The author hot seat specials are designed to
help readers get to know some of todays popular and up and coming authors a
little better. The questions are broken into four sections - About your
writing, about you, fun stuff and finally. Some of the questions are easy,
other may need a little more thought and some may cause our author friends to
hesitate before answering. Still, they all answer.
Today I have Australian Author Bronwyn Stuart sitting in the
hot seat. Bronwyn is an author of Historical Romance. Her first novel, Scandal’s
Mistress is currently out through Carina Press and her second Regency, Behind
the Courtesan is set to release on April 22nd. I’m so pleased to
feature Bronwyn here today, now lets see what she has to say.
About your writing:
How did you
get started as a writer?
Pre-kids, I used
to work long night shifts in a security control room and spent most of the time
reading to stay awake. One night I finished a book with the worst ending (I
don’t remember what book) and decided I could have done so much better. I
started writing that very day and haven’t stopped since. But I do have to say,
that first book was not better than anything. Ever.
Why do you write?
Mostly because I
can. Also because I love it. In my own way, I like to entertain, and I feel as
though I have things to say that some people may want to hear. For those who
know me, I never shut up. Being able to make stuff up and write the happy
endings is awesome too.
Have you ever
had a day you wanted to quit and never write again?
Not quit. No. I
honestly think if it’s something you love, you could never even think about
quitting. I have thought about quitting a particular book or story. I get a
little edgy when it’s time to edit too.
Do you feel lucky to be doing what you are doing?
Lucky is not the
word I’d attribute to what I’m doing. I work my butt off to get a contract and
then work even harder to get it published. I do feel honored that people spend
their hard earned dollars on my books so I can write the next one. I’m ecstatic
to be an author.
Tell me how
you got to where you are today?
Really hard work.
Lots of really hard work. And then when you think you’ve done enough, you have
to do more. I started with an idea and a very supportive husband who didn’t
laugh like I thought he would when I said I was writing a book. Then the hard
work came in. Add that I’m very persistent, stubborn and single minded when I
set a goal. You have to really want it, then you would do just about anything
to get it.
How do your
family/spouses react to your work as an author? Do they know what you write?
I never hide the
fact that I’m an author from anyone. Sometimes I get tripped up when they ask
what I write. I feel there’s still a taboo tag stuck to the ass end of romance
so depending on who I speak to and how I think they are going to react, depends
on how much I tell that person. My family and friends are behind me 200%.
Without that, this would be so much harder!
About you:
What are you
passionate about in life?
Shoes. No, just
kidding. Sort of… I am passionate about my children and making sure they grow
up intelligent and well adjusted. I find that even though I’m the biggest
pessimist out, I’m passionate about so many different aspects of success and
building self confidence in women so they can stand up to bullies and men and...
I could be here all day…
If you had to give a thank-you speech at the Oscars, who would you thank and what would you say?
I would like to
thank my children for putting up with the three meter partition we had
installed across the open plan dining room so I could write. Thanks to my
husband for not following up the eye rolls when he walks in the door with “what
did you actually do today”. And thanks to everyone who has ever come to my
little pity parties and helped lift me up. Oh and RWA. Without the amazing
support of Romance Writer’s of Australia and her members, I would still be
groping about in the dark…
What are the three most important life lessons you’ve learned that might make life easier for others?
-Be yourself. If
someone doesn’t like who you are, then stiff. You should never have to change
yourself to suit the people around you.
-There is so much
more to life than you think when you are in your teens. I hate seeing teens
commit suicide because they think life could not possibly get better for them.
I wish someone had of revealed the perks of being an adult in all its glory
while I was in high school.
-Nothing ever
comes for free. If it feels too good to be true, then it usually is. If you
want something in this life, you have
to make it happen. No one else will.
If you could trade places with
any other person for a week, famous or not famous, living or dead, real or
fictional. Whom would it be and why?
Ooh, only for a week? If it didn’t have to be a person I would say one of
my cats. Then I could sleep for a week. I would have to say Angelina Jolie. Do
I need to explain the Brad factor?
What's the worst thing you did
as a kid?
I did lots of things that were bad
when I was a kid... I used to steal money from my parents to swim in the local
pool. A whole 20 cents here and there and I still feel bad about it.
What
do you do to have fun?
Drink wine? I love being around my
friends and family so BBQ’s are something we do often. We also have cards
nights where we play 50cent hands of Texas Hold’em. As long as I’m laughing,
I’m having fun.
Share a funny incident in your
life?
There are so many to choose from!
I’ll go with one that I know gets other teens sometimes too. I finished work
one afternoon and walked out to my death trap car (it was super cheap), put the
key in and nothing happened. I thought the car was dead. I popped the bonnet
and had a look around (my dad taught me my way around a car’s engine) but
couldn’t see anything wrong. I called my dad and asked him to come and help me
with the car because I just couldn’t figure it out. He drove down to me and got
in the driver’s seat. He didn’t even turn the key. He checked the handbrake and
then put the car into park. I had left it in drive and of course an automatic
car won’t start while it’s in gear. Very stooped moment for me.
Fun Stuff:
If Hollywood made a movie about your life, who would you like to see
play the lead role as you?
Emma Stone for sure. She played the lead in Easy A and I loved her in
Zombieland. More than anything she has freckles all over her face and so do I. She
has a kick-ass sarcastic attitude as do I. But most of all, she owns it. All of
it. I’ve never heard her apologize for being her.
If you were a type of food, what type of food would you be?
Chocolate. Smooth, sophisticated, not apologetic for not looking
fantastic (let’s face it, how much brown food do you eat that actually looks
good?).
What is your favorite color- food- song- movie?
Black – Salt – Thousand Years by Christina Perri – What Dreams May Come
with Cuba Gooding Jnr and Robin Williams.
What's the funniest pick up
line ever used on you?
You must be an angel and I must be
in heaven.
What's the one thing you can't
live without?
My family. Then my kindle.
And finally:
You
are driving along in your car on a wild, stormy night, it's raining heavily,
when suddenly you pass by a bus stop, and you see three people waiting for a
bus:
-An old lady who looks as if she is about to die.
-An old friend who once saved your life.
-The perfect partner you have been dreaming about.
You can only fit one person in your car, who would you choose to offer a ride to?
-An old lady who looks as if she is about to die.
-An old friend who once saved your life.
-The perfect partner you have been dreaming about.
You can only fit one person in your car, who would you choose to offer a ride to?
Well,
since I’m already married, I guess I’ll go the good Samaritan route and pick up
the old lady. I figure the friend who saved me once would be resourceful enough
to save their own bacon. On the other hand, I’ve never played by the rules
especially if it was an emergency, I would put them all in the car even if
someone had to lie down in the boot and get them all out of there. I’ll even
sit on the guy’s lap and let the friend drive.
Thanks so much for being here today Bronwyn, I loved reading the interview and wish you mega sales for the new book. If anyone would like to ask Bronwyn a question about her books please leave a comment and I'm sure Bronwyn would be happy to answer.
Behind the Courtesan releases with Carina Press on the 22nd
April.
Blurb
Blake Vale has never forgotten Sophia, but he can't accept the decisions she made, the courtesan's life she leads, or the fact she's cast aside her true self. Plain old Sophia has to be inside this hardened woman somewhere, and he's determined to make her see she doesn't need rich men to be happy, and that their future has nothing to do with the past.
When the dukedom suddenly falls within his reach, Blake must come to terms with his own past and his birthright, and what that means for his future…and Sophia.
Buy Bronwyn's Latest book at the following online outlets:
You can find Bronwyn hanging at the following online sites:
Twitter - @bronwynstuart
Website – www.bronwynstuart.com
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