Interview With An Author - Deb Julienne

Today I'm welcoming author Deb Julienne into the Author Interview spotlight...

Tell us a bit about your writing – How long have you been writing? How many books have you written and in what genres?

I've been a member of RWA (Romance Writers of America) since 1995 and writing since High School. I’m currently writing Romantic Comedy, but also have 2 romantic suspense trilogies plotted in the future.

At this time I have 1 published book (Sex, Lies, and Beauty Aids released 3/3/2014) I have one waiting for a cover (Sex, Secrets, & Happily Ever Afters to be released 8/4/2015) I have another contracted (Love, Lies, and Alibis to be released in 2016) and 2 more to the Twisted Sisters Club Series.

In addition I have a cowboy series in the works next  - 9 siblings, 8 brothers and 1 sister in the Bronco Boys Series, and will be part of an anthology this summer.

When did you know you wanted to be a writer?

I can’t remember when I didn’t.

Where is your favourite spot in which to write? Garden? Study? Kitchen table? In bed?

Any place I can find a quiet moment or two.

How long does it take you to write the first rough draft of one of your books?

I can write a rough draft in a month.

Do you prefer to write with pen and paper or straight to the computer?

I like to make notes of ideas, then when I feel like I have enough to organize, I’ll start laying it out in some sort of format on the computer.

Do you plan a plot out in great detail before writing or start with the basics and let the book evolve that way?

Yes, I like to have an idea of where it’s going, who all is involved, and what to research.

Do you ever get part way through writing a book and find the characters are leading the story off in a different direction to how you had envisaged?

All the time, I never know how it’s truly going to end. Kind of surprising at times.

Who is your favourite character from all the books you have written and why?

Believe it or not, my favourite is the Blue-Haired Brigade, a bunch of aging ladies who are totally unfiltered, you never know what they’ll say and do next.

Is there such a thing as an average writing day for you and if so what is it?

Absolutely not. My writing time doesn't begin until the day job ends. Life in sales is chaotic at best. I write until I can’t see clearly and go to bed, hoping something can be salvaged the next day.

How do you create the characters in your books?

The funny part about this is I get the best ideas for a character from a picture I see. Jodi Olson is infamous for posting cowboys pictures. Some are rather risqué, but it’s their facial expressions that start to bring the character out.

What is your favourite book of all time?

Little Women is the first “grown-up” book I read when I was eight...I’ve been hooked ever since.

What is your favourite film of all time?

The Sound of Music. It’s the first movie I ever saw in a theatre. I love musicals...my latest favourite top movie was Mama Mia...you have to see that in a theatre for impact.

What was your journey to being a published author?

Oh jeez, I want to say endless. I joined RWA in 1995, but it took until 2013 before I received a contract. Actually I received 3 contract offers for my first book in the same week. Raising 4 kids, working a full time job, multiple health issues for my husband as well as both of my parents and his, I was never my priority. When the kids grew up, my parents had passed, and then my father-in-law, it was my cousin and mother-in-law that pushed me to make by dreams happen. I am so blessed to have them on my side.

Biggest myth about being a novelist?

That it pays well and is easy to do. It's one heck of a long every changing, learning process that truly never ends.

Advice to aspiring novelists?

Don’t give up. Life may take you on a wild and crazy trip...take notes because you never know when you might be able to use them in a book.

Deb's latest book:

Sex, Lies and Beauty Aids

Sabrina Thompson, editor of Skin Deep Magazine’s successful Natural Beauty Secrets column, is handed the challenge of her life. Take over the Love and Sex column or lose her job. What does a twenty-four year old virgin know about love or sex when she's never been on a third date? To complicate matters, there’s a new guy at the helm. Her only crush’s clone is issuing orders. While his pompous and ambitious twin dries out, playboy and ne’er-do-well Trent Wellington must assume his identity and save his family’s flailing magazine. The bright spot amid staff cuts and content restructuring is the plucky editor he once made a fool of himself in front of at a family gathering. Fooling everyone isn’t easy, especially when Sabrina inspires his true self to be more than he ever has. Years of hearing she’s too nice to date have left Sabrina’s frustration simmering. It boils over when she discovers Trent’s deceit and she vows to make him pay. Getting even has never been so much fun.

Content warning for this book: mature language, sexual situations

A Lyrical Press/Kensington Books Contemporary Romance

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