5 Questions with Debut Author Irene Preston!

I met Irene Preston just a couple of months ago - when both of our debut romance novels were accepted by new-to-romance Crimson Romance, a division of Adams Media. I had the chance to read 'Infamous' a few weeks ago and loved every minute! It's sweet and sassy and oh-so-hot! Now, let's get to know Irene just a little bit better, on with the interview!


Do you have (or do you aspire to have!) a writing process?


I aspire to be an outliner.  It sounds lovely to write down a full outline of the book complete with scene notes, character motivations, etc.  Alas, I have found trying to plot and outline a book in advance totally destroys any desire I have to write it.  I'm seat-of-the-pants all the way.  I start out with a scene that won't get out of my head and work out from there.  Until I have that first scene, I can't write.  Once I do have it, I spiral outward.  Who are these people?  Why do we care about them?  What the heck happens next? This is a gut-wrenching way to write and I don't recommend it.  The only other real process I have is frequent and ongoing critique.  I have a regular critique partner who reads each chapter as I write it and I also take smaller segments to group critiques.  I like to revise as much as possible as I go.  If something isn't making sense to the reader, I want to know about it right away.


When the writing gets tough, where do you get going?


Off to bed, then onward to the next scene.  If there is a scene that is troubling me, I try to visualize it as I am falling asleep at night.  Frequently I'll wake up with the solution.  If not, I'll try to just power through and write anything.  Sometimes the actual process of writing will bring clarity.  So what if I have to delete a few hundred words if they revealed something about the character I needed to know?  Also, I have trouble with transitions.  I have to remind myself that I don't have to show every minute.  I'll skip ahead with a note to come back and fill in a transition later only to realize when I come back that I don't need anything else.


What are you listening to right now and does your listening choice influence your writing?


I've got the door in my office open and I'm listening to the birds outside.  I don't listen to music when I'm writing because it influences me too much.  That being said, sometimes when I'm thinking about a scene away from my desk the right music can totally inspire me.  Right now I'm in love with Jack White's "Love Interruption."  When Infamous was accepted for Crimson's spicy line, I was asked to add a love scene toward the end of the book.  The devastation of "Love Interruption" epitomizes what I was going for in that scene.


Coffee, tea, soda, hot cocoa w/ extra marshmallows  â€“ what's your beverage of choice?


Gosh, I'm so fickle.  Iced tea or water when I'm writing.  Since you bring up cocoa, the French kind where you pour the hot chocolate and the cream into the cup separately is a special treat.  Evenings I love a margarita or glass of wine.  In the spring, when the mint by our porch is young and fresh I can't resist making mojitos.  If we eat out someplace posh we always start with martinis, dirty for him, extra olives for me.


Tell us one interesting thing about this book or its characters that didn't make in 'between the covers'?


Ha!  The 'interesting' thing I cut was so 'interesting' that my critique partner fell asleep reading it.  When she woke up, she demanded I slash several paragraphs of Morgan's backstory down to a few sentences.  I think we'll leave that in the 'deleted' folder.  Something more interesting might be Susan's story.  At the end of Infamous, Jessica's goody-two-shoes friend is behaving a little out of character.  Wouldn't you like to know if Susan is really as sweet as she seems?  I'll let you know as soon as I find out. . . .


Infamous Available June 4, 2012


What happens when a Hollywood socialite falls for a conservative soccer dad?


Four years ago it was pure Hollywood - the windswept beach, the whirlwind romance, the run-away marriage.  Unfortunately, the ride into the sunset didn't survive the publication of the bride's tell-all book two months after she said 'I Do'.


Reclusive venture capitalist Morgan Riley isn't interested in fame.  He prefers a quiet life in the suburbs.  For his daughter’s sake, he agrees to give his notorious wife another chance to be part of their family.  Even though she's back at home and fulfilling all his late-night fantasies, he can't help wonder if she misses her high-profile lifestyle and famous friends.


Everyone knows Jessica Sinclair.  She’s that girl on the cover of all the tabloids. As a Hollywood insider, Jessica has spent her life partying with A-list celebrities, shopping on Rodeo Drive, and living through scandal after scandal. When her estranged husband offers her a second chance at the ‘All American’ lifestyle she can’t pass up a shot at real happiness.  Back in suburbia, Jessica spends her nights in sexy role-play hoping Morgan will overlook her deficiencies as a homemaker.  She spends her days attending  P.T.A. meetings, burning cookies, and asking herself "What would June Cleaver do?"  More to the point, what will Morgan do when she winds up back in the tabloids--with his teenage daughter right next to her?


Buy Infamous:
Amazon 
Barnes and Noble
ITunes 


A free excerpt is available at www.IrenePreston.com