Hi, Roxanne. Thanks for letting me stop by
as part of my Then Came Love book
tour. I see you have a long list of questions, so let’s get to it.
What inspired you to become an author?
Probably my love of reading. I haven’t been
without a book on the go for as long as I can remember. I do recall at one
point setting down a book and thinking ‘I could do better than this’. As it
turned out, it was much harder than I thought, but I like the path I took.
Nothing like getting knocked down a few times to make one appreciate a bit of
success.
Do you have a specific writing style?
It’s evolved over the years. Right now I
think of myself as a casual writer. I don’t like to use unnecessary, or fancy
words when a forthright one will do. I like my books to sound as though I’m
sitting down with the reader and we’re discovering the story together.
Do you write in different genres?
So far, it’s contemporary romance. I’ve
been planning a historical romance for about six years, but to be honest, it’s
the same basic structure.
How did you come up with the title for your latest book?
It only came to be as I was on the last few
pages. It’s the ending of the book.
Do you title the book first, or wait until it’s complete?
I much prefer to have the title before I
begin, but I’m not always that lucky. A title means so many things today. Not
only does it have to catch the reader’s attention, but a writer has to consider
SEO (Search Engine Optimization), does it suggest a certain cover theme, and
will it fit on the cover? I’ve made some mistakes with titles and changed them
after publication.
In Then Came Love, is any part of the book based on true
life experience; someone you know, or events in your life?
No. When I’m describing a scene I’ll call
from my knowledge of an area, be it London, or a fishing lake in British
Columbia, but when it comes to people, I make them up. I’m a great observer of
people. I watch their gestures and listen to speech patterns, and I’m always
jotting things down on scraps of paper. So I suppose to a certain extent, my
characters are based on people I’ve seen and heard, but no one specific.
If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a
mentor?
Maeve Binchy would be one. In her books,
the characters come alive. In her earlier works, I felt that I could walk down
the street of the Irish town and greet each person by name. And Elmore Leonard.
He may not specifically be a mentor, but his facility with dialogue and sheer
off-the-wall zaniness is refreshing.
Who is your favorite author and what really strikes you
about their work?
Bryce Courtenay. Originally from Africa,
Bryce Courtenay has lived in Australia for many years now and is considered one
of their national treasures. Mr. Courtenay has the uncanny ability to tell a
story from the point of view of a child. Every time I read Whitethorn, or The
Four Fires or The Power of One, I’m seeing life through the eyes of a child. It’s
amazing.
Who designed the cover of your latest book?
I did. I allow myself the pleasure of
designing the covers when I’m about three quarters of the way through.
Do you have any advice for other writers?
1) Read Stephen King’s book On Writing.
2) When your manuscript is finished, polish that sucker until it
shines, then put it away for a few weeks. You’ll find more mistakes, and be
glad you waited.
3) Develop a thick skin. You’ll need it to deal with rejections, and
when people criticize your work.
4) Most importantly...try. You’ll never know if you can do it if you
don’t try.
February 25 Interview
Catherine Bybee
February 25 review
Secret Southern Couture,
February 26 Spotlight
February 27 Interview
Creatively Green
February 28 Interview
Pembroke Sinclair
March 1 Guest blog
Fang-tastic Books
March 2 Interview
Books, Books the Magical Fruit
March 3 Interview
Roxanne’s Realm
March 4 Guest blog
March 5 Spotlight and review
Readaholic's Reviews
March 6 Spotlight
Regina May Ross's Blog
March 9 Spotlight
Reviewing in Chaos
March 10 Spotlight
Bex 'n' Books
March 10 review
Bookish Things and More.
Then Came Love
Mona Ingram
Mona Ingram
Genre: Contemporary Romance
ISBN: 978-0-9879069-0-8
ASIN: B0080SDHWC
Number of pages: 103
Word Count: 31,200
Purchase Links: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0080SDHWC
Book Description:
Stuck in an unhappy marriage, Amanda Reimer grabs the opportunity to go on a short holiday by herself. An undercover cop, Jackson Galloway is a member of the RCMP Green Team, and he’s in the interior of British Columbia to find a marijuana grow-op. Jackson gives Amanda a lift to Loon Lake Resort and is intrigued by the gentle woman. The chemistry between the two is immediate and powerful, but Amanda is determined to stick to her marriage vows...besides, she’s afraid of her husband. Jackson is just as determined...to see Amanda again when the drug bust is over.
But will the growing love between Amanda and Jackson survive the pressures of finding the grow-op?
Join Amanda and Jackson in a journey of discovery, where the ultimate destination is love.
About the Author:
Mona Ingram was born in Ontario, Canada. Her family moved to British Columbia when she was twelve, and she can't imagine living anywhere else. In recent years she has lived in the Okanagan Valley and on Vancouver Island. In addition to reading and writing, traveling and bird watching are among Mona’s favorite pastimes.
Mona writes contemporary romance novels and takes great delight in creating unexpected twists and turns in her story lines. She frequently sets her books in areas which are familiar to her, immersing the reader in the setting. One reader recently commented that “after reading Fixing Freddie, I felt as though I’d been on a trip to Vancouver.”
Website: http://monaingram.com
Facebook: http://tiny.cc/h6gfnw
Twitter: @MonaIngram1
1 comment:
Well done, Mona!
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