Talk About My Favorite Authors: Interviewing Paranormal and Urban Fantasy Romance Author Ashlyn Monroe

It's been a while since I've done a written interview but I happy to have paranormal and urban fantasy romance author Ashlynn Monroe who I've met online through the wonderful online publisher Wild Horse Press. She contacted me about reviewing a few of her recently published eBooks as well as interviewing her on my review blog, and then J.M. at Wild Horse Press contacted me about reviewing Ashlynn's debut novel, Hidden Magic. And don't forget that on Thursday, July 29th I will be chatting live with Linda on my live podcast show TAMFA—Phoebe Jordan about her paranormal and urban fantasy novels and also she will be guest blogging about her current release here on the review blog. Now onto my interview with Ashlynn:

Phoebe Jordan: When did you know that writing romance was going to be the thing that you would do with your life? Which author inspired you to start writing romance?

Ashlynn Monroe: I started writing when I was thirteen. My cousins encouraged me (even if that first novel was awful) and I kept writing. I’ve written stories as a hobby since that time. When I turned thirty, I made a promise to myself actually to submit some of the stories for publication. Wild Horse Press was the first publisher that contacted me. Since February of this year, I’ve been writing like crazy and I’m currently contacted with six publishers and one magazine. My paternal grandmother gave me garbage bags full of romance novels in the summer and that was the root of my love for romance. I was reading them long before I should’ve.

Phoebe: Did you know what type of romance you wanted to write about or did you experiment with different genres before you chose the one that you felt was for you?

Ashlynn: I am not genre bias…I write everything! I have contracts out there for urban fantasy, dark romance, paranormal romance, science fiction romance, and contemporary romance. I even have a steam punk romance that is currently looking for a home.

Phoebe: What was the first fiction you ever wrote? And do you still have it with you?

Ashlynn: I sadly did not keep my first novel it was titled Arianna’s Circle and sadly, I can describe it as the blue lagoon meets star wars. My cousin drew me a cover for it for my fourteenth birthday, and I still have her lovely framed art, but I actually threw out all my teenage work about five years ago during some frantic spring-cleaning when I was pregnant with my youngest child.

Phoebe: How much research do you have to do for your novels and does it take you a long time to gather that research?

Ashlynn: It depends on the novel. I research places, if I’m writing about states or cities that I’ve never been to. I did a lot of research for my Templar vampire series, contracted by Keith Publications. I have a steam punk romance that is looking for a home. My steam punk romance as it takes place during the civil war. I also researched into the workings of steam engines and double-checked my historical facts about the civil war.

Phoebe: How did you come up with the concept for your currently released novel, Passion’s Escape?

Passion's Escape
by Ashlynn Monroe

Ashlynn: I wanted to write about a strong woman who was fighting for her place in a man’s world. I also knew I wanted it to be science fiction. I knew I wanted to write a story were my heroine experiences the love of two men. My opening scene where she is frantically working on her only hope of escape, an antiquated spacecraft, was the way the story started and it all built on her self-reliant plucky nature.

Phoebe: How did you come up with the concept for your just released novel, Lost Hearts?

Ashlynn: This is another science fiction erotic piece. I wanted to write something with a medieval flare, but set in the distant future. The wedding scene where Laurel, the heroine, has her wedding interrupted, was the first scene I saw in my head before I started to write.

Phoebe: How do you come up with each of your characters for your novels? How do you choose their names out of so many names out there?

Ashlynn: I have several name books next to the computer. I chose names that I think fit the character’s personality or describe the character in the meaning of the name. Then the character usually takes over and I am helpless but to transcribe their actions. I always choose names that look good in print and sound good when read aloud.

Phoebe: Do you have a favorite character that you really enjoyed writing about in your currently released novel, Passion’s Escape? Did you have a character that you felt you could really relate to in your currently released novel, Passion’s Escape?

Ashlynn: I loved writing Passion (my heroin’s name is Passion). She was brave but smart enough to know when to bend without breaking. I can relate to a woman trying to make her way in a man’s world, as I’m sure most working women can. I enjoyed writing Dragon actually the most, because I loved seeing his progression from spoiled heir to a man who cared about others…because of the direction of a good woman! Passion really teaches Dragon how to be a good man

Phoebe: Do you have a favorite character that you really enjoyed writing about in your just released novel, Lost Hearts? Did you have a character that you felt you could really relate to in your just released novel, Lost Hearts?

Ashlynn: I enjoyed writing Laurel; she’s my inner nature child. I love her people’s view of nature and the importance of keeping a balance from how we use our environment. I enjoyed writing the love scenes in this story and the telepathic bond between them.

Phoebe: Do you have a process of how you start to write your novels?

Ashlynn: I am a very random person. My imagination is also random that is probably why I don’t stick to a single genre. I write whatever pops into my head. I’ll play around with an idea for a few weeks and then I’ll start writing. Sometimes I only get a few pages in before I jump away. I have a flash drive full of works-in-progress and I will work on them randomly until one of them catches my heart and holds it.

Phoebe: Have you ever considered writing a series or are writing stand-alone novels your preference? How would writing each be different for you?

Ashlynn: I am writing a series for Keith Publications. My series is a fun concept that I feel will be well received. It is about a group of cursed Templar Knights who have lived for centuries as vampires. The central theme is redemption and I love my tormented hotties. I am hoping to do ten 10-20k shorts. I am almost finished with the second book the first is currently in the editing process.

Phoebe: What process did you have to go through to get your first book published and did it take you long?

Ashlynn: I have been writing for years and I had a bunch of work on my computer. This year I really wanted to share my work with others and I took getting published seriously. I researched publishers on line and realized how exciting the electronic publishing market is. The massive opportunity inspired me to submit. I chose Wild Horse Press because I like the descriptions of the work they were selling and I liked the website. The wonderful publisher J. Marie Smith contacted me in a very short time and contract Hidden Magic. It released in June of this year. I was contracted in March so it took about three months. I started to clean up and send off the rest of my files and I have been contracted with six publishers at this time.

Phoebe: Do you ever get writers block? What do you do to get rid of it so you can get back to writing your novels?

Lost Hearts
by Ashlynn Monroe

Ashlynn: I always have enough works in progress to stave off writers block. I have writers jumble but never writers block. Occasional I’ll start typing and realize I’m working with the wrong characters lol!

Phoebe: What is your biggest reader pet peeve, if you have any? (stock characters, unresolved endings, predictability, everything wrapped up hurriedly in the end, etc.)

Ashlynn: I hate a predictable story. I hope that none of mine is predictable; I try to throw out a twist to throw off the reader and keep them interested. If I read, a story that feels like someone just filled in the blank (a book should never read like a mad lib), I always get frustrated and I’m not likely to read the author’s next book.

Phoebe: Which aspects of writing do you enjoy the most and why? And what is your biggest writing pet peeve? (overuse of exclamation points, adverbs, bad guys named Wayne, etc.), if you have any?

Ashlynn: I hate a hero, who is flawless, real men have flaws. If he’s too perfect, you can’t imagine him stepping off the page. I had an editor ask me for a rewrite once because my hero was so flawed. I did make him more redeemable, and it really improved the story, but I’ve never written a hero that was perfect.

Phoebe: What is the one writing tool can you not live without?

Ashlynn: Wikipedia is my hero!

Phoebe: How do you handle your writing schedule and your personal life without going insane?

Ashlynn: I work full time and have a long commute. I’m married with two elementary school aged kids, so time is something I never ever have enough of in a day. I write on my lunch breaks at work (thank God for my notebook computer). I write at night. Sleep is what I sacrifice to write.

Phoebe: What do you do to relax after having spent a long while writing? Do you have any hobbies?

Ashlynn: I’m going to sound lame but writing is my hobby. It’s the most relaxing thing I do all day. I do take a break to watch True Blood, then right back to work!

Phoebe: Is there any advice that you would give to an aspiring romance writer that you wish someone had given you?

Ashlynn: Market yourself from the beginning. Blog, have a website, do interviews, and connect with readers. Make sure that both your work and your personality get exposure. Research publishers and the market; go to the absolutely write water cooler, Predators and Editors, and Google publisher names for more information. Don’t let rejection stop you from writing. Keep trying; I have twice the number of rejections as I have contracts. Three companies might turn away apiece but a fourth might love it!

Phoebe: Is there any writing tips, research tips, promotion and marketing tips that you would give to an aspiring romance writer that you wish someone had given you?

Ashlynn: I have been so lucky! My publishers have been upfront with promotional information and I have made wonderful Facebook connections. I’ve had some great advice from other writers. I’ve even had the opportunity to get advice from some of my own favorite authors…talk about standing in the shadow of the gods. I was so overwhelmed!

Phoebe: Do you have a favorite genre you like to read? Who is your favorite author(s)?

Ashlynn: I love paranormal romance and urban fantasy. Yet strangely, my favorite to write is science fiction romance. Sherrilyn Kenyon and Christine Feehan are my all time favorite authors, but I also love Alyssa Day and Dara Joy too.

Phoebe: What are you reading now? And what do you plan to read after that?

Ashlynn: I am currently reading Blood Dawn by J. L. Oiler. She is both a talented writer and a wonderful woman. I can’t wait to read The Executive Officer’s Wife by Lila Munroe in August!