Guest Author & A Giveaway: Courtney Milan

Hi everyone! I can barely believe it’s December already… but it is, and today is the first Tuesday of the month so we’ve got our “official guest author” Courtney Milan visiting with us! She told me she wanted to do a kooky author interview so I tried to come up with fitting questions. She decided not to answer four that I sent. I won’t tell you which ones to protect the guilty. 😉 Without further ado, the “Author Interview.” (See? This is a time where calling it an interview fits!)

What’s the neatest or most interesting thing you’ve ever made or built? What’s the most unique/strange silly skill your possess? (This was technically two questions, but I would never nit pick about something like that, would I. *angelface*)
I can fold an origami stegosaurus out of a single square sheet of paper.

How’d you come up with your author name?
Uh… well, I started with the initials “CM” which I had been using to identify myself online. “CM,” for those who are wondering, stands for “Chicken Mafia.” I had to invent a name fairly quickly for myself in a handful of hours over night, so I rushed over to the Census Bureau’s list of names and sorted for the ones that started with “C.” courtneymiles.com was already taken, so I became Courtney Milan.

What’s the first type of alcohol you ever tried to drink?
Embarrassingly enough, wine coolers. Although I did have some liqueur by accident when I was younger. I thought it was disgusting.

If you could have any outfit at all – the PERFECT outfit-  what would be be? Describe it from top to bottom with accessories, materials, colors, etc.
Yoga pants. T-Shirt. I’m pretty psyched if it’s clean and even happier if I didn’t have to do the laundry.

What is the most evil thing you would name a child? Consider our baseline is “Talula Does the Hula From Hawaii.” (and yes, guys, that is a real name. Or it was until the judge in NZ let her change it…)
Consider this: I named three of the heroes in one series after full Bible verses. One of them got stuck with the moniker: “And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out: it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire.” (He goes by Mark. It seems safer.)So when you talk about evil things to name kids, I can think of a whole bunch of ’em. (You forgot to tell us which heroes/verses! Inquiring minds want to know ;D!)

Savory snacks and sweet snacks – which is your favorite in both categories? Which do you prefer?
I prefer savory snacks. I can’t think of a sweet snack off the top of my head that I prefer. But I love, love, love the Calbee Snapeas that you can get at Trader Joe’s. They’re like Cheetos, but they masquerade as snow peas and you can pretend they’re good for you even though they cannot possibly be!

Would you ever want one of your books turned into a movie? Why or why not? If it was though – which book would you choose and who would you want to star in it?
Oh, sure! Movies, even bad movies, get lots of people reading your books, and so I wouldn’t turn that down. I have no sense of authorial shame or outrage, so if it works, it works.As for which book–my books (sadly) don’t make great cinema. Although there is a book I am co-writing with someone else right now (don’t expect it to actually ever be finished) that would totally work.

Why are shepherding dogs the best breed? (And how did your dog get his name?)
I’m not going to categorically say that shepherding dogs are the best breed. (Perhaps I should have said one of the best breeds. Either way that’s my opinion. ;)) It’s just that my dog is the best dog (from my point of view, at least), and so at least the best dog out there happens to be a shepherd. But I’m sure there are very good dogs out there who are not shepherds!As for my dog’s name…he came with it. The breeder had already given the dogs names, and he knew (and was responding) to his. Wedidn’t want to upset him any more than we needed, so we just kept his old name.

In Unraveled, I gave Smite a dog that has a shepherd mother (actually, her precursor is what we’d think of as a bearded collie) and a terrier father (a Wheaten terrier). The poor dog, of course, has terrier drive and bearded collie energy. It was fun trying to figure outwhat Ghost would be like.

If you could live anywhere, at any time period, when and where would you choose?
Pretty happy with the here and now, actually. Any other time and I would have been burned as a witch and/or abandoned to the wolves. Although if we could fast-forward to the bit where the economy starts going again, I’dbe much obliged. 🙂

Now is there anything else you want to know about Courtney Milan’s books? You all know I really enjoyed Unlocked. I’m really excited about her new books too. Also, what questions would you ask Ms. Milan in the spirit of crazy outrageous things? She’ll be giving away one copy of Unclaimed. Remember to check back at the blog (not this post) to see if you’ve won!

0 thoughts on “Guest Author & A Giveaway: Courtney Milan

  1. Mary Preston

    I’m loving the books & the Q&A.

    Here is my contribution: which country would you have loved to have discovered & claimed for yourself – of course?

    marypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com

    Reply
    1. Courtney Milan

      Hi Mary! Good morning. I actually have never aspired to discover countries and claim them for my own. As a general rule, I think the matter is impossible–one can’t discover something that already has native inhabitants, and if a land has no native inhabitants, it’s just a continent, not a country. Besides, claiming a country for myself when it already has inhabitants is usually called conquering.

      That being said, I have, from time to time, aspired to take over the world. Just to see if I could do it. Once I’ve taken it over, I’d immediately hand the messy business of governing over to someone else.

      Reply
  2. Maureen

    It was an interesting interview. I liked the different questions. My question would be – What book are you reading now?

    Reply
    1. Courtney Milan

      I’m reading the second of Ilona Andrews’ Kate Daniels series–Magic Burns. I was a little intimidated by the length of her backlist, but I started the Edge series with her, and she’s so good that I’ve had to pick up Kate Daniels as well.

      Reply
    1. Courtney Milan

      Aloha, Kim!

      My mom was born in Hawaii, so I like lots of parts, but I especially like Waimea Canyon on Kauai–it’s gorgeous and peaceful and one of the most striking things I’ve ever seen in my life. It’s a little like the Grand Canyon, but without the altitude and the harsh climate.

      Reply
    1. Courtney Milan

      That is a really, really hard question, because so many authors inspire me. I honestly find inspiration in a lot of places–from Charles Dickens to Tessa Dare. Basically, anything I come into contact with can be an inspiration. I know that’s not a great answer, but it’s a true one!

      Reply
  3. Carey Baldwin

    No need to enter me in the book giveaway, since I already have every Courtney Milan book, BUT I do want to mention to Courtney that I have an origami stegosaurus on my Christmas wish list. That thud was the sound of a hint dropping 🙂

    Reply
  4. ClaudiaGC

    I first discovered your books through your novella Unlocked which I loved! I wish it would have been a full length book. 🙂 But even though it was “only” a novella the story was so rich and full of details, I couldn’t get enough of it.
    I have to work my way through your backlist now!
    Do you put up a tree at Christmas and if so a real one or fake?
    Thank you for the guest post!

    Reply
    1. Courtney Milan

      I put up a tree at Christmas. It’s real. The hard part is remembering to take it down when they’ll take the tree away in the yard waste. Sometimes *ahem* I might end up not taking it down until February, at which point disposal becomes difficult.

      I might have had a discarded Christmas tree in my side yard for 18 months at one time…

      Reply
  5. Jaelle

    I have very recently discovered all of your books and have read all of them. I love your work. Do you have any updates on when Unraveled will be released, and what direction will you go in if the Turner series is complete?

    Reply
    1. Courtney Milan

      It’s getting a final proofing now. It will be out by the end of this week. (She says calmly.) Between now and then, I need to hear back from the last two people that have it (with corrections). I need to read it aloud to make sure I have all the mistakes out of it. I need to format it and put it up at the various sites.

      But I am hoping that I will be able to upload everything by Thursday, which should mean it’s available by Friday.

      After that, I’m starting a new series, set in the East Midlands, about three guys who are vaguely related to another who were called the Brothers Sinister (because they’re left handed, not because they’re actually, you know, villainous).

      Reply
  6. Mary Kirkland

    I loved the question answer blog post. That was a lot of fun.
    If you could do absolutely anything for one full day and then go back to the beginning of the day and have no one remember what you did…what would you do?

    Reply
    1. Courtney Milan

      Huh. That’s a really good question. I wish I had a lot of secret perversions so that I could exploit them! But I’m really pretty boring in reality. I like to read and play with my dog.

      Honestly, if I wanted a do-over day, I don’t mind if everyone remembers it–I’d just like to not have to carry any of the negative effects. So, you know, a day where you can eat every pastry that looks amazing, and then have a long, lingering lunch with champagne, and go walking, and then have a long dinner with dessert and more champagne, and then not gain twenty pounds or have a hangover.

      I don’t mind if everyone knows about it. I love to eat. Sadly, my body loves to turn food into fat, too. I wish I could escape that.

      Reply
  7. Theresa Romain

    Thanks to Courtney and Limecello for a great Q&A, and to Courtney for A-ing more of our Qs. I’m excited to see that your new series will involve left-handed guys. I do love all things lefty (except scissors).

    I have to ask: where did the handle “Chicken Mafia” come from?

    No need to enter me. I have Unclaimed already!

    Reply
    1. Courtney Milan

      Sure! I’ve considered it. I have a handful of ideas for paranormal books. And a YA. I haven’t had time to write any of them, and my historicals are (so far) the most fun, so that’s what I’m sticking with for now.

      Reply
  8. Karen C

    Great interview! No wacky questions, though. What is your favorite genre to read? Do you have any special needs for when you sit down to write? Thanks for a fun time.

    Reply
    1. Courtney Milan

      Oooh…favorite genre. Right now, I’m reading a lot of urban fantasy. It changes, though. I always love historical romance. But fantasy, sci fi, whatever… I’m good with it.

      I tend to have a problem with books that are too violent, and so I do stay away from thrillers (for the most part)–but that’s a personal thing. I don’t have any issues with violence in books, I just can’t personally stomach it.

      Reply
  9. Chelsea B.

    Hi, Courtney! Your books sound positively lovely. I’ve heard nothing but great things!
    You said you wouldn’t mind your books being movies, so who would you have star in them? 🙂

    Reply
    1. Courtney Milan

      Thank you, Chelsea.

      …To be honest, I have this issue where I don’t remember names and can’t recognize people. It’s not really a big deal, but it does mean I have no idea–and I mean NO IDEA who movie stars are. I couldn’t pick anyone out of a line up. So, whoever is fine. I’m not picky.

      Unless the person is Richard Armitage. Richard Armitage can be anyone in any of my movies.

      Reply
  10. June M.

    I was wondering if your books need to be read in a certain order, or are they able to stand alone? Do you have any say in your book covers? Because they are beautiful! Have a great holiday season!
    June M.

    Reply
    1. Courtney Milan

      Thanks, June.

      All my books are written to be stand alone. There is an order to them, though, so if you’re insistent that they must be read in the Right Order, you should read them as Unveiled –> Unlocked –> Unclaimed –> Unraveled. But I’ve had people start with Unlocked and not have any issues, or start with Unclaimed and go back and read everything else.

      I have no say in any of my covers I got from Harlequin. I get them, and if I don’t like them, the response is…well, sorry! Too bad! I really do like the covers for Unveiled and Unclaimed, though.

      The covers for Unlocked and Unraveled are mine, though–I had infinite control over them.

      Reply
  11. Jen B.

    I am seriously impressed by your origami skills. Have you ever tried bath towel origami? I bought a video on a cruise. I haven’t tried any designs yet but it is a goal to perfect it for next year!

    Reply
  12. JoAnne

    My question would be where is your favorite place to travel – country, city, town? Would you ever set one of your books there?
    I look forward to reading your books and I will read them in the order recommended since that’s one of my obnoxious traits.

    Reply
  13. Jeanne Miro

    Courtney –
    First I want to tell you how much I enjoy your books!

    I totally agree with you about shepherding dogs! When my boys were young we had a Kerry Blue Terrier and when I would take them to our neighborhood lake for a swim Kilty would stand on the dock and bark at them to stay not only close together but near the shoreline. When they had friends join them he would also jump into the water and “herd” them together.

    When my boys were in High School they played a lot of sports and we had a foreign exchange student who was “soccer star”. They would try to practice in our yard but not only would Kilty try to herd them he’d capture the soccer ball and not let them have it back.

    Herding dogs are truly loyal to the families they own (they are too independent to let you own them!).

    Reply
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