Stranded with a Billionaire Anthology interview!

Good day Ladies and Gentlemen and Welcome to the Stranded with a Billionaire

Anthology interview!

We will be speaking with the six ladies who each wrote a story for the anthology and getting to know a little about them.

Joining us is:

Siobhan MacKenzie

Seraphina Donavan

Leanore Elliott

Nikki Prince

Brandi Gillilan

Kate Baum

Now that we know our lovely authors, let’s get started shall we?

Q. What is the title of your Anthology?

Siobhan: Falling

Seraphina: Wrong for Ms. Wright

Leanore: Lucky Break

Brandi: Let It Snow

Kate: Rich Girl
Nikki: Snowed In

Q. Would you give a brief summary?

Seraphina: This is really about finding yourself in a situation, with people you wouldn’t normally associate with, where money can’t get you out of it.

Siobhan: Alexander St. Thomas is involved in a watery plane crash off the coast of Alaska, forcing him to find his own way to safety with the only other survivor, pilot Grace Allyn. They will brave the water, the storm, and the elements to keep each other safe – and maybe find that there’s a little attraction in the mix.

Brandi: Having worked herself into exhaustion, Natalia gets taken into the mountains for rest by her former friend Jace. He’s still in love with her and doesn’t realize she feels the same. A massive snowstorm traps them in the cabin and when the power goes out they have to be very close for warmth.

Kate: Raisa Hughes is the daughter of one of the most powerful billionaires in the world.  As his only child, she has been groomed from a young age to take over his empire.  Nicknamed the “iceberg” by her school mates, she finds she doesn’t care that others perceive her as cold and aloof.  She has learned early on to mask her emotions to learn to survive in a world dominated by powerful men.  She’s always in control. 

One winter night her car breaks down on a deserted rural road.  Raisa finds herself stranded.  For the first time in her life, she feels helpless.  Then a mechanic drives by and sees her standing next to her disabled vehicle.  Raisa never lets herself appear powerless…until she locks eyes with Trent.  He just had to be the most stunning sexy man ever to assist a woman on the side of the road.   Raisa finds erotic urges that she never knew were there…and that she doesn’t mind being rescued after all. 

Nikki: My heroine and hero are an estranged married couple who are billionaires. They are both stranded at their cabin and forced to work out their issues.

Leanore: Val is an average girl, although she can’t seem to keep anything…A job, home or a relationship.—Tucker is a billionaire, although he wishes he was an average guy. Fate deems that they meet and the adventure begins, as they both get stranded in a Semi-Trailer, going 75 miles an hour down the interstate.

Q. What inspired this story?   

Seraphina: I wish I knew. I just had this idea, and thought how neat. Then I got other people involved and it just snowballed from there.

Leanore: When the theme was suggested? I envisioned a woman delivering a message to a man who’s stepping out of a Limo, just as a semi truck tries to run them over.

Nikki: I was asked to write a story with a billionaire that was stranded somewhere and his or her money couldn’t get them out of being stranded.

Brandi: The theme was inspiring. Trapping a billionaire and getting them to realize there are more important things than money and work got several ideas going for me. As well as the song Let It Snow.

Kate: I wrote this novella to follow my Girl series.  I’m finding I’m enjoying my characters so much, I keep writing additional stories so I can keep interacting with them.

Q. What is one habit you feel you must do while writing? Have a certain snack, music, etc.

Brandi: I have to listen to music, lately it’s a playlist of Glee music. I also have to have either tea, Coca-cola or Dr. Pepper and if possible candy.

Kate: Take lots of breaks.

Leanore: COFFEE!

Siobhan: I have to set my writing space and get my head in the game. Sometimes I need quiet; sometimes I need music. Sometimes I can only write with an outline; sometimes I have to wing it. But the one thing I always do first is set my space. Once I’ve done that, I never vary that routine until the work is done.

Seraphina: Have a certain snack, music, etc. I always have a playlist. I spend hours building a playlist on ITunes before I write the first word.

Nikki: I always multitask. I listen to the TV or radio and get into my happy place and write wherever I am.  This enables me to be able to write anywhere because I can deal with noise.

Q. What is the hardest part of writing a book?

Leanore: Editing…lol

Siobhan: Starting! Deciding where in the story is the right place. Deciding what the first sentence is. And then, getting myself the kick in the butt to sit down and get moving on it. I’m a great procrastinator and I have to work hard to overcome that.

Kate: Since I work full-time as a librarian the hardest part about writing for me is finding the time!

Brandi: For me it’s the start because I take forever to figure out what should start off the story and the end because I hate to end a story.

Seraphina: Writing a book is easy, getting out there, promoting it so that people will read the story you’ve worked so hard to tell... that’s the hard part.

Nikki: For me it’s stopping all the other stories that pop into my head while I’m writing on the current.

Q. How do you prepare to write a story? Do you make lists and outlines or do you wing it or something in between?

Kate: I do something I think it is kind of add.  I dream about my characters before I write about them.

Nikki: I fly by the seat of my pants…so yeah I basically wing it.

Leanore: I get an image…Then, I write. I am a Panster by visual means.

Siobhan: I set my space, set up what my routine is going to be. I tend to like to just start and let it run. Usually, after a chapter or two, I can find my ending from what I have. After that, I treat it like a road trip and I set up “my map” by writing my plot points on sticky notes (a writer’s best friend, sticky notes). The rest is writing about “the trip.”

Seraphina: I wing it. Sometimes if I get stuck, I’ll go back and outline, but generally, and especially for short stories, I just start writing.

Brandi: I wing it. I have tried outlines but they feel to restraining. All I need is a short summary of what idea I’m using and character profiles.

Q. What is next on your list?

Siobhan: My next work to be published will be another four Rick and Dave stories from the His Man… series. I’ll also have a new novel coming out, Wilde Mountain Time. I’ll be finishing No Sooner Loved and starting on the sequel to that, A Pair of Stairs. And I have two other books to finish – Her Scottish Exile and the other two books in that trilogy. After that, the sky’s the limit.

Seraphina: Oh, it’s endless. Another anthology. A full length novel to finish up the DuChamps’ Dynasty Series. I’m going to write a novel for Ronan, a supporting character in the Casanova series. I have a paranormal/romantic adventure tail in the works. I’m insane.

Brandi: I’m working on another anthology with some authors, a few from this book and a few different. It will be called Hot Soldiers. I also have a paranormal romance in the works called Eye of the Tiger. And anything else that pops into my head.

Leanore: Hot Soldier Antho with 6 other authors, Nowhere Arizona, Book Three…Then Hammered Velvet, Book 4 in the Velvet Series

Nikki: Too many things to mention truly, I try to stay busy and if the muse is busy…that means I am constantly writing.

Kate: So far, I have six books planned for the Girl series.  I just finished book three.

Q. Did you have fun writing with your fellow authors?

Seraphina: I loved it. Writing is so often a solitary process. Getting to work with others was amazing.

Brandi: I did. This was my first anthology and they were all very helpful with any questions I asked.

Siobhan: I do, I really do. I like sharing experiences but I like the interaction I get from my fellow authors. We all excel in something and collaborations show off what each of us excels in. And finding out how we complement each other in the doing.

Kate: I am so fortunate to belong to the wicked women authors’ facebook group started by Leanore Elliott.  I’m inspired, supported and I laugh every day.

Leanore: Hell yeah! I got to read the entire antho first, due to being its Editor and Formatter.

Nikki: I love the group in this anthology.  So yes, I had fun.

Q. Is there anything we should know about you?

Siobhan: Other than being a terrible procrastinator, a hopeful romantic, and an all around poetic mess? Can’t think of a thing.

Seraphina: I need a vacation. And chocolate, and until I get one of those two things, I could be dangerous.

Kate: I love my secret life.  Nerdy librarian by day and naughty writer at night. 

Brandi: I’m currently in college for Game Design. Also I’m an anime and manga junkie.

Nikki: I am a gamer.  Yep for quite some years I played World of Warcraft religiously! Hehe.

Leanore: I’m Wicked Leanore with 20 books and a Book production Company called, Wicked Muse Productions, we do Covers, Trailers, Editing, Formats & Conversion

Q. How long have you been writing?

Siobhan: Sometimes it feels as if I’ve been writing all my life. I guess I have. Now, ask me how long I’ve been publishing and that’s a different answer.

Seraphina: I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t writing, but I’ve only been published since 2011.

Brandi: Since I can remember. I have always been a writer.

Leanore: Since I was 8 years old.

Kate: I finished my first book in December of 2012.

Nikki: I’ve been writing off and on since the age of 12.

Q. What got you interested in writing?

Siobhan: I got tired of reading other authors’ work and wanted to write my own, where I could live out my own fantasies and romances.

                                                    

Leanore: My vivid imagination needed an outlet, cause I kept getting into trouble with it, as a child.

Seraphina: I’ve just always been a storyteller. It’s part of my Appalachian heritage, I think.

Brandi: Figuring out that I could make up a story and have anything I wanted happen.

Kate: As a librarian, I read a lot.  I’ve always thought about writing but never got that push to start.  Reading erotic romance finally did it for me.  It made me excited about the genre and anxious to write my own fantasies into stories.

Nikki: I started reading romances at the age of 12 and after my first romance I knew I wanted to write too.

Q. Is there anyone that’s close to you that’s really supportive, always been there when you wanted to quit but kept you going?

Seraphina: She’s no longer physically here with me, but I think about my mother. She was, in a word, indomitable. I strive in many ways to be like her, and so when I feel down or disheartened, I just keep pushing because that’s what she always did.

Siobhan: My Beautiful Man, the love of my life. He never lets me give up on myself, never lets me give up on the stories. He reads everything, gives great feedback, and helps me practice those love making scenes. He is my rock and my cheerleader, and I love him for it.

Brandi: My Mama and two of my sisters. They told me to go for it and if I failed try again but don’t give up.

Kate: I wasn’t sure if I was going to ever write book two of my series.  I wrote book one and waited to see the fallout.  Then I received an email from a blogger for riverina romantics blog, Tina.  She gushed about my story and gave me the motivation to start on book two. 

Nikki: I have a few author friends who have cheered me on in those moments as well as some close friends.

Leanore: Yes, Lea Ellen Borg…Now an Editor. Met her at Amazon threads years ago when she was just a reader and we are BFF’s. Then, there’s Ava ( A.R. Von) Chasity Bowlin, Sheri Fredricks, & my biggest supporter for years…Nikki McCarver of The very popular Close Encounters Blog.

Q. What is something you want to do? Like bungee jump, skydive, scuba dive, rock climb, etc.

Siobhan: I would love to live in London, England for a time. Somewhere in the West End, near the theater district. I want to see all of the sights and sounds of London, and see the shows there. Maybe some traveling to Scotland and Ireland

Leanore: No, I’ve already done a lot. I just want to keep living my dreams in books, and helping Newbies achieve authorhood.

Seraphina: I want to rip Henry Cavill’s clothes off, dip him in honey and lick him clean.

Brandi: I would enjoy being able to visit a few places like Ireland and England. I would also love to see some plays like Wicked.

Kate: With five children and two in college, I just hope to have enough money to be able to travel one day. 

Q. Any guilty pleasures?

Nikki: Cheesecake…mmm New York Style and I’m in heaven.

Leanore: Chocolate and Sex—preferably, both at the same time…

Siobhan: Too many to count – but let’s just say, I’m a sucker for sappy movies and naked pretty boys.

Kate: Coffee and cookies.  Seriously, who doesn’t like that combination?

Seraphina: Chocolate. Henry Cavill.

Brandi: Glee. I started watching it last fall and became addicted. Also I am addicted to lemon candy, it’s sour and sweet which makes it right up there with chocolate.

Q. Is there anyone famous you’d love to meet?

Siobhan: Tom Hiddleston. Nathan Fillion. Orlando Bloom. Diana Gabaldon.

Brandi: Plenty lol. A few would be Christ Colfer, Darren Criss, Chris Hemsworth, Alan Rickman, Mark Harmon, Micheal Weatherly just to name a few.

Seraphina: Henry Cavill. I know. Broken record.

Leanore: Tom Hanks.

Kate: I am very impressed with the goals of Elizabeth Warren, senator for Massachusetts.  She is a true advocate for the middle class.

Nikki: Hmm…since I write romance there are tons of people I’d like to meet…I’ll give you a few:  Bertrice Small, Oded Fehr, Norman Reedus, Andrew Lincoln, Vin Diesel…whew…so many more.

Q. What is a pet peeve of yours?

Siobhan: I can’t stand people chewing gum and cracking it. Close your mouth and chew it quietly.

Seraphina: Henry Cavill’s girlfriend? Seriously, different things bug me at different times. I get annoyed when people assume that writing isn’t a job just because it doesn’t have regular hours that you don’t have to do it when you say you have to do it. I.E. “I’m writing now.”--me. “Well you can finish that later. Let’s go do (fill in blank)”.--Everyone I know.

Brandi: People feeling they are entitled to things they aren’t, that they don’t have to work for anything and should have it given to them on a silver platter. I know a few people like this and it drives me crazy with how they treat their family and expect to be waited on hand and foot.

Kate: Bullies.

Nikki: I hate being late. I’m always early.

Leanore: In the house? Clean floors and counters.

Q. What is a pet peeve you see in writing that bothers you?

Siobhan: I understand the importance of an editor but at least learn how to spell, learn the correct rules of grammar, and apply that knowledge for yourself. To depend solely on an editor to do it for you is flat out lazy

Seraphina: I don’t like overly flowery prose in erotica. It’s erotica. If you’re thinking up that many big words then the blood is flowing in the wrong direction!

Nikki: I hate characters who whine incessantly

Brandi: Too much or too little detail. A story can be bogged down with too much detail. I don’t need the same bookshelf described five different times in the same chapter. But I do want to know what the décor of a room is and if there isn’t enough detail then a reader can’t get a fully clear image in their mind.

Kate: When other authors turn up their nose at erotic romance alluding to the idea that it’s trashy just because there are sexual scenes. 

Leanore: THAT? Is too big a list as I edit Pro…lol However, I have a saying: A Reader Cannot Read Your Mind—Only Your Words.

Q. What is your go-to song?

Siobhan: Depends on what I need a go-to song for. For sex scenes, Closer by Nine Inch Nails. For fight scenes, Walk by the Foo Fighters. To just get through a crappy day, I’ve Got a Dream by Jim Croce

Kate: “Holding out for a hero”

Seraphina: Different ones for different things, but right now, I’ve been listening to a lot of Justin Timberlake. It’s the energy factor.

Brandi: It’s hard to pick just one so a few are Teenage Dream, Blackbird, Baby It’s Cold Outside, Defying Gravity, Dog Days, I Want To Hold Your Hand or any song done on the Glee series.

Nikki: Right now I’m in the mood for 80’s songs.

Leanore: So many…Firework for inspiration and Symphony Of Life.

Q. Most romantic song?

Siobhan: Like the Sun by RyanDan

Seraphina: To Make You Feel My Love.

Kate: Elvis Presley “Falling in love with you.”

Leanore: And Love Said No…By H.I.M.

Brandi: It’s a tie between Last Kiss sung by Pearl Jam and Crash My Party sung by Luke Bryan. Last Kiss is of regrets of a love ended to soon and hopes to be able to reunite in death and Crash My Party is about crushes and newfound love.

Nikki: God…lol so many but right now I am in love with an oldie from Bon Jovi called Always.

Q. Favorite movie?

Siobhan: Today? Thor and Thor: The Dark World

Seraphina: Man of Steel. Yes, I know. There is a restraining order in the works.

Brandi: The Harry Potter series, Narnia movies, Lord of the Rings or really most Fantasy and Sci-fi

Kate: Thelma and Louise    

Leanore: Forrest Gump

Nikki: Yikes another too many …but here are some of them: Grease, Independence Day, Sound of Music, Jurassic Park, Bride before Prejudice, 9 ½ Weeks.

Q. Are there any genre of books you don’t like to read?

Siobhan: Not big on non-fiction, but mostly I’m not into shlock – anything that’s bad gratuitous. Anything that the author put out there without perfecting the work. Again, laziness and a lack of respect for the reader. And I’m rather vampired out, thanks to Twilight, but that’s changing. Oh, and I don’t do zombies or horror.

Seraphina: It isn’t a genre thing, but I don’t like to read books written in the first person. I want to be told a story, I don’t want to be in the story, and when I’m reading “I this” and “I that”, it kind of kills it for me.

Brandi: I’m not big on any non-fiction books like biographies or memoirs. I also don’t care to read extremely religious books.

Kate: As a librarian, I obviously love to read and appreciate all genres.  I have a hard time getting into poetry and wish I didn’t have to admit that. 

Nikki: Chick Lit…which is kinda funny but true. LOL

Leanore: Male on Male…Not because it’s gay, but I can’t ever get past the fact that some woman is suffering out there, because some package of hot male, will never be available for her. Lol Like oh man, WE females lose out.

If anyone would like to purchase Stranded With A Billionaire You can find it on  AMAZON

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