WATCH OUT: Roz Lee Interview

SC: I want to welcome you all to another edition of Watch Out. This week I’m excited to bring you author Roz Lee.

Welcome to Watch Out, Roz, it is so great to have you here.

RL:Thanks so much for inviting me over for this little chat. As a writer, I don’t get out as much as I’d like to!

SC:For the readers out there who might not know about you or your work, can you please tell them a little about yourself.

RL:I guess I’m as far from what one would expect when they think about an erotic romance author. I’ve been married to the same wonderful guy for thirty-two years, and I have two beautiful and wonderfully gifted daughters, and a ten year old black lab. I’ve done the stay at home mom thing, the troop leader and softball team manager things, run church fund-raisers and worked as a teacher’s aide when the kids were little. Now that the girls are on their own (mostly) I’ve reinvented myself as an erotic romance author—primarily to embarrass the heck out of my kids!

SC:Can you tell us a little about your current release?

RL:I’m so excited about the release of SHOW ME THE ROPES. This is the second book in the series based on the fictional cruise ship, the Lothario. The ship is owned by two very handsome young men who made their fortune with an internet dating service they created. The first in the series, THE LUST BOAT, told Ryan’s story. SHOW ME THE ROPES, released on March 1st, is Richard’s story. I had a great time creating the cruise ship and helping these two hunky guys find true love.
Both are available in multiple eBook formats from www.eredsage.com .

SC:What influences the topics, and genre’s that you pick to write a story in?

RL:I only write romance. I’m a sucker for a happy ending, and I refuse to write anything that doesn’t leave me with a smile on my face, or a happy tear in my eye. Picture Kathleen Turner in Romancing the Stone. Well, picture it in a generic sort of way! I can only wish I looked that good. I don’t have the imagination needed to create a futuristic, paranormal, or sci-fi world, so all my stories are set in present day. I do have an idea for a historical I may get brave enough to write sometime. We shall see. I wouldn’t hold my breath on that one, if I were you!

SC: First romance novel you ever read?

RL: Good heavens! I was supposed to remember that? I sure wish someone had told me that a long time ago. I guess you’ve figured out that I don’t have a clue – right? Truthfully, I’ve read so many I couldn’t possibly remember. When I’m not writing my own, I can devour as many as five a week.

SC: So I read that you are addicted to chocolate. Any particular chocolate?

RL: Dark chocolate. The darker, the better. I’m a chocolate purist though. I don’t want my chocolate flavoured with anything else, except mint. I adore chocolate mint. I also make an award winning Chocolate Mousse Cake that is to die for. Chocolate and I have an understanding.

SC: If you were not a writer what other career would you like to have?

RL: I always wanted to own a bridal shop. I don’t know a thing about running a small business, or the fashion world, but I’ve always thought the most fun part of planning a wedding is selecting the right dress. I still think it would be about the best thing ever, but not likely to happen.

SC: One thing readers might be surprised to know about you?

RL: I once saw a UFO. Seriously. You can ask my cousin Cathy. She saw it too. Of course, we were only about nine years old, but it made a lasting impression on both of us!

SC: Your favourite part about being an author?

RL: I love inventing characters. It’s kind of like having children, except they arrive full grown and you can make them say and do anything you want them to!

SC: What are you currently reading?

RL; Well, I’m trying to get through my TBR (to be read) pile from last year’s Romance Writer’s Conference. I’ve got everything in there from vampires in outer space to Amish romances.

SC: We authors are faced with writers block every so often. How do you work through writers block when it hits?

RL: I’d like to say I take a sledgehammer to it, but actually I just walk away for a while. I find that writer’s block for me happens more when my mind is cluttered with too many other things, so I do something that doesn’t require me to engage my brain, like going to the gym, or sweeping the floor, or one of my personal favourites – going on a car trip with someone else driving. I can empty my mind and soon, ideas start coming in, then I can’t get to my computer fast enough.

SC: Are there any genre’s you have not written yet and would love to write?

RL: Yeah, remember that historical I mentioned? I love reading historical and someday I’d like to give it a try myself. I’m working on getting up the nerve to try it.

SC: What do you think sets your stories apart from other authors?

RL: I wish I could say something really witty here, but I really don’t know. I try to make my characters as real as possible, people you might know or meet in real life. They’re the kid you grew up with or the person next door, or the person you wish lived next door! I try to create people I would like to know in real life, and I hope my readers feel that way about my characters too.

SC: Is there anything you’re currently working on that you can give us a taste of?

RL: The third book in the Lothario series is with my editor at Red Sage, but here’s a short excerpt.
“Let’s flip a coin and see who gets her first.” Drew stepped between her and Sean. He pulled a coin from his pocket and turned it so she could see it had two distinct sides. Neither one of them were cheaters. Small consolation.
“Heads, I get her. Tails, you do.”
Sean nodded his agreement. Drew flipped the coin in the air and caught it as it spun downward on its invisible axis.
Celeste watched in fascinated horror as the two men she loved flipped a coin for her as if she was a carnival prize. Drew’s hand closed over the coin, and she jumped as he slapped it on the back of his outstretched arm. It was like watching a train wreck in slow motion. One by one, Drew peeled his fingers away. Then he lifted his hand to reveal the coin, gleaming silver against his sun-bronzed skin. Sean sat forward, and Drew leaned toward him.
Drew scowled.
Sean grinned.
It took less than a few seconds, but it seemed her life passed before her eyes. God help her. They were right. She did want this.

SC: What is the best advice you ever got with regards to writing?

RL: Someone once told me not to fall too much in love with my own words. They were so right. I still find it hard to cut out a chapter, paragraph, or even a single sentence sometimes; even though I know the story would be better off without those brilliantly written words. I wonder how many times Rembrandt painted the smile on the Mona Lisa before he got it right?

SC: What is one pet peeve you have when it comes to publishing?

RL: I guess my pet peeve would be that everything is changing at such a rapid rate that it makes my head spin. I think the publishing world is on a fast ship to a new galaxy, and everyone is trying to hang on by their fingernails so they won’t be left behind. It’s an exciting time to be a part of, but confusing as well. I just hope that when the ship finally lands in the new galaxy, I’ll be on it!

SC: Any advice for new writers out there?

RL: Rejection isn’t personal. When an agent or publisher says no, it isn’t about you as a person. It probably isn’t even about your writing. It just isn’t right for them at that time. Sulk for a day or so, then get back on the horse and ride, it’s the only way you’re going to get anywhere.

SC: Where can readers find out more about you and your work?

RL: I think I’m everywhere, but the easiest way to find me is on my website – www.rozlee.net  I’ve got links to all my pages there, as well as links to purchase my books. I love to hear from my readers, so don’t forget to sign the guestbook when you drop in!

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