A day in the life of: Author Sabrina Devonshire

'Release week for Dangerous Descent'

In our wonderful, whirlwind whip around the world, we have been flitting from country to country, chatting to authors about their daily writing routine, and about what influences their stories. Today, we return to the United States, to the state of Arizona, where we catch up with author of exotic romance adventures – Sabrina Devonshire.

Sabrina Devonshire

 

 

Noelle: Thanks so much, Sabrina, for taking the time out of your busy schedule to chat with us. Your latest book – Dangerous Descent – was launched this week. Congratulations! Before we start, I’ll list all your books here:

• Love in the Labyrinths #1 – Dangerous Descent
• Love in the Labyrinths # 2 – The Unseen
• Message from Viola Mari
• The Open Water Swimmer

From what I can tell, your two big passions in life are swimming and traveling. From the titles listed above, it sounds as though you have brought your passions to life in some compelling, adventurous ways.

Sabrina: Thank you for the invitation to do this interview, Noelle. Because I’ve always loved travelling to exotic locales, geology, swimming, and being outdoors, my romantic adventures tend to reflect these passions.

Noelle: I looked on Google Maps at Arizona – it seems to be a fairly dry place, and not that close to sunny beaches. How did you get into swimming in such a big way?

Sabrina: Believe it or not, I started swimming competitively as a youth growing up in Ohio of all places J I always wanted to live somewhere I could swim outside year-round and now here I am in the Arizona desert. Swimming provides balance in my life—it’s a delightful form of exercise and it always stimulates new ideas and calms me down.

Sabrina at the national swimming championship in Puerto Rico (2009)

 

Noelle: Congratulations on your swimming career. You certainly look very fit! It seems your book characters are fit and adventurous too. Your new release – Dangerous Descent – is set in Vietnam, where your character Rebecca takes a job working in subterranean caves. Do you also list caving as one of your preferred activities?

Sabrina: I’ve visited New Mexico’s Carlsbad Caverns twice and also Kartchner Caverns in Arizona and found these underground chambers fascinating. During my first visit to Carlsbad, I arrived super early in the morning and walked ahead of everyone else. It was an amazing feeling walking through those enormous chambers filled with magnificent rock formations created by dripping water. In Dangerous Descent, I use Mountain River Cave as the story backdrop, based on research I found in the library and videos.  Some of the chambers described in Dangerous Descent are so enormous, they could fit a jet plane or the Statue of Liberty inside!  I’m pretty high maintenance, though, so I don’t think you’ll find me signing up for a real expedition anytime soon (laughs).

Noelle: It's amazing that those caves are so big! The locations for your series, Love in the Labyrinths, sounds dark, damp and scary. How do you manage to get your characters to fall in love down there?

Sabrina: I think edgy circumstances are a great backdrop for lusty attraction. And both Kent and Rebecca are natural adventurers, so the allure of the setting and their mutual interest in geological discoveries heighten their passion and bring them closer together.

Noelle: As you know, my first book was set in Cambodia – right next to Vietnam. I’m really glad to see that you too have a love for the exotic Asian countries. What other countries or unusual places have you set your books?

Sabrina: I know, Noelle. I read Let Angels Fly and found it very entertaining. Readers will be transported to exotic places in all my books. So far, I’ve taken them to Portugal, Tunisia, Greece, and Honduras (The Open Water Swimmer), the Czech Republic and Belize (Message from Viola Mari), and Vietnam (Dangerous Descent and The Unseen).

Sabrina and her daughter, Marion, getting a mud treatment at a rainforest spa in Costa Rica

Noelle: South America is somewhere that has always fascinated me, but I've never been. I just love this photo of you and your daughter! Now THAT looks like my kind of adventure. :-) But I’m so intrigued with your books, that I haven’t yet asked you about your daily writing routine. So, firstly, do you manage to write every day, or do you fit it in as best you can?

Sabrina: Since I’m also a personal trainer/group exercise instructor and also do freelance magazine writing, I do the juggling act. I write most days, but my routine is far from regular. I wish I could say differently…

Noelle: It’s pretty standard for me to want to know where you like to write. Are you able to share a pic of your study, or writing desk? Maybe the view out your window or some view that inspires you as you’re writing?

Sabrina: I’m a light-seeker so I tend to move my computer around the house. Most often I sit at a small, antique desk in front of a window where I can see the Tortolita Mountains and homes down the hill from us. In case you’re wondering if the view’s a distraction, I’d have to say, “No.” Facebook, on the other hand, is my real downfall…

Noelle:  You certainly have been to some exotic and adventurous places. When you travel, do you consciously seek out the unusual and store the memory away for use later in a book?

Sabrina: I journal on most of my trips. Whenever an idea strikes, I have those journals to go back to.

Noelle:  Dangerous Descent is out now. When can readers expect to see number two in the series released?

Sabrina:  The Unseen, Book 2 of Love in the Labyrinths, will release August 1 on the Extasy Books website. It should be on Amazon on August 8.

Noelle: Where can readers buy your books, and where can they connect with you online?

Here are the buy links for Dangerous Descent…

• Extasy Books: http://www.extasybooks.com/dangerous-descent
• Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Dangerous-Descent-Love-Labyrinths-ebook/dp/B00DTWQUIW/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1373337122&sr=8-8&keywords=Dangerous+Descent

Here is some other contact info for me:

Web site: www.sabrinadevonshire.com

Blogs: www.sabrinadevonshire.blogspot.com

           www.sabrinadevonshireromances.com
Twitter: @SabrinaDevonsh1
Email : sabrina@corazondeloro.com

Thank you, Noelle, for inviting me to share with you and some potential readers today. I really enjoyed the chat J

DANGEROUS DESCENT

 

Logline: Rebecca seeks outdoor adventure work. Kent has the perfect job for her. The Vietnam caving expedition gets crazy when too-hot-to-handle love strikes—along with murderous smugglers.

Blurb: After months of working in a dreary department store, laid-off outdoor adventure director Rebecca Devereaux vows to change her life’s trajectory.

    Kent Dunbar believes Vietnam’s Mountain River Cave may be the largest in the world. His sponsors demand that he leave immediately to survey the cave and study its origin, leaving him little time to organize staff. Desperate for assistants, he sends out a mass email to recruit qualified workers. Kent is pleasantly surprised to receive an application from Rebecca and hires her.

    The instant Kent and Rebecca meet, they find attraction too hot to handle. Soon, every jungle tree and shelf of cave rock becomes a potential place to release their pent up passion for each other. But Kent’s not used to commitment, both are dealing with traumatic pasts, and murderous gemstone smugglers are on the loose near their camp. Will their tumultuous love affair survive?

 

Noelle: Sabrina, thanks so much for taking the time to visit. I know how busy book release week is, so I appreciate what you've done. A huge congratulations on your latest release, and I hope that Dangerous Descent soars.

 

 

 

 

We want to CRASH your VACATION! Join in the summer fun

 

 

It’s the Vacation Crashers Photo Contest!

Well… not all of us, just our books. Take a photo of any number of our book covers on your e-reader while featuring your vacation locale, your smiling mug, or with your pet iguana and have many chances to win big!

We’re not picky, just make it fun and interesting.

Post your photos in the facebook event and enter the Rafflecopter link to win fabulous prizes – Including:

a Kindle, $75 Amazon gift card, book swag and MUCH more.

Visit http://vacationcrashers.reneamason.com/for details!

Contest runs from July 1st – August 31, 2013

Cat Cavendish - The Second Wife - with Joey

Susan D Taylor's 'Secret Desire', making Karob hot under the collar

Shehanne Moore's 'Lady Fury' elegantly balancing on a tree branch

Mysterious fruit - we'll blame Shehanne Moore

Karob has exceptionally good taste - Let Angels Fly

Summer Sun Award!

My good friend, Shehanne Moore, has bestowed upon me a Summer Sun Award. She's always so

generous and brightens up my life daily. Thanks Shey. It's the middle of winter here in Brisbane, Australia. Mind you, yesterday we hit a top of 24 degrees C, so I'm not really complaining, but it's still winter for us.

But ... as with anything Shehanne does ...  there are rules! And God forbid any of us to neglect to follow them to the letter! So, here are the rules surrounding my acceptance of this esteemed award.

Well, firstly you display the logo and link back to the blog of the person who nominated you. Then you answer the following summery questions before nominating a lucky eight ….one for each sunray on the picture there. Then you must tell the lucky eight and name and display their blog link.
Of course the questions are all summer based.

So here goes. But just to liven things up (I'm a very boring person), I decided to do a retrospective view, and recall some of my happiest memories of summer.
 
1. Favourite song with summer in the title or the words (give the line) –

“Summer Holiday” – Cliff Richard. “We’re all goin’ on a summer holiday”.
(play the video, it's so funny).

2. Favourite book about summer –
“Allison’s Island Adventure” set in the isles of north-west Scotland. Can’t remember the author.

3. Favourite hot summer film –
“Gidget”    

4. Favourite summer memory –
Dad piling us all into the VW Combi and taking us to Wellington Point for a swim. Hey, I live there now!





Sunset at Wellington Point. I can walk here from my house.

Um, not me, but camping on Cylinder Beach.

5. Favourite summer holiday destination –
Camping at Cylinder Beach on Stradbroke Island.




Cylinder Beach, Stradbroke Island, Qld

6. What books will be in your suitcase this summer?

It won’t be summer here in Australia until about November. So, by then, I’ll be taking:

•  His Judas Bride
•  Saving Grace Devine
•  Collared for a Night
•  Share the Moon
•  Finding Butterflies
•  Lost in Kakadu
•  Moonstone Obsession
•  Warrior’s Surrender
•  Rosamanti (Just getting a plug in for my new book).

7. What’s your likely destination this summer?

No plans as yet … maybe to the Sunshine Coast, just north of Brisbane.

Sunshine Coast, Queensland

8. What hottie would you most like to be sharing the hot days and long nights with this summer?
Pietro Lombardi (he’s my hot Italian hero in Rosamanti). Here's a photo of him. What do you think girls?
 

Okay that’s it. I’ve nominated seven people to receive this award. It’s now up to you all to follow Shey’s instructions above

• Sharon Struth
• Louise Forster
• Kendall Talbot
• Cat Cavendish
• EE Carter
• Susan D Taylor AND Susan Arden LOL
• and Lady Fury.

 

And thankyou Shey, for spreading some happy sunshine all around the world. :-) I feel warmer already.

A day in the life of: Author Shehanne Moore

Our travels around the world are proving to be a wonderful way to unite friends from different countries, who share a common love of storytelling. Today, we stay in the northern hemisphere, visiting the beautiful city of Dundee, Scotland – famous for many things, including having built the ship RRS Discovery for Captain Scott and his famous Antarctic Expedition.



Shehanne Moore

At the mouth of the Tay River, where it borders on the North Sea, lives Shehanne Moore, author of the hugely popular historical romance novel, ‘The Unraveling of Lady Fury’. So today, as part of the series ‘A Day in the Life of…’ we ask Shehanne to share with us a typical writing day. We hope she’ll share with us the secrets to writing her gritty, witty, as much risky as risqué, historical romance, set wherever takes her fancy. Stories that detail the best and worst of human behaviour, as opposed to pouts and flounces. I’m interested in finding out what inspires Shehanne, what kind of writing regimen she keeps, and where she does the hard work of putting pen to paper, so to speak.

Noelle:Shehanne, welcome to my blog. We’re no strangers, that’s for sure, but we live on opposite sides of the world. I wonder if you can tell us what a typical writing day might be for you. Do you slog away for x number of hours, without interruption? What’s your writing routine?

Shehanne's study

Shehanne : Firstly Noelle, thank you for inviting me onto your blog. I’ve been a fan since your fab book, Let Angels Fly, was  released, so to be here on your blog is something else. One of the nicest things about being a writer is the friends you make despite living oceans apart. So your first question, how I get fingertips to keypad is a miracle. Here is my study. Nice on the surface, but the door doesn’t shut, short of sawing the top off. The lintel is squint. Then there’s the view.
 


The view from Shehanne's study, overlooking the Tay River in Dundee

Despite both, on a good day when I am actually barging on with a new book as opposed to pantsing about with editing and promo, I aim to get a thousand words down. That’s after dealing with the emails, short Facebook post, tweets and whatever blog stuff. Yes, as you will know that is hectic. 

Noelle: Do you plot your stories out from start to finish, then tackle the research? Or are you a pantster, and just start writing as it flows?

Shehanne. Oh, if only I could plot. No, I only ever start with a flash. With Lady Fury I saw her on the landing, very ornate house, abroad, and she needs an heir but her husband can’t oblige. I never ever have a clue beyond that first flash. I liken it to getting on the tightrope next, as I try and write the first chapter--talk about leap of faith. Then, as that starts going down on the page in ways I’ve run screaming from,  I slink off to check some basic facts and see if this flight of fancy is possible. For example, there was something at the back of my mind about the privateers in the US war of 1812 being hunted down afterwards and that fitted well with Flint. So then, at the point the book opens I’m seeing a man down on his luck and desperate, yet a man who once was top of his game. It let me get another step on the tightrope.

Noelle: What in your environment inspires you, or allows the muse to take hold and weave her magic?

The Devil's Staircase, Glencoe, Scotland

Shehanne: Environment is very important to me. Big confession, I have never been to Genoa but having been elsewhere I love the whole Med atmosphere. The warmth, the clarity of light, the scents of citrus, olive and pine, even the noisy crickets. Obviously romance writing means the focus isn’t on that but to me it very important to capture the essence.  My forthcoming book, His Judas Bride, was inspired by Glencoe, which is often considered one of the most beautiful places in Scotland. I spend a lot of time there on hills. The landscape has a sort of grim grandeur and then there is the history of the massacre. I liked the idea of a small clan, an impregnable glen, much as it was at the time the massacre took place. You know, my first sort of proper effort, pen to paper at the age of 13, was about the massacre. Lol. His Judas Bride is set there but I have changed the name. While it’s not about the massacre I am using the idea of a small clan, untouchable, because the glen is impregnable. So, much of Glencoe appears in the book, from the Devil’s Staircase to the Hidden Valley.


The Hidden Valley, Glencoe, Scotland

Noelle: That is a stunning photo. What a beautiful place Glencoe is. You sound like an adventurous person and I can see why you love climing 'hills'. But, given that you live near the sea, do you enjoy sailing on the high seas, dreaming of gorgeous pirate captains like Flint?

Captain Kydd

Shehanne: If only! I can’t actually swim, so I really should be a damn sight more careful of all these fast flowing rivers I routinely find myself in! Of course Dundee produced its own pirate. Captain William Kydd. I don’t know he was very gorgeous. He looks a bit of a chancer really.

Noelle: Hmm, I agree. The character, Lady Fury, has proven to be hugely popular and well known. She has a voice of her own, and has become quite a part of the lives of all who enjoy reading her blogs. How much of Shehanne Moore is in Lady Fury?

Shehanne: I believe Mr Shey once said –it was on the subject of the time I served broccoli soup on the steak thinking it was mushy peas…. ‘Shey shares a docility in common with her heroines, therefore I said nothing.’ Dundee has a proud tradition of ‘undocile’ women stemming back to when they, not their menfolk, kept the family. My own grandmother wasn’t terribly docile either. She routinely had the police at the door for stotting teapots off of neighbours’ heads. Her hubby’s too. I just amn’t good at creating ladylike heroines.  Like Fury, I will try and keep my temper but if I lose it… 

Noelle: (OK, I'll remember never to upset you.) Given the global nature, and popularity, of Lady Fury, could there quite possibly be a sequel to ‘The Unraveling of Lady Fury’?

Shehanne : Heavens? Gosh. Who knows if I get a flash! 





Glencoe, Scotland



Noelle: You have a new book coming out soon with Etopia Press – ‘His Judas Bride’. Without giving away any secrets, are you able to tell us a little about the book?

Shehanne : Okay, it’s about how far you’d go to get what you want most. Kara, the heroine, pretty well believes she’s invincible. To say life has treated her horrendously is an understatement and she wants something very precious back badly. Things backfire and it brings her into a direct clash with the one man who will stop her, Callm McDunnagh, the Black Wolf of Lochalpin. Not because he’s the most ruthless man in the Highlands, because he reminds her she’s a woman.

Noelle: I can’t wait to read a book set in Scotland, written by someone who obviously loves the hills and mountains as much as you do. This book must be dear to your heart?

Glencoe

Shehanne : I wrote this book before Lady Fury but there were aspects of Kara’s past I knew would make it a hard sell. I know I don’t fit quite the traditional mould, so I was over the moon to sell Fury. But being a very suspicious person by nature, I wanted to see that Etopia didn’t soften my story, that I could trust them with Callm and Kara’s—provided they were interested of course-- because the book and Kara and the Wolf are dear to me in many ways.

Noelle: Shey, thanks so much for coming to visit us here, and for sharing so much of yourself. I love those pictures of Glencoe, and can see why you spend every available weekend up there in the 'hills'. Your next book, His Judas Bride, set in such an inspiring and beautiful location, is sure to be wonderful. Thanks so much. x
Finally, where can readers connect with you – and Milady Fury – and where can they buy your books?

Shehanne : Connect? Ooh, generally up a hill but sometimes here.

Web site  
Blog
Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
Lady Fury's Furious Unravelings Blog
Weebly web site

Shehanne's book, 'The Unraveling of Lady Fury' is available here

BLURB of The Unraveling of Lady Fury 

Rule One: There will be no kissing. Rule two: You will be fully clothed at all times…

Widowed Lady Fury Shelton hasn’t lost everything—yet. As long as she produces the heir to the Beaumont dukedom, she just might be able to keep her position. And her secrets. But when the callously irresistible Captain James “Flint” Blackmoore sails back into her life, Lady Fury panics. She must find a way to protect herself—and her future—from the man she’d rather see rotting in hell than sleeping in her bed. If she must bed him to keep her secrets, so be it. But she doesn’t have to like it. A set of firm rules for the bedroom will ensure that nothing goes awry. Because above all else, she must stop herself from wanting the one thing that Flint can never give her. His heart.

Ex-privateer Flint Blackmoore has never been good at following the rules. Now, once again embroiled in a situation with the aptly named Lady Fury, he has no idea why he doesn’t simply do the wise thing and walk away. He knows he’s playing with fire, and that getting involved with her again is more dangerous than anything on the high seas. But he can’t understand why she’s so determined to hate him. He isn’t sure if the secret she keeps will make things harder—or easier—for him, but as the battle in the bedroom heats up, he knows at least one thing. Those silly rules of hers will have to go…

Noelle: Now, my post would not be complete without a map showing where my guests come from.

‎

A day in the life of: Author Susan D. Taylor Susan Arden

This is the fourth instalment in a series entitled ‘A Day in the Life of”, where we have a private and privileged chat with authors from all around the world, asking them about their routine in a typical writing day.

In previous interviews, we’ve had Louise Forster (Australia); Sharon Struth (USA), Catherine Cavendish (Wales), and now another well-known writer of passionate romance, erotic romance, and all things hot and steamy.

Susan D. Taylor  -  Susan Arden

Ladies and gentlemen, may in introduce you to this week’s guest author - Susan D. Taylor and her alter ego, Susan Arden.

Susan hails from Tennessee in the USA, and shares her home with her husband and several pets, including two Blue Heeler dogs (I thought they were an Australian breed, Susan), plus a menagerie of cats, geckoes – and a snake!

As Susan D. Taylor, she writes contemporary erotic romance and passionate women’s fiction. As Susan Arden, she writes western, paranormal, speculative erotic romance.
Here’s a list of Susan’s books so far:

• Secret Desire
• Ocean of Love
• Tempted by Trouble - Erotic Western Book 1 Bad Boys Series
• Twice Tempted - Book 2 Bad Boys Series
• The Cowboy Rode a Harley - June 2013
• Collared for a Night – coming July 2013 through Crimson Romance
• Blood Brothers – Book 2 Rocky Mountain Shifters, through Decadent Press

Noelle: Susan, welcome to Journeys with Noelle, and thank you for taking the time to talk with us here. You sound like a very busy lady. This year alone, you’ve had two books already published, and I believe a third – Collared for a Night - is coming on July 22. Do you have a set routine for writing that allows you to be so prolific?

Susan: I work maybe 16 hours a day writing and working to promote other authors. I have severe ADHD from a neurosurgery complication. The good news is this means I can tightly focus on one thing to the exclusion of others. Switching gears can be daunting. And things come and go for someone with my condition. I’m highly interested in something, intensely, for a moment. Then on to the next. Writing gives me that ability to switch gears again and again. The bad news…well let’s just skip that nonsense.

Noelle: Can I ask you about your writing space. Do you have an office or study – a place that you are not disturbed when you’re working?

Susan: I have several places I write depending upon how I’m feeling. An office-yes. Private. But I also like to be next to my husband or my daughter when she visits (each week this summer for her grad school practicum – I’m so happy!!), not to mention two crazy dogs and cats. I can write anywhere at home I guess is the answer.

Noelle: What is it in your writing environment that inspires you? Maybe a gorgeous view? Or the company of your pets?

Susan: I live in a beautiful part of Tennessee on some acres but truly, when I write, I’m inside my
head. It’s like a movie is unfolding and I’m watching the characters, eavesdropping really. If I’m lucky, I type fast enough to capture what’s being said.

Noelle: When you’re not writing, what do you like to do?

Susan: I love to garden. And do yoga. I’m not too inspired to do much more. The nonsense of neuro complications took me out of one life without notice and dropped me into a zone that involved a big, black box for a long time. Then I learned that not everything was as it seemed. Sometimes when a person is forced to close their eyes, their vision alters if they become fluid. When I learned to see things with a different set of eyes, doors opened up that I’d never noticed. It took a couple of years and hours in meditation (Zen Buddhist) to relearn how to find my way. My heart still clenches when thinking about being a teacher. I adore children. Right now my physical eyes tear up but I’m glad I had that moment to tuck away.

Noelle: Your previous profession was as a teacher. Do the disciplines needed to be a teacher help you to focus on the daily tasks of writing, promotion, editing?

Susan: In special education, you learn to either accept the “NO” that is constantly hurled or you learn to conceptualize way outside the curve. I think this translated into a frame of reference of “let’s try that.” Definitely, there’s carry-over of assessing the current level of functioning, and then setting goals and objectives to achieve say branding. This comes directly from task analysis which is what special education (IEPs) are based upon. Breaking down a goal into observable steps like in making a sandwich. 

Noelle:  From what I can tell, you aren’t just about writing sex in your books. You’re smitten with the ‘love bug’, and all your characters fall head over heels in love with their hero or heroine. Yet the sex scenes are intense. Do you allow your characters to just go crazy in love, and express it through their intimate times?

Susan I think human beings are meant to experience love on several levels. The psychology of love
isn’t isolated to thoughts. Hormones connect us by physical responses (visceral) and that’s what writing erotic romance is all about. And finding that soul mate. I’ve got mine ladies. #27 motocross rider extraordinaire. Oh yeah!! We met, fell in love and eloped five months later.

Noelle: So, you have your own, real-life hero! J What characteristics must your characters have? Are they strong, unyielding, do they push the boundaries?

Susan: A sense of humour. Albeit self-deprecating at times. Intelligence. I hope. There’s a softness or sweetness. It can be taken as weakness by some. I like the analogy of the bamboo that bends in a storm, without breaking. Boundary pushing, I’m trying. That’s a big issue in Collared for a Night and Rule Breakers, a new series. Negotiating how to control one’s desires. Pushing a character when everything around the him/her is so out-of-control.

Noelle: So, do you deliver a ‘happy ever after’ fix to the readers every time?

Susan: Well, I do have a couple of pieces that the endings are not exactly happy. I’m still working on them and toying with letting one just do its thing as an erotic horror tale. It’s pretty jarring and I know I’ll get ripped for it.

Noelle: I found a quote from you which I’d like to share: "I love the concept of falling in love. The type of romantic journey that is so intense, it borders on insanity."--Susan D. Taylor. You really are about love first, sex second aren’t you? Is this confined to your characters, or is there just a little bit of yourself in this concept?

Susan: Well without kissing and telling, I think I’ve been on the fringe of insanity. I lost my first husband and I can tell you, it wasn’t pretty in how I responded. I didn’t let go of him in my heart—couldn’t let go—and stalled in the initial stages of grief. But, God watches out for children and fools, so luckily I came through.

Noelle: Your latest release – Collared for a Night – will be out very shortly with Crimson Romance. Are you able to share with us anything about the story?

Susan: The tale is molten level in heat. Paranormal shifter romance starts out in Denver then moves to Vegas. Spoiler: major cat-fight goes down. Release date is July 22.

Noelle: I can’t wait for Collared for a Night to come out. Where can readers find this, and your other books?

Susan: Amazon and B&N at first. Then the other retailers come on board. Collared will be in print in a few months.

Noelle, Thank you bunches for this interview. I Y hanging with you and your writing is so creative and entertaining. Much affection to you as always. Cheers, baby!

Noelle: I’ve loved having you here Susan. You’ve really shared a lot of yourself and I appreciate that. Good luck with your new releases, and with the new series. Thank you so much for talking to us.

Follow Susan with these links:

Blog

Website

Twitter

FB

Pinterest

Susan Taylor: Goodreads

Susan Arden: Goodreads

Amazon

 

 

 

A day in the life of: Author Catherine Cavendish

From Australia, to Connecticut, US – and now up to Wales, UK! Yes, these chats are global, and we never know where we’ll end up next!

This is the third instalment in my series of chats titled ‘A Day in the life of...' and my previous guests – Louise Forster from Australia, and Sharon Struth from the US -  have both been most gracious in opening the privacy of their writing space, and their writing day, to us.

Bilinudgel, NSW to Connecticut, USA to Wales, UK

I find it most inspiring to hear the stories of other authors. Sometimes, it feels like I’m all alone, sitting in here at my laptop with my dogs and cats. But thanks to today’s technology, I’ve made friends and colleagues all around the world.

Wales – home of celebrated authors Dylan Thomas, Roald Dahl and Ken Follett – has long been a country of interest to me. My forebears came to Australia from England, Ireland, and Wales, and I’ve visited my Welsh cousins, who are strewn from Wrexham in the north, to Newtown in the south, and across to the ancient city of Caernarfon on the west coast. I remember visiting the magnificent ruins of the castle on the shore, looking down onto market day in the village square below.

And so, today I’m thrilled to have celebrated author, Catherine Cavendish, visit today and chat with us about a typical writing day in her life.

Catherine Cavendish

Catherine Cavendish is a prolific and successful author with seven novellas and short stories published in the paranormal horror genre. Now, most regular visitors to my blog will know that paranormal horror is probably not my usual genre of choice, but when I first read the blurb for ‘The Second Wife’, I just had to own it.

So, I’m wondering what motivates a woman from Wales, who has a slightly eccentric and autocratic tortoiseshell cat – and a Mr Cavendish – to write horror stories? And more to the point, where does she do this?

Catherine, a warm welcome from usually sunny Brisbane (although today it’s raining), to beautiful Wales. Croeso – welcome to my blog.

Diolch (thank you), Noelle. It’s great to be here. I’m ashamed to say you know far more about Wales than I know about Brisbane and Australia generally. Although I have some distant relatives and a couple of friends now living there (albeit in Melbourne and Sydney), I’m afraid I’ve never visited (hangs head). Ah well, never say never!

Noelle: Catherine, you are a prolific author – how long have you been writing?

Many, many years – off and on though. I first started as a child and my first real story was about a girl called Marceline, who was an aristocrat caught in the midst of the French Revolution. It was probably rubbish, but I was only nine years old (or possibly eight? I can never remember exactly). I was the sort of weird child who loved nothing more than writing the essays my friends groaned about. To me, it wasn’t homework, it was pleasure.

Noelle: Have you always been interested in the paranormal, in horror, and – y’know, spooky stuff?

I blame ‘The Monkey’s Paw’  a chilling short story by W.W. Jacobs. I blogged about this recently http://www.catherinecavendish.com/2013/05/the-man-behind-monkeys-paw.html . We read it at school (again I was eight or nine) and I found it deliciously frightening. I wanted more, so this inevitably led me to Dennis Wheatley (Stephen King was still at school then too!). Over the years, my interest has never waned and has developed into an enthusiasm for real unexplained paranormal occurrences.

Noelle: Looking at your other books, you seem to like dead people. Um, do you ‘see’ dead people?

That’s an interesting question, Noelle. Strictly speaking, no, I don’t. Oh, I’ve seen movements out of the corner of my eye – less so as I’ve grown older. I did see, what I will always believe was, a ghost once. But this was an animal, not a human. My husband, on the other hand, has seen something in our flat here. We live in a very old building, dating from around 1760 and things do happen here from time to time for which we have no explanation. We have both heard someone, but my husband seems to experience more auditory phenomena from her than I do. In another part of the building (not our flat), things have been caught on CCTV for which no one has had a rational explanation.

Noelle: I’m wondering if you have to share your desire to write with other commitments, such as a day job? Do you have a routine for writing – a schedule?

I do have other commitments and we do split our week between two locations but recently, I have been fortunate enough to be able to give up the day job, thanks to my husband who is very supportive of my writerly ambitions. I’m very lucky. Routine varies, depending on our location, but I do try and write every day.

Noelle: I have a rule that when I’m sitting at my laptop in my office, I’m ‘working’, but if it’s a nice day and I feel like getting a bit of sun, I take my laptop outside to the terrace and sit there. Where do you write? What do you surround yourself with?

Catherine's very neat (compared to mine) Workstation

 

I am making a concerted effort this year to make the most of the infrequent warm and sunny days in this unpredictable British summer of ours. So, yes I do work outside when I can.

 In the photo though, you’ll see my workstation in Wales. It’s in the corner of our large kitchen and you can see my screen and keyboard. Behind it is a pinboard for the essential notes, reminders, loose ends, helpful hints and other detritus (I mean, necessary accessories) us writers pick up along the way. There are no windows, to encourage no distractions. I like to work in peace and quiet, so I can drift into my world, let my characters take over – and scare myself half to death. If  I’m scared, I know I’m onto something. It is not unusual for my husband to come in (the entrance is behind me), suddenly speak and be rewarded with a terrified shriek from me.

My cat, Mimi, who will be 18 in August, often sits right under my chair – until she feels it necessary to remind me it’s teatime. At that time, she will jump up onto the printer table beside me and attempt to rewrite my manuscript.

Noelle: Is there a particular view, or maybe some music, that inspires you on one of those days when the muse seems to be elsewhere?

Not really. Very often, if I’m having one of my slow writing days, I’ll do something else, such as the ‘business’ of writing, or compose my next blog to get me into the writing frame of mind again. I find that, while that day may not add much to my WIP, I’m usually back on form the next. I think it may be my brain saying ‘give it a rest for a day, will you?’

Noelle: My elder sister married a widower, and I remember how she gradually, and tactfully, removed the many mementoes of the former wife from their home. Talk about walking on eggshells. Can you tell us what motivated you to write ‘The Second Wife’?

Er – yes. It’s going to sound bizarre, but it involves a chair. It belonged to my husband’s late partner and I can’t sit in it. Illogical I know, but I really can’t. And I have tried. Its double appears in ‘The Second Wife’.

Noelle: I think many women would relate to that certain uncomfortable feeling of being ‘the second wife’. Have you had a lot of readers tell you how the story resonates with them?

A few have certainly.

Noelle: Are you able to share with us what you are working on now?

Yes, I’m happy to, Noelle. It’s a novel called ‘Saving Grace Devine’ and I’m at the first draft stage, but it’s coming on well. I hit a sticky patch, where I pretty much painted myself into a corner but then, all of a sudden, the solution presented itself to me and I’m off and running again.. This often happens, owing to the way I write. But I never let it worry me, because however impossible the resolution seems, there’s always a light at the end of the tunnel somewhere (and it isn’t always a train coming in the opposite direction!)

The story involves a timeslip and a picture with some highly disturbing properties (but nothing like Emily’s portrait in ‘The Second Wife’). Poor Grace was drowned and died with a curse on her lips. For her to pass over, Caroline must free her, but the price could be the cost of her own soul..

As with my other books, this is not gory, visceral horror. I’m known for chilling, Gothic, ghost and paranormal horror stories, and this is one of them!

Noelle: Where can readers find out more about you, and how can they buy your books.

I’m very easy to find. Here are some of the most obvious:

www.catherinecavendish.com

Facebook

Goodreads

Twitter

Google +

 

‘The Second Wife’ is available from these online retailers:

Amazon.com Amazon.ca  Amazon.co.uk  Omnilit  Barnes and Noble  Kobo 

Thank you so much for inviting me to be your guest today, Noelle. I’ve really enjoyed it!

The pleasure has been all mine, Catherine. Thankyou!