I’ve never received any negative comments via email or blogs or anything, and I hope I never do.

I have, on the other hand, received some excellent fan mail. Not a lot, but what I’ve gotten is quality. I have a very supportive fan who lives in England and refers to herself as my number one fan.

If word of mouth is a good thing, then she’s probably my best advertiser. She started reading my books with my very first release, sent me a note that said she’d bought whole trilogy and read it over the weekend, and buys everything I have come out as soon as it’s released.

Plus, she puts my info on all her Twitter and Blogs and anything else she can do to talk me up. I only know her by Suzie, but our fans are important.

Anyway, it’s not like I’m rich and famous, and I don’t have a million people chasing after me and stalking me, but a few loyal fans are very good for our egos, and they keep us going.

We write for ourselves, but we write for them, too, right? I mean, without our readers, where would we be?

Blog for Midnight Seductions

By: Rebecca Savage

Surpassing Expectations: Characters: Heroes and Heroines and Their Flaws:

Everyone has flaws. No one is perfect. We simply have to want to overcome them, and then get the chance to do so. Yes, it's a variety of things that makes us successful. We have to want to be successful and strive to be. We have to work for it.

We also have to be given the chance to do so. Sometimes, it really is who you know as much as it is what you know.

For a moment, think of the movie TWINS with Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny Devito. Danny Devito's character was supposed to be the left over crap from their DNA compilation by the genetic engineers.

But his brother doesn't think of him as crap, even if he does have tendencies that are less than perfect.

Don't we all?

I know I'm always harping on the nature/nurture thing, but I think it's because I'm a teacher, and I came from a rough background. I grew up in a very poor family, but...my grandmother, who raised me, was always supportive. I'm tough on my students, and I don't let them use the excuse of being poor. I realize the home life of many of my students is atrocious. I hate it for them, but I tell them, my room is their safe haven. Take advantage of it, and make something themselves.

Our characters in our books sometimes have to do the same thing. They have issues. They have to solve their problems and overcome their flaws and/or dangers and/or drawbacks...whatever their situation might be.

If they don't, there'll be no happily ever after...and we can't have that:)

Interview with Rebecca Savage, the lady behind the intrigue

Julie: Welcome, Rebecca. Thank you for joining our blog today.

Rebecca: Thanks so much for letting me chat with you and your people. I know it'll be fun.

Julie: Your website, www.rebeccasavage.com, especially your bio. in it, is very revealing. It seems that your career changed course in midstream. To what do you owe that change in your focus?

Rebecca: I think I've gone in so many directions because I'm a well-rounded person. I've traveled a lot, especially when I was in the military, and I love languages and people everywhere. I held a top secret clearance in the military, so that helped me decide what type of books I'd write first, but I've started branching out to other sub genres now. So I started in the military, then got out when my base closed and became a teacher of history at the high school level, and now I've added author to my resume. I also do taxes on the side, which means I think with both sides of my brain. Scary!

Julie: Having read as many books as you mentioned, you already had the formula for good romantic suspense. What book of all the ones that influenced you had the most impact on your style of writing?

Rebecca: Okay, so, not to sound like a broken record, but so many people like Nora Roberts, and I have to say I do, too. She's so fast paced and stimulating. There's never a dull moment in her books. I hope there aren't boring points in my books either, but if there are, they won't last long. I promise.

Julie: Does your background in history affect the voice of your writing?

Rebecca: Yes, I had a hard time switching from writing like I was penning a research paper. Fiction is all action, dialog, and so on. Term papers are a very different animal.

Julie: Would you recommend belonging to the RWA (Romance Writers of America) to our already published Champagne Books authors? And if so why?

Rebecca: Okay, well, this one could get me in trouble either way, huh? Here goes. I have benefited immensely from the local level groups of RWA such as Carolina Romance Writers and Missouri Romance Writers, and the National Conference I attended in 2007 in Dallas was great, but...if you don't go to the conference, or join a local group, I see no benefit to being a part of the RWA national organization. The RWR Magazine (Romance Writers Report) is okay, and it gives you contest info and such, but the main benefit is being a part of the local group. So if you're gonna spend the money to pay the yearly fee to belong to RWA, then join a local group and go to the meetings. The members of those groups will be your best sources of information.

Julie: You showed a lot of discipline and integrity not hopping into RWA’s pool of judges when they put out the call at the local chapter level each year. You said you weren’t ready to judge or join critique partners then. What did you base that feeling on?

Rebecca: I didn't want to judge until I'd been judged. If I hadn't sold and published my own works, how would I know if I was doing the right thing or had the knowledge base or experience to judge or critique someone else's work? I'm not perfect now, but I've been working with editors and critique partners a while now, and I think I know what they're looking for. My writing has improved because of those folks, so I hope others can trust my judgement. Of course, I was an avid reader, but it's like driving. Watching and doing are two very different things.

Julie: Hoax agencies and publishers dupe many beginning writers. What would you say are the three most obvious warning signs that these people are not for real?

Rebecca: 1.) If they ask for money, they are bogus. All money flows from the author, not to them. Never pay for editing through false agency. I fell into that trap. See my warning in my bio. I paid $89 for a paragraph of generic advice, then found out the agency was a hoax. 2.) If no one in your groups or on any of your loops has heard of them, or if they've heard bad things, they're bogus. Ask. Ask. Ask. 3.) If they're not a part of some overall organization, they're probably bogus. Check them out.

Julie: One of the most impressive things that I noticed in your history was your faith in yourself and your willingness to, as Stephen King likes to say, “kill your darlings.” All those edits and reedits when you still may not sell the book can be wrenching. What drove you to stay with this and continue writing new material?

Rebecca: I'm a stubborn fool. “My” quote at the bottom of my emails, on my website and on everything I sign for my high school students is: Never let anything hold you down. Rise above it. I live by that motto. I'd never get anywhere if I didn't. Neither would anyone else. Besides, if you send your work to enough people and get the same feedback from enough editors, publishers, critique partners and everyone else, you'll soon learn they're right. Do the edits.

Julie, Tell us about your latest book to be released in September with Champagne Books.

Rebecca: Consequences: It's set in St. Louis, Missouri on The Hill, the Italian area of that great city. I'm from a small town near there, and I have a lot of family still in St. Louis. I go there often, and I love The Hill. I lived in Italy for five and a half years, so I speak the language and love the people. I had eight Italians in my house this June and traveled with them across the country. See my website for my travel info. So, the book is about a police officer, grieving for his murdered fiancée. He stumbles across a manhole on the street where his fiancée was killed, and he finds seven women shoved into the hole. He is a homicide detective, and he has to find out the identity of the serial killer and stop the rescued women from being murdered. The killer is still after them and won't stop until the task is finished. The heroine is the last victim, and the hero believes she'll be the most helpful in solving the case.

Julie: Sounds fascinating. I will buy that book for sure. It was a pleasure to talk with you, Rebecca. Thank you for your time today. How can our readers reach you?

Rebecca: http://rebeccasavage.com

Please, email using the contact form there. Anyone who contacts me within five days of this interview will be entered to win one free pdf copy of one of my books if they email me through that form.

Thanks for listening, and let me know if you like my work. I hope everyone does. I'd hate to be pegged as boring. It's my greatest fear...next to cheese. I'm lactose intolerant, so cheese is my ultimate worst fear. LOL

Interview contributed by Julie Eberhart Painter. Email snorkeljul@aol.com Website:

www.books-jepainter.com, author of Champagne Books newly released Mortal Coil.

How long have you been writing? 
 

I started writing in 2004, summer. I’d finished my Masters in History with a minor in German at the end of the summer in 2003, and I wanted something fun and relaxing to read. I had a friend who carried around books all the time, so I asked to borrow one. I was hooked, and then one day I was lying on the couch reading and wondered what I’d write if I were to write a book. It’d have to be Contemporary Romantic Suspense with a lot of romance but a good storyline, too. So I went to my computer and three weeks later I’d finish the first of the trilogy that was actually my second trilogy to publish.
 
What, or who, inspired you to write? 

I’ve always liked to read, but in high school I read Louis L’Amour westerns, then in 2003 I started reading the romance my friend did, so my friend, Lori, got me started and has to be considered my inspiration, along with all my favorite authors I adore and wish I could emulate.
  
Where do you get your ideas for your books? 
 

Most of my ideas come from real life. I do very little research because I write intrigue, and the stories are from my past history as a Morse Code operator, although they are heavily expanded upon, of course. I’m not that cool or interesting, not like the characters in my books. lol
 
What genres do you write and which is your favorite genre to write?
 

I write Contemporary Romantic Suspense with DEA, CIA, FBI heroes and heroines, and I also write stalkers of all sorts, but I just began last summer a book with dragon / human characters, so romantic fantasy is my latest venture.
 
Can you tell us about your favorite hero and/or heroine in one of your
stories?
 

I like strong women, so my favorite I think so far is my female assassin, but the men are fabulous, too. I wish all men were like the men in my books. I know. I know. Wishful thinking, right? lol
  
When you write about a hero/heroine, are there parts of your characters that you take from your own experiences in your life? 
 

As I mentioned above, yes, definitely, I take a lot of characteristics from myself and people I know and put them into my characters. I’ve lived a rich life. I’ve seen and done a lot, and I’ve been so many places. It’s easy to come up with ideas when you know the people I do.

Do you have favorite props that you use to bolster a story? Why do you use them? 
 

I like river scenes. Something about the sensuality of water and the outdoors. But anywhere will do to have an amazing love scene. lol
  

When you are writing a book, do the characters become a part of your everyday life? How do you deal with it if they take over your everyday world? 
 

They don’t take over, but I do find myself day dreaming a lot and thinking of upcoming scenes and not focusing on what I probably should be doing: my job, housework, whatever. lol
 
Does your family encourage you to write?

Most of my family is very supportive of my writing, but none of them read my work. They talk about the fact I’m a writer as if they’re proud of me, but I find it very odd that they don’t want to read my books, even if they read other works. But like so many other writers, I have lots of people that I know that just don’t read. I find that to be a real shame. I can’t imagine not reading, or writing. It’s a large part of my life and always has been.
 
***You have a busy life with a career and family. How do you find time to write? Do you have a schedule?  Are you still teaching or have you retired?  If you need to change this question around, please do so.  Kat
 

I am going to be 45 years old, in April, so I have a long ways to go before retirement, but I have time to write because I have two kids out of school and living their own lives, although my oldest daughter thinks I’m babysitting-Grandma, and my son thinks I should cater to him when he’s home from the army, ugh! And then there’s the teenage daughter who thinks life revolves around her, but I still find time to write. I teach full time, and I teach college classes on Tuesday and Thursday nights, and I coach Mock Trial, German Club, National History Day Competition and Model United Nations Competition. All these take place between January and April every year, so the rest of the year is writing time, although I do get some editing time in during those busy real-life-work months.

I don’t have a schedule, but I’m a work-a-holic, so I just make time, literally. Haven’t you all figured out how to rewind the clock yet? LOL 
 
If for some reason you could not write anymore, how would you creatively express yourself?

Ugh, the only way I wouldn’t’ be able to write anymore is if I had no fingers to do, which means I have no idea how I’d express myself, but it wouldn’t be through art…but I do sing, although at times that’s a problem, too, since I have asthma. I talk ninety miles an hour, so teaching is the best job in the world for me aside for writing. lol

Beyond that, I have no idea what I’d do to be artistic…hmmm…something for us all to think about, I suppose.

Awesome April Interview Questions

In honor of April 15^th being tax day, we’re asking 15 questions this month

1. Speaking of taxes, are your taxes finished, or do you procrastinate with them?  Do you do them yourself or do you have a taxman do them for you? 

          My taxes are finished, and I’ve gotten my meager refund. Ugh! Now that my kids are out of the house, the refunds get smaller every year, although I can stills how a loss with my business of author…hmmm...wonder why that isJ

          I don’t procrastinate when it comes to taxes, but I do sometimes have to wait for my employers to get the documents that I need to me so that I can complete the forms.

          The main reason I don’t put taxes off is the fact that I do my own. I worked as a tax professional for ten years, and I do taxes at my home as a side business, so actually enjoy tax season. I’m so weird, huh?

2. As it says, “April showers bring May flowers”.  What flowers do you hope to see the first thing in spring?

        My favorite flowers are Easter Lillies. My grandma planted them, and I have them all around the border of my yard, so I never have to wait long for my favorite. They’re up when the snow is still on the ground sometimes.

3. Do you plant your own garden?  Why or why not and where is it (are they) located? What type(s) will it (they) be and where is it (are they) located on your property?

          I plant my garden with my uncle. He has a small garden in the back of my house, and I help him. He loves to plant and plow, and I cook whatever he brings in from the harvest. Works out well for us! J

For those who DO garden -

4. Do you prefer plants or seeds?  Does it matter where you get them, or do you have a favorite place to go? What’s the name of the place and why do you prefer to go there?

          I prefer things that already have some sort of start: tomatoes, potatoes, strawberries. I like to plant in hills, and my uncle is very good at softening up the soil. The richer the soil the better. I plant in various time periods as well. We are getting ready to put in the first round of crops, then we’ll still have turnips and things like that toward the end of the fall.

5.  What will you plant (or have already planted) this year and why? 

          We’ll like to plant by the beginning of Spring then go in levels of others things that can be planted as certain crops are picked in stages and the soil is plowed under for the next item. We try to work with natural fertilizers, and we don’t like to plant the same things in the same place and deplete the soil of its nutrients. We also have flower gardensJ

6. Do you have any plants that are must haves for your garden, ones that it just won’t be complete without?

          Tomatoes! Gotta have them. Can’t stand the ones from the store because home – grown are so great!

For those who DO NOT garden because they can’t or don’t like to -

4. If you could have a garden, what kind of garden would it be, how big would it be and what would you plant in it?

5. Have you ever considered getting involved with a local community garden? Why or why not?

          My uncle is involved with a community garden, and he loves it, but I’ve hesitated because of the stress of dealing with the other gardeners and those in charge. He doesn’t like that part of it, so we usually deal more with our own garden than the community one.

6. For your produce, is the local grocery store just fine, or do you like to hit your local farmer’s market? What is your favorite fruit or vegetable that you do like to get?

          I like the produce from local farmers’ markets, especially the watermelon and things I don’t grow much of on my own.

Now, let’s get to your writing:

7. What is your main genre (erotica, erotic romance, romantic suspense, etc.)?  What was the draw for you?

          I write contemporary Romantic Suspense, but a couple of my books are erotica, and I’m working on a dragon/fantasy right now. I like to read a wide variety of books and genres, s o I am branching out, but I started with Contemporary Romantic Suspense, Intrigue because I copied Morse Code in the military(USAF) for ten years...

8. Besides your main genre we just discussed, what elements do you prefer to use in a story and why those elements over others?

          Romance is great, and I’m a woman, although not a typical one, so I love heart- felt stories, but they also have to have a fast paced plot, hence the suspense.

9. Do you prefer red roses or black roses? If so, does that show in your writing?  If so, how? If roses aren’t your style, what flowers are?  Do they influence your writing? If so, how?

          Funny you should ask about roses;) I have three stories with roses, the last of which uses black roses as symbolism, since the fiancé of a murdered loved one places a black rose on the spot where the person died…L

          AND: I have a tattoo on my left ankle with the colors of the four roses in my series of three books, trilogy, and my kids’ names in between the roses and vines.

10. The jury’s still out on this question, so we’re still asking it! - Who decides what you write about, you or your muse?  What kind of influence do you have over your story, or is the muse always the one planting the seeds?  How do you cultivate those seeds regardless of who plants them? 

          I’m a control freak, so I’d like to think I have total control, but at times, when I’m in the actual story and writing away, I have to say it’s just the inner creativity flowing. I’m not a plotter really, so my muse has to be good!

11. In your opinion, what author had the most influence on your writing? What about their writing did you find so influential and why?  

          I have to say Nora Roberts, although that seems unfair since she not the only author out there, but I like her and she’s big, and I write suspense, and so does she…so…

          I like the fact she’s fast-paced and fun to read. That’s what I want to be. Fast-paced. Fun. Never boringJ

13. While authors can definitely influence us, inspiration can be everywhere for a writer, but specific people, places and events can inspire certain characters, personality traits or things that happen in our stories. In your current story that we’re promoting here today, <i>insert name here</i>, did any one particular person, place or event inspire you? If so who/what was it (were they), how did it/they inspire you and how is this inspiration reflected in your story?

          My first stories came from my real life settings and jobs, especially the ones involving Morse Code, which I copied in the USAF for ten years with a Top Secret SCI Clearance. So those stories came easily to me, as did the ones about stalkers, since one is about a lawyer, and I’m the Mock Trial Coach at my school, and the banker, since I do taxes, and the nurse, since I have a friend who lives, sleeps, eats, and breathes nursing, and we discuss it a lot. So lots of people and settings come from my personal life, friends, family and observation.

14. Without giving away anything pertinent to the story, tell us about the hero and heroine (s) of your story.  What do they look like? How do they meet (or “did” if this is a second book with these same characters)? What are their personalities – Are they comical cut-ups, are they serious or are they a mix of the two?  Please give us a little bit of dialogue from the story that can illustrate this. (Not much, but just a few lines and from a different section than the main excerpt – Thanks!)

          I’m going to work this from the angle of my latest release: Guard My Body. The heroine is a librarian, and the hero is a CIA covert operator, and she is asked to implant secret information in her mouth and transport it for her sister, the hero’s partner. They can’t leave where they are, so they need a curiouer, and the heroine volunteers. She has a bit of a wild side for a librarian, but that’s stereotypingJ So is the fact she’s a redheadJ He’s tall,d ark, and handsome, and a biker dude… She gets shot, and the hero says with a scowl, “All the good ones are either married, taken or have holes in their heads.”

15. The main characters are usually great, but sometimes, secondary and tertiary characters are known to steal the scenes. Who are the secondary/tertiary characters in your story and what do they look like? What’s unique about them? What is their relationship to the hero/heroine? Have any of these gone on to become scene-stealers?  If so, who and how did they do it? (Again, please give us a small bit of dialogue to illustrate this – thanks!)

2010 Interview Questions for Suspense by Anne  

Author Bio:

Rebecca Savage was born and raised in rural Missouri, but she left the small town when she joined the USAF and became a Morse Code Operator with a Top Secret SCI Clearance and flew away to basic training in San Antonio, Texas then on to Biloxi, Mississippi for special training then on to Italy where she was stationed for 5 ½ years.

Rebecca writes Contemporary Romantic Suspense because she lived it, and many of her stories she can relate to very well.

Rebecca has three children, one grandchild, and has returned to rural Missouri, but she is now a teacher of History and German at the college and high school level.

Rebecca hopes you like her work and would love it if you read her stories and emailed to tell her what you think: rebeccasavage@rebeccasavage.com

When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?

I’ve always been an avid reader, and at the end of the summer of 2003 I finished my Masters in History and I started reading romance when a friend of mine handed me a book when I said I wanted to read something for fun after having to do all that non-fiction reading for my Masters. I read for a year then I was lying on the couch one day reading, and I thought, “What would I write if I write?” It would have to be romance but with a good, fast-paced storyline. I got up and sat in front of the computer and penned my first story that summer. It’s now published along with all my other works. I can’t imagine my life without writing now.

Tell us about your latest book.

My latest published book is a story called Guard My Body, and it is the second of a series of six, the first being Guard My Baby. The heroes are a group of ex-mercenaries who worked together for years, so they come in and out of my stories. So you get to know the secondary characters very well. The heroine is a librarian with a wild side. She is asked to insert Top Secret information in a missing tooth in her mouth and transport it for reasons you’ll understand if you read the story. lol

What inspired you to write this story?

I like reading and writing suspense, and the CIA interests me, and I have lots of friends who are librarians, and I worked with a clearance, and I was looking at information in my classroom about terrorism and crossing the border of Mexico, and I write a story revolving around all those elements.

How did you go about researching your book?

I didn’t have to do much research because of what I teach and what I did in the military, but I did have to look up some location information and specifics on who runs the CIA and how the levels of echelons an territory controls work.

Do you have anything new in the works?

I am working on the third of that series of six called Guard My Life, and I am also working on a fantasy called Dragon Fire, which is a working title right now, but it’s a dragon story based on Chinese dragon personalities and power colors and elements.

What is your writing process like?  Are you a plotter or a pantser?

I am more of pantser than a plotter, but I figure out the basic storyline before I take off running, then it just comes to me. The dragon story is the most difficult because I’m out of my element, although I am incorporating military characteristics and FBI workings.

If you could be anyone of your characters, which one would you chose to be and why?

If I could be any one of my characters, it’d be the librarian. She lives the best of both worlds. She gets to work with books all day, hang out with a sexy CIA operative at night, and live out her wild side fantasy every new and then. lol

Say your publisher has offered to fly you anywhere in the world to do research on an upcoming book, where would you most likely want to go? (Okay so maybe this isn’t very likely to happen but since I’m asking the questions…)

Italy! Yes, I’ve been there before, but when you leave that country, you leave a bit of your heart behind. I want to go back. Badly. lol

You’ve just been informed that your latest release was a NY Times bestseller and Hollywood wants to turn it into a movie.  What actors would you choose to play your main characters?

Wow! What a dream that would be! I’d choose Gerard Butler & Jessica Alba.

What type of books do you like to read when you’re not writing?

Anything Romance! But especially suspense and historical and dragons.

Name three things you can’t live without (excluding spouses and family because that’s a given).

Books, teaching, and fun in the sun!

What advice would you give to any aspiring writers out there?

Okay, put the tune to Finding Nemo with this line: “Just keep writing, writing, writing. Just keep writing…”

Where can we find you on the web?

rebeccasavage.com

Where can we purchase your book(s)?

You can link to any of them from my website. Just click on their covers.

Is there anything else you’d like to add?

Just please let me know what you think of my work. I’m always open to criticism. Well, I’ll pretend to be anyway. lol

1. Who are some of the writers who influenced your decision to write?

I started reading Harlequin Romances after finishing my Masters in History at the end of the summer of 2003. My friend always had a romance novel in her purse so I decided to read some ‘light’ reading. Not sure I’d consider Romance light reading any more. It gets pretty serious sometimes. LOL both reading it and writing it can be serious business. Living romance is even harder, don’t you think? It’s a lot of work. I especially feel that way right now, since I’m in the process of a divorce, not to be negative, since I do truly believe in true love. I’ve seen it for others, just not sure I’ve ever experienced it. But I really really want toJ

1. Take us on the road to your first sale.

Wow! The first sale! Now that is a long story! I joined RWA and local writers groups CRW then MORWA, and I started submitting, and the competition is … OMG… ridiculous! I gave up on main stream publishers and sold to a small publisher thinking I’d get my foot in the door and practice with editors and publishers. I’m so glad I did. But I just caught in that trap of selling to a publisher who folded, then got my rights back and sold again, a trilogy, then sold the other trilogy I’d already written to a second publisher to keep things going, then sold another two books to another publisher…I’m so impatientJ

2. Readers are curious about a writer's life. Tell us about your typical writing day.

I write mostly in the summer. I spend a lot of time doing promotion, editing, reviewing, critiquing, and book signing during the school year because I’m a teacher, then during the summer I finish stories I’m working on and start new onesJ I like to write then crochet and think then write some more.

3. How much research do you do for each book? What is your favorite form of research?

I do research if I need to but since I worked as a Morse Code Operator / Supervisor in the military and I teach history and politics, I don’t have to do much research. But when I do research, I like the internet and personal interviews.

1. Tell us about this release.

Guard My Body is my latest release, and it is based on a home-grown terrorist aiding the enemy and allowing atomic weapons to cross the Mexican border, but our hero/heroine will stop him…or die trying.

No matter what, the people in your lives affect your writing. If you’re a people watcher, you pick up little personality traits and appearance characteristics and put them in your work. It’s what writers do. Even non-authors watch and think about people and what they’re thinking, feeling, and doing.

                Carry that a step further, and you put your feelings and how you deal with your everyday life into your stories. After all, that’s what voice is. It’s your personality and views put into your plot, dialog and internal thought.

                It’s basically unavoidable. Experience makes us what we are. Even the bad experiences. Even the people we’d consider bad influences and those who drag us down as if they’re sucking the time and energy right out of our lives.

                We are made up of our past experiences and those around us, whether we like it or not, and it’s hard to ignore friends, family, peers, associates, or even strangers and the way they cause us to incorporate how we see and deal with the world.

                This leads to a question: Why do you read/write romance? Is it because you have true love in your life, and your husband or significant other is wonderful, and the stories are examples of how great he/she is? Or is it because you are missing that part of your life, and you fulfill that void with wonderful romantic stories that relate to something you’d like to have but haven’t found, and it’s like escapism in that way as much as it is from the daily grind?

                Whatever the reason, romance is fun, and whatever subgenre you prefer just makes it all the more entertaining and diverting from the annoyance of stress in your life.

                Have fun! Read romance!

Sympathy or Apathy for our Characters: Heroes and Heroines that Deserve our Respect!

            Sounds odd, I know, but the characters we write into our fictional novels could be real people…well, so maybe they’re bigger than life sometimes, especially if our world building takes us to futuristic or fantasy elements, but the contemporary romance that you read could consist of real people’s lifestyles, and even those in ‘other worlds’ have real feelings.

            Take divorce or death for example. It’s difficult to empathize with someone – empathy being the fact that we can only truly know how someone else feels if we’ve actually dealt with the specific issue ourselves, but we can at least sympathize…we should all be capable of being nice and caring about others and their feelings and the things they have to deal with on a daily basis.

            We all have to live this life. Why can’t we all just get along…and most of all, if you’ve seen the movie Roadhouse…just be nice? People can be so cruel, but if we could only try to sympathize, and maybe, if possible, empathize, then we’d be better people ourselves and make others happier.

            I’ve written several types of characters, and I’m a teacher, which means I’m not a psychiatrist, but I feel like I need one sometimesJ And I see how all types of people deal with all types of problems. It’s odd when you see kids who are in perfect health, but they’re total jerks, and then there are those who compete in Special Olympics, and they’re so happy-go-lucky and carefree, but they have all these physical and mental disabilities that they don’t let keep them from being nice and thrilled with the smallest accomplishment.

            Most of the time our characters are healthy and beautiful. We really don’t want to read the bad stuff because we have to deal with enough negativity during our real lives, so escapism shouldn’t be sad, but it’s nice to think of those who have problems and help out in some small way when we can…even if it’s just a smile when you come into contact with strangers.

            I try never to be mean. It doesn’t always work, but I try nice first…always.

            Sometimes when people are mean though, it’s not because they dislike another person. They might not even know that other person. Sometimes they’re just dealing with pure hell in their lives, but it’s hard to allow them to use that as an excuse to mean to others. Just smile, and go on, and say a prayer…or at least try to believe they’re being cruel just because they have issues, not because they just like to be mean.

            That doesn’t mean you should let people walk on you. Absolutely not. But try nice first.

            I’ve written a librarian with a wild side who trusts no one because her sister is a CIA operative and she knows better.

            I’ve written a CIA operative who trusts no one because he’s seen too much to think people have any sort of good side.

            I written a DEA sniper who thinks it’s too late for her to be nice to anyone because she’s too jaded.

            I’ve written a rich guy who thinks being nice would just win him a good digger.

            I’ve written an FBI agent who used to be nice until her parents got killed by someone who’d been nice to her all her life then turned bad guy.

            I’ve written a reporter who has seen good, bad and ugly…mostly ugly…so he thinks those who are nice are only nice to get something out of him, and he’s probably right in his world.

            I’ve written a ‘nice’ girl next door who got framed by her not-so-nice fiancé and sent to prison. Now she’s hooked up with a nice lawyer…and of course she believes there is no such thing as a nice lawyer.

            I’ve written a nice guy fireman who’d risk his life for anyone but never his heart, and a nice lady who was abused by a really not nice ex-husband who was really phony in the begging, until he had her hooked.

            I’ve written a nice, smart college graduate who gets shoved into a man-hole by someone who was treated not very nicely by lots of people and turned insane.

            I’ve written a horrible mass murderer who wouldn’t know nice if it hit him…and it does, right in the face at the end of the book: a nice guy who rescues a nice woman from danger.

            So be nice.

            You never know what people are dealing with in their real life tragedies.

            And you could be next.

rebeccasavage.com

How can we find you? Website, blog, Facebook, Twitter?

All three: The best way is to go to my website and click on any link to get you to my other spots, like blogs, MySpace, Twitter, etc.

rebeccasavage.com

Facebook: Rebecca Savage

What do you currently have in print and where can we find them?

I have 8 books in print. Best way to find them is go to my website and click on any book cover. They should all be linked directly to purchase linkJ

Titles: Coincidence, Combustion, Consequences, Fueled By Instinct, Cloaked In Assassination, Destination Ever After, Guard My Baby, Guard My Body.

What genre do you write?

I write Contemporary Romantic Suspense about stalkers, snipers, assassins, FBI agents, CIA operatives, DEA covert characters, and…normal peopleJ

You say you're a school teacher. What grade/subject?

I teach high school and college History and Social Studies, as well as German. I lived in Italy for 5 ½ years as Morse Code operator so I speak fluent Italian and obviously German, and my oldest daughter was born in Germany so I spent some time there too. I’ve also gone TDY to 5 other countries. I’ve been around…be nice. I didn’t mean it that wayJ

You list "Author of the Year 2009", please tell us more about the award.

I had no idea I was even in the running for author of the year…how does one know that in advance? LOL. But I tried to promo as much as possible last year, and I guess it paid off. I’m doing the same thing this summer. I spend my summers writing and doing promo, and my school year editing, reviewing and surviving high schoolJ

I won the award through Champagne Books for my trilogy: Coincidence, Combustion, and Consequences, for which I was up for Book of the Month and then Book of the Year at Long and Short Reviews a couple of times last year.

Do you have cats or other pets? Why or why not?

I like fish…why? Because they’re easy, and they move so effortlessly. I wish I moved that easily. I have run the gauntlet of having dogs and cats for my children, but lat child is a Junior next year, and I am done with that mess. For those of you who are animals lovers, don’t be angry. They’re just not my thing. They’re beautiful and can be sweet, but I’m done doing the caregiver thing. Yes, I know, I’m delusional if I think my kids won’t come back for my help-the ones ‘out of the house’ already do- but still…I can dream, can’t I? J

What inspires your stories?

I write about what I know. I was a Morse Code Operator with a Top Secret Clearance, and I don’t have to research much, especially since I teach History and Politics. But I can’t tell you what I did in the Air Force for another 40 years – 65 years total from exit from military duty-by then I will have forgotten…already have…JKJ

What events do you have coming up?

I am doing several book signings this summer and most important I’m going to the beach. Oh, you meant to stick to writing…lol…well, the book signings, and contests on my website. There’s always one running, and if you leave comment on this blog and one on my website contact form, I’ll enter you for a free pdf of any of my books you choose;)

How do you like your romance, sweet or spicy?

I like sweet and spicy. I like all genres, as long as there’s a good plot and story other than just the mushy stuff. I like the mushy stuff too, but I want good fast-paced story to keep the mushy stuff important. But I read anything from sweet/religious to erotica…I know, I’m warped.:)

What is your current WIP?

Last summer I started two books, one is the third of a trilogy, and the other is something new to me altogether: a dragon story. It’s been challenging, and I plan to finish both this summer.

Do you write to music or not? If so, what type of music inspires you the most?

Anything 80s has to be inspiring…but I don’t like background noise when I write, or any other noise either. I threat to kill anything that bugs me…I take it back. It’s not a threat. It’s a promiseJ

What hobbies do you have that you want to share?

I love to crochet. I write…crochet and think. Then write some more…crochet and think some more…about writing or anything else that pops into my strange brain.:)

Did you always want to be an author? Who inspired you?

I had no inkling of being an author until I finished my Masters in History summer 2003 and sat down to read something fun for a change. I read a romance novel and was hooked. Read about two hundred more then sat on the couch reading one day and thought, “What would I write if I wrote?” it’s all been downhill…oh, I mean uphill since then…J

Other authors inspire me, especially the big names, because they’ve found a way to make it to the top where I want to be, although I like it right where I am too. J

What are your favorite movies, TV shows, or books to read? Is there one that you could watch/read over and over without ever tiring of it?

I only watch three things on TV: Dancing with the Stars, America’s Got Talent, and American Idol. I like movies and go often with my kids. I crochet while I watch those shows, and I read when I’m not watching TV or at the movies or doing the other millions things I’m up to. I used to watch the comedy series Friends but now I own the DVDs of the series so I go on Friends binges sometimes with my familyJ

What characters are your favorites from your books? From any work of fiction?

I like all my characters, of course, but the ones that are tough women who take no junk from men or anyone else are my favorites, which pretty much applies to all my heroinesJ And the boys have to be tough too but not so tough they’re overbearing jerksL

If you could meet one historical person for dinner, who would it be and why?

Napoleon Bonapart! He’s my hero. Yes, I know he was an egotistic wienie, but he was sooooooo smart!

If you could travel anywhere on Earth, where would you want to go? If you could travel anywhere, fictional or real, where would you go?

I’d love to go back to Italy, since I was stationed there in the military and have friends there. I plan to go there next summer for a reunion of all those who lived on the base at any time when it was open. The base is closed now. Very few people send or copy Morse Code any more…so…the base closed. L

If you could time travel, what is one event you would want to see in person, either future or past?

Moses parting the waters…I know. Unexpected, right? But that would be awesome…as long as I got to make it through to the other side…wait. What are the rules here? I don’t have to be of any specific religion and I can hop into my invisible time machine and get the heck out of dodge any time I want and not be stuck or get drown, right? LOL

What's your favorite color? Food? Reading spot?

My favorite color is green, pretty much any shadeJ

My favorite food is…oh, who am I kidding? I love it all! J

My favorite reading spot is any place comfortable, but I like the couchJ