the Hunters series is that it's not just about vampires.  There are werewolves and witches, magick and power, love and sex, life and death, not to mention a few surprises thrown in.    

 

 

 

 

 

So if you are a fearless reader, someone who loves a sexy story that could melt the glaciers and make you blush, check out the books by Shiloh Walker.  She has something for everyone - not just fantasy and paranormal, but you'll even find contemporaries in her completed works.  I look forward to finding out where her imagination leads us next.....