SABRINA JEFFRIES-Interview and Giveaway with the Author
About The Author: Goodreads
If having a colorful life turns you into a novelist, then I had no choice but to become a writer. My whole life changed when my parents moved us to Thailand when I was seven. Before I was eighteen, I’d eaten chicken heads and jellyfish, been chased by a baby elephant, seen countless cobras and pythons, had the entire series of rabies shots (yes, the ones in the stomach with those lo-o-o-ng needles), and played in rain forests and rubber plantations.
But if you’re wondering how the daughter of missionaries ended up a romance novelist, let me explain. When you’re in the boonies in a foreign country with only your pesky siblings for company, you read a lot. And I mean, a lot. I read everything—classics, children’s books, mysteries, science fiction, even comic books. Most of all, I read romances.
I cut my teeth on Cherry Ames novels, progressed to Grace Livingston Hill and Emilie Loring, graduated to Barbara Cartland, then got hooked on the hard stuff in college with my first Rosemary Rogers novel. I tried laying off the romances during my six years in graduate school, but it was fruitless. Woodiwiss and Lindsey beckoned.
Finally, I stopped fighting it. I tossed aside my Ph.D. in English and surrendered to the impulse to write a novel. And a romance writer was born! Now I live in North Carolina with my husband and son, where I write books full-time. Thanks to my colorful life, I have plenty of fodder for my novels, so I plan to be doing this for a very, very long time. Isn’t life grand?
FOLLOW Sabrina at : Website / Goodreads / Twitter/ Facebook / Pinterest
TRC: Hi Sabrina and welcome to The Reading Café. Congratulations on the release of BY LOVE UNVEILED.
Sabrina: Thanks so much!
TRC: We would like to start with some background information for anyone who does not know about Sabrina Jeffries. Would you please tell us something about yourself?
Sabrina: I’m the New York Times bestselling author of thirty-five novels, five novellas, and three short stories (some under the names of Deborah Martin and Deborah Nicholas), as well as a caffeine addict, Third Culture Kid, chocoholic, and jigsaw puzzle aficionado.
TRC: Your bio states that you were raised among the rubber plantations of Thailand. Have you ever considered going back to Thailand for a visit or to live?
Sabrina: I’ve visited four times since I lived there, but I doubt I’d ever go back to live, since all of my family is now in the U.S.
TRC: What are some of your fondest memories of Thailand?
Sabrina: I loved the people and the food. I miss eating fresh mangoes off the tree, shopping in bazaars filled with imaginative jewelry and clothes, and swimming in the clear waters off the coast. I DON’T miss the Bangkok traffic or the tropical heat and humidity!
TRC: Many authors face challenges in writing or getting their books to publication. What are some of the difficulties you have faced in your writing career?
Sabrina: The main one was in finding my niche, which involved finding my true voice. It took me a while (and three pseudonyms) to settle on a style that suited me and that appealed to readers. My other issue was in learning to work around the tireless effort of raising an autistic child while also trying to build a career. In many ways, though, my son’s autism forced me to think outside the box in both my life and my writing. Who knows if that would have happened in other circumstances?
TRC: BY LOVE UNVEILED is your latest (March 2013) release. Would you please tell us something about the premise of this historical romance storyline?
LINKS TO ORDER: Amazon / Barnes and Noble / KOBO / The Book Depository
Sabrina: This is actually a revised reissue of one of my early Deborah Martin books. Unlike my Regency historicals, this is set in Restoration England. Miss Marianne Winchilsea is running for her life from those whom she believes have attempted to kill the king. Forced to disguise herself, she trusts no one—especially not Garett Lockwood, the Earl of Falkham, who usurped her family home and who seems to be her most dangerous enemy. And what Garett sees behind her masquerade is a beautiful half gypsy enrobed in mystery, deception, and burning secrets. A woman he should avoid at all costs. In a world where treachery and betrayal reign, a sweet seduction rules their hearts—and dares them to risk their destinies on a passionate love that all the powerful forces of the world cannot defeat.
TRC: You have some of the most beautiful and amazing covers for your books and novels. Do you have any say in the selection of models, style of dress or colors on the covers?
Sabrina: I do have some say, but Pocket gets all the credit for how beautiful they are. They truly have a wonderful art department. In the case of this cover, I did find a gorgeous Restoration corset and skirt on a site for costumes and I sent it in as an example of something they could use for the cover. And they did a gorgeous version of that! Sometimes I suggest ideas and such, but I’m not an artist, so they do the lion’s share of the design.
TRC: Is there one cover in particular that is your favorite?
Sabrina: I have several. I really like THIS cover and the one for my upcoming book, What the Duke Desires (Pocket Paperback, July 2013). I adored the cover for Beware a Scot’s Revenge, especially the inside art. I really like the art for Avon’s Dance of Seduction cover (which they’re using in a fashion for the reissue as well, since it was so pretty and timeless). I can’t pick just one!
PRE-ORDER What The Duke Desires: Barnes and Noble / Amazon / The Book Depository
TRC: You face writer’s block or struggles with plot head on-working on puzzles 😉 Any idea on the number of puzzles you have completed to date?
Sabrina: No clue. I have 22 puzzles in my office right now waiting to be done a second time (I always redo a puzzle once before getting rid of it). So that’s 44, just in the past five years or so. And that’s not counting the ones I got rid of or passed on to my sister (doing puzzles is a family obsession, apparently).
TRC: Many authors bounce ideas with family and friends or, other authors. With whom do you bounce ideas and why?
Sabrina: I have three critique partners: Pam Ahearn (who is especially good at picking up on plot problems), Rexanne Becnel (especially good at picking up on conflict and sexual tension problems), and Deb Marlowe (especially good at picking up on character issues and historical accuracy problems). They’re all great in all areas, but I tend to gravitate to whomever is best in the area I need. And they do the same, I’m sure, although it’s a bit one-sided between me and my agent. *G*
TRC: What five things would you like to accomplish in the next ten years?
Sabrina: World domination, having a movie made of one of my books, having a book picked up for a TV series, trying my hand at a new subgenre, and losing weight. But I suspect these are unrealistic goals. *G*
TRC: We understand you like to be in front of a crowd. Have you ever considered a career in stand-up comedy? Speaking of comedy, who is your favorite comedienne or comedy actor?
Sabrina: I have, actually, but I’m not THAT funny, believe me. I have complete respect for how hard it is to be funny night after night. I have a lot of favorite comedians and comic actors: Eddie Murphy, Chris Rock, Tina Fey, Melissa McCarthy, Betty White, the entire cast of Big Bang Theory, Kristen Schaal, Kathy Griffith, and more others than I can count!
TRC: You have had a very successful and prolific writing career. Is there any subject that you will not address in your storylines or novels and why?
Sabrina: Not really. Maybe politics. I have strong political views, but I don’t feel that my role as a novelist is to stump for them. I’d love to have an autistic character, but that’s hard in a historical because you can’t convey what the person “has” by calling it autism. Although I am putting an Asperger’s character in the book I’m writing now. 🙂 But autism, severe autism, would be harder to characterize in a way that readers would recognize.
TRC: On what are you currently working?
Sabrina: The second book in my Duke’s Men series, about a couple estranged for ten years, who find that their past isn’t at all what they thought.
TRC: Would you like to add anything else?
Sabrina: Just that I appreciate the support of all my readers. I have some of the best readers around!
LIGHTNING ROUND
Favorite Food
Pizza, hands down!
Favorite Dessert
Anything melty and gooshy with chocolate in it. I’m not a cake person, so I prefer Chocolate Chess Pie and the like.
Favorite TV Show
Do I have to pick just ONE? Right now it’s probably Downton Abbey, but I love Castle and Bones and NCIS and a whole slew of other shows.
Favorite Movie
Do I have to pick just ONE? Pride and Prejudice would be a top contender, along with North and South (the BBC mini-series, not the Civil War thing)
Last Movie You Saw
Bridesmaids, maybe? I’m not sure.
Dark or Milk Chocolate
Dark!
Last Vacation Destination
England and Scotland, for my hubby’s 60th birthday
Favorite Flower
Gardenia, hands down. I love the scent!
TRC: Thank you Sabrina for talking with us today at The Reading Cafe. We wish you all the best with your upcoming novels.
Sabrina is offering a GIVEAWAY paper copy of her June/July 2013 upcoming release WHAT THE DUKE DESIRES.
1. Please register using the log-in at the top of the page or by using one of the social log-ins.
2. If you are using a social log-in please post your email address along with your comment.
3. Giveaway runs from March 13 to March 16, 2013
4. Giveaway is open INTERNATIONALLY.
