Interview with Warrior Princess Romance Writer Blog
Just some fun questions from my recent interview with Bernadette Marie on her Warrior Princess Romance Writer Blog - in case you missed it!
What genre(s) do you write?
I primarily write contemporary romances full of humor and I promise to always deliver a happily ever after. You won’t find a lot of angst in my stories but you will find strong heroines, sexy heroes and a storyline that makes you ‘feel good’ when you’re done. I’m guilty of blurring genre lines so you’ll generally find a little bit of chic lit / women’s fiction elements in my stories as well. As a result, most of my stories have strong secondary characters. For example, in ‘A Night To Remember’, the heroine’s fiancée, Jorge Village (who happens to be gay), is a significant character with his own side story going on.
I’m also currently trying my hand at teen fiction at the request of my twelve year old son.
What was the hardest part of writing your book?
I’m not sure there is anything about ‘A Night To Remember’ that was hard to write. I had so much fun writing this storyline and it really poured out of me. Okay…maybe it was coming up with original and sexy love scenes. This was my sixth book so at some point it feels to me like I’m writing the same thing over and over…even though I’m really not. I always mix it up but certain words inevitably pop up in a love scene. The essential body parts are the same no matter whether the positions are different!
Are you a plotter or a pantser?
It depends on the story. My romance novels are definitely written by the seat of my pants. I usually have a high level idea of what I want to accomplish in the story and I write chapter headlines that represent the main gist of what I plan to get across in that chapter. Then I start typing. As you can imagine, the end product is usually far from what I originally envisioned. My characters tend to high-jack the storyline and go in a direction I never could have anticipated when I started typing. I LOVE IT!
But I’m also trying to write a teen fiction series for my twelve year old son. Because the storyline takes place in a fantasy world and it is intended to be a three book series, I find myself writing a fairly detailed outline – at least it is detailed per my standards. There are just too many characters and plot twists to fly by the seat of my pants on that project.
Why do you think people should choose your books over another author?
Gosh, this is a tough question. Whether or not a reader enjoys one book over another is entirely subjective. Even the best rated authors score everywhere from five stars to one star. So I think the trick is for readers to find authors with a writing style and storyline that speak to them. That’s the beauty of the ‘look inside’ feature on Amazon. I encourage readers to click on and read the sample to decide if it’s the type of book they’ll enjoy. What I will say is that I tend to write storylines that are rich in dialog, include a healthy dose of humor and are not full of angst. A Night To Remember is quite steamy compared to my other stories but I promise that all of my sex scenes are written to move the story forward.
What do you hope readers take with them after reading one of your stories?
I hope my readers always take away a feeling of happiness, a huge smile and the idea that love is always worth fighting for.
What other careers have you had?
I’m a certified public account by day and writer by night. My day job pays the bills so that is my real career. Being a writer is more of a hobby for me, I guess. But it’s something I love to do and it brings me a lot of joy to do it.
Do you write under more than one name? Why?
Yes, I write under two pen names. My contemporary romance pen name is R.C. Matthews and I use it because I’m in a professional day job where I’d rather not have people I work with know that I’m a writer. I might die of embarrassment if my boss read one of my sexy love scenes. Fun fact: My pen name is comprised of my husband’s first name and two middle names – but I added ‘s’ onto Matthew.
I’m also using a separate pen name for my teen fiction series because it is geared towards kids twelve and older. I definitely don’t want to confuse my readers! Fun fact: My teen fiction pen name is David N. Sebastian which are the first names of my two boys. When you say it really fast the ‘N’ sounds like ‘and’ – or at least I think it does!
Are any of your characters based on real people or events?
Ummm…okay, you got me here. My hero is named after the first boy I ever kissed. I chose him because we kissed on a dance floor and dancing plays a huge role in the first five chapters of ‘A Night To Remember’. Brett used to be Anna’s dance partner in their college ballroom dancing course.
What’s something fans would find fascinating about you?
Most people find it interesting that both of my parents are deaf. I’m pretty sure that speaking sign language at home influenced my writing style which is heavy on dialog and light on prose. Sign language is a very direct language that skips past the flowery words to get to the true meaning.
What books or authors have most influenced your life?
I’m a die-hard Jane Austen fan. I’ve read all of her books many, many, many times over. I’m not sure her books influence my life as much as they influenced my writing. Her writing style is witty and always brings a smile to my face no matter how often I read her books. I hope my storylines give that same happy feeling to my readers.
Where are you from?
I’m from the Metro-Detroit area and you’ll find that every single contemporary romance novel I’ve written to date has its roots in Metro-Detroit. In fact, ‘A Night To Remember’ takes place entirely within the downtown city limits and Jorge Village is running for mayor. This story is a tribute of sorts to all of the people who are trying really hard to return Detroit to its former glory.
When not writing, how do you relax?
To relax I’m either reading, watching The Walking Dead (my husband and I are die-hard fans), playing board games with my family or watching movies.
Please tell us 5 miscellaneous facts about yourself.
1. I met my second husband through an internet dating site and we’ve been happily married for over five years. My experience with on-line dating inspired my novel ‘Date Night’.
2. It drives me crazy when people ask me if I’m busy during tax season. I’m an auditor not a tax preparer. But no matter how many times I try to explain it, my friends and family don’t get it. So now I just nod my head yes when they ask.
3. If I watch a movie series first and then read the books, I find that I fall in love with both. But if I read the books first and then watch the movie series, I tend to get annoyed with the movie. Strange but true!
4. Peanut butter is one of my all-time favorite foods. My eldest son has a severe peanut allergy. I feel so sorry for him because it is a horrible and scary allergy to have and he will never know the joy of eating peanut butter.
5. When I was a little girl I really wanted to be a lawyer when I grew up. Not a ballerina or princess or actress. And I became an accountant. What’s the matter with me? It’s a little surprising really that I enjoy exercising by the left and right sides of my brain.
What genre(s) do you write?
I primarily write contemporary romances full of humor and I promise to always deliver a happily ever after. You won’t find a lot of angst in my stories but you will find strong heroines, sexy heroes and a storyline that makes you ‘feel good’ when you’re done. I’m guilty of blurring genre lines so you’ll generally find a little bit of chic lit / women’s fiction elements in my stories as well. As a result, most of my stories have strong secondary characters. For example, in ‘A Night To Remember’, the heroine’s fiancée, Jorge Village (who happens to be gay), is a significant character with his own side story going on.
I’m also currently trying my hand at teen fiction at the request of my twelve year old son.
What was the hardest part of writing your book?
I’m not sure there is anything about ‘A Night To Remember’ that was hard to write. I had so much fun writing this storyline and it really poured out of me. Okay…maybe it was coming up with original and sexy love scenes. This was my sixth book so at some point it feels to me like I’m writing the same thing over and over…even though I’m really not. I always mix it up but certain words inevitably pop up in a love scene. The essential body parts are the same no matter whether the positions are different!
Are you a plotter or a pantser?
It depends on the story. My romance novels are definitely written by the seat of my pants. I usually have a high level idea of what I want to accomplish in the story and I write chapter headlines that represent the main gist of what I plan to get across in that chapter. Then I start typing. As you can imagine, the end product is usually far from what I originally envisioned. My characters tend to high-jack the storyline and go in a direction I never could have anticipated when I started typing. I LOVE IT!
But I’m also trying to write a teen fiction series for my twelve year old son. Because the storyline takes place in a fantasy world and it is intended to be a three book series, I find myself writing a fairly detailed outline – at least it is detailed per my standards. There are just too many characters and plot twists to fly by the seat of my pants on that project.
Why do you think people should choose your books over another author?
Gosh, this is a tough question. Whether or not a reader enjoys one book over another is entirely subjective. Even the best rated authors score everywhere from five stars to one star. So I think the trick is for readers to find authors with a writing style and storyline that speak to them. That’s the beauty of the ‘look inside’ feature on Amazon. I encourage readers to click on and read the sample to decide if it’s the type of book they’ll enjoy. What I will say is that I tend to write storylines that are rich in dialog, include a healthy dose of humor and are not full of angst. A Night To Remember is quite steamy compared to my other stories but I promise that all of my sex scenes are written to move the story forward.
What do you hope readers take with them after reading one of your stories?
I hope my readers always take away a feeling of happiness, a huge smile and the idea that love is always worth fighting for.
What other careers have you had?
I’m a certified public account by day and writer by night. My day job pays the bills so that is my real career. Being a writer is more of a hobby for me, I guess. But it’s something I love to do and it brings me a lot of joy to do it.
Do you write under more than one name? Why?
Yes, I write under two pen names. My contemporary romance pen name is R.C. Matthews and I use it because I’m in a professional day job where I’d rather not have people I work with know that I’m a writer. I might die of embarrassment if my boss read one of my sexy love scenes. Fun fact: My pen name is comprised of my husband’s first name and two middle names – but I added ‘s’ onto Matthew.
I’m also using a separate pen name for my teen fiction series because it is geared towards kids twelve and older. I definitely don’t want to confuse my readers! Fun fact: My teen fiction pen name is David N. Sebastian which are the first names of my two boys. When you say it really fast the ‘N’ sounds like ‘and’ – or at least I think it does!
Are any of your characters based on real people or events?
Ummm…okay, you got me here. My hero is named after the first boy I ever kissed. I chose him because we kissed on a dance floor and dancing plays a huge role in the first five chapters of ‘A Night To Remember’. Brett used to be Anna’s dance partner in their college ballroom dancing course.
What’s something fans would find fascinating about you?
Most people find it interesting that both of my parents are deaf. I’m pretty sure that speaking sign language at home influenced my writing style which is heavy on dialog and light on prose. Sign language is a very direct language that skips past the flowery words to get to the true meaning.
What books or authors have most influenced your life?
I’m a die-hard Jane Austen fan. I’ve read all of her books many, many, many times over. I’m not sure her books influence my life as much as they influenced my writing. Her writing style is witty and always brings a smile to my face no matter how often I read her books. I hope my storylines give that same happy feeling to my readers.
Where are you from?
I’m from the Metro-Detroit area and you’ll find that every single contemporary romance novel I’ve written to date has its roots in Metro-Detroit. In fact, ‘A Night To Remember’ takes place entirely within the downtown city limits and Jorge Village is running for mayor. This story is a tribute of sorts to all of the people who are trying really hard to return Detroit to its former glory.
When not writing, how do you relax?
To relax I’m either reading, watching The Walking Dead (my husband and I are die-hard fans), playing board games with my family or watching movies.
Please tell us 5 miscellaneous facts about yourself.
1. I met my second husband through an internet dating site and we’ve been happily married for over five years. My experience with on-line dating inspired my novel ‘Date Night’.
2. It drives me crazy when people ask me if I’m busy during tax season. I’m an auditor not a tax preparer. But no matter how many times I try to explain it, my friends and family don’t get it. So now I just nod my head yes when they ask.
3. If I watch a movie series first and then read the books, I find that I fall in love with both. But if I read the books first and then watch the movie series, I tend to get annoyed with the movie. Strange but true!
4. Peanut butter is one of my all-time favorite foods. My eldest son has a severe peanut allergy. I feel so sorry for him because it is a horrible and scary allergy to have and he will never know the joy of eating peanut butter.
5. When I was a little girl I really wanted to be a lawyer when I grew up. Not a ballerina or princess or actress. And I became an accountant. What’s the matter with me? It’s a little surprising really that I enjoy exercising by the left and right sides of my brain.
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