Interview with Selena Robbins:
Hi Selena. Welcome to Romance at Heart’s Author Interview. We are pleased that you have decided to join with the authors who now grace out website with wonderful books, and the willingness to answer my interminable questions. That being said, let’s get started!
- Please tell us about your latest book.
Sabrina’s Destiny is an eclectic mixture of Touched by an Angel, X-Files, I Love Lucy and a Tom Hanks – Meg Ryan love story. I have labeled it as a Paranormal Romantic Comedy. It’s a story about dreams, goals, bereavement, guilt and two people who think they are total opposites coming together, to find out they have a lot more in common than they had originally thought. The mistaken identity provided me the opportunity to inject the humor and also a bit of mystery.
- What can we expect from you in the future?
I am planning a sequel to Sabrina’s Destiny. Right now, I am polishing my requested manuscript for the Harlequin Blaze line. This book also has a splash of comedy, however, it is mainly suspenseful and a lot more sensual than Sabrina, since it is a Blaze. The working title is; “Her Bodyguard’s Secret.” An undercover cop whose father was killed by the mob, is given the assignment to pose as a Bodyguard to a Mob Princess. Said Princess doesn’t like dominate men in her life, as she has been controlled by her father, an alleged crime boss. What we have here is a hero and heroine, both strong, independent and both have an immense dislike for the other even before they meet. But true to Blaze form, they are both hot for each other of course.
- How do we find out about you and your books?
You can visit my website at: Selena Robins.com. I love when my website visitors stop by and sign my guest book.
- Do you have a favorite comment or question from a reader?
I had a reader from Houston, Texas write to me and tell me that she had been suffering depression, due to an overwhelming amount of bad luck. She received my book in the mail and decided to try to forget her problems for a few hours and start reading the book. She wrote to tell me that she couldn’t put the book down. She finished it in one sitting, and for the first time in three months she laughed, smiled and felt warm inside. That is why we write. Her letter to me made me smile and feel warm inside.
- Where do your ideas come from?
Sabrina’s Destiny’s premise came from my love of snow globes and angels, comedy and my son who has no concept of anything related to handyman duties. For the Blaze, Her Bodyguard’s Secret, the idea sparked in a grocery story. I was in the pasta section, as I was making spaghetti for dinner that evening. I was thinking about pasta, sauce, my Italian culture, and all that rolled into a suspense about this Italian family and their daughter. Ideas come from everywhere, even a logo on a box of cereal can spark an idea. My critique partner Trish, loves that line. She’s still trying to figure out which cereal.
- Do you feel humor is important in women's fiction and why?
I believe humor is important in all aspects of our life. Laughing releases those great endorphins, and not taking ourselves too seriously allows us to really be ourselves. Humor is important in all fiction, even a dark mystery and suspense. It gives the reader a great roller coaster ride. Cranking up the tension and the suspense in a book allows the reader to feel that emotion, and adding a little humor releases that tension, just like in our own lives. I also believe that humor in a hot sensual scene adds spice for the reader to enjoy. A novel without some humor is good, just like a sweet strawberry, but add some comedy, and it’s like a strawberry dipped in chocolate, very very good.
- What are your thoughts on love scenes in romance novels, do you find them difficult to write?
I don’t find love scenes difficult to write. I write my love scenes in the first person, so I can really get into the deep POV of the character. I also make sure to have a cold glass of water beside me when I’m writing. I then change it to third person for the story. If I feel uncomfortable or squeamish about a certain scene or paragraph, I remove it. The research for these scenes are a lot of fun, especially since purchasing Laura Corn’s books. I also match the scene for the characters. In Sabrina’s Destiny I didn’t feel I could open the bedroom door for their love scene, so it remains closed, but I did crank up the sexual tension.
- Fill in the blank favorites - Dessert. City. Season. Type of hero. Type of heroine.
Anything chocolate. New York. Autumn. A sexy Alpha-Beta. Strong, sassy, independent
- Do you have a favorite author? Favorite book?
Harper Lee. To Kill a Mockingbird.
- Who are some of your favorite authors?
I read so many different genres and authors, that I find this a hard question. However, these authors are the ones I look for in a bookstore by author name: Joy Fielding, Janet Evonavich, Susan Peterson, Margaret Marr, Stephen King, Sharon Horton, and most recently I have discovered an author I enjoy reading (non-fiction), Doreen Virtue.
Thank you so very much, Selena for taking this time for us. We appreciate it very much, and will be looking forward to seeing much more from you in our wonderful world of romance.
Yours in good reading,
Rose!
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