MARY SMITH AND GUESTS

AUTHOR INTERVIEW

WITH

MARY SMITH
********************

PLEASE WELCOME, THE FUNNY,ENERGETIC, HOCKEY MAD AND
AWESOME LADY AND ONE HALF OF THE BRILLAINT DUO THAT 
BROUGHT US THE PENALTY KILL TRILOGY

Hello Mary,Tell us a little about yourself?

            My name is Mary Smith. I was born in Chicago Illinois, but raised in Princeton, Illinois (a small farming town). After some crazy years of my early twenties I needed up moving to West Virginia, getting married, and going to college. I started blogging in 2009, and co-founded Book Nerds Across America. On a dare, my husband challenged me to write a book. I did, and soon published Melting Away the Ice (Book #1 of The Ice Series). Shortly after that Lindsay Paige asked me to write with her, and we created The Penalty Kill Trilogy. Now, I have three books in the Ice Series, three co-author books in the Penalty Kill Trilogy, and a rocker romance, Always Forever. My true loves are my cell phone, my kindle, and professional sports (mostly hockey).  

 How would you describe your books?

            Most of my books are sport romance based around hot hockey guys. Always Forever is a rocker romance, with a bit of darkness underlined in it.

Do you tend to stay in the same vein or are you hoping(if not already) to explore new ventures?

            I love romances, and I mostly stick with that genre. However, I have plans to branch out later this year and 2015.

Can you share with us a quote from one of your favorite characters?

            OMG! This is too hard. I can’t pick just one! I love them all!

Is it hard to come up with new ideas and / or plot's?

            Sometimes it’s very easy and other times I want to pull my hair.

 How long does it take you to complete a finished book?

            Each one is different. If it’s easy I can finish pretty fast. Lindsay Paige and I finished Breakaway in a few weeks. Melting Away the Ice I did in less than a month, but Shattering the Ice took me almost three months. It all depends.

 What inspired you to write your book?

            For my sports romance books, it was all about the HOCKEY!

With Always Forever, I was listening

to music all the time.

 Who is the easiest character to write for and why? Hardest and why?

            The easiest to write was Charity Drake, from Shattering the Ice (Book #3 of The Ice Series). She’s an actually person that I use to work with, and was easy to muse.

The hardest was one that I just wrote with Lindsay Paige, from out new series

Oh Captain, My Captain.

I had a hard time getting into the characters head.

Are your characters based on real people? People you may know on TV / Movie stars?

            Melting Away the Ice is mused from Patrick Sharp of the Chicago Blackhawks. Breaking the Ice is mused from Max Talbot of the Colorado Avalanche. Shattering the Ice is mused from Marc-Andre Fleury of the Pittsburgh Penguins. Always Forever is mused from Nolan Long, the cover model.

            With the Penalty Kill Trilogy, those are just made up characters.

Without giving anything away, what is/are your favorite scenes in your book?

            I’m going to lie, in a couple of the books there are “I love you” scenes and those are my favorite to Write.

 What’s up next for you?

            I’m currently writing a new series called

Oh Captain, My Captain with Lindsay Paige,

which I’m in love with. I’m also going to be

publishing a New Adult Paranormal series

this fall/winter

 Do you have any hobbies?

            I’m a reader! I read all the time. I also love movies, all kinds. I’m always going to the movie theatre, and I own thousands (for real!) of movies.

 Is there anyone besides you in your family who writes?

            No, I’m the only one.

When did you start? What was your first piece? First published piece.

            I started in the spring/summer of 2013. My first published book was Melting Away the Ice.

Do you have any favorite books or authors?

            Gosh, I have so many. My all-time favorite is Jane Austen. I can read her every single day. More current is Bailey Ardisone, Kristen Day, Shelly Crane, Lila Felix, Quinn Loftis, Chelsea M. Cameron, and of course Lindsay Paige

 Out of all the books and stories you've written which is your favorite?

            I love Always Forever the best, and all the books I write with LP, because I’m in awe of her talent.

 Do you have a favorite character?

            Sara from Melting Away the Ice, because she’s based on myself.

 What is your favorite genre to write?

            Romance is my favorite.

What is your favorite genre to read?

            I read it all, but my top two would be Romance and Paranormal,

What are your favorite movies?

            OMG! This is really hard I have so many. I can’t pick just one!!

How long have you been writing?

            I started in 2013.

Who or what has been your biggest literary influence?

            I will be truthful it is Lindsay Paige. I have been reading her works for so long that every time I read a story of her I am always speechless at the end. That girl oozes talent on every page. I’m so honored that she writes with me.

How Difficult is it for you to come up with one of your amazing plots?

            Sometimes it comes to me, and it flows easy. Then sometimes I can’t even write one sentence but the idea is floating around my head.

How about characters? Are they easily born and developed? 

Some are easy, some aren’t, and sometimes it

depends on my mood.

Do you find yourself a struggling writer?

            There are times that I do, and I think all writers do, but you overcome it and let the story flow.

 How long does it take you to take for you to complete a novel from concept to completion?

            It depends on the story, and how fast it comes to me. Like I said some are fast, and some I struggle with.

Have you ever trashed a novel or story before or after finishing it, feeling it wasn't turning out as you planned?

            I have a ‘junk’ folder, that I keep some of my ideas, or started projects in. I go back from time to time and see if anything ‘hits’ me.

 Do you have a special time or place to write?

            I write in my living room right in front of the TV, and I usually have music in the background too. I need noise around me all the time.

Any funny experiences or quirks you'd like to share with your readers?

            Well, I think some might know this, but when Lindsay Paige asked me to write with her she sent me an email, and I was at my day job. I literally screamed, and typed “YES” as fast as I could and sent it back. LP emailed me back and said (and I quote) “Don’t you want to think about it for a second?”

            Poor girl had no clue she was signing on with a crazy person ;)

Which one of your books would you like to see made into a movie?

            I think I would pick the any of the Penalty Kill books. Those would be the ones I would love to see on the big screen.

What is your favorite band/artist/song?

            By far, Shinedown is my favorite band and their song “Call Me” is my theme song.

What was it like to publish your first book?

            Well, I cried, and drank a lot of vodka! It was with LP, and when we ranked on the Sports Romance bestsellers list, I almost passed out.

What advice would you give to others who want to make writing their career?

            DO IT! Don’t be afraid! If you really want to do it, put your heart into it and DO IT!

Do you ever get ideas at random moments, and if so how do you hang on to them?

            The one I got for Always Forever was when I was in my car, and I used my voice recorder on my phone to record the idea

How do you overcome writers block?

            I step away from the computer and read a book, different from the genre that I’m writing.

Can you write on demand and under pressure, or do you need time and space before the creativity starts to flow?

            I do better with deadline. I like the pressure! It keeps things ‘spicy’.

As we all know you are a massive fan of hockey player patrick sharp of the chicago blackhawks and he was your inspiration behind a character in melting the ice. have you ever met him and if not how would you react if you did get to meet the hotness that is sharp in person?

I have never had the pleasure of meeting Patrick Sharp. however I hope that when I do, i don't faint.

********************************

Good afternoon Xaviera and Thaddeus how are you guys?

Xaviera: We're doing okay

Thaddeus: Sure, I guess we're okay.



Xaviera : What is it like growing up as the princess and the future queen of your people and is it hard living by the rules?

My parents raised me to put Unit first. I had a normal life like any other girl, expect I didn't have boyfriends and did a lot of training to hone my power. The rules aren't hard to live by, it's just something that we have to do in Unit.



Thaddeus:Is it hard living in the unit and living by the rules?

No, it's not hard to live in Unit. The Rules are there to protect us and we have to obey them.

Both:What is the hardest rule for you both?

Xaviera: For me, each Rule (on it's own level) is hard to follow. But, you learn to adjust with them.

Thaddeus: I think that is the best way to say it.


Both: How do you feel about the whole matched thing (arranged marriage )?

Xaviera: For me it's scary and exciting. It's scary because you don't know who it is, but exciting because you don't know who it is. You've waited for twenty years to see you Matched is and then your how life changes.

Thaddeus: I don't know how it is for Unit Girls, but for Unit Guys it's very nerve wrecking. Almost every Unit Guy between the ages of 20 to 25 goes to party after party with the hint that maybe it's his time to be called, but most of the time you go home without your name called.


Thaddeus:Why did you push Xaviera away when it was announced she was your match?

Xaviera: I did it for two reasons: 1) I was shocked that this girl I had a crush on for so long was going to be mine, that I was afraid I would hurt her. And 2) my mother promised me that I wasn't Matched.


Both: After you were both matched when did you realize you started to have feelings for each other?

Xaviera: I started feeling it on our trip to the mall, when he held my hand for the first time. I officially knew when we had our first kiss.

Thaddeus: I knew when I was 15. I've loved her since then.

Both: Why did you feel so embarrassed when your parents confronted you about being intimate together?

Xaviera: I didn't want my parents to know that we had been together yet. And, it's my parents, I don't want them to think about me in that way.

Thaddeus: Exactly.


Thaddeus: Why didn’t you tell Xaviera the truth about Amaya?

I didn't think she would fine out. I figured since Amaya never said anything that it was in the past and I'd moved past it.


Xaviera: How did you feel when you found out about Thaddeus that he lied to you and also your so called friend and protector lied too?

I was hurt, mad, sad, infuriated. I couldn't even see straight when Amaya told me and I confronted Thaddeus. She was my best friend and Protector and he was my Matched. They were the two people that shouldn't have hurt me. I trusted them the most.


Thaddeus: What was running through your head when you found out Xaviera was pregnant with your child?

Shock. I knew that we had used anything, but I thought it wouldn't happen to us. I know it's silly, but I wasn't thinking about anything like that.


Xaviera: How did you feel when you found out you were pregnant with Thaddeus's baby.What were your first thoughts?

The whole day was a blur because of everything that was happening. Mostly I was scared because I didn't want to raise our baby alone, but Thaddeus had broken the Rules and there had to be punishments handed down.



Thaddeus: What was running through your head when you heard what your punishment was?

I thought I would never see her again, or our baby. I didn't want to leave her alone.



Xaviera: Why did you decide to give Thaddeus and Amaya light punishments after what they did to you? Surely you want them to pay for the lies?

The punishments were not as light as you might think. They couldn't come back to Unit for all that time or talk to anyone but the ones I assigned them too. I wanted them to feel as bad as I did, but I also knew there was more under the surface and I hope they both figure it out.



Thaddeus: Do you think Xaviera will ever forgive you for
 the lies ?

I don't know. I will have to wait and see when I come back to Unit.



Xaviera: Do you think you will ever forgive Thaddeus and what do you plan on doing while he's gone?

I'm doing a lot of thinking while he is gone. I guess we'll have to wait and see.



Both:Have you thought about any baby names?

Xaviera: I have a few, but nothing yet.

Thaddeus: Not really.


Xaviera: What does Thaddeus need to do to make it up to you?

I don't know. I've never been in this before. I know that he'll figure it out and I will too.



Thaddeus: What are you going to do to make it up to Xaviera?

Everything and anything that I have too.

 AUTHOR INTERVIEW CONTINUED

Where did the idea for Royal love's unit matched 1 come from?

It came from me watching too many reality TV shows. I decided that each would be cool and mashed them all together.

When you wrote this book who did you envision as you two leads Xaviera and Taddeus?

For Xaviera I saw Chloe Grace Moretz the most (with darker hair though)

For Thaddeus I saw Theo James (Hello Hotness)

What about the supporting characters Gia,Amaya, Oliver and Graham ?

For Amaya it was Jennifer Lawernce 

(but with different hair)

For Gia it was Maia Mitchell

For Oliver it was Chase Crawford (but taller)

For Graham it was Liam Hemswoth

What was harder to come up with the plots for this story or was one of your many other books harder?

This wasn't as hard once I got the outline set out. It was easier because I made up the world in Unit.

What are your personal thoughts about this book?

I personally love this book, because there was so much love and heartache.

Who is your favorite character in this book?

Such a tough question, but for this one it will be Xaviera. She's lovable, sweet, strong, and will do anything for her friends.

When can readers expect the next book which is Amaya and Olivers story?

Amaya's story will be out on April 10th

Will Xaviera and Thaddeus get another book?

There is a small story at the end of Amaya's book. They will also be a HUGE part of book 3, which is Gia's story.

Would you ever cross this book series with any of your other awesome books?

No, because this is paranormal and my other are not. It would  be interesting though.

How many books will there be in this series?

There will be three books. Book 1 is Xaviera. Book 2 is Amaya. Book 3 is Gia's.

What is next for you?

For my solos, my projects are the Unit books, a New Adult College Football standalone (American Football), and a contemporary romance book about an arranged marriage