Hello! I hope everyone is having a good weekend and getting lots of good reading done. I've finished two awesome books but I'll talk a little more about that later.
As you can tell by the title, I've been talking to the marvelous Connie Brockway. I've been a long time fan and when I was invited to view and participate in Squawk Radio by Eloisa James, I jumped at the chance to chat with these totally awe inspiring authors!
I had the good fortune to meet all six of the SR girls in Atlanta last July at the RWA conference and they are all just wonderful. Connie sat right across from me at lunch. Wow! We've written back and forth a few times and when I asked her to do an interview with me, she nicely agreed. So without further ado, please welcome Connie Brockway to my blog. Connie will be popping in to take questions and comments from our readers so tell your friends and lets give her a big welcome!
Connie Brockway InterviewConnie, Welcome to BookstoreDebs Book Nook. Thank you so much for taking time out of your busy Schedule to chat with us.
First of all, please tell us a bit about yourself. Your background, family, etc...
This is the hardest question to answer because I am so ridiculously normal. Until you start looking under rocks, but isn’t that true of everyone? I was born in Minnesota, raised here and in upstate New York (aka, any part of New York other than New York City) went to college, graduate school, married, had a child… won a few awards for writing and one for painting while in college, worked variously as a veterinarian technician, master gardener, bank teller (two weeks, that) and graphic artist.
For our readers unfamiliar with your work, please tell us what kind of books you write.
I started out writing historical romance. Loved the regency (still do) and medieval, something of an Anglophile but primarily I was interested in writing about grand passions –which are sometimes amusing because. let’s face it, lines like, “I see heaven in your eyes,” has got to provoke laughter by anyone overhearing it. Recently I’ve taken the road less traveled, (at least, by me) and am venturing into contemporary fiction with an emphasis on heroines who’ve been around the block a few times and still aren’t sure what direction they are heading. In other words, the stories of my friends, family, and, er, me. They have a broader cast of characters and talk about things other than romance, though there is definitely romance in it, and they are comedies. The biggest difference? Now when the hero says, “I see heaven in your eyes” the heroine is one of the first to laugh.
How did you get started as a romance author? Was this something you always wanted to do or did this career evolve over time?
I always wanted fiction writing to be my career, not simply my avocation. Especially since I was already writing things all the time anyway: little scenes, dialogues, descriptive bits, etc. Who doesn’t want someone to pay them for what they’re already doing? My daughter is still waiting for someone to offer her money to be a slob-- and though I fear her wait may be longer than mine was, we’re all entitled to our dreams. Since I read so many historical romances (since the age of 16) it was the genre I felt most comfortable in writing and most confident I could do a decent job of it.
How many books do you have out now? Are there any trilogy’s or connected series or are all your books stand alone books?
I’m up to seventeen novels and four anthologies now. I’ve written two trilogies: The McClairen’s Isle trilogy (THE PASSIONATE ONE, THE RECKLESS ONE, THE RAVISHING ONE) and The Rose Hunters trilogy (MY SEDUCTION, MY SURRENDER, MY PLEASURE). There is an unfinished connected group of books which started with my first novel, PROMISE ME HEAVEN, went on to tell the story of Jack Seward in ALL THROUGH THE NIGHT and ought to end up with Giles Strand’s story. But, I don’t own the rights to ALL THROUGH THE NIGHT and as wrong-headed as it may seem, publishers do not want to promote another companies backlist. Imagine that. So poor gorgeous Giles will have to wait. I know! If anyone out there would like to read Gile’s story (and I know there’s at least a few of you, because you’ve written to commiserate) write Shauna Summers at Bantam-Dell Publishing and say, “FREE GILE’S STRAND! FREE JACK SEWARD!” We’ll start a grass roots movement. I foresee marches down the streets of New York City, biplanes writing smoke messages above the Bantam publishing house! Full page ads in the Daily Post! Okay. I foresee a couple letters to Dell… Again, people are entitled to their dreams.
What was your first published work and when did it come out? Are any of your books available in e-book form or only in print? Personally I don’t think there is anything better than having a favorite book in my hand.
PROMISE ME HEAVEN was my first book, published by Avon in 1994. First one I wrote, too. I don’t have any books, to my knowledge in e-book form. But then, there’s a lot I don’t know about.
What was your reaction when you saw your first book on the store shelf? Hope you had a good celebration! Do you still get that same thrill when you see one of your new books in the stores?
Oh, I was completely overwhelmed with “me!” I wanted to stop everyone in the store and say, “Hey, I wrote that book!” I stopped at half the people in the store. I believe the manager stopped me. Today, I have a much more jaded response. If I see too many books I think, “Oh my god, no one is buying them!” and if I don’t see enough I think, “Oh my god, they didn’t order any!” There’s no satisfying me.
Tell us about your newest release HOT DISH that came out November 2006. I know it’s been getting some rave reviews! Will this book be a stand alone or will it be the start of a new series for you?
HOT DISH is set in a small town in northern Minnesota, where in one-time Miss Fawn Creek, Jenn Lind, has been asked to come back and grand marshal the town’s sesquicentennial. Though not a Fawn Creek fan by any means, Jenn, who is on the cusp of achieving national television celebrity, agrees. She returns only to find her bid for stardom threatened by a trio of inept kidnappers, an easygoing, internationally acclaimed sculptor and the one hundred pound block of butter he created of her likeness twenty years ago.
Oh, I think I’m done with series for a while. I love the finality of a stand-alone book. Though the book I just turned in, SKINNY-DIPPING, is set on a lake about half an hours drive from Fawn Creek. None of the characters make a return appearance however, except for Smelka’s café.
HOT DISH was your first contemporary. After writing such successful historicals for so long, what gave you the idea to write a book set in current times? Did you feel it still has the same voice as your historical romances or do you feel it has its own individual tone? Do you think this was any easier or harder to write than your wonderful historicals?
I just wanted to do something different, outside the normal parameters of romance, that focused less on the relationship between one man and one woman and instead had a much larger cast of characters, each with their own agenda, motives, goals, and personalities. I also wanted to write using modern language. Do you know how hard it is to write seventeen books without ever being able to use the word “blackmail?” I’m teasing, but that sort of things does happen.
So, no, I don’t think the voice is the same, though I did think the humor I tried to bring to MY DEAREST ENEMY, THE BRIDAL SEASON, and AS YOU DESIRE is still there and intact. It was much harder to write than the historical romances but I assume that’s because I was feeling my way. (And thank you for the kind words!)
What type of research do you do for your books and what kind of materials do you use? Books, internet, etc… Approximately how long does it take you to research each book? Is this something you do before starting the actual book or as you go along? Do you think your last book required as much research as your historical books do? Is research something you enjoy? Do you feel that research should be stressed more to new writers in order to improve their writing skills?
For the historicals, I pretty much have the basics of both the Regency and Victorian eras memorized. I know what the marriage laws are, titles and inheritance laws, the dress and grooming and social etiquette. But after fifteen books, I would expect to. I’m lucky to have in my office about five reference books if I get to a sticky point. Added to which, the internet is invaluable for visualizing those things I’ve only read about such as what a phaeton looks like and how a country reel is danced.
I adore research. I adore bookstores and when I’m wandering around in them, I tend to gravitate to the history section. So many ideas are spurred on by simply reading through a history book, finding a little anecdotal kernel and then elaborating on it.
I think new up-coming authors ought to write, write more and then write again. Try paring off sections, adding on to sections, beefing up and chopping off, until the story flows. The story is the most important thing, then the words.
Tell us a bit more about your writing style. Are you a strict outliner and plotter who stays completely with your outline or are you more relaxed in your writing? Have your characters ever taken off in a completely different direction than you had planned for them? Did you let them have their way or did you rein them back in? If you let them go off in a different direction what did it do to your story?
I try to have an outline. I generally have an idea of where a story begins and how it ends and what the themes are. But the characters and the narrative and the actions and the scenes...? I’m completely out there flying blind. Groping and snuffling and floundering. Then, after the book is written, I put it aside for a while. Some time later I go back and try to figure out exactly what I’m trying to achieve and then start rewriting. It’s an ugly, ungainly and inefficient process. But mine own.
I am unlucky enough not to have characters that appear to me and tell me where to go in a story. My characters appear molecule by molecule, develop slowly, like ghosts coalescing in the mist.
What do you do for fun? Do you have any hobbies or collections you would like to share with our readers?
Oh, I enjoy way too many things. You know, jack of all trades, master of none? I read, I love to cook, travel, garden. I play a competitive game of tennis, I oil paint, I needlepoint. And I love playing with Photoshop.
Do you still find time to read with your busy writing schedule? Please share with us some of your favorite authors or books.
Absolutely! I read about half an hour to an hour every night right before I go to sleep. Like everyone else, I go in streaks. Right now I’m reading the latest Nora Ephron book, I FEEL BAD ABOUT MY NECK, THE HALLOWED HUNT by my neighbor Lois McMaster Bujold (fabulous I really enjoyed Martha Grimes’s Emma Graham novels and I’m impatient for the next one).
Obviously, I love all the authors on SQUAWK RADIO (Elizabeth Bevarly, Christina Dodd, Eloisa James, Lisa Kleypas, and Teresa Medeiros) Sometimes people mistakenly think that we rave about each others books because we’re friends. What they’ve failed to realize is that we *became* friends because we read one another’s books and, frankly, wrote to one another. A few of a long list of other favorite romance writers include, Susan Kay Law, Susan Sizemore, Karen Hawkins, Madeline Hunter, Julia London, Marsha Canham, Virgina Henley... Oh, this is too hard.
Do you remember the first romance book you ever read? What was it?
I sure do! It was a book by Barbara Cartland called LOVE AND THE LOATHSOME LEOPARD. That title would never get through marketing nowadays.
Do you think any particular person or author has inspired or influenced you in your writing career? Do you feel that joining a romance or writers group is helpful to new authors? What would you say was the most helpful thing you learned or piece of advice you received when you started writing?
I would have to say the LOVE IN trilogy of books by Edith Layton really lit a fire under me as far as wanting to write a romance. I had been reading them for years but her use of language, the honorableness f her heroes, the really intense sexual tension made me want to write, too. Soon afterward, I read a piece in our town newspaper about a local author winning the Golden Heart award from Romance Writers of America. There was an RWA contact number at the end of the piece, so I called and found out about the local chapter and discovered the monthly meeting was only a few miles from my home. So I went.
Am I glad I did. Even though I had these degrees in writing, no one had ever bothered to explain the nuts and bolts of popular fiction writing to me. I learned more in my first year with RWA about writing a publishable manuscript then I did in undergraduate school.
So, yes, I would encourage anyone interested in writing a romance to at least visit an online chapter of RWA.
And the best piece of advice? The oldest one: Keep writing until the book is done.
Tell us about your characters. What are your characters like? Strong, sexy, sassy? What kind of characters do you like to write about? Any certain kind of characters that you think you would like to try writing about in later books or even any other genre of book?
I like characters who are smart, proactive, independent and vulnerable. That goes for both male and female. Basically, I write about people I would like to know and those few times I write about uncomfortable personalities (i.e. ALL THROUGH THE NIGHT) I at least think the characters would be fascinating to sit next to at a dinner party.
Hm. Characters I would like to write about but haven’t yet... I think it would be interesting to write a historical murder mystery with religious overtones. I know. No one else would think it was interesting.
I know a lot of authors can’t read a book in the same genre as the one they are writing. Do you find this to be a problem?
To some extent. I don’t have any trouble reading my favorites, but I do have a hard time keeping up with the newer authors and rely on the recommendation of friends’ to point me to the authors I simply can’t miss.
Do you have any holiday traditions you would like to share with our readers?
Eat too much, too often and too well.
Give us an example of a typical day in your life. Do you keep to a specific writing schedule?
I stumble out of bed around 7:30 in the morning and sit bleary-eyed and semi-comatose until 8:00 at which time I find the pot of coffee my husband has thoughtfully brewed and left in a carafe. After a couple cups of joe, I wander into my office and look through my email, then leave the office without answering any email.
I then take the dogs for an hour walk and return for lunch. I then do “stuff around the house” until about 3:00 when I start feeling like I maybe should write. I go into the office with the best intentions, but generally end up playing with Photoshop until about five when guilt finally wins out and I madly answer email or do other work related things. Then I go scrounge up some dinner.
At about eight o’clock at night I start writing. I will write until twelve or so. Then I go to bed and read for a while.
This is my “routine” Monday through Thursday. Weekends are much less regimented. (Tongue firmly in cheek)
What’s your favorite way to relax after a hard day of writing? Wine, chocolate, a movie or good book?
All of them!
Since becoming a well know published author, has anything been different than you expected when you were still writing that first book? For example, fans, promo, signing, anything?
Other than being continually struck by how kind people are who take the time to write a letter or send an email, things are pretty much as I expected them to be.
Tell us about the wonderful blog Squawk Radio that you are a part of. I know it is my all time favorite blog! How did this come about and who does the artwork for the site?
Thank you! A few years ago I was talking to Christina Dodd (we generally talk on the phone a few times a week...or a day, depending) about how big blogging was becoming and how I’d tried to do something like it on my website a few years earlier (I called it an online journal) but it was far too much work for one persona and I didn’t have enough content to post regularly.
Christina and I were already emailing one another and a group pf our friends and we never were short of things to say, mostly because we could bounce around a topic until Kingdom Come. There were days we had a hundred emails between the six of us. We started talking about how if we just took what we were doing privately and made it public, it would divide the work of a blog into six parts as well as let us riff off of one another. And thus a blog was born.
I do the artwork, such as it is. I told you how much I liked Photoshop...
Connie, tell us what you have in the works now and when can we look forward to it? Will you be writing more historicals down the line or will you stick strictly to contemporary for now?
My second contemporary, SKINNY DIPPING, will be out mid 2007. It’s a story about a thirty-eight year old female slacker, her family, and the fifth generation lake home they’ve owned for over a hundred years and what happens do when a developer offers them millions for it. I like to think of it the story of a woman’s long delayed coming of age. It’s about mothers, fathers, daughters, sons, aspirations and potential.
Then, in 2008, I will be collaborating with Eloisa James and Julia Quinn on THE LIST, a regency set romance with three linked stories. This is Eloisa’s baby and I am so delighted she asked me to join her and Julia in it. After that, who knows. Maybe someone will want to read that murder mystery...
If you have one piece of advice to give to a new writer, what would it be?
Finish the book you start.
Connie, thanks so very much for taking time out to chat with us. Please come visit us again soon!
OK my lovely bloggers, sent those comments and questions into Connie. I can tell you that you might just get a suprise from some of her answers! I'll have a prize for one of our posters! So tell your friends and come on and say hello!
