Please welcome Monica Burns to Author Toolbox, folks! Wheeeee!
Emmy: Welcome, Monica. Thank you so much for taking the time out of your busy schedule to chat with us today. It’s very much appreciated.
To start off, would you mind taking us through your publication journey?
Monica: Wow! That could take a while since I’ve been writing since I was nine years old. LOL
Seriously though, I started devoting myself full-time to writing with the intent to publish in 2002 after I got pneumonia and was out of work for two months. With over 150 channels there wasn’t a thing to watch. So I entertained myself by writing and surfing the Internet where I found a supportive group of romance lovers. From there I sold to New Concepts Publishing in 2004 with my first story released in January 2005. In 2007, I sold to Samhain Publishing and in 2008, I landed two contracts with Berkley Sensation for a total of five books for publication starting January 2010.
Emmy: I admire anyone who is dedicated enough to keep plugging on in the publishing world. Was there ever a time when you considered giving up on your dream to become a published author?
What a lovely cover!
Monica: Absolutely. Two times I can recall specifically. One was just before RWA National in 2004. I’d just been rejected by Red Sage Publishing for their anthology and I was devastated. I debated not going to the conference, and I almost hung up my pen right there and then. But I kept on plugging away. The second time was in 2008. I’d been working on a paranormal series that I loved, and everyone was rejecting with the exception of two publishers. One publisher suggested they’d take a look if I revised. I didn’t want to change the flavor of the books, so after some thought I passed. My agent thought I was crazy, but a few weeks later, Berkley made an offer and I accepted. A week or two after the contract offer, I explained to my agent that my gut tells me things, and I listen. She was understanding, but I know there are others who thought I was crazy. So I’m really glad I didn’t give up. See what I would have missed??? LOL
Emmy: Instinct…best to listen to it, I’d say!
What advice would you give to aspiring authors?
Monica: Writing is hard, but you have to work at it. The ladder upward is hard to scale, and unfortunately not everyone will make it. BUT, you don’t know whether you might be one of the ones who does scale the ladder if you don’t keep plugging away. Perseverance is critical to that first sale, not talent, not networking or anything else. Just the STORY and perseverance is what will make a first sale, whether in ePub or NY.
Emmy: How did it feel to see your book on the bookshelves?
Monica: Unfortunately, my small press books are seldom in chain stores, so I’ve yet to just stumble into a bookstore and see my book without prompting the store to order. BUT, I’m hoping that will change come January with my first Berkley book.
Emmy: What is the best part about being an author?
Monica: I can escape the real world. Just like readers who read to escape the doldrums of life, I get to escape into whatever corner of my imagination I choose. It’s sort of like traveling to a foreign country and do whatever I want.
Emmy: Would you mind telling us about your latest release?
Monica: My next release is Kismet, which is a Victorian erotic romance set in Morocco. This book is very special to me. It’s a rewrite of a book that was a cathartic writing experience. I’m delighted that Berkley loved it enough to give the rewrite a chance for me to share it with readers. Here’s the cover copy.
It was a gamble she was born to make…
Raised in a brothel at a young age, Allegra Synnford quickly learned that survival meant taking charge of her
SQUEE!
destiny. Now, a renowned courtesan skilled in the pleasures of the flesh, she chooses her lovers carefully—vowing never to be vulnerable to any one man. Until a mesmerizing Sheikh strips that control from her…
With a man who wasn’t used to losing.
Sheikh Shaheen of the Amazigh has been hiding from his past for a long time, but not enough to forget how another courtesan made him abandon his life as the Viscount Newcastle. It’s why the yearnings this dangerous temptress ignites within him are so troubling. Worse, thoughts of Allegra pervade every fantasy, threatening to undermine his cover. With old enemies circling, experience tells him he must resist her charms at all cost. In fact, he’s betting on it. That’s a risky wager when it comes to a woman of pleasure. But Allegra has her own reasons for playing games…with a man who can’t afford to lose.
What happens between them is Kismet…
Emmy: Now for the more laid back questions! What would be your ideal menu at a dinner party—let’s say three courses—and where would you go to eat it? Any destination in the world. Oh, and what would you wear? (I’ve just handed you a credit card with unlimited funds so you can buy your clothes and shoes for the evening…what is your dream store/designer?)
Monica: Three courses, a lovely salad with cheese, almonds and some type of vingerette, roast pheasant under glass and some sort of French pastry. I would want to eat this meal in Maxims in Paris, France. Maxim’s has been around since the late 1800s and at one time was the ONLY place to be seen in Paris. I’m not a big fashion hound, so I can’t name designers, but I’d love to find a black dress that would show off my ample bosom while playing down my far more ample hips. *grin*
Emmy: When you have the time to read, which authors’ books are you most likely to pick up? Do you select those in the genre you write or go for something completely different? And, have any of those authors inspired you in your own writing?
Monica: When I read, there are some writers I never miss. Loretta Chase and Michelle Moran are two I can’t pass up. Same for Shiloh Walker, Angela Knight and Christine Feehan. Michelle is the only one who doesn’t write romance. She’s historical fiction, but I love, love her books, and they do have some romance in them. I also love Sabrina Jeffries and Lucy Monroe and Nalini Singh. It’s hard to pick any one author who inspired me because I’ve been writing since I was nine-years-old. If I had to say inspiration, I would have to say the classics of Dumas, Dickens, Ocrzy and Victoria Holt. Those were some great stories!
Emmy: You have a day off to spend as you wish. Anywhere in the world, unlimited funds, and the twenty-four hours are guaranteed to feel like a week. How would you spend it?
Monica: Rome. It’s where my upcoming paranormal heroes hail from, and I would want to see as many monuments I could in that 24-hours to get a feel for the city and see it through the eyes of my heroes.
Emmy: Well, Monica, it’s been lovely having you here and learning all about your writing career. Thank you so much for joining us! Long may you continue writing!
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