Wildfire would like to welcome authors Elaine Corvidae and Morgan Mandel. From home offices to commuter trains, find out how these ladies manage their writing time.

Elaine Corvidae

Julie: How long have you been writing? What inspired you to pick the pen up one day and create characters that capture the imagination?

Elaine: I don't think there was any one thing that started it. When I was very young, I'd make up stories about the characters in the books and comic books I read. One day when I was eight, I decided that this was so much fun that I ought to keep telling stories. I really doubt my mom believed me when I came home from school and told her I was going to be a writer, but I never changed my mind.

Of course, quite a few years passed between that day and producing something worth publishing!

Julie: What is your writing process? Do you outline, fly by the seat of your pants, or a combination of both?

Elaine: I do a bit of both. I learned the hard way when writing Wolfkin (which was my first completed publishable novel) that if I don't have any idea where I'm going, I'll inevitably get stuck. I got to the climactic scene of the novel, and realized that I had no idea what was going to happen! It took months to figure out how to get the characters out of the mess I'd put them in.

So now I do some outlining. How much varies—sometimes only a chapter or two ahead, sometimes random bits of the book. How much I deviate from the outline when writing varies quite a bit as well. I outlined the entirety of Tyrant Moon before I started on the book, and followed that outline all the way through. The sequel Heretic Sun, on the other hand, bears no resemblance at all to the original outline.

Julie: When you write, is atmosphere important? For example, do you use mood music or candles? Do you need complete quiet to concentrate?

Elaine: I do most of my writing in my office, where it is quiet—I don't ever play music, for example, when I'm actually writing, even though I compile a "soundtrack" for each book and listen to it when I'm planning scenes in my head. But I also write in bars and coffee shops, where it's anything but quiet. I think the most important thing is to be able to concentrate without something that would specifically distract me—so background conversation and music is okay, where music I chose myself would probably divert my attention. At home I also have cats climbing on me every few minutes, which can be rather distracting, especially when they want to be held.

Julie: What's next for you?                                                                              

Elaine: Sorceress Star, the final book in the Moon, Sun, Star series will hopefully be out this year. I'm really looking forward to completing the trilogy. I'm also working on my second serialized science fiction novel, Fire in the Void, which I post for free on my website. The first serial, Exile's Burn, took almost four years to complete so I imagine I'll be working on this one quite a while as well.

I'm also working on another Shadow Fae book, plus a novel in an all-new series.

Julie: Most people envision an author's life as being really glamorous. What's the most unglamorous thing that you've done in the past week?

Elaine: Probably cleaning out the litter box. My life may be interesting, but glamorous would be the last word I'd use to describe it!

Julie: Out of all of the characters that you've written, who is your favorite and why?

Elaine: I love all of my characters, but Pook from Prince of Ash is hands-down my favorite. He's a pooka, a faerie trickster, and like all tricksters can play both the hero and the fool. Despite the fact that he was abandoned in the human world by his parents, and despite living in pretty grim poverty at the start of the book, he manages to hang on to a sense of humor, which he's as likely to turn on himself as anyone else. He's a bit wild, and very impetuous, which means that he often acts before he thinks.

He's also at his heart a decent person, though, the sort who is willing to put his life on the line to save a stranger. So from the perspective of a writer, there's a huge potential for getting different scenes from the same character—funny, or exciting, or serious. And to be honest, he's just fun to write!

Pook has proven to one of my most popular character with readers as well, which has been very gratifying. People really seem to like him, and to connect with his relationship with the heroine, who is very much his opposite in a lot of ways.

Julie: Describe the space where you write.

Elaine: I do most of my writing in my extremely messy home office. There's always papers scattered about the floor, along with two or three cats, and my desk is in danger of disappearing under papers, comic books, and various knickknacks. For inspiration, I have artwork by Amy Brown, Robert Gould, and Robin Wood hanging on the walls.

Julie: What do you do when you aren't writing? Any hobbies or special interests that you can tell us about?

Elaine: My husband and I have recently taken up home brewing, which has been a really fun hobby that I'm anxious to do more with. I'm a total beer snob, so learning how to make my own seemed like the natural next step.

I also love nature: hiking, identifying plants and animals, working in the conservation field. That takes up most of my non-writing time, actually.

Julie: Do you ever experience writer's block? If you do, how do you cope with it?

Elaine: If I get stuck, it's usually because I've gone off track with the plot. I stop and analyze what I'm doing, and see how I could be doing it differently. I also find that throwing in an action scene helps nicely.

Julie: Are there any absolutely-must-have characteristics for your heroes or heroines?

Elaine: I have to be able to relate to my characters, but to make the romance believable, I have to be able to fall in love with them. I have to really feel why the hero is so crazy about the heroine, and what in turn draws her to him. Because of that, it's critical to me that the hero has real respect for the heroine as an individual. He can't be some jerk who says he loves her, but then treats her like she's stupid all the time, or as though she can't make a decision of her own, because that's a real turn-off for me. And in turn the heroines really have to have strength of character, whether they're out kicking butt literally or only figuratively. 

Elaine Corvidae has been telling stories about faeries, elves, and dragons since she was a small child. Her dark fantasy novels have won numerous awards, including multiple Eppie Awards and Dream Realm Awards for Best Fantasy Novel. When she isn't wandering the worlds of her imagination, she lives in Harrisburg, NC, with her husband and several cats. You can visit her on the web at www.onecrow.net.

Backlist:
Wolfkin, Mundania Press
The Crow Queen, Mundania Press
Dragon's Son, Mundania Press
Winter's Orphans, Mundania Press
Prince of Ash, Mundania Press
The Sundered Stone, Mundania Press
Tyrant Moon, Mundania Press
Heretic Sun, Mundania Press
Bad-Ass Faeries, Marietta Publishing
The Ghost Eater, Double-Dragon Publishing
Nocturne, New Concepts Publishing
Ghost Cats, New Concepts Publishing

Coming soon:
Sorceress Star, Mundania Press
Bad-Ass Faeries 2: Just Plain Bad, Marietta Publishing

Links:
Website
Free eBook,  Exile's Burn
My current serial, Fire in the Void
Forum     

Morgan: First, let me thank All Romance eBooks for including my interview in  your weekly newsletter, Wildfire.

Julie: What is your writing process? Do you outline, fly by the seat of your pants, or a combination of both?

Morgan:  Once I've got a story idea, I dive in and let the characters take me where they will. Sometimes I know how a story will end, but not always. It's fun to be surprised when the action veers in a different direction than I'd expected. I don't like outlines, but usually break down about halfway through and do a simple one so I can keep track of things. Forever Young, the thriller I'm working on now, contains multiple viewpoints. Out of necessity I've drawn up a list of characters, descriptions, and locales, otherwise I'd never be able to keep track of them. I call it my cheat sheet.

Julie: How much does reader reaction mean to you as an author?

Morgan: Reader reaction means a lot to me. Realistically, I know everyone can't like my books, but I keep hoping they will anyway. I'm thrilled when someone sends me an e-mail or a letter asking for my next book.

Julie: When you write, is atmosphere important? For example, do you use mood music or candles? Do you need complete quiet to concentrate?

Morgan:  I don't need special music to create a novel, but one thing I can't handle is loud noises. When I work on promotion, anything goes. I can even do that watching TV.

Julie: What do you hope for your writing career in the next few years? Any goals that you have yet to obtain that you have set for yourself?

Morgan: Like many authors, I'm hoping for a bestseller. I dream of writing full-time without relying on my day job to support me. 

Julie: Describe the space where you write.

Morgan: I have more than one place to write. Most of my serious writing is done on my laptop computer as I commute to work because people are quiet in the morning and it's easier for me to concentrate. On the way home, if my friends are in the same train car, I get distracted and use the time to check my e-mail or do promotion. Thank goodness for wireless laptop cards! At home, there's the TV, the husband, and dog that need attention, so not much creating happens there unless I'm on deadline.

Julie: Do you work on multiple projects at the same time?

Morgan: I like working on more than one project at a time. When I get stuck on one manuscript, I switch to the other. I've got a thriller halfway through and have also begun a romantic comedy. Then there are all those other ideas clamoring for attention, but they need to wait their turn.

Julie: There are so many publishers out there, how do you decide who to submit your work to? 

Morgan: I usually submit my manuscripts to people I meet at conferences. That way I can skip the query letter process and go right to submitting a partial or a full. Also, by meeting editors or publishers in person, I get a better idea if my manuscript is right for their house.

Julie: What do you do when you aren't writing? Any hobbies or special interests that you can tell us about?

Morgan: When I'm not writing, I read or watch either romances or thrillers. I'm just as happy watching a movie with Sandra Bullock or Julia Roberts as one with Bruce Willis or Matt Damon. I also love shopping for purses and shoes, going to neighborhood festivals, arts and crafts shows, garage sales, and flea markets. My biggest weakness is playing slots, which I reserve for vacations so I don't go broke.

Julie: How involved do you typically get with regards to cover art for your books?

Morgan: I do make suggestions about the cover art for my books, including color and content. My present publisher, Hard Shell Word Factory, took my concepts into account and did a great job adapting them into pleasing book covers.  

Julie: What's next for you?

Morgan: I'm halfway through Forever Young, a thriller that should be of great interest to the Boomer generation. That's the one with the multiple viewpoints for which I drew up the cheat sheet. I've also started Mr. Fix-It, a romantic comedy which is in its infant stages. My mystery, Deadly Dreams, about how a career change turns deadly for a lovely lawyer when she falls for her psychotic mentor, is out with a publisher for consideration.

Morgan Mandel lives in a Chicago suburb with her husband, Paul, and dog, Rascal, who lives up to her name. She is a past president of Chicago-North Romance Writers of America, is the creator of Book Place at http://bookplace.ning.com, serves as Library Liaison for Midwest Mystery Writers of America, and also belongs to Sisters in Crime, and EPIC. Prior to being published in book form, she freelanced for the Daily Herald newspaper

Morgan's romantic comedy, Girl of My Dreams, released in January, 2008, is a Cinderella Story about a straitlaced assistant who turns vamp in a reality show to save a dying TV studio. She may win the millionaire, but he's not the one she loves. Can money change her mind?

Her romantic suspense, Two Wrongs, #6 in the Preditors & Editors Poll and a 2006 Top Ten Read at Myshelf.com, is a tale of revenge and a second chance at love, set in the Chicago area and contains many area landmarks.

Backlist:
Girl of My Dreams, Hard Shell Word Factory
Two Wrongs, Hard Shell Word Factory

Coming soon:
Deadly Dreams, a romantic suspense
Forever Young, a thriller
Mr. Fix-It,  romantic comedy

Links:

MySpace
BookPlace
Acme Authors Link
Mystery Turtles Blog
Hardshell

If you would like to request an interview, please send a query to info@allromanceebooks.com

Until next time!

Julie Cummings
Wildfire Interview Coordinator
All Romance eBooks

Friends with Benefits by Cat Johnson
This story is rated 4 flames. It contains explicit love scenes described using graphic and direct language. Read at your own discretion.

Part 1

There was a clattering of the receiver and then, "Uh, hello?"

Judging by the grogginess of Jeff's disembodied phone voice, Meg had woken him, but she didn't feel bad about that. After all, she figured what she was offering would be worth his losing a little sleep.

"Hi. You wanna come over?" Meg purred in what she thought of as her irresistible, sex kitten voice.

"Why don't you ever get horny earlier at night?" That sounded distinctly annoyed, which annoyed her even more. What the hell did he need to get to sleep early for? The next day was Saturday. Jeff didn't have to work. He could sleep late in the morning.

"Who says I'm horny? Maybe I just want some company to watch TV."

"Meg, I know a booty call when I hear one. It's after midnight. One civilized person does not call another after twelve unless one, someone is dead or two, they want sex."

And so what? Since no one was dead, it was obviously the latter. She didn't see any problem.

Didn't it just figure that Meg may have possibly found the one and only man in the world who did not single-mindedly think about sex and how to get it twenty-four seven. "Fine. Never mind."

She heard his deep sigh. "Don't be like that. I'm not saying no or anything, but can't you come over here for a change?"

Meg hated losing the home team advantage. It was cold outside. She would have to get dressed. And Jeff, being young, single, and male, lived in a typical bachelor pad. Nothing to eat. No diet soda. Science experiments living under the couch and in the shower. Besides, all her stuff was here at her own nice, comfy place. The list of reasons went on and on… 

He noticed her hesitation. "What? My apartment isn't good enough for you?"

"No, that's not it." Not exactly, anyway. "Um. When did you change your sheets last?"

His sarcastic laughter resonated through the phone. "I thought you said you only wanted to watch TV. What does it matter when I changed my sheets?"

A little nookie was not worth this much humiliation. She could service herself with a bit of help from the battery-operated friend she kept in the nightstand. She'd done it before and was quite sure she'd do it again.

"Never mind. Good night. Sorry I woke you," Meg added even though she wasn't sorry in the least.

Having known Jeff forever, well, actually, since they were both in eighth grade at Wilmont Middle School, she did not hang up the phone, but instead waited for his predictable resignation-filled sigh. She was not disappointed. "Okay. I'll be over in fifteen minutes."

Perfect. Meg smiled. "I'll see you then."

After disconnecting the call, she flew into action. First hiding the steamy romance novel she had been reading, which had thrown her into such a physically needy state to begin with. Jeff would only tease her on her choice of reading material if he saw it. Then she ran to the bathroom to brush her teeth and scrub the day's faded makeup off her face. The apartment would just have to remain as it was, there wasn't time to fix both her and her home, and it was still worlds better than his place anyway.

The good thing about Jeff was he didn't expect much in the way of preparation on her part. It was pretty convenient, actually. For instance, in the dead of winter when the apartment was chilly because the landlord wouldn't turn up the heat, she could remain in her favorite soft and faded flannel pajamas, warm and toasty. On those cold nights, while having sex with Jeff she wouldn't even take off her pajama top or socks, just the bottoms.

Tonight, she didn't need to do much more than clean the raccoon circles of old mascara from below her eyes and maybe run her fingers through her hair. She knew what to expect from him, too. He would arrive in his favorite pair of old sweatpants and a t-shirt, tasting of toothpaste, hair a mess, but the important part would be hard and ready for her.

And when it came down to the serious stuff, the reason she'd called him there, he knew exactly how to get her off, and always did before he took care of himself. A nice predictable lover, that was Jeff. More importantly, there was no messy, emotional, romantic entanglement, just a friendship as comfortable as her favorite old pair of sneakers. Broken in. No surprises. He was a known constant in a sea of unknowns. With Jeff, she got none of the pain you risked with either a hot new pair of high heels or a hot new guy.

This "friends with benefits" thing she had going with him really was the perfect arrangement…almost. Admittedly, it wasn't exactly as exciting as falling madly in love with someone who made your pulse race at the very thought of seeing them, but hey, you had to compromise sometimes.

Looking at herself in the mirror, Meg pulled the rubber band from her unruly dark curls and fluffed them into some semblance of order. Her dark eyes stared soulfully back at her from the mirror as she ran the tissue beneath them one more time to remove the last smudges of makeup. Then she paused and continued to evaluate her own reflection. She was happy, wasn't she? Twenty-something and single, she had an alright job and a cute apartment all to herself. She struggled with her weight but managed to maintain a size at the low-end of the double digits. She had her health, her family and her friends, and sex whenever she needed it. Really, what more could she ask for?

She didn't have time to contemplate further the odd feeling that something was missing as the doorbell rang. And when she opened the door, good old reliable Jeff, sandy hair sticking up like he'd just rolled out of bed, stumbled in. He dumped his jacket onto a chair and headed directly for the bedroom. When she didn't immediately follow, he stopped in the doorway and turned. "What's wrong?" The brow above one of his baby blue eyes was still creased from his pillow.

Meg shrugged. "I don't know. I just thought you might kiss me, or say hello or something, before we went directly to bed and fucked."

His eyebrows shot all the way up to meet the straight hair messily covering his forehead. He looked at her strangely for a second, as though he was surprised she'd want a bit of romance from him, then he grinned. "Oh really? Well, I can do romantic if you want wooing, but you have to call before midnight. At this hour, what you see is what you get. Now are you coming or not?"

With a soft humph, she followed him and his trail of discarded clothing into the bedroom. Meg was just in time to get the view of his very tight and, as she knew from hands-on experience, very squeezable white ass as his sweats followed the t-shirt he'd already thrown on the floor and he crawled into her bed. Parts in her lower anatomy clenched in anticipation of what was to come. She had to give him credit, what Jeff lacked in the fashion department he made up for in what lie underneath. Hmm. Were his shoulders wider and his waist narrower than before? "You been working out a lot lately?" she asked.

He grinned like a school boy. "Yeah. Can you tell?"

Typical man. She nodded and smiled at the way he was so pleased she'd noticed. "You look good."

Meg pulled down the covers and crawled next to him. No, this was not the perfect arrangement she reminded herself while slipping off her own bottoms, but it sure had its benefits. She adjusted the pillows the way she liked them for sex and spread her legs for Jeff as he nestled himself between them, already erect and ready like she knew he'd be. Good old Jeff.

"Shit. Hold on." Looking slightly ashamed, he rolled to the edge of the bed, grabbed for his sweatpants and pulled a foil packet out of the pocket.

Meg frowned. "What are you doing?"

One of the good things about being with Jeff was they didn't need to use condoms. They had both been tested right after they started this arrangement and she was on the pill. Of course, they both agreed that if at any time either one of them were with someone else they would…

Meg's sucked in a breath with a loud, painful wheeze. "You've been with someone else!"

It all started in first grade when Cat Johnson won the essay contest at Hawthorne Elementary School and got to ride in the Chief of Police's car in the Memorial Day Parade…and the rest, as they say, is history. As an adult, Cat generally tries to stay out of police cars and is thrilled to be writing for a living. She has been published under a different name in the Young Adult genre, but released her first romance in 2006. Today, she is a multi-nominated, award-winning author of a dozen published romances. Her military erotic romance novel A Few Good Men was recently awarded the 2007 Reviewers Choice Award by Ecataromance.

On a personal note, Cat has horses, far too many cats, a dog, assorted fish and fowl, and one husband, and is not sure which of those gives her the most grief. Needless to say, she is very busy on her 18th century little farm in New York State. She plays the harp professionally and stresses this does not mean she plays well, only that she is paid for it. A past tour guide, bartender, marketing manager, and Junior League president, Cat's life is quite the dichotomy and on any given day she is equally as likely to be in formal eveningwear as in mucking clothes covered in manure. She wore the letters off the keys of her computer in less than a year and is found most often still in pajamas working on her laptop. Cat looks forward to hearing from you all.

Backlist:
Trilogy No. 102: Opposites Attract, Linden Bay Romance
Trilogy No. 103: Red Hot & Blue, Linden Bay Romance
Trilogy No. 105: Smalltown, USA, Linden Bay Romance
Trilogy No. 106: Nice & Naughty, Linden Bay Romance
Trilogy No. 107: True Blue, Linden Bay Romance
Trilogy No. 108: Just Desserts, Linden Bay Romance
A Few Good Men, Linden Bay Romance
Witches Night Anthology, Linden Bay Romance
Heroes Unwrapped Anthology, Linden Bay Romance
He Came Upon A Midnight Clear, Phaze
Fantasies IV Anthology, Phaze

Coming Soon:
Model Soldier, Linden Bay Romance

Links:
Website
MySpace   

Submissions to The Weekly Sizzle should be sent to Sizzle@allromanceebooks.com. We are looking for original short stories, 1-5 flames, 200-2000 words.

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