Interview with Author Marie Force:
Hi Marie. 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.
Line of Scrimmage was released Sept 1. It's the story of an NFL quarterback who mounts the Hail Mary play of a lifetime to stop a divorce he never wanted—and he has to act fast. His soon-to-be ex-wife is already engaged to her high school boyfriend.
- What can we expect from you in the future?
My second book, Same Time Sunday, will be out in the spring of 2009. A Baltimore prosecutor set to begin the biggest trial of his career and a hair stylist with a dysfunctional family meet in the airport on their way to visit their significant others in Florida. After they each endure a disastrous weekend, they meet up again on the flight home, striking up an unlikely friendship that leads to love. I'm also talking to my publisher about another football book, maybe for next fall. It would be based on a character who appears in Line of Scrimmage.
- How do we find out about you and your books?
Visit my website at www.mariesullivanforce.com or my blog at mariesullivanforce.blogspot.com. I'm also part of a group blog with the other Sourcebooks Casablanca Authors, which can be found at http://casablancaauthors.blogspot.com.
- How may readers contact you?
I love to hear from readers! E-mail me at mforce@cox.net.
- How many readers/fans contact you?
Since Line of Scrimmage was released, I've received e-mails from readers all over the country and some even in Australia. It's very exciting to hear from people who enjoyed the book and were touched by the story.
- Do your fans' comments and letters influence you in any way?
I've just started receiving them lately, so not so far. If fans asked for more of a character or made a suggestion that resonated with me, I'd certainly be open to that.
- Do you have a favorite comment or question from a reader?
I've liked everything they've said so far! One woman, who reviews a lot of books, told me it was the best romance she's read this year. That made my day, to say the least!
- Why did you decide to write romance novels?
I write what I love to read. I've always read romances, dating back to Danielle Steel when I was younger to Nora Roberts more recently. I love the guarantee of a happy ending.
- How much of your personality and life experiences are in your writing?
In Line of Scrimmage, not very much. I wrote about an NFL star and his wife. Nothing in my life compares to theirs, but what makes them relatable characters is that despite living the high life, they're human like the rest of us. I like to say that Ryan is an extraordinary football player with ordinary problems, such as his wife has had it with him.
- When did you first think about writing and what prompted you to submit your first ms?
I've always been a writer. I went to journalism school in college and worked as a reporter for a few years. Since then, I've been in the communications business. The fiction writing began about five years ago and has taken off since then. It's always been a dream of mine to hold a book that I wrote in my hands, and that dream came true this past August 20 when my author copies of Line of Scrimmage arrived at my house. Total freak out moment that my whole family was there to witness because we had just returned from vacation.
- Generally, how long does it take you to write a book?
The first one took me YEARS! The second one, about 90 days. The third one? Forty-five days. I average now between two and three months. I work full time during the day and can only write at night and on weekends, so I try to make the most of the limited time I have available to write
- Do you have a set schedule for writing or do you just go with the flow?
I usually write at night, often with my beloved Boston Red Sox on the T.V. for company, and tend to go with the flow. I never outline or plot a book. I'm what's known as a seat-of-the-pants writer. I start with a premise and go from there.
- What is your writing routine once you start a book?
When I'm in the midst of a book, I write every night. The next morning, my good friend Chris reads whatever I wrote the night before and we talk about it. We hash out plot points, I run things past her, etc. I am so lucky to have that kind of input during the process. I also edit as I write by going back repeatedly to re-read. This keeps me honest as far as closing open loops, getting ideas for directions I can take the story, and keeping character development moving forward. This process also results in a fairly clean and complete first draft.
- What about your family, do they know not to bother you when you are writing - or are there constant interruptions?
My family (a husband, daughter, 13, and a son, 10) are very supportive of my writing career, but yes, there are constant interruptions. That's okay, though. I have worked full-time from home for 10 years now, so I've gotten used to tuning out the chaos and focusing on work. What's interesting is that I've come to the realization that the chaos is a necessary part of my process. When I travel for work, I always think I'll get so much done in the peaceful hotel rooms, but I never do.
- What do you do to relax and recharge your batteries?
I love to spend time at the beach and on my dad's boat with my family. We have beautiful summers here in Rhode Island! I also watch the Red Sox just about every day during the season, and a few T.V. shows after baseball ends. My favorites include Brothers & Sisters, ER, Grey's Anatomy, and Friday Night Lights.
- What truly motivates you in general? In your writing?
The story is what motivates me. I get something in my head and it just HAS to be written. It tends to take me over to the point that I start babbling dialogue to myself and my family thinks I've lost it, which I probably did—quite a while ago!
- Where do your ideas come from?
I like to say that the ideas are everywhere once you open yourself up to them. One of my favorite "idea" stories is about a handsome guy driving a black Mercedes convertible with his initials followed by MD on his Massachusetts plate. So I wondered where that handsome doctor from Boston was going. The answer to that is a book called "The Fall." I hope to see it published some day. My second book, Same Time Sunday, coming out from Sourcebooks next Spring, was the result of an eavesdropping session in an airport ten years ago.
- Do you feel humour is important in women's fiction and why?
I love a book that makes you laugh, cry, angry, etc. I try to bring as many emotions into my books as I can. Humor is definitely critical. Ryan, in Line of Scrimmage, is pretty funny. He has this whole intentionally obtuse thing going on that cracked me up when I was writing him.
- What are your thoughts on love scenes in romance novels, do you find them difficult to write?
Yes! I remember the first one I ever wrote. I was on a family vacation and my husband had taken the kids to the pool. I was alone in the hotel room and had reached the point in my book where I had to write a love scene. Some people can skip them and go back to them later, but I can't do that. I just kept saying to myself, "Write it like no one will ever see it." Over and over, I kept thinking that. So I wrote the scene and it came out just right for those two characters. It has gotten easier over time, but it's never going to be my favorite thing to write. Another challenge is making the love scenes varied from one book to the next, but I find that the individual characters dictate that as much as they do other aspects of the story.
- What kind of research do you do?
Research is actually my least favorite part of writing. I want to just know everything so I can get busy writing. But alas, i do the necessary work. For Line of Scrimmage, that involved the tremendous hardship of watching sexy men running around in tight white pants week after week after week. Tough duty, but I make these sacrifices for my readers. Since I started writing fiction, I've read a book on country music and one on police procedure. I've gone on a ride-along with a police officer and taken an online tour of Graceland. I love the Internet and having the answers to most basic questions right at my fingertips, but I also love the opportunity to see things firsthand.
- Would you like to write a different genre than you do now, or sub-genre?
Never! I'm romance all the way. However, I do also write romantic suspense along with my single-title contemporaries.
- What does your husband think of your writing?
My husband is very supportive and so are my children. I'm also lucky to have the support of a big family and a wide circle of friends who have bought lots of books. I appreciate their enthusiasm now and their support during all the years leading up to being published. They loved my books long before anyone in the industry ever saw them, and that kept me going.
- Do you ever ask him/her for advice?
My husband helped me a lot with the football facts in Line of Scrimmage. He also does some research for me from time to time, since he loves to have a good reason to surf the Internet.
- Please tell us about yourself (family, hobbies, education, etc.)
My husband Dan and I will be married 16 years in October. We have Emily, 13, Jake, 10, and Consuela the wonder mutt, 16. My dad, my brother and his family live close by as do a gaggle of cousins and extended family. I have a bachelor's degree in Journalism and Political Science and a master's degree in public administration. My hobbies include reading, watching the Red Sox, the beach, the boat, anything with my kids.
- Fill in the blank favorites -
Dessert - Anything chocolate
City - San Francisco
Season - autumn
Type of hero/heroine - I love a good alpha male who is brought soundly down to earth by an equally willful woman, like Ryan and Susannah in Line of Scrimmage.
- Are you a member of any author groups - RWA, critique groups, etc.?
I belong to RWA and the following chapters: New England, From the Heart, Kiss of Death and Published Authors Special Interest.
- What do you think of critique groups in general?
I know they work tremendously well for some writers, but I have not gone that route. I prefer to work alone with the input of a few close friends on plot.
- Where do you see yourself in five years?
Sending my oldest off to college, sending my youngest off to high school, and still writing!
- How long have you been writing - have you always wanted to be a writer?
I've always been a writer, but the fiction writing started about five years ago.
- How many books have you written, how many have been published?
I have eleven finished, two published or on their way, and we're talking about some of the others. I have high hopes for all of them. I took the advice "keep writing while you're waiting to sell" seriously!
- After you've written your book and it's been published, do you ever buy it and/or read it?
I took the advice of one of my New England Chapter members, the fabulous Judith Arnold, who told me to READ my book. If there was anything wrong with it, I'd most likely be the one to notice. Fortunately, everything was fine. It was actually a kick to read the story as an actual book.
- Which comes first, the story, the characters or the setting?
Usually the story, sometimes the characters. I've had it both ways.
- Are you in control of your characters or do they control you?
My characters definitely have the wheel. They tend to take me over, get inside my head, talk to me, push me, sometimes shove me. It's an interesting process.
- Have you experienced writer's block---> If so, how did you work through it?
Hasn't happened to me yet (knocking on wood). I'm sure it will eventually.
- Are there any words of encouragement for unpublished writers?
Do. Not. Give. Up. Ever. My mantra when I was unpublished was this: The only thing I know for sure is if I give up, it'll never happen. Be dogged in your perseverance. Want it more than you want just about anything. And write. As much and as often as you can.
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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