Marketing with Mandy~ NCP Authors Part III
Q: Tell us a little about your experience with NCP.
A: I signed my first contract with NCP in July 2004. Since then I’ve been lucky enough to release three novellas and two novels with them and have a number of other projects on the way. Signing that very first contract of your career is such a fantastic high and it has only gotten better. Working with my editors at NCP has really helped me grow as a writer, and the network of support with the other authors at NCP (especially when I first started out) is really wonderful.
Q: Could you tell us a bit about your latest release?
A: Sacrificed is the second book in my From Tonight Until Forever Trilogy. Here’s a peek at the blurb:
For Julia Sanchez, Infinity is more than just the name of the popular nightclub she runs, it’s also how long she expects to live. Alone. Abandoned by her life-mate over a century ago, Julia has come to terms with her future. Or so she believes, right up until Brody sweeps back into her life…and right back out again. But a lot has changed in the years he’s been absent and Julia has no intention of sitting idly by when he pulls another disappearing act.
Hunted by warriors sworn to protect humankind from vampires, Brody forced himself to walk away from Julia. A century later, even imprisonment has done little to ease his need for the only true light in a world of darkness. But as long as his pursuers believe Brody is the Key to unlocking the mystery of his race, only one thing will keep Julia safe. Convincing her that he never loved her. And before she’s used as a pawn in a dangerous game that could mean sacrificing more than just his heart for the woman he loves.
I feel in love with vampires when I discovered Linda Lael Miller and Maggie Shayne. In 2005 I decided I wanted to try my hand at it, and the first book in this series, Destined, was born. I also knew I wanted to go at the creation of vampires a little differently than what I had come across. In Destined the vampires in my universe don’t really have a clue where they come from or how they came into being. They know they share many similiarites between a race of extraordinarily strong humans, a race that also has been hunting vampires for as long as anyone can remember. And there have been many whispers about the “Key”, a mythical object said to lead back to the origins of vampires. In Sacrificed my hero and heroine discover exactly what those origins are, so I can’t give any details away on that 
Q: How did you get into writing?
A: I started writing my first romance when I was 16. Wrote half a dozen chapters and then summer hit and it seemed like there were more interesting things to be doing outside. I put aside my writing for a few years, finally finishing my first book (a romantic suspence still waiting to be rewritten) just after my first son came along. I wrote another romantic suspense before I decided to try my hand at a short, sexy novella while I was pregnant with my second son. Two months after he was born, I submitted When Lightning Strikes to NCP, and the rest as they say is history.
Q: What authors inspired you growing up?
A: I was in love with Nancy Drew mysteries for years growing up, which is way there is often an element of suspense in most of the books I write. I devoured many a Babysitter’s Club and Sweet Valley book too. In high school I discovered a love of English literature and carried on with that in University reading many of the classics. Wasn’t so big on dissecting them since I was really always just about enjoying the story than interpreting what the author might have meant with this scene or that. The first book I read that really pulled me hard into the romance genre was Perfect by Judith McNaught.
Q: How do balance family and writing?
A: Not well at all. lol At least that’s how it feels most days. I figure if I ever get to a point where I feel like I’ve got a handle on both, then it will probably be a sign of a pending breakdown. Most of the time I’m doubting whether or not my children will turn out screwed up, if my husband has forgotten what my voice sounds like, or if my next book will out right suck. Considering for most other writers I know (even for most women) this is normal, I try not to stress too much. Easier said than done most days. The best I can do is make my kids laugh each and every day, try to keep the dust bunny population under my couch from exploding, hang out with my husband in the garage whenever he lets me and remember why I love writing each time I sit down in front of the computer to work.
LINKS:
Website: http://www.sydneysomers.com
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/flirtingwithpassionnewsletter/ “>Newsletter
Blog: http://sydneysomers.blogspot.com
MySpace: http://myspace.com/sydneysomers
My Book at New Concepts Publishing
My Books at Samhain Publishing
Q: Can you tell us a little about your time with NCP?
A: So far I have been pleased with NCP. My first release, Fated Passion, is coming up this month. It is a contemporary erotic romance of lovers reunited after fifteen years separated. I had given up on finding a new home for this novella until NCP emailed saying they wanted it. The story is special as it was the first completed book I ever wrote and submitted for publication. It was previously released, but I don’t think it reached enough potential readers. I am hoping the NCP fan base will give this story another chance.
Since selling Fated Passion, I sold two more books to NCP: The Gladiator and Fairy Dust and Magic Kisses. I have a sequel to The Gladiator in the works called The Centurion.
I had been a fan of NCP books and authors for a long time. I am happy to be in the company of Mandy Roth, Michelle Pillow, Donna Grant, Kaitlyn O’Connor, Jaide Fox, and so many countless others.
Q: What’s your favorite genre to write in and why?
A: I love writing historicals or time travels (back). I’ve always been very interested in history, particularly Roman and Egyptian history. Only recently I’ve actually taken the plunge to write about these time periods. My first book set in Ancient Rome is The Gladiator, set to come out soon at NCP. I mentioned the sequel, The Centurion, is in the works for later this year. Both are time travels and are connected by a secondary character—Cleopatra. While The Gladiator takes place in Rome during the final days of Julius Caesar’s life, The Centurion will take place in Egypt when Marc Antony has his famous affair with Queen Cleopatra.
Q: What types of research do you do for your books?
A: I do a lot of reading online and books. I will generally browse the bookshelves at Borders or Books a Million and I walk away with several books. I have a few books on Cleopatra, Julius Caesar and the history of Roman gladiators which helped a lot in writing The Gladiator. The first source of research anymore is the internet. It is a good place to start…but you have to cross reference a lot. I run into conflicting “facts” from one site to another. That is where going to the library and reading books becomes very important.
Q: How do balance family and writing?
A: It is easier to find time to write when the kids are in school. They are home now until August, and the time is much more difficult to steal. However, I do write. I am working on a novel right now that is due soon. Once I finish that, I am taking the remainder of their summer break off. I have a QuickPad PRO, a portable word processor, that I carry around when I take the kids to McDonald’s. It helps a lot! They go play and I sit and write. The QuickPad is the best investment I ever made.
My husband, Mark, is extremely supportive on my career. I hear from many writers divorcing or having endless fights with their husbands over the time spent writing or the long road to success which can take years and years. Luckily, Mark is my biggest fan. He has faith in me and my work, and will do anything to help me on my way to success. I couldn’t ask for a better support system.
My mom is also very supportive too. She always said I should write ever since I was a kid. She reads my books, and I think she is shocked sometimes. My upcoming book at NCP, Fated Passion, worried her. I based the hero (loosely) on an ex-boyfriend, and mom worried I was still in love with him like Alex was with Robert. I had to explain to her that it was all fictitious.
Q: What would you do if you weren’t a writer?
A: I’d be a nurse. I am one, actually, just not practicing. I worked in the Cardiac unit for several years and a nursing home. I’ve seen a lot of pain and suffering, a nurse’s daily experience, but I found when I could help relieve the pain or ease the suffering, the job was very fulfilling. I run into family members of patient I cared for in the nursing home on occasion. They still fondly remember me. It is quite nice to know I made that much of an impression—even years later.
LINKS:
Home page: http://www.mariannelacroix.com
Blog: http://blog.mariannelacroix.com
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/marilacroix
Bebo: http://mariannelacroix.bebo.com
Reader Group
Newsletter (announcements only)
CONTEST: Monday-Friday of this week– anyone who comments on ANY of the posts for Marketing with Mandy’s New Concepts Publishing Spotlight (going on all week long) will be entered to win a download of their choice from Mandy M. Roth’s New Concepts backlist and Michelle M. Pillow’s New Concepts backlist. (There will be two winners, each selecting one download)
To enter: Comment on the blog in a Marketing with Mandy New Concepts Publishing Spotlight post this week! The more you enter, the more chances you have to win. Winners will be selected on SUNDAY and announced on the blog.
