Romance at Heart Magazine Author Interview: Lise Fuller

Interview with Lise Fuller:

Hi Lise. 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.

My latest book, Intimate Deceptions, is an action/adventure romance that follows our heroine, Elena Ramirez, and hero, Brodie Crawford (a Special Forces Weapons Sergeant) to Mexico to recover the heroine’s kidnapped daughter. This book is the second in the Dangerous Encounters series, a series which overall theme addresses the threat of foreign terrorists infiltrating the United States and whose heroes are primarily from the same Special Forces team.

The first book, On Danger’s Edge, garnered 4 ½ stars from Romantic Times and I’m eager to see what it does when it comes out in paperback early 2007. I’ve listed the blurbs for both for your readers! Intimate Deceptions ~ (to be released in e-book this November 30th with Cerridwen Press

Trapped in a world of suspicion and lies, love was the only way out.
Spurned by Brodie Crawford years ago, Elena Alvarez Ramirez couldn’t hate the man more. Yet when the Special Forces Army Sergeant comes to her aid to help rescue her daughter, repressed desires for Brodie flare and Elena wonders if he has any idea that Janie is his child.

Brodie Crawford wanted only one woman in his life – Elena. But when he came home eight years ago and found her married to his best friend, her betrayal was more than he could stand. Now the bastard that took Elena from him has killed a man and fled across the border with the child. Compelled by an emotion he refuses to name, Brodie leaves to help Elena rescue her daughter and finds that they have fallen into an even bigger game of deceit, one with lethal consequences.
Embroiled in a world of danger and intrigue, Brodie prays they’ll get out alive.

On Danger’s Edge ~ (Currently available at Cerridwen Press (www.cerridwenpress.com) Will be in print and available at Borders Winter 2007:

Fear be damned…
…is the code photojournalist Rorie Lindsay lives by. Free of her abusive ex-husband, she celebrates her divorce with a one-night stand then heads to her next photo shoot in the Panamanian jungles, thirsting for adventure. Finally sensing her life is her own, Rorie relishes her autonomy until guerillas take her small troupe captive. Now, in order to survive, she must match wits with the soldier who came to save her—Chief Warrant Officer Tom MacCallum, the same stranger she'd spent one incredible night with.

Tom couldn't forget the passionate brunette he'd bedded—a vain attempt to assuage his guilt over a comrade's death. Like his father several years before, Tom had been unable to save his friend. Driven in his Special Forces missions, the failures haunt his private life. Because loved ones die, he's refused to commit himself to a woman. Still, he longed for something with Rorie. Unable to find her again, he's encouraged when he sees she's in the party he's rescuing—until the rescue effort goes awry and he finds the terrorists hot on their trail. Now, both their lives and their destinies are…
…On Danger's Edge.

- What can we expect from you in the future?

I plan to write three more of stories in this series; however, I also have other, more "chicklitty", kind of sex-in-the-city type romance in mind. One of them is already out with Cerridwen called Cutting Loose. It’s about a nerdy zoologist named Mira Harper who’s forced by circumstances to deal with her biggest fear – that of romancing a macho jock named Gary Staunton. Here’s a short rundown of that ~

Zoologist Mira Harper never anticipated her promise to her sister to "go wild" would include ad-exec Gary Staunton, a self-made man whose rock-hard body ignites her inhibited libido. Gary needs Mira’s sexy voice for his ad—yet when the seductive woman asks for more, temptation is too hard to resist. Now that he’s tasted heaven, he doesn’t want to let her go.

It was a great deal of fun to write and got some great reviews. I want to write a sequel to this about Mira’s sister, Danielle, who’s already a wild child, but in a way, that’s a ruse. She really uses her wildness to cover her insecurity that she isn’t as bright as her nerdy sister; however, her worst enemy, a brilliant yet arrogant client named Sam Carter, shows her the truth.

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

I have a website that I swear I will learn how to update myself since there’s so much I want to do with it. You can view it at www.lisefuller.com. Or folks can write me at lise@lisefuller.com. I love to hear from fans and I love to know what they enjoy the most about my books and what they would like to see.

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

I think the most enjoyment I get from hearing from readers it that it took them to a different place for a while, a small vacation if you will. One strong visual I have is of a reader who sent me an email telling me they really needed the escape. He read it while traveling to a destination where they had to deal with something unpleasant. He didn’t share the details but was so appreciative that he had the respite. It’s letters like his that remind you why you do what you do. My most earnest hope in my writing is to encourage people to face their fears, do what needs to be done despite the trials. You’ll notice in my novels my heroines basically have some fear holding them back. Their quest is to overcome this to truly achieve their dreams.

- Why did you decide to write romance novels?

Wow. Well, I guess because they are my favorite genre. For me, it’s more than the straight romance aspect. It’s the journey to the destination, to the search for happiness. Isn’t that really what life’s about?

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

LOL! A lot! Of course, there is much that’s my imagination, but how people react to circumstances, certain fears, are things I’ve experienced myself. In On Danger’s Edge, Rorie Lindsay comes from an abusive marriage and has this fear of heights. Been there, done that!

- What do you do to relax and recharge your batteries?

For a few years, I’ve been this health and exercise nut. I even have a page dedicated to this on my website and will have my blog on health and fitness up by the end of the year. In 2002, when my husband deployed, I decided to quit work and focus on fixing myself. I had let myself gain a lot of weight since the birth of our child 10 years before and my cholesterol was almost 300. My doctor wanted to put me on meds, but I declined saying "give me a year". I wanted to see what I could do for myself. I started at the gym, got a trainer and lost over 60 pounds.

Since then, I’ve competed in three amateur body building contests and most importantly, have dropped my cholesterol to below 200. I still have to watch what I eat and keep busy. But at 50, I’m healthier now than when I was 40. I love it. Does this help me unwind? Yep. It’s hard work, and sometimes I feel guilty about the time I take to do this because I could be doing some housework or writing work or something for the family, but staying in shape releases stress, and it also helps you think better, so, in reality, it really helps my writing and everything else in my life in the long run.

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

No. I love love scenes. And I love to write them. But they have to fit into the scene and what’s going on. I once read a love scene that occurred in a hotel run by terrorists that the couple was after and they knew that the hotel was overrun with these guys. Gee, there was no surprise that the terrorists broke into their play—in the shower no less. To me, that just didn’t work. You don’t have two experienced people doing something like that in a dangerous area. Sorry, the love scene seemed too contrived.

So, yeah, it depends on the other factors at the time in the story. Also, just FYI, but I like what I call as the "Star Wars" formula. A little laughter, love and lots of adventure. It just makes things fun.

- What kind of research do you do?

Lots. Online, personal experience, etc. I’ve been known to go experience something personally (within the realm of reasonableness) just to get a feel for it. Or interview another who has that experience. My first manuscript, which I intend to rework within the next year, was centered around an Apache reservation in New Mexico. I wrote one of the counsel members after I finished and asked if she’d read it for authenticity and to be sure I didn’t offend anyone. She did and since then she’s been pushing me to publish it. We correspond every Christmas. She loved it. For now, though, I’m writing a lot of military heroes and I use my husband’s experience for that. He’s my main man editor in that area.

- What does your husband think of your writing? Do you ever ask him for advice?

As you can probably tell, he loves it. He’s the one that encouraged me to quit my high-powered consulting job and write. He’s my biggest fan and reads everything I write. He chuckles at some parts – he knows where they came from . And yes, I always ask him for advise, especially about the technical military stuff, and on the male perspective.

I would also like to thank you for having me. I appreciate the opportunity to reach others. Many blessing to you and your readers.

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!

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