Stephanie Rowe Interview, Author of Kiss at Your Own Risk
I would like to thank Stephanie for stopping by and playing 20 Questions. Please stop by my review of Kiss At Your Own Risk and enter to win one of two copies HERE!
20 Questions with Stephanie Rowe
1. Bookmarks or dog ears?
SR: I have always been a firm believer in dog ears. Bookmarks are too prone to removing themselves from the book, thereby forcing me to waste precious reading time trying to find the page I was on before the bookmark took a holiday. Lately, however, I have begun sampling books from the library, and I've had to learn to develop a positive working relationship with bookmarks. I'm doing very well, and might even consider using them on a regular basis…. Or now. We shall have to see.
2. Dust jacket on or off when reading a hard back?
SR: Ah…this depends. I am a big fan of using a dust jacket as a bookmark on a hard cover (they seem to be more committed to the bookmark shtick than actual bookmarks are), and I generally find that the dust jackets are more attractive than the cover beneath, so I like them. When I am reading books with my four year old, however, those dust jackets get relocated to high shelves immediately, or they will have a very short life.
3. Favorite author?
SR: I have so many authors I love, but if I had to pick one that that has endured over the years, it would have to be Dick Francis, who writes English mysteries set in the horse racing world. He is a true master at crafting a story and characters, and I always love losing myself in his stories. I own every book he's ever written. He recently passed away, but his son has taken over writing the books, so it appears I will get to enjoy Dick Francis's offerings for many more years to come. Although I don't write mysteries, I find that it is a true gift to read someone who is that much of a master at his trade.
SR: I have so many authors I love, but if I had to pick one that that has endured over the years, it would have to be Dick Francis, who writes English mysteries set in the horse racing world. He is a true master at crafting a story and characters, and I always love losing myself in his stories. I own every book he's ever written. He recently passed away, but his son has taken over writing the books, so it appears I will get to enjoy Dick Francis's offerings for many more years to come. Although I don't write mysteries, I find that it is a true gift to read someone who is that much of a master at his trade.
4. Favorite genre?
SR: My favorite genre to write in is paranormal. It is so liberating to be able to create my own world and my own rules, and to be bound by nothing by the limits of my imagination. For reading, I love to read in all sorts of genres, from picture books (with my daughter) to middle grade and YA paranormals, as well as historical and paranormal romances, and mainstream thrillers and mysteries.
SR: My favorite genre to write in is paranormal. It is so liberating to be able to create my own world and my own rules, and to be bound by nothing by the limits of my imagination. For reading, I love to read in all sorts of genres, from picture books (with my daughter) to middle grade and YA paranormals, as well as historical and paranormal romances, and mainstream thrillers and mysteries.
5. What is the best book you have read in the last year?
SR: One of the best books I've read lately was a picture book called Caramba, by Marie-Louise Gay, about a cat who couldn't fly, and another called Princess Hyacinth (the Surprising Tale of the Girl Who Floated) by Florence Parry Heide and Lane Smith. Both books are genius in the simplicity of their presentation while filled with a brilliantly deep and rich story. It just shows that sometimes the most brilliant stories are built from the simplest framework.
SR: One of the best books I've read lately was a picture book called Caramba, by Marie-Louise Gay, about a cat who couldn't fly, and another called Princess Hyacinth (the Surprising Tale of the Girl Who Floated) by Florence Parry Heide and Lane Smith. Both books are genius in the simplicity of their presentation while filled with a brilliantly deep and rich story. It just shows that sometimes the most brilliant stories are built from the simplest framework.
6. What book would you most like to see made into a movie?
SR: I recently read a middle grade book called The Magical Misadventures of Prunella Bogthistle, by Deva Fagan, which was about a young witch trying to find her place in life. I thought it was really lovely, and would make a great movie.
SR: I recently read a middle grade book called The Magical Misadventures of Prunella Bogthistle, by Deva Fagan, which was about a young witch trying to find her place in life. I thought it was really lovely, and would make a great movie.
7. E books: Friend or foe?
SR: For me, personally, I like to have a book in my hand. The main reason is that I spend all day reading on a computer screen, so when I sit down to read for leisure, I want a different experience. There is a visceral reaction of pleasure and joy for me when I curl up on the couch with a book in my hand that simply isn't there if I'm sitting there with an electronic reading device like I've been reading on all day. I can see the advantage if I'm going to go on an extended holiday and don't want to lug around hard copies, but other than that, I cherish the experience of reading a hard copy. But I think it's great that the eBooks have opened new avenues for so many people who love that experience.
SR: For me, personally, I like to have a book in my hand. The main reason is that I spend all day reading on a computer screen, so when I sit down to read for leisure, I want a different experience. There is a visceral reaction of pleasure and joy for me when I curl up on the couch with a book in my hand that simply isn't there if I'm sitting there with an electronic reading device like I've been reading on all day. I can see the advantage if I'm going to go on an extended holiday and don't want to lug around hard copies, but other than that, I cherish the experience of reading a hard copy. But I think it's great that the eBooks have opened new avenues for so many people who love that experience.
8. Was there a book that inspired you to write?
SR: There was no single book. I've been reading voraciously since I was little (I won a blue ribbon in the summer reading club at my library one summer for reading so many books), and books have been a part of my soul since day one. I wrote my first book when I was ten, and then I spent years engaging in performance storytelling to groups of children (I would make up the stories off the top of my head as I spoke to the kids), so it was a natural evolution that I would eventually end up writing books.
SR: There was no single book. I've been reading voraciously since I was little (I won a blue ribbon in the summer reading club at my library one summer for reading so many books), and books have been a part of my soul since day one. I wrote my first book when I was ten, and then I spent years engaging in performance storytelling to groups of children (I would make up the stories off the top of my head as I spoke to the kids), so it was a natural evolution that I would eventually end up writing books.
9. What are you reading right now?
SR: I just finished a Dick Francis book, and I'm currently reading The Hidden Boy, by Jon Berkeley, which is a middle grade paranormal, to research for my next project.
SR: I just finished a Dick Francis book, and I'm currently reading The Hidden Boy, by Jon Berkeley, which is a middle grade paranormal, to research for my next project.
10. What is the last book you bought just for the cover?
SR: I must admit that I don't buy books for the cover. The cover and title will often prompt me to pick it up, but the back cover copy and sample pages have to grab me as well. The last book I bought solely on title was the newest Lisa Kleypas historical. With her books, I don't even bother to read the blurbs. I buy them because I know she will deliver a magical and amazing read.
SR: I must admit that I don't buy books for the cover. The cover and title will often prompt me to pick it up, but the back cover copy and sample pages have to grab me as well. The last book I bought solely on title was the newest Lisa Kleypas historical. With her books, I don't even bother to read the blurbs. I buy them because I know she will deliver a magical and amazing read.
11. What is the last book you received in the mail?
SR: U by Sue Grafton.
12. What is the number of books you own?
SR: Well, the number declined vastly two years ago when I moved cross country and had to purge my book collection. I still haven't unpacked many of the boxes that I did move, so I have no idea really how many books I can currently lay claim to. It's a lot, though!
13. What is the first book you remember reading by yourself as a child?
SR: I am sure this wasn't the first book I read by myself, but the most impressionable books from my youth were the James Herriot books, which were about an English farm vet. I loved those books so much, and I still have all my tattered copies of them on my bookshelf (those books were among those that I did unpack after my cross country move!).
SR: I am sure this wasn't the first book I read by myself, but the most impressionable books from my youth were the James Herriot books, which were about an English farm vet. I loved those books so much, and I still have all my tattered copies of them on my bookshelf (those books were among those that I did unpack after my cross country move!).
14. Do you have a favorite place to read?
SR: My couch with a really soft blanket wrapped around me.
15. What is next for you, publishing-wise?
SR: My new paranormal series launches this month with Kiss at Your Own Risk, which is a high octane, sexy adventure with immortal warriors who have just escaped a hundred and fifty years of torture by Death's somewhat psychotic grandma.
SR: My new paranormal series launches this month with Kiss at Your Own Risk, which is a high octane, sexy adventure with immortal warriors who have just escaped a hundred and fifty years of torture by Death's somewhat psychotic grandma.
16. Do you have a favorite place to write?
SR: Currently, I like to work at my dining room table. I go through phases. My office was the locale of choice for a while, then a local Pete's Coffee, and now my dining room table.
SR: Currently, I like to work at my dining room table. I go through phases. My office was the locale of choice for a while, then a local Pete's Coffee, and now my dining room table.
17. Do you have any pets ?
SR: I have a rather large black and white cat named Fozzie. He is currently topping the scales at twenty pounds.
SR: I have a rather large black and white cat named Fozzie. He is currently topping the scales at twenty pounds.
18. How does your garden grow?
SR: I am currently greenery-free, though I have been known to have some success with assorted plants in the past.
19. The last thing you Googled?
SR: Princess Leia. My daughter is obsessed with Star Wars (the original) and we have spent many hours looking at various Star Wars characters on the internet. She hasn't seen the movies, but she can tell you, in great detail, the plot of all six Star Wars movies.
SR: Princess Leia. My daughter is obsessed with Star Wars (the original) and we have spent many hours looking at various Star Wars characters on the internet. She hasn't seen the movies, but she can tell you, in great detail, the plot of all six Star Wars movies.
20. What makes you cringe?
SR: Too many days without being able to write.
SR: Too many days without being able to write.
KISS AT YOUR OWN RISK BY STEPHANIE ROWE – IN STORES JANUARY 2011
He needed a killer woman…
Blaine Underhill is one lucky man after having recently escaped a century and a half of imprisonment at the hands of an evil witch. Now he’s determined to save his still-enslaved friend, but in order to do so, he’ll need the help of one of the world’s most lethal women.
She was drop dead gorgeous, literally…
Trinity Harpswell is sick and tired of being a Black Widow. Having managed to go three years without accidentally killing anyone she loves, she’s one short week away from freeing herself from this killer curse forever.
When Blaine tracks her down and convinces her to help him, little does Trinity know that the next seven days are going to be murder!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Four-time RITA Award nominee and Golden Heart Award winner Stephanie Rowe is a nationally bestselling author, and has more than twenty-five contracted titles with major publishers such as HarperCollins, Dorchester and Harlequin. Stephanie has charmed reviewers with her unique blend of humor and otherworldly magic. She lives outside Boston, MA, where she is working on the next two books in the Soulfire Series: Touch if You Dare (July 2011) and Hold Me If You Can (September 2011). For more information, please visit http://www.stephanierowe.com/.
Another wonderful 20 questions! Thanks for this peek into Stephanie's personality!
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