Wednesday, December 24, 2014

Merry Christmas!

I hope you find everything you wished for
in your stocking and under the tree!

Tuesday, December 2, 2014

Featured Author Interview

In February 2012, I was honored to be chosen as the Featured Author of the Month on a little website called The Polka Dot Banner. The owner of the site, Dr. Jane Nixon White, interviewed me and we chatted about romance, hockey, and Nora Roberts. Jane has since moved on to pursue other interests and The Polka Dot Banner is no longer, but I saved the interview for you to read because I had so much fun doing it and it's nice to take a look back at when I was just starting out in my writing career. Enjoy!


Rachelle Vaughn's Passion? Romance!
Perfect for February and red-hot lovers of romance, we have this month's PDB Featured Author, Rachelle Vaughn. Take a few minutes to step into Rachelle's world of hockey, romance, and her thoughts on Nora Roberts.

1. Welcome, Rachelle Vaughn!  Congratulations for becoming the Polka Dot Banner's Featured Author of the Month!  Please share with us about your romance novel, Home Ice.


Thank you so much, Jane! Home Ice is a sweet hockey-themed romance novel about a regular girl whose life collides with a star hockey player’s. It’s a modern day fairytale with a twist because in this case, Cinderella can’t quite give in to the idea of Prince Charming coming in and rescuing her from all of her problems.


2. How did a California girl like you become such an avid fan of ice hockey?

Hockey first attracted me because it is such a fast-paced game. And once I actually attended a game in person and saw how thrilling it is, I was hooked!

3. I noticed in your blog profile that among your favorite books is "anything by Nora Roberts."  As she is one of my favorites as well (I have copies of all her books, some autographed), let me ask you what makes Nora special to you?

Ah, yes. Nora Roberts, the Wayne Gretzky of the writing world! Nora is inspirational not only from her impressive body of work, but because of her compelling characters and amazing attention to detail. The descriptiveness in her novels puts the reader right there with the characters. No matter the subject, Nora writes about it as if she’s lived and breathed it herself.

4. You participate with Authorgraph.  Please explain what it is and how it works, for those readers who are new to the concept.

Authorgraph lets authors send personalized inscriptions and signatures directly to the electronic reading devices of their fans. With so many books being read electronically, it’s a great way to connect with readers.

5. Many writers take a while to settle on a particular genre (some of us never do!), but you've known since you were ten or twelve that you wanted to be a romance novelist.  What is it about romance writing that has satisfied your passion for writing this long?  (Please pardon the pun!)

I think most young girls secretly dream that their prince will someday ride in and sweep them off their feet. In the romance genre, I love how you can take two people from different or similar worlds, smash them together and see what happens. The possibilities for love are endless.

6. Many romance novels tend to have an obstacle that keeps the lovers apart.  How do you know when you've let the tension build enough, that it's time to resolve the issue and let the pair get together?  (It must be a difficult balance to lead the readers on, yet not lose them to frustration or even anger, asking, "How can he/she/they be so stupid?")

Sometimes I wish I could just let them be together from the beginning, but then there wouldn’t be much of a story! Only when the character has resolved or made peace with their own issues can they really be freed to give in to love and devote themselves to another person. Unfortunately not everyone is smart (and lucky!) in love.

7. Do you have any advice to share with authors who've never written romance, but are considering it?

It may sound cliché, but write what’s in your heart. If you really believe in something, whether it be a concept, subject or character, put your whole heart and soul into it. Sure, you might feel vulnerable and a bit exposed, but you can go to sleep at night knowing you gave it your all no matter what anyone else says about it.