Rise and Shine with Romance: An Interview with Brenda Novak

By - August 23, 2013

It's 9 a.m., and TRADE THE DAY is in full swing!  We're continuing the RISE AND SHINE WITH ROMANCE segment this hour with special guest, New York Times bestselling author, Brenda Novak!  Brenda sat down and answered a few questions for me, and I can't wait to share her answers, but first, a reminder or two. Number one: don't forget to check the bottom of this post for details on how to enter to win Brenda's giveaway, as well as info on an additional giveaway from critically acclaimed debut novelist, Ramsey Hootman! Second reminder: 

 

Now, on to the interview!  

CM: Of your many works, which book was your favorite to write? Why was it special?

BN:  My personal favorite was INSIDE. I had just watched PRISON BREAK (I was late to the series--didn't watch it until it was off the air and my daughters bought the four seasons for me), and absolutely loved it. It had captured my imagination as few shows can, but I wanted to see a bit more of the romance between the two lead characters. That was more interesting to me than all the near misses and running. So I decided to write my own high stakes, prison backdrop romance, which is how I came to write INSIDE. The high-powered conflict made the book very intriguing and fast to write, and the research was fascinating. I won the help of a correctional officer at Soledad in my annual online auction for diabetes research (sometimes we auction off research help from various professionals), and he did a great deal for me. Not only did he give me a tour of Soledad, he answered endless questions, even read the manuscript to double-check all the research.   

CM: What is the biggest challenge in writing romance?

BN:  I think the biggest challenge is keeping it fresh--both for me as a writer (since I've now written 45 books) and for my readers so that every book is unique.

CM:  In your new book When Summer Comes, Callie Vanetta needs a liver transplant, yet she decides to keep the news to herself.  Why did you decide to have her not tell anyone about this devastating diagnosis?

BN:  Because divulging something like that changes the way people treat you. My heroine wanted to have just a few months to herself before having everyone look at her like she's about to keel over. She goes to live on her grandparents farm because she has such fond memories of them, and this is her one chance to live her life exactly as she pleases before facing what she believes is the end. So it isn't that she plans to never tell, just to cull a short time where she can enjoy life without everyone worrying about her.

CM:  The story shows some of the struggles someone might face when confronting a serious, terminal illness, such as Callie worrying she can’t physically manage the work of the farm she moves to in order to avoid being around friends and family, lest she have to tell them about her situation. Did any particular real life experiences lend to your telling this story?

BN:  Yes!  This story is based on one of my best friends from college. She was diagnosed with the same thing and had a liver transplant, so I witnessed her struggle firsthand.  (She was also quite secretive about it--maybe because it's such a formidable challenge.) By the way, Callie doesn't move to the farm to avoid her friends and family. She is still associating with them. She goes because taking over the farm has been on her bucket list for a long time, and she wants to feel close to nature and the things that she photographs as well as her deceased grandparents. She spent a great deal of time at the farm with she was a kid, so has very fond memories of it.)

CM:  Your main character finds support in Levi McCloud, a drifter who offers to work on the farm where Callie is staying in return for shelter.  What is it about Levi that Callie is attracted to most, and what might make her ultimately trust him with her secret where she wouldn’t tell others?

 

BN:  Levi is definitely a surprise to Callie. She takes him in because she wants to feel as if she's made a difference in the world--at least to one person--and ends up realizing what a beautiful heart this damaged man has. She definitely isn't planning on falling in love just to say goodbye (since she's dying). That she falls in love anyway, and then she know that she's put Levi in a terrible position because he doesn't know she's dying and yet he's emotionally invested.

CM:  What’s something readers would be surprised to know about you after they read one of your books?

BN:  From what my readers have told me in the past, they are surprised that I'm a mom of five and look too "sweet and normal" to write some of the diabolical thinking that goes into the villains of my suspense novels. 

CM:  What’s the best book you’ve ever read and why?

BN:  I have to pick just one? This is the toughest question of all! But I'd probably have to say JANE EYRE or GONE WITH THE WIND (or maybe EYE OF THE NEEDLE or SHOGUN).

CM:  If your house caught fire, what are the four things (rather than people) you’d save?  (Because everyone asks “three,” and I think you should get four!)

BN:  I'd take my family photos, my computer, my passport/birth certificates of my children and my purse. :-)

CM: What is your favorite word?

BN:  The exact word I'm looking for when I'm trying to write.

CM:  Least favorite word?

BN:  The major four-letter swear word that is not the "F" word. If anyone uses it, it's like nails going down a chalkboard for me. ;-) 

CM:  What is the one question you’ve always wanted to be asked that no one has ever asked in an interview?

BN:  Where can I buy a thousand of your books? Kidding! LOL I think you've done a great interview and covered everything. Thanks!

 

***Brenda is giving away a Brenda Novak tote filled with signed copies of three books to one lucky commenter on this post. So, don't forget to comment!***

ABOUT BRENDA:  Brenda Novak is the national bestselling author of 43 books. Her newest trilogy--WHEN LIGHTNING STRIKES (8/12), WHEN SNOW FALLS (10/12) and WHEN SUMMER COMES (2/13), starts a brand new small-town contemporary series set in the fictional town of Whiskey Creek in the Sierra Nevada Foothills. WHEN SNOW FALLS received 4.5 stars and a “Top Pick” from RT Book Reviews! They say this story is   “Sensitive, passionate, heartbreakingly poignant!” A busy wife and mother of five, Novak, who lives in Sacramento, California, calls herself the typical “soccer mom.” She juggles her writing career with daily car pools, helping her kids do homework and driving them to sports practice. Find out more at www.brendanovak.com.

 

With An Additional Giveaway From

RAMSEY HOOTMAN

 

***Another lucky commenter will win an autographed copy of Courting Greta by Ramsey Hootman!***

ABOUT COURTING GRETA:  Samuel Cooke knows most women wouldn't give him a second glance even if he were the last man on earth. He's the cripple with crutches, the nerdy computer genius every female past puberty feels compelled to mother. So when he leaves his lucrative career to teach programming to high schoolers, romance definitely isn't on his radar.

Perhaps that's why Greta Cassamajor catches him off guard. The sarcastic gym coach with zero sense of humor is no beauty - not even on the inside. But an inexplicably kind act toward Samuel makes him realize she is interesting. 

Samuel is certain she wont accept his invitation to dinner - so when she does, hes out of his depth. All he knows is that he'll do whatever it takes to keep her as long as he can. Pretending he's got his class under control? Easy. Being vulnerable enough to admit why he ditched his programming career for teaching? Um, no. That would require honesty. And if there's one thing Samuel can't exist without, it's the lies he tells himself. 

Find out more at www.ramseyhootman.com.

 

Comment for your chance to win both Brenda's and Ramsey's giveaways- leave an e-mail address for contact in case you win!

 

Have you ever had a secret romance or kept a big secret from family members?