J.K. Coi

AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Ann Lory

J.K.: Hi Ann, welcome to the blog. So, your first book with Linden Bay Romance is out...finally! (And what a sexy cover!) I’ve been looking forward to this one for quite a while. Bait and Switch sounds great. How did you come up with the idea of doing a book about a male escort and a female attorney?

ANN: Thanks so much for letting me participate, J.K. I’m excited for the opportunity.

Well, to start with, the original title was A Platinum Purchase, but when this evolved into a five book series, I needed to change the name so that they were all connected. This is where the Frisky Business series and the title Bait and Switch came to be. Linden Bay and I brainstormed and it worked out great.

I was surfing the web and saw a picture of a breathtaking man online. I get a lot of inspiration from pictures, or from driving and listening to music. I remember seeing this picture and thinking, “This guy has a story.”

He was tall with long, dark hair, a sculpted face that said, “Hi, I’m sensuality incarnate”, and these pale blue eyes that jumped off the paper at me. So, I got to thinking…in real life this guy’s in Vegas on occasion then I thought about what this man actually did for a living and the plot just kind of fell into my lap. The personality of Devon McGuire does not match the personality of the man in the photo, but I’ll use his body. *sigh*

At that time I was working at Ameritrade. My cubical was graced with pictures of men all over the back wall. I even went so far as to have a huge poster of Legolas (Orlando Bloom) on the side wall. A bit juvenile to be sure, but I was constantly seeking inspiration for that next story. They were all my inspiration. Each one had a story to tell. A dripping wet dream for every woman to delve into.

Disclaimer: We (Ann Lory) would like the readers to know that no sexual harassment charges were issued during the inspiration and/or making of this book.

J.K.: Well, I can understand the male escort as inspiration, but why in God’s name would you want to write about lawyers? :)

ANN: That’s a good question. We don’t like lawyers. They’re uptight and slimy. Not all of them, but that’s the stereotype society has labeled them. Each one of the women in the Frisky Business series has been burned somehow, be it by a boyfriend, a friend, or father, and each one has to deal with their past in their own way. It’s why they and I have chosen this profession. To help those that were wronged and that the good guy can come out on top.

J.K.: What was your very first published book, and knowing what you do now about writing and publishing is there anything about it that you’d change?

ANN: Eternal Embrace was my first published book. It’s actually due for re-release with Linden Bay Romance in June of this year. So, I guess I should say I’m currently changing: Passive Voices, and weepy heroines. When I started writing this book several years ago I read mostly under one writer and she was the old style writer from 20-25 years ago. The heroine needed to be rescued and she cried a lot and all that jazz. In these re-writes I’m fixing a lot of the passive voice and I’m trying to make my heroine stronger. Okay, she not a super hero, vampire slaying minx, but an everyday girl. She’s getting a lot thrown at her, but I hope she deals with it better this time around.

J.K.: What do you feel is the most important thing that a first-time author should know?

ANN: Get into a knowledgeable critique group that will be honest with you. Not one that will tear you down, but one that will offer helpful suggestions to help you become a stronger and better writer. There are some publication companies out there that offer a list on egroups to help you find critique partners.

J.K.: You’re the HEROINE of your book, why do you fall in love with the HERO?

ANN: He’s strong both physically and personally, handsome of course, and funny too. I love a man with a sense of humor, not a clown mind you. A man that can make a woman laugh, yet still make her feel like she’s the most beautiful woman in his world, that can make all the difference. Guess it’s why I love my hubby so much…

J.K.: If you were the HERO of your book, why would you fall in love with the HEROINE?

ANN: She’s not clingy, but still needs me. She’s smart, witty and I can sit in companionable silence with her and its okay, or we can talk about everything into the wee hours of the morning.

J.K.: What do you hope for your writing career in the next few years? Any goals that you have yet to obtain that you have set for yourself?

ANN: It seems every couple years I advance on that ladder of goals where my writing is concerned. My ULTIMATE goal is to write for a living. My day job is that I get up in the morning after sending the kids off to school, the hubby to work and just write to meet those deadlines.

J.K.: So, now for the important questions. Sometimes people envision an author’s life as being really glamorous. I like to set them straight, so tell us what’s the most unglamorous thing you’ve done in the past week?

ANN: Everyday for the last several weeks hubby, son, and I are cleaning up after our dog, Molly. Molly is going on 14 years old and is slowly becoming paralyzed. She’s not in pain, but is unable to control her back legs, and losing her ability to wait until she can go outside. I’m thinking in the next couple weeks she will no longer be with us. That makes us all sad, my son especially since he’s claimed her as his since he was two.

J.K.: What hobby do you have that has nothing to do with reading or writing?

ANN: Bicycling. In the spring, summer and part of fall you’ll find me out on the roads training for the MS150. I got my new road bike at the end of 2008 and I’m so ready to ride her. It’s great fun and helps me to continue to shed weight and keep it off. It gives me time to meditate, and to think of those stories.

J.K.: You have a pesky day job, what is it like?

ANN: I do. I love my job, but it’s starting to interfere with my writing. It’s been so busy lately that by the time I get home all creative juices are gone. Since it’s starting to slow down a bit (until May rolls around) I’m hoping to get quite a bit done. I work in fundraising, writing appeal letters, newsletters, articles, among many other things. It’s a great job being able to help others.

J.K.: If you were to write yourself as a superhero, what kind of superhero would you be? What would you be named?

ANN: I like Storms powers from the X-Men, so I’d be the leather-wearing good guy who could call on the weather to get the bad guys. My name would be, Fury. Ha!

J.K.: If you were a world ruler and you were given a choice of 3 laws to enact, what would they be and why?

ANN: Equal rights for all, food for all, and as cliché as it sounds I’d end the wars. When you turn on the news it’s so depressing. It seems these are but a few of the hot topic issues the world has to offer us these days. It’s sad.

J.K.: Ann, thank you so much for being here, and before we go, let us know what’s coming next for you.

ANN: Thank you, J.K. for having me on your blog. This was a lot of fun.
I have several things coming this year from Linden Bay:
Eternal Book 1: Eternal Embrace June 2009
Frisky Business Book 2: Confession July 2009
Eternal Book 2: Eternal Obsession October 2009
Frisky Business Book 3: Crime of Passion December 2009

And more coming in 2010, but I don’t want to overwhelm everybody. 

Author Bio:
I'm a Missouri native, although I did live ten years in Nebraska, where I began writing in hopes of one day being published. I have been married to the same wonderful man for the last twelve years, and we have a son who is the spitting image of his father, and a two year old daughter who she looks like me.
We also have our furry babies -- two cats, and one dog. Our poor Lab still gets pushed around by our hissing felines.
Besides my love for writing, I enjoy spending my spare time with my family, watching movies, reading, bike riding on one of the local trails, and of course college football. I love football season and my Missouri Tigers! I hope other fans don't hate me, but it's like our significant others...we can't help who we love.

Blurb:
One workaholic. One gigolo. One week in Sin City. You do the math…

Anna Jackson’s ex-boyfriend may have stolen her promotion, but she’s not mad. Not anymore. She’s getting even—by beating him at his own game. So what if she has to give up all her free time and any semblance of a personal life? With a partnership in a law firm as prestigious as Beckam, Beckam and Leland on the line, she’s willing to pay the price.

Las Vegas escort Devon McGuire is charming, sexy, and damn good at pleasing women. He’d better be, it’s what he gets paid for. Always up for a challenge, he’s looking forward to his newest job. Who wouldn’t enjoy a week as the companion of a smart, sultry, high-powered attorney—no strings attached?

Devon’s used to pushing boundaries, but there’s
something about Anna that makes him want to turn up the steam. And when she learns to let go and unexpectedly opens to him, he finds himself falling
right in.

Whoa, hold it. Love was never part of the plan…

Warning: This book contains a sizzling, drop-dead gorgeous, sex-on-a-stick gigolo who wants to make women’s fantasies come true, and a woman who won’t cooperate and let him do his job.

Links:
www.annlory.com
www.annlory.blogspot.com