Today I’m thrilled to have Best Selling Author Sandra Owens author of The Letter with me in the Blue Rose Writing Room.
Welcome, Sandra! Tell us, do you use a pen name/pseudo name?
Hi, Collette. Thanks so much for inviting me to the Blue Rose Writing Room. To answer your question, I use my own name. There was a name I wanted but an author friend already had it. I told her I wanted her name and she said, “Too bad.”
How long have you been writing?
I’ve always loved to write, but got serious about it four years ago when I decided if I didn’t do it now, I never would.
Hmm, that sounds familiar. Only it was two years ago for me. What’s one thing you absolutely can’t tolerate during your writing? One thing you can’t write without?
I can tolerate pretty much anything when I’m writing including interruptions by my husband (poor man says I forget I’m married when I’m writing). Strangely, I can’t write without noise. I prefer music and have several playlists, but sometimes I’ll even turn a news channel on low volume. I don’t know why but silence unnerves me.
I’m just the opposite. I need absolute quiet. What’s the funniest thing anyone has ever said to you about your writing? Or the unkindest? Or the oddest?
Thankfully, no one has ever said anything unkind about my writing, but the funniest was my husband’s female employees wanting to know if he was my role model for my sex scenes. Well, of course he is.
Giggling. Both hubby and I have been asked that too. What’s one place you absolutely want to visit before you die?
Scotland
Me too! Why did you choose to write in this genre? Have you ever written any other genre? Do you plan on doing so in the future?
I absolutely love reading Regencies, have read them for years. One day, I woke up with a story in my head. It was a Regency, my first book. As I didn’t have a clue what I was doing it was pretty bad…the mechanics that is. I think the story is good and I’m in the process of rewriting it now. I’ve also completed two contemporary romances, my Golden Heart® final, Crazy For Her, and the second book of the series, Someone Like Her. I have a total of five books in mind.
Is there any genre you won’t read? Write? Can you tell us why?
There’s almost nothing I won’t read, maybe YA. I’ll probably only write Regencies and contemporary romances. But who knows how I’ll feel a year from now.
How do you respond to negative reviews?
Fortunately, I’ve only had one really negative review and I thought it was funny.
Great attitude! Do you have a favorite quote?
Yes, it’s from Oscar Wilde. “This morning I took out a comma and this afternoon I put it back again.” I can so relate to that.
Just did that yesterday; twice in the same sentence. Tell us something unusual, quirky, or odd about yourself?
I’m a thrill seeker. The scarier it is, the more I love it.
Not me. I’m a chicken through and through. Sigh.
Okay, now for the quickie questions: Answer in three words or less. Ready? Go!
Favorite Disney Character? Tweety Bird
Favorite Fruit? Mango
Favorite Hero? My husband
Favorite Eye Color? Blue (husband’s color)
Best Vacation destination? Maine. Lobster. Yum.
Food you can’t stand? Green peppers Ugh!
What annoys you? Rude people
Coffee, tea, or something else? Green tea
Nightgown or Jammies? Ah…neither (Collette snickering here!)
Prefer dogs or cats? Cats, for sure
A bit of information about Sandra
Sandra lives in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. Most days, you can find her with her fingers on a keyboard, her mind in the world of her imagination. It’s a land where romance and happy endings exist, a land where anything is possible.
Sandra is a 2013 Golden Heart® finalist for her contemporary romance, Crazy For Her.
Blurb about The Letter:
The story of a betrayal that wasn’t. Even so, it still tore two lovers apart for eleven years. On the eve of their wedding, Michael Jeffres, Earl of Daventry, found his betrothed, the woman who meant as much to him as the air he breathed, in bed with his cousin. Diana, the daughter of a marquess, remembers nothing of that night. All she knows is she was forced to marry Michael’s cousin, Leo, and then spent the next eleven years in hell. When the two lovers are brought back together by a letter from Leo a year after his death, Michael and Diana must struggle through all the lies and secrets before they can find a love that far surpasses the one of their youth.
Enjoy an excerpt from The Letter
The letter fell away, floating down to Michael’s desk. He might have a son? Jesus. Sweet Jesus. His stomach heaved and he lurched out the French doors. Taking a deep gulp of fresh air, he walked along a gravel path to clear his head.
Christ, he possibly had a son. He had to find the boy. And, if Leo was to be believed, a son who hated him. If the boy was truly his son.
How would he ever know the truth? How old was James? He mentally calculated the age the child would need to be. Even if James was too young for Michael to have sired him, they would still be cousins, once removed. Still family.
And, the boy’s mother? If he rescued James, he couldn’t very well leave her behind. What was he to do with them? The image floated into his mind of the young woman he had once loved beyond all reason.
She can no longer bear the touch of a man.
Michael stopped and scowled at a rosebush. She had once loved being touched by him. They hadn’t been able to keep their hands off each other, thus the early anticipation of their wedding vows.
A harsh laugh escaped him. One time, two days before their wedding and he might have a son. His hands curled into fists, fervently wishing Leo were still alive so he could kill him. Turning on his heels, he strode back to his study.
He had plans to make.
Here’s how you can contact Sandra
Twitter: @SandyOwens1 Facebook: Sandra.Owens.94043
Buy links
Barnes & Noble:
Thanks again, Sandra for joining me here today.
