First
and foremost, please tell us a little bit about yourself. Thanks for having me here today! Okay, a
little about me … I am a screenwriter turned romance novelist who has a thing
for burgers, beer, and Jane Austin novels—sometimes simultaneously. My
relationship with Eggo waffles boarders on unhealthy and I hate mayonnaise. I
am also a mother and a wife, I love reading and I am a HUGE Hart of Dixie fan.
Team
Tucker!
Are
you a plotter or a pantser? Plotter.
Obsessive plotter.
What
is your writing routine? I
wait until everyone is off to school or work and the house is quiet. Then it is
butt in chair, head down, and I write. Lately, my goal has been a steady 15,000
words a week, so roughly 3000 words a day. If come Friday, I am under then I
make up the words on the weekend.
Where
do you find your inspiration? Country
songs. My critique partner and I always joke that if we could, we would move
into Luke Bryan song. Right now Crash My Party is at the top of the list.
Did
you have to do any research for your ST. HELENA'S VINEYARD series? Since I lived in St. Helena for a few years,
the setting was easy, but when I got to the third book in the series, AUTUMN IN
THE VINEYARD, I was faced with Frankie Baudouin and Nate DeLuca, two rivaling
winemakers. I realized quickly that although I am an expert wine drinker, I had
no idea what goes into being a wine maker. So I went to my wine-go-to-guy, Gary
Galleron of Galleron Wines. He was sweet enough to answer all of my questions,
even the ridiculous ones—and great guy that he is, he didn’t even laugh at me
once. Gary gave me better understanding of just what goes into owning a winery:
from the planting, to harvest, production, and right on to sales and
distribution. He was a life saver—and Galleron wines are incredible. Yum!
Your
ST. HELENA'S VINEYARD series deals with cheating. How do you develop your
heroines so they can move on and trust a worthy hero after going through such
betrayal? Betrayal is something that I
think most readers can relate to, plus it is one of my favorite obstacles to
tackle—especially when the characters have a past with each other. I like to
figure out what my heroine’s goal and biggest fear is, then put her in a
situation where the only way to accomplish the goal is to overcome the fear.
And who stands in the way of her goal … the hero, of course.
In
AUTUMN IN THE VINEYARD, my heroine Frankie has experienced enough betrayal and
disappointment in her lifetime to understand that it is just easier to go it
alone. The idea of leaning on someone—especially a man—is terrifying. So I put
her in a situation where, if she wants to save her new vineyard, she has to
live and work with the one guy who broke her heart and her trust, Nate.
What
can you tell us about BE MINE FOREVER without giving too much away? Book #4 in the St.
Helena Vineyard series, BE MINE FOREVER, comes out January 21, 2014 and follows
the baby of the family, Trey DeLuca. After watching each of his brothers trade
in their man-card for a minivan, Trey develops a severe allergic reaction to
commitment, compromise, and kids. So of course I paired him with the sexy
single-mom next door who isn’t in the market for a man—so much as a Manny to
watch her son. It was fun to witness the commitment-phobe playboy fall hard,
especially when the woman he is falling for comes stock-ready with a kid, white
picket fence, and a life that screams commitment.
What
can you tell us about your SUGAR, GEORGIA series? The Sugar, Georgia
series is a brand new series I am writing for Grand Central Publishing. The
first book, SUGAR’S TWICE AS SWEET, will release late 2014. It follows Josephina
Harrington, a New York socialite whose perfect life is uprooted when she finds
herself dumped, homeless, and broke—and the only asset she has left is her
great Aunt Fairchild’s old plantation house in Sugar, Georgia. One look at the
dilapidated in and Joie realized that she does need a man—one that wears a tool
belt and knows a thing or two about renovations.
With
three Master’s Jackets and a nasty sex scandal under his belt, PGA playboy
Brett McGraw decides to return home and lay low before he does something else
stupid . . . like lose his corporate endorsements. But when Brett calls on the
new neighbor to settle a dispute, he’s given a tool belt and a hammer. One look
at Joie’s long legs and city-girl sass and playing contractor doesn’t seem so
bad. Especially if it means spending his days watching her parade around in
those ridiculous heels and his nights in her bed. Too bad for him, she is done
with men.
When
will you write another SWEET PLAINS TEXAS novel? Those Tucker boys have a special place in my
heart. When I wrote Tucker’s Crossing I mapped out a story for all three
brothers, and one for Gina and Logan. I plan to finish the series, but there is
no publication date as of yet. I hope that after I wrap up the DeLucas and the
Sugar, Georgia series, that I will be able to take a trip back to Sweet Plains,
Texas and stay for a while.
What
type of relationship is your favorite to explore and develop? Enemies to lovers who have a heated past. I
love the idea of a second chance at a first love. There is so much natural
conflict and tension that stems from those kinds of stories, and finding
believable motivations for them to give into the chemistry is always so much
fun.
What
type of person is your ideal heroine when you're both reading and writing?
I
love the sweet, girl-next-door who has a secret wild side. I also love heroines
who find out how strong they really are when their perfect world collapses and
they have to pull themselves back up.
What type of person is your ideal
hero when you're both reading and writing? I love my heroes to
be all male. I don’t like them whiny or brooding or dark, I love them funny and
charming and so full of banter and swagger that they burn up the page. But I
also love them to have a vulnerable side.
Are
they the same? I think what my hero and
heroine want is ultimately the same, but how they go about getting there takes
very different courses—which is where the conflict and tension comes in.
What
has the publishing process been like? I
am with two different publishers right now and I think I really lucked out. I
absolutely love my editors and the teams that work on my books.
Would
you recommend advertisements or did you market your books through a different
venue? My publisher handles all of my
advertising and marketing. They do such an incredible job of it I have never
had to consider additional promotions outside of blog tours.
How
involved are you in terms of editing/book cover/release date/marketing process?
This is a tricky question. I am as involved as I am allowed to be. I have a
great relationship with all of my editors, and I really listen to their advice
and suggestions, and we have created a great back and forth dialogue to make each
book the best it can be. As for covers and release dates, I have input but in
the end the final decision is up to that team.
Are
you working on anything now? I am just
finishing up book #5 in the St Helena Series, FROM THE MOMENT WE MET. It
follows the only sister in the family, Abby DeLuca, who after 8 years of being
stuck in a marriage of lies, finally gets her divorce. Ready to rebuild her
life and embrace her new found freedom, Abby lands a job designing the Wine
Country’s newest premiere wine and cheese shop. Only day one into being
man-free her ex-husband arrives on her door step—in an urn. To make matters
worse, Jack Tanner, former NFL heartthrob and the guy who stole her virginity
and then broke her heart, is the hired hammer for the remodel—and he won’t back
down until Abby agrees to one date with him.
Any
upcoming releases? October 29, 2013 ~ Autumn in the Vineyard (St Helena
Vineyard #3)
January
21, 2014 ~ Be Mine Forever (St. Helena Vineyard #4)
June
2014 ~ From the Moment we Met ~ (St. Helena #5)
August
2014 ~ Sugar’s Twice as Sweet (Sugar, Georgia #1)
Website:
www.MarinaAdair.com
Twitter:
@MarinaEAdair
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Thanks for having me today! :)
Great interview, read more Marina Adair here: http://www.freeromancenovelsonline.com/contemporary-romance/44-contemporary-romance/286-summer-in-napa and http://www.freeromancenovelsonline.com/contemporary-romance/44-contemporary-romance/285-kissing-under-the-mistletoe
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