Author Spotlight - Dawn Chartier

Today we're very happy to welcome Dawn Chartier to the Minxes blog. Dawn's first novel has just been published by Wild Rose Press, and has had some great reviews. Her cover is hawt too! So, here come the Minxy questions below. Take it away, Dawn!

1. Where were you in your writing career 5 years ago?
Around this time I was toying with ideas. Basically reading the newspapers and seeing things that interest me. One article that stuck out was about Marie Laveau (Voodoo Queen of New Orleans), and right then and there I wrote a few ideas down, but I never went further than that. Not until a hurricane named Katrina hit. When we came back a few weeks after evacuation, before most people (we do construction in hospitals) I had plenty of time to think about my life and what I wanted to do. We had no electricity, no water, nothing. That was when I decided now is the time to do what I want. And my writing began.

2. Where did you get the idea from for this particular book?
Not An Angel came to mind when I heard about a woman who lost her baby to SIDS, and then her husband committed suicide because of it. I felt so bad for her, that a story came to mind. I wanted this woman to find love once again, and that's when my character Kira was born.

3. Where do you hope to be in 5 years time?
Well, I have it all mapped out...Not! I really have a little pink sticky that sits in front of me on my screen and it says. Finish, Submit and Publish Not An Angel (check!), Finish, Submit and Publish, Deadly Destruction (not checked yet) Finish, Submit and Publish Book 2 in Deadly series (not checked), and so on. My goals step by step, and if that happens in five years, great!

4. Which was the last book you read that you wish you'd written?
I wish I'd written Karen Marie Moning's "Fever" series or P.C. Cast's House of Night series. I've recently read both and loved them. Great strong female characters with plenty of room to grow.

5. Was there any particular author or book that made you want to be a writer?
I have to think that several authors influenced me. Sherrilyn Kenyon, Christine Feehan, L. K. Hamilton, to name a few.

6. Do you find writing love scenes giggle-worthy or cringe-worthy?
I guess a little cringe-worthy. Its very hard to keep the sex fresh. You have to be careful not to repeat the same things. But I wouldn't mind writing a giggle-worthy sex scene. Maybe that will be next.

7. What's the most romantic moment of your life so far?
My husband is very romantic. Picking a moment is hard, but I'll say when he proposed to me on a Florida beach on one knee in the dark. I could barely see him holding the ring, he was so nervous, it was so sweet, but oh, what a great romantic moment. This man also cooks, cleans, runs my bath water, brings me coffee in bed. And no, you can't have him. And yes, he spoils me.(grin)

8. What do you wish you'd known about being an author before you were pubbed?
People asking me to speak at conferences and such. So not my cup of tea, but I'm learning to get over it because I do want to help other writers whenever I can.

9. What's the best writing advice you've ever been given?
Turn your internal editor off and just write. After you get it out, then go back and revise and revise and revise, but get the story out first. Write every single day if you can. I take the weekends off.

10. Tell us about your latest release.
Not An Angel is a paranormal romance. A story that I wrote as a practice piece. I wanted to learn how to dig deeper into the characters emotions and so far from the few reviews I received it worked. Here is a little blurb.

Kira McCoy wants to die. Losing her husband and daughter tragically left her without hope. Now her disturbed brother-in-law will stop at nothing to have her for himself. All she wants is to find peace, but instead finds herself on top of a bridge ready to end her suffering.
Protector of the Poryria, Trace Stuart is called to defend his race or embrace death. Defending humans is not part of the plan, but he cannot stop himself from saving Kira.
Realizing that he shares a special bond with Kira, Trace defies his Queen and rushes into the heart of darkness in order to rescue the woman he loves. Will Kira be able to reach past her own pain to pull them both into the light?

11. What's next for you?
Right now I'm polishing up a romantic suspense or a mystery romance novel. I'm not sure exactly what genre it fits in, it also has a slight paranormal twist. I have a series planned and I'll start working on Book 2 after this one.

Thanks Sally (Minxes of Romance) for having me. I enjoyed doing this interview.

Readers can find my NOT AN ANGEL at http://www.thewildrosepress.com/ or at my website http://www.dawnchartier.com/ and there is a buy link there.
I also blog a few days a week at http://www.dawntheauthor.blogspot.com/

(Minx alert: lovely pic of Hugh Jackman on the last one!)

I hope you enjoyed!


Dawn Chartier

Not An Angel, out now!