Deborah Cooke is visiting today

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

Thank you for inviting me!

Can you tell everyone a little bit about yourself?

Well, I’m a writer (you knew that already) and an avid knitter. I like to read, to cook, to bike, to knit, to quilt and to garden. I live with my family and a lot of things that need to be finished – there are always weeds to be pulled, knitting projects to be finished and dishes to be washed. The one thing that I get done on time is my writing.

How long have you been writing?

I’ve always written, but I sold my first romance in 1992. That was a medieval called THE ROMANCE OF THE ROSE and it was published by Harlequin Historicals in March 1993. Since then, I’ve written time travels, historicals, paranormals, contemporaries, gothics – pretty much every kind of romance. KISS OF FATE is my 36^th title in print.

What is your writing process like?

I work mornings, at least 5 days a week. (When deadlines are tight, I’ll work on the weekend, too.) I usually read and edit whatever I wrote the day before, then write at least two more scenes in that book. I can only work on one project at a time, and I’m a bit obsessive about focusing on it to the exclusion of everything else. I don’t read fiction when I’m writing. In the afternoons, I do other things, like write blog posts or read edits, update my website etc. etc. There always seems to be a lot to do.

Can you tell us about your latest release Kiss of Fate?

KISS OF FATE is the third book in the Dragonfire series, and it features the firestorm of Erik, the leader of the Pyr. When I first met Erik – he walked into Sara’s bookshop and introduced himself to both of us – he had silver hair at his temples, so I knew that he had already had his firestorm. But where was his mate? In KISS OF FATE, we learn how things went very badly in Erik’s firestorm – it turns out that he (and his mate) get another chance, because his mate has been reincarnated as Eileen, a comparative mythologist on the trail of the truth in an old dragon story. I really like this book and all the layers in it – Erik, who has never been very talkative with me, really opened up for Eileen.

Will you have any more books in your Dragonfire Novel series?

There are three more Dragonfire books contracted, and I’m hoping there will be even more after that!

Do you have any other books coming out this year?

Yes, Dragonfire #4 will be out in November – it’s called WINTER KISS. I won’t tell you who the hero is until after you’ve all read Erik’s book. And I have a Claire Delacroix book coming out in October – it’s called GUARDIAN and is the second book in my fallen angel series that began last year with FALLEN.

What are you currently working on?

Right now, I’m researching and beginning Dragonfire #5. I’m also writing a short story for the MAMMOTH BOOK OF VAMPIRE ROMANCE 2. I’m not sure of the publication date for the anthology, but it’s my first idea for a vampire romance and I’m really enjoying it.

Where do you get your ideas for your books?

I’m not sure. They just turn up and pester me until I write them down.

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

I read pretty much everything, and roll through every section of the bookstore on a regular basis. I’m just curious about books and stories. Because of that, there are very few authors who I read on an ongoing basis – I’m more likely to browse and read one book from each author I discover. Going to the bookstore is always an adventure, because I never know what I’ll bring home.

What books are on your keeper shelf?

There are too many to list! They tend to be fantasies with romantic elements, or romances with fantasy elements. I like a powerful story told in a strong voice, with lots of evocative imagery. Not too much to ask, is it?! There are also a lot of books on the shelf that I just haven’t gotten to yet, as well as a lot of non-fiction and reference titles. We have a lot of bookshelves.

Do you read books other than romance books?

Yes. (See above.)

What was the first romance book you read?

Don’t laugh. It was an historical romance called ANGEL IN SCARLET by Jennifer Wilde. It wasn’t a new title when I read it – someone (I forget who) lent it to me. There was a lot I liked about it – it was kind of a rags to riches story about a seamstress (maybe she was an orphan) who ended up becoming an actress and owning a theatre in London. It was lush and fun, a huge book. But I didn’t like the HEA. I didn’t find it persuasive that she married for love, then for money, then decided in the end that she was most happy with her best buddy, who had stuck around for the duration – even though he was an okay guy. It just wasn’t romantic enough for me. Later I learned that JW was a pseudonym for Tom Huff – maybe men think that an HEA is with buddies! I also read a lot of Phyllis A. Whitney before that, but I didn’t think of those books as romances – they were probably romantic suspense.

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?

Well, I usually cast the heroes if I cast anyone but often I have a hard time making a match. Donovan (KISS OF FURY) could be a pumped up James Dean. Montgomery (FALLEN) could be a pumped up Denzel Washington. Erik, hmm. I don’t have one for Erik, but he’d have to be buff too. Thorolf (a secondary character so far in Dragonfire) is definitely Val Kilmer, in prime shape.

Maybe you’re sensing a theme here…any one have casting ideas for Erik? Quinn?

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

I’d love to be as daring as Lilia in FALLEN or as quick-thinking as Eileen in KISS OF FATE.

Do you have a day job?

I write full time – that’s my day job!

Does your work inspire story ideas?

Yes. Secondary characters demand their own books, all the time. I can’t keep up with them all.

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

I knit and I cook – and we renovate old houses.

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

What sub-genre of romance – if any – are you missing these days? 

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