Interview & Giveaway with Author Sandy Sullivan

Today I welcome guest author Sandy Sullivan. Enjoy! ~~ Jeanne



• When did you get started writing and what motivated you to write? I started writing when I was about 12, but I didn’t seriously writing romance until 2008. I happened to be between jobs and was bored at home one day so I started writing a story. The particular story had been bouncing around in my mind for some time. I wrote Texas Lady in about a month. I asked several friends to read it and tell me what they thought. They raved that it needed to published — and that’s where it all started.

• What genres do you write in and why? I usually write westerns, both historical and contemporary because I LOVE cowboys. They are my absolutely favorite, both strong as nails and soft when they need to be.

• What do you have published and where? I have Cowboy Love coming out on 9/10/09 with Siren Bookstrand, a short piece for the Flower Basket series with The Wild Rose Press coming soon, and Siren also contracted Love’s Sweet Surrender for January 2010 and the first of a three part series called the Wilder series. The first one is called Wild Wyoming Nights and will be released in December of 2009.

• Tell me about some of your WIPs? My current WIP is the third of the Wilder Series called Wild Nevada Ride. It’s about the eldest brother Justin and his run in with one saucy, sexy as hell Air Force pilot named Katrina.

• Tell me about yourself? I’m 47 years old, married to a great guy name Shaun for 10 years and we live on a small farm south of Nashville TN with our menagerie of animals including 2 horses, 4 dogs and 2 cats. I’m also a registered nurse by trade and work in my local emergency room.

• Where can we find you on the Internet?

http://www.romancestorytime.com/ – http://www.sandysullivanauthor.blogspot.com/ – www.sirenbookstrand.com/sandysullivan - http://thewildrosepress.com/publisher/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2449&Itemid=88

• What do you like to read? Who are your favorite authors? I read just about everyone. I don’t particularly have a favorite author per se. If something looks interesting to me, I’ll read it no matter who the author is.

• How do people react when they find out you are an author? They wonder why I’m still working as a nurse! It’s that big misconception that you are wealthy because you are an author. Mostly people are surprised and ask what I write. When they see the erotic side of my nature, they are shocked usually.

• Do you like writing your hero or heroine better? Which POV do you prefer? It doesn’t matter to me which POV although it’s a little easier to write from the heroine’s POV.

• What is your perfect hero? Dark eyes, dark hair, tanned, muscled chest, rock hard abs, anywhere between 5’10 and 6’ and a must for me is dimples! I love dimples! Perfect heroine? I mix up my heroines so I don’t have a perfect one. They vary from blonde to brown haired, sassy and strong.

• Do you belong to any writer’s chapters or groups, like RWA? I’m on a ton of author groups and readers groups through yahoo, but not RWA.

• Do you have any recommendations for aspiring writers? Keep at it. Your time will come and make sure to take every piece advice you get to heart. Most people are there to help you and if they make a suggestion, listen.

• How long did it take you from when you started writing to being published? I finished my first piece, Texas Lady in June 2008. My first accepted piece is Cowboy Love which happened to be picked up with Siren in May of 2009, so almost a year. From first submitting to being published? I submitted to them in February or March and it was accepted for publication in May.

• What do you think about the future of e-publishing? I think it’s the wave of the future. I know many readers still like the bound book in their hand so they will be around for awhile yet, but ebooks will be much easier especially since you can adjust the size for those with poor eyesight.

• Do you do research for your stories? Some. It depends on what I’m writing. If so, what kind? I’ll look facts on the internet or ask someone I know who would know. My current WIP has a lot of Air Force pilot stuff in it and I’m using my husband as a reference. He spent 20 years in the Air Force as a mechanic for fighter jets.

• Are you a plotter (plots and outlines) or a pantzer (by-the-seat-of-your-pants writer)? Definitely a pantzer. I will usually start something and the characters take it away and just tell me what to write.

• Do you use a pen name? No, but I’m thinking about it with my erotic stuff. I have a historical coming out on the mainstream side of Siren and it just seems easier to separate the two. Why or why not? I didn’t think about doing it at first, but now it seems like the thing to do to keep my different pieces separated.

• Is there a genre that you haven’t written that you would like to? I haven’t tried a ménage yet but I’m seriously considering it.

Thanks so much for having me Jeanne! It was fun!

CONTEST!!!!!

Sandy will be giving away a a copy of Cowboy Love in a drawing for those who post a comment today. So please leave a comment for your chance to win! Make sure you leave a way for her to contact you in your post.