Cheyenne McCray has titillated her fans with Sensual Elves, Wild Cowboys and Bondage Kings. In a little over a year she has gone from an unknown author in the field of romantica to an acclaimed and successful writer. Her fans eagerly await each new book, clamoring to the Ellora's Cave site the minute they are posted for sale. Cheyenne McCray graciously agreed to sit down with JERR and give us some insight to her writing and her life.

Tell us a little bit about your background, where you were born, where you grew up?

I was born in Miami, Arizona, a copper mining town, but we only lived there for maybe a year before moving to Bisbee, Arizona. When I was about eight, we moved out of town and lived on a ranch. My parents still live on the ranch—it’s been about thirty years now. All of the Wild Cowboy books take place in the area I grew up in.

At what age did you start writing? What was your first book? When did you decide on writing romantica?

I started writing from kindergarten, through college. My classroom projects always ended up much longer than anyone else’s because I loved to write.

My first book was a young adult fantasy novel, and that’s how I landed my agent. The book hasn’t sold yet—I want to rewrite it and have had it on hold for over a year now, until I have time to work on it.

As for romantica, I found I really enjoyed reading books with more sex. When I was introduced to Ellora’s Cave, I said *that’s* what I want to do! I love writing these relationships and the sensuality of the sex scenes.

How does your family respond to your romantica writing? Do your kids know? What about your parents?

My parents are proud of me, but they’re not allowed to read my romantica books. Seriously! However WILD BORDERS that’s coming out in December is one that that I feel more comfortable with them reading.

My kids know I write romance, but because I told them it has “kissing and stuff,” they’re not interested in them. Thank goodness. My teenager knows I write romance, and I don’t think he thinks too much about it. I think it freaks teens out to know that their parents even think about sex.

My husband thinks I’ve found my niche and that he’s impressed with my writing. Of course he thinks all the heroes are patterned after him!

What other genres of books have you written besides romantica? Have you written poetry?

I write young adult literature in my other life. Annie Windsor and I have sold a book to a large publisher that we wrote together under different pen names. It will be out in 2005 and will be the first in a trilogy. We’re very excited about it.

When I was younger I wrote poetry, but I haven’t done much as an adult

Who are your favorite characters from your books? Who would you take home to meet your parents?

Tierra from SC: SPELLBOUND, Catie from WILDCAT, and Alexi from Wonderland: KING OF SPADES are three of my favorite female heroines because they are so kick-ass and were just fun to write.

As for heroes, I have a hard time choosing because I write males that I think are hot. I think definitely Jake from WILDFIRE, Jarrod from WILDCAT, and Jess from WILDCARD. I have a thing for cowboys!

What is your normal day like?

I get up at about six a.m. and try to get my two youngest sons off to the bus stop on time—they catch it around 7 a.m. Fortunately my oldest son who’s a high school sophomore can take care of himself and catches the bus about 6:30.

After I get the kids off to school, I get ready for the day—shower, hair, makeup, etc. then I check my e-mail and answer what I can by 9 a.m. Once it’s 9.a.m, I try to get my BIC (Butt in Chair) and write until 2:30 p.m. when the boys get home from school. I do give myself breaks during the day, but I try to stick to the writing schedule. After the boys get home I give them a snack and they run off to play their video games or do homework and I might go back to writing if I’m in the middle of a scene or trying to finish a chapter. I try to write a chapter a day, which is about 3000-4000 words.

In the evenings I pick up my oldest son from football practice, get the kids dinner, and then I work out at the health club for a couple of hours three times a week. On days I don’t workout there might be a scheduled chat, or my son’s football game, or any number of things that come up. I tend to answer e-mail from 9-11 p.m. because I don’t have a lot of time during the day with the schedule I keep. I’ve had a book a month released with Ellora’s Cave in 2003, and that means a lot of writing!

Can you tell us a little bit about your process for writing a book? Do you research and make outlines and write from that or do you just sit down and type?

I usually have the first chapter or two clear in my mind before I sit down to write it. I often think about them for months before I start writing the book, and I try to get the hero and heroine down in my thoughts so that I can write from their unique perspective. I also know where I want the story to end; it’s just the journey to the end that I need to determine when I get going. Once I write the first couple of chapters, I normally write a very brief outline, usually a line or two for each chapter. And I usually stray from that a little and end up writing one or two chapters more than I had outlined.

You have already written books in several different genres of romantica and are planning on writing books in the vampire and werewolf genres. What attracts you to a specific genre? Is it something that you have read or just a character screaming for his own story?

Sometimes it starts out as an idea in the back of my mind. I let it sit there and gel while I’m working on other projects. Then when I’m ready and it’s next in line, I write it. I only write one book at a time. My friend Annie will work on several books at a time, but I can’t do that. I have tunnel vision and I’m obsessive when it comes to working on a book!

As far as genre, I like to explore different worlds and characters. If I write too many books in the same series all at once, I get edgy and bored, and need to try something different. As long as I have some space between books in series, I think it keeps it fun and exciting for me. I’m intrigued by werewolves and vampires—I find them dark, dangerous, and sexy, and I love writing those kinds of alphas.

Where did you get the inspirations for the Seraphine Chronicles?

My inspiration originally came from a dream. I’ve always enjoyed fantasy and I love mythical creatures and worlds. I also love the dynamics of a relationship between a man and a woman, and this gave me a way to explore those dynamics even further.

What inspired you to write a series of books on bondage and submission?

In all of my books I have enjoyed writing light bondage scenes. In WILDFIRE, Jake ties Dee to a tree; in WILDCAT, Jarrod handcuffs Catie to the bed; in WILDCARD, Jess binds Trace with her clothing. In the SERAPHINE CHRONICLES, I also use light bondage in each one.

The WONDERLAND series was a natural extension of the bondage I had been writing. It has given me the opportunity to explore it further. I researched it and learned more about lifestyle BDSM, and also BDSM that only takes place in the bedroom. I found it fascinating, and I’m exploring it in different ways through my characters.

If you had a fairy godmother and she granted you one sexual fantasy what would it be?

Um, boy. Do I really want to say this? If I wasn’t married (to a wonderful man for almost 18 years now) then my secret fantasy would be a ménage with two gorgeous guys who desired nothing but to make my fantasies come true. Of course that’s fantasy, and reality would probably not be as exciting. I think that’s what makes erotic romance so much fun. We can experience our wildest fantasies through these characters who *can* live out their fantasies. And what’s even better is that we can give them the perfect fantasy where everyone gets their part right!

If a Hollywood producer came to you and wanted to make a movie of one of your books which book would you choose?

I think Seraphine Chronicles: FORBIDDEN would be cool to see on the big screen, and a close second would be Wonderland: KING OF HEARTS.

Who would play the hero? Why?

For Forbidden, definitely Viggo Mortensen the actor who plays Aragorn in THE LORD OF THE RINGS. Yum! Why? Because he’s my fantasy man, at least when he’s playing Aragorn. I just love that dark, sexy look and his talent with a sword!

Who would play the heroine? Why?

Ooh, that one is harder. I don’t picture actresses while I’m writing, only sexy men. The actress would have to be fair and petite, and look good with very long white-blonde hair that has a mind of its own.

What would be the perfect evening out with your husband?

We usually go out on Saturdays and Sundays and enjoy going to new restaurants or one of our favorite places to dine. We might see a movie afterwards, too.

Ideally, it’s great if we can get a weekend away at a resort or hotel and just spend a lot of time together without the kids.

Does your husband help with your research (wink)?

You bet! :-)

You are going to the Romantic Times Convention in Kansas City in October. What do you hope to accomplish? What do you hope to learn? Who would you like to meet?

I’m very exited about the conference! I’m looking forward to meeting fans, the Ellora’s Cave party and panel. I’m also on the SEX SELLS! panel with Kate Duffy, Thea Devine, Robin Schone, Nancy Warren, Melissa MacNeal, Jennifer Martin and Ann Jacobs. I’m excited and nervous about being on a panel with such well known authors.

As far as who I would like to meet, I haven’t had much of a chance to really know who will be there. I’m definitely looking forward to meeting all the other Ellora’s Cave authors attending, and staff, and especially my editor. I believe there are about 35 of us from EC attending, including authors and staff. It’s going to be fun!

You have received several awards and wonderful praise in a national magazine for your books. Did you ever think that your work would get all this recognition? What are your feelings on how romantica has come to be accepted by the public?

I think every author hopes to get praise, great reviews, awards and recognition. I didn’t know what to expect, but I hoped my books would be well received. I was more concerned about fan reaction to begin with. I just wanted people to enjoy what I write, and to be able to escape into the worlds I created. The awards aren’t bad either. *g*

I think it’s wonderful how women are confident enough in their own sexuality to allow themselves the freedom of reading erotic romance.

In a recent issue of The Romantic Times Book Club magazine a letter to the editor criticized the fact that they were writing reviews for erotic romance. How do you feel about a national magazine doing reviews for erotic romance?

I definitely believe erotic romance should be included in national magazines, contests, etcetera that has to do with romance in general. What we write is romance, just with more sex.

What advise would you give aspiring writers?

To just keep on working at it and never give up. Writing is a craft, and you have to hone your skills and learn as much as possible. It’s not as easy as it looks. There’s so much to think about from character point of view to character arc to plot and so on. I would recommend taking an online course in writing romance, and to buy books on writing. It took me a long time to get to the point I’m at now.

Are there any upcoming projects that you would like to tell our readers about?

In 2004 I will have a vampire series titled HOTEL CALIFORNIA, a futuristic series called BLACKSTAR, and also a werewolf series titled OZ. In addition there will be two more books in the WILD COWBOYS series, and one more in the SERAPHINE CHRONICLES.

The OZ series is a spin-off of the Wonderland series. In the first book, OZ: INTO THE MOONGLOW, Dorothy Osborne, or Ry as she prefers to be called, is a country girl who lives in Kansas and ends up swept up by a tornado. Ry lands in Emerald City where she meets the man of her dreams, Lord Kir of the mountain wolf clan. Kir knows that he’s found his lifemate in Ry. Two problems, though. One, Ry doesn’t want to settle down because she wants to sample all that’s out there. Problem two is that Kir is a werewolf.

Another series in the works is Hotel California, and the first book is VAMPIRE DREAMS. Hannah Compton has everything a woman could desire. A dynamic company, loads of money, beauty, and fame. When she’s heading home from a successful business trip, Hannah stops at a mysterious hotel called Hotel California, and finds herself in an underground world of vampires and beasts. Not to mention the dark and sensual man who rocks her soul.

And the third series coming up is BLACKSTAR, and the first book is tentatively titled FUTURE KNIGHTS. Raven Fields’ dreams haunt her every night and visions come to her by day. A man touching her, kissing her, loving her. The visions become more frequent, and seem so real she’s afraid she’s losing her mind. But when a futuristic knight rescues her from a group of thugs, she knows she’s found her dream man, in every sense of the word.

In addition to the new series, I also have planned a 6th book in the Seraphine Chronicles, ENCHANTED.

Also coming up is the 5th book in the Wild Cowboys, titled WILD SIDE, and a 6th titled WILD THING, which will be in the Wild Hearts anthology with Patrice Michelle and Nelissa Donovan.

I’ll also be in a vampire anthology with Annie Windsor and Kit Tunstall, and my book is tentatively titled VAMPIRE LUST.

My most recent releases:

Wonderland: KING OF HEARTS, book 1 in the Wonderland series:
After being dumped, Alice resolves to enjoy men sexually, refusing to involve her heart. When she tumbles down a rabbit hole, she lands in a beautiful, erotic world, surrounded by gorgeous men—talk about a dream come true! Only King Jarronn deliberately lured Alice to his kingdom, with every intention of capturing her and making her his Queen of Hearts.

Wonderland: KING OF SPADES, book 2 in the Wonderland series:
Alexi O’Brien’s pissed and determined to locate her missing twin. When she’s abducted into a fantasy world, Alexi’s determined to escape and resume her search—even though the man who captured her excites her in unimaginable ways. King Darronn prefers his women submissive…his future queen is anything but. Darronn intends to convince Alexi that her heart, body, and soul belong to him.

Coming in October is Wonderland: KING OF DIAMONDS, book 3 in the Wonderland series. Professor Annie Travis is an academic force to be reckoned with. No one sees the true Annie, the shy, inexperienced southern lady taught to hide her needs and desires. No one except Karn, the King of Diamonds, who draws her into his magical world, intent on teaching the teacher the true meaning of passion.

Thanks to Oleta and JERR for having me here!

If you would like to find out more about Cheyenne McCray drop by her website at www.cheyennemccray.com and get the latest scoop on her books. Cheyenne loves to hear from her readers. Email Cheyenne at chey@cheyennemccray.com. You can find all of Cheyenne's books at www.ellorascave.com. A discussion group has recently been established, and you can find Chey’s Fantasies at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/cheysfantasies

© Oleta M Blaylock - October 26, 2003 Issue of the Just Erotic Romance Review Newsletter

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