Welcome Author Christine Bell for her debut release...

I hope everyone who dropped in enjoyed the blogfest entry... and awaiting for Christine to make her appearance here !!!

Why today, one might ask.. Today is the release date of her debut book, Pray .... and she has graciously agreed to celebrate the momentous occasion with us !!! Not only that...she has lot more fun planned.. just read on to find out more ;)

Here she is and I am off to play the interviewer and the fantastic (aka, jumping with joy) host.

Welcome Chris !!! I am so happy that you agreed to do your "debut" interview here for your very first book and I hope you have more sales lined up .... Have a seat (so that I can take a deep breath!)

I have as usual, lined up the questions to cover the writing aspects first..


What steered you towards romantic fiction?

First of, thanks Ju, for taking the time to write all these great questions and letting me relax here at your elegant, cushy blog!   Mine looks like a dump next to these digs.  Who’s your interior designer?

Now, to answer your question:  Why romantic fiction?  Since the age of five, I’ve been a voracious reader and would read anything I could get my hands on.  When I was about twelve, my mom let me go into a beloved family friend’s basement (love and miss you, Bean…) and peruse her titles of Harlequin romances.  There were THOUSANDS of them.  I felt like I had walked into some sort of fabled utopia.  I guess you could say that my love of romance began due to the fact that it was what I had available to me most.  But my passion for romance grew because I love reading about love, and I love writing about love.  At the end of the day, what else matters in life? 

Where do you think your stories fit?

I wish I knew!  I am all over the map right now.  So far, I’ve written novellas that range from funny contemporary to sort of dark paranormals to steampunk.  Look out for Awakening, the second book in Pray series and a few more, to be announced soon. 

I also just got the amazing news that Carina Press will be publishing my steampunk romance novella, The Twisted Tale of Stormy Gale, in the spring!  I’m in the process of writing a medical to submit to Mills and Boons and am writing an M/M/F novella with my writing partner, L.C. Chase.  

Even as I’m telling you this, I realize it sounds a little nutty, but I’m really all enjoying writing whatever moves me.  And since I love all the different genres, I don’t see myself stopping.  I guess the one thing that sort of ties them together is that most have a thread of humor running through them.  I like funny.  Funny makes me happy.  My next challenge?  A YA piece.  I LOVE YA novels.


What do you consider are the major milestones in your writing journey since the time you started writing?

Great question.  For writing romance, it was when our crit group, Chapter by Chapter, was formed and I realized that what I was doing was all wrong, lol!  I mean, there was a kernel of something good in there, a knack for story telling maybe, and a voice, but I had a LOT of work to do on the craft.  I’ll never forget opening my first crit and seeing all the red, and highlights, and comments and thinking “Holy Sh*t!”.  I remember emailing the most anal (in the best way) member of my crit group, who misses NOTHING (wave hello to all the nice people, Lisa!) and saying something like, “Wow. You should be an editor, because this is unbelievably on point, and I don’t know how I missed all of this.”  It was a total light-bulb moment for me.  The inevitable R’s followed (and there were a lot of them), which also motivated me to do better work, but I truly think it was the endless discussions with my Twinkies at CBC and with you, Ju, and the support of the ladies on forums I’m involved with that really pushed me towards getting that first contract. Which, incidentally, was the single most exciting moment of my life that wasn’t about me the mother, or me the wife.  A moment just for me, the writer.  Every woman should have those moments that are just about them, they are unbelievably empowering and satisfying.
   

What are some of your writing tips and tricks?

From my perspective, the most important thing in fiction writing is to make sure that your characters aren’t one-dimensional, so I always try to do that.  I’ve seen the quote “There are no new stories.” And it’s the truth.  Every story has been told a million times over.  It’s our job to make people want to hear it again, and I think the way to do that is through characterization.  So, as writers we have to make sure that characters have personality, because if not, then who cares?  Who cares if they find love, or get kidnapped by marauding pirates, or can’t find the horcruxes and doom the world to the ministrations of The Dark Lord?  I’m always drawn to characters who have a "thing", whether it’s a passion (like saving the wolves), or something about them that feels organic and authentic (like super witty, or really clumsy, or a belly dancer).  It gives them depth, and makes them relatable. Charles Dickens is the master of this.  In almost no time you *know* the dastardly beadle, Mr. Bumble, in Oliver Twist.  Even the names of his characters give a sense of who they are. Pip, The Artful Dodger, Ebenezer Scrooge, etc. Another master is Janet Evanovich, who has built an empire on the quirk factor.  Stephanie Plum eats olive and peanut butter sandwiches and blows up cars regularly.  Her horny grandma packs a pistol and goes to wakes to get a peak at the dead bodies.  So look at your characters.  Is your h secretly into martial arts and her hands are registered lethal weapons? Does she have OCD where all of her socks are color coordinated and she has to do things in sets of three?  Whatever it is, make sure that if you moved her (or him) to another one of your manuscripts, they wouldn’t fit.  They should be unique.


What are some of the most important things you have learnt during the transition from writer to author?

Well, the nicest thing that I’ve discovered so far was that, for me, the first one was the hardest.  Once you can add that writing credit to your query, or are invited to submit directly to an editor, or maybe contract on proposal, it becomes a much less arduous process.  Not to say that the writing becomes easier, but what happens after the book is written does get easier.  You also get a little boost of confidence that helps you ride out the inevitable R’s that still come, and still sting, even after you get a contract.  Another thing is that all R’s aren’t created equal, so if you really believe in something, keep submitting it.  Oftentimes it’s a matter of finding the right publisher for the piece.  And one last thing I learned is how cathartic it is to blog.  I was holding out, and my CP’s kept telling me to get a blog.  Now that I have it, I LOVE it!


Last, but not the least..How did you feel when you had a peek into your first shiny e-cover, with your name embossed on it? Could you share a few words about your first book/series?

I cried.  Literally.  It was the culmination of literally thousands of hours of work and it was so surreal and rewarding and wonderful.  The Cobblestone Art Department does really lovely covers and Sable Grey did a stellar job on both covers I have gotten so far, so I was positively giddy!  I think the day your cover art comes in is the day is feels *real*.

Wow Christine..That sure is a touching moment for an author! :) I bet everyone else would love the cover and the story equally. I am positively drooling here ;)

I am so (SO) excited about my first release, Pray, which is book one in the Wolves of Pray series. The series is set in Pray, Montana and starts off with the Liam and Amalie’s story.  Check out the blurb below, and please feel free to check out my blog (www.chrisbwritin.blogspot.com) for another excerpt from the book!

Blurb :
Strong-willed photojournalist Amalie Baptista is appalled by the legalization of wolf hunting in Montana.  She hopes that photographing these savagely beautiful animals in their element will call attention to their plight.  Her mission ends almost before it begins when she is attacked by one of the very creatures she has vowed to save.  Suddenly, Amalie finds herself in the midst of a world she thought only existed in horror movies.

Alpha male Liam Albrecht is breaking all the rules for the captivating Amalie, risking his place within the pack as well as his own life to protect her.  He’s already lost his beloved friend and pack member to a sadistic hunter who still remains at large.  Now, as discord among the area packs reaches a fever pitch, he must find a way to save the woman of his dreams from the monsters among them.

Excerpt :

He got up from the chair and walked toward the door. Feeling her gaze on his back, he stopped at the doorway and turned to face her. His heart lurched at the need etched plainly on her face.

He gripped the doorknob, lust racing through him. “Fair warning: you need to stop looking at me like that. Tonight I was as much of a gentleman as a wolf like me can possibly be. But, if you’re smart, you’ll keep your distance. I can’t promise I’ll be able to manage my desire a second time.”

She met his gaze in the dim light and replied steadily, “I’ll make you a deal, Chief. If you stop looking at me like you want to bend me over something, I’ll stop looking back like I want you to.” And with that she rolled to her side, and closed her eyes.
 
Wow ;) That was pretty intense... I can't wait to meet the gentlemanly wolf.. Have you kept him hidden somewhere? ;) You can let me know.. the secret would be safe (insert evil grin here)

Now, hopping on to personal front :
 

What does your normal day look like?

Weekdays- Wake up at 6:45, go to work, get home about 5:30, cook dinner, eat, try to play tennis or do something with the kids, write or do writing related things like send queries, crit, etc. (usually from about 9:00pm-12:00pm.)

Maybe an hour of tv.  (So You Think You Can Dance during the summer, but when the new season of The Office, 30 Rock, Modern Family, Glee and House start then I DVR them and fit in wherever I can)

Lather, rinse repeat.

Weekends- Wake up about 8:00, maybe make muffins or something, clean, go to the movies (we LOVE the movies in my family), go grocery shopping, try to carve out a chunk of alone time with my husband (who I am mad about) and write write write write.  I also love to play poker and board games.


How would your dream-perfect-day look like?

Me and my husband in Vegas playing in the World Series of Poker.  Then, after we won first and second place, we would go out to dinner for Chicken Oscar and Baked Alaska, followed by an icy cold Shock Top beer.  We’d head back to our suite with a view of the Strip and spend about two hours “relaxing”.  After which, the phone would ring and it would be Oprah asking me if I wanted to come on and talk about my bestselling novel.

Alternately, it would be me and my husband and the kids at the Harry Potter theme park in Orlando (which I hope to do this Christmas) with the sorting hat telling us which house we should be in while we sip frozen butter-beer.


How does your family feel about the fact that a multi-contracted author lives with them?

Excited!  My husband is so proud and thinks I’m the greatest thing since sliced bread anyway, so it’s wonderful.  The kids are thrilled, but mostly they just want to know if that means they can buy more stuff now.

Have you ever infused some/any of your personal characteristics/traits in your heroines? If so, what are they?

Have I ever not would be a better question!  Stormy won’t pick a favorite color because she doesn’t want to make the other colors feel bad.  Amalie has an unholy hatred for her GPS (whereas mine is in love with my husband and tries to kill me regularly by suggesting I drive into walls and enter exit ramps on the highway), Chandra is a wiseass and uses sarcasm as her weapon of choice and Mickey is a neurotic mess.  Any characteristics that aren’t from me are almost invariably ones that I covet.  Cat-burglar, fortune-telling gypsy, time-pirate, super athletic, magic, and so on.

 
Real life romantic moment(s)?

Ack!  As an author of romance, I feel a little pressure to wow you here, but to be honest, my husband is not a big gesture guy, so this is a hard one.  There are no surprise trips to Paris, or diamond rings in champagne glasses, or sky written declarations of love.

What I have is a man who will put in 20 hours of overtime at work that week to make sure he can get snow tires for my car.  A man who will rub my feet, whether they hurt or not.  A man who tells me I’m smart, and beautiful and talented every single day.  A man who honestly thinks my chubby hips are wicked sexy.  A man I look forward to spending time with more than anything else in the world, even after ten years together.  And from where I’m sitting, that beats Paris any day.

 
A few words to everyone out here ....

Go out and find a great crit group, or at least two trusted crit partners and don’t stop trying until you do. The value of having people who care about you and your work enough to tell you the truth about it is incalculable.  Having multiple partners allows for different perspectives, matters of personal taste and an eye for certain things that others may not have.  My crit group is made up of nine eclectic women from all walks of life and each of us bring something unique to the table.  I have yet to upload a chapter that wasn’t substantially better when they were done with it, and that’s a fact.  The time I’ve expended critting, and any inspiration that I may have given these women has been returned to me ten-fold.  I think you’re truly missing something if you don’t take advantage of such a valuable, cost-free opportunity to improve.


In closing, Ju, to repay your kindness and hospitality, I have created this Top Ten list exclusively for you and your readers.  (Trust me, you’ll thank me later).

*Top Ten Songs You Need to Add to Your Ipod in a Playlist Titled ‘Knockin’ Boots’ (That You Can Listen To While Your Knockin’ Boots)
– by Christine Bell

   1. How Does it Feel – D’Angelo
   2. Secret Garden – Quincy Jones featuring Barry White, Al B. Sure, DeBarge
   3. Lost Without U – Robin Thicke
   4. No Ordinary Love – Sade
   5. I Only Have Eyes For You – Flamingos
   6. Don’s Disturb This Groove – The System
   7. Let’s Get It On – Marvin Gaye
   8. My Love –Justin Timberlake
   9. Knockin Da Boots – H-Town
  10. Electric Feel - Katy Perry (cover of MGMT song)

And a bonus one (because my husband is reading over my shoulder and MADE me add it).
  11. Summertime  - Miles Davis

* Reader will hold harmless author from any and all actions pertaining to the use of said list.  Any panties torn, beds broken or babies conceived due to the above are the sole responsibility of the parties involved in the nooky.

 
LOL Christine ;) I'll keep that warning in mind... and need I say that I enjoyed having you here... :-D


Now comes the actual juicy part.. Christine has agreed to pick a random winner for a giveaway. Guess what's in store for the winner??

It is a free copy of her debut novella PRAY, with the sexy wolf hero ! All you have to do is to follow her blog and leave a comment here. Isn't my dear friend, fab?  Psst.. While you go check her blog.. you'll see why I said she was fab... I almost felt like swooning when I saw the line up of gifts and the contest she is running there...

Hope you had fun.. She loves to hear from you and is eagerly waiting for comments !!! Why not indulge her?

Source: http://judimello.blogspot.com/2010/08/welcome-author-christine-bell-for-her.html