I was blown away when Breezy, of B’s Beauty & Books asked to interview me (read the whole thing here)! Here’s what went down (Breezy is in bold):

First I would like to thank you for being so wonderful about doing this interview September.

Thank you so much for interviewing me Breezy!

I’m super excited to be interviewing you & I cannot tell you how thrilled I am to have this opportunity!

I’m honored. And I can’t tell you how flattered I am. Seriously, I’m all smiles over here.

What inspired you to become an author?

I have been writing fan fiction for a few years now (long story about how all that started!), and after getting lots of great feedback from my readers, I decided to branch out and write my own story. It was their love and encouragement that gave me the confidence to go for it. Good reviews=inspiration!

I hear that you are a Botanist.  But why choose orchids?

Yes, I’m a botanist. The rumors are true! I think orchids are the most sensual flowers. I mean come on, one of their anatomical features is the sexual column. 🙂 They are beautiful and take a lot of work to maintain, just like healthy relationship.

When you wrote Orchids for Lila why did you choose a paranormal story to tell?

I guess this is the part where I admit I have a huge crush on vampires. As long as I’ve been reading for pleasure, I have read vampire stories. Vampires and sex just kind of go hand in hand.

What is the one thing you learned from writing, editing, and publishing your first novel?

One thing? Try two hundred things! I guess the most surprising thing is how long it all takes. Every step is excruciatingly slow…well at least for me. I’m impatient. And the most practical lesson I took away from it all: conflict is incredibly important for a story. I have been practicing writing conflict, I promise!

What authors do you enjoy reading & why?

I absolutely love Neil Gaiman and Jeffrey Eugenides. Definitely two of my favorites. They are smart and wonderful storytellers. I am in awe of both of them.

Do you have a “passion project” you are working on?

Writing is my passion, although I think of it more as an obsession. Nothing has gripped me quite like writing has. The stories rolling around my head keep me awake at night and write themselves when I least expect it, so I always have to be near my laptop, just in case.

Lila is very unique in how she looks and how she carries herself, was there a person who inspired you to write her?

I always put a little of myself into every character, and Lila is no exception.

What’s next for you?  Is Orchids for Lila a standalone novel or are you planning on writing a sequel to their love story?

I originally had a sequel outlined, but at my publisher’s suggestion, I turned it into the epilogue. I am working on a spin-off story featuring Ben and Michele, as well as a handful of contemporary romances. I just submitted my second novel (a contemporary romance titled Give Me Some Sugar) to Liquid Silver Books and hope to hear good things!

Vampire stories tend to go from beautiful romance to dark and dangerous fast.  You kept it beautiful even when it got dark. I love that Jack and Lila share so much intimacy and passion for each other, how do you write love scenes that show that without going too dark with them?

Love is all about trust and mutual respect, which applies to my vampire world too. I know many people expect angst with paranormal, which didn’t help when I tried to find a home for Orchids for Lila. I described it to my publisher as a sweet romance where the hero just happens to be a vampire. I realize now there aren’t many books out there like it: light paranormal. When I think of vampires (and other paranormal characters), I can see their humanity, which is always at the core of how I write them. Can the genre focus on brutality and darkness? Of course. But does it have to?

As you may or may not know I am an Estee, so it goes without saying that I have to know what is your must have beauty product of the moment?

I am what you would call a low-maintenance-kind-of-girl. The extent of my beauty products is lipstick. I always feel a little more beautiful when I wear lipstick.

Funny side note is that when I first picked up your novel I was instantly drawn to the cover art and the title.

I worked with the most amazing (and patient) cover artist, Nora. She must’ve gone through a dozen different versions before I gave it my stamp of approval. I knew exactly what I wanted it to look like, and Nora delivered.

My favorite flower is orchids and I just loved that you incorporated them into this amazing story! Thank you so much for taking the time to do this!

Thank you for taking the time to interview me. It’s been a pleasure!

September Roberts you made my day!  Hump Day with an author is the best way to spend it!


Thank you for reading everyone and as soon as her next book comes out I will see if we can do this again!

~B~

Be sure to visit Breezy’s blog for more great reviews, beauty tips, and did I mention the Hunk of the Week? Yeah, there’s that too. 🙂