Ocean City, NJ resident, Maggie O'Brien, is inadvertently pulled into a virtual reality game ... a game of warriors and quests ... and perfect heroes!!

"Heaven Sent"
A story in
PARADISE
An anthology from Leisure Books
0-8439-4552-4
On Sale July 1999

"Fun, fanciful, and romantic, PARADISE is a peanut butter and banana treat for all readers ..."

Kathee S. Card
Independent Reviewer

LORD OF THE KEEP
A medieval historical romance
Love Spell - Perfect Heroes Series
0-505-52351-5
On Sale December 1999

He was lord of the keep ... She was lady of his heart ...

Judy and I met Ann at CR! 99 this past May, and I sat next to her on our second day of the conference. She is so very nice - and she has a great sense of humor! We have kept in touch through email. Ann's first book, VIRTUAL HEAVEN, is a sensual fantasy/time travel. This is a very unique story with great characters. Ann kindly let me preview LORD OF THE KEEP, and I can honestly say that you will love it! It is also very sensual, with characters you will fall in love with, and it will leave you begging for more. Now for the interview ...



Donna: Ann, please tell us a little about yourself; your family, hobbies, background, what you do when you aren't writing.

Ann: I live right outside Philadelphia with my husband (a prince among men - he even empties kitty litter) and my two kids. When I am not writing, I am running around like a chicken without its head attending my kids' games. Both of my kids (a boy and a girl) are heavily into sports. I love watching them play as I was really into sports in school myself, but it makes for a very hectic schedule. Someone always needs to go somewhere ...

Donna: When did you start writing and why did you choose romance?

Ann: I started writing in 1995. I guess I started writing romance because I met a great group of ladies at an RWA chapter meeting and they invited me to join their critique group. I very nervously shared my writing efforts and quickly learned how little I knew about the craft of commercial fiction. I learned so much from them! They suggested I start from scratch rather than revise what I had done and I took their advice - that book became VIRTUAL HEAVEN.

Donna: How did you go about getting your first book published?

Ann: I entered VIRTUAL HEAVEN in the Golden Heart (RWA's national contest for unpublished writers) in 1996. VH finaled in the paranormal category. I next entered it in the fall of 1996 in the Valley Forge Romance Writer's "Winning Beginnings" Contest. The judge bought the book! She bought it in early 1997 for Love Spell's "Perfect Heroes" series that wasn't launching until 1999! So even though it didn't seem to take that long to sell, it felt like forever until the book came out on the shelves.

Donna: How long did it take you to sell your first book?

Ann: About 2 years.

Donna: How does your family feel about you writing romance, are they supportive?

Ann: My family is very supportive. My husband "picks up the slack" when I need to do some business related to my writing, or when I have to get something written down right away or I'll forget it! The kids are probably less patient, as I sometimes miss a game or two, but they do understand and think it's pretty cool that mom writes. My daughter likes to come to booksignings.

Donna: Where do you get inspiration for the stories that you write?

Ann: Hmmmm ... mostly just from my imagination, although I did get the idea of having a character pulled into a virtual reality game from watching my daughter play a game where she "appeared" to be under water and jumping up and down and swimming around to capture gold coins. As she reached for the coins, sharks circled around in the "water." It was very mesmerizing. I got so into the experience (I watched her play on a screen) that I thought, "Wow, what if she was sucked into the game and eaten by the shark?" That was the germ of the idea. I went from that to, "Now, what kind of game would I like to be pulled into?" I love old legends and so forth, so it naturally became a wargame with warriors and swords and quests.

My story, "Heaven-Sent" in PARADISE, was more like a story assigned by an English teacher! My editor called and asked if I'd do a light, humorous Elvis story and I said, "Yes." Then, when I got off the phone I started screaming. You see, I always hated writing in high school and college - or rather, it was being assigned a topic that I hated. The instant I'd get the topic, my brain would go blank. But I surfed around the Elvis websites, read two biographies, watched some tapes of his concerts, and then an idea just came to me. I used the name of a movie from 1961, called "Wild in the Country," with Tuesday Weld as my story title. I saw the title and said ... country ... hmmm Amish country ... Elvis in Amish country ... that's it! The title didn't stay on the story, unfortunately, which meant that the connection of the hero's nickname was lost, too.

I can't tell you where the inspiration for LORD OF THE KEEP came from! I actually wrote LORD OF THE KEEP before VIRTUAL HEAVEN, so it needed some revision. Luckily, my editor was wonderful in teaching me how to correct my pacing and so forth. But back to inspiration ... LORD OF THE KEEP just appeared in my head one day. I told the story to my sister on the beach (in Ocean City, by the way) and she didn't yawn or fall asleep, so I thought I'd put it on paper! :)

Donna: Your books are very sensual. Is that difficult to do?

Ann: No. I have always enjoyed sensuality in books that I read, so it seemed natural to me to write a sensual book myself. It is actually more difficult for me to keep a book "sweet." I just found this out while experimenting with a YA (Young Adult) romance I'm trying to write for my daughter. The emphasis is so different. I don't know if I can pull it off.

Donna: Do you work from an outline? Do your characters ever try to take over the story?

Ann: I do plan my books. My critique group and I developed a "Story Summary" which we use to present new projects to our group. (Writers can check out my website under "Cool Writing Stuff" for information on the story summary.) We use the summary to brainstorm and make outlines. I really lay it all out before I begin. I do not necessarily write the book in order after planning it. Several times I've written scenes that are vivid in my mind first, no matter where they come in the story. I almost always write the ending right after the opening. I also do a very careful scene by scene breakdown of the subplots at the end, to see if I've dropped any or neglected them. And yes, my characters do try to take over - in fact, they run the show ... always ...

Donna: Do you ever use personal experiences when writing your stories?

Ann: Never consciously, except for settings. As a beginning writer, I try to always use places I've been to so that there is great accuracy in the descriptions. I used all my favorite places in England (I was born there and much of my family is still there) and the Southwest for VIRTUAL HEAVEN. I used authentic settings and a real ruined castle on the coast of England for LORD OF THE KEEP, and, of course, I'm often in the Amish country shopping ...

I try to weed out anything that may be "autobiographical" from my writing. I really look for that. I don't use any real people. The only thing that got by me was the hero's angst in LORD OF THE KEEP over his age. When I wrote the book, I was very upset that I had passed forty. I guess I wrote it out, though - I actually like the forties now. : )

Donna: What kind of books do you read for pleasure? Who are some of your favorite authors?

Ann: I read both romance and mystery equally. I like the British cozy mystery (violence off stage) as that was all my mother brought home from the library, and I grew up reading what she read, and I love romance which I discovered on my own. I can only give you a few of my favorite romance authors, or we'd be here allllll daayyy: Brisbin, Lindsey, Lowell, Quick, Gabaldon, Woodiwiss, Coulter, Roberts, Fobes - gee, I could go on forever. Mystery faves: Francis, Sandford, DeMille, Hammond, Pulver, George, Perry, Robb (Candance). I could list names all night. I don't generally read horror, but I love Stephen King. I just love to read and am notorious for re-reading books.

Donna: VIRTUAL HEAVEN is a very unique fantasy which was fun to read. How difficult was it to write about another world?

Ann: It was not so much difficult as tons of fun. I love the "world-building" part of the writing. I could picture the world and just felt like I was there as I wrote it. I have to interject here that writing is an incredibly fun experience and everyone should try it! I'd do it even if no one paid me!! : )

Donna: Kered is such a strong and sensual hero - is he based on anyone real?

Ann: No. I don't base any of my characters on anyone real, movie stars, etc. I strive to make the character NOT like someone I know. Gee ... I'm fibbing a bit ... I really did want to build an ethical, honorable man in Kered. Those qualities are also those I love best in my husband. The book is dedicated to him. So he's there in the core qualities, I suppose, and will be in any future "perfect heroes" I write. (See my husband under "Family" on my website. My daughter is the artist.)

Donna: It is interesting and fun to watch Maggie's character develop and grow as she learns to be much stronger than she ever believed she could be. Is there some of you in Maggie?

Ann: No, again ... and I wish. I'm so shy, I went to my first Romance conference, looked in the large dining room, didn't see anyone I knew, and went back to my room for the rest of the time! If I hadn't known Terri Brisbin and Suzanne Coleburn of Belles and Beaux at CR!99, I might have stayed in my car! If I'd been Maggie, I'd have hung onto a tree and not left that mountain!!!

Donna: Many people have commented on the ending of VIRTUAL HEAVEN. It is absolutely perfect. Not to slight the rest of the book, but the ending was my favorite scene. Did you have any idea that the ending would be so powerful?

Ann: Thank you for the compliment. I'm amazed by the amount of mail I get on the book (and I love hearing from everyone), but the writers either love or hate the ending. No middle ground. I did want to end with a strong punch and from most of the comments, it worked for the readers. I also think the reader is able to use their own imagination. They're intelligent and savvy. I didn't think I needed to dot every i and cross every t, so to speak. But some readers wanted an epilogue. I thought at the time the scene worked as is. I went for emotion first. I also believe in the full circle of emotion in a book. Maggie first experienced the game through her senses and I wanted to bring some of that into the ending - to complete the journey of the senses. I also tried to do this in my ending for LORD OF THE KEEP, which has, however, a more traditional ending. I tried to bring some of the emotional journey full circle for the reader. Another point, from a writing point of view - as I had been entering contests before I published, I knew that I had to leave the contest judge with a vivid last scene, whether the contest called for one chapter or three, so I just ended like I would have in a contest ...

Donna: We are so happy that Vad is getting his own story in VIRTUAL DESIRE! Did you have any idea that he would be such a strong secondary character and that everyone would want to read his story?

Ann: I NEVER dreamed Vad would take on a life of his own! And I am really excited that readers liked him! This is one really exciting part of the internet. A writer gets to know what readers like (and can tell their editors so they will buy the story!). I did research Vad's character before I wrote him into the story, but he took over on his own and became much different than what I had envisioned. By the way, I left him in a real pickle to take a break and write the answers to this interview ... I hope he's okay ...

Donna: Your next book, LORD OF THE KEEP, which is scheduled for release in December, is straight historical (and terrific). Which type of romance were you most comfortable writing? Which do you like the best?

Ann: Thank you again for the kind words on LORD OF THE KEEP. I like both paranormal and historical romance to read and write. I'm equally likely to pick up one or the other as a reader. As for the writing, it's like saying you like your son better than your daughter. They're so different, it's hard to compare them. I REALLY hope my paranormal readers will try the medieval story. One thing they do both have in common is that idea of building a world and building a strong hero. I really love creating the world and making it come alive. I also like the characterization of the "perfect hero" line. The heroes have to be perfect, but NOT, if you know what I mean. The books were very different to write, though. LORD OF THE KEEP needed more revision, as I didn't know much about point of view, etc., when I wrote it and needed to fix some of that stuff. Also, I let my mystery get out of hand. My editor showed me how to tame it into the boundaries of the love story.

Donna: What kind of books do you hope to write in the future?

Ann: I hope to keep writing both paranormal and historical romances. I'd like to write a decent YA for my daughter, too (before she'd too old to appreciate it!). I also like the Regency time period and could see myself writing one in that era.

Donna: Since romance book covers are a controversial subject among readers, authors, and publishers, I must tell you how much we enjoy yours! We here at RBL appreciate the beauty of the male physique. Do you have much influence in the design of your covers?

Ann: I, too, much appreciate the male physique and do want to thank RBL for making that appreciation more available!!! But I must say, I have absolutely no cover control - none at all!! ;-) I remember emailing my editor's associate and saying, "Isn't it time I filled in a questionnaire on LORD OF THE KEEP for the cover artist?" She wrote back saying the artwork was done! So much for input. His eyes are blue on the cover, too. Oh well, the rest of him adequately compensates ...

Donna: What is next, after LORD OF THE KEEP? Can you give us a hint?

Ann: Other than Vad's story, VIRTUAL DESIRE - July 2000, I can't say. I have a contract to do another "as yet unnamed" book, but my editor may want something from LORD OF THE KEEP. I have ideas for two books that could come from that. I also have another book I'd like to do from the characters from the VIRTUAL stories, and who knows who will take over as I'm writing VIRTUAL DESIRE. There's one strong one already starting to tug at my imagination ...

Believe me, it's a mess in my head. Picture that kitchen drawer where you toss everything ...

Donna: How much has the Internet effected you as an author?

Ann: Tons. I think if VIRTUAL HEAVEN had come out in 1997 when my editor first bought it, it would not have gotten the exposure it did. I knew nothing about the internet, websites, email loops, bulletin boards, etc., then. It is amazing how much help I have received from many, many sources on the internet. And I want to thank everyone who spoke kindly of my book and mentioned it to others who mentioned it to others ... I could never have bought such great publicity, nor can I adequately thank everyone either. I am daily humbled by the kindness of those I've met, and astounded that so many people have been touched by my story or moved to share it with others.

Donna: What advice would you give to aspiring authors?

Ann: Join a critique group and enter writing contests. See how others receive your work. Test it out and LEARN from the critiques. Also, take advantage of the wonderful network of help to be found in RWA and other writing groups (I also learned a great deal from Sisters in Crime.) Learn your craft. As they say, "If I'd known then, what I know now ..." it would have saved me hours of rewrites!!

Donna: Do you have anything you would like to say or questions you would like to ask the readers here at RBL?

Ann: Mostly I just want to say thank you. Thank you to Donna for reviewing LORD OF THE KEEP and and making this interview possible for me, and thank you also to the other members who came to CELEBRATE ROMANCE!99. I left that conference with so much information. I learned about a world I didn't know existed. And thank you to anyone who bought VIRTUAL HEAVEN. I'm your friend for life. : )



Ann, on behalf of all of us here at RBL Romantica, I would like to thank you for taking the time to do this interview. I would also like to invite you to join us at our Message Board. I know that you will fit right in with all of us rowdy Rebels!

~Donna~



Ann's Website


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