Today I’d like to welcome an long-time friend and fellow author, Linda Mooney.

Linda, April is National Humor Month. Do you like in infuse humor in your books? Can you share an example?

LM: The majority of my “humorous” books are my naughtier ones, which I write under the pseudonym of Carolyn Gregg. The humor itself is not the “ha-ha, laugh out loud” variety. Instead, it’s little incidents, thoughts, and dialect which make the story funny.

For example, in Chicken Fried Beefcake, the heroine is a klutz.

            “I… It’s late.  You’re right.  I need to get back to my room and try and get some sleep before tomorrow.”  Pulling her feet out of the water, Beth rose to her feet and turned to quickly leave, when her toes got caught in the sodden hem of her pajama bottoms.  She instinctively tried to kick herself free, when she lost her balance.

With nothing to grab onto to keep herself from falling, Beth could only flail her arms helplessly as she fell backwards off the pier and into the tank.  Straight into Billy’s embrace.

In Fits Like a Glove, the main male lead is in desperate need of cash, so he agrees to model “designer condoms”.

“It’s our new holiday line.”

“It says it’s the ‘Dress Your Dick’ line. Don’t tell me you’re serious.”

“Aww, I think they would be cute. Have you tried one on yet?”

Guy chuckled. “Actually, I was sort of waiting for you to show up before I did. I read that they’re meant for decoration only.”

“Yeah. That’s exactly what the intent is. To get lovers to have a little fun. Play around. You know. Kind of like foreplay. Put one on.”

Inside each box was a cardboard dildo dressed for a specific holiday. There was a St. Patrick’s leprechaun and a Valentine edition covered with little glittery hearts. Two were for Easter. One multi-colored version was meant to represent an egg. It even had little ball sacks. The other one was a rabbit, complete with little ears.

MJ: LOL!  If you didn’t write, what would be your creative outlet?

LM: There were several years when I gave up writing. Most of that was when I was caring for my husband, who had a heart transplant. At that time, I made Christmas ornaments out of vintage spoons. But I’ve always felt the need to create. When I was a Kindergarten teacher, I was constantly making games and lessons for them. But writing has always been my number one outlet since I was five years old.

MJ: Other than writing, what would be your dream job? Why?

LM: I would love to be a travel agent and get to visit the world. Especially overseas to places like Ireland and the UK. I’m getting hit by the wanderlust big time.

MJ: Describe your ideal/dream writing space.

LM: I have it! Or pretty much so. It’s a spare bedroom where I can spread out, now that my son has moved out on his own. My walls are covered with all sorts of paraphernalia that either relate to a book I’ve written, or to an idea I have for a story. The only thing missing is an actual fireplace. I’d love to have one. My best mindset is when it’s quiet except for the crackling of the flames. If I had the money, I’d install an electric or gas one in the room. In the meantime, I have a DVD of a fireplace that I often play when I’m writing.

MJ: What do you love most about your WIP hero?

LM: He’s willing to compromise, even when he’s given direct orders not to. Rather than blindly obey his commander, he knows the only way his people will survive is to join forces with the enemy. He’s not happy with that option, but life is sacred to him. The heroine sees that in him, and it’s part of what changes her mind about the kind of creature he is. You see, he’s not human, but humanoid.

MJ: What do you least like about your WIP heroine?

LM: She’s human. She’s also headstrong and more likely to react on impulse instead of thinking things out first. But sometimes one has to rely more on gut instinct and fast action, rather than sit and discuss possible solutions. She obviously wouldn’t make a good diplomat.

MJ: What genre is your current WIP?

LM: It’s a sci-fi romance.

MJ: How did you come up with your hero and heroine’s names?

LM: Believe it or not, I discovered them in movies. They’re real first names of actors. The last names I pulled out of thin air.

MJ: How did you choose the setting for your current WIP?

LM: I came across a photo of a world that simply ended. It was like a huge, cosmic knife had sliced away part of the planet. From there, I thought of the subtitle, The Rim of the World, and the rest just sort of blossomed in bits and pieces until it formed a cohesive storyline.

MJ: Can you tell us a bit about your current release?

LM: The title of my current release is Neverwylde, The Rim of the World, Book 1

Here’s an excerpt:

“Pour on the juice, Lieutenant! Don’t let them get away!”
“Aye, sir!”
Lt. Kelen Chambliss pressed down on the sensitive touchpad in front of her, her eyes glued to the screen in front of her. The Seneecian ship continued to bob and weave as it tried to evade them. Behind her, she could hear Captain Arvey barking orders.
“Fullgrath! Where the hell are our cannons?”

“Almost at full strength, sir!” The weapons master sounded tinny above the roar of the engines as the pursuit continued.

Kelen rolled the fingers of her right hand up the slide, increasing their speed another quarter urg, and hoped it would be enough. It was quickly becoming too difficult to concentrate on trying to overtake the sleek enemy vessel, with the way it undulated through the nebula like an oiled snake.

MJ: Sounds wonderful! How can readers purchase your books?

LM: Each book has its own buy links. Once readers go to my website and click on a book, the links for to purchase are located there. I have my books in about 9 different venues.

MJ: And how can readers keep track of what’s going on with you?

 LM: I have a website, a blog for my Linda books, a blog for my Carolyn Gregg books, and a Facebook page. I’m also on Twitter, Goodreads, Pinterest, Instagram, Tumblr, and LinkdIn.

 MJ: Thanks again for stopping by, and good luck!

 

 

 

 

Today’s Work In Progress Wednesday guest is Becky Lower. Welcome Becky! What are you top three dream destinations and why?

BL: My cabin in the George Washington National Forest, any of the Redwood forests in CA, Sedona, AZ. All of these destinations have one thing in common–they get me closer to nature.

MJ: Sounds lovely. What is the top book on your TBR pile?

BL: Susan Elizabeth Phillips’ new book, Heroes Are My Weakness.

MJ: Loved it! If you didn’t write, what would be your creative outlet?

BL: I would probably be a well-known quilter by now.

MJ: If you could trade places with anyone for just one day, who would you be and why?

BL: I’d want to be Sacajawea, traveling with Lewis & Clark as they explored the western US for the first time.

MJ: What do you normally eat for breakfast, or do you skip it and get straight to work?

BL: I have to have coffee. Then, I head to my office and, depending on how things go, I forget to eat until about noon.

MJ: Describe your ideal writing space.

BL: I love my office. Soft green walls, the covers of my first 4 books on the wall greeting me each day, my beautiful desk. Okay, you can’t usually see the desk because of all the papers on it, but I know it’s there, and gorgeous.

MJ: Briefly describe your writing day/process.

BL: I get up about 7 am, get my coffee and head to the office where I spend an hour or so checking my overnight sales, web visits, email, etc. Then, I get to work on my WIP. I try to write 1500 words by noon. Then, after a break, I either pay attention to social media or I edit another manuscript.

MJ: Name 3 things on your desk right now.

BL: I have a pile of business cards from the most recent RWA conference, a paperweight, and my old computer. I’m trying to transfer all my files over to the new one, but it’s a slow process.

MJ: Do you collage your story before writing? Explain.

BL: I have found using Blake Snyder’s beat sheet works best for me. I don’t want to do a complete outline, since that eliminates the magic, but a simple beat sheet keeps me on track while allowing room for surprises.

MJ: What do you love most about your WIP hero?

BL: I love that Henry Cooper is a fencer. While in college, I had a crush on someone on the fencing team, and I immortalized him in Henry. Henry also has every reason to hate his sister, yet he loves her enough to put his own needs on the back burner.

MJ: What do you least like about your WIP heroine?

BL: Rosemary Fitzpatrick is a writer, which in itself would be enough. But she’s also unconventional in other aspects of her life. She doesn’t need a man to take care of her, but Henry is a perfect match for her.

MJ: What genre is your current WIP?

BL: The Duplicitous Debutante is a historical romance set in Victorian America.

MJ: What is your favorite genre to read?

BL: I usually read historical romances mixed in between contemporaries, since I also write contemporary.

MJ: How did you come up with your hero and heroine’s names?

BL: The Fitzpatrick children are all names for seasonings and herbs. Rosemary is the sixth child to be featured. Henry’s name came about because I wanted to make him a Boston Brahmin, and Cooper is a long-standing Brahmin name. But I also wanted him to be half-French, so the name Henry, or Henri, was a perfect choice.

MJ: Ready for the lightning round? Cinco de Mayo or St. Patrick’s Day?

BL: Cinco de Mayo

MJ: The last movie you saw in a theater?

BL: Get On Up, the James Brown Story

MJ: Favorite band when you were in high school (Marching band doesn’t count)?

BL: The Music Explosion.

MJ: Coke or Pepsi?

BL: Coke.

MJ: Introvert or extrovert?

BL: Extrovert with introvert tendencies (or maybe the other way round).

MJ: Oh, an ambivert!  And what’s your favorite ethnic food?

BL: Greek.

MJ: And now, what we’ve all been waiting for: you current Work In Progress. Can you share the first few lines?

BL: Yes. Barnswallow Summer is a contemporary romance.

Nick Freeman pushed the large face of his Irish wolfhound away from between the seats of his car. “In the back, Rufus. I know you’re excited, but we’ve got a ways to go yet, and I can’t deal with your doggie breath for the next hundred miles.”

Rufus wasn’t the only excited boy in this car. Nick had been working non-stop on his business for years without much of a break. Buying up foreclosed homes, fixing and flipping them, had brought in the dollars, but somewhere along the way, the thrill, the pride, of it went by the wayside. Along with his marriage. And a couple really promising relationships.

MJ: Excellent! And where can people purchase your current release,  The Duplicitous Debutante?

BL: The book is available on Amazon.

MJ: And how can readers stay in touch with you?

BL: My website, my blog, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Goodreads.