Author, author...

...read all about it !!

Hi and welcome, can you tell us a little about yourself?

I’m an author with two faces, so to speak. I write crime fiction under my own name, and, as Eve Summers, I author romantic novels that sometimes slip into erotica.

What or who initially inspired you to become a writer?

You’ll laugh: it was a man. Long, long, long ago, I thought that to impress a guy, I had to be mysterious and intriguing. I imagined that saying “I’m writing a short story” would be so much more interesting to a 20-year old than “My bra is red and lacy, would you like to see it?”

What kind of research do you do for a novel and how extensive do you get?

My friends read my romance books, the ones that slip into erotica, and always ask with a knowing nudge how much research I do. Have I really done it in the cockpit of a boat (I Want To Know What Love Is), in the bath (A Slave Of My Own Desire), in an elevator (Elevator With A View)? No, no, and unfortunately not.

On the plus side, I’ve had most of the cocktails and single malt whiskies mentioned in Fiji On Fire, Fiji On Ice. And I’ve been to Fiji. And I’ve loved: strongly, exclusively and steadfastly. So, yup, in a nutshell - lots of research.

Do you have a special place you like to do your writing? Such as an office, a spare room, the dining room table, your couch?

From my computer chair, I can see a stretch of green New Zealand bush inhabited by colourful parrots, and, just beyond it, the blue of the ocean. So you’ll forgive me if I confess that I always write in my study, on my computer, right eye on the text, left eye on the birds outside my window….

As a reader, what types of works do you like to read and do you think they influence the genre/genres you write in?

I enjoy reading thinking women’s fiction, like Jane Porter’s or Joshilyn Jackson’s books. While I do like the formula of a happy ever after, I also value originality and characters who feel real and whom I’d like to keep as friends.

What is your favorite method of writing...as in laptop, desktop, Ipad or the old fashioned pencil and paper??  And do you plot out your story or go with the flow of your muse?

Throughout the whole writing process, from toying with the core idea to third manuscript revision, I always keep a notebook handy. You know, one of those spiral-bound things, not something you need to switch on only to find out the battery’s dead…. The pages are full of scrawls that even I can’t decipher: “Heroine goes to d-ist” (dentist? dermatologist? taxidermist?), “Stars need darkness to shine” (did I read that or make it up?), “What if hero has a hypochondriac ex-wife?”

I do a bit of plotting, just enough to get me started, but not so much that I’m bored stiff by the time I sit down in front of the computer. And then I write… no, I lie. Then I try to write, except real life doesn’t get in the way….

When you need a break or some time off from the trials of being a writer, what can you be found doing?

Being a mom. Reading. Walking the dog on the beach. Watching mindless TV series because I’m too tired to write and too wired to go to sleep. Playing bridge, poker, board games. Planning my next overseas trip….

Is there anything about yourself nobody knows that you would like to share with our readers??

Once, to get a guy’s attention at a party, I went skinny-dipping with another guy. Man, to I know how to impress men, or what? ;-)

For fun, I have a few personal questions,  

Your Favorite 5

1) Favorite color - blue

2) Favorite dessert - used to be chocolate, but now it’s strawberry mousse

3) Favorite Season - autumn

4) Favorite sad song- Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody

5) Favorite Romantic movie – Casablanca

And a bonus, what is your ideal romantic vacation??

Any Greek island, as long as it has a beach, an olive grove and a seafood restaurant.

Where can our readers find you?? 

Email: yve@xtra.co.nz

Twitter: hotyve

Facebook: Eve Summers, author

Website: http://www.yvonnewalus.com/Eve-Summers.htm

blog: http://eve-summers.blogspot.co.nz/

 My photo: http://jlwylie.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/yvonne.jpg

Is there an upcoming or current release  you would like to share with us today and where can we find it?

Current release: Not Complicated (http://redrosepublishing.com/books/product_info.php?products_id=1299)

Blurb:

After five years of no contact, Abigail Franklin wants only one thing from Luke Taylor: half an hour of his time to see the son he doesn’t know he has.

Excerpt

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Facebook is weird. It lets you list your favorite movies (Casablanca) and music (Snow Patrol) and books (Joshilyn Jackson), it shows updates about your day (another late night at the office, Christopher was asleep by the time I got home), and yet it fails to capture the very essence that makes you - you.

Growing up, I wore homemade clothes because my parents couldn’t afford labels or even store-bought dresses. It made me feel inferior, but also loved beyond belief, because every garment I wore had been lovingly designed, cut and sewn by my mom. Where do I write that on Facebook?

My short-term goal is to work saner hours, my dream is for my son to get to know his dad, and my secret fantasy involves a happily-ever-after with Luke. Facebook remains totally oblivious of all that.

I choose not to confirm Luke as a friend. A Facebook friendship would be so much less than what we once had.

      That leaves me one option: I have to go to the reunion.

Before we let you go today, do you have a favorite recipe you'd like to share?  I like to cook and am always looking for new recipes to try and share but it's totally up to you.

Easiest Peanut Butter Cookies In The World

1 cup sugar

1 egg

1 cup peanut butter (or almond butter, or macadamia butter)

1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C or 400 F.
2. Mix the ingredients together.
3. Line a baking tray with baking paper.
4. Place tablespoon size pieces of the dough onto the tray.
5. Optional: sprinkle with coarse salt.
6. Bake 5-7 minutes.
7. Serve hot or cold.

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Eve it was fantastic having you visit today, thank you so much !!  My hubby will love you for the Peanut Butter Cookies.  

Readers, make sure to get your copy of Not Complicated today!

Until next time, happy reading !

Krista