Hello readers! It is that time again. We are going to be listening in as Rue Allyn talks about her work, life in general, and what is coming up next. Don’t forget to check out the bottom of the review for a tantalizing snippet of The Widow’s Revenge.
Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions Rue! Why don’t you start off by telling the readers what The Widow’s Revenge is about?
In a Lake Tahoe ski chalet, a mysterious widow plots to ruin the man responsible for her husband’s death, but love turns the tables in a hazardous game of passionate high stakes.
Maggie Winters blames Carter Enterprises CEO, Alec Carter for the death of her husband. She believes that revenge is the only way to regain the joy she once had in life, including an active and adventurous sex life. Lacking resources to match those of rich and influential Alec, Maggie plots lure Alec into a sordid sex scandal which will ruin his business reputation. Just as he puts plans in place to rescue his company from the brink of disaster, Alec Carter becomes obsessed with a mystery woman who lures him into a weeklong sexual tryst. Both Maggie and Alec are unprepared when lust promises to become love. Both must learn to trust if they want the promised lifetime of love and loving.
Maggie seems quite torn between her desire for revenge and her desire for who she thinks is her enemy. Were you expecting these controversial feelings she had to be this intense?
Yes. Anyone willing to pursue revenge must feel intensely, and Maggie is a passionate person to start with. She gives her all to everything she does and everyone she loves.
Alec Carter Jr. is a man who is not quite what Maggie expected. When writing this character, did you know that Alec was going to turn out this way?
Every book I write surprises me at least once in the process of creating the story. Alec was the surprise in this story. Maggie is compelling with her intensity, but Alec sort of crept up on me and before I realized it, I was hooked.
There is an air of hedonistic suspense that surrounds Alec’s encounters with the mysterious Maggie in the beginning. Did you always plan for the reader to feel this way when reading The Widow’s Revenge?
I woudn’t say so much ‘planned’ as hoped. That hedonistic suspense (nice term by the way, thank you) makes for a compelling and scintillating read, something that all authors aspire to give their readers.
When writing this tale, did you plot out how this would play out or did you go with the flow?
I have to say yes. I know that answer is a bit frustrating. However, I really do both plot things out and go with the flow. I don’t plot out every little detail, just the major plot points, goals, motivations, conflicts. As I take my characters from point to point I go with the flow. Sometimes going with the flow leads me in surprising directions. I always consider that a good thing. If I can surprise myself while writing, readers are more likely to be surprised while reading. I use the previously plotted points to keep me from going too far afield when I get those surprises.
Do you listen to any music or any other stimuli when writing?
I always have vocal music playing when I’m working. The genre and artist isn’t as important as having the rhythm and notes to block out distractions. My focus is very intent when I write, and distractions can cost me a whole day’s work.
What is coming up next for you in the writing world?
I’m in the process of revising my option book for Red Sage. We haven’t gone to contract on that yet, so I really can’t say much. I’m also working on a three book series of short contemporary romances. I’m in discussions with an agent regarding representation for that series.
With the release of The Widow’s Revenge on June 1, 2011, I’ll be doing an on-line blog blitz between May 27th and June 6th. Readers can get more information at my website news page. Some of the appearances listed there include the opportunity for readers to win prizes.
I’ll also be attending the Romance Writers of America national conference in NYC, June 28 – July 1, 2011.
The Widow’s Revenge is a Contemporary Erotic Romance novel. Do you have any other erotic genres in mind that you would like to try out? Anything you would never even attempt to write?
I would never rule out any possibility, although short contemporary suits my Rue Allyn voice fairly well. I have discussed a vaguely paranormal/time travel series with my current editor, but that series is still in the brainstorming stages. I have a number of commitments to complete before I can really think about new genre work.
Your bio on your website mentions you love to read erotica. Do you have any favorite authors?
Geoffrey Chaucer, Roz Lee, Suzanne Rock and Cindy Spenser-Pape come to mind.
Since we are talking favorites, would you like to include some of your favorite movies, music, etc?
There are so many. I think Casablanca has to rank as one of my all time favorite movies, but then I like everything from Lawrence of Arabia to Goonies. The same is true of music. However, finding new music to add to my playlists is harder for me than a lot of people. I’m not fond of radio, and too technologically challenged to understand on-line music venues.
I love the pictures of your cats. Are there any other animals that you have or that you would love to own?
I once dreamed of owning a cattery and breeding Main Coons or Abyssinians. However, the older I get, the less I enjoy cleaning up after people and critters. Having pets is a commitment, so I’m happy to be owned by Jose and Junior.
What is a quirky or zany thing about you that no one else knows?
This question is almost impossible to answer. My life is fairly open, and I know a lot of people. Not all of them know the same things about me. So while some people know this, not everyone does. My idea of a great vacation is a place with warm breezy weather, palm trees, me in a hammock with a stack of books (or a loaded e-reader) near at hand and hunky half-dressed cabana boys (men really but ‘boy’ is more commonly used) to bring me drinks and snacks. I have no desire to work either a lot or a little when I vacation and no desire to live out the stories I write. Some things are much better off as fantasies.
I have one last question for you that I like to ask all of my interviewees. In keeping with the Coffee Time theme, if you were described as a flavor of coffee what would it be and why?
So many choices. The flavor that leaps to mind is roasted Arabica beans steeped in hazelnut liquor. I love the bite and depth of Arabica. The hazelnut is just a little ‘off center’ but still familiar enough to be comfortable.
Thank you so much Rue for stopping by! I really enjoyed getting to know you.
I’ve enjoyed conversing with you, Danielle, and hope I can come back soon. Thank you very much for your thoughtful questions and taking the time for this interview.
Well that is it my lovely friends! Rue sounds like a talented person with a bright future as an erotica author. Do not forget to check out the teaser at the bottom of the interview. Until next time, drink lots of coffee and read a ton of books!
New York City, October 31st
Maggie Winters was looking for a Tarzan in a palm leaf loin cloth and a Jane in a leopard skin bikini. Tarzan, also known as Alec Carter and CEO of Carter Enterprises, was her target. Jane was the woman hired anonymously to help pull a joke on a friend. At least that was the story Maggie gave out. Her hired partner for the evening didn’t need to know that the joke was really bait for a trap. A trap intended for Alec Carter and set under cover of tonight’s charity masquerade.
Since Maggie definitely wasn’t a lesbian, she had some doubts about using a lesbian encounter as bait. Although she did enjoy sex, especially adventurous sex. That part of her life had been missing for the last three years as she clawed her way out of debilitating grief. She’d been functioning fairly well for the past few months, but she hadn’t really felt alive until she’d seen Alec Carter’s picture in the article announcing this masquerade. In that moment she’d felt a rush of conflicting feelings from guilt over her heart thumping attraction to the handsome face to anger at the callous owner of the face and a compelling desire for vengeance. If she could cause the CEO of Carter Enterprises to feel the tiniest echo of the grief his unfeeling actions had caused her, she might finally be able to regain her life. Alec Carter owed her. Collecting on that debt became be her personal mission. She didn’t have money or connections like his, so using the only assets she had that might affect him, she aimed to make him pay. Tonight was just the first installment…
… Committed to the imminent encounter, Maggie turned her thoughts to the biggest gamble of the evening. Would Alec Carter take the bait? They’d let him know where they intended to be. Only one spot in the conservatory would be private enough. And only one other spot provided an unobstructed view of that semi-private location. She had cameras placed to catch every lurid act as well as Carter’s voyeurism. But he had to be there or the entire plan would fail. She was gambling not only that Alec Carter would want to watch, but that he knew the masquerade venue well enough to watch from exactly where she could catch him on video. The purpose of the video was twofold. First to provide a record of Alec Carter’s promiscuous and irresponsible behavior. Second so she’d know that he’d taken the bait. If he wanted her enough to watch her have sex with another woman, then he’d want her more before Maggie was finished with him.
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