Interview Wendy Ely 2nd wk in Jan Special

Lets welcome Wendy Ely to Julie's Book Review. Wendy is giving away a $5 Starbucks gift card and 3 ebooks, so don't forget to check out the rafflecopter to the right of the pg.

Welcome to Julies Book Review. Can you tell me a little about yourself?

Thank you for letting me visit, Julie! I’m so glad to be here. Well, let me introduce myself. I’m Wendy, a contemporary romance and romantic suspense author, who lives in Arizona. I have my own real-life hero and three teenagers that keep me really busy.

What kind of books do you write? Newest release?

I usually stick to contemporary romance or romantic suspense, but I do have a light paranormal romance out. My newest release is actually a re-release. Confessions is the first book in the Desert Secrets Series. In the story, Chelsea must return to her hometown to confess to Jordan why she left so many years ago. He already knows that she’d been pregnant, but where is the child now? They must come together to find the daughter Jordan wants.

You can find Confessions here: http://amzn.com/B00A3FVT84

What should we expect in your book? action,adventure, drama etc.

Confessions is a romantic suspense. Chelsea is forced to help her high school sweetheart find the daughter she'd given up so long ago. There is plenty of family drama, tension between the Chelsea and Jordan, and some steamy moments! 

How do you get ideas for your books?

I get ideas from everywhere... from a real story off the news, a conversation taking place at the table next to mind, from an interesting picture, or song lyrics. I take the snippet of the idea, mesh it with fictional characters, and start writing. I don't plot ahead of time, so I'll usually only have a very basic idea. Sometimes the idea might be just one sentence. 

Anything in your stories based on real experiences?

No. Confessions is the closest to having anything to do with my experiences. Chelsea sold her daughter when she was 17. My mother was actually sold when she was 2. I did not get the idea for Confessions from my mom though. I started writing about Chelsea and asked "what if". After the "what if's" were finished, I asked, "why?". The plot came from that process. 

Toughest criticism? Best compliment?

The toughest criticism are reviews from the readers. I always have mixed feelings about them. They are hard to read at times, but if the comments have any valid points to them, I try to work through the weakness in my next book. The best compliment would be a fan email that told me to keep writing so she could keep reading. Authors love fan email. Feel free to write any time. Smile. 

any advice for aspiring authors?

Write every day. Don't get scared by that advice either. Sit down at your computer and write for 5 minutes. Sometimes those few minutes will be torture while other times they'll fly by. I always allow myself to write longer than that if I hit my zone. 

How about some fun stuff?

Ballet is beautiful and I wish I had the talent for that form of dance. I just don’t have the grace that it takes. My daughter does though, so I get to watch her dance on stage. I love every second of it. 

Dogs or cats?

We have two cats. One is named Kujo (yep, like the Stephen King dog) and the other is Adorabelle. I share Kujo with my boyfriend. Adorabelle started out as my daughter's cat, but Adorabelle adopted my son instead. He loves her so much. 

 

1 Fav book? why?

I have so many favorite books but the first one I can think of is Tangled Up in You by Rachel Gibson. I love her writing style and this was the first book of hers that I read. I laughed and loved through the entire novel. 

Favorite place to travel?

I love the ocean but haven't been there in awhile. I'd love to visit there. My boyfriend loves to travel, so I'm thinking we'll have some trips in our near future.

1 fav author? Why?

I kind of already answered this one. Rachel Gibson is my favorite author. I love her style and how she keeps me engaged in each of her stories. 

Where can we find you and your books?

I have 5 current releases and the best place to find them is my Amazon author page. You can check it out here: http://amzn.com/e/B008SA6TJK

Thanks for coming on Julie Book Review. Don't forget to check out the rafflecopter to the right of this post.  Wendy it has been a please and we wish you lots of success.

Julie Ramsey

Administrator of Julies Book Review