Interview with Julie Leto!!

Ok lets welcome Julie Leto to Julie's Book Review. Julie Leto is giving away a copy of DIRTY LITTLE SECRETS, digital for Kindle or print, US shipping only. So make sure you check out the rafflecopter to the right of the page.

Welcome Julie! How are you doing today?

I'm excellent!  The sun is shining and the Florida skies are turquoise blue.  It's a great day!

How about you tell us a little about yourself?

I am doing well. Thanks for asking.

How About you tell us a little about yourself. 

Okay!  I'm a Florida girl, born and raised.  I live in Tampa, the city currently famous for military scandals, though if it makes anyone feel better, I live WAY on the other side of town.  I'm the only girl in an Italian-Cuban American family of boys (besides my mom, of course!) and we all live within a few miles of each other.  I'm a single mom of a teenage girl whom I adore and I've been writing since I was twelve, but professionally since I turned 32.

What type of books do you write? What genre's?

I started my career with Harlequin, writing sexy contemporaries for Temptation and Blaze, where I was one of the line's launch authors.  I've also written for Simon & Schuster, Penguin and HCI Vows.  Right now, however, I'm concentrating on an Indie career and I'm loving the freedom that has come from that decision.  After acquiring the rights to the books I wrote for Pocket and NAL, I've republished both series and am working on creating new content.  The Dirty series is sexy, action-adventure suspense and my Phantom series is contemporary paranormal.

Are you working on anything right now?

Very exciting developments!  The first new addition to my Dirty series is hitting Amazon now!  It's called DIRTY LITTLE CHRISTMAS and it's a lengthy novella (over 40,000 words) that is a transition between the first two books and the upcoming fourth full-length book, TALK DIRTY TO ME.  I'm working on that one now.  I'm also playing with an idea for a transition story for the Phantoms.

What about your newest release?

DIRTY LITTLE CHRISTMAS is sexy, suspenseful and action-packed.  It features my ex gang-banger heroine, Marisela Morales, and her sexy ex, Frankie Vega.  Marisela has gone to work for a high-end security firm, but they are closed for the holidays and all the spies are off-grid, so when someone close to her is kidnapped, she has to turn to the one man she can't stop loving to help her.  I'm very excited about the story and can't wait to hear what readers think!

Did anyone help you as a writer? inspirations? support?

 I have had so many supports in my career...but right now, my heart belongs to four remarkable women.  The first is Stephanie Bond.  She's a colleague whom I met when we wrote at Temptation together.  She's a giving soul and a fantastic writer and she helped guide me in my transition from traditional to indie author.  Without her, I never would have been able to make it work.  And then, of course, the Plotmonkeys: Carly Phillips, Janelle Denison and Leslie Kelly.  We share a blog, but I think we also share a soul.  They're the best friends a girl can have and they've helped me in so many ways, it would fill a book.  Heck, a whole series!

Is there a character from your books you would love to meet in person? why?

Ooh...I know everyone would expect me to say Marisela, but I feel like I have met her in person.  I wouldn't mind meeting Max.  Max is a secondary character in the Dirty books who intrigues me a great deal.  He always, ALWAYS surprises me, and I'm the writer!  There is so much more to him...he's an onion I haven't even started to peel.  And he's kind of sexy.  

Any advice for inspiring authors?

A writer writes--always.  (Borrowed from Throw Mama from the Train.)  But it's true.  And I also don't think writing is the hard part--I think REwriting, or editing, is where the magic happens.  So write your first draft.  Give yourself permission to write crap.  You can fix it later, but you can't fix a blank page.

How about something fun?

I'm always game!

Fuzzy, ankle or tube socks?

Fuzzy!  I rarely wear socks, though...I live in Florida and contrary to what many tourists think, socks look weird with sandals.

A Favorite author?

Only one!?  Say it isn't so!  I have to confess, I'm a historical romance junkie.  My current favorite author is Tessa Dare.  She's so smart and so charming...and her books are, too!  Those are my comfort reads.  When I'm having a reading slump, I will go back and re-read her books.  And when her new ones are out, I read them on the first day.

Dog or cat?

I have both.  I'm more of a dog person, but I find my cat endlessly amusing.

A Favorite Book?

A BOY'S LIFE by Robert McCammon.  I know I should pick a romance, but this book showed me that commercial fiction can be lyrical and tense at the same time.  I never got into his other works, but this one was transformative.

Toughest criticism?

Of me? I don't like being told anything about myself that in a man would be admired.  Like that I'm pushy (when really I'm just determined) or that I'm bitchy (when really I'm just honest.)  I'm a very kind, very thoughtful person, but I sometimes don't come across that way because I don't shy away from saying what I think.  But it's not so tough to hear anymore since I've been hearing it my whole life, LOL!

Best Compliment?

That I'm a good mom.  Because honestly?  I rock. ;-)  Seriously, I think being a mom is my most important job on the earth.  I'm also maternal to my friends, in a mama-bearish way.  They know I have their backs.

Julie it has been a pleasure. Where can we find you and your books?

I can't thank you enough for doing this interview!  Right now, my books are all exclusively available at Amazon for the Kindle or Kindle app (which is free for your computer or smart phone.)  I know this is disappointing to some readers who don't read this way, but it was a business decision that has, so far, made all the difference in the world to my continuing to write.  I hope readers will check me out...they can read excerpts at my website, www.julieleto.com!

http://www.amazon.com/Dirty-Little-Christmas-Suspense-ebook/dp/B00ACBN29I/ref=sr_1_3?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1353882901&sr=1-3

  http://www.julieleto.com
http://www.plotmonkeys.com

Thanks again Julie, every one please don't forget Julie is giving away a copy of DIRTY LITTLE SECRETS, so don't forget to check out the rafflecopter to the right of the page.

Julie Ramsey
Julie's Book Review