Today I am joined by the lovely, Naomi Bellina . . . .
Before we begin, could you tell us a little about yourself?
Naomi lives in beautiful sunny Florida with the love of her life and a magical black cat. She writes for various fiction and non-fiction markets, but finds she is drawn to erotic romance because her characters insist on canoodling, and sometimes even falling madly in love. So she lets them. Occasionally, however, they go to dark and strange places. She lets them do this also. Most of her stories will surprise readers with unexpected twists and turns, because isn't that what makes life exciting?
Her interests include dancing, hula-hooping, drumming, and creating healthy meals. She takes the opportunity to play, have fun, and indulge in the pursuit of passion whenever possible.
Her motto: Never pass up the opportunity to have an adventure!
EM: Are you ready to play 20 questions? *rubs hands together*
NB: You bet! Lay them on me!
Which do you find harder to write?
1. First person POV or Third?
First person POV. It's easier for me to look at the whole scene and describe it. When I do first person, it limits what I can say and somehow sounds, I don't know, kind of narcissistic, like the heroine is constantly going on about herself and boring us to death.
2. As a male or female?
It's harder for me to write from a male POV because, well, they're from Mars! Do we ever know what they're thinking? Really? (Beer, sex, nap, beer, sex nap) There are times, however, when we just have to see the story from his point. I've found, to my surprise, that sometimes it's kind of fun to slip into the guy brain. Beer, sex and naps are good.
EM: Hell yes they are, although I'd have to kick beer out of the equation . . . . ;-P
3. Beginning, middle or end of the story?
Normally it's the middle, but right now I'm having trouble ending a story. It's been rolling along nicely, I just can't figure out how to end it.
4. Fight scenes or smex scenes?
Now that kind of depends on the characters. Some of them just naturally love to fight, and some of them fall right into doing that wild thing.
5. Synopsis or blurb?
I love writing the blurb! I feel like I'm writing the coming attractions for movies, and get to pick out the most fun pieces of my story to tantalize the reader. The blurb is one of the best tools to get readers to buy the book, so I take a lot of time with it. Really, I don't agonize over the synopsis too much either. It's just extended coming attractions. My books thus far have been short, so we'll see if I have that same attitude with a longer book!
As a writer, do you prefer:
6. Writing in the morning, afternoon or evening?
I have kind of a crazy schedule. I work the day job by appointment, so sometimes I'm busy in the morning, afternoon or evening. I write when I can sneak in the chance!
7. Writing with music, or in peace?
Peace, peace, give me peace. I did read recently that listening to Mozart while writing was conducive to creativity, so I listen to a little classical now and then, but I generally find music distracting.
8. Planning, or Improvising?
A little of each. I plan the basic plot, get it down first, then go back and fill in the details.
9. Juggling a few projects, or concentrating on one at a time?
Got to have a few going at once so I don't get bored, and also so I don't freak out if one is not selling. It's nice to have several floating around out there. I've actually been surprised to get an email, or even once a check, for something I forgot all about!
10. Sticking to one genre, or exploring many?
Right now I'm enjoying paranormal action/adventure/suspense, but I'm thinking about exploring something different. I know M/M is a hot seller right now, and everyone says it's good to expand one's writing horizons, but I’m sticking with M/F for the time being. Who knows what the future will bring! The characters in my WIP (work in progress), however, engage in a little ménage action, because it flowed nicely into the story.
As a reader, do you prefer:
11. Story being told from female view or male?
It doesn't matter to me as long as it's done well. If I had to choose I would probably go with female, just because I relate better to that view.
12. Good guys or bad boys?
I always want the good guys to win, but I want the bad boys to get away, so they have a chance to redeem themselves. Unless they're really evil, then I want them to die a bloody death. Bwa-ha-ha-ha!
EM: Amen to that!
13. Feisty females or fragile damsels?
Oh, the feisty females, for sure. We all need role models and want to feel powerful. My heroines will never be fragile and will always do their best to take care of themselves.
14. Stand alone stories or series?
I enjoy shorter stand alone stories. Of course, I do love the Stehpanie Plum series. How has Janet Evanovich managed to keep that interesting for so long?
15. Quick reads or long stories?
Quick reads. I like to finish a story and move on to the next.
16. Romance as a side dish or the main course?
The story around the romance has to be good. I prefer action/adventure, humor, and suspense.
17. Erotica or soft romance or something in-between?
I like the sex scenes to sizzle, but not be overly raunchy. I want to use my imagination a bit. I also don't like sex scenes that go on forever, or go into ridiculous detail. Leave something to my imagination!
18. More action or humor?
Tough one! Those are two of my favorite categories. Depends on my mood of the moment.
Just for fun:
19. Vampires or Angels?
Would love to read a good angel story. Vampires are getting a little old, but I still enjoy a good one. How about a hybrid? Part angel, part vampire. Hmmmm, I'm getting an idea….20. Werewolves or Demons?
Werewolves. Demons are kind of creepy to me, most of the time. Funny you should ask, my short story Demons and Angels came out recently, and I enjoyed working with the demons in that. Yes, they are creepy in the story!
EM: The creepy ones are the best though. They are damned after all, and live in a fire pit, they need to freak us out a little, right?
What are you currently working on?
I'm putting the finishing touches on something very unusual. A man and woman land on a strange planet inhabited by beings that look like elves. There's a crazy, drunken king, an "elf" couple that lusts after each other but are forbidden from dating, dinner parties where a person could lose their life, and magic everywhere. I want to do something different with this book, so I have to convince my editor it will work. Wish me luck!
EM: Oooo sounds interesting. Good luck!!!
Do you have any current release?
EM: I love that cover. It's so pretty. Fiona Jayde is a genius.
Blurb:
A charming fairy and a diligent security professional both claim rights to a precious sapphire, the Starry Night. Raya needs the stone to save a valuable lake, and Max needs to make sure the gem stays in its proper place for a private showing at the museum.
Chasing Raya and the stone, Max travels between Earth and Raya’s planet, and while Max starts out with only one goal in mind, to return the stone to its home, he ends up on a lively adventure, interacting with several races of exotic beings who once resided on Earth.
Though captivated by the lovely Raya, Max has sworn to stay away from women after having been deceived by a beautiful but unscrupulous girlfriend in his past. The more time he spends with the enchanting fairy, however, the more he wants her. Raya is different from anyone he has ever met and even a man with iron willpower will have a difficult time resisting a determined fairy with her own secret agenda!
Purchase link: https://www.nobleromance.com/Books/387/Seducing-the-Stone
Where can readers find you on the internet?
http://www.naomibellina.com/
http://www.facebook.com/NaomiBellinaAuthor
EM: Thank you so much for joining me, Naomi! Come back soon!
NB: Thanks so much for having me, it was fun!
Lovely blog post! I do so enjoy reading about how folks cone by and hone the craft of writing!
ReplyDeleteSeducing the Stone sounds like a lively adventure!
Thank you, KB, and thanks to Elizabeth for having me today. I also enjoy reading these interviews to see what makes authors tick. I do have to dash off to the day job shortly, but I'll look forward to reading comments later.
ReplyDeleteIt was lovely having you, Naomi. You're welcome back any time :-)
ReplyDeleteHey KB, thanks for stopping by! Seducing the stone does sound very yummy! 'Tis on my too buy list ;-D