Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Meet Author Pamela Stone: An Interview

Today I'm pleased to introduce Pamela Stone. Don't forget her excerpt from Undercover Heart will run Saturday.

LA: Hi Pamela, tell us about your current series.

PS: Undercover Heart is a single title romance about a 26 year old guy who grew up in foster care and comes face to face with his biological father. This book is darker than my other books, but I hope everyone loves Shayne as much as I loved writing his story.

LA: What’s next for you?

PS: I have a trilogy plotted out and ready to write. I call it the non-brother trilogy. A man is suddenly killed in a car accident and his three grown sons meet for the first time and discover that their father had three separate families. They have to get past their shock and anger and work together to solve the mystery of their father.


LA: How has your experience with self-publishing been?

PS: I’m a control freak so I love it. I love being able to write the story I want without the restraints of a publisher or line. I love the control over the cover. It’s great, but then again, I’m a little OCD.

 

LA: Having achieved your goal to be a published author, what is the most rewarding thing?

PS: Holding that book in my hands. It’s surreal.


LA: Which aspect of writing do you love the best, and which do you hate the most?

PS: I love all aspects of the writing process from rough draft to polished manuscript. The promo and marketing is a bit of a challenge for an introvert.


LA: Describe for us, if you will, your writing style, as in plotter vs. seat of the pants, and do you put more time into developing characters or plot or are they equal?
 
PS: Character - 100%. I start with a basic premise on plot, but my characters drive the story. I don’t sit down to the keyboard until I know at least my two main characters intimately. Luckily one of my critique partners is plot driven. We wouldn’t make it alone. We tell people that her characters do a lot, but she has no idea why until she’s almost done with the book. Mine on the other hand know exactly why they do everything they do, they just don’t always do much. Ha.


LA: What themes do you like to write about?

PS: I finally realized that the one thing that runs through most of my stories involves characters and their relationship with their parents. My characters are typically late 20s to early 30s and not all, but most are still struggling with one of their parents. The hero in my new release was given up for adoption by teenage parents when he was two and comes face to face with his biological father.


LA: Key advice for other writers?
 
PS: Write what you love to read. Never give up. Every time you get a rejection, celebrate. You eliminated one way that didn’t work, but you’re one step closer to the one that will.  There is a quote similar to that about life and I’d love to give credit, but I have no idea who said it.


LA: If you could meet anyone, living or dead, who would it be, and what would you talk about?
 
PS: My dad. He passed in 1987 and I miss him every day. I’d use him for a sounding board to help get a handle on some of the family stuff going on in my life. He was a master at helping me figure out which battles to fight and which ones to let go.

LA: Do you have a favorite quote, quip, or saying? What is it?
 
PS: Writing, cheaper than a therapist and tons more fun.

 
BLURB:

Hard-edged DEA agent Shayne Kelley grew up fast, shuffled from one foster family to the next. But it made him tough. And damned good at working undercover. But when an idealistic schoolteacher reunites him with the father who abandoned him as a child, his well-ordered world is shaken. He can’t seem to resist the naïve teacher and her reckless optimism. Can her sweet love crumble the wall of bitterness around his heart?

Raised by loving parents, middle school teacher Dani Cochran wants to make a difference in the world. She works with troubled teens during summer break, believing that everyone deserves a second chance. Especially Shayne Kelley. She sees through Shayne’s defenses and enlists his aid with her juvenile delinquents.

Will he teach them his cynical view of life? Or will Dani convince her students--and Shayne--that love is the strongest force on earth? But can she risk loving a man who seems destined to break her heart?

Available at:
Amazon
iBookstore
Barnes & Noble

BIO:

One might ask how an accounting graduate who spent twenty plus years in the technology field became a romance writer. Well, it’s quite simple. I’m an only child whose classy mom put her energy into my wardrobe, dance, and piano lessons. Add an amazing father who added go kart racing, slot cars, water skiing, and a pony to the mix. Toss in a wild imagination and summers in the country: lazy walks on my grandparent’s farm and another grandmother with a shed full of Harlequin romance novels to while away hot afternoons and voila.

Writing is pure escapism. Childhood imaginary friends developed into teenage fantasies. Later as a mother of two young, rambunctious sons, I began writing to keep in touch with the adult world; at least it was worth a shot. I continued writing as a method to wind down in the evenings from long, exhausting days spent in Corporate America. Anybody notice a pattern here? Not enough adult socialization – write. People overload – write. Either way, writing keeps me sane. Cheaper than a therapist and tons more fun.

I still reside in Texas with my childhood sweetheart and husband of; well we won’t mention how many years. In my spare time I enjoy traveling. From Hawaii, to California, to Florida, to the Caribbean, if there’s a beach, I’m there. I also love spending time with friends and family, especially four adorable grandkids. I love writing romance and sold my first novel, Last Resort: Marriage, to Harlequin American on Friday the 13th, June 2008. How’s that for luck!

Find Pamela:

www.pamelastone.net
Facebook
Twitter
Goodreads
DON'T FORGET PAM'S EXCERPT ON SATURDAY
 

8 comments:

  1. Good morning, Leslie and thanks for inviting me.

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  2. As one of Pamela's critique partners, I can attest that not only is her writing 100% character driven, but of that, about 70% is invested in the hero. She writes heroes that are not only sexy, but also complicated, textured human beings. I dare you not to fall in love with one of Pamela Stone's heroes, especially Shayne, the DEA agent in Undercover Heart. He will stay in your memory long after you've finished the book.

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  3. Awww, Linda. Thanks for the compliment. And congrats on your new release, Only With the Heart!

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  4. I have to agree with Linda. Pam's heroes are so sexy, so real, you want to jump into the story and become the heroine. And Shayne especially is my favorite kind: A lost loner with a brick wall around his heart so thick, he needs major explosives to tear it down. It was wonderful reading how Dani, the heroine tears that wall down with her love little by little. This is one of those hard to put down books.

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  5. Thanks, Juliet. Appreciate the kind words.

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  6. Hi Pamela,
    I'm so pleased you're with us today. Writing 70% hero is awesome. I love reading strong heroes who capture the heroine's heart, and then have to learn something to keep it.

    Happy Thanksgiving to you all.
    ~LA

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  7. Ohh, and I meant to add I'm totally intrigued with the non-brother trilogy.

    Will you come back to My Story ~ My Way when it's done and let us read an excerpt?

    ~LA

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  8. Hi Leslie,

    I'd love to come back and post when the brother trilogy is done. It's a challenge, but hopefully will be worth the effort. Like Linda said, I tend to be hero centric. Ha.

    Pam

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