PENELOPE WARD AND GUESTS

AUTHOR INTERVIEW

WITH

PENELOPE WARD

PLEASE WELCOME THE BRILLIANT AUTHOR BEHIND SO MANY BOOKS AND NOW HER LATEST RELEASE STEPBROTHER DEAREST, PENELOPE WARD.

How would you describe your books?

***Angsty, Emotional, Sexual, Heart-wrenching

What genre is your work mainly? Do you tend to stay in the same vein or are you hoping ( if not already) to explore new ventures?

 ***I write new adult steamy contemporary romances. I intend to stay in the same genre.

Share with us a quote from one of your favourite characters?

 ***Elec from Stepbrother Dearest: "Nothing says I'm sorry like a dick and a smile."

Is it hard to come up with new idea's or plot's?

 ***Yes! In fact, I won't write a story until the plot is developed in my head and until I feel I have an original story.

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

 ***About 3 to 6 months.

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

 ***The easiest characters are probably any one of my female ones. Becoming the male characters is more challenging for obvious reasons.

Are your characters based on real people? People you may know on Tv or Movie stars?

 ***They are completely fictional. The only character loosely based on someone is Callie in Gemini, based on my autistic daughter.

Without giving anything away ,what is or are your favourite scenes in your book?

 ***Gemini: The cookout scene toward the end of the book Jake Undone: The scene where Jake kicks Nina out of his bedroom My Skylar: The beach scene Stepbrother Dearest: The nightclub scene (there are two ;-) 

What's up next for you?

 ***Jake Understood, the sequel and alternate pov book to Jake Undone

Do you have any hobbies?

 ***Writing is pretty much it these days; no time for anything besides that!

Is there anyone besides you in your family who writes?

 ***Nope! Just me.

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

***My first novel is Gemini and I only published it a year and a half ago. I now have four published novels.

ALL OF PENELOPES BOOKS ALL AVALIBLE TO BUY ON AMAZON AND OTHER OUTLETS

Do you have any favourite books or authors?

 ***AL Jackson, Colleen Hoover, Mia Sheridan, Vi Keeland, Abbi Glines

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

***My Skylar. It's the biggest emotional roller coaster.

MY SKYLAR TEASER

Do you have a favourite character?

 ***A toss up between Jake Green and Elec O'Rourke

What is your favourite genre to write ?

***The one I write in…new adult romance.

How long have you been writing?

 ***Two years

Who or what has been your biggest literary influence?

 ***The Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy sparked my love of reading and thus my writing.

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

 ***It's not easy, because most have been done before. It takes a lot of daydreaming and fantasizing before I come up with just the right story.

How about characters? Are they easily born and developed?

 ***They tend to develop as I go along, but that is also the big challenge of writing.

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

***About 5 months

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

***Thankfully, no!

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

 ***I think My Skylar would make the best movie. It's an epic romance spanning 15 years.

What is your favourite band or artist?

 ***I really like Coldplay, Michael Buble and the late Amy Winehouse.

What was it like to publish your first book?

 ***I had no clue what I was doing or what I was in for. I could have never predicted how many people would read it!

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

***Well, even I haven't given up my day job…that is hard to part with for me. It makes finding time to write even more challenging. But my main advice is know your market, know what your readers want and put something down on paper…don't just think about it, write it down. You can always fix it later!

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

***A lot in the shower or middle of the night. I text myself a lot!

How do you overcome writers block and do you have a special place you like to write?

***I write mostly in my dining room on the table. You can overcome writers block by reading or taking a walk.

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

 ***I have times of the day, like the morning when I am more creative and have more mental energy. I can write under pressure and sometimes that helps push things along.

*******************************
ELEC & GRETA

INTERVIEW

 OUT NOW

Elec: In your heart did you really hate randy as much as you made out or were you just annoyed that he had moved on from your mother?



***I always wanted Randy to love me deep down. I hated that he hated me, but wanted to love him. But hell yeah…I was pissed he left my mother for Sarah and couldn't ever really forgive him for that.



Greta: What were your first impressions of ELEC that moment  he stepped in to your house?



***I thought he was smoking hot, but he scared me. I wasn't expecting him to be so gosh darn mean.



ELEC: Do you have any regrets  about taking greta's  innocence  then leaving ?


 ***I don't regret taking anything, but I do regret leaving. But it was meant to happen the way it did in the end.



Greta: How did you  feel the night after Elec took your innocence  he left?


***I was devastated. I never really got over it or got over him.



Elec: What were you thinking  that moment Greta walked in and caught you naked, that you staged and she just stood there staring at your crown jewels?



 ***I thought she was kidding that she had never seen a guy naked before. I was pretty shocked she didn't leave and then the whole thing just started to amuse me, especially since I could tell she liked what she saw.



Greta: When did you first realise  you were attracted to Elec more than just as a stepbrother?


***The second he walked in the door. He was that hot.


ELEC :  same question, when did you  realise  you were attracted to Greta more than as a stepsister? 


 ***The second my eyes landed on her neck that first night.


Greta: Have you always  had the eye twitch or is it just around ELEC?


 ***I always had the twitch, but Elec brought it out in full force!



Elec: How did you get into writing  and will you be publishing  your book for the world to see?


 ***I wrote to escape the pain of my past and it started when I was younger. We got a deal for Lucky and the Lad and a sequel. 


Greta: In those years after Elec left you tried but failed to move on. Why do you  think  that was?


***It's hard to explain. No one made me feel the same way as he did, either mentally or physically. I wanted to let him go. I just couldn't.



Elec: If you hadn't  of came back to town would you of really settled down with Chelsea in your heart?


 ***I probably would have ended up with Chelsea if I hadn't come back and found Greta again. And that would have been a shame.



GRETA: How did you feel when Elec told you what he was planning  with Chelsea  if you hadn't  come back in to his life?



***I was jealous and emotionally wrecked.



ELEC: Why did you write a tell all book where you opened your heart and give it to Greta knowing everything  that you wrote in it?


***She needed to know everything before she decided whether or not she wanted to spend the rest of her life with me.


Greta: How were you feeling  when you read the tell all  book Elec wrote?



*** I was really scared because I had no idea where it was going or how it would end.


ELEC: At a certain  point in your tell all book there was a moment  you had the readers of Stepbrother dearest in tears.Why now be so open and honest?


 ***Because Greta deserved to know everything. I wrote it for her.


Greta: How did you feel when Elec turned up and chose you and not Chelsea?


 ***Stunned. I never expected that after how he left.


Elec: You started out as a complete  jerk but ended up  being prince charming undercover.What made you come up with your final decision  on who was the real girl for you?


***I followed my heart. Like I said before, it simply beat faster for Greta.


Greta: How did you feel when Elec proposed?  



***I thought the way he did it was really original. He definitely surprised me.


Elec: How did you feel that moment  before you proposed  and when you went down on one knee?


 ***I knew she'd say yes, so I wasn't nervous. I was just excited.


BOTH: How was the wedding?


Elec: Simple and private.
Greta: Perfect

Both : How does it feel to be parents?


Elec: Amazing
Greta: Tiring but wonderful.


Elec: What was going through your head that moment you held your newborn baby  boy for the first time?


 ***I just couldn't believe I was a father after everything I'd been through with my own.


Both: How are things now with your parents?


Elec: My mother is doing better. She still has the same boyfriend, Steve.

 Greta: My mother is taking it day by day after what happened with Randy.



Both: do you have any regrets now?


 Elec: Everything ended up the way it was supposed to, so…no. Greta: I should have played one more game that night at the casino ;-)



Both what's next for you guys?


Elec: I'm still working on writing the sequel to Lucky and the Lad. I'm hoping Greta lets me knock her up again.

Greta: I'm getting a tattoo of Cameron's name. No more babies for a while!

Thank you both for stopping by today.