Welcome Janis Lane - author of regency and contemporary romance!
My sequel to SANDPIPER AFFAIR, GONE TO THE DOGS, is slotted for release the first week in June. I love the cover which has a laughing Labrador and the pink sneaker he stole.
Who is your favorite author, and what really strikes you about their work?
Depends on the mood I’m in. I like Georgette Heyer when I feel like historical romance with great characters. Steven King occasionally, his book about writing. Janet Evanovich when I want to laugh. JD Robb is always a favorite, love her hero and heroine, Eve and Roak. Jane Austen, of course. So many…for sheer envy of great writing, I choose John Steinbeck. He knew his way around a sentence, for sure. But what about…okay, okay. That’s enough.
I also love Stephen King's book On Writing. When I read it, he seemed like a real person for the first time. Is there a single book or author that made you want to write?
Nope. I think I would read the label on paper towels if I hadn’t anything else. My head has always spun stories whether I wrote them down or not.
I know the feeling. Do you recall how your interest in writing originated?
I’m told I learned to read at age three sitting on my father’s lap with the comics. Reading and Writing seem to go together.
How does your family feel about having a writer in the family? Do they read your books?
They love it. Yes, and help me with plots.
What do you love about your latest book?
Again as in the prequel, I get to follow wild life photographer, Abby Naycomb, around on her adventures. Nature is a favorite theme for me. I love the relationship between Abby and Adam. My characters are flawed human beings and I love that about them too.
Can you tell us something behind-the-scenes about this book that the readers would love to hear - something not easily found on your website?
If you haven’t experienced the wonderful natural springs in Florida, you’re missing out. There’s more to that state than the beaches although they are wonderful too.
Do you base any of your characters personalities off people you know, and if so, do you tell them?
I’m frequently asked that question and I always deny it. Truth, I use bits and pieces of many people that I know to make a whole new person. Once I used secondary characters and based them on a couple of my friends. They failed to recognize themselves so I probably got it all wrong. Okay, I got their descriptions right anyway.
Tell us about your all-time favorite character (of your creating.) Is he/she modeled after a real person?
Again, Abby Naycomb from SANDPIPER AFFAIR and the sequel, GONE TO THE DOGS. She’s not a real person, but she allows me to live vicariously as she goes on her nature photography trips. In another world I would have loved that job.
What type of scene do you enjoy writing the most?
They are all interesting with challenges that differ. I can get carried away when describing nature scenes. I have to do some severe editing later.
When did you discover you are a writer? Was there a specific catalyst?
I think we work where our God-given talent takes us. You’ll never find me applying for a job as an accountant.
How does it feel when you write?
Great, but I am always amazed when I finish that I wrote a new story.
What’s the biggest challenge you’ve faced in writing?
POV! I struggle to stay in one point of view.
I recognize that one... You have written many books, which is your favorite?
MY PASSIONATE LOVE, A SCANDALOUS DESIGN, BELINDA, MY LOVE, DARK DOMINO and soon to be published, BELOVED SOLDIER RETURNS. These are all Traditional Regencies published @ MUSA PUBLISHING.
SANDPIPER AFFAIR and GONE TO THE DOGS, both Contemporaries, are found @ DESERT BREEZE. They are all my favorites.
That is an impressive list of books! What’s your favorite place you’ve visited? Do you have a “must see” destination on your bucket list?
Hawaii, I guess. I loved England too. Bucket list, hmmm. I want to take a cruise down the Mississippi River.
Is there something funny about you people don’t know?
I’m part owner of a plant nursery and herbtique. I love helping young couples plan their first perennial gardens. While I’m transplanting petunias, I often plot and plot and plot.
Very cool! Anything else you want to share?
Thank you for hosting me. I know you’ll enjoy seeing the laughing dog on my cover.
Thank you for being here! Don't miss the excerpt from "Gone to the Dogs" below!
To see more of Emma, visit her blog: http://janislane.blogspot.com/
Blurb:First romantic stage of falling in love: check. Now comes the challenges for a wealthy and handsome park ranger and a very independent wild life photographer learning to live together while respecting each other’s autonomy. Abby appreciates her friends’ advice when an unruly puppy disrupts her work while Adam is too busy with his own tasks to solve the problem. Abby delights in capturing the love and affection in the budding romances of her friends. She agrees to photograph the beautifully behaved entrants of a sanctioned AKC contest. An unruly contestant holds a grudge when Abby reveals her work has placed him in a compromising location. Abby works to set up her own photography shop in town. Poor puppy. He knows there’s a dangerous animal lose in the neighborhood, but is anyone listening to him?
Excerpt from "Gone To The Dogs"
Adam was sitting on a bench by the door and rose at her entrance. They smiled at one another, each looking deep into the other's eyes. His hand tightened around her elbow as they followed the waiter to a reserved table against the back wall of windows -- their favorite seat.
Adam leaned forward, catching her hands in his. "Hello, Ms. Abigail Naycomb."
"Hello, Adam, the handsomest man in the world. Were you waiting for me long?"
They smiled at each other. She supposed they were in love. Well, he said it often enough, and she thought it all the time.
"Only about five minutes, but I think I was early. Have I told you that I love you?" He looked at her and she chuckled.
"I don't think you have. Would you like to tell me?"
He raised her hand to his mouth and kissed the center of her palm. She shivered with pleasure. Okay, she never said he was a slouch in the romance department, did she?
"I love you, Abby. I have loved you from the first moment I saw you crawling around on your stomach in that sand dune with your seat sticking up in the air, and the wind blowing your hair around."
She laughed at the word picture he drew and self-consciously tucked a curl behind her ear.
"No, don't. I love the way your curls surround your face. You remind me of a Renoir painting I once saw. Oh, but she was bathing in a stream. Do you suppose you could get naked so I could compare?"
Abby laughed out loud, attracting the attention of the waitress who came over to take their order. Adam, with a grin still on his face, ordered the house specialty for them both.
The restaurant was crowded with diners. Adam waved across the room at a couple who just came in. Abby waved as well. She couldn't remember their names, but she recognized their faces. She was feeling more and more confident as she grew accustomed to the small town and its inhabitants.
Out the window, the brown pelicans lined up on the deck railing, all facing outward for some show that only they could see. She and Adam both turned to enjoy the lakeside view while the wind whipped the water into white capped waves. Wheeling overhead, she could see two eagles slipping into circles around each other in some courting dance, she supposed. It was spring. There was a lot of that going on.
She turned her attention back to Adam, who was wearing a shirt in her favorite blue color. She loved the way his thick, straw-colored hair flopped onto his forehead. His eyes were striking in his deeply tanned face, and she felt she could sink into them. Gosh, I love you. He looked at her, smiling with a question on his face. She drew in a deep breath.
