Interview with Rebecca Sinclair

I’d like to welcome our guest today, Rebecca Sinclair (call me Reb, everyone does).. 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 release out called Murpy’s Law. Can you tell us a little bit about your fabulous book?

Like the title says, Muphy’s Law is about anything that can go wrong. And does. The story contains an early Maine blizzard, a severely wounded hero who’s carrying around a duffel bag filled with lots of old jewelry, cash, a package of Benadryl…and a gun.

Murphy’s Law is a very interesting title. How did you arrive at that name?

I arrived at the name before I wrote the book. I was going through a period of Murphy’s Law in my own life, so writing a romance about the same seemed perfect.

What made you decide to write in this genre?

I usually write historical romances, but I decided to give a go at contemporaries to see if I liked it. I did. Very much. It was quite a change for me and I enjoyed the challenges of writing in the current day rather than the past.

Are you a plotter or a pantser and how did it affect the writing of this book?

Panster all the way. I don’t WANT to know what’s going to happen next. I want to be as surprised as my readers. As for how it affected the writing of the book, since this is the way I’ve always written, I can’t say it had any affect at all.

Did you have to do a lot of research for the book? What are your favorite research books or sites?

I do a ton of research, especially for my historical. I’m lucky enough to have almost every research book I’ve ever wanted/needed in my home library. For Murphy’s Law I didn’t need to much research at all, since I wrote the book from experience. I used to live in Maine, and once I moved away, my family had a summer house where I spent my summers well into my 20’s.

Where did you get your idea for this particular book?

Moonshine, the cat. He came to me as a full blown character demanding a book. Since he seemed partial to Murphy, the heroine of Murphy’s Law I allowed him into the book. Big mistake. Every scene he was in, he stole it, the ham!

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

As always, I enjoyed writing about them all. Murphy, Garrett, Moonshine, all of the main characters came to me alive and fleshed out and just begging for a story. I wasn’t on deadline at the time, so I complied. I thought writing a contemporary for a change would be great fun. And it was!

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

I have a wonderfully detailed character chart that I offer on Eclectics for free. (http://www.eclectics.com/articles/character.html) If you don’t know your characters after filling out the chart, you’ll NEVER know therm. It’s very detailed and intricate.

Do you have any authors that inspired you?

Susan Johnson, Sandra Brown, Patricia Coughlin, Dee Holmes … just to name a few.

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

I offered a free magnet to readers a few years ago. They became so popular that I spent more time filling envelops than I did writing. I may do something like that again in the future, since my children are old enough to put into slave mode and help me stuff envelopes. *g* (great idea! kw)

What do we have to look forward next?

Right now I’m working on two books. One is a time travel set in my favorite historical period: the 16th century on the borders of Scotland & England. I’m also busy writing a young adult novel that should be done by summer.

Thanks, Reb!

To celebrate her book release, Murphy’s Law is offering a free book of Perfect Stranger (one of my Scottish clan books) to one lucky commenter on today's blog. (please check the blog Monday night to see who won. Chances of winning determined by the number of entries.)

She will be around all day today. I'm sure some of you have questions or comments for her, so please ask away...

Bio.
Reb lives in a turn-of-the century house on the coast of New England. She is happily married, with 2 children — one who already flew the nest and another that’s about to. She enjoys very much spending time with her family and her pets: Sully, a St. Bernard; Micro, a Papillion; and Stinky, a highly inquisitive and loveable alley cat.

Check out author’s website at http://www.rebeccasinclair.com

Buy http://www.kensingtonbooks.com/finditem.cfm?itemid=11860