Author, Author Wednesday May 2nd.

...read all about it!!


Thanks for joining us and please welcome a wonderful author and a great new friend,

Liv Rancourt

Hi Liv, thanks so much for visiting with us today.   Let’s get right down to what we're here for,  your writing J

What or who initially inspired you to become a writer?

I’ve always liked telling stories and could create whole soap operas in my head. Now I put them down on paper (or e-paper, as the case may be).

What kind of research do you do for a novel and how extensive do you get?

It depends on what the piece needs. For my short story that appears in Cutlass – Ten Tales of Pirates, I did a fair amount of Internet research, because it’s set in 1810 New Orleans. I looked at maps and read accounts of pirate life in that place and time. I studied historical fashion websites and read some Mark Twain & Dickens, to try to get a feel for the language.

For The Santa Drag and The Ring Toss I talked to my sister – probably more often than she really enjoyed, but she was very patient with me. Both of those stories involve a group of characters who are in the theater world, and I picked my sister’s brain to get the details right. The Santa Drag appeared in the Christmas Treats: Santa’s Nice List anthology, and The Ring Toss will be in Something Borrowed, Something Blue, which comes out in June (both from Still Moments Publishing).

Do you have a special place you like to do your writing? Such as an office, a spare room, the dining room table, your couch?

I’m at the dining room table right now. It’s where I work, and it’s usually half-covered with the paper detritus of family life (you know, mail & newspapers & schoolwork & stuff). I don’t mind clutter – it seems to help me think – and I usually have music or some other source of noise (like teenagers) around. I can’t concentrate if it’s too quiet.

As a reader, what types of works do you like to read and do you think they influence the genre/genres you write in?

I tend to stick to fantasy & paranormal, with some romance thrown in on occasion. What I DON’T read is anything too realistic. I figure if I want real-life drama, I’ll go to work. While I know my writing would improve if I read more literary fiction, I can’t bring myself to do it.

What is your favorite method of writing...as in laptop, desktop, Ipad or the old fashioned pencil and paper?? And do you plot out your story or go with the flow of your muse?

I’ll usually play with ideas on paper (working only with a pencil, because I make too many mistakes if I try to write with a pen), but the bulk of my work is done on my trusty Toshiba laptop.

  

When you need a break or some time off from the trials of being a writer, what can you be found doing?

I do a lot of church music and occasionally sing with a women’s choir that performs Renaissance music. I cheer for my kids’ soccer/swimming/basketball teams. The football team not so much – am too busy praying for my son’s survival. I also like to watch my husband’s band play.

Is there anything about yourself nobody knows that you would like to share with our readers??

Hmm…how ‘bout the fact that I graduated from WT Sampson High School in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba? Some people do know, like, my parents, sisters, and the rest of the graduating class of 1980 (!), but it doesn’t come up in general conversation these days.

For fun, I have a few personal questions.

Your Favorite 5

1) Favorite color - Burgundy

2) Favorite dessert – CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM!

3) Favorite Season - Fall

4) Favorite sad song- HATE sad songs, and generally hit fast-forward when one comes on the CD player – or change the radio station. That said, the Dixie Chicks song Godspeed (Sweet Dreams) makes me cry every time I hear it, because they’re giving voice to the mix of emotions I feel as I watch my kids grow up.

5) Favorite Romantic movie – Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. Yeah. I’m not much for movies, but I liked this one and there IS a love story, so there.

 

And a bonus, what is your ideal romantic vacation??

A weekend with my husband at the Inn at Langley on Whidbey Island in Washington State. It’s an amazing place.

Where can our readers find you??

I usually hang out on my blog, on Facebook, or on Twitter (and I love to chat on Twitter, so look me up, okay?).

Is there an upcoming or current release you would like to share with us today and where can we find it?

Since last December I’ve been on a bit of a tear, and have had short stories published in four different anthologies. In addition, my novella A Vampire’s Deadly Delight was released in January by Black Opal Books.

 š›

Kristen is a happily-single bookstore owner with a secret: when she smells vampire, she turns into Jai, a beauti-licious babe who makes vamps permanently dead. Vamps can’t keep their hands off her, and Jai uses super strength and her trusty blade, Mr. Sticky, to slice and dice them, ending their undead lives.  Kristen keeps her day job running a bookstore, but at night, Jai comes out to play. 

The thrill of wearing miniskirts without worrying about cellulite makes it worth any qualms Kristen has about killing.  Being Jai is the most fun she has ever had, at least until she runs into the one vampire Jai can’t kill.  He and Jai may have shared a past, but Jai can’t remember him.  Meanwhile, Jai’s work has caught the attention of some old enemies who wouldn’t hesitate to destroy Kristen if it meant the end of Jai.

Kristen struggles to hold onto normal life under the dawning realization that Jai is a more complicated person than she thought, and that the good guys and the bad guys might be tricky to tell apart.  Their survival depends on what each of them is willing to give, and to give up, for love.

A Vampire’s Deadly Delight is available from Black Opal Books, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Smashwords.

š›

 Do you have a favorite recipe you'd like to share? I like to cook and am always looking for new recipes to share and to try....

There’s a new picture on the sidebar of my blog that says, “behind every good blog is an unfed husband”. No recipes from me  ;)

Hahaha, poor husband. Liv that's quite alright.Thanks again so much for being with us and I personally can't wait to get your new novella, A Vampire's Deadly Delight. 

Readers, make sure you find all of these wonderful stories by Liv Rancourt, especially A Vampire's Deadly Delight, available here...   Black Opal Books, Amazon,Barnes& Noble, and Smashwords.

Happy reading!!!

Krista