January Author's Spotlight

                                                                               SANDY LYNN


Hello Readers,
Happy New Year, Joy here. I e-mailed Triskelion, Romance At Heart & eXtasy author Sandy Lynn to be interviewed for our Author Spotlight this month.  Sandy's newest book, Novel Experience, was released  this month from Triskelion Publishing. However, I was contacted by Dani, the heroine of Novel Experience and a romance author in her own right. Dani felt that I should speak not only to Sandy, but also to herself and Bram, the hero of Novel Experience. The result was a very interesting, and hilarious, interview.

Joy: How does it feel to date a romance author? Do you feel pressure to “perform” like a hero? (teehee)

Bram: (holding Dani’s hand) It’s wonderful. Dani is a great person, a little shy. Really, I don’t feel as much pressure to ‘perform’ as you might think. But she’s still a little shy, it take a bit of convincing to get her to try out some of the scenes she writes about. I mean, how a woman can write such an erotic scene, but blush when I suggest we go act it out— (Bram’s mouth is covered by Dani and we can hear him mumbling as he finishes his statement)

Dani: I, uh, don’t try to put any pressure on Bram.

Joy: Bram have you read, critiqued or given a man’s Point Of View for any of Dani’s books?

Bram: Well, she does ask me these weird questions out of the blue. And I’ve had to get used to her doing the same thing to other men. Just a few nights ago, Gareth looked like he wished he were anywhere else when she asked him his take on oral sex. It seems if you’re a friend of my Dani, or the boyfriend of one of her friends, she has no problems asking what some would consider very personal questions. Other than that, she’d kill me if I touched her work without permission. This one time, she caught me snooping a bit, and she (his mouth is again covered by Dani)

Dani: I don’t think they need to hear that story.

Joy: Are there any misconceptions that you would like to address regarding what we know about vamps.

Bram: Where to begin? As a whole, we simply want the right to exist, the same as Humans. We bleed, we feel! We are not heartless monsters that just turn any Human that comes along that we like! Well, most of us don’t. You always have the bad eggs… Seriously, most of us try to give anyone we love the choice of turning or not. If they don’t, we simply cherish the time we have with them. (Bram lifts his and Dani’s intertwined hands to place a gentle kiss on one of her knuckles.)

Dani: The Vampires I’ve met are really very cool. You really can’t tell them from Humans. They blend in so well. And once you look past the fact that they drink blood, and turn your world upside down by telling you what you considered to be a fictional character is actually real…. Uh, sorry about that. Once you get past the stigma of it all, they really are awesome people to know.

Joy: What made you open Club Strigoi? Why a Goth club?

Bram: Well, I opened Club Strigoi because there was, at the time, a serious lack of night life. Movies are only played at certain times early in the night, and we needed a way to have entertainment through the whole night, not just when we first wake up. I mean, the worst massacres all happened because a Vampire was bored. There was nothing else to do other than find someone to eat. As for why it became a Goth Club, well, I don’t get as into the style as La does, but she is right. There is something intoxicating about being able to display who you really are, and have people think you are only following a trend. Takes the pressure off, besides, the music is kick ass!

Joy: Bram, there is an interesting cast of characters that hang out at Club Strigoi. I find Gareth and Lalita to be a particularly interesting and hot couple, after you and Dani, of course. Do they know that Sandy’s recently released book Beneath The Surface is the story of their courtship?

Bram: We encourage Diversity. Club Strigoi is a sanctuary of sorts. Humans, Vampires, Sorcerers and Sorceresses are all welcome. But we do not tolerate any shit getting started. There is the occasional exception, but as a rule, if someone doesn’t want to be touched, he or she will not be touched in the club.

Dani: I’m not sure if they do know. I know I don’t want to tell them! We’ll leave that to Sandy. I’m thinking Gareth would take it ok, hell, he’d probably just give that smile. You know, the one that says, “Yeah, they’re talking about me.” (shakes head) But La… um, I don’t want to be there when La finds out. I think she’ll either laugh, or … I really don’t want to know how she will react.

Joy: (with a big smile on her face) Whose idea was the “back room”?

Bram: It was just an extra room. It began as a sort of employee lounge, but quickly became something else. While we do not encourage its secondary function, we do make sure that if a couple goes in there, both are willing. Besides, it makes it easier to grab a quick snack if you need one during the night. (Dani elbows Bram) Ow! What? You know that only happened before I met you! (Dani rolls her eyes and sighs)

Joy: How has Dani’s love changed your outlook on life?

Bram: (looks tenderly at her) I have hope. The days don’t seem as bleak. There’s meaning now. Having the club and friends is wonderful, but there is just something about having someone to share it with. The ups and downs. Dani’s not perfect, but then again, neither am I. But I think we give the other something neither of us even knew was missing.

Joy: Complete this sentence: Dani is ______.

Bram: Are you trying to get me in trouble?

Dani: Oh, just answer the question. You know I’ve given you immunity during the interview. (She looks at Joy and sighs) Men…

Bram: Dani is free.

Joy: That’s an interesting choice, would you care to elaborate?

Bram: Dani is freedom. She wrote what she was driven to write, without succumbing to what her (Bram coughs) family believed she should. She freely gives her friendship to anyone, she gives me the freedom to be myself. She has the occasional freak out, but I don’t know many people that don’t feel free to be themselves around her. She accepts you as you are, without trying to change you.

Joy: Now that we’ve had a chance to get to know Bram a bit better, I’d like to speak to you, Dani. What made you go into the romance genre?

Bram: She likes sex. (winks at Joy)

Dani: (elbows Bram in the stomach) It’s my turn, remember? Love. I fell in love with love. Romances, in my opinion, are fairy tales for women. We make sure our children have tales that lift their spirits. Stories where, when all hope seems lost, the hero or heroine rushes in to save the day. The bad guy is always defeated, and good triumphs over evil. Well, why not for women? Anyone that has dated will tell you there are men out there that destroy any hope of finding Mr. Right. They make us feel like chivalry is dead. Well, open a romance novel and by the time you finish, with any luck, (she chuckles) the author will have made you believe in love again. That there is hope, that there is someone out there just for you.

Joy: Bram is one hot, hunky vamp. How do you “stake your claim” when women flirt with your man.

Dani: (giving Bram a keep quiet look) I trust him. I trust that he loves me and even if he flirts with another woman, that at the end of the day, I’m the only woman he thinks about.

Bram: Yeah, that and the hickey thing.

Dani: (turning her face from him) I don’t know what you’re talking about.

Bram: Sure you do. Any woman gets too close, and Dani's over there beside me. She knows I can’t resist her. How many hickeys have you gotten in a corner of the club, when you came over and teased me because you were getting jealous?

Dani: (quite a lovely shade of red) I don’t keep count…

Joy: (laughing and shaking her head at the couple’s antics) I absolutely love the title “Novel Experience.” How do you come up with the titles for your books?

Dani: Ah, the credit for that, unfortunately, has to be given to Sandy. If you give me just one moment, I’ll get her on speakerphone. (Dani picks up the phone and dials a number. Putting the handset down, she turns on the speaker. We can hear the phone ringing.)

Sandy: Hello? This better be important! Do you know how late it is?

Dani: Sandy, Joy was just complimenting the title, Novel Experience. She wants to know how you come up with the titles.

Sandy: (voice crackling through the connection) Well, that one was a total play on words. Because Dani was writing a novel when she met Bram, and everything truly was a new experience for her. It just seemed really cute, and it worked for that story. Other than that, I freely admit to sucking at titles. (We can hear her chuckling)

Dani: We’re gonna keep you on, just because I know you’d kill me if I kept calling you back.

Sandy: Ok. But I’m working with someone else…so if I’m too quiet, just give a shout.

Joy: Dani, you date a vamp, how is that different from dating humans?

Dani: In some ways not at all. I mean, he is still a regular guy. I still have to deal with all the same stuff that regular human guys do. Really, the only way it truly different is the blood thing. But Bram makes it, well, it’s quite worth it to let him drink from me. (Dani blushes again)

Joy: So tell me about Bram & Dani!

Bram: I think we are perfect for each other.

Dani: I love him. (the two begin to kiss)

Sandy (over the phone): Tell them to stop! (Joy laughs) Bram and Dani were put together because they both needed something. Both had lost hope. Bram was afraid that he would forever be the ‘best friend,’ that no woman would ever be sexually attracted to him, and Dani had given up on anyone seeing past her body, her job. They both give each other courage and bring out the best in each other.

Joy: Do you find yourself adding real life experiences with Bram into your love scenes?

Dani: Well, uh, didn’t we already discuss this?

Bram: Just answer the question, love, it won’t kill you.

Dani: Are we sure about that? Yes, as a writer I do write some scenes that I have an (coughs) intimate knowledge of. But some scenes are simply fantasies, things that I would like to try one day.

Bram: Hopefully some day soon!

Joy: Are there any Works In Progress you can discuss with us?

Dani: (laughs) Which one of us are you talking to? Me, I’m working on a little something, but I have less time to write now. Someone keeps me a little busy. (Dani bumps Bram)

Sandy: Uh, well, all I can say is I’m working on a couple pieces right now. (Three of four men begin to talk, and suddenly the phone goes quiet. We sat there a moment trying to figure out if we’d been disconnected when she came back on.) Sorry about that, the natives are getting restless. I’m working on a few things, here and there.

Joy: I notice that you have an online diary on your friend Sandy Lynn’s website (www.sandylynn.com).

Sandy: Yeah, getting her to go along with that was no easy feat!

Dani: Well, it’s personal! I never thought that anyone would be interested in my private thoughts. Well, no one but Bram…

Joy: What will you be sharing with your readers in this diary.

Dani: I’m not really sure. I have plans of letting people see my first impressions of Bram, maybe a writing exercise or two… the possibilities are endless! Sandy, aka the slave driver, has me poring through my diaries now to find entries I’ll share.

Joy: Dani, complete this sentence: Bram is _______.

Dani: Bram is peace. Seriously, without him, I just don’t feel the same. Now, I’m not one of those women that will let my entire life circle around him, but after a night spent locked in the office he added to his home for me, so I can lay in bed and cuddle up with him. It’s more than I could’ve ever hoped for. My worries melt away, and I know he loves me, just the way I am. In spite of the fact that he’s met my family.

Joy: Thank you all for joining me this evening. I have thoroughly enjoyed this interview. Sandy, before you hang up, is there anything you would like to say to your fans?

Sandy: (phone still crackling slightly) Um, I’m working as fast as I can? (Sandy chuckles) Seriously, I just want to say I hope people enjoy reading my work as much as I enjoy writing it. (Over the phone, male voices began to start talking all at once again.) I hate to chat and run, but the natives are getting really restless.

Joy: Of course. Thank you again for joining us. (Hangs up the phone)

I hope you all enjoyed getting to know Sandy, Dani and Bram as much as I did!

Sandy Lynn’s books can be purchased at the following e-publishers:
                                 

Faith and Love from the Animal Attraction Anthology - www.rahpubs.com
http://www.joyfullyreviewed.com/reviews/AnimalAttraction.html

Defrosting Ms. Blake, Beneath The Surface & Novel Experience www.Triskelionpublishing.com
http://www.joyfullyreviewed.com/reviews/BeneaththeSurface.html

Garden Of Dreams - http://www.extasybooks.com

Everyday Masks - Coming Soon from Triskelion Publishing - www.Triskelionpublishing.com 

Sandy has a Readers Group “Club Strigoi”. Join here http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Club_Strigoi/

In addition to her readers group, Sandy and fellow Triskelion author Jessica Jarman, aka “The Devlish Duo”, have a monthly newsletter that features a story that is only available to their subscribers! Don’t miss out on it. To join their newsletter, please send an
e-mail with “Subscribe” in the subject line to: the_devilish_duo@comcast.net

To visit their website, go to http://home.comcast.net/~the_devilish_duo

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