Today’s interview features Rachel Leigh, author of Coming Back and Explicitly English. She talks about how she goes about creating and naming characters, the benefit of writing reunion stories and how she got started writing erotic romance.
LUX ZAKARI: Will you tell us about your soon-to-released story, Coming Back?
RACHEL LEIGH: Coming Back is due for release on August 12th and is set in a small market town in the UK. Here’s the blurb:
Kelly Hampton loved once…and lost. After two years of looking for Sean McKenzie in other men–and failing miserably–she takes a vow of celibacy. No sex until she finds love. Then Sean strolls back into her bar, reigniting old flames. No one has come close to understanding or satisfying her like he did. Her body burns for the passion they once shared, but her heart still remembers the pain.
Sean escaped Jessop Hill and his father’s fists in the middle of the night without a word–even to his love, Kelly–to protect his battered mother, but he never forgot the explosively erotic relationship he left behind. Now his father is dead and Sean is back for the only woman he’s ever wanted. Their reunion is full of fire – but can sexual attraction and noble intentions overcome years of heartache or will Kelly walk away to protect her heart this time.
LZ: Where did the inspiration for the story come from?
RL: Coming Back was inspired by the classic “reunion” story. I love reading and writing these stories because the couple already have a history. If they have been through the getting to know each other stage, it’s easier to get straight into the good stuff…
LZ: How did you get started writing erotic romance?
RL: I’ve always enjoyed reading erotic romance and always wanted to write, so one Sunday afternoon, I thought, why not have a go myself? I wrote Explicitly English, which was accepted by The Wild Rose Press two months later, over the following two weeks and had a whale of a time.Once it was accepted and my editor gave me lots of help and tips, I wanted to write more and intend to keep going as long as my stories are selling!
LZ: How do you go about creating and naming your characters?
RL: When I sit down to start a new story, I usually have a premise and then I spend a couple of days working out a one- or two-page synopsis. Throughout this time, the characters start to speak to me and I get a good feel for who they are, what they are afraid of and what they want.
Once they are clear in my mind, their story is usually quite easy to write. As for naming them? They tell me their names as I write, but if I haven’t figured it out at the beginning I will just continue to write and put “???” where their names will go, lol!
LZ: What projects are you working on now?
RL: I have just started a new story this week. Again, it has British characters but is set in the Greek island of Zante where I holidayed a few years ago. The heroine has just got off the plane when the story opens, looking for a new job, apartment and life. Her first encounter is with the hero who starts her journey by getting her a job at his sister’s British-themed restaurant. Things between this chef and pro-bono lawyer heat up very quickly…leaving their hearts without a chance.
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To purchase Coming Back, visit http://www.wilderroses.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=182&products_id=837.
To purchase Explicitly English, visit http://www.wilderroses.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=86&products_id=790.
For details on Rachel Leigh, visit www.rachelleigh.co.uk, www.rachelleighromance.blogspot.com and http://www.facebook.com/pages/Rachel-Leigh/266044849655.
