Interview with Annette Mahon

I’d like to welcome our guest today, Annette Mahon. It’s a pleasure having you come visit us at Much Cheaper Than Therapy, where chocolate is plentiful and advice is free. So grab some chocolate and a lounge chair. Your therapy session has begun.

I understand you have a new release out called The Secret Correspondence. Can you tell us a little bit about your fabulous new book?

The Secret Correspondence is the latest in my Secret romance series. All the books in this series take place in the fictional small town of Malino, Hawaii. In The Secret Correspondence we re-meet Julie Wong from The Secret Wish. Julie's neighbor, Claudia, has broken her leg and is now residing in the care center where Julie works. Claudia doesn't want the center to contact her son, but Julie feels he should know what's happened to his mother. So she sends an e-mail, which develops into a correspondence.

The Secret Correspondence is a very interesting title. How did you arrive at that name?

All the books in this series have titles that begin with the word secret. So Secret Correspondence was an obvious title for this one. Julie begins writing to Ned in secret, then they keep their correspondence quiet so that Claudia won't know Julie contacted Ned without her consent.

Did you have to do a lot of research for the book?

Not too much. There's always something that has to be checked on, even in contemporary books. I searched hotel websites to see what kind of luaus were offered, as I wanted my couple to attend one. I also looked at Hawaiian jewlery online, to see if the type of jewelry I envisioned was available--and it was! I also asked a few questions about CPAs--Ned's occuaption.

What character did you like writing about the most, and why?
I really enjoyed Claudia, the hero's mother. She's an older woman who blossoms during the course of the story, and I enjoyed having her find herself.

If your book was made into a movie, what actor would you like to fill your hero's shoes?
This is a very difficult question for me, because I'm not a movie person. I can never remember actor's names, either. My hero is a very handsome man, and he has fair hair and gray eyes. Maybe Orlando Bloom? (Yum. I'll go for that! KW) Not exactly how I pictured Ned, but close.

Do you have any authors that inspired you?

I don't know if admiration is the same as inspiration... I loved Nora Roberts earlier books. I'm not into the darker, paranormal themes she's been doing more recently, but I loved her category books and her early single titles. I also love Debbie Macomber's books, especially her yarn shop series.

What do we have to look forward to next?

In December, the second book in my Matchmaker Quilt series will be out. The Matchmaker Quilt books follow three sisters as each in turn inherits an heirloom quilt, given to the next woman in the family when she completes her education. Family legend says that the recipient of the quilt will quickly meet her one true love. In Dolphin Dreams, Jade, a marine biologist and dolphin behavorist, is given the quilt and subsequently meets Adam, the son of a hotel tycoon who is looking into buying the hotel where she works. In December, Jade passes the quilt along to her sister Momi (the Hawaiian word for pearl, pronounced "moe-mee") who can't wait to meet the man of her dreams. Unfortunately, the only new man she's met recently seems to be the crusty building supervisor at her apartment house. Yet she and Rick forge a friendship as he fixes her faulty plumbing and teaches her to cook.

Thanks Annette!

Author's website: http://www.annettemahon.com/ (sorry, it's a bit out of date, I'm afraid; that's what happens when you let a relative tend it)

Book may be purchased at any online bookstore or direct from publisher at avalonbooks.com