Welcome to Holiday Bash 2010! Contestant #7:

Debora Dennis

BIO:

A romance reader since she found Barbara Cartland in her middle school library, Debora hasn’t been without at least one romance novel in her hand, in her pocketbook or on her nightstand since! A firm believer in happy endings she began writing her own romances for herself years ago and either stuffed them in a drawer or tossed them out before her husband finally gave her a computer and told her stop dreaming and start doing. She’s been actively writing romance and submitting her work since 2004.

Preliminary Questions:

Eggnog or Mimosas? Are you old enough to drink? Eggnog with rum!

We’re also taking pictures with Santa, did you bring a gift for him? (Maybe a new release or a pretty book cover…) Of course I brought something for Santa, here’s my beautiful cover of my November release!

Blurb:

Would you die for love…twice?

William Montgomery, a blacksmith wrongly sentenced to death in 1806 for the murder of the woman he loved, cannot rest. His ghost is bound to Clayton Creek. For over two hundred years he’s been waiting for the soul of his true love to find him and set his soul free.

Rebecca Prescott is tormented by the recurring nightmare of her ancestor’s murder. Drawn to a two-week colonial reenactment at the scene of the ancient crime, she doesn’t count on one charming blacksmith or past life memories of an undying love to shatter her reality.

As Rebecca searches for answers from the past, William needs to win her love and earn her forgiveness to undo the witch’s curse that bound him to Clayton Creek. Can Rebecca’s soul finally reunite with her destined love or will she repeat the past and die once again for the man she loves?

He is gorgeous! I heard A Fistful of Fate had made Cover of the month over at Happily Ever After Reviews, but it’s still a ‘no go’. At least until you answer these questions:

Which actor/model does your hero in most of your stories resemble? Why?

If this actor/model showed up at your party, dressed in a Santa suit, how would you approach him? Would you tell anyone that Santa is your hero? I usually don’t model my hero after any one particular actor or anyone famous, I pick different pieces So my hero could be combination of Russell Crowe and his gladiator physique, with a Dennis Quade smile or something along those lines. Since I’m not what you’d call a “shy girl” I would most definitely walk right up and tell him how he inspired me. Would I tell everyone around me? You bet!

You’re in a Holiday writing contest. You have to plot a book in 30 minutes. You’re given a sleigh, a reindeer and a Santa hat. What do you come up with? How do you go about this?

My favorite way to brainstorm a new story is to play the “what if” game. With a piece of paper numbered down the side from 1 – 20 I take my simple idea and come up with twenty different scenarios for plots. Usually the first few are common and cliched. The last few are utterly outlandish and silly. But somewhere in the middle is my diamond in the rough. So given my quite stingy thirty minute timeframe, I’d be writing a story about a reserved teacher who finds a reindeer, an empty sleigh and Santa’s hat on her front lawn. When three men claim to be the real Santa and demand the lost magic hat, only one truly has the power to make her his queen. Which one will pass her tests with a little Christmas magic of his own? I’ll need a little more than 30 minutes to figure that out!

Alright, you can come in and fill up on those mimosas…

Why do you write romance?

Because there is no better feeling in the world that than a love story!

What characteristics do all your heroes/heroines have in all your stories?

My characters all have made mistakes, they’re human! They are looking for a second chance to make things right or to prove themselves of worthy of something they want so desperately.

What writing resources do you abide by as a writer?

My dictionary, my thesaurus are always close by.  I believe in thorough research and the collective opinions and guidance of my critique group!

What are you working on right now?

A lighthearted contemporary set in the Adirondacks.

What news would you like to share with your readers? One of my novellas that had to pulled from sale due to my epublisher going out of business has found a new home. I wish I could give more details, but I can’t at the moment. But watch my website for more information coming soon!

Where can readers find you?

Twitter: twitter.com/DeboraDennis

Facebook: facebook.com/DeboraDennis.Author

Website: www.deboradennis.com

Others: www.deboradennis.com/blog

List other books you have out:

The Kandy Shoppe will be available soon from my new publisher!

Will you be willing to answer questions in regards to writing and publication today? Sure

Thank you so much for joining us at Romance Author Hotspot!

Author’s Holiday Gift: Christmas themed sheet of scrapbook stickers

Remember to enter to win! Check out the other party rooms! See Holiday Bash Prize List! Click here.

Today, our guest of honor is Debora Dennis. It’s so nice to have you here, and I’m sure you’re ready for a good time! Let the party begin!

First Questions:

Wine or beer? (If you want a club soda, I’ll have to send you to the corner.)

I’m a chocolate martini girl – but I’d never turn down a nice glass of wine.

Yums! Chocolate martinis sound sooo good. Cake or chips? Are you a sugar or salt person?

Definitely the cake, I love the sugar!

Are you old enough to drink? LOL.

I’ve been old enough to drink for a quite a while, but thanks for asking.

Guess, we’ll wait and see how many chocolate martinis you can inhale. Did you bring us anything fun?

Blurb:

Would you die for love…twice?

William Montgomery, a blacksmith wrongly sentenced to death in 1806 for the murder of the woman he loved, cannot rest. His ghost is bound to Clayton Creek. For over two hundred years he’s been waiting for the soul of his true love to find him and set his soul free.

Rebecca Prescott is tormented by the recurring nightmare of her ancestor’s murder. Drawn to a two-week colonial reenactment at the scene of the ancient crime, she doesn’t count on one charming blacksmith or past life memories of an undying love to shatter her reality.

As Rebecca searches for answers from the past, William needs to win her love and earn her forgiveness to undo the witch’s curse that bound him to Clayton Creek. Can Rebecca’s soul finally reunite with her destined love or will she repeat the past and die once again for the man she loves?

Oooooo, he’s dreamy! And what makes your character and story so special?

My hero Will is near and dear to my heart. He’s a blacksmith from 1806 who has spent the last two hundred years torturing himself over a mistake that took the life of the woman he loved. He’s stubborn and tough, but knows he’s made mistakes. Now take that man who thinks like a 19^th century man and give him a 21^st century woman to deal with, and things don’t go as smoothly as he planned.

All right, I guess you can come in. Now off to the roast….

So, What do you write and why?

I write some paranormal and I flip between contemps and historicals – but my theme always stays the same. Second chances and redemption form the core of all my stories.  I think it’s because life can get crazy and people don’t always make the right choices the first time around. Deep in my heart I firmly believe that everyone deserves a second chance to make things right.

I love second chance stories. Why did you want to become an author?

I wouldn’t say I wanted to become an author, I think writing is something that chooses you. I’ve always had stories in my head, writing and getting them out of my head is what keeps me sane!

* nodding head * Totally agree. What do you like doing besides writing and reading? Is it dangerous?

I like to do other creative things, like scrapbooking and crafts. As far as dangerous, shopping with me just might qualify as hazardous to your sanity.

I love scrapbooking! I ddin’t know that about you! And I’ll remember not to cross you at the mall. Where do you dream of traveling to and why?

Two places immediately come to mind. I’d love to go to Egypt and tour the pyramids. I’d also love to get to England and spend some time exploring some medieval castles. I think the only thing better than touring a castle up close and personal would be staying in one overnight!

Oooo, Egypt sounds fun. And England too, but Egypt sounds way cooler. How would you describe your writing style? I’m a linear writer – which means I start at the beginning and go straight through. No writing scenes that belong and fitting them in later for me. That said, I am a combination of pantser and plotter. I have a huge white board sectioned off into equal squares that represent chapters – I have colored post-its for my heroine, hero, villains and conflict points. When I start my novel I know where I’m starting, what the black moment is and the end. As I move through my chapters I plot a chapter ahead and see where it leads. By the time I’m done my white board is covered in a rainbow of colors and I can see at a glance that I’ve balanced my POVs and carried plot points throughout. Hmmm…maybe I am just a little more on the anal side than I thought. LOL

Wow, talk about being organized. You said ‘anal’, I didn’t. LOL. Do you like more Alpha or Beta heroes?

Alpha – hands down.

I agree. Love Alphas. How much do you write in a day? Day or Night? Everyday?

My goal is 1000 words a day but I don’t always make my goal – I do try and I don’t beat myself up if I don’t quite get there. Early morning is my most creative time, I’m usually up everyday around 5:30. Weekends are more editing time for me, since the family expects me to be social when they’re around.

Understandable. Finding time around family is hard. Do you have any suggestions for beginning writers? Write everyday (or as often as possible) and don’t pay attention to current trends in the market place – write what you love and what you wish you’d find while browsing the bookstore. Listen to the sage advice of those that have plowed the road ahead of you. And most important of all, put on your alligator suit when reading a critique by your peers!

LOL. Great advice. I wish I had known I could buy alligator suits. What else are you working on right now? Currently I’m working on two books. My Viking romance is in early plotting stages (as in, I haven’t figured out where exactly it starts yet.) And I’m in the middle of a lighthearted contemporary set in the Adirondacks.

Yay! Viking! How fascinating! Where can our partygoers find you and your work?

I love to hear from my readers at my website www.deboradennis.com, where I try to blog a few times a week.

I can also be found on a daily basis at:

www.facebook.com/DeboraDennis.Author

www.twitter.com/DeboraDennis

Thanks so much for coming! One lucky partygoer is going to win a copy of A Fistful of Fate! Yay! Get cracking! Grab a martini, maybe Will (Mr. Dreamy) will be serving those at the bar!