Author Interview with Lee Ann Sontheimer Murphy

I would first like to thank Lee Ann for taking time out of her busy schedule to do this interview for Write Outside the Box.

Vivian: Tell us about your most current release.

Lee Ann: Wolfe's Lady debuted at the end of December.  It's a paranormal romance that begins when new teacher, Stella Raines, accepts a job in a small town.  When she meets the math teacher down the hall, she thinks he's hot and he begins to court her with expensive lunches, roses, and other gifts.  It seems like a perfect love until she realizes he has a secret and sets out to find out just what it is. When she arrives at his isolated home just in time to watch his transform into a werewolf, she realizes that knowledge can be a terrible thing.  Still, she must decide if she still loves him and what they can do to remain together.  Using her background in folklore, she comes up with a bold plan that will either cure or kill Darien.

It's available from Evernight Publishing, on Amazon.com (as well as Amazon.com UK), and several other sites.

Vivian: When did you start writing and what was your road to publication like? Do you have any advice for new writers starting out?

Lee Ann: I always made up elaborate and intricate stories as a kid.  That led to a lot of different games; when other kids were playing house, I made my younger brother play Story of A Slave Girl.  When I was about five, I forced my slightly older boy cousin to play "wedding" every weekend

In the fifth grade, I decided to write a novel and I spent most of the year scribbling into my binder.  Of course, that effort didn't go anywhere but I continued to write, first publishing short fiction and a few other things along the way.  After my twin daughters were born, I realized if I was ever going to have a real shot at writing novels that I needed to get started or I would be an old lady with a lot of regrets someday.

Advice for new writers, hmmm.  I'm having coffee with one this week in my small town and I've already told him the most important things - there is no magic key I can give him to put him on the path for publication, that everyone gets rejection and you have to be thick-skinned, and that there is a lot more work than glamour.

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Vivian: What other things interest you besides writing?

Lee Ann: I have a lifelong fascination with the paranormal.  That came about, in part, because I lived for the first ten years of my life in a old brick Victorian house where strange things happened on a daily basis.  I also like history - in college, I dual majored in English and History.  I also love to travel although I haven't done as much in the last two years as I would like.

Vivian: What are you currently reading and what books can be found in your to-be-read pile?

Lee Ann: I'm currently reading Tempting Mr. Parker by another Evernight author, Delilah Hunt and so far, I'm loving it.  My to-read list grows all the time and I have both actual books and ebooks waiting.

Vivian: What can we expect to see from you in the future?

Lee Ann: My next up will be another paranormal romance from Evernight in April called Love Tattoo.  My hero in it is a very sexy undead Irishman named Will Brennan and the heroine is a down to earth Texas girl, Cara Riley.  I am actually working on a sequel for it right now, Love Scars.

I adore the cover art for Love Tattoo.

My other upcoming releases are Kinfolk from Champagne Books in July, Love Never Fails from Rebel Ink Press in mid-September, A Time to Love from Champagne in November, Witness Protection from Rebel Ink Press in early 2012 and one of my favorites, Long Live the King, no date yet, from Champagne.

A lot of my short fiction is speculative or horror.  I have a story coming out in Jack O'Spec in the late summer or early fall from Raven Electrick's latest anthology.  I had several in some anthos last year and hope to do a little more with that too.

I'll be busy editing my butt off this year, I'm sure but I also plan to squeeze in time to write more! I'm thinking about doing a M/M romance in the future and maybe a full-length horror or speculative novel too, just to do some different things.

Publisher

Once again, Lee Ann, thank you for allowing me to interviews you. It was a pleasure.

Lee Ann can be found at the following links:

Blog  Website and Email