Romance at Heart Magazine Author Interview: Ashlyn Chase

Interview with Ashlyn Chase:

Hi Ashlyn. 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.

I have two releases coming out on two consecutive days! Yup. I hit the book release jackpot! March 14th will bring you Vampire Vintage from Ellora’s Cave and March 15th Heaving Bosoms from Cerridwen Press. Both are off-the-wall comedies. See my website for summaries and a video teaser!

- How do we find out about you and your books?

www.ashlynchase.com.

I keep readers on my mailing list updated with a brief e-mail, only when I have something important to say. No clogging inboxes with spam! Boo Hiss to spam!

And I can be found “playing” on the Internet at a number of places. Mainly, my publisher’s yahoo groups: Ceriswidden's Yahoo Group or Ellora's Cave Yahoo Group (must be over age 18).

And last but certainly not least—my “own” yahoo group (that I share with a dozen other fabulous authors!) League of Amazing Writers
For the latest news and announcements, visit my blog: Ashlyn's livejournal
For procrastinating and fooling around on the web: Ashlyn's MySpace

- Do your fans' comments and letters influence you in any way?

Absolutely! I aim to please. Sometimes I do informal polls on reader’s chat loops just to ask about certain preferences they might have. (Hair/eye color, Chest hair or no chest hair? Favorite names?) I post the results on my blog and encourage folks to add their thoughts if they want to.

I even had one reader tell me a funny story about her husband so I asked if I could use it in a book, acknowledging her. She said yes, so I did! (Thanks again, Susan!)

- Do you have a favorite comment or question from a reader?

Two actually. One reader who lived in New Orleans wrote to tell me she loved my story, which took place in her city, but that my characters paid too much for their trolley ride from the French Quarter to the Garden District! LOL. We’ve become buddies now. After Katrina I kept hoping she was okay and finally heard from her. She had moved in with family elsewhere. Whew!

My second favorite comment was on the same story from a reviewer. She said it was the funniest story she had ever read! This feedback plus my editor’s encouragement pushed me into writing full-on, screw-ball comedy. That particular story was called Show Me the Bling and is being rewritten and lengthened for re-release by Ellora’s Cave as we speak. Its working title is Oh My God. Don’t know if that will remain the title or not.

- How much of your personality and life experiences are in your writing?

Thomas Wolfe once said that every novel is an autobiography. I have to agree to a point, although to read my books would make one think I needed to be locked up! LOL.

- Do you feel humour is important in women's fiction and why?

Yes. I feel humor is very important in life, love and romance novels. I think we all need comic relief. If we become too serious for too long, we can forget how to enjoy life. Laughter has been shown to increase endorphins in the brain—a natural chemical that makes people feel good. Relationships benefit from the light touch too.

- What are your thoughts on love scenes in romance novels, do you find them difficult to write?

You’d be surprised how hard many romance authors work on loves scenes. I find it one of the most daunting challenges to come up with new, fresh scenes and ways to write them, but reading a well-crafted love scene is magical. I can’t wait for my husband to come home so I can read a special scene to him and get his opinion. It often leads to more “research!”

- What does your husband think of your writing?

He tells me I’m the coolest wife ever. At first he wasn’t very supportive, thinking this was just another “pipe dream.” But soon he came to realize that this writing thing made me happy and I was working my butt off to succeed. Now he’s a big fan and wants to read all my work as soon as it’s finished. I’m glad I didn’t let his earlier feelings discourage me.

- Please tell us about yourself (family, hobbies, education, etc.)

I had a pretty decent childhood. Grew up in the suburbs, had nice friends, did well in school, traveled, but all was not ideal. A severely ill sister took its toll on the family. We became close and pulled together to get through, but it sure wasn’t easy. She died at the age of nineteen. I recovered, went to art school, got married, had a beautiful baby girl, then divorced when she was still a toddler. My husband neglected to tell me he didn’t want children. He “disappeared” and my parents took us in. I returned to school, this time for nursing so I could support the two of us.

I worked as a nurse for many years, struggling as a single parent but making it. I continued on with my education very part-time and eventually earned a degree in Behavioral Sciences. (Boy, if I thought I’d had it hard before…) Anyway, at last I met and married the love of my life, my hero and best friend. He’s been a terrific step-dad and husband for the last thirteen years.

My mom and dad both passed away in 2001 and I somehow knew they’d want me to follow my dream. So, I quit nursing after twenty years and did what I’d always wanted to do—write.

- After you've written your book and it's been published, do you ever buy it and/or read it?

That’s a great question. I used to ask my husband to buy my books, joking (sort of) that at least I’d know I had one sale. Now he doesn’t pay for them and I still wind up with a royalty check. If I buy the book it’s to give away. My publisher gives me 5 free copies, but occasionally I wind up promising six or seven.

I have gone back and read my books later, especially if I wanted to rewrite it for a rerelease. With my early books, I’d groan over mistakes I didn’t realize were there at the time. Now if I read something more recent, I smile and say, “Hey, that’s pretty good!”

- Are you in control of your characters or do they control you?

They definitely tell me what to do—or more accurately, what they’re willing to do. I tried to control them once and they went on strike for three weeks. I couldn’t write another word until I allowed them to do what they wanted. The result was a much better, hotter book.

- Are there any words of encouragement for unpublished writers?

Don’t give up!

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!

ash@ashlynchase.com Interview
Buy Ashlyn's Books at Ellora's Cave Soon
Buy Ashlyn's Books at Cerridwen Press Soon