WILLA EDWARDS
Willa Edwards has dreamed about being a writer since she was four
years old. When she picked up her first romance novel at fifteen she knew she'd
found her place and she's never looked back.
She now lives in New York, where she
works with numbers at her Evil Day Job and spends her nights writing red-hot
tales of erotic romance. When she's not at her computer, you can usually find
her curled up in bed with her two furry babies, her nose pressed to her e-reader.
INTERVIEW
What
adventure would you like to have that you haven’t done yet if money and skill were
no problem?
I’ve always wanted to spend more time traveling
around Europe. I spent a college semester in England and loved it. I’d really
love to go back and spend some time seeing other countries, learning their
culture, looking at all that amazing art, and of course, eating all that
amazing food. (This adventure is calorie free too, right?)
I
believe color says something about a person’s personality. What’s your favorite color?
I love the color purple. I wear it all the time. My
entire bedroom is decorated in it. And I even force it on my cat. Many of her
toys are purple (along with her collar and harness that she hates).
What
is your writing process from conception to finished MS?
Usually my stories start with an idea, just a
glimmer that can come from anywhere. A television show, a movie, another book
or even just a story I overhear at work. This idea sits in the back of my head
and germinates. By the time I sit down to write, I already know the direction
the story will go in (I don’t know everything that going to happen, what would
be the fun in that) and the characters have already shown themselves to me.
I write a little differently than many other
authors. I work on whatever scene is exciting me at that moment. I don’t write
chronologically. It might seem a bit odd to write that way, but it works for
me, and somehow, by the end, the story always comes together.
I then slog through three rounds of revisions (I
hate revisions, but they are so
necessary). One revision for errors in the story, characters, writing, etc. One
for grammar, spelling and to delete weak words. One more read through to make
sure everything makes sense. Then it’s off to my publisher.
What
is your all-time favorite movie? TV
show?
I love Once Upon a Time. The combination of real
life and fantasy world is so exciting. And I love how they’ve interpreted many
of the classic fairytales.
If
you could learn one new skill, fear and money no deterrent, what would it be?
Jewelry collecting, haha. I’d like to learn to scuba
dive. It scares me a little to be down under the water that far, but I think
the sights would be amazing.
If
you had a million dollars to donate to any one charity, what would it be?
It would probably be a tie between Breast Cancer
research and Colon Cancer research, since I’ve had family members diagnosed
with both.
What
advice would you like to give to an aspiring writer?
Just keep at it. Perseverance is 90% of writing.
Don’t let an editor saying no, or a negative comment in a critique, deter you
from what you want. Just keep writing and improving, eventually someone will
take notice.
If
you could live anywhere in the world you wanted to, where would it be?
(Language is no barrier)
I’m not exactly sure. Definitely somewhere in
Europe, maybe France or Italy. Doesn’t matter which country as long as it’s
close to the train. That way I could be anywhere I wanted very easily. I’d like
to hid away in a cozy little cabin it the countryside where I could do lots of
writing, but still have the ability to get to the city enjoy the culture of
Europe.
Where
do you write?
I’ll write anywhere. As long as I have my computer
I’m happy.
I used to write at a desk in my office, but since
the cat terrorizes me in my office (she loves to scratch my leather desk chair,
which is a bit distracting) I’ve moved to the couch in the living room so she
can curl up on my feet.
How
much time do you devote to writing each week?
Do you have a day every week that you take off?
I like to devote 30 minutes to in the morning before
I really get going and 30 minutes after work. If I can get in more time, that’s
great. Writing for me, is the best way to start my day, and the fastest way to
forget about work and relax.
What
is a genre that you have not attempted that you would like to try?
I’d really like to write a few different historical
time periods. I’ve always had dreams about writing a wild western, with pistols
at sundown and everything. And a Highlander Scottish romance would be fun to
try.
Is there anything you would like
readers to know about you?
*** CONTEST ALERT *** CONTEST ALERT *** CONTEST ALERT ***
One lucky commentator will get their choice of any
book on my back list. Stop on by my website, www.willaedwards.com, to learn all about
my current and future releases. Contest closes at midnight on July 16th.
VALENTINE NEXT DOOR
Blurb:
Jeremy
Callahan has been in love with his next door neighbor, Miranda Valentine, since
he was fifteen years old. As a teen he used to watch her, fantasizing about how
he could make her his. But he never acted on it. Miranda was older, married and
out of his league. Forced to return home ten years later after being injured on
a photo shoot, all those old feelings return, and this time there's no reason
to keep them at bay. She might be a decade older than him, but Jeremy's not
about to let a few numbers stand in his way.
Since her husband's death,
Miranda's been left with a big hole in her life. Never able to fulfil her dream
to be a mom, Miranda isn't sure what to do with herself. She certainly isn't
expecting to find the most gorgeous man she's ever met next door. She can't
believe Jeremy Callahan is that sexy younger man, or that he's had a crush on
her for years. When he kisses her, all bets are off. Jeremy's young, gorgeous
and makes her feel more than anyone has before.
But she knows he can't want the same things she does. He can't be
ready to settle down and start a family, but she's running out of time. Will
her dream of being a mother keep her from the man she loves? Or can they find
some middle ground where they both can get everything they want?
Excerpt:
“Jeremy?” This couldn’t be little Jeremy
Callahan standing before her. The man holding the door open was very different
from the boy who had left home.
But he
has to be. How many men could the Callahans have wandering around their house
with a broken leg?
He smiled at her with the same boyish grin he’d
given her that first morning she and Leo had moved into the neighborhood. She
still remembered him standing in his driveway playing basketball with one of
his buddies a few weeks before his first days of high school.
Jeremy had always been tall, but as a kid he’d
been skinny and lanky. He’d definitely grown into his height. His chest was now
broad and solid. His biceps flexed as he dropped the doorknob, crossing his
arms along his chest. Even his waist was thick with muscle, the kind that would
be defined beneath that red T-shirt.
“Hi, Mrs Valentine.”
She cleared her throat, gripping the cake
container a little tighter in her sweaty hands. “Please, Jeremy. You’re not in
school anymore. You don’t have to call me Mrs Valentine. Miranda is fine.”
“Okay. Hi, Miranda.”
She liked the sound of her name on his lips. It
took her a second to realize she’d never heard him say it before. He’d always
been a very polite boy, always respectful. But she was starting to like the man
a lot better.
“Well, I...uh, made this for you and your
folks. Just a little I-hope-you-feel-better cake.” She handed the dessert to
Jeremy, forcing herself to stop rambling.
He grabbed the Tupperware container with quick
hands that looked much bigger than they used to.
“Thank you.” He glanced down at the Bundt cake.
“Is this mocha fudge?”
She nodded.
“Good. I always loved that cake.” He leaned
forward a little, as though to tell her a secret, his mouth moving toward hers.
His woodsy, masculine smell wafted to her
across the space between them. His heat and strong presence calling her like a
moth to a flame.
“I’ve always had quite a sweet tooth.” He
grinned at her. Her mind flashed to what else he could do with those teeth.
Those lips. That mouth.
