Beverley Bateman

Guest Author of the Month

I'm very pleased to introduce our next Guest Author for this month. She is Shauna Hart. I hope you enjoy meeting Shauna and learning a little about her.

Shauna Hart

BEVERLEY: Can you tell me a little about yourself?

SHAUNA: I live in Orlando, Florida with my husband, son and two cats.  By day, I am an Executive Assistant and by night I write romance.

BEVERLEY: I know you write Erotic Romance.  Do you write in any other genres?

SHAUNA: I have written several other books, including a historical and a straight contemporary.  I’m also in the process of working on a young adult novel.

BEVERLEY: Tell me a little about DEN OF DESIRE.  Where did the idea come from?

SHAUNA: Den of Desire is the second book in a three book trilogy.  It all started with The Pleasure of Sin which came out December 2008.  The Pleasure of Sin introduces readers to a secret New Orleans club that caters to the erotic tastes of the elite.  After I finished writing The Pleasure of Sin, I started to wonder about who owns the club.  That’s where the idea for Den of Desire started.

BEVERLEY: Do you do a lot of research for your books? And if yes, how do you go about researching the information?

SHAUNA: Well, the first thing I did was read other erotic romance novels.  There are also some great internet sites out there for authors who are writing erotic romance novels that provide invaluable information.

BEVERLEY: What's your biggest challenge when writing - hooks, sagging middles, other?

SHAUNA: There is usually a point in every book I write where I begin to doubt myself.  I start to wonder why anyone is ever going to read it.  I read an article by Jenna Peterson called The Many Stages of Suck.  It let me know that we all go through this. 

BEVERLEY: Do you have a routine for writing? And if you do can you share it with us?

SHAUNA: I have a strange routine.  I hand write everything in a notebook, then I type it into the computer. I think I might be the only person that does this, but it really helps me.  There is something about typing it into the computer that makes me feel like it has to be perfect.  When I write in my notebook, I usually make notes in the margins about things I want to change or explore further.  This enables me to keep writing, instead of getting stuck.

BEVERLEY: If you could be any one author, who would it be and why?

SHAUNA: Right now, I wouldn’t mind being Stephanie Meyer.  I think her books are wonderful and I hope that she keeps surprising us. 

BEVERLEY: What kind of books do you enjoy reading? And who are your favorite authors? 

SHAUNA: Obviously, I love reading romance.  I also like young adult fiction.  Some of my favorite romance authors are Beverly Barton, Heather Graham, Shayla Black and Lacey Alexander.

BEVERLEY: Do you spend much time marketing? And what do you feel works best for you?

SHAUNA: I try to market my books as much as possible.  I started using MySpace advertising and it put me on the Bestseller list with my publisher. But, more than anything, I think word of mouth is the best advertising out there.

BEVERLEY:. For all those aspiring writers out there who are looking for that magic formula - do you have any suggestions for them?

SHAUNA: The best advice I can give any aspiring writer is Keep Writing.  If I had given up with my first rejection, I wouldn’t be doing what I love right now.  Sometimes, the road to publication is long and hard and you think you will never get there.  All you have to do is keep writing and keep learning.  We all hear of the first submission success, but those are very rare.  The people that make it in this business are the people who don’t give up.  I have several articles for aspiring writers on my site www.shaunahart.com as well.

BEVERLEY: What do you do for fun and relaxation?

SHAUNA: I love to travel.  I’ve been to Greece, Italy, Spain and England.  I also think that traveling is great for inspiration.  Other than that, I usually read or play video games with my husband and son.

BEVERLEY: Is there something about yourself that you'd feel comfortable sharing with your readers that maybe, not many people know?

SHAUNA: I’m a reality nut.  And the worst part is it’s not even the good reality shows.  I love all of the VH1 reality shows like Rock of Love, I love money, Flavor of Love, I Love New York, etc.  The list goes on and on.  It may not be a high brow show, but it keeps me entertained.

BEVERLEY: Thank you Shauna, for sharing that and for doing this interview. Find out more about Shauna by visiting her at www.shaunahart.com, or at http://whiskeycreekpresstorrid.com/authors/Shauna_Hart.shtml

BEVERLEY: Next month we'll be talking to Juliet Waldren, who writes Historical Romance for Second Wind Publishing, so please come back and check out our next author of the month.

Publishers, agents, and fans. Contact BEVERLEY by clicking here.