Interview with Linda Andrews

I’d like to welcome our guest today, Linda Andrews. 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 Christmas Village. Can you tell us a little bit about your fabulous new book?

The Christmas Village is about Cade Dugan and Egypt Starr unlikely romance. Cade is an artist who lives in the magical town of Holly. To spread the Christmas spirit, he crafted villages based on his hometown and sells them. Since most towns have people, he started basing his figurines on the townsfolk, except they were paired with people he created, or so he thought, from his imagination. Soon the townsfolk met a person who looked exactly like the figurine and Cade got a reputation as being something of a matchmaker. To downplay his reputation, he crafted his dream woman and suddenly the town is full of women just itching to be his Ms Right. Poor Egypt’s car breaks down right outside of Holly and she’s dressed just like the others. Now Cade has to decide if she really is his dream woman or not.

The Christmas Village is a very interesting title. How did you arrive at that name?

Since Holly is enchanted and kind of an outpost of the North Pole, I thought the title was appropriate. It doesn’t hurt that the hero does create those village scenes often seen at Christmas time and the town is named Holly.

What made you decide to write in this genre?

I love romance and have been reading it since I was a teenager. Combine that with something magic and well… how could you lose. Of course, Christmas is one of my favorite times of the year and I’ve been known to break out my Holiday CDs in June. Writing The Christmas Village was truly a labor of love.

Where did you get your idea for this particular book?

I collect the Department 56 villages and figurines. My collection grew when my children were very small. Being curious kids, they touched and broke a lot of things. But the figurines of the Department 56 villages were cast metal. Ha. Finally something my kids couldn’t break. While that proved not to be true, soldering some of the pieces back together made me think of the artist who designed the pieces and the rest, they say, is history.

What are your favorite paranormal research books or sites, and why?

Oddly enough, I don’t do a lot of research on my stories. I guess watching all those paranormal shows like Ghost Hunters, Past Life Investigations and Psychic Investigations helps. Then again, I’ve lived in a haunted house, so ghostly activity is nothing new. For the Christmas Village I used a lot of the classic holiday movies to bring out the holiday spirit. But, hey, who doesn’t believe in the magic of Christmas.

Which character did you like writing about the most, and why?

I loved writing about Cade the most. Imagine the fun of an alpha hero finding himself hunted by a bunch of marriage minded women in a small town where everything he did or said would be reported back to his parents, not to mention fodder for his four brothers.

Tell us about how you develop your characters. Do you create character sheets, do interviews, that sort of thing?

I’ve tried on numerous occasions to interview my characters, but the truth is, they arrive in my head fully formed and ready to go. Their actions and transformations come as a complete surprise to me.

Do you have any authors that inspired you?

I’m not so much inspired by an author as by the story they tell. Lots of time, I read book or watched a movie and thought, if only I could do that. Make people laugh or cry or root for the underdog... That’s my goal with every book.

What do you feel is the most effective promotion you have done for your book?

It may sound corny but the best promotion is writing a good book. By doing so, I’ve gotten a number of top reviews and award nominations all of which have resulted in better sales and a growing number of fans.

What do we have to look forward next?

Next is the sequel to my award nominated fantasy romance A Knight’s Wish. Molly and Lance’s story has magic, good versus evil and of course, a love story.

Thanks, Linda!

Thank you, Kim. It’s been fun chatting with you.

To celebrate her book release, Linda is offering a free ebook of The Christmas Village to one lucky commenter on today's blog. She will be around all day today. I'm sure some of you have questions or comments for her, so please ask away...

Bio.
Linda Andrews lives with her husband and three children in Phoenix, Arizona. When she announced to her family that her paranormal romance was to be published, her sister pronounce: "What else would she write? She’s never been normal."

All kidding aside, writing has become a surprising passion. So just how did a scientist start to write paranormal romances? What other option is there when you’re married to romantic man and live in a haunted house?

Check out author’s website at www.lindaandrews.net Buy The Christmas Village at http://www.fictionwise.com/ebooks/eBook19206.htm

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