Author Lynn Crain Interview

Today, author Lynn Crain sat down with me for an interview. Welcome, Lynn. It’s so great to have you here.

I’ll kick off the interview with a question I hear a lot. How long have you been writing?

I’ve been writing since I was twelve and first read Gone With The Wind. I knew at that very moment I’d found my calling. It was permanently cemented in my mind when shortly thereafter, I sold a religious poem. I’ve never turned back.

Tell us about your road to publishing.

It’s the pretty standard one. My parents thought someone with an English degree could never make it because it wasn’t a real job. They sent me to nursing school, which I basically never left as I went on to get a geology degree as well. I worked in jobs that involved computers and even on the Nevada Test Site. I owned a printing business that went belly up because of 9/11 and had the usual life bumps. About eight, nine years ago, a publisher friend online convinced me that I needed to send her my book and eventually she wore me down. It was accepted in less than 24 hours and I’ve never looked back.

You have a forthcoming novel. We'd love to know more. Is there a story behind the book?

Yes, my newest release is called The Harvester. The idea struck in a critique group and we decided to go see an all male revue. Since then most of that group have went their separate ways but I still had my story as did the few of us who were left. I decided to self-publish the story and told the others I’d help them. Still, my story is a little different than the others because my heroine is from space. Yeah, I can’t keep anything normal. LOL!

That’s a good thing. ;) Tell us about your characters. Which character are you most like and why?

I would honestly have to say that there is a little of me in all my heroines. I’ve mellowed over the years but it used to be I’d speak before I thought and I would always give my honest opinion regardless of the consequences. I’ve toned that down quite a bit over the years. A lot of the head-strong nature of my heroines come from me and my experiences, or rather mishaps, with a snarky nature.

What are your writing goals for the future?

I plan to keep writing and publishing. There will be books to traditional epublishers and maybe a NYC, it all depends. I will also be doing a lot of self-publishing and the reason isn’t that I don’t like my epubs, I do, but when I’m writing at capacity that’s 5K a day. Meaning I can have a short book done in a week. Or a long book done in twenty days. It’s hard to keep up the intensity if you have a dozen publishers because you write so much. My intention is to write as much as I can for my epubs and have the overflow go to my self-publishing venture.

Sounds like a great plan. Tell us about your writing day now. Are you a full-time writer? If not, how do you find time to write? If so, how often do you write? Do you stick to a schedule?

I am a full time writer. I was lucky enough to have a husband who has a great job. When he offered me the chance five years ago to stay home and write full time, I jumped on it. I just wrote a guest blog on putting together ‘To Do’ lists. I have a daily list that I try to adhere to every day. It has on it things like editing, writing, blogging and more. Once those items are done, they get checked off and I move on. At the end of the day, I look at what I haven’t finished then make a new list for the next day. I have a life ‘To Do’ list as well as a general writing ‘To Do’ list to keep me on track.

As productive as you are, your ‘to do’ list obviously works! Lynn, what is your idea of a perfect hero?

Perfection is a myth. I’m looking for the hero that has real life flaws. He has to be nice looking, not necessarily drop-dead gorgeous but that does help. He needs to be hard working, have a great sense of humor and not mind the heroines flaws at all. He has to be willing to help her overcome her problems as well as accept her help on his. Does this come easy for him? Absolutely not because he’s the ultimate Alpha male who is complete control...only...he realizes just how much he isn’t in control the moment he meets the heroine.

What makes a heroine most appealing to readers?

Again, it would have to be her flaws. The reason readers like characters is because they can identify with them. I need to make sure that the heroines I write are ones readers can connect with and when they can, they will feel their story even more.

Who are some of your favorite old-school authors? Take us back to the early days. Any inspirations there?

Margaret Mitchell, Edna Ferber, Janet Dailey and even Barbara Cartland on occasion as I devoured books. I read so many Harlequins that I can’t remember most of the authors names.

Where are you published? Leave us all the links where we can find you and your books.

I’m published at eXtasy Books, Devine Destines, Loose Id and Shooting Star Books. Here’s where you can find out more about me and my writing!

Lynn Crain Website

The Harvester

Word Count: approximately 42,000 words

Logline: Sky Nerezsh, a Harvester of men, leaves home avoiding a tragic path when a rival comes to claim Earth and the two Scottish lifemates she’s just discovered.

Blurb: Princess Sky Xera Nerezsh came to earth to avoid the normal succession path to the throne. Being the oldest daughter, she will be required to murder her mother in order to secure her path to power. Sky loves her mother and refuses this path, choosing instead to disappear in the vast reaches of space. When her past collides with her present, she has to think quick on her feet, claim two men and a whole planet just to avoid the inevitable: a meeting with her mother. Along the way, she discovers true love and a burning need to be there for them always. Now if the other Harvesters can just keep to themselves, they’ll have no problems. But who said true love was ever easy.

Book Excerpt:

Suddenly one dark haired man was on the table in front of her, gyrating his sexy hips in her face, his package mere inches from her mouth. In another life, she would have leaned forward and planted her lips on his crotch, willing his body to perform. She really should have been paying more attention to the situation around her instead of wondering about where Angela had gotten herself.

Leaning down, his breath reminded her of the sweetgrass that grew on her home planet of Tyrsati, heightening her senses even more. “Sweetheart, I see how you want me...it’s written all over your face.” His voice purred in her ear.

Sky gasped and pulled back to get a better look at the man in front of her. He reminded her of the gods of Vada. He was tall, well-muscled, dark hair brushing the top of his shoulders and had the most incredible violet eyes she had ever seen. Guess the optics weren’t wrong. He would fetch an exquisite price on Texra and her mother would be extremely proud for her acquisition. She shook her head to clear the cobwebs.

“Nice eyes, sweetie – hang around after the show – I’ll make it worth your while.” His voice hit a resonance with her and her whole body flushed. It had been years since she had reacted to any man. Now her emotions and body betrayed her for an insignificant being on an outer planet. She shook her head. This planet was no more insignificant than any other, including her own but she knew if she didn’t get herself under control, the Harvester in her would take over. Old habits die hard.

“Don’t let his demeanor fool you, luvey. He just wants to get into your pants.” Another deep voice reverberated close to her ear.

She glanced over her shoulder and again her breath was nearly taken away as she looked into the bluest eyes she’d ever seen in the galaxy bar none. The sky of Octa couldn’t hold a candle to the color that swirled in their depths.

“Ooo, Jaxon is right about the eyes. Very cool green.”

“Contacts,” Sky managed to get out for the second time this evening, her voice low.

“And a sexy voice to boot. Very nice.” He twirled away to join his companion on stage. He was just as nice looking as the first guy but just a little shorter. His shiny hair swung around his jaw line as he moved and her hands ached to run her fingers through it and over his body.

She sat there stunned as the people at her table laughed and clapped her on the back as if she’d done some sort of fantastic feat. While her time on this planet had been very thrilling, in her old life working for her mother, their performances had to be impeccable or their fate might be worse than death. She vaguely wondered just how she’d rate them.

Sky did her best to smile and act as if what happened was one of the most exciting things in her life when in reality it brought back some memories she’d rather forget. Folding her hands in front of her, she closed her eyes and steadied her breathing. She opened her eyes slow and caught a glimpse of a targeting laser. The light was in a part of the spectrum that no one of this planet could even see but her optics caught it.

Scanning the crowd, she allowed her eyes to whirl, not caring who saw. There were not supposed to be any Harvesters on this world as it had been declared too primitive to even be included in the Alliance of Planets. She came here because she knew this was the one place her mother wouldn’t think to look. Now, she knew another Tyrsatian walked the same world as she did, occupying the very same room.

Maybe it was time to see just what type of trouble Angela got herself into. Leaning across the table, she quickly gave Jayne her phone number and said her goodbyes to all the others present. Rising slowly, she didn’t want to alert the other Harvester but she was just far enough away and at a weird angle to not see who it might be. Moving quickly to the back wall, she moved to where she stood way behind the woman but close enough to see who it was.

Jesata Ardik. Of all the Harvesters to show up on her new home planet, one of the most relentless in the business had to land on her new home. This wasn’t going to be easy. She had to delay her from marking them because once they were marked, it didn’t matter wherever in the universe they were, they would be considered fugitives until captured and sold to the highest bidder. Meaning, she wouldn’t be able to get them off world without the help of her mother.


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BIO:
Lynn Crain has penned over 25 novels in romance in the genres of science fiction, fantasy and contemporary romance, erotic to tame in nature. She always knew that writing was her calling even if it took years at other professions to prove it. She has belonged to EPIC and RWA for more years that she cares to think about. Currently, she lives in Europe while her husband of nearly 30 years pursues his dream of working internationally. Her state-side home is in Nevada where family and friends wait patiently for their return. You can find her hanging out at A Writer In Vienna Blog and various other places on the net www.theloglineblog.blogspot.com; www.twitter.com/oddlynn3 ; www.lynncrain.blogspot.com ; www.facebook.com/oddlynn3 ) as well as her website. Still, the thing she loves most of all is hearing from her readers at lynncrain@cox.net.

NOTE: This is an erotic menagé novel with EXPLICIT language and adult situations.

Review Links:

http://marywhispers.blog.com/?p=1024

More Lynn Crain Links

www.myspace.com/lynncrain

lynncrain.blogspot.com

awriterinvienna.blogspot.com

www.theloglineblog.blogspot.com

http://lynncrain.livejournal.com/