You can read the entire interview and review on her blog.
Sweet Chemistry interview with September Roberts
Hi September!
First of all, thank you again for taking the time out of your busy life to do an interview with me. It has been a while since I have had the awesome opportunity to interview you. In fact you were my first interview so it sorta feels like going home again. =)
Thank you for interviewing me! Again! I couldn’t think of a better person to spend some time with. 🙂
So let’s jump right in!
Sweet Chemistry is amazing! I was wondering though, why the move from a vampire world like Orchids for Lila to a steamy non PNR like Sweet Chemistry?
Thank you so much! I’m not sure why I went with a contemporary romance, but the story popped into my brain and wouldn’t go away, so I thought I should dedicate the time to bring the characters to life. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love vamps, but I think there’s something sweet about a regular boy and a regular girl falling in love.
James is a fantastic character, in a lot of ways I felt more for him than I did Kate. What made you think of James? Was there a person who inspired you to create him?
My husband is the inspiration behind James. There’s something incredibly sexy about a man with a big brain and a wounded heart…and a stubbly beard.
Watching Kate and James fall in love with each other and try to fight what they are feeling hurt at times. In fact when James treats Kate badly, thinking she was with someone else, I wanted to cry. Did you know when you were writing that their story would play out like this or did you just take it step by step and let the chips fall where they may so to speak?
I knew the whole story, including their motivation to distrust each other despite their desire to be together. Miscommunication can be a relationship killer, and Kate and James had it in spades. They also had enough lust and happiness to balance things out.
James has a really great relationship with his brother; in fact I don’t remember reading any other book where the brother bond is really explored as well. Do you have siblings that you are close to like that, and is that what made you write that part of the story so well?
My sister and I are very close. For years, she’s been a wonderful friend, which has gotten me through some really tough times. Because James has a hard time trusting people, and his relationship with his parents leaves a lot to be desired, I figured he would be really close to one person: his brother. Sometimes family can be a huge pain in the ass, but they’re also there when you need them.
The cover of this book…dear heaven! I nearly fainted, because if this man was my professor you could bank on the fact that I would care less about the moral implications of us sleeping together..lol. Who designed it and why the hot guy?
You can thank the talented art department at Liquid Silver Books! I gave them an idea of what I wanted, and they ran with it. I think my favorite part (aside from the hot guy) is the faint appearance of chemical formulas along the bottom of the cover, but then again, I am a nerd at heart.
I know you know I have to ask, was there ever a love affair between you and one of your professors at college? =)
LOL Nope. I did meet my husband in college though, but he was a student too.
This book was very light and beautifully written. I am not a NA kind of girl, but both of your novels deal with college students I would like to have known. Is this the genre you feel most comfortable in?
Thank you for the compliment on my writing! I think there is something beautiful about coming-of-age romances. Life is a little less complicated in your twenties, but inexperience often makes a mess of things. On the other hand, romance in your thirties and forties is filled with confidence but can be bogged down by exes and broken dreams. One of the books I’m working on now features a married couple in their late thirties, and it’s been a riot to write. Honestly, I’m open to all sorts of romance genres.
We live in a world of trilogies, series novels, and dramatic cliffhangers, yet you have done single novels. Is there a point where you think you will jump into the series book craze?
It’s funny you should mention that. Orchids for Lila was, in my mind, the first in a series, but when I submitted the manuscript to my publisher, the managing editor warned me against doing a series. She suggested I spend my time and energy developing new characters in the same universe, which is where I got the idea to write a book about Ben. You’ve probably figured out by now that I’m not crazy about drama or dramatic cliffhangers. Sometimes real life can be really intense, and when I pick up a book, I want an escape. Sweet happy ever afters are the kind of escape I want.
This is your second go at the whole book writing experience, what was different this time around? Was it easier or more difficult with a sophomore book?
Sooooo much easier! The more I learn, the easier writing becomes. I had absolutely no professional writing experience (beyond scientific papers) when Orchids for Lila was published. Since then, I have been taking classes and meeting with a writing group. Every time I pick up a new how-to book on writing, it gives me new tools to improve my craft.
What’s next for you? Are we going to see the spinoff of Orchids for Lila soon?
I’m currently working on three projects: a ménage novella, a novel that gets inside the heads of a dissatisfied married couple, and the Orchids for Lila spinoff novel featuring Ben. Research takes a tremendous amount of time (especially for Ben’s story), but I know I’ll complete at least one of them by the end of the year. Check my blog, https://septemberroberts.wordpress.com/, for updated information on upcoming publications.
Thank you September for doing this! I am thrilled to have this opportunity again! You are amazing!
Thank you so much Breezy! I can’t tell you enough how much I appreciate your love and support. Thank you a million times!! BTW, YOU are amazing! 🙂
This is the second opportunity I have had to work with September and I have to say she is one of those authors you can’t help but to support. Her love for what she does is evident if you have ever read her books. Orchids for Lila is incredible and you can find her first interview with me here under the author interview tab on the home page. Some authors are just made to make people feel and it has nothing to do with a bottom line, September Roberts is the perfect example of this!
~B~
September Roberts 
You always give such amazing answers! I am thrilled I got to do this again with you! =)
Your questions are always great! I always enjoy chatting with you (on or off the record) 🙂