Interview with Author A. H. Scott:
Hi A. H.. Thank you for doing this interview. I would like to welcome you to the Romance at Heart Interview and Author Grilling session. *bg* We are interested to find out as much about you as we possibly can, so lets get started...
- Please tell us about your latest book.
Let me first thank you for giving me this opportunity to be interviewed by Romance At Heart. Describing my first novel, "Over My Head", is like the blossoming of a rose. The petals are beautiful, but often mask the stinging thorns that surround them. It begins with a secret affair, which leads to places that none of the characters would have ever imagined being placed.
Angela Carter Chase is a daughter of privilege, who makes a sacrifice on behalf of her unknowing husband, Lawrence Chase. She becomes a wife, who has decided to act upon her own desires. And, has taken a carefree step into a world she never expected would come at the end of fate's rainbow.
She is a woman who exists amongst four joined stages of life's square. Exploration is the first angle. Love comes as the second turn of degrees. Passion takes third angle. Obligation is that fourth angle of completing the cube of this female's world.
Lawrence's secret is the cornerstone of events, which lead to triumph and tragedy in a shortest span of time. Veiled agendas beneath soft kisses are bitter in daylight's exposure, as intrusions of many forms take several by surprise.
Another key character in "Over My Head", is Nicholas Bell. He is a man of varied lies and devilish alibis has snaked his way into the lives of this couple. Certain word of support or smile of comfort had the effect of making all the difference in gaining entry into another's life.
Before either knows it, they are submerged in something beyond their control.
Oops, I definitely don't want to give away too much of what happens when the wife, husband, and her lover - oh, no, let me stop the details right at this point. Next question, please?
- What can we expect from you in the future?
I've got another novel, titled "Rack Em", on it's way to being published later this year by Eirelander Publishing. Competely different from my first novel, I can assure you of that. This one will be focused on the high stakes world of an international auction cartel and the race to acquire a peculiar treasure from centuries gone by. "Rack Em" has sex, sex, sex. And, oh, did I mention sex? Well, it's that and a few dead bodies along the way.
- How do we find out about you and your books?
To find out more about me and my books, please stop by my publisher, Hearts On Fire Books and my own website, A.H. Scott.
I even have an appetizing taste of, "Over My Head" - Free Download First Chapter, for any reader who stops by my site.
To put a few visuals in context of the description above, take a short journey to the video book promo for "Over My Head", located here: Over My Head Book Trailer
You can also find information on "Over My Head" at the following locations: CoffeeTime Romance Forum, Manic Readers - A.H. Scott, Amazon Kindle, Slake.com, and a blog announcement.
- How may readers contact you?
Any reader can drop me a line at: ahscottnycdiamond@hotmail.com and I'll give them a response to any questions or comments they may have to give me.
- How may fans contact you?
Please feel free to stop by my website, A.H. Scott and sign my guestbook, located here: The Siren's Scribe. Also, they can always drop a line to me at: ahscottnycdiamond@hotmail.com.
- Do you have a favorite comment or question from a reader?
Not yet. But, please, please, please buy my book, Over My Head and tell me what you think about it. With fingers crossed and a wink to all of you - I DARE YOU TO TAKE THE CHANCE ON "OVER MY HEAD".
- Why did you decide to write romance novels?
I decided to take on romance, because it seems to be at the heart of what brings people together. And, in some cases, pulls them apart. Doesn't matter whether it's a man and woman or the same sex, a relationship is two people with emotions that drive their actions to another level of understanding one another. Either way the story ends, it always has a journey that takes my breath away.
- How much of your personality and life experiences are in your writing?
Not to throw stones at anyone, but if A.H. Scott were able to do half of the things that my characters do and say - I can assure that I would be one of three things:
1. Living on a diet of Palmolive Soap bars (thanks to "A Christmas Story" for that one) in my mouth.
2. An Erotic Christopher Columbus or Magellin of some sort, who's exploring the deepest and darkest desires which surround me.
3. The baddest asssss in the world....
Or, just be a writer with one hell of a vivid imagination. Now, I figure that's my core personality. I'm someone who knows how to turn a phrase into someting beyond the vanilla cone of life. The mighty pen can hide behind the screen and get away with fantastic scenarios that make even me blush.
- When did you first think about writing and what prompted you to submit your first ms?
I've always loved writing short stories, since I was a little child. As the years have gone by, life interrupted and my pen was placed down. Well, I guess what prompted me to submit my manuscript for "Over My Head", was that it was my first complete novel. One, which I feel has a chance to entertain a reader. I'm so glad and grateful to have the backing of a great publisher, such as Hearts On Fire Books.
- Generally, how long does it take you to write a book?
"Over My Head", with it's length and complexity of plot, took me about a year and a half to write. But, that's only because I wasn't going 24/7 in punching my keyboard and scribbling a pen to paper.
- Do you have a set schedule for writing or do you just go with the flow?
If I set a schedule, I figure the words won't come. And, sitting in a chair, looking at a blank screen or paper, will make for a forced flow. I say let the flow go naturally. It's almost like a river, when the thoughts start to propel me to write. Gee, you could say it's like some sort of thrash metal, which takes over my mind. It's like a machine gun, which needs to get unloaded. For me, the rat-ta-tat-tat of typing against a keyboard and getting all my thoughts across that screen, really makes me feel a sense of relief.
- What do you do to relax and recharge your batteries?
To take a deep breath and just walk away from the pen, is what I do. And, when I relax, there's nothing that's going to get in the way of that. I mean, I'll take a walk, cook a pot of pasta or just ignore writing all together. Life goes on, with or without me writing anything at all.
- What truly motivates you in general? In your writing?
When I'm writing something, I try my best to see where it will take me. Not just thinking about what someone who reads my work will think about it. Seeing how the plot takes turns and twists, is a great motivator for not even knowing how I'll let a tale end. I'll be honest with you - it's quite liberating to know a character can say something or take an action, which will even make me as the writer, change how this being I've created will proceed.
- Where do your ideas come from?
I hope this doesn't sound too weird, but for me it is just as simple as closing my eyes and starting to see the vision or imagery of what I could possibly write down.
- Do you feel humour is important in women's fiction and why?
Women have to not be so brittle. And, I know that's a charged word for many women to hear. But, it's true. Let romance and desire take you to a place of releasing those old ways. Women don't have to be placed in a box of conformity and frigidity. Fiction can take a female character from being just a docile lamb to being a tigress, if she can laugh at herself and even the circumstances that surround her life on the pages of a book.
Now, of course, if you're reading Sophie's Choice, then it's obvious there is no humor or light moments of merriment there. But, not all in life is so bleak.- What are your thoughts on love scenes in romance novels, do you find them difficult to write?
Focusing on who the characters that interacting in a sexual way are, gives me an easy road to take with the scene. If it's a wife and husband, well, in some ways, that's the romantic rendezvous. Now, if it's a liaison in the darkness of midnight with some sexy stranger, then that's the spice that can get me to let my imagination go all out in describing what's happening between those two people.
- What kind of research do you do?
For my first novel, "Over My Head", most of the research I had to do was surrounding the location of the story. Now, that was the easy part for me to place information that I had found into the right format. The harder research was getting into the atmosphere of the time period I was happening to write about. You know, music and fashion of the late 60's to early 80's had to be interwoven amongst the character's lives in "Over My Head".
- Would you like to write a different genre than you do now, or sub-genre?
Romance covers so many aspects of what fiction is all about. It can go from a light comedy to a suspenseful mystery, which my second novel, titled "Rack Em" is. So, I guess more than just a contemporary romance, I can see myself working on an action packed romance with elements of adventure and crushing bones.
- Fill in the blank favorites -
Dessert - Oreo Cookies and milk.
City - Milan.
Season - Spring.
Type Of Hero - For me, a good hero is one who isn't that pristine at all. He's got to have a few ashes of flaws on his white suit of silk. No white hats here. I guess my type of favorite hero is one who's hat is way, way off-white. Any hero I write has to have intelligence and appeal. When I write about an appealing hero, it's not physical appearance. It's what kind of man attracts the female lead in my story.
Type of Herione - Well, in my writing, there are varied levels of what makes a herione. She's got to be confident. And, in the same vein, this woman must be one who is open to the possibility that she isn't a superwoman. Now, that's where the conflict is in my thinking of the certain type of herione the female character should be. It would be a snap for me to write about a pretty (and or gorgeous) woman, who can have any man she wants and gets him at the drop of a batting eyelash. But, the more complex the life of a woman is, it's more fun for me. To delve into that female who doesn't have all the eyes upon, when she walks into a room; might be the one more interesting to take a look at. She might be battling those extra pounds and in a not so glamourous job. You know, the friendly woman with comforting smile and dutiful worker. We all know someone like that. In my view, the plain Jane and seductive Delilah are in a tie for my listing of what makes a convincing Heroine.
- What are some of your favorite things to do?
Besides being a first time author of "Over My Head", I'm also a digital artist and a poet
- Do you have a favorite author? Favorite book?
I'm like Jack Gilford in those Lay's Potato Chip commercials, "I can't just eat one". But, in answer to this specific topic, it's unable to choose just one. But, needless to say, I can go from the old stand-bys of the classics to contemporary. For me, that can run the gamut of all sorts of fiction. As for non-fiction, well, that's a different spot of another tiger.
Jane Austen and the Bronte sisters can't be given enough praise, for they capture that essence of romance. Back when I read Jacqueline Susann's Valley of The Dolls, I could see the differences in tone between that level of fiction and what came many decades earlier.
Let me delve a little deeper with that. As I explained earlier with my own heroines, I have more of an affinity for a ballsy type of character. Oh, don't get me wrong, as I say that. But, for being a contemporary writer, it's easier for me to empathize with female characters that live in today's world, rather than a stifled age of Regency. (No offense to Austen or Bronte's, but that's how I see it) Maybe, when I decided to write a novel set in the Victorian age, I'll feel like eating my own words in that previous sentence.
Frothy and flirty romances to something far creepier, is what really stokes my interest.
Now, in the realm of suspense, I've always enjoyed the magic of Poe and Christie. Death At the Vicarage is a true crackler. It may sound corny, but Poe's prose will forever have the ability to send chills up and down my spine. To me, difference between someting being suspenseful and horrifying, comes down to which can make you not be able to sleep after reading it.
Oh, and one horror novel that knocked my boots off, was The Woflen, by Whitley Strieber. Now, that was a scary one. And, when I saw the film adaptation of it - well, for me, it lived up to the written word of Strieber. In somewhat of the same vein (all puns intended), Jay Anson's Amityville Horror, really took me to wanting to keep my sheets pull up over my head. And, at the time when I read it, I was far from being a babe in the age department.
- Who are some of your other favorite authors to read?
When I was a youngster, I thought Sidney Sheldon was only the producer/writer of classic television shows (I Dream Of Jeannie, The Patty Duke Show, and Hart To Hart). Geez, how in the dark I was about what a multi-talented author he was, until I was in my late teen years. Rage Of Angels was a great book.
Ken Follett's Eye Of The Needle and Key To Rebecca truly showed glimpses of the world beyond the borders of just the United States. Even a dreary, isolated island could have the ability to take me away to thoughts of a more exotic locale. Now, that to me, is truly what makes a great novelist. Someone who can take something bleak and make it come blazing to life on a page.
Even though these two novels were mighty thick and a straining lift to hold in my hands, James Michener's Space and Centennial really captured the vastness of the universe between the pages of his books.
There are two more female authors that I also enjoy reading. Judith Krantz and Barbara Taylor Bradford. What I respect about both of these women, is there ability to dazzle the reader with a keyhole gaze into the diamond lives of their characters.
An ability with giving me a cat and mouse thrill in reading his work, is John LeCarre. Two books of his: Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy and The Constant Garderner, prove that all that's seen isn't what's real. To me, he is a grand master of removing that veil of a character's proposed propriety.
With Shogun, James Clavell truly took adventure and desire and rolled it up into a passionate novel, set in a cloistered Japan. Although, I've never been to the land of the rising sun, with reading Clavell's book, I can imagine centuries gone by in that mysterious land.
- Who, if anyone, has influenced your writing?
Teachers, instructors, and professors of all stripes have affected me. Be it from Elementary, Junior High School, High School, College. As in just living everyday, it's life that influences me, too.
- Where do you see yourself in five years?
In the next five years, I hope to have another novel published and maybe even a few more.
- How long have you been writing - have you always wanted to be a writer?
I've been writing since crayons and chalk.
- How many books have you written, how many have been published?
I've written two books. One of which has been published already from Hearts on Fire Books. And, the second, which has a proposed published date of 2010.
- After you've written your book and it's been published, do you ever buy it and/or read it?
Aah, most definitely. Knowing those words that I'm reading have come from my imagination, blows my mind. Seeing it published by Hearts On Fire Books, truly takes the cake. And, makes my toes curl with joy in gazing at my own work.
- Among your own books, have you a favorite book? Favorite hero or heroine?
Whoa! That's a simple one. This is my first novel. And, being modest, I'll have to say, "Over My Head". My main character, Angela Carter Chase is my favorite heroine (as of this date). She's a survivor, who doesn't realize how strong she truly is.
Now, when my second novel, "Rack Em", is hopefully published later this year from Eirelander Publishing , maybe I'll change my answer. And, the heroine will shift to hero.
- What book for you has been the easiest to write? The hardest? The most fun?
Both of my books were easy to write. As for the most fun. Well, I'd say that "Rack Em" is the more playful novel of my two. Som that leaves "Over My Head" as the hardest. As Angela Carter Chase and Lawrence Chase go through their marital ups and downs, that was truly a complicated nest to untangle for me.- Which comes first, the story, the characters or the setting?
In "Over My Head", the story came first. Then, the characters. As for the setting, well, that came last. The plot is the key to understanding the characters in my novel. The setting is important, but it becomes an unspoken character in the background of the tale.
- What are the elements of a great romance for you?
The two main characters have to have a settlement at the end of any novel. There must be a conclusion and reason why they loved in each in the first place. That for me, makes a romance novel click with the reader.
- What is the hardest part of writing/the easiest for you?
The most difficult part of writing is where does the final period on the work goes. I realize it has to come to a final paragraph and sentence. That's the hardest part for me. The easiest is placing the first word titled 'chapter' onto a page.
- Are you in control of your characters or do they control you?
Both. My characters take chances that I would never see myself taking. And, in that way, I guess they control me. But, then again, I'm the one who presses the off button on my computer and places the pen away from paper. So, that's when my control takes over the character.
- What is the most rewarding thing about being a writer?
Being a published author is a miracle for me. And, I'll admit it - seeing my work sold to the world, is definitely and ego boost. And, I'm drinking up every precious moment of being a writer.
- Are there any words of encouragement for unpublished writers?
My personal message to an unpublished writer is this:
"Write with your heart. And, not your head".
"Focus on your character".
"Try, try, try".
"Rejection is a bummer. But, not the end of the world. That is out of our control".
"Never stop dreaming".
- What question would you love to answer that I didn't ask?
There's nothing left that needs to be asked. But, let me thank you for interviewing me Romance At Heart. Take care.....
Thank you very much for taking the time with us and answering our questions. I really appreciate this interruption to your busy schedule. Good Luck, and we will be looking forward to the next delightful creation from your talented imagination!
Yours in good reading,
Rose!
Author Links:
Website Email "Over My Head" - Free Download First Chapter Over My Head Book Trailer My Guest Book - The Siren's Scribe My Publisher
RaH Links:
Review Coming Soon
Purchase Links:
Buy A. H. Scott's Books At Amazon
Buy Over My Head at Hearts On Fire
">Buy Over My Head for Amazon Kindle
