Q: Which country would you most like to visit and why?
Hi, its great to be here and to be interviewed by you.and to have the change to communicate with all my readers. As to what country I would most like to visit and why? I loved Scotland and Ireland when I was there and would love to return there anytime. There is a certain romance in the air. I love the personalities of the Scots and Irish. They such strong, gorgeous heroes and irresistibly beautiful heroines. The first time we went to both countries, we took a train through the mountains and countryside which revealed the breathtaking beauty of both countries. The second time we drove and had a ball finding our way down narrow country roads with their pull offs and sheep whichblocked the road. Of course, I bought a ton of books in both countries and had to buy an extra suitcase to cart them home. This was before the big hike in luggage fees. I was so inspired, I wrote and sold two historicals when I got back. . I just finished the first in an Irish Trilogy I’m currently doing for the e-book market, called LADY OF THE ISLE and have started the second, called THE NAUGHTY PRINCESS.
Q: When did you first consider yourself a writer?
Easier to ask myself when I did not think of myself as a writer. Certainly when I was little and my mother, first read THE WIZARD OF OZ to me. I’m not sure I was even in school yet, but oh, how I loved Dorothy’s adventures and I remember thinking if only I could write a book like that. When I got into school and my teachers told my mom about my writing abilities, that kind of sealed the deal.
Q: What books have most influenced your life most?
You know, I wish I could think of something truly profound but the truth is GONE WITH THE WIND and JANE EYRE were two of my favorites when I was in my teens. I loved the dark, mysterious heroes in both and Jane with her steadfast love for Mr. Rochester and Scarlett and Rhett. Frankly, darling, I don’t give a damn. Well, I knew he did. He just had to. And I certainly cared. Those two books fueled my imagination further. I know I could say one mainstream writer, who shall remain nameless, influenced me as well. Her book was so depressing and sad I vowed I’d never write a book like that. I was dedicated to a book with an HEA ending, which are mostly romances!
Q: What book are you reading now?
I confess that as much as I love romances, I also love Suspense Thrillers and am currently reading a Steve Martini book. Some of my favorite e-book authors are Brynn Paulin, Bronwyn Greene, Abigail Martin, Jennifer Armintrout, oh gosh, I could go on and on. Few authors I don’t like.
Q: What is your writing process? Do you outline, fly by the seat of your pants or a combination of both? Do you use mood music, candles, no noise, when you write?
My writing process? I tend to do a bit of both seat of the pants and outlining. I can’t even begin to write a book, if my characters aren’t sharp in my mind and named properly. That’s why a baby naming book is my most treasured research book. If I’ve name my character Shelly and she’s really supposed to be Lucy, she won’t behave right. She does things that just don’t go with Shelly’s role. Some character just jump into your head full blown, like Billie Stone in Dirty Little Secrets from Ellora’s Cave. She’d been left at an orphanage by her mother when she was seven, by the time she was thirty, she was pretty well off, owning her own building in downtown Detroit with her own lucrative business as a CPA, but Billie was really a con artist at heart until she met a tough, sexy detective who showed her a new way. As you can tell my books are first and foremost Character driven. Once I know who they are, then I consider what sort of things are going to befall them. That’s about the extent of my outlining. I go with the flow and let my characters tell what they’re thinking and feeling. UNLESS I get stuck. Writer’s Block is so debilitating to a writer. That’s when a pencil and pad come out and outlining a scene or chapter gets me started again.
Do I use mood music? I used to prefer silence until I discovered that the right music can mellow the mood of a scene and open up your mind to a whole new approach. I mostly write during the day and I have a naughty little Shitz Tzu who distracts me. I never use candles, but that’s a possibility I may yet explore. If I’m desperate to get focused I use chocolate, deep dark chocolate and pretzels.
Q: What do you feel is the most important aspect for all new authors to remember when writing or creating their own stories?
Get to know your characters. Until you know them as well as you know yourself, you can’t get into their heads and without knowing what they’re thinking or how they’ll respond, you can’t make your story believable. Characters, characters! First and foremost!
Q: Did you learn anything from writing your book and what was it?
Oh, my goodness, you can’t begin to learn how to write, without writing. The more you write, the more you learn. The process is so intermingled. Learning to create your characters, finding a suitable plot are the easier part of writing, the fun part, but sitting down and facing that blank page which YOU are suppose to fill up with scintillating prose can be daunting. As I said before, you just have to begin and force yourself to keep going. That’s probably the biggest thing you learn in writing a book, that and the shocking, joyous revelation that yes! You can do thin. Finishing a book is like losing 20 pounds and fitting into those old jeans. That elation is what keeps you going back again and again to create characters and tell their story.
Q: What books can we expect to see in the near future?
OH this is a fun question. What writer doesn’t like talking about his/her creations. In a few days, HER PIRATE LOVER, the second in my Pirate Booty Series will be out from Resplendence Publishing. The first book, THE VIRGIN PIRATE was a bestseller at All Romance e-books.
I’ve also just had DARK PARADISE, a funny paranormal out from Respendence Publishing and DIRTY LITTLE SECRETS from Ellora’s Cave.
Coming up are the third Pirate book, titled THE PIRATE BRIDE and the beginning of my Irish Trilogy, LADY OF THE ISLE, followed by THE NAUGHTY PRINCESS and finally, ENCHANTED ISLAND. I hope to follow up with a sequel to the paranormal DARK PARADISE which is about vampires.
Q: Where can readers find you on the World Wide Web?
I can be found on www.TempleHoganblogspot.com and at www.TempleHogan.com
I’d love to hear from my readers.
The Clog Blog 