I recently did an interview with P.T. Macias, owner of Lions Book Promotions, as part of the blog tour. Here it is, including a sneak peek at Reckoning, which I plan to release in the May/June time frame.
So, can you tell us what makes Dana Delamar tick? What got you started on the path to becoming an author?
I’ve wanted to be a writer from a very young age. In my teens, I was constantly writing romances for my sisters and my friends. They were all about the rock stars we adored. I spent hours and hours dreaming up stories!
What are you currently working on? Would you care to share a snippet?
I’m currently working on Reckoning, the fifth book in the Blood and Honor Mafia romance series. It’s about a hit man who falls in love with the anti-Mafia judge presiding over his boss’s trial. Here’s a brief taste:
Ruggero grabbed hold of Loredana’s arms. “Is that how you see me? As a man? Or do you see me as a Mafioso?” He pulled her close, his eyes flicking back and forth across her face, before dipping down to stare at her lips.
Both of them were breathing hard. She placed her hands on his chest, his muscles twitching beneath her hands. Her heart was pounding, her stomach flipping. “I see you as a man,” she said, the words just barely above a whisper.
Before she could second-guess herself, she leaned in and pressed her lips to his. For just an instant, he kissed her back, then his hands clamped down on her biceps, and he broke the contact. “What the fuck are you doing?”
“I don’t know.”
Those wolf’s eyes drilled into hers. “You’d better know, Loredana. I’m not a man you can play with.”
Do you include some of your own personal experiences in your books or do you prefer to use your imagination?
It’s a mix of both. I frequently write about places I’ve been, occasionally about things that have happened to me. But since I’m not in the Mob, a lot of it is drawn one-hundred percent from my imagination!
What genre do you typically write in and why did you choose this over others?
My first book was a hot contemporary romance (still unpublished). I switched to romantic suspense while I was playing the “what if” game trying to brainstorm my next book. I asked myself, “What if my hero isn’t such a good guy?” And that’s how the Blood and Honor series was born.
I also really enjoy erotic romance and hot contemporary romance, so I think my next series may be in one of those genres. And I’m not ruling out paranormal either--I just need the right idea!
Do you have a specific process or a ritual you go through when sitting down to write?
Not really, though I have found that I write more easily if I’m doing it longhand in a notebook. I also like to have a cup of tea or chai with me.
Where do you find your inspiration for your plots? Do you have any tricks of the trade you would care to share?
For the Blood and Honor books, I try to put myself in my characters’ shoes. What moves would I make if I were a Mafia don? How would I feel if I found out that the man I loved was a criminal--and he’d been hiding it from me?
I also do a ton of research, reading about what real-life Mafiosos have done. I’ve picked up little tidbits here and there that have morphed into whole plots. Occasionally, things I’ve dreamed up that I thought were perhaps far-fetched (such as the Mob taking over banks) have turned out to be true. Sometimes I think I missed my calling! ;)
What is the oddest place/situation where an idea for a book/plot has come to you?
I get tons of ideas in the shower or while driving. I actually bought this notepad (Aqua Notes – you can get it on Amazon) so that I could make notes in the shower. It’s been worth every penny!
What makes a book stand out and perk your interest?
The premise. I love books with seemingly impossible conflicts to resolve.
We all have our favorite authors. Can you share some of yours and tell us why you like them?
J.R. Ward, Darynda Jones, Larissa Ione, Pamela Clare, Kristine Cayne (my awesome critique partner!). They all write books with bad-ass heroes, fast-moving plots, and sexual chemistry that’s off the charts!
We all have a pet peeve, care to share yours?
Mine is books with a great premise but that haven’t been edited. I can deal with some typos, but when words are constantly misused and sentences are so garbled that I have to read them again and again to try to make sense of them, it just becomes work to read. I hate slogging through a book. I want to get lost in the story. If I’m hitting errors in every sentence or every paragraph, I never forget that I’m reading. It bums me out!
When you’re not writing, what are the things you enjoy doing to relax?
Reading, reading, reading! And watching great TV. There are so many awesome shows on these days. One of my all-time faves is “Supernatural.” I’m a total Dean girl!
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Kindle US | Kindle UK | Kindle CA | Kindle AU | Nook US | Nook UK | Apple iTunes | Kobo | Google Play | All Romance eBooks | OmniLit | 'txtr | Smashwords
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