Was THE MEN AND WOMEN'S CLUB ever released?
No, it wasn't. At one time it was offered for presale - it even had a pretty green cover (click here to see the cover) - but it was never published. Look below for more info regarding the fate of THE MEN AND WOMEN'S CLUB.
When is your next book coming out?
My next book is coming out February 6, 2006. Originally titled THE MEN AND WOMEN'S CLUB, it has since been retitled, and is now called: SCANDALOUS LOVERS. As soon as I have more information about this book or on other upcoming releases, I will post the information on my Coming Soon Page. So please keep it bookmarked and check back often! Also, when I have news about upcoming releases, I send out an e-mail newsletter. Be the first to know! Sign up to receive my E-Mail Newsletter here.
Why has it taken you so long to publish another book?
You know, of course,
that I was involved in a legal dispute with Kensington Publishing. Which,
I am happy to report, has been settled! But such things slow down even
the most prolific of authors, and, alas, I am not prolific.
What I haven't told you, though - because I hate talking about a manuscript
before publication (I know, I know, color me superstitious!) - is that, upon
delivery, SCANDALOUS LOVERS (what was originally titled THE MEN AND WOMEN'S
CLUB) weighed a strapping ten pounds! It was 957 pages long, to be exact.
Too long, my publisher determined, for print. So I put it on a diet and
trimmed off 209 pages. Strangely enough, only a few scenes were cut. I
regret the loss of one, but it really did bog the pace down, so. . . .
I will, after publication, post the cut scene on my website.
Now that your legal dispute is over, you have a pile of manuscripts waiting to be published, right?
Wrong. Wish I did! Sorry. I will be bringing you something totally different late 2007 or early 2008, though, a manuscript written some years ago that I've polished up. Let us just say "political satire." The best way I can describe WILD TURKEYS CAN FLY is that it's a cross between Watership Down by Richard Adams and Animal Farm by George Orwell, with some fowl sex ala Robin Schone. I hope a publisher will be interested, but if not, I think I'll try my hand at self-publishing.
Where can I purchase your books?
Because my books contain explicit adult content, it's highly unlikely you will ever find them in department stores such as Walmart (although, strangely enough, both Awaken, My Love and The Lady's Tutor were sold there when first published). Fortunately, there are lots and lots of regular bookstores which carry my books: Barnes & Noble, B. Dalton, Books-A-Million, Borders, Waldenbooks plus other chain bookstores as well as independent bookstores. If you don't see my books at your favorite bookstore, ask a clerk to order them for you! Bookstores are delighted to special order books for their customers, and it doesn't cost you a penny more to do so! Generally special orders arrive in a matter of days. Or like me, you can shop on-line for your books. I buy almost exclusively from Amazon.com. Usually its a lot cheaper than buying them in a 'stone and mortar' bookstore, as the overhead is less. And there is the added convenience of having your books delivered right to your doorstep!
Should your books be read in any particular order?
Only two of my books are actual sequels, and yes, I would recommend that they be read in order:
The Lover
Gabriel's Woman
While my novella "A Man and A Woman" in the anthology Fascinated isn't a sequel per se, it does take up Muhamed's (Connor's) story from The Lady's Tutor. So while you don't have to read The Lady's Tutor before "A Man and A Woman," I would do so simply because I think it gives Muhamed/Connor a bit more depth.
Are your books ever going to be released in hardback?
All my books have been published in hardback via Doubleday Book Club, Venus Book Club and Rhapsody Book Club. The Lady's Tutor is also available in a special hardback library edition.
Are your books ever going to be released in audio?
I don't know, but I sure hope so! Not only is it fun to "read" a book via audio, but there are many, many blind people who do not have the opportunity to read "racier" books due to censorship by the Library of Congress. Sex causes you to go blind, don't you know.
Are any of your books ever going to be made into movies?
Again, I sure hope so! But alas, there are no plans at the moment.
Are your books ever going to be translated into (insert langauge)?
My work has thus far been translated into Chinese, Czech, French, German, Polish, Russian and Spanish. (Click here to see my International Book Covers.) Oddly enough, it's not up to an author . . . and sometimes it's not even up to the publisher! . . . to get books published in another language. But guess what . . . you do have the power to get books published in your langauge. Write letters to publishers in your country and let them know what you want to read! Trust me . . . it works!
Will you ever write . . .
...a sequel to The Lover and Gabriel's Woman?
Michael and Gabriel are very, very special characters. If I ever come up with a story that is as special as they are, then yes, I will write a sequel. But it would have to be a special story, indeed, and as of right now, I just don't have it.
...John or Daniel (Victoria's brother in Gabriel's Woman)'s story?
Both of those characters greatly intrigue me. They maintain a low hum in the back of my thoughts. If I write their stories, it will probably be as novellas. As of now, though, I do not have any immediate plans for them.
...about the children that Anne and Michael (from The Lover) or Victoria and Gabriel (from Gabriel's Woman) or Elizabeth and Ramiel (from The Lady's Tutor) will [presumably] have after they marry?
No. Absolutely not. Generally my motto is never say never, but I can emphatically state that I will never write about children that my heroines and heroes will presumably have. The reason is simple: I can't imagine any child being more interesting than their progenitors. That's assuming, of course, that my lovers do indeed have children. I do not automatically equate love + marriage = children.
...the Countess's story (from The Lady's Tutor)?
Probably. I, too, loved the Countess: her courage, her vivaciousness and her innate sensuality. I have her story mapped out in my mind, it's just a matter of getting it down on paper.
...Damon and Bainbridge's stories (from Awaken, My Love)?
When I wrote Awaken, My Love I had every intention of writing Damon and Bainbridge's stories. Trilogies were so popular back in 1995. They are even more so now! I have actually written about 1/3 of Damon's story. Unfortunately, at the time it was too dark for Avon Books, and has since remained nestled inside a file. Damon's heroine, however, mightily intrigues me, as does her story. I think I will conclude the trilogy someday, I just don't know when.
Will you ever write a contemporary book?
Absolutely. In fact, I wrote one for Harlequin Blaze some years ago, but alas, they found my hero too hard. *Smile* I have since rewritten it - in my mind - and plan on doing so on paper in the not too distant future. And before you ask what it's about! . . . I'm far more superstitious than what I like to admit. Some authors will tell you years in advance the books they plan to write. I don't even tell Don what I plan to write! He doesn't have a clue until I read him a chapter and ask his input. The reason being. . . . I firmly believe we have finite energy. At any rate, I have finite energy. I find if I talk about a book before I write it, I lose interest in writing it. So please don't think I'm being standoffish or selfish when I don't talk about what I'm writing; that's just the way I am.
Out of all the books you've written, which is your favorite? Who are your favorite fe/male characters?
Prior to SCANDALOUS LOVERS, my answers
would have been:
Favorite book: The Lover, for being my best written
novel.
Favorite heroine: Anne, for being my most courageous heroine.
Favorite hero: Gabriel, for being my most complex hero.
However, without a doubt SCANDALOUS LOVERS is not only my favorite book,
but Frances and James are my two favorite characters. He's a sophisticated
barrister, and she's an unsophisticated grandmother, yet together they find
the courage to be what they need to be instead of what society tells them
they should be. I also love how their honesty changes not only their own
lives, but the lives of all the men and women in the Men and Women's Club.
There are scenes in it that literally wrote themselves while I sat glued
to my computer. Frances and James spoke to me, and I learned so much from
them.
How do I get published?
Through blood, sweat and tears. (There's a great
rock band with that name, btw!)
It amazes me when people come up to me and ask how they can get published.
Well, okay, that doesn't amaze me. What amazes me is the part when I ask
them what authors they read, because sometimes authors acknowledge their
agents (waving at Nancy
Yost at Lowenstein-Yost Associates Inc.) in the front of their books.
So often I am told, with sheepish pride, that the person seeking publication
doesn't read! WHAT?! Why on earth would anyone want to write a book if they
don't read!!!!!!!!!!!! Striving to remain calm and professional, I take a
deep breath and ask how far along in their writing are they? Only to often
discover that the person seeking publication hasn't really written anything,
but they have such a great idea. . . . So, my advice is to read, and then
to write. Writer's organizations (Horror Writers Association, MysteryWriters of America, Romance
Writers of America, Science
Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, Western
Writers of America) - in addition to magazines such as Romantic
Times Book Reviews and Writer's
Digest - can be a mother-lode of information.