Please Welcome – Dawn McClure today

Dawn, Thanks for agreeing to be a guest on my blog.

~ Thanks so much for having me!

Can you tell everyone a little bit about yourself?

~ I’m 31 years old, I’ve been happily married for over eleven years and I’m a procrastinator.  Hey, where did that last part come from?  My husband was in the Marine Corps for 12 years, so I moved around a lot during that time.  I’ve lived in Italy, California, North Carolina, Chicago, Florida, and now I live in Michigan.  I have two daughters who are very close in age, so they are constantly at each other’s throats.  Half the time when I’m writing I’m also yelling, “Okay, knock it off!” or “What was that?” 

How long have you been writing?

~ I’ve always loved to write.  I think the first time I tried to write a romance novel I was twenty-two years old.  I went through a phase were I only wrote up to three chapters, and then I would toss the pages in the trash.  It wasn’t until 2006 when I finished my first novel, Heaven’s Exile.  When that manuscript was finished I decided to join Romance Writers of America, and that was when I began to take my writing seriously. 

What is your writing process like?

~ Hmmm, I don’t really have a process.  I wish I did.  I wrote the first draft of Azazel in less than a week, and sent it off to an editor who had expressed interest in my work.  It took me two months to complete Asmodeus, and an extra seven months to edit it.  Heaven Sent (not published) took me two weeks to write, and roughly six months to edit.  I write fast, and I edit very slowly.  When I get excited about my story I know it’s finished.  You would never want to see a first draft of one of my novels.  It’s a scary, scary thing.

Can you tell us about your newest release Asmodeus? Isn’t this book the second in a series?

~ Yes, Asmodeus is the second book in the Fallen Angel series.  Brianna, the heroine, is an aspiring witch who accidentally summons a demon from the Abyss.  Right away she knows she needs to send him back, but she’s not sure how she can do it.  Before she finds a way to send Asmodeus back to the Abyss, four death angels give her a mission – kill Asmodeus or face the Abyss herself.  The angels tell her to gain Asmodeus’s trust in order to make the kill, and yet the closer she gets to him, the more she sees the man Asmodeus is and not the demon she thought him to be. 

Do you have any other books coming out this year?

~ Not yet, but the year has just begun.  <BG>

What are you currently working on?

~ I’m working on Jade’s novella, a character I introduced in Azazel.  She’s a kick-ass assassin for the Alliance but she has a bit of a secret – one she isn’t sharing with her boss, Ambrose.  That secret forces Ambrose to put her on probation, and Samael (another yummy demon) is sent in to watch Jade and report on her progress.  Ambrose gives her four missions to prove she deserves to remain an assassin in the Alliance – and Samael is there to keep her in line…in more ways than one.

Where do you get your ideas for your books?

~ I was taking a bubble bath when the line “I’ll break your back like a dry twig in autumn” came to me.  I have no idea where the line came from.  I ended the bath quickly, jumped on my laptop and began to flesh out the first chapter of Azazel.  Alexia, the heroine in Azazel, was crystal clear to me.  I knew her problems instantly, and I knew her personality.  It was weird. 

The premise for Asmodeus came at me a little differently.  It was two in the morning, I’m sitting in bed watching The Mummy, and I thought I saw something move out of the corner of my eye.  No one was home.  My husband was in Iraq, my daughters were spending the night with a friend, and I admit I was a little scared.  lol  I put my laptop on my lap and started writing the first chapter of Asmodeus.  When you read about Brianna’s fear in chapter one – that was what I was feeling.  But instead of going with something scary, I had her summon a hot demon.  :)  That’s where the idea for Asmodeus came from.

As an author, you must be an avid reader. What books do you enjoy reading? Who are your auto-buy authors?

~ I enjoy reading paranormal romance, but I started out reading strictly historical romance.  Medieval knights, Regency rogues, with a stray pirate or Indian thrown in the mix.  My all-time favorite book is Ransom by Julie Garwood.  I read that book years ago and I still believe Brodick (the hero in the book) is hands down the best hero ever.  The heroine was insanely funny, charismatic and tough as nails – yet she had this endearing quality that made you want to protect her from the harsh world.  God I love that book!!

My auto-buy authors are J.R. Ward, Charlaine Harris, Kresley Cole and Diana Cosby. 

What books are on your keeper shelf?

~ The only books I keep are the books that are autographed to me.  Otherwise they get sent to the library or Goodwill.  I read too many books to keep them on my bookshelf. 

What was the first romance book you read?

~ A Knight in Shining Armor by Jude Deveraux.  I was twelve at the time.   

If one of your books was made into a movie, which book would you like it to be and which actors would like to see as the lead characters?

~ LOL!  It would have to be Asmodeus.  Because it’s a novel-length book and I think there are more twists and turns involved that would make it a better movie than Azazel.  I honestly can’t think of an actor who would make a good Asmodeus, but I’ll go with a young Demi Moore to play Brianna.   

If you could switch lives with one of your characters who would if be & why?

~ Brianna.  She’s quirky and funny, and she owns her own bookstore! 

Do you have a day job?

~ I’m working at Marshall’s for the time being.  “Hi, would you like to save 10% on your purchase today?”

Does your work inspire story ideas?

~ Nope.

Are any of your characters based on real people?

~ The heroes always tend to have a bit of my husband in them.  I’ve actually used a direct quote from him in places.  A funny story – in one of the direct quotes my editor asked me to take it out of the manuscript.  She said it was rude for the hero to say that to the heroine.  LOL! 

When you are not writing or reading, what do you enjoying doing in your spare time?

~ I have no spare time at the moment.  I’m trying to find that writing process we talked about in the beginning of the interview.  :) When I’m not busy writing I like to cross-stitch and spend time with my family.

If you could ask readers anyone question, what would it be?

~ What do you believe it is that makes a great romance novel?  Do you fantasize about the characters long after you put the book down?  Do you get so wrapped up in reading the story you stay up until the wee hours of the morning?  Is it the characterization, the action, the plot, the humor that keeps you intrigued?  Oops, that was more than one question. 

Thanks so much for having me!  I hope 2009 brings you much happiness and hours and hours of pleasurable reading. 

***Okay doing things a little different. Dawn has agreed to give a one copy of Azazel to one lucky commenter and one copy of Asmodeus to another lucky commenter. Please indicate in your comment which book you would like if chosen. Good Luck***