Author, Linda LaRoque

Hello Everyone,

Welcome my good friend, guest, author, Linda LaRoque. Waving at Linda. I am glad to have you here today, and I’m loaded with questions.


Response: Hi Sandy. I’m waving back at you. Thank you for having me as your guest.


SM: Linda, how does your family and friends feel about your writing? Do they support you?


LL: They’re happy for me and very supportive. They like to tease me about knowing me before I was rich and famous. Haha. We beginning authors know we spend more money than we make. Hopefully one day the reverse will be true.


Question: When did you first start writing?


Answer: I didn’t start until the early 1990s. At the time I was suffering from depression and writing was therapeutic for me. Later, after reading a romance I said to my husband, “I think I could write a romance. It can’t be that hard.” Boy, I ate those words over and over again. Writing romance is as hard as writing any other genre and requires learning and practice.


Question: Are you writing in more than one genre?


Answer: Yes. I write contemporary western romances, time-travel romances, and am in the process of finishing a futuristic romance.


Question: Tell us a bit about your story.


Answer: Flames On The Sky is book two of The Turquoise Legacy. In book one, My Heart Will Find Yours, Texanna owns a locket containing a mystical piece of turquoise. In book two, heroine Madison Evans inherits the locket and begins having bad dreams about being chased by Indians in a past time period. To learn the stone’s origin, Madison travels to New Mexico and learns she’s part of an ancient prophecy to capture an escaped evil spirit determined on destroying the Native American heritage in the Four Corners area.


Question: Most of your stories that I have read are pretty sweet, do you plan to write something grittier or steamier?


Answer: Flames On The Sky, as are all of my The Wild Rose Press releases, is rated spicy. My western contemporaries at Champagne Books are rated sensual. I doubt I’ll write anything with hot or erotic ratings, but you never know.


Question: Do you find sex scenes hard to write?

Yes, I do. I think it’s hard to write them where they don’t read stilted or mechanical.

Linda, would you give us a blurb and an excerpt of your story?

Blurb:

The Anasazi whispered of this evil and of the
woman who could defeat it.
Fire, sky, and stone must unite to fulfill an ancient prophecy.


Madison Evans inherits a turquoise locket, travels to New Mexico, and discovers the stone dates back to the Chacoan Anasazi. When she's attacked, parks ranger Lonan Stone, of Chacoan ancestry, fears Madison's turquoise is a missing twin of the revered Fallen Skystone, an egg size piece of turquoise on display in Albuquerque. The mystical stone is missing two slivers – one’s in Madison’s necklace, the others whereabouts unknown, but if united by evil they can destroy.

Madison and Lonan are part of a 1000 year old prophecy to save Chaco Canyon. Thrust back in time, they meet a witch, solve a murder, fall in love, and imprison a 1000 year old evil spirit. Their mission complete, can these two people from different cultures blend their lives as the prophecy predicted?


Excerpt:

Madison felt as if she’d traveled to the Twilight Zone. Lilly’s claims were preposterous, but, she couldn’t deny what she’d seen on the cliff face or the dreams.
“Yes, you need to tell me about the dreams. They started at the time you received the necklace, right?”
Madison nodded. “How did you know?”
“I assumed the ancient Elders would haunt you, but when Lonan called yesterday, I knew so for a fact.” Her smile was sympathetic. “Tell me about them.”
Lilly’s eyes lit with excitement as Madison talked. When she finished, the older woman leaned back and closed her eyes.
Lonan’s brow was furrowed, his mouth pinched. “What did you mean when you said, ‘You are the one.’?”
She pierced him with an intent look. “Did not Madison say you were the very image of the warrior in her dream? The prophecy requires that someone from the past, which is you, son, be chosen to be Madison’s protector.” Lilly turned to Madison.
Oh, no. I don’t think I want to hear this. She held up her hands and shook her head. “No—”
“Yes, Madison, with hair of fire, whether you like it or not, the Gods chose you, someone from the future, to find the third stone and reunite the twins with the mother stone. Together, you two will find a way to consign the evil one to the pit below mother earth where he belongs.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tghS1kr6TnY Flames on The Sky



Question: How did you come up with the idea for this story, Linda?


Answer: The piece of turquoise in Texanna’s locket had mystical abilities. I decided one of her ancestors would inherit the locket and need to discover where the turquoise originated. In my research I learned much of the turquoise in the United States came from a region of New Mexico, and that the Anasazi in Chaco Canyon had a monopoly on its trade. From these facts the story evolved.


I remember Texanna's story and loved it. Flames on the Sky sounds just as good. I'm eager to read it.

Question: Do you write at the same time every day, or do you just fit writing in when you can? What is your schedule like?


Answer: I spend time in the morning checking emails, loops, and blogs. Then I begin writing. I write until around 3:00. Sometimes I write in the evenings and am often at my most creative late at night.


Question: Do you make an outline before you begin writing or do you just come up with an idea and get started?

Answer: I usually get an idea and start writing but at some point I write a short outline to check for story elements, conflict, etc. Character profiles also help me to flesh out the hero and heroine.

Linda, tell everyone when your book will be released and where it can be found.


Answer:

Flames On The Sky is out now with The Wild Rose Press.

http://www.thewildrosepress.com/flames-on-the-sky-p-3719.html?zenid=5067b73fa46f73c5584271aaab612fef ebook

http://www.thewildrosepress.com/flames-on-the-sky-paperback-p-3678.html paperback.

And at Amazon.com

http://www.amazon.com/Flames-Sky-Linda-LaRoque/dp/1601545827/ref=pd_nr_b_21?ie=UTF8&s=books in paperback.


Linda, it's been great having you here today, but I know you're eager to get back to writing your next story. I wish you much success with your career.


Response: Thank you for having me, Sandy. I appreciate the opportunity to share Flames On The Sky with you and your readers. Good luck with your new release Addiction. Happy Sales! You know I’ll be getting my copy.

Linda
Linda LaRoque ~Western Romance with a Twist in Time~ A Law of Her Own, Desires of the Heart, My Heart Will Find Yours, Flames on the Sky10-9, Forever Faithful, Investment of the Heart, When the Ocotillo Bloom

www.lindalaroque.com/ www.lindalaroqueauthor.blogspot.com/


Have a great week everyone. I’ll be back next Sunday.


Sandy