Hi, Lila! I'm thrilled to be inviting you back to my blog to help promote your latest release, "Assumed Calling". Absolutely LOVE your cover! Who was the artist?? Shall we get started with the questions? Looking forward to learning what you've been up to since we last spoke :)
What is your
writing routine?
I’m actually a
very scheduled person when it comes to my day. I used to be very willy-nilly
just doing the muses bidding whenever she took the notion to talk to me. But,
almost two years ago I had a doctor’s appointment that forever changed the way
I do things. Diagnosed with high blood pressure and on the brink of a host of
other ailments, I decided I like to breathe more than I like to stay up at all
hours of the night appeasing the muse.
I’d always been a very organized person
up until that point, but my schedule was a sort of Salsa party on steroids.
That day I assumed command of my destiny and put myself on a schedule. Mornings
I spend an hour or so catching up on social media, writing blog posts, filling
out interviews…you know admin type things we all hate. Then I have a nice
healthy lunch and a break from the computer.
Afternoons I spend writing. Now,
most people probably perceive writing to be just writing, but for me it’s not.
Writing entails not just putting words on paper, but research and self-editing
as well. So, while I may spend four hours “writing” I may not get one word of
the actual story to paper. I’m very meticulous with my stories. I’m in no way,
shape, or form a fling it out and expect my editor to fix it girl. When the
time clock dings at five or six, I’m off to do other things which I enjoy,
sewing, reading, walking…
Which author/s
inspire you to write?
I’m not sure any
author right now inspires me much. I’ve watched over the past few months a
decline in quality of writing coming out and it’s made me even more determined
to do better in my own scribblings. So I guess in that regard many do, but I
don’t put down others in public so those people will remain my little secrets.
Which is your
favorite romance subgenre to read? To write?
I read a wide
variety of subgenres from contemporary to inspirational to BDSM to ménage to
historical. About the only subgenre I veer away from is paranormal. It’s not my
thing at all. And I only write in a couple of subgenres myself so that choice
is easy, BDSM/military with the occasional ménage thrown in. My characters are
of all sexualities. It’s always been my belief find what works and stick to it.
I don’t think me writing in a dozen subgenres and doing none of them well is
beneficial for anyone.
How do you deal
with criticism/rejection?
With a grain of
salt. Criticism comes in many forms. That which is intended to hurt only shows
the criticizer’s inability to be kind. And the one sentence reviews I see only
show that person either has a communications issue or didn’t really bother
reading at all and is just out to ruffle my feathers. Those I ignore. I know if
I’m doing things right. My readers tell me and by the way of more than one
sentence. Criticism from my editors is taken very seriously. If I’m doing
something wrong and need to improve I better pay heed.
What do you
expect from an editor?
Guidance and
honesty. They aren’t there to boost my ego and they’re not there to ghost write
me. Give me tough love over a mouthful of fluff any day.
Which is your
favorite character in the book?
Why?
Honestly, picking
a favorite from Assumed Calling is like trying to pick a favorite child. While
this book focused on Allen and Nicki, a host of other characters have been
introduced who will be gaining their own stories eventually in a spin-off
series of the Identity books. Steele Image will be rolling out mid-2013 and I’m
very excited to be working on it.
What are you
working on right now?
Right now I’m
knee deep in the polishing touches on the third and final Slower Lower book, A
Slower Lower Leap. It’s due out in February. I’m also completing book two in
the Private Collection, Private Impropriety, which is due out in April.
Your biggest
piece of advice to aspiring novelists?
Learn your craft,
do your research, listen to your editors.
Assumed Calling
by Lila Munro
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:
At the seasoned age of fifty-six, Allen
Bourke has resigned himself to the fact he’ll probably never find someone to
top he can also love. While he’s had wives and lovers, none of them endured and
he’s come to the conclusion the clock’s ticking and age is working against him.
Then a very intriguing Nicki Cartwright pings on his radar at what Allen
determines will be his last house party. He can’t help but notice while he and
his friends are getting older, the players emerging on the scene are forever
getting younger. Nicki's no exception. Determined to resist the vibes humming
between them, he only agrees to service her after his old friend, Kyle
Montgomery, convinces him it's entirely feasible. Then it’s brought to Allen’s
attention who Nicki really is. Knowing their pasts are forever intertwined, as
hard as he tries to ignore his heart, he finds himself yielding to the tides of
fate.
Born to senatorial royalty, Nicki
Cartwright has spent her entire life trying to shield her mother from her
father’s wrath while drifting further and further into a world where panic is
normal and anxiety is always on the edge of her reality. Tired of burning the
candle at both ends and forever trying to live up to the picture of
All-American perfection her father James Cartwright touts as his ace in the
hole during election cycles, Nicki finds herself on the path of self-discovery
in search of relief from the stressors continually swamping her mind. What she
doesn’t expect is to find who she thought she was is truly just a shadow of the
person she really is. And what scares her most is the fact Allen, the only
person she thought she could trust, has been holding a secret since before she
was born which could destroy her entire family.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
EXCERPT
“Mom’s not with James in
Vermont,” Nicki blurted as if she’d been holding the information for so long it
was about to eat her alive. “In fact, she’s been out of the public eye for a
while now. So far my father’s handlers have been able to convince the press
she’s been away visiting family or busy writing her memoirs in private while
they’re on vacation. The truth is, only one of those numbers is my therapist.
The rest are her doctors. At Cedar Ridge…” She trailed off, a tear rolling down
her cheek to meet Allen’s right thumb as he stroked along the corner of her
mouth. “She’s an inpatient. He finally ran her crazy and she’s being treated
for a psychosis and chemical dependency on prescription meds and alcohol.”
“Can I have something a little
stronger? Than water?”
Nicki’s seemingly innocuous
question came back to mock Allen. Although there were no signs she was hooked
on anything in her apartment, not all addicts failed to hide the evidence. Some
were closeted so carefully nothing short of a complete breakdown outed them.
“And you? Do you share your
mother’s problems?” he asked.
“I’m not a drunk and I don’t pop
pills,” she snapped, anger overtaking her features and overshadowing her fear.
“I wasn’t trying to offend you,
Nicki. But I need to know these things. I like you, but we can’t play if I
don’t have all the cards face up and I’m too old to allow some things into my
life no matter how much I like someone. So if there’s anything I need to know,
now would be a good time to spill it. And. I. Mean. Everything.”
AUTHOR Bio and
Links:
Lila Munro currently resides on the coast of North Carolina with her
husband and their two four-legged kids. She’s a military wife with an empty
nest and takes much of her inspiration for her heroes from the marines she’s
lived around for the past fifteen years. Coining the term realmantica, she
strives to produce quality romance in a realistic setting. Her genre of choice
is contemporary romance that spans everything from the sensual to BDSM and
ménage. When she’s not writing, she enjoys reading everything she can get her
hands on, trips to the museum and aquarium, taking field research trips, and
soaking up the sun on the nearby beaches. Her works include The Executive
Officer’s Wife, Bound By Trust, Destiny’s Fire, Salvation, Three for Keeps, the
Force Recon series, the Slower Lower series, and the Identity series. She’s a
member in good standing of RWA and Passionate Ink. Currently she’s working on
sequels to several series to be released throughout 2012-2013 and has a brand
new line scheduled for winter 2012-13. Ms. Munro loves to hear from her readers
and can be found at:
Realmantic Moments: http://realmanticmoments.blogspot.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LilaMunroAuthor#!/
You can also contact her via email at lilasromance@gmail.com ,
and you can find all her works at:
Bookstrand: http://www.bookstrand.com/lila-munro
Lila will be awarding a Godiva
Chocolates gift basket worth at least $35.00 to a randomly drawn commenter
during the tour, and a Godiva Chocolates gift basket to a randomly drawn host.
(US ONLY)
Follow the tour and
comment; the more you comment, the better your chances of winning. The tour
dates can be found here:
thank you for hosting today.
ReplyDeleteGood morning Rachel! Thanks so much for having me back today, you have such a beautiful blog. :) Carl J Franklin at Rebel Ink Press designed my cover. He's never failed me in presented a magnificent cover. I'll be by a few times today to chat it up with your audience...speaking of...Hey audience, I've been asked a few times about Allen's age. How do you feel about the older hero? Love him, hate him, want more of him?
ReplyDeleteI really think that critiscm when done to help is fine,but cruel comments are just that, cruel.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed the blurb and the excerpt. Sounds like an unusual but excellent story line.
Lila...I love your philosophy on criticism. I think it takes a while for many writers to get to that point in their thinking.
ReplyDeletecatherinelee100 at gmail dot com
Hi MomJane and Catherine! Thanks for stopping by my first tour stop. And it does take a while to grow that thick skin needed to endure criticism. There are still days, as hard as I try, a little something rubs me the wrong way and that's when I have to remind myself, move on. There's writing to be done and dwelling doesn't get it done. :)
ReplyDelete