Guest Author Day with Lila Monroe

So let’s get this party started. Please tell us about yourself. What got you interested in being an author?

First I’d like to say thanks for having me here, Dawn. I appreciate the opportunity. I think I was destined to be an author from my conception. I remember loving the written word before I could read it, and I even asked Santa for a toy typewriter one year for Christmas. For years I wrote stories, for years they progressed into readable works and for years they ended up in the trash. Then I grew up, turned forty, looked around and discovered I had an empty nest and lots of time on my hands. That’s when I took the initiative and started pursuing writing seriously.

Tell us about your latest book, A Slower Lower Life, a Delaney Brothers Series book 2.

A Slower Lower Life highlights the oldest brother, Kurt, who has the weight of the world on his shoulders and can’t find the woman that will give him heartburn instead of a headache. He’s just lost the battle over Cait with his younger brother, Bryce, when Deidre Maloney shows up to be Cait’s witness at her nuptials. Deidre is his complete opposite but an instant physical attraction happens.

Was this destined to be a series when you first started writing the Delaney Brothers?

When I wrote A Slower Lower Love it was supposed to be a stand-alone novel. In fact, I had it contracted with one publisher and actually pulled it because I didn’t feel it was good enough after a re-read to go to press. After a re-write and some serious repair I re-submitted to Rebel Ink where I felt it was a better match. After the senior editor reading through it I got an email and the first line scared the crap out of me. “We need to discuss this book…” The first thing I thought was it still wasn’t good enough. Then she went on to explain that the few lines I had written about the youngest brother Logan made her fall in love with him as well as the other brothers and she felt Kurt needed a chance to tell his story. Thus a series was born.

How much of yourself, if any, do you put into your characters?

Not only do I enjoy creating a good story, I have found that writing is very therapeutic for me. I can see a tiny piece of me at least in every heroine I develop and sometimes in the heroes as well. They aren’t completely me, they just always seem to harness some little piece of me be it a quirk or a thought.

Is there a genre you haven’t done that you would like to explore in the future?

I’ve thought several times about writing historical. I love to read it, particularly historicals that involve enormous hunky highlanders. However, historicals take an immense amount of research and until I can put the kind of time needed into making sure the facts are correct that genre will stay on the back burner for me. I owe it to my readers to make sure I’ve done the best job I can do.

If you could throw a party with any five people (living or dead) who would you pick and why?

Sigmund Freud—I have degrees in both psychology and sociology and love to figure out what makes people tick. I think Siggy would have some great insight for me.

Sam Elliott—Voice candy extraordinaire. The man could probably say two words to me in person and I’d melt into a puddle of goo.

Reba McEntire and posse—Every good party needs great music and it would be very interesting to see how many of her friends she dragged along and who they might be.

My husband—Let’s face it, what party without the owner of my mind and heart there to enjoy it with me.

Thomas Jefferson—Husband needs someone to philosophize with while I’m melting at Sam’s feet.

What are at least five things you have on your bucket list and have you done any of them?

See my work published—Check!

Tour Europe—Not yet but hoping to take thirty days to do so as soon as sweetie retires from the military.

Ride in a hot air balloon—Working on the courage, I have a fear of heights and flying but want to do this so badly I can taste it.

Learn to shag—Okay dirty minds…I know how to do that. I speak of the dance born in the Carolinas. J

Learn to play piano—When I’ll have time I’ve no clue, but I would at least like to go out knowing I played chopsticks successfully at least once.

Do you work on one project at a time? Or do you multi-task?

Well, I used to be a one project at a time gal, then things ran amuck and fell off the track. Too many characters started talking at once and now I currently have four or five projects going at any one given time. At present I’m trying to complete a series and move on to something else.

When not writing, how do you relax?

I read a great deal, both e-reader and paperback. I also live a few minutes from the beaches so weather permitting I like to go hang out on the sand—of course, I take a notepad with me as you never know when a great idea might hit and watching Recon boys doing push-ups in the surf is always inspiring. I also love museum trips and hanging out in the local mall people-watching. Oh and movies…I absolutely love going to the theater and who can ever turn down a giant size bucket of hot butter popcorn.

What song would best describe your life?

With as many irons as I have in the fire, somedays I think it’s probably Crazy Train by Ozzy.

Is there one series/author you feel is a must read for readers to explore?

For those just beginning to explore BDSM or are avid readers, Cherise Sinclair’s Shadowlands series is a must read.

Do you listen to music when writing? Do you feel like some stories write themselves a soundtrack with specific music? If so, what book and what kind of music influenced it?

I have radio live streaming on my computer constantly. What I listen to is dictated by my characters. I listen to what they listen to and that helps me climb inside their head. While writing the Delaney brothers I listen to country, while writing BDSM I listen to heavier rock, some characters dictate I have on current pop or hip-hop. Fortunately for me, I have broad taste so I enjoy all the music my characters do. I do have one character, Abby in a series I’m working on for 2012 release, The Sergeants of Echo Company series, who has a definite theme song—Bring Me to Life by Evanescence.

What is coming up for you in 2011?

Here’s that crazy train I was talking about. The third book in the Delaney Brothers will come out this fall. I also have two more books contracted in my Identities series slated for summer and fall and I sometimes write with a great team of other talent and our current project is the Force Recon series. Book one debuted in February and books two and three will come out in summer and fall respectively. I’ve also been tossing around an invite to write a piece for a naught fairy tales anthology due out in October. I’ve also got several irons in the fire stoking projects for release in 2012 that I’m already working on. I have a full year ahead.

Are any of your characters just like you or have personality quirks/traits of you or someone you know?

There’s definitely a bit of me and a bit of people that are close to me in my characters. People tend to write what they know and that includes character traits and quirks. But I also do a lot of people watching so perfect strangers make their way into my books and never know it.

Where can readers find you on the web? (Please list all your links plus your publisher link(s) as well)

I can be found at my website http://lilamunro.weebly.com , or my joint effort website http://www.wickedmuses.blogspot.com or through Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/Lila_Munro  You can also contact me via email at lilasromance@gmail.com   For more information about Rebel Ink Press please visit their website at www.rebelinkpress.com

When two worlds collide,

Being the oldest of eight has never been easy for Kurt Delaney, but the pressures he’s put on himself far exceed any anyone else inflicts on him. Known as the family stick in the mud, Kurt’s pushing forty and with the heirship to the family farm hanging in the balance, he finds his hopes of a married life and children swirling down the drain. Honor and family are everything to him and a mate that doesn’t hold those things as dear as he does is unacceptable.

Deidre Maloney is a city born and bred girl. In the absence of her botanist parents, she was raised by a nanny and knows nothing of a family’s love or how being married works. Commitment isn’t a word in her vocabulary. Only concerned with finding a new job and a fling, she embarks on a trip from Chicago to Seaford, Delaware to see her best friend Cait marry her high school sweetheart. Being attracted to a Delaney brother wasn’t on her carefully planned itinerary.

the aftermath is all that matters…

With so many differences between him and Deidre, Kurt can’t believe he’s let himself fall for her. She’s looking for a prime rib guy and he knows he’s just skirt steak. When they’re in close proximity, however, something undeniably amazing happens. How does he convince her that family isn’t something to fear and love doesn’t hurt? How does Kurt show Deidre that a slower, lower life is what she’s been looking for all along?

Please enjoy an excerpt:

Kurt rounded the final corner to find the carousel area void of passengers. Not a single bag remained on the conveyor, not a single person waited to claim anything. Where the hell did she go? Okay, where would I go if I’d just landed and had already claimed my luggage? She’s a female, dumbass. The bathroom. Kurt turned on his heel and headed back toward the blue sign he’d seen hanging overhead indicating where the lavatories were. Standing just outside the ladies’ room, he waited a few minutes. If she was in there surely she’d have come back out by now. An elderly woman in a pair of green plaid golfing shorts and a white polo shirt with a pink ball cap on her gray head popped out of the swinging door nearly striking Kurt in the face he’d been standing so close.

“Oh, excuse me,” she said in a crackly voice. “You shouldn’t have been so close to the door.”

“Yes, ma’am, I realize that,” Kurt answered, touching the bill of his Soil Service cap with his fingertips. “Did you see a woman about this tall?” He held his hand to his chest. “With black hair and gray eyes in there? At least that’s what she looked like last time I saw her.”

“Well, she couldn’t have changed that much in, what? Ten minutes?” the old woman snapped and looked at Kurt like he’d sprouted a third eye.

“No, no. I’m picking her up. I haven’t seen her in a while…”

Before Kurt could finish his sentence, a woman that he was sure was Deidre came out of the restroom wearing a strapless white sundress that only fell to the middle of her thighs and was stretched so taut across her breasts her nipples strained against the fabric. And they were apparently uncomfortable with their hindrance. His eyes followed the lines of the fabric along the rest of her body and down her tan legs to find spike heel open toe white pumps on her feet. Ten tiny perfect toes with red tips peeked out. He scanned back up with his breath caught in his throat. Big, square framed black sunglasses hid her eyes so he couldn’t see the color, but that short black hair and big gold hoop earrings. That was Deidre.

“Deidre?” Kurt said, wiping his sweaty palms along his jeans. What was wrong with him? He’d seen her before. Of course that was last fall and she was covered up in a pair of chocolate corduroy pants and a burnt orange sweater, and a cream silk scarf had partially covered her head. It was funny to him that he actually remembered that. Now that he could actually see her. Wow. “Deidre is that you?”

The woman looked up and never so much as attempted a smile. It was then that he noticed she looked a bit pale and along with the carry on she held in her left hand she dragged three enormous suitcases stacked up behind her.

“My God, woman. You are just staying a few days right?” he asked, reaching around her and taking the telescopic handle she hung on to, relieving her of the melee of bags.

“Kurt? Long time no see.” Deidre tugged the purse handle on her shoulder a bit tighter and huffed. “You’re late.”

“Well, you should have thought of that possibility when you expected someone to get here before the chickens woke up. Do you know what traffic is like out there right now?” Kurt forgot the breathless feeling he’d experienced when he first looked at her.

“Of course I do. Did you forget I used to live here? I like to travel early and with some planning the traffic should never be a problem.” She fanned herself with one hand. “I’m ready to go.” With that she stomped off toward the double doors that would take them back to the parking garage in a quick march.

“I can understand why you haven’t seen her in a while,” the old woman said and laughed. “I wouldn’t want to either.”

This was going to be a treat, Kurt thought to himself. Not only was she a city girl, she thought her stuff didn’t stink. Did she think he was nothing more than her chauffer and concierge for the week? Well, she had another think coming. He watched her perfectly round butt swishing back and forth seductively and gave the heap of baggage a tug. How she managed to pull the mammoth mess as far as she had was beyond him. Before he made it ten feet past where he’d found her she disappeared out the doors. Taking his time, Kurt made his way through the terminal all the while muttering what he really thought about her behavior quietly and smiling at the other passers-by. He took a deep breath and went out the doors.

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