Just Erotic Romance Reviews

Veronica Chadwick is a newly published author at Ellora’s Cave. Ms. Chadwick co-author of MOVING VIOLATIONS with her sister Lora Leigh graciously agreed to answer some of our questions.

Veronica welcome to Just Erotic Romance Reviews.

Thank you. I’m honored!

You are the proud Mother of 2. What is it like splitting your time between writing and being a very involved Mom?

Was I supposed to split it? LOL I homeschool so we all sort of work on our “assignments” at the same time. However when I’m really into a scene it’s tough to stop and deal with an issue. My husband, Paul, is very good about giving me time alone to write when he gets home from work.

What caused you to start writing?

Lora stood over me with a whip! NO really! Okay, here’s my writing history, now try and stay awake!

I’ve always loved reading and telling stories. As a child, my friends and I would take turns making up stories about each other and there would always be a handsome prince to save us from a horrible fate. As I got older I wrote poetry. It came easy to me so I wrote a lot of poetry. I took creative writing in college. My professor told us if we couldn’t give him quality give him quantity. I wrote almost sixty poems that semester, plus a children’s book and an essay. All of which he said was quality…I still think that’s debatable but…anyway. He told me that my prose was much better than my poetry and that if I kept writing he would see my name in print someday. I believed at the time he was just being nice.

My husband has always been supportive of whatever I wanted to do, my sister however is the reason I write. She believed in me so much that I couldn’t help but try. I kept making attempts starting story after story and never finishing one. Now you know Lora isn’t passive by any stretch of the imagination. She pushed and nagged and hounded…DAILY…until finally, with a sigh, I gave in. She listened to me read to her and gave me invaluable feedback and kept on pushing until I had finished my first novel: The Warlord’s Gift. Now the writing virus is in my system, like a parasite I must keep it fed. So there you have it. It’s all Lora Leigh’s fault.

Moving Violations is Combustible and Jackson the Alpha Hero is so intriguing. There is a very interesting scene involving produce. (Sorry all you will have to read the book) Where did he get his fascination with produce?

LOL Jackson is a versatile kind of Alpha man. He isn’t my character, not really, Lora wrote his point of view. Jackson is both aggressive and fun loving and I think his is not so much a fascination with produce as it is a fascination with all the ways he can put a smile on Rebecca’s face and a moan on her lips.

Your sense of humor is legend on several groups that you are a member. This comes through with Moving Violations as well as some highly intense scenes.. Which is more difficult to write a humorous scene or an emotional intense scene?

No way, are you serious? *snort* Legend? Wow. Both can be tough. Actually I guess it depends on my mood, my frame of mind. I think maybe the emotionally intense scenes are harder. I tend to be a drama queen myself so I can go overboard if I’m not careful. The humorous scenes seem to just happen and they’re so much fun.

How was it to work with a highly published Author like your sis? Come on you can be truthful it is only us. *wink*

Yeah right, as if I don’t know she’ll read this! LOL Writing with Lora was a blast. Though I know Lora is a prolific and best-selling author, that’s not who I was working with. I was working with my sister. It was like we were playing Barbies again…and of course she had to play with the Ken doll, she always gets to play with Ken, dangit! *rolling my eyes.* Poor Barbie.

Anyway, I digress. We did have fun though we did disagree once or twice…okay a few times. But as long as I made her believe she was getting her way everything was fine. *snicker*

Are you currently working on any projects?

I’m writing a quickie right now. Educating Mr. Winters. Greg Winters is a very organized, very controlled, very hot High School Science teacher. Shadoe Gray, a smart-assed, scatterbrained student teacher enters his life, disrupting his well-ordered world with her wild sexuality and her obstinate will.

After that’s finished I’ll be working on editing The Warlord’s Gift and writing a new book with Lora: When Souls Kiss.

Could you tell us about The Warlord’s Gift?

Sure…
Draven, Mmmm. Enough said.
Oh all right I’ll elaborate. Draven, Warlord, King of Lanthor. He’s very tall, very big, dark and seductive. He has long wavy black hair, an incredibly sexy mouth framed by a wicked goatee and piercing silver eyes and he can feel. Oh yes, he can feel everything Linea feels, know every sensation he gives her.

Though stifled for years, Linea escapes her brutal existence and through Draven, finds she has gifts of her own. For example the ability to reflect Draven’s gift, his power, his lust mingled with her own. It makes for some volatile moments.

This story is so close to my heart. The characters, Moria the fairy, Angus the gnoll, even the annoying, scruffy little elf, Gavril, I love them all! I loved writing it and I’m hoping everyone will love reading it.

How involved are you in researching your stories?

*Big grin* Research is vital. Any author will tell you that you must be very involved in research to write a believable story. I tend to interview, read and search for the information I need. But it’s the hands on research that I love the most. *wink*

Do you draw some of your characters from real life? If so do you take the whole character or just certain individual traits? For instance Lora Leigh is addicted to coffee and one of her heroines, Faith, from Jacobs Faith has that same addiction.

Some yes. Bryan Matthews from Moving Violations was based on someone I know, however is nothing like the real person. I would never use the whole character. The closest I’ve come to using someone I know in a story is Shadoe Gray in Educating Mr. Winters…Guess who that’s based on! *hee hee*

Let me tell you Faith is Lora. She denies it vehemently but it’s true. I don’t think she sees it but it’s uncanny. I loved reading that story!!

What is a typical day like for you?

Wow, it’s so boring…
From the time I get up in the morning my day is so full. What with my daily workout swim and massage at the spa, juggling important beauty appointments and meetings with my tailor, not to mention shopping and directing the service staff, I have to struggle to find time for my writing.

Huh…oh okay I’m awake now. Okay my actual day is VERY boring…typically. We get up, get breakfast, and get the kids busy on their lessons. I write during the lull times when they’re working, I work. We usually finish by lunchtime so my best writing time is between one and five in the afternoon when Paul and Len (brother) get home from work. The kids have free time then. Most nights I watch TV, or a movie with the family or just lie in bed and chat with Paul *wink* and sometimes we go to the YMCA. The main computer we use is in the living room and with the TV going I have a hard time focusing so I just let Len have it (considering he bought the computer and all.) We are working on setting up an office in our bedroom so that I can work at night. Most weekends are computer and writing free family time…but that varies.

When you write do you construct an outline of the story and have an idea of how you want it to end or do you let the characters dictate the flow of the story?

An outline?

ROFLMAO….Oh…your serious. *ahem* Now do the capital letters come after the roman numerals or…Oh nevermind…uh no I do not use an outline.

I get an idea and start writing until I can get into the characters psyche. My ideas usually start with a character and builds from there. The ending comes to me as I write, but I don’t have that right away. The characters do dictate the flow, very much so. If I don’t have a grasp of the character in the very beginning, I don’t have a story.

What is your favorite scene from a Movie?

Oh now that’s not fair. I have several:

Do you have a favorite CD or music you listen to as you write?

Music is very very important to me. It speaks to me like nothing else can in every way possible. It inspires me spiritually, mentally, emotionally and physically. So music is important to setting my mood as I write and again it all depends on what I’m writing.

While writing Moving Violations I listened to Country music. Lot’s of Toby Keith, that man is so much fun and sexy! Yes Lord!

While writing The Warlord’s Gift I listened to Nickelback: Silver Side up mostly and some Godsmack.

With Educating Mr. Winters for some reason I’ve been listening to Whitesnake.

Do you need a certain atmosphere when writing?

Yes! I need a warm sandy beach and hot buttered cabana boys and icy fruit drinks with little umbrellas in ‘em. LOL *sigh* I’ll try to be serious I’m sorry.

Unfortunately, I like to be alone. I need quiet or specific music or I’ll get distracted. All that’s hard to find in this house.

What traits do you think makes a successful author?

A sense of adventure, an observant eye and an open mind.

What is your favorite food and why?

Perfectly brewed coffee and hot, buttery, flaky, barely sweet pastry. That’s just comfort food for me. Makes me feel warm and pampered.

What is your least favorite food and why?

I'll eat anything that doesn't eat me first! I guess slimy asparagus from a can…oh yeah and…corn beef hash. That stuff looks NASTY. Like dog food! *shudder*

What is your least favorite word and why?

Fruition. I don’t know I just hate it. It’s like nails on a chalkboard to me.

What is your favorite word and why?

Eclectic. Because it describes me so well.

Ms. Chadwick you also have your own website http://www.geocities.com/veronicachadwick/ How important do you feel it is for an author to have a website and why?

That will be changing to www.veronicachadwick.com very, very soon…I’ll let everyone know when it does. *wink* An author needs a place where readers can find excerpts, news of soon to be released books, contests, that sort of thing. If an author wants to promote themselves they’ll need to eventually build a web site.

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