Monday, June 25, 2012

Guest Author Day with W. Lynn Chantale


Welcome to Dawn’s Reading Nook, W. Lynn Chantale. Please let my cabana boys/girls get you a drink and make yourself at home. Comfortable? Great…now let’s get down to business.

So tell us about yourself. What got you interested in writing? Who are your publisher(s)?

Hi Dawn, thank you so much for inviting me here today. Oh I just love the cabana boys. So yummy and muscular.

Now let's see you asked a question and I got distracted by all this…oh there's one of the security guards…Right back to the interview. I've always liked writing and did a lot of the creative stuff in school. Hated writing in journals, though. The teachers would give us some of the silliest first sentences. Anyway I started writing mystery stories with a preschool heroine. I didn't get interested in writing romance until maybe middle school/high school. As for who I write for now, Whispers Publishing, Breathless Press, Wild Rose Press, Still Moments and most recent. Evernight Publishing.

How did you start your writing career?

My career began with a couple of disastrous self-publishing attempts. They were lessons in what not to do. I took some time off, joined a couple of writing groups, found a great critique partner and the rest they say is history.

Tell us about your favorite character(s) from your books.
It seems no matter how many characters I write, Trisha and Zach remain my favorites. Their story is in Lust & Bound soon to be released by Evernight Publishing. A close second would be Symmone and Leo from The Pick-Up Wife published with Whispers.

Where do you dream of traveling to and why?
To pinpoint one location just wouldn't do. I love to travel and see new things. So, for now, let's say I'd love to travel all 50 states by RV so I can see all the places I've read about in books. Then travel to Europe and grab some amazing shoes and chocolate and perfume. Omigosh, maybe I should backpack across Europe 'cause I'd try to eat everything. Especially bread. Mmm, love fresh baked bread.

Tell us about your current/upcoming release. What inspired it?
Lust & Bound is my upcoming release from Evernight. The inspiration for it came from wanting to show what could happen when a woman lets her guard down and explores her innermost desires.

Has someone helped or mentored you in your writing career?
My CPs (critique partners) are invaluable and what I find most interesting is that most of them are editors. Who better to whip a manuscript into place than an editor.

Who are some of your favorite authors/books?
I have a bunch of fave authors. Mari Carr, Ann Mayburn, Tara Chevrestt, AJ Nuest, and Shyla Colt, to name a few.

What was your first sale as an author?
My first sale was Seducing His Wife to Whispers Publishing. I got the acceptance email a day before my 18th wedding anniversary. If I hadn't been in a hotel room I'd have run around screaming.
When in the day/night do you write? How long per day? I write in the mornings and often into the late evenings or all night when the hubby isn't home.
If you could visit any time and place, where and when would it be and why? I've always wanted to visit England at the height of the Season. It would be great fun to go to a party and create a scandal.
If you could be any shape shifter, what form would you take and why? I had a Wonder Twins moment there. Hmm, I never thought about shapeshifting. Oh, I know. A dragon. Dragons are way cool. They breathe fire and can fly. I've always wanted to fly.
What else would you like readers to know about you or your work? I'm an App! Readers can download me right to their Android or IPhone. Everything is in one convenient location, including excerpts, buy links and appearances.
Don't have an Android or Apple device you can still learn more about me and my work at any of my cyber homes.
            Website Website: http://wlynnchantale.com
            Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/wlynnchantale
            Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/W.LynnChantaleAuthor
             
Oh and I'm writing inspirational/Christian romance too.
Who's more fun to write: bad boys or perfect gentlemen and why?
I think my heroes are a combination of both. I love the gentleman because he's thoughtful and considerate, but the bad boy breaks the rules.

If you could meet any fictional character, who would it be and what would you do together? 
Hmm, a fictional character. Archie Goodwin from the Nero Wolfe series. I think it would be enough to go to a movie or have dinner with him.

Out of all your books, do you have a favorite one? If not, then which one is closest to your heart?
The Pick-Up Wife is the closest to my heart. There's something about the struggle this couple goes through that isn't quite the same in my other books.

What character out of all your books is the closest to your personality?
Goodness, that's a hard one. I used to say Trisha, but now I'm not so sure. There are definitely pieces of my personality in all my heroines.


Anything else you would like to add?
Thanks so much for inviting me here today, Dawn, I've had a blast.

The Pick-Up Wife blurb/excerpt

Leo Shepard has few regrets, but leaving his wife Symmone to pursue his career was a catastrophic mistake. Now that he’s achieved his every dream and is about to make partner at Greene and Banks Architects, he lacks one thing, a wife. But Leo doesn’t want just any wife, he wants the woman he left behind.
From the moment she laid eyes on Leo, Symmone knew she would have her happily ever after. The last thing she expected was a divorce and a broken heart. Devastated by the end of her marriage, she has no choice but to quit school and pick up the pieces of her life.
Working two jobs to support herself and her children, Symmone has little room in her life for romance and even less for her pulsating attraction to her ex-husband. When Leo strolls into the cafe where she works, bent on reconciliation, the chemistry between them is more powerful than ever. Yet she won't give in to his soft words and expensive gifts. More than just her heart is at stake, her children are, as well.

Excerpt:
Her footsteps slowed as she caught a glimpse of her reflection in the windowpane. She paused long enough to straighten her dark ponytail. With a huff of disgust she dropped her hand from her ebony tresses and shook her head. She couldn’t believe she was primping for her ex. Primping!
She set the glass on the table with a thump. He looked up with a tentative smile, and she was lost. She opened her mouth to speak and not a single word came out. God, he was even more handsome than the last time she’d seen him. Gone was the youthful softness of his face. Now he had a man’s face, a jaw that spoke of strength and maturity. His brown eyes, while bright and intelligent, seemed to hold a tinge of sadness, but what drew her attention most was his mouth. How many hours had she fantasized about the taste and shape of his mouth, about the firm press of his lips against hers or the butterfly kisses he used to flutter over her skin.
His smile widened. “You’re speechless.”
The warm rasp of his rich baritone danced over her, opening wounds she thought long since healed and igniting a desire she’d hoped long dead. He couldn’t come in here, to her place of employment, and upset everything she’d ever worked for with just two words.
Everything came back in an aching, throbbing fireball, and she clenched her hands at her sides.
“What do you want?” She didn’t bother to hide the annoyance or anger in her voice.
He blinked, and his smile drooped a bit, but he managed to maintain it. “I came to see you.”
“You haven’t given a damn about me in ten years. What’s so special about now? Are you dying? Or have you come to assuage some misplaced sense of guilt? Either way, the café has very good takeout I believe you would enjoy.”
He chuckled, and it produced an ache in areas she didn’t want to acknowledge. “I suppose I deserve that, but you’re wrong, Symmone. I’ve never stopped thinking about you.” His quiet admission stayed her irritation. “And I was wrong to do what I did.”

http://www.amazon.com/The-Pick-Up-Wife-ebook/dp/B00852SA1G/ref=sr_1_8?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1337698956&sr=1-8

3 comments:

Lynn Chantale said...

Hi Dawn. Thanks again for hosting me today. You throw a rocin' party!

Candace Shaw said...

I simply love the cover of Lust and Bound. Its definetly on my TBR list! Congrats on all of your success.

Lynn Chantale said...

Thanks Candace.

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