The author hot seat specials are designed to help
readers get to know both popular, and up and coming authors, a little better.
The questions are broken into sections - About your writing, about you, fun
stuff and finally. Some of the questions are easy, others may need a little more
thought and some may cause our author friends to hesitate before answering—still,
they all answer.
Today I have Aleigha
Siron, author of Finding
My Highlander sitting in the hot seat. Welcome, Aleigha, we can't wait to hear what you have to tell us.
Aleigha - Hi everyone. Another stop on my blog
tour, and I want to thank Jan for hosting this interview.
Hot Seat Interview:
Getting Started:
Tell
us about your latest book. What was your inspiration for writing it, is it part
of an ongoing series, the characters, the genre etc?
I
enjoy historical romance novels, and Scottish romances in particular. This
will sound ridiculous, but about three years ago, I had a dream about these
characters. We won’t go into Jungian dream analysis on the story, but that is
when I penned the first lines and developed the character sheets.
I did
not start the story as an ongoing series even though that’s usually what you
find in this genre. However, as the story developed the possibility for sequels
emerged. By the end, I knew there would be a prequel. Now, many months later, I’m
developing characters and plot direction for a sequel as well. So far, I only
have location, and the primary characters. I have not completed the plot
points.
About your writing:
How many books
have you written during your career so far and which is your favorite?
This
is my first published fiction novel. I’ve written and published in a number of
non-fiction arenas.
Have any of your
books received negative reviews and how did you handle the situation?
Not
yet. I think it is inevitable to get a few negative reviews. Not every one
likes the same things in their reading material. Everyone’s entitled to his or
her opinion. If the review is well intended, then perhaps I’ll learn something.
However, if it’s just spiteful, I’ll ignore it. That type of negativity serves
no one, not even the reviewer.
Do you believe in writer’s block and if so, how do you overcome it?
Writer’s
block and I are well acquainted. I’ve found the best way to handle it is to
step away from the work. Write something else for a while, poetry, journaling,
even letters (yes, I still write old-fashioned letters - occasionally on
paper,) anything that keeps you writing but not stuck in the current story. If
I’m still stuck when I go back, and I can’t find a new direction, then I move
on. Sometimes you just have to abandon the work. That’s why every writer has a
drawer full of might-have-been stories.
What is the one genre you would never write and why?
Due to
a close, personal experience with a murder, I don’t think I could ever write graphic
murder mysteries. That doesn’t mean I exclude murder from my writing, as you’ll
see in Finding My Highlander. But as
a genre, it isn’t a topic about which I could spend months researching and
writing.
Have you ever
written a book that you’ve regretted publishing and why?
Not
yet. Even stories I’ve written that will never see a publisher or an audience
were not a waste of time. If you’re writing, you’re honing your skills.
If a reader
said they wanted to write a book, what advice would you give them?
Be
realistic. It is a lonely, time-consuming endeavor. It may never be extremely
lucrative, but if you love to write, then go for it with gusto. Don’t let
anyone tell you it’s impossible. It’s not, and you can start at any age. First
though, you must read, read, read!
About you:
Tell us what a
typical day in your life is like?
Coffee
first. Morning mayhem! Dog walk. Mornings are usually hectic. I’m not even sure
why, but I always have more on my daily plate than I can manage. As the day
progresses I push the non-urgent things to the side. Right now, afternoon or
early evening are my favored writing times. Next week or next month, that may
change.
What sort of things put you in a bad mood?
Technology.
I have a love/hate relationship with technology. There’s a staggering amount to
learn, and it’s constantly changing. Unlike younger writers, I didn’t cut my
teeth or learn my ABC’s using a computer.
Do you have a bucket list and what’s one thing you still want to do that you haven’t done?
I’m
laughing here! My bucket list is immense! I could not do all of it if I lived
for two hundred years, perhaps another reason I’m so fascinated with
time-travel. One thing definitely on the list is a trip to Venice
What makes you
laugh?
My husband and my best friend, and thank God for
that because I have a rather serious outlook even though I consider laughter a
must have quality to survival.
What is the most embarrassing
thing you’ve ever done?
Oh dear, that’s another rather long
list. One event that sticks out occurred when I addressed an audience of
sixty-five professionals (CPA’s and Financial Planners,) and discovered I’d
picked up the wrong bag at the airport and someone else had all my
instructional materials.
Do you like to read and what are you reading at the moment?
I read constantly and a wide
variety of material. I’m always reading more than one book, however, only one
fiction novel at a time. In fiction, I just started Suzan Tisdale’s The King’s Courtesan. In non-fiction I’m
reading Sacred Stories, A celebration of
the Power of Stories to Transform and Heal (a collection of essays,) and In the Palm of Your Hand, the poet’s
portable workshop, by Steve Kowit.
If you couldn’t write anymore,
what would you do instead?
That’s very hard to answer. The day
will come, but I hope not until my mind is gone. If I go blind before that
event, I’ll listen to books on tape and drive everyone around me bonkers.
Fun Stuff:
If you could go out with one famous person who would it be and why?
Do I have to pick only one? Okay, if restricted to
one I’d pick the Dalai Lama. I’m intrigued with the Buddhist philosophy on life
and death.
Do you have a habit that drives your partner/friends/family nuts and
what is it?
Blabbering on about the newest topic that has
snagged my interest—generally something no one else gives a rat’s arse about.
In your opinion, what makes a person attractive?
Intelligence, humor, loyalty, and honesty.
What is the strangest food
you’ve ever eaten?
I’m pretty basic with my food
choices and avoid strange foods. But I have eaten Haggis, and it wasn’t bad. A
rather shocking acknowledgment since I never eat organ meat.
Would you rather have a
classic 1969 convertible Mustang or have the use of a beach side condo any time
you want?
I’ll take that beach side condo
right now, please.
And finally:
Would
you rather survive an apocalyptic event (yes, even a zombie apocalypse) or die
instantly without knowing what happened to your family and friends?
That
question made me fall off my chair laughing. My husband insists I should be
writing in the apocalyptic genre. I will readily discuss the next ten possible
apocalyptic disasters the world faces. Do I want to survive; it might depend on
the disaster. I’ve long moved beyond the realm of “survival of the fittest,” so
it’s not likely I’d pick survival. On the other hand, I’m kick-ass feisty and
have a lot of fight left, so maybe I’d hang around just to see how much trouble
I could stir up.
Thanks for sitting in the hot set Aleigha, it's been fun having you here today and I wish you many sales for Finding My Highlander.
Aleigha has a giveaway happening as part of her blog tour so after reading the info about her book check out the giveaway info ant the bottom of this post.
Blurb:
On a windswept cliff above San Francisco Bay Scotland
Laird Kendrick MacLean and his men, escaping a recent skirmish
with their worst nemeses, clan Cameron and their Sassenach allies, are shocked
to find an injured, unprotected female in their path. How could she not know
her kin and how had she landed in the middle of the wilderness alone? His men
suspect she's a spy or a witch. Still, Kendrick will not abandon an injured
woman, even if she speaks unusually accented English, and her name is Cameron.
Will he ransom her to others or will their closed hearts open to each other?
Although he questions her every utterance, this feisty, outspoken woman
inflames his desire like no other.
Excerpt: from Chapter Eight
The old, familiar burn of a good run seared her legs. Something wild and frightening coiled in her gut, but she could not escape the urgent need to run faster and faster. Eventually plumes of dark smoke billowed over the hill ahead. Keeping the upper part of the ridge to her left, she skirted around trees, and through brambles and tangled underbrush that scratched at her limbs.
When Kendrick had departed last night, she was certain he went in the opposite direction, so she didn’t think he would be at the end of her mad rush. Something beyond reason drove her on.
Alert to every sound—the pounding of her feet on the soft earth, the late or early movement of wildlife scattering in the undergrowth away from the fire, the sudden cessation of birdsong—all penetrated her awareness with a cloying dread. Then the sound of people struggling and the anguished cries of fear assaulted her. She worked her way through thick brush to the top of the hill and peered down on an unholy horror. Covering her mouth, she choked back the scream that almost escaped her throat.
Flames engulfed several small crofts and the surrounding fields. The dying shrieks from inside the walls of the burning cottages tore the air and mingled with the moans from those fallen outside. Everywhere she looked lay mangled bodies. A company of English militia and a few men wearing dark, Scottish plaids were viciously murdering the people who struggled to crawl away. A couple of men dragged the limp form of a woman tearing away her clothes.
Andra’s knees buckled as she ducked down and slunk behind a tree. Bile rose in her throat. The metallic taste of blood flowed over her tongue from biting hard on knuckles jammed in her mouth to prevent a terrified scream from escaping
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Author
Bio and Media Links
After more than
twenty years writing and delivering management and other training programs for
modest-sized to Fortune Five Hundred companies, and ten years developing
community crisis-intervention training programs, Aleigha turned her writing
efforts to her first loves, fiction, and poetry. Her poetry has appeared
in numerous anthologies and university presses over the past few decades. Following a difficult period in her life, she
discovered solace in romance novels that inspired her to write in this
genre. As she says, "who doesn't desire a guaranteed
happy-ever-after scenario?" Always interested in the concept of
time-travel, she knew her first few stories would follow that theme.
When not writing,
her trusty four-legged companion/helper, Strider, accompanies her on sunset
walks along the shore. During these quiet walks under an expansive sky, with
the whoosh of waves across the sand and her gaze drifting over the rolling sea,
her best glimmers of inspiration come to mind. Following the recent
discovery of distant Scottish ancestors, she embarked on a trip to the Highlands . Although she had already developed the
characters for Finding My Highlander,
her trip to the Highlands enriched the
characters and enhanced the story direction. This is her first full-length
romance novel. Aleigha is working on a prequel to Finding My Highlander, and another time-travel novel set in a later
period.
WWW
(Aleigha’s WebPage)
Aleigha
Siron’s Book page at Tirgearr Publishing
Tirgearr
Publishing Home Page
@AleighaSiron
#FindingMyHighlander
Facebook:
GIVEAWAY!
Make sure to follow the whole tour—the more posts you visit
throughout, the more chances you’ll get to enter the giveaway. The tour dates
are here: http://www.writermarketing.co.uk/prpromotion/blog-tours/currently-on-tour/aleigha-siron/
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