Everyone, please welcome Marie Force! When I asked her to guest here she very kindly agreed… and it worked out perfectly that she had a new book out this month! So without further ado, let’s jump right into the interview :X
1. You told me I had to ask about socks, and mentioned a puppy. Well, how do you feel about socks? Particularly toe socks, sock shoes, and … toe shoes?
LOL, Lime! Weāre all about socks in our house right nowāprotecting them, that is. Brandy the puppy is MAD for socks. She has chewed up scores of them since we got her last March. Even though we keep her out of our bedrooms and away from the laundry room, she still finds them! With a little help from my hubby, she āgaveā us all socks for Christmas. Personally, Iām a BIG fan of socks since my feet are cold year round. Absolutely on the pictures! (I asked for puppy pictures. I’m a huge dog lover!) Brandy is happy to provide her picture free of charge, but she asks that you not sell or reproduce it in any way as her image is her main source of income. (LOLājust kidding!)
2. What’s your favorite vegetable? Least favorite? (And describe the preparation too, please)
Sighā¦ Iām not a big fan of any of them, but if I had to choose a favorite Iād say broccoli and least favorite would be lima beans. Preparation: boil and serve. Iām not much of a cook in case you didnāt notice.
3. Can you name at least three US Supreme Court Justices without looking it up?
Of course I can! John Roberts is the chief justice, Sonya Sotomayor, Clarence Thomas, David Souterā¦ Oh wait, you said threeā¦ Now Iām just showing off. LOL. My recent book Fatal Justice is about a murdered Supreme Court nominee, so I should be up on my Supreme Court info, right?
4. If you ever had to teach middle school, which subject would you pick to teach?
They call it ELA these days: English Language Arts, which is writing and reading. Trust me when I say you donāt want me teaching your children math. You REALLY donāt want thatā¦
5. [For the serious people who visit…] What’s your writing process?
My writing process is very ālinear.ā I write the story in chronological order and edit as I go so I end up with a fairly clean first draft. Since I also work full-time and have two busy kids (15 and 12), I donāt have a lot of writing time, so I really have to make the time that I have count.
6. Who would win in a fight to the death? A Ninja or a Viking?
Yikes, I donāt have any idea! However, I wouldnāt rule out the old-school Viking. They have spears and stuff. Donāt they?
7. Which of the following “shapes” do you like most: circle, square, squiggle, triangle?
Definitely the triangleāone of my favorite things to write in romance is a good old- fashioned love triangle.
8. What author promo have you most liked doing and find has been the most effective? Do you have anything big/exciting planned?
Iāve most enjoyed the time Iāve spent on Facebook. Iāve met SO many new friends and readers, some of whom have become close friends. That has been time well spent. I have a big, fun promotion coming on my blog to plan the wedding of my Fatal characters Sam and Nick. The Fatal Destiny novella will feature their wedding, and from Feb. 1ā14 Iām asking readers to vote on various choices for the wedding details, a la The Today Show. I think itāll be fun and will help readers to visualize the wedding when they read the novella in September. My reader friends Aly Hackett and Ronlyn Howe have done all the legwork on the wedding, and theyāve come up with some beautiful choices for readers to consider. Iāve also been really enjoying the Romance & Oreos Book Club we started on my blog in November. Weāve had a lot of fun discussing some of our favorite books and chatting with some of our favorite authors, including Robyn Carr, Christy Reece, Pamela Clare, Lori Foster and others. We meet every
Thursday and newcomers are always welcome to join us.
9. What was your favorite book as a child?
I loved the Little House on the Prairie books. I read them over and over again. I also have vivid memories of reading The Thorn Birds the summer I was 14. That book made a huge impression on me. I loved it.
10. What’s your favorite type of snack and/or drink that you *must* have on hand?
Must have Diet Coke and Oreos. Must. Have.
Wasn’t Marie such a great sport, everyone? š She’s busy today, so during the day she won’t be able to comment much, but hopefully in the evening Marie will stop by and answer questions and chat with us!
About Everyone Loves a Hero:
Hero pilot Cole Langston is learning to live withāand enjoyāhis newfound fame and the rabid female attention that comes with it until a lucky punch knocks some sense into him and opens his eyes to true love.
When his copilot suffers a heart attack in flight, Cole lands the jetliner in a blizzard and revives the stricken captain. Catapulted to national hero status, Cole has more women vying for his attention than he knows what to do with. They all have one thing in common: they try without success to bring this happy-go-lucky pilot down to earth. Then comes an airport altercation, a punch to the face, and the lovely Oliviaāa shy, timid artist who does what no other woman has ever managed to do: steal Cole’s well-protected heart. With women coming on to him everywhere they go, Olivia struggles to believe that Cole is ready for a committed relationship. His biggest problem is getting rid of all his extra ladies before the only one he wants figures out that she’s one of many. Available in bookstores and everywhere e-books are sold.
About Fatal Justice:
Supreme Court nominee Julian Sinclair comes to Washington expecting to be confirmed to the high court. Instead, heās found shot execution-style in a city park. Detective Lt. Sam Hollandās list of suspects is long, but does it include her significant other, Senator Nick Cappuano, one of the last to see Sinclair alive? While tracking down Sinclair’s killer, Sam is also confronted with a new lead into her father’s unsolved shooting that results in unexpected danger for her. In the meantime, Sam’s partner, Detective Freddie Cruz, returns to the āscene of the crimeā when he looks up Elin Svendsen, one of the late Senator John OāConnor’s sexy ex-girlfriends. After a lifetime of virtue, will Freddie be led down the road to ruin by a temptress who
wants only one thing from him?
Marie Force is the author of Fatal Affair and Fatal Justice, Books 1 and 2 in her new Fatal Series from Harlequinās Carina Press. Book 3, Fatal Consequences, is coming in July 2011, Fatal Destiny, the Fatal Wedding Novella, in September 2011 and Book 4, Fatal Flaw, in February 2012. āThis novel is āThe O.C. does D.C.,ā and you just canāt get enough.ā (RT Book Reviews, 4.5 stars for Fatal Affair). In its July 2010 issue, RT Book Reviews named Marie a āFuture Star of Romantic Suspense.ā Carina recently acquired Marieās contemporary, Georgia On My Mind, coming in 2012.
Marie is the author Everyone Loves a Hero, Line of Scrimmage and Love at First Flight. Of Line of Scrimmage, Booklist said, āWith its humor and endearing characters, Forceās charming novel will appeal to a broad spectrum of readers, reaching far beyond sports fans.ā Wild on Books said, “Love at First Flight by Marie Force is most definitely a keeper. It is an astounding book. I loved every single word!ā Marie is also the author of True North and The Fall (also available at Smashwords).
Since 1996, Marie has been the communications director for a national organization similar to RWA. She is a member of RWAās New England, From the Heart and Published Author Special Interest Chapters. While her husband was in the Navy, Marie lived in Spain, Maryland and Florida, and she is now settled in her home state of Rhode Island. She is the mother of Emily, 15, Jake, 12, and a feisty dog named Brandy. (Pictured above!)
Find her at her website, on her blog, where she runs the popular weekly Romance & Oreos Book Club, on Facebook, and on Twitter. Marie loves to hear from readers. Contact her at marie@marieforce.com.
And now… the “good stuff” – or what I know you guys want š Marie (via her publisher) has very generously offered up two copies of her newest release Everyone Loves a Hero, and Marie herself will be giving away a copy of Fatal Affair and Fatal Justice – so that’s four winners! Good luck and get to commenting! Personally I think you all should ask Marie all sorts of outlandish and fun questions š
Everyone’s Irish today! š I’ve done Chinese/the Lunar New Year, Arbor Day, and this year, I’m going with St. Patty’s Day! Really it’s perfect because I’m green. Limes generally are, you know š Then there’s the fact that people often ask me if I’m Irish. It’s… funny. (I’m not, by the way.) I do, however, love a good Irish Pub – even the American versions of them. The best part is I don’t even drink beer. Somehow, it all works out.
