Spotlight on Lanette Curington

June 2003

Sharyn: With the re-release of her debut novel, Starkissed, just last month, I knew we had to have Lanette as our June spotlight author. Lanette and I have been long time friends and critique partners. As a reader I keep pushing and prodding her to "WRITE FASTER!", as a critique partner commiserating about stubborn characters and storylines. Sitting down to chat with her professionally proved to be more of a challenge than I anticipated (I kept wanting to ask really goofy, off-the-wall questions), but definitely worth it.

We'll start off with an easy question: Is writing your dream job?

Lanette: Oh, yes! I actually quit my day job earlier this year to write full time.

Sharyn: Why is it your dream job?

Lanette: My previous day job took so much out of me, there was little time and energy left over to write. Also, I get to be at home and not have to dress up and leave every day. :)

Sharyn: You have several novels available (all of which I've read and raved about *ggg*). Would you mind telling us a bit about them?

Lanette: Not at all. Starkissed is a futuristic romance with a human heroine and an alien hero. Betrayed by a trusted friend, Leith and J'Qhir, the Warrior or Zi, are marooned on an uninhabited planet. They have to learn to overcome their differences to survive...and explore their mutual attraction.

Desperate Hearts, writing as Lani Aames, is a contemporary. Talley returns to her hometown and the childhood sweetheart she couldn't forget, Mitch. What she didn't count on was her reaction to Mace and being torn between father and son.

Sharyn: Immortal Heat is part of your Immortal Legends series, tell us a bit more about the series as a whole.

Lanette: The Immortal Legends series has been a long time in the making. It all began when I started reading historical romances in high school and then had an Advanced Lit class where we read the Iliad and the Odyssey. The two meshed in my mind. What took so long was the research. Until I got on the internet in the mid-90s, I really didn't have access to the information I needed. After reading a ton of books about and lots of websites devoted to Greek mythology, living in ancient times, etc., I finally felt that I knew enough to start writing. I still don't know it *all*, but I only have one lifetime, so I decided I should just do it! *g* Since novellas are easier to write, I finished Immortal Heat first. It's available from Ellora's Cave.

Immortal Conquest and Immortal Surrender will be full-length novels and original stories, not re-tellings, although they will contain elements of certain myths. Immortal Conquest is about half written. I've been saying this for way too long, but as soon as I catch up on other stuff, I'm going to finish it. Then I'll write Immortal Surrender. I'm in the middle of serializing Immortal Rapture, the story of Persephone and Hades, on my newsletter LanettesList. You can find out how to join at http://www.lanettecurington.com/newsletter.html.

Sharyn: Starkissed, your debut novel, is finally available again. How excited are you? Are your readers just as excited?

Lanette: Oh, I am VERY excited! It took two years to get Starkissed released again after publication in 2000 when the e-publisher folded in 2001. Over the past 2 years I lost count of the e-mails I received from readers wanting to know when it would be available again. Since its re-release, I've gotten some very wonderful e-mails from satisfied readers.

Sharyn: Tell us a bit about your journey from unpublished author to published author. Is there anything you would change?

Lanette: I wish the internet as we know it today would have come along about 25 years earlier! The amount of information at a writer's fingertips is awesome, making research much easier and quicker. I think I would have been able to hone my writing skills sooner had I had access to something like the internet.

Sharyn: Of all of your novels currently available, were there any readers didn't get or like?

Lanette: Not readers, no. Or I should say I haven't heard from any that didn't get or like a story. Reviewers are a different story. *g* Most of them have given my published books great reviews and I'm most appreciative. But there are a few that didn't "get" a story or elements in a story were not to their taste. In the case of the latter, I do wish a reviewer would pass on reviewing anything that doesn't set well with them. No author can please everyone all the time; I think we are all aware of that. But no reviewer needs to review everything that crosses their virtual desk, especially if it pushes the wrong buttons for them. There are plenty of books out there to review that do contain the elements the reviewer likes.

Sharyn: As a reviewer, I do agree with that. I know I've passed on several novels because something about them aggravated me. I believe authors deserve a fair review and if it takes a bit longer because another reviewer has to read it, I would hope the author would be grateful. Oops, there I go again, getting off on the wrong track. *g*

Which of your novels is closest to your heart? (We know which one is closest to mine: Immortal Surrender *ggg*) Why?

Lanette: Hmm. Hard to say. I like each one the best for different reasons. *g* I guess, at the moment, Starkissed. Because it's the first novel I completed and it's finally been re-released. And I just love the hero, J'Qhir. He's so different from any other hero I've ever read about. Not just physically, but his character.

Sharyn: Now, you also write erotica under the pen name of Lani Aames. Any particular reason you decided to publish those under a different name?

Lanette: Sometimes I wish I hadn't done it. That means two names to promote! LOL Initially, it was to distinguish between my paranormal and non-paranormal. Lani Aames was for non-paranormal, such as Desperate Hearts, but I went on to write paranormal under that name. So it ended up being a distinction between my more traditional romances and my more erotic romances, so that someone who doesn't like to read erotic romance wouldn't buy one by mistake.

Sharyn: For me that would be a good mistake. *gg* Did you find it harder to write your eroticas compared to the others?

Lanette: Yes. I love euphemisms! LOL I don't mean purple prose, but describing the love scenes without explict naming of body parts and functions. It's a challenge to do that and not slip into purple prose. But no matter how detailed the love scene, it's still considered Soft R and readers would rather have their body parts named! :) So, I've taken the plunge. I've also experimented with a little light D/s and spanking. *g* So some of the later Lani Aames titles aren't for everyone.

Sharyn: How about something a bit fun, I'll even answer it as well. Out of all your heroes, which is your favorite and why? Actually this is a tough one for me. I can't decide between J'Qhir and Ares. Can you believe it?

Lanette: LOL Yes, I can believe it! I love them all or I wouldn't write about them. But I guess at the moment it's J'Qhir. I had to revisit Starkissed recently to do last minute revisions and fell in love with him all over again. Mace from Desperate Hearts is yummy, too, though. So is Apollo from Immortal Conquest. *sigh* Decisions, decisions...

Sharyn: From reading your website, it appears most of your novels/novellas will be set in Ancient Greece. When did your fascination with that particular time period begin?

Lanette: As I said earlier, I had an Advanced Lit class in high school where we read the Iliad and the Odyssey. Although, I'd been exposed to the Roman versions of the myths earlier, it wasn't until I read these two classics that everything clicked. Then it wasn't until I got on the internet that I could do the research and decided I really loved the time period. I have to give a nod to the TV series, Hercules and Xena, for making Ancient Greece cool, too!

Sharyn: How do you write? Are you a linear writer, plotting everything out from the beginning? Do you write everything sitting at the computer or longhand?

Lanette: I wish I could write linear and plot out everything from the beginning! But most of my stories come to me in bits and pieces. I'll write out the scenes, then connect them up later. This can take a long time and fitting the pieces together can sometimes be difficult. I used to write *everything* longhand first, then transcribe to computer. But lately, it's a mix. Starkissed is the only story that has come to me full-blown, where I outlined first. And it was a general, rough sort of outline that changed as I actually did the writing.

Sharyn: Do you have any superstitious habits while writing?

Lanette: No.

Sharyn: What do this year hold for you, writing-wise?

Lanette: To write as much as I can. I'm going to do my best to finish Immortal Conquest. (But then I said that last year, too!) I've started a vampire erotic romance that I hope to finish soon and see published. And I'll be writing the second entry in the Lusty Charms series, Celestial Touch.

Sharyn: How about some questions related to "Lani's" work. *g* A statue, an elf and a wizard. What other extraordinary heroes can we expect from Lani?

Lanette: Vampires, werewolves, a shapeshifter, and a ghost are a few.

Sharyn: Like most Ellora's Cave titles, your novellas all contain a great love story, except yours the love story is first and foremost and the steamy sex just a bonus. Was that intentional?

Lanette: Yes because I first wrote traditional romances. The romance will always have top priority.

Sharyn: Okay, after looking at Lani's webpage, I'm very curious about some of the works-in-progress. Any chance you could give us a small peek at the storylines? And you know, I'll keep pestering you on those. *g*

Lanette: LOL Well, if you read the fine print at the bottom of the page, I say that basically I can come up with a great title but don't have a story to go with them! My stories take time to gel...too much time sometimes. So I really only have a small idea of what each story is going to be about for now.

Sharyn: Tell us more about the Lusty Charms series. Where did the idea come from?

Lanette: A little bit Harry Potter and a little bit Charmed, both favorites of mine. Invictus Cross is inspired by Harry Potter's Snape. *g* But I have an interest in the metaphysical and wanted to write about it...even if in an over-the-top way. Lusty Charms: Celestial Touch is about Celeste Quicksilver, the curator of Strange Castle and was mentioned briefly in Invictus. Also, Serena and Invictus' relationship will progress, too. We'll find out what Invictus has in the dungeon! *g*

Sharyn: I'm really looking forward that. *gg* What's the main difference between Lanette's and Lani's writing?

Lanette: Lanette writes the more traditional type romance. Lani's romance is more erotic, which means more detailed love scenes.

Sharyn: When you're not thoroughly engrossed in your characters and their worlds, what do you do for fun?

Lanette: I'm trying to find out again. :) When I was working a day job, I didn't have time for fun! With the job, family, and writing, I didn't have time for much else. Long ago, I used to crochet, do crafts, experiment with recipes, lots of things. I'm trying to get back into doing those things and find out which of them I still think are fun.

Sharyn: How does your family feel about your writing? Are they supportive?

Lanette: Yes, they are. I'm very grateful to my family. Especially my husband, who makes it possible for me to stay at home and write full time.

Thanks for the interview, Shar! Great questions and I had fun answering them.

Sharyn: You're welcome and thank you. I really enjoyed myself, but then again I always do, don't I? *g*

To learn more about Lanette and her available works, visit her website www.lanettecurington.com. For more information on her more spicy writing, visit her alter ego site: www.laniaames.com.

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