Today I am joined by the lovely Doris O'Connor!
EM: Welcome to My World, Doris. It is lovely to have you here today. :-)
DO: Hi Elizabeth J Thanks so much for having me here!
Firstly, can you tell
us a little bit about yourself?
*grimaces*
I'm not very good at
talking about myself, lol. I should probably make something wonderfully
glamorous up here, right?
Alas, I'm a mum of
nine, happily married to my wonderful hubby for the last twenty three years,
and in my 'spare' time I write Erotic contemporary and paranormal romance. We
live in a far too small house in the UK with kids, pets, and more dust bunnies
than you can shake a duster at. Not that I dust—ever. Really, what is the
point? Don’t iron either. Having to wash, dry, and fold mountains of laundry
every day is bad enough ;-)
When I'm not drowning
in laundry, playing taxi service, walking cash machine, and United Nations
Peacekeeper for our hordes of offspring, to name just a few of the hats I wear
every day, I can be found tapping away at the keyboard, because those pesky
characters just will not leave me alone!
1. How long have you
been writing for?
I've written all my
life, but if you mean seriously with a view to publication, then that would be
since September 2010.
2. Did you always know
that you wanted to be a writer?
I've always had
stories in my head and I've always scribbled those stories down in one form or
another. And I always had it in the back of my mind that one day I would write that novel. Of course one day never came,
until a friend entered a writing competition and I thought to myself, right,
it's now or never.
3. What is your
favourite genre to read? To write? And why?
I seem to be reading
almost exclusively BDSM novels lately. It definitely has to be Erotic Romance,
Erotica, the hotter the better, and if you can throw some shifters in there
too, then I am a happy little bunny. I
love reading about strong alpha males and sassy heroines that push and shove
and bring those big strong males to their emotional knees.
And I simply adore a
good BDSM book that fully explores the trust needed between two or more people
to fully embrace the lifestyle.
In my own writing, I
write strong, dominant males and sassy heroines who hold their own. I love a
tortured hero, and no one does that better than a paranormal hero, so lately my
stories are drifting more and more into the paranormal genre and BDSM. I do
write contemporary too, and just had a short f/f accepted for an anthology.
I simply write what
pops in my head and fits the story. I'm completely character driven, so I hold
on for the ride, and listen to the voices in my head.
4. Who is your favourite
author? Fave book? And why?
Oh, I have so many,
and I find new ones all the time. I'd be here all day trying to list them all,
lol. Some authors I've read recently and loved have been Cherise Sinclair,
Alexandra O'Hurley, Georgia Fox, Raven McAllan, Jorja Lovett, Cherie Nicholls,
Marie Medina, Zara Stoneley, Julia Devlin, Carolyn Rosewood, Arya Grey to name
but a few.
As for my all-time
favourite book that's still Gone With The Wind. I read it first as a teenager,
and fell hopelessly in love with Rhett Butler. In fact I re-read it so many
times, that that original copy fell to pieces!
5. How do you get your
ideas?
My muse literally
hits me over the head at times out of nowhere. The last few books I've written,
I had no intention of writing the day before, lol. I never can tell what sparks
off an idea. It can be a picture, a submissions call, a conversation, a snippet
off a film, a sunset, a rainstorm. All I know is that once she decides I'm
writing something, I don't get any peace until the story is done and subbed.
6. In your opinion what
is the hardest part of the writing process?
For me it's finding
the time to write. This is such a busy household with so many demands on my
time; it gets a bit crazy at times. So the bulk of my writing gets done when
the kids are in bed, and I don't get to sleep until the wee hours. But hey, the
panda look means I'm a proper writer, right? That and my caffeine addiction!
7. In your opinion what
is the best part of the writing process?
The simple act of
creating and losing myself in my characters and their world. My characters are
very real to me and magic happens when I listen to them. I cry and laugh with
them and I think it's such a privilege to be able to tell their story. And
then, when a reader contacts you and so completely 'gets them' – yes that's
awesome J
8. Are you a planner or
a panster?
A complete panster. I
may have a rough idea of the story at the start. Sometimes all I have is an
opening line, or a few snippets of a scene. I sit down and start typing and the
characters take over. They constantly surprise me.
9. Do you prefer to
concentrate on one story, or juggle a few?
I prefer to
concentrate on one at the time. Occasionally I will start something and then a
new idea comes along and completely takes over and the original idea gets
shelved for a bit. In fact right now I have the beginnings of three different
stories written down. I know which one I'm going back to, because that
particular tiger is growling at me, and I'm not arguing with tigers.
10. Tell us about one of
the most favourable scene you have written.
I don't know about a
scene, but I've just written a f/f short which I loved. It had such a different
feel to what I normally write, I really enjoyed the gentler pace and the
sweeter love scenes.
Actually I do know
which scene. In my upcoming Naughty Fairy tale The Last Of His Kind there is a
moment in a cave, that I can't tell you about, because it would spoil the book,
lol, but let's just say the Disney loving little girl in me
just melted.
11. Out of all the
characters you have created, who is your favourite and why?
Oh tough one. I fall
in love with each and every one of my characters when I create them, and as I'm
right in the middle of edits for the The Last Of His Kind I would have to say,
right now, it's Doric. He is just so… yummy, lol.
But my all-time
favourite would have to be Sven from Scandinavian Scandal. He was the first of
my heroes who ever sat on my shoulder and demanded I write the book the way he wanted. He was right, of course.
Scandinavian Scandal was my first contract J
12. If you could meet any
fictional character, who would you meet and why?
Rhett Butler without
a doubt. I'd be his Scarlett any day, though I'd have the sense to grab him and
not let go.
*grins*
13. Are you working on
anything at the moment?
I have a start for
book two in the Club Ink series. This will be Inks and Cherie's story. Readers
will have met them in Riding Her Tiger.
14. Do you have any
current release?
I have two J
Riding Her Tiger
Blurb:
Can one night change your life forever?
Estelle has been lusting after her kinky boss Nathan for
ages, but how you do you snare a much older Dom? You enlist the help of the
internet.
Matched to exploration facilitator Ink, Estelle explores
her submissive fantasies to the full. When online sex turns to a real life
ménage will a case of mistaken identity ruin her chances with Nathan?
Or will the shifter claim his mate?
Too
Cold To Love
Blurb:
Marco Giovanni has shut off his emotions, following a messy divorce. His small daughter and his chain of bakeries are all he needs in his life. The string of nannies are an unfortunate necessity he could well do without. So why does his body have to remember its needs now with the latest and most unsuitable nanny ever?
Elise has always been the responsible one, so when she
receives yet another SOS phone call from her wayward twin, she does the only
thing she can do, she steps into her shoes. Having to go back to nannying is
hard enough, the unexpected attraction to her arrogant employer impossible to
deal with. Especially when she is forced to agree to a marriage of his
convenience to pay off the debt her twin accrued.
In a marriage based on blackmail can passion turn into
love, or will secrets and lies destroy all?
Buy Link:
15. Any upcoming
releases?
The Last Of His Kind
Blurb:
What do you do when you stumble upon a
naked, injured Adonis on your morning jog?
You take him home and nurse him back to health of course. If that
involves the hottest sex a girl ever had, then so much the better, right?
Penelope Jefferson has returned to her childhood vacation
spot at Loch Ness for peace, solitude, and inspiration. When she stumbles upon
Doric she is floored by her body's instantaneous reaction to the clit clenching
stranger who washed up from the Loch.
Doric is the last of his kind. Cursed into the Loch by a
witches spell he needs acceptance from the very species he detests. When his
little human is abducted after their night of bliss, will it spell the end for
them both, or will they get to live the fairy tale?
16. Where can readers
find you on the internet?
17. Any advice you would
like to give aspiring writers?
Follow your dreams,
and never, ever give up J
EM: Thank you so much for joining me, Doris!
DO: Thanks again for
having me Elizabeth. It's been great fun!
Thanks for having me, Elizabeth :-)
ReplyDeleteNot at all. It was a pleasure having you, Doris. Come back soon! :-)
Deletewow what a great interview, and wow to be mentioned. I must admit Doris has inspired me... pushed me out of my comfort zone, and increased my reading genres!
ReplyDelete*blows a kiss to Raven*
DeleteGreat interview Ms. O'Connor! Luv your covers!! Have wonderful day :) ...Leslie Stockton
ReplyDeleteThank you :-)
DeleteGreat interview. Looking forward to seeing if Estelle gets everything she's wishing for.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations,
Lynn
lareynolds0316@gmail.com