Interview with Samantha Sommersby:
Hi Samantha. 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.
That would be Shelter from the Storm by Lara Williams. I have a great fondness for this story. There is a lot of me in this particular novel. I don't have a personal history of being in an abusive relationship, but I have professional experience with that dynamic.
Also, my husband is a social worker that works with abused children. He influenced the way that I wrote the hero, Mac, quite a bit. If I had to boil it down I'd say that Shelter from the Storm is about two people previously burned by love and thrown together by circumstance.
The growth of the relationship between the characters is the story. Both characters come into the relationship with baggage, but they overcome it. As they reveal more of themselves to one another they fall deeply and passionately in love. At times it's raw and at times it's rocky, just like in life. Oh, but in the end you can count on that all-important happily-ever-after. It is a romance after all.
- What can we expect from you in the future?
I'm currently working on an erotic romance that is titled Forbidden. It will be published under my Samantha Sommersby pen. It's a contemporary vampire novel set on a remote island off the coast of Canada. The hero is a 300 year old vampire named Byron Renfield. Byron is a compelling character who has completely endeared himself to me. He's the kind of guy who oozes sexuality without even trying. Byron is a recluse. When Violet Deeds, the stories heroine, shows up on his doorstep, he's at a bit of a loss as to what to do. Violet is as feisty as they come and once she sets her sights on Byron...well, the poor vamp doesn't stand a chance.
Most vampire novels feature the vamp as the seducer. I started to think about what it would be like to turn the table, to have the human seduce the vampire. There's handcuffs involved at one point....I'm not giving away any more.
- How do we find out about you and your books?
My web-site address is www.escapewithromance.com. You can link to my blog and Yahoo group from there. I also have a newsletter that you can find on that site. If you join the Yahoo group you'll automatically get the monthly newsletter and be eligible for cool prizes.
- How may readers contact you?
Readers can write to me at escapewithromance@cox.net.
- How much of your personality and life experiences are in your writing?
Quite a bit, actually. I write part-time. Professionally I'm a psychotherapist and I've worked in the psychiatric field for twenty years. I think that experience helps bring depth to my characters. I give them history, background. I spend time exploring their motivation and ensuring that I know what makes them tic. Wesley Atherton, In the Still of the Night's hero was a psychiatrist. Elizabeth Reynolds, the heroine in As You Wish, was a social worker. I drew heavily from personal experience in writing both of them.
You'll also see parts of my husband and son in my heros. My husband is an avid sailor, and so is William Carlton in As You Wish. My son fences. He helped me with the fencing scene in Shelter from the Storm.
- What are your thoughts on love scenes in romance novels, do you find them difficult to write?
Oh, I love a great love scene. I can't imagine a romance novel without one. I love the build up, creating tension between the characters, letting it simmer a bit. The first big love scene is always crucial for me. I take my time with it and work to get it right. I want the passion to be palpable and I want to feel the sensuality. A love scene should be arousing on some level.
Do I find them difficult to write? No. I project myself into the scene. I take it slow. And most importantly, I try to have fun with it.
- Fill in the blank favorites -
Dessert - I'm not big on sweets, but last week I had an incredible espresso gelato
City - San Francisco/Napa Valley
Season - Summer
Type of hero - the bad boy that is ripe for redemption
Type of heroine - touch of innocence and vulnerability, but underneath she's strong, determined, and knows how to get what she wants.
- What are some of your favorite things to do?
My husband was a Marine. When we received news during Desert Storm that his unit was being deployed he told me that I needed a hobby. I discovered wine. I toured vineyards in Napa, Somoma, and Temecula and started attending tastings. I live in California and so I'm surrounded by fabulous wine. We have an 800 bottle cellar in our house. Mostly I collect California Cabernets.
- How many books have you written, how many have been published?
I've written 5 books and they have all be published by Linden Bay Romance. Under the pen name of Samantha Sommersby I've written Blazing Sun, Burning Hearts and Trilogy No. 101.
Under the pen name of Lara Williams I've written As You Wish, In the Still of the Night, and Shelter from the Storm. I also wrote a short story for Romance Unwrapped which is an anthology filled with winter romances.
- Among your own books, have you a favorite book? Favorite hero or heroine?
My favorite heroine is June from June in August, one of the short stories in Trilogy No. 101. I wrote the story from June's point of view and that made it an intense and connecting experience. While I was writing it, June's voice was constantly in my head. I remember that when I sent it off to the editor I told her that she had to read it out loud using a Texas accent. I made her promise. Maria is British. I wish I had been a fly on the wall to hear that one!
You're probably wondering why I picked June? June is the youngest heroine that I've written. June in August takes place in Texas during 1969. Wiley Patton has just returned from Vietnam and his neighbor, June, is now all grown up...and waiting to welcome him home. When Wiley left for war June was fifteen. Although she's eighteen now, she's still naive in many ways. What I like best about her is her determination. She's a girl who know what she wants and she goes after it. Wiley Patton may be a more experienced "man of the world", but he falls madly in love with June. That soul bearing, slow burning, forever kind of love. Who wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of that?
- What book for you has been the easiest to write? The hardest? The most fun?
The hardest was Blazing Sun, Burning Hearts. It took an incredible amount of research. The story is set in Arabia during World War I. I've been to Jordan, which was a help. But, I had to do a lot of brushing up on WWI history, the use of female spies, and the Bedouin people.
- Which comes first, the story, the characters or the setting?
Always the characters. They drive the story and are completely in control. Once the characters are fully developed the story pretty much writes itself.
- Have you experienced writer's block---> If so, how did you work through it?
My theory is that if I'm stuck, then I've taken the story down an unnatural path. If I stay true to character then what happens next is inevitable. Anytime that I find myself stalling I just back track a bit. That always does the trick.
- What is the most rewarding thing about being a writer?
Getting to share the story with others.
- Are there any words of encouragement for unpublished writers?
Write, write, write. Don't just talk about writing and submitting. Do it.
Thank you very much Samantha 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!
Escape With Romance.com
Buy Samantha's Books at Linden Bay Romance
Buy Lara's Books at Linden Bay Romance