Welcome fellow Wild Rose Press author, Laura Browning!

I am happy to welcome Laura Browning to my site for a visit today - she is author of The Silkie's Salvation. I read the blurb for this book before I posted the interview and it sounds great! Looking forward to finding out more about the author...

1) When and why did you decide you wanted to be a published author?

When it comes to being a published author, I’ve been a bit like the shy girl at school who has a crush on the most popular boy but is too afraid to tell him. I would write stories. I would even pick out target publishing houses or agents. Then I would do nothing. About two years ago, my husband actually gave me the mental push I needed. I’m not sure it turned out as he expected. I think he believed I’d simply say, “You’re right, honey. I will quit writing this very instant so that you may spend more time on the Los Angeles Dodgers website.” Instead, I contracted with The Wild Rose Press for The Silkie’s Call and won a contest with The Silkie’s Salvation, which TWRP also contracted. I am happy to say my husband and I are still married and have solved this dilemma by adding another computer and paying up for more sports programs.

2) What is the best and worse thing you have learned from an editor/agent?

Best: Lose the adverbs, baby, and hunt up vivid verbs.

Worst: Use fewer pronouns. HELLO? So I should keep naming the hero and heroine? Okay. That was flippant, and sorry to the editor who said it. I think this advice might have been better if it were more specific: quit using such repetitive sentence patterns and get rid of the reflexive pronouns.

3) Favourite author/s?

I am a J.R. Ward addict. I love her characters and the in-your-face writing style she uses. Out of curiosity, I read what I could find of her work as Jessica Bird, and it’s interesting to begin seeing that edginess develop. Now for the polar opposite – I also enjoy reading Catherine Anderson’s contemporary stories with heroes who are tough but tender, and not always perfect.

4) What is your typical day?

Well, like many writers, there is the whole day job, but I’m really lucky. I teach writing and literature all day. Okay, so it is to thirteen- and fourteen-year-olds, but most of them are actually beginning to develop into thinking human beings. They are fun and refreshing because everything in their lives is an extreme—either too wonderful for words or they are in the depths of despair. Ah, to have such emotional energy! Anyway, after I get home…I spend the evenings writing. If a story isn’t flowing for me, I either work on polishing something I’ve already written or I do something else. When I do write, I write fast enough that a short dry spell doesn’t worry me.

5) Share your blurb or short excerpt from your latest release with us:

“I owe you an apology,” she whispered, “for this morning. You saved my life and I-I overreacted.”
He smiled, his teeth white against the tan of his skin. “Then dance with me, and you can tell me how sorry you are.”
His voice stroked along her eardrums like satin sheets on bare skin. When he held out his hand, she placed hers in it and he helped her up. The dance floor
was crowded; he pulled her against his broad chest. The hand holding hers pressed it against his heart, while his other hand splayed across her lower back.
“Relax,” he told her, his mouth near her ear. “I won’t hurt you.”
She nodded, but still found it hard not to be stiff against him.
“Just listen to the music, Keeley, and let it go. Let it go.”
His cheek touched the top of her head. She closed her eyes and inhaled the warm, familiar scent of him. She hadn’t realized how accustomed she had become to it, and she wondered how he would taste. Oh God! What was she
thinking? She swallowed nervously. Her hand trembled in his. The music, the wine, and the feel of him moving gently, confidently around the floor were making her hot and lethargic. The urge to lean into him so she could feel the firmness of his body against her cheek, her breasts, and her belly nearly overwhelmed her. When his thigh brushed against her aching mound, Keeley

gasped.

6) Who would you cast to play your hero & heroine in a movie?

Matthew McConaughey and Kristin Kreuk. He has the sharp features and body I envisioned for Ciaran, and Kristin has the kind of fey beauty and expressive face that I imagine for Keeley

7) Did you plan this book? Or write it as it came?

Here was my plan: You know, I really hate that Ciaran ended up being such a jerk in The Silkie’s Call. I wonder if I can turn him into a good guy if I find the right heroine for him? Beyond that, I wrote it as it came. If I try to do a detailed plot structure ahead of time, it is the absolute death knell to that story idea.

8) What surprised you the most when you became a published author?

I guess it’s the awe with which people other than your family and other writers regard you. I had to have some surgery a few weeks ago and was chatting with the surgeon beforehand. Here was this highly educated, highly trained man—who I’m sure makes a whole lot more money than me—looking at me like I had accomplished some fantastic feat. Maybe it was to him, but personally, I’d rather type on a computer than be responsible for cutting into someone. I create imaginary people, so if I make a mistake, I can just delete and start again…enough said.

9) Do you have a dedicated writing space? What does it look like?

I’m lucky to have a small office right off the master bedroom. Of course it is made significantly smaller by the clutter that normally surrounds me. I swear I know what’s in every pile. Added to the clutter is a black cat, who believes sleeping on her back, on top of my feet with her feet stuck up in the air is the perfect place to spend those hours when I’m working.

10) What’s next for you?

Wonderful…I can tout two more books! I have a contemporary romance entitled Winning Heart coming out from Lyrical Press July 4, 2011, and another currently titled Bittersweet coming from Lyrical December 5, 2011. Both of these stories are set in North Carolina and deal with horses.

I have really enjoyed answering your questions! It is so much fun to be able to do what you enjoy as more than just a hobby. I love hearing from readers too. You can visit me on my website: www.laurabrowningbooks.com and you can find me on Facebook.

The Silkie’s Salvation is available from The Wild Rose Press’s Wilder Catalog on April 15, 2011.

Great to have you here, Laura! We have so much in common...one, for thinking about Matthew McConaughey when writing erotic romance ; ) and two, our love of J R Ward, fabulous writer!

Okay, Laura and I are waiting for your questions & comments...