I want to thank you for being my guest here on The Writing
Mama today, Amber.
Amber Lea Easton is a multi-published fiction and nonfiction
author. For twenty years, she's worked in the fields of journalism and
advertising with a brief detour into the financial
industry. Although she holds a BA in Communications &
Journalism, she is a perpetual student of life who enjoys taking courses on a
wide variety of subjects when time allows. Smart is sexy, according
to Easton, which is why she writes about strong female characters who have
their flaws and challenges, but who ultimately persevere.
Easton currently lives with her two teenagers in the
Colorado Rocky Mountains where she gives thanks daily for the gorgeous view
outside her window. She finds inspiration from traveling, the people she meets,
nature and life’s twists and turns. At the end of the day, as long as she's
writing, she considers herself to be simply "a lucky lady liv'n the dream."
The World of Ink Network has been
touring author Amber Lea Easton’s contemporary romantic suspense
(adventure) novel, Riptide throughout
February and March 2013.
VS: How long have you been writing romance novels?
Amber: I’ve been writing romance since my early teen years--blame
hormones. I first started scribbling
stories in notebooks when I was about nine years old, but they were about blood
and gore. As I matured, I became a
journalist by day and romance writer by night.
I’m lucky to finally be published in the genre I love.
VS: That's wonderful to hear, Amber. What inspired you to write your book?
Amber: Actually, Riptide is based loosely on events that transpired
in my early twenties when I was attacked by a stalker while working as a
journalist. I used those emotions to
enhance the character development of Lauren Biltmore, the heroine of
Riptide. One reviewer said the story
reads as if it has been ripped from the headlines...but it’s actually been
ripped from my heart.
VS: Wow, what a great way to take something from your own life and turn it into a novel. Okay, so what is a typical
writing day like for you?
Amber: I balance writing with promotion and parenting while letting
the house fall apart around me. Laundry...does it ever end? Even though I swear I’m going to break this
habit in 2013, I wake up and go immediately to the computer. I work there for several hours before
breaking for lunch, exercising, running the kids to their after school events
and then back to the computer once the house is asleep again. I’m quite lucky to have a job that allows me
to work around my life schedule.
VS: Don't worry, my laundry is also waiting for me to do too. LOL! I know Riptide isn’t your first publication, what was the first
thing you ever had published in the romance genre?
Amber: Kiss Me Slowly was my first published romantic suspense
novel. I’m currently writing its sequel
by popular demand. I hadn’t intended on
doing so, but I see now why readers would want one.
VS: That's wonderful news and I'm sure your fans are excited about this sequel too. Can you share with us
a little about your current book, Riptide?
Amber: Riptide is a romantic
suspense novel about starting life over after having everything you’ve ever
known ripped out from beneath you. It’s
about learning to trust again after being betrayed at the deepest levels. It’s about learning to love again even though
you don’t think you’re very lovable.
It’s about hope triumphing over adversity.
Riptide is a
psychological thriller wrapped into an intense love affair between two
characters that truly are each others soul mates and kindred
spirits.
VS: I've been enjoying Riptide and will be sharing my review next week. What did you find to
be the most challenging part of writing your books?
Amber: Letting them go is the hardest part for me. I spend so much time with them, loving them,
pouring my heart into the characters, crying for them, rooting for them...it’s
like parenting in a way. I hate to see
them go out into the world, yet know that is what they are meant to do.
VS: What part of Riptide do you feel really stands out to you
personally?
Amber: My characters, Lauren and Noah, are flawed individuals who
begin the book not really thinking they deserve love, not sure, they trust
it. Seeing them learn to not only trust
each other, but trust themselves and open to the possibility of love really
speaks to me at a core level.
VS: What character is most like you or you wish you could be
more like?
Amber: Lauren is like me in probably too many ways. She’s somewhat misunderstood or at least
that’s how she feels. She is much
stronger than even she knows but discovers that through the journey of
Riptide.
VS: What overall trends do you see in the romance market?
Amber: People love happy endings and being entertained. I see romance as on the upswing. I’ve even had men send me fan emails. I don’t think romance will ever go out of
style.
VS: Do you have any other works in progress? Can you share a
little about them?
Amber: I have many works in progress, but I’ll speak about my 2013
releases coming out soon.
Dancing Barefoot is a contemporary romance about
choices. Jessica Moriarty is confronted
by a man she thought she’d never see again, a man who she betrayed, and the
only man she ever truly loved. However,
she’s bound by expectation and responsibility and can’t imagine abandoning the
status quo to live the life of a dreamer. Jacques Sinclair is the photographer she abandoned. He reminds her of who she was, of the dreams
she keeps secreted away, and pushes her to choose between being true to herself
or living life for others.
Amber: Realistic characters that you can identify with on some core
level. Even if they appear sizzling hot
on the outside, they need to be extremely human on the inside for readers to
like them. A good romance has conflict,
raw emotion, a cast of secondary characters that take the edge off the
intensity of the main two, a story that keeps you on the edge of your seat with
anticipation and, of course, an ending that leaves the reader smiling.
VS: What is required for a character to be believable? How do
you create yours?
Amber: Flaws. No one is
perfect. Everyone has insecurities,
whether they are movie stars or bus drivers. When characters show their vulnerability, they are real.
VS: Do you think books transfer to movies well? Which is you
favorite/worst
book to movie transfer?
Amber: Ooo...I don’t know. I
am biased here. I always think the books
are better. Ha.
VS: How do you come up with the Title and Cover Designs for your books?
Amber: Well, the titles always seem to come to me early on with the
books. For example, with Riptide, it
spoke to me because of its intensity.
Here’s the definition of Riptide: a stretch of turbulent water in the
sea, caused by the meeting of currents or abrupt changes in depth. Also called
a rip current, a strong current, especially one flowing outwards from the
shore, causing disturbance on the surface.
Reckless Endangerment was immediate for me, too, based on
Hope’s profession and the danger involved; but also because there’s a lot on
the line for them to keep their marriage together despite the Colonel’s PTSD
and doubts.
Dancing Barefoot...well, that actually came from the U2 song
by the same name. There’s a line where
Bono sings, “Hallelujuah, here she comes” and that perfectly summed up the story
of Jessica and Jacques for me.
VS: Now that my readers have a bit more insight on why your books are titled the way they are, where can the readers of The Writing Mama find out more
about and your books?
Amber: There is my website, http://www.amberleaeaston.com or follow me on
Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/AuthorAmberLeaEaston
where I keep people posted on all my comings and goings.
VS: Is there anything else you would like to share with us?
Amber: Yes...Love is the foundation for life. If we’re not in love with something, whether it is ourselves, another person or life itself, then what’s the point?
You can find out more about Amber Lea Easton, Riptide and
her World of Ink Author/Book Tour at http://tinyurl.com/a2azncg
To learn more about the World of Ink Tours visit http://worldofinknetwork.com