Romance Author Hotspot

Today, our guest of honor is Rebecca J. Clark. It’s so nice to have you here! Hope you’re ready to party!

First Questions:

Wine or beer? (If you say club soda, we’ll have to send you to the corner…)

I hate beer. Not a huge wine drinker either. But I guess I’ll go with wine, as tequila wasn’t one of the choices.

Cake or chips? Are you a sugar or salt kind of person?

Chocolate cake with chocolate frosting. But really, I’d rather have pie.

*squints eyes * Are you old enough to drink?

Clearly, you’re not squinting hard enough.

Wait! You can’t come in yet! What did you bring us?

       Blurb: Once upon a time, he promised her the moon. It’s time to deliver.

Louisa D’Angelo used to believe in happily ever after—until the tragic death of her son and the demise of her marriage. Now, five years later, with her life back in order, she has a great career and a wonderful man in her life. So what if the passion and excitement isn’t there? In her book, passion and excitement only lead to heartbreak. Then, her ex-husband shows up and upsets her tidy little world.

Gabe D’Angelo never believed in happily ever after—until he met Louisa who taught him how to love and be loved. But their happiness was short-lived. Guilt and grief forced Gabe to walk away. Now, though he’s pulled his life together and should be happy, he realizes something’s missing. After seeing her from afar at a family wedding, he knows what it is. It’s Louisa.

What makes your characters so special?

Because I wrote them? Oh, you want a serious answer. Um, I love these characters because they feel so real to me, like they’re good friends of mine. They deal with very real situations and emotions, and just like real people, they sometimes don’t react the way they should.

Alright, I guess you can come in. Now off to the roast!

Where do you dream of traveling to and why?

Honestly, I’d be happy to travel one town over. I never go anywhere. LOL. I’m very much a homebody. We bought a used motorhome last fall and fixed it up, and so we’re hoping to see much of our state (Washington) this summer. Right now, I don’t have much desire to travel overseas—I’d rather see our own country first. I’ve been on the west coast and the east coast, but really no place in between. On my bucket list is the Grand Canyon,New OrleansandAlaska.  This fall, for our 25-year-anniversary, my hubby and I hope to go to Vegas. I don’t gamble, and don’t drink much, so I guess I’ll just people watch, eh?

What was your first sale as an author? Was it special?

Borrowed Stilettos was my first sale. It was very exciting to get “the call,” er, “the email” after almost 15 years of writing, but even more special was getting the call a few months earlier telling me I was a Golden Heart finalist. I’d been about to give up on my writing, and had even dropped my membership in RWA and local chapters. In 2007, I met some of my writer friends at a local conference (I wasn’t attending, just meeting friends for lunch). One of them asked if I was planning to enter the Golden Heart that year. I said no, and told her my sad – sniff — story of not writing anymore. She pretty much tore me a new one and made me promise to submit Borrowed Stilettos—she’d read the beginning of an earlier version years before and still remembered it. So, Janice, if you’re reading this—thanks for the butt kick!

What is the hardest part of writing your books?

Other than coming up with the idea, every single bit of it is hard. Like the proverbial pulling teeth. I keep expecting it to get easier, but it’s getting much, much harder. Life is so unfair. With Deliver the Moon, the hardest part was getting past the content. It’s about a couple whose marriage fell apart after the death of their young son. I originally wrote this story when my own son was a toddler. Every time I’d write a scene that referred to their son, I’d start crying. It felt too real, like I was writing about my own kid. So I had to put the book aside until my son grew up a bit.

Are you a pantser or a plotter?

Neither. I’ve tried being a pantser (I think that’s my natural tendency), but I keep getting stuck about 1/3 of the way in. I’ve also tried being a plotter, and while I LOVE plotting, and would buy plotting books over a new pair of shoes, I hate to write the books I plot. Sigh. Someday, I’ll figure it out.

Is there anything you’d want your readers and friends to know about you?

I might look like a normal person on the outside, but inside I’m a quivering mess of introversion and self-consciousness. I’m very shy by nature, but have learned to fake it really well. But you can’t fake your way out of being an introvert. I love being around people, but can only take being social for so long before I shut down and need to recharge. If your readers are interested, I have a whole blog devoted to the shy/introverted writer. http://shywriters.blogspot.com.

What else are you working on right now?

I’m working on a three-book series revolving around minor-league baseball and weddings. I’m finishing up the first book now, then will shop it around and see where it lands. I can’t tell you any more information about my new project. It’s classified. If I told you, I’d have to kill you.

Last question: Where can our partygoers find you and your work?

Website: http://rebeccajclark.com

Twitter: @RebeccaJClark

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/#!/rebeccajclark.author

Thank you so much for coming!