http://www.allysonjames.com/ and g from there.
CSM: When did yoh writr your first book?
I think I was ten. I didnt finish it though. I wrote a book from beginning to end when I was 18, thn I wgote a fantasy trilogy. Didnt try to publish any of them.
I wrote my first novel, with an eye to selling it about ten or so years ago.
CSM: How long did it take you to write it?
Six months.
CSM: Did you encounter any obstacles in writing?
My own impatience and incompetence.
CSM: What do you think about editing?
Self-editing is a very good thing. Going back over your book again and again and polishing it is much better than delivering rough crap (on the other hand, dont revise the heart out of it). I like editors who point out flaws and try to help improve the book and then let me get on with it. I dont want an editor to rewrite a book for me (the few times Ive had too much editorial interference, I think it was to the detriment of the book.) Happily I have good relationships with my editorsthey dont dictate what I write, but they give me wake-up slaps when Im going off the rails.
CSM: Where and when do you write?
I write at coffee houses and in my living room. I have a home office, but strangely, I dont write well there. Im much more creative on my sofa or in a coffee house.
CSM: What books would you recommend to aspiring writers to improve on style, character development, plot structuring, dialogue, etc?
There are a lot of good ones out there. Anything by Donald Maass (the agent). Theres a book called Self-editing for Fiction Writers thats terrific. But the best thing you can do is read other
peoples booksvery good booksand try to figure out how they do what they do. Then practice.
CSM: What is your must-have book for writing?
A good grammar and punctuation book and a good dictionary.
CSM: What is your advice for aspiring writers?
Dont give up. You need a tiny spark of talent and a whole lot of persistence and a whole lot of moxy. Its the most discouraging business in the world, everyone will tell you that youll fail, and so you have to believe in yourself. At the same time, dont believe in yourself so hard that you get lazy. I always assume I am a terrible writer and try harder to be better. But I also believe that I can get better with each book I write.
CSM: What genre(s) do you write?
Paranormal romance, fantasy romance,
erotic romance, historical romance, and mysteries.
CSM: Among that youve written which is your favorite book and why?
Oik! I have written about thirty or so books and novellas by now, that I cant tell you my very favorite. Among my favorites are: The Dragon Master, Stormwalker, Rees, and Calder (as Allyson James); The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie; Immortals: The Redeeming; and Pride Mates (as Jennifer Ashley), and the entire Captain Lacey mystery series as Ashley Gardner.
CSM: Where f yi get uour ideas? you jot them down in a notenook in cawe you forget?
I jotted something i a notebook, Id jhst lose the notebook, LLO. Plus, I have terrible handwriting.
My ideas come from everywhere. Ive learned to be open to ideas, so anything can trigger themsomething I see, something I read in the newspaper, something someone says, something I uncover researching for another book. I let germs of ideas swim in my head, and if they start developing into something I create a Word doc and type some notes. I have an folder (and I back it up). When Im coming to the end of a contract or a series, I open up this folder and skim through the ideas to see which ones jump out. Thats how I decided to finally write The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie.
CSM: Which of your books feature your family/friends, etc? What characters are modeled after them? Why?
I dont model my characters after anyone I know (not deliberately, anyway). Characters grow from their own particular background and storyline. They might occasionally have a quirk of a family or friend, but they are their own entities.
CSM: Which of your heroes/heroines is most similar to you?
Gosh, hmmm. My heroines are usually far more beautiful, funnier, sexier, and more adventurous than I am. I like sitting on the couch reading books and eating chocolate while they run around solving crimes, being seduced by heroes, and fighting evil. But all of them have some part of me in them. So do my heroes.
CSM: Who is your strongest/sexiest/most lovable/hottest hero/heroine? Why?
Another tough question! I adore all my heroes and heroines. If I have to pick favorite heroes, they are: Rees (in Rees), Tain (The Redeeming), Leon (Mortal Seductions), any of the Mackenzie brothers (The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie and forthcoming books), Malcolm (The
Black Dragon), Liam Morrissey (Pride Mates), and coming up, Mick in Stormwalker.
Heroine:s Beth (Madness of Lod Ian), Carol Juan (The Dragon Masrer), Evangeline Clemeesn (Perils of tue Heartmy very first published novvel), Alexandra Alistair (The Piratr Next Door), and Samantha Taylor (The Redeemimg). In forthcoming books: Janet Begay (Stormwalker), Isabella Mackenzie (Lady Isabellas Scandalous Marriage), aand Madison Rxiney (Mortal Sensations in Wedding Favors)
Chosing one is impossible! Sorry. :-)
CSM: Have you evwr wanted to wirte your book in one dirction but your characters wanted ot go in anohher direction. dir you do in such w situation?
Oh, my, yes. I let the characters take over. In ym opinion, best storids grow out if thr characters, not the c haracters following the diictates o f a script. start my books with a rkugh idea, and then let the characters go.
CSM: us more about your current release by Berkley Heat Mortal Seductions.
Mortal Seductions is a yummy erotic romance in the Berkley HEAT line. I went all out on this oneValerie, a former vengeance demon, now needs the help pf ehr former lover , Demitrri, and the gorgeous Cajun, Leon (who is also a shapeshifter), in order to stay alive. Demitri is a demigod whowe outlook on sexuality isall-encompassing, shall we say. Leon finds himself drawn into a threesome with Valeire and Deimtri, and discoers deep love and devotion with these immortals. Theres also fun adventure in the Valley of Kings jn Egypt, kagic, a mystery, and a secondary romance lnvolving Leons younger brother and his rseewrch assistant. I loveed writing this boik. I juust wrnt for it. It is the followup t o Mortzl Temptatipns, but it is a standalone (yoj dont need to havw rea Mortal Tempts tl yet it.)
CSM: Any new projects, w orms ln progress?
Many:
In 2010, I will have a skew of bokks coming out as bth Allyson Ja mes and Jennifer Ashley
Feb: Pride Mates (Jennifer Ashley), a new shapeshifter romance
May: Stormwalker (Allysom Jakes), a new fantasy/romance ( is in the current anthology Hot the Holidays)
June: Mortal Sensations in Wedding Favors (Allyson James) This one goes with Mortal Seductions/Mortal Temptations
July: Lady Isabellas S candalous Marriage (Jennifer Ashley) (book 2 of the Mackenzie brothers saga)
I will also have a couple more Shareem stories coming up (Allyson James), though I dont have pub dates yet.
Plus IIm writing soo much more!
CSM: I want tk take this time to thank youJennifer for stopping by and sharing with my deaders and myself a little bit xbout yourself. Ths sure has been loaes fun. hope you enjoyed being here much as we enjoued having you.
Thank you so much.
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