Romance at Heart Magazine Author Interview: Lynne Erickson

Interview With Lynn Erickson:

Hi Lynn. 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.

Our latest book is In the Cold, a launch book for Berkley Sensation. It's a romantic suspense with a wicked twist in the end. The fast-paced book finds Aspen born Ashley reliving a nightmare abduction she suffered twenty years ago-and for a second time she must call on a stranger to save her, Chris Judge, an ex-cop with a questionable past and a terrible secret. As much as she yearns for him, her desire may be blinding her to the truth-he's going to get them all killed.

-What can we expect from you in the future?

Oh my, we have been on a writing frenzy. In November, Without a Trace will be out, and after that After Hours will be out in the late spring. Both are romantic suspense, and we can't wait to see the covers!

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

You can always find us at Lynnerickson.com

-How may readers contact you?

E mail us directly through our web site or atlynn@lynnerickson.com

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

Oh, yes! We love to answer how we write together. This always gets us going with the back and forth jokes and barbs. We can be brutal. But essentially we are yin and yang, both have strengths and weaknesses-Molly often writes the proposal while Carla does all the research. But we write the book alternating chapters, exchanging them for rewrites, over and over until the writing is the best we can do and the chapters are seamless. It's always fun when one of us is dying to write a particular chapter-usually the other one was dreading it. Yep, we really are opposites.

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

Fortunately, both of us are widely traveled, and we draw on all our experiences. Living in Aspen since the 60s has been such a bonus-this crazy, glitzy town provides us with endless stories.

-When did you first think about writing and what prompted you to submit your first ms?

We decided to write a historical novel in the mid-70's when we got tired of reading about the same background settings in romances. We set our first book in Afghanistan in the 1800s with English and Turkomen characters. We even put a mystery in the plot-little did we know mystery/suspense was going to be our forte. Submitting the manuscript took pure guts and total ignorance about how hard it is to sell a book.

-Do you have a set schedule for writing or do you just go with the flow ?

We definitely go with the flow. Carla has two horses she keeps 30 miles from Aspen, and if she's going riding, well, that's it for the day. Molly loves to golf-if the ladies call for a game, off she goes. Heck, the writing will be there when they get home. It's so important in life to be happy, relaxed and flexible.

-What about your family, do they know not to bother you when you are writing - or are there constant interruptions?

Thank the Lord our children are grown and gone and there are few interruptions in our writing now. But Carla used to write at her kitchen table with her kids playing under the table. And Molly's daughter was a holy terror and needed to be chased at every turn. Our husbands have always been great, indulging us and very understanding.

-Where do your ideas come from?

Our ideas generally come straight from the news, often right here in Aspen. Our latest book, In the Cold, came from a news story a decade ago about an abduction in Wyoming, where the kidnappers took the girl to clean and cook for them. Go figure. But truth is stranger than fiction.

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

At first the love scenes were hard to write. Nowadays, we prefer to draw the curtain at a certain point.

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

Carla is from Buffalo, NY. She graduated from the University of Rochester then traveled the world several times. She met her husband Erik-the "Erik" is Erickson, BTW-in Switzerland. They have two grown children. Carla skis and horseback rides and shops like a maniac when she's in NY.

Molly grew up on Philadelphia's Main Line, went to George Washington University and left after two years to "drop out." She never really dropped out, always working and keeping house, but she did travel Europe and the Mid-East with a backpack on her shoulders before settling down in Aspen with her husband, where they ran mountain ski restaurants for many years. Now she loves warm weather and golfing.

-Are you a member of any author groups - RWA, critique groups, etc.?

We are members of Authors Guild, The National Writers Union, the International Association of Crime Writers, NINC, RWA and a small Aspen writers group, as we live too far from any RWA chapters to participate.

-How many books have you written, how many have been published?

We've written over 50 books now. All of them have been published. Phew is all we can say about that!

-Which comes first, the story, the characters or the setting?

The story usually comes first, straight out of the news. Then the characters. We almost always set the plot in or near Aspen, as it's such a unique and terrific place to write about.

-Any words of encouragement for unpublished writers?

Just keep writing and believing in yourself and use any means you can to network.

Molly, Carla, thank you for your time. I really appreciate you answering my questions. We shall all be looking forward to hearing more from Lynn Erickson, and in particular to the November release of Without A Trace, and After Hours in the spring...

Yours in good reading,
Rose!

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