%5B1%5D)
Greetings, Becca. Can you please tell us your latest news?
My most recent release is a novella called "Tied Up With Green" which is the story of a strong minded woman attracted to her equally strong boss. Trea has worked for years to establish a reputation as dedicated and intelligent. When it comes to sex, she never mixes business and pleasure, and she always calls the shots. Trea believes power offers security in a male dominated world.
However, when her new boss, Jason Green, steps into the picture, he refuses to follow her rules. He plays the game long enough to weaken her defenses, then steals control and demands equality. Jason's unwavering strength makes Trea confront her own weaknesses and helps her destroy the walls she has so carefully built around her heart.
"Tied up with Green is a delightfully spicy short story that gives new meaning to the phrase, 'tied up with the boss'", - Night Owl Romance
"The sex scenes between the two are really hot, with Jay making Trea want him even with her restriction. It is an honest story, with a HFN ending. Don't let this one pass you by." - San Diego Erotic and Romance Book Examiner
This is my third publication with Phaze, an online publisher of romance and erotica. Phaze has been really good to me, and I appreciate all the help Kat, my editor Will, and Alessia in the art department gave me on this project. It has received some high reviews andm ade it as number eleven on Phaze's top twenty for August.
My other works for Phaze include:
"Adarkan's Salvation", a futuristic fantasy novel. Adarkan's destiny is to save the world and its people from destruction. She doesn't have time for love or lust, especially in the form of her father's arrogant and sexy Beta. But when prejudice and violence threaten the peace and her very life, Adarkan must accept that no matter how determined or able, everyone needs someone to catch her when she falls.
"Becca Dale writes an engaging story of love, sacrifice, and hope. She blends science fiction and romance seamlessly with love scenes that spice things up just the right touch." - Night Owl Romance
"If you want a sweeping fantasy where the woman must take charge, then Adarkan's Salvation is just the read for you! I give this work 4 1/2 cherries!"- Whipped Cream Reviews
"Ice Crystal" a short story about a woman finding self. Crystal escapes to her grandmother's cabin to find peace after the death of her controlling husband. Instead, she finds a sexy man who claims to be her guardian angel.
"Woodland Wonder" a free short story. (Go to phaze.com and click on free stories on the left hand side of the page.) A brief sexual escape. Sweet and fairly raw.
When and why did you begin writing?
I began writing in about fifth or sixth grade when I made up stories for slumber parties and campouts, primarily because I loved it. I've always enjoyed creating funny, romantic, or creepy stories in my head and loved it more when other people liked them as well. [I'm a greedy feedback pig! I admit it. :)]
After I married and had kids, I wrote silly or scary things for my son and daughter and their friends. I got pretty good at adjusting my topic to my audience. I didn't get serious about publishing anything until about five years ago. then it took me a while to find what editors and readers expect freom an actual written manuscript versus a spur of the moment tale. So if there are any inexperienced writers out there struggling with that same thing, hang in there and you'll figure it out. Find a writers group to provide feedback. That helps tremendously.
What books have most influenced your life?
I have no clue which particular titles have impacted me most. I used to read constantly. I became enamored with romance novels in middle school so I guess, since that is what I write, they have influenced me the most through the years. Stories of savage and unpredictable men and the women who tame them a tiny bit for their personal enjoyment have always been my favorites. I don't really like overly cultured heroes. I want them rough around the edges but not crude or trashy. Jude Deveraux has written some fantastic examples of this type of man.
What are your current projects?
I am writing a first person romance with the working title Promises - Promises. the main character is not a super woman like many heroines are. She's confident but at times unsure, pretty but not stunning, smart but quirky and a little clumsy. Overall she's likable and normal with normal friends and a close knit family. She makes me think of the girl next door all grown up and a bit sassy.
I am also working on a mainstream novel which I keep putting on the back burner because frankly it scares me. The story follows a young man from conception through his late teens. I love the main character and am terrified to send him out to be judged. He is my third baby and I am as protective of him as I am of my real children. I know that sounds weird, but his story reflects the lives of young people I have met through the years who have been lost or cast out for some reason. I actually cry at times when I sit down to this work. It is the story which is most important to me, therefore the most difficult to write.
Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?
Editing. As an English major, I understand the importance of revision, but I always want to get on with the next story. Once I've written the ending, the novel is complete in my mind. I also tend to read what I meant to say not what is actually on the page, so even though wrong words and misplaced punctuation bugs me in other people's work, I struggle to find them within my own. My writing partners have a field day with my typos.
Who is your favorite author and what is it that really strikes you about his/her work?
Presently, I love Lora Leigh. Her breed series is compelling and rich overall. She paints her characters with flaws that make them human despite their animalistic natures. Her women read as strong and intelligent and her males are crazy sexy. Traditionally though, I adore authors like Zora Neale Hurston and novels like Their Eyes Were Watching God because a reader can become immersed in the culture and language of an entire society different from one's own. I think that's why I like science fiction/fantasy as well. J.R.R. Tolkien and the Lord of the Rings series amazed me as an adolescent and still does now that I'm an adult.
When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?
I don't know that I had a revelation, Bella. Creating stories has always been a part of who I am. My mother would be happy to show you my really early poems and stories but please don't ask or you'll regret it. Characters dance and fight for attention in my head all the time. It is simply a matter of allowing them into the daylight. I hope that wasn't as insane as it sounds. :)
How long does it take you to write a book?
That depends on what is happening in my real life. For me, writing is still a joyous dream. I adore the whole process: finishing a story, the acceptance letter, reviewers' feedback, everything. Unfortunately, I don't have much spare time to dedicate to it as life often gets in my way. I suppose on average it takes me about a year to complete a full length novel, a few weeks to a couple months for a short story.
What is your work schedule like when you're writing?
For practical reason, I have always written in the middle of the night while my family slept. I write until my brain shuts down at two or three in the morning. now that my youngest has gone off to college, that may change. When I set a personal deadline and am in the heart of a tale, I want to write all the time and squeeze in as many hours each day as I can. When I'm less focused, I probably write two or three hours a week. If I don't write often enough, I lose focus and get crabby.
Do you have any strange handwriting habits like capitalizing all your "r"s or dotting your "i"s with hearts or anything like that?
Not really. My handwriting is hurried and tight, at chicken scratching the dirt. I've always wanted to have a graceful script, but no matter what I do, it turns to a scribbled mess.
What do you want to know about the future?
Were the Maya right about 2012?
Will we ever evolve enough to have a truly equal society?
Will Democrats and Republicans ever learn to get along?
Will baggy butt pants go away or will there be guys in the old folks' home with their Depends showing above their waistbands? Not a pretty image I must say.
Are you a morning person or a night person?
Ha. There's a question. Both and neither I guess. I am usually awake at five in the morning but convince myself not to get up if I don't have a story burning in the back of my mind that I want to work on before leaving for my job. Early morning can be my most productive time if I'm not feeling lazy. Consequently I'm dozing off by nine unless I have to be awake for some reason. If I make it past eleven, then I want to go all night and often do if I'm writing.
Do you like thunderstorms?
Yes. They're scary and beautiful in a way that nothing else can match - raw untamed, and breathtaking.
What is the best way for readers to contact you?
Pop by my blog at http://beccadale.blogspot.com/ . I am not terribly good at updating it, but I am trying to be better. Visitors would help. I'm also on facebook and myspace. Becca Dale.
If you really want to talk to me, drop me a note at authorbecca@yahoo.com. Do not contact me there if you're selling something, please, but I would appreciate hearing from readers or other writers.
Anything you would like to add?
I love comments from readers. One of the best parts of writing is hearing what people liked or disliked about a story. All right, the disliked part is a little hard to take sometimes, but it is a necessary evil. My critique partners are terribly honest with me at times, which I find both refreshing and painful. They kick my butt and remind me to follow the necessary rules and break the rest.
Thanks again for having me visit, Mistress Bella. I enjoy your sit and look forward to being included on it.
Thanks for joining us, Becca, and good luck with all of your projects!
No comments:
Post a Comment