Romance Author Christine Young

Please join me in welcoming multi-published author, Christine Young. Feel free to ask questions or leave comments. I’m sure she’d love to hear from you. Thank you for joining me today Christine! Do help yourself to some of my brownies and Chocolate Chip cookies. Then sit back, relax, and tell our visitors a little about yourself?

How did you get started in writing?
My mother in law introduced me to my first romance book which I immediately fell in love with. I had never read romance before and luckily the book I read was written by a fabulous author. As I read more, her attic was full of romance books, I discovered that I had truly found a genre I loved, but I also discovered that they were not all as well written as the first one I read. Like many newbies I thought I could write a better novel. Little did I know how much work went into writing one. I became a closet writer, not admitting to anyone what I was doing. I was trying to type on my old (yes) college typewriter. I finally admitted to what I was trying to do. My husband brought home a computer for me to use and the rest is history.

I hear you have a couple of new releases. Will you tell us about them?
November 15th is the release date of the last novel in my Dakota's Bride series Forever His. This is the story about Jacob St. John and Etta Barringer, both Pinkerton agents in the late 1800's. Jacob was introduced in the first book and Etta in The Locket which was the third book. The couple has a long history of love and betrayal. After many hardships and trials that test their love they find happiness. Forever His has received a 5 heart review from Night Owl Romance. To read the entire review go to: http://www.nightowlromance.com/nightowlromance/reviews/Review.aspx?daoid=5007

The Wager will be released by Awe-struck at the end of November. It is the second book in a series beginning with the story of Allura. The concept began with the idea of the fairytale about the 12 dancing princesses and the father who did not know where they went each night. This is a story of 12 young women all related as sisters or cousins. Amorica's tale takes her from her home in Eastern England near the Scottish border to London and then on to America; set in the regency period. To read a couple excerpts of this book go to: http://aidansmisadventures.blogspot.com/

Where did you come up with the concept for your stories?
The concept for my stories come from all walks of life. I talk a lot to myself and sometimes they come from those inner conversations. Sometimes they come from brainstorming with co-writers or books I have read. I was in Scotland and England two years ago and bought a book about haunted castles. I am dying to write a haunted castle story. Unfortunately, at the moment I am too busy with a million other projects. Once I retire, I fully intend to spend more time writing.

Say you have this great idea for a book, what do you do next? How much plotting do you do?
Not very much. I do a lot of character work before I start a book. I know the character from when they are born to the present. I know everything about their likes and dislikes, how they will react when presented with a certain type of situation. Then I plot one scene at a time. I start with an introductory idea and then an ending to the scene. Something that will keep the reader turning pages. I have found that my characters dictate the direction the book will go. If I plot the entire book before writing it, I have wasted time because it never turns out the way I plotted it.

Do you have a favorite book you’ve written? How about a favorite character?
My favorite book is the first book I ever wrote. But as it stands it is unpublishable. It is my favorite I guess because it was my first. Right now my favorites are Allura, Forever His, and Safari Moon. I tend to fall in love with all my heroes and heroines. I love Jacob St. John in Forever His, maybe because I just finished editing the story. And Etta is a feisty heroine everyone will love.

What do you like to do for fun? Any unusual or not so unusual hobbies you’d care to tell us about?
I have many hobbies. I like to Jazzercise with my friends and three years ago I trained for a marathon with my walking partner. We walked the distance in 6 hours and I think we both have ideas of training again and improving our time. I love to paint watercolors but haven't really had time for that lately. When my kids were small I drew color pencil portraits of them. Now that I'm a grandmother (as of Nov. 13th) I suppose I'm going to break out the pencils again. I also love to swim and have coached a high school swim team for the last 14 years. All my books have some sort of swimming scene in them.

What snack are we likely to see sitting next to your computer when you’re typing away on your next best seller?
LOL I don’t really have a snack that I keep nearby. Cheese and crackers or chips are my favorite snack foods, but I joined Weight Watchers last April and have lost 32 pounds. So those snacks are gone from the desk since I don't plan on gaining the weight back.

Wow! 32lbs. That’s great. Congratulations! Okay, now for a little fun! Let’s pretend for a minute that you are stranded on a deserted island. What are three things you’d miss most or want with you on the island? This can include people, but you can’t have Matthew McConaughey because he’s already on my island *big grin*.
I might have grabbed Mathew but since you already have him, I'd probably go for someone more age appropriate to me like Mark Harmon. He's a cutie and his grin is infectious. On the darker side since I do tend to like dark alpha type heroes I'd go with Aragon from Lord of the Rings (Vigo Mortinson, I'm not sure of the spelling). I'm not really into the acting scene and who plays what. I got the name from my daughter. I'd miss my family and close friends. I suppose all counted that would add up to three.

What advice can you offer for any aspiring authors out there?
Set specific, measurable, and realistic goals. Goal setting is the key to success in whatever a person chooses to do. If you really want to succeed at writing, find a support group and good critique partners.

Where can we purchase your books? And do you have a website we can visit?Books can be purchased at Awe-struck Publishing and Rouge Phoenix Press. I have three blogs and a website: Aidans Misadventures, Christine Young-Romance Writer, Rogues Angels and my website.

Thank you for joining me today, Christine. It’s been a lot of fun, and I’ve enjoyed getting to know you better and hearing about your wonderful books.