Today I have the pleasure of having Lila Munro here with me. Let's get to know her a little better.
Lila, tell
us a little about yourself...
I grew up in rural America via the mid-west
route and have known I wanted to be a writer since I understood what words
were. In fact, I think I wanted to be a writer before I could spell. The Little
Red Hen was my favorite childhood story and I was eight when Santa brought me
my first toy typewriter. Once the nest was empty, the idea of becoming
published was resurrected and here I am a few releases later and loving life.
The love of my life is a US Marine currently stationed in Okinawa—I miss him
like crazy but am getting lots of writing done in his absence. We have two
grown children and two four-legged kids running around here. Currently I live
on the coast of North Carolina in Marine Corps Central, although I’ve learned
over the years that can change on a dime and I never completely unpack after a move as I’ve decided what’s
the point? J I was once a
journalism student and now have a few degrees one of which is in sociology.
Needing to know why and how and what comes naturally to me and as a result I
LOVE research.
Do
you prefer:
Milk chocolate or
Dark? dark
Coffee
or tea? coffee
Vodka
or tequila? vodka
Romance
or a Thriller? Combo pack J
Mystery or
Horror? mystery
What
authors had an impact on you growing up and as an adult?
Oh
my have they changed over the years. Some of my first loves were Laura Ingalls
Wilder and her Little House books, Carolyn Keene and the Nancy Drew novels, and
Donald J Sobol with his Encyclopedia Brown books. Then during the high school
years Stephen King and later Anne Rice took center stage. Yes, I had a period
where I was a parascary fan. J
Did
anyone in your life influence you or encouraged you to be a
writer? (teacher, family member, friend)
Absolutely.
It was in sixth grade my first mentor encouraged
me in the form of my creative writing teacher who proudly told the class I had
a flair for carrying a story-line…I guess! I was the only student who wrote a
chapter book for the final project as opposed to the few pages he assigned.
What can I say? My muse was in charge even then though I had yet to understand
who or what she was.
What
is your writing atmosphere like?
I
have a home office my husband helped me put together, although it’s changed
locations a couple of times. When I first started writing we lived aboard
Cherry Point and we had a den which was converted and turned into my writing
space then we got orders back to Camp Lejeune and we were given the luxury of a
four-bedroom house although we’re now empty-nested. Plenty of space to work with
so I made my office home in a spare bedroom. But that was upstairs and sort of
isolated, so I’ve since moved into the room just off the family space
downstairs so I feel like I’m still part of the world. J I have plenty of windows to
look out, plants, books shelves, and my Rhino beany baby to remind me to be
rhino tough.
What
is your favorite aspect or writing? Your Least Favorite?
My
favorite aspect is building a plausible world my readers can immerse themselves
in and connect with my characters is such a way they feel as though they are
real people. Least favorite? Well, I’m not sure there is a least favorite. I
enjoy all aspects of my career. And it is a career for me as I’m one of the few
writers who enjoy the luxury of being able to writer full-time. If I had to
choose a less than favorite thing, I’d say marketing can get a bit tedious at
times and I really hate the drama social media creates although it seems to be
a necessary evil.
Your
current book your promoting is:
Assumed
Calling which is the fifth and final book in the Identity series.
How
did you come up with the story line?
Being
as it’s part of the series, the story line was already there. I just had to
listen to what Allen had to say about his life. What I didn’t expect was for
the story to develop mid-way through by a few characters resurfacing from
previous works through True Identity, book two, and the Force Recon novels.
That also set the stage for some upcoming works to include my new series Steele
Image set to debut next summer.
Thanks
for having me by today, Tamaria! I’ve enjoyed being here with you and your
readers. J
~Assumed Calling~
Like the beat of a primal drum whispering the
rhythm of an ancient dance, the lifestyle calls…
At the seasoned age of fifty-six, Allen Bourke has resigned himself to
the fact he’ll probably never find someone to top he can also love. While he’s
had wives and lovers, none of them endured and he’s come to the conclusion the
clock’s ticking and age is working against him. Then a very intriguing Nicki
Cartwright pings on his radar at what Allen determines will be his last house
party. He can’t help but notice while he and his friends are getting older, the
players emerging on the scene are forever getting younger. Nicki's no
exception. Determined to resist the vibes humming between them, he only agrees to
service her after his old friend, Kyle Montgomery, convinces him it's entirely
feasible. Then it’s brought to Allen’s attention who Nicki really is. Knowing
their pasts are forever intertwined, as hard as he tries to ignore his heart,
he finds himself yielding to the tides of fate.
Born to senatorial royalty, Nicki Cartwright has spent her entire life
trying to shield her mother from her father’s wrath while drifting further and
further into a world where panic is normal and anxiety is always on the edge of
her reality. Tired of burning the candle at both ends and forever trying to
live up to the picture of All-American perfection her father James Cartwright
touts as his ace in the hole during election cycles, Nicki finds herself on the
path of self-discovery in search of relief from the stressors continually
swamping her mind. What she doesn’t expect is to find who she thought she was
is truly just a shadow of the person she really is. And what scares her most is
the fact Allen, the only person she thought she could trust, has been holding a
secret since before she was born which could destroy her entire family.
Excerpt:
“You
jackass,” Nicki hissed, rising from her position and turning, shrugging the two
men at her sides off, more spark in her eyes than Allen had ever seen. “You
used me. I trusted you and you used me. It’s why you changed your mind about me
isn’t it? And you were in on it, weren’t you Kyle? You two played me for a
fool. For what? I don’t know anything about my father’s dealings. What did you
think to gain from stringing me along?”
“No, doll.
Neither of us knew who you were until you signed in at Steele Image that night.
And I didn’t put two and two together until you told me who you were,” Allen
tried to appease. A kernel of suspicion started to plant itself and he crushed
it before it dug in too deeply. The fact that Kyle had all but pushed Allen
into a relationship with Nicki was a pure stroke of chance he was going to have
to come to terms with. Kyle couldn’t possibly have known what the result would
be. “I know it’s seems too much to believe, but trust me. Everything has been
one long series of coincidences.”
“You’re a
liar,” she screamed.
“He’s not
lying, Nicki,” Kyle told her, shooting her a glare which seemed to bank her
fury. “I’ve known Allen for thirty years and I’ve never known the man to lie.
He may have held secrets for that long or longer…” Kyle shot Allen a look that
told him he wasn’t happy with the fact he didn’t know as much about his friend
as he once thought he did. “But he’s never lied. Now if everyone could put
their emotions to the side for a few minutes, we’ve got a lot to discuss. First
of all, are we all in?”
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Lila Munro
currently resides on the coast of North Carolina with her husband and their two
four-legged kids. She’s a military wife with an empty nest and takes much of
her inspiration for her heroes from the marines she’s lived around for the past
fifteen years. Coining the term realmantica, she strives to produce quality
romance in a realistic setting. Her genre of choice is contemporary romance
that spans everything from the sensual to BDSM and ménage. When she’s not
writing, she enjoys reading everything she can get her hands on, trips to the
museum and aquarium, taking field research trips, and soaking up the sun on the
nearby beaches. Her works include The Executive Officer’s Wife, Bound By Trust,
Destiny’s Fire, Salvation, Three for Keeps, the Force Recon series, the Slower
Lower series, and the Identity series. She’s a member in good standing of RWA
and Passionate Ink. Currently she’s working on sequels to several series to be
released throughout 2012-2013 and has a brand new line scheduled for winter
2012-13. Ms. Munro loves to hear from her readers and can be found at:
Realmantic
Moments: http://realmanticmoments.blogspot.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LilaMunroAuthor#!/
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/LilaMunro
You can also
contact her via email at lilasromance@gmail.com
,
and you can
find all her works at:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Lila-Munro/e/B0055KK140/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1
Are: http://www.allromanceebooks.com/storeSearch.html?searchBy=author&qString=lila+munro&searchBy=author&qString=lila+munro
Nook: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/lila-munro?keyword=lila+munro&store=allproducts
Bookstrand: http://www.bookstrand.com/lila-munro
~Giveaway~
Lila will be awarding a Godiva Chocolates gift basket worth at least $35.00 to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour, and a Godiva Chocolates gift basket to a randomly drawn host. (US ONLY)
For a chance to win please leave a comment with your email address. For more chances to win follow her tour (link below)!
Thanks for hosting me today! I'll check in a couple of times throughout the day...love to talk to readers so if you have a question, please ask. :)
ReplyDeleteNice interview.
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What difference a teacher can make in a child's life.
ReplyDeletestrive4bst(At) yahoo(Dot) com