Friendy Friday with Eva Moore and GIVEAWAY! PLUS Bookstore Romance Day!
Happy Friday folks! Today's guest interview is long-overdue. Eva Moore and I met at a meeting of the Silicon Valley chapter of RWA about three years ago? I believe? And we immediately hit it off. You may have seen some of our "Metal and Wine Tasting" videos on Facebook or pictures such as these I've chosen from our adventures together. We've also collaborated on THREE ANTHOLOGIES! Down and Dirty, Worst Holiday Ever, and Worst Valentine's Day Ever! She has learned when to pat me on the head and send me on the way, when to indulge in my insanity, and when I need a hug. She's one of my closest authory friends and I'm super grateful she's in my world. Eva is a world traveler, a former teacher, a kick-ass mom, and a phenomenal writer who tells stories full of all the good stuff, in her case Hope, Love and WINE! Eva graciously agreed to answer the interview questions I sent her...did I mention she's brave? Here's a look at Eva behind-the-scenes!
1. Give us a visual of you dancing. The Carlton? Napoleon Dynamite? Solid Gold?
Swing dancing! Think USO dances and Lindy Hop...minus the lifts anymore. But I found a cute little swing bar while I was in New York and discovered that I can still hold my own! And there's video!
Excellent! Looking forward to seeing that!
2. What’s one thing every reader should know about you?
Writing literally saved my life. I started writing during my second bout with postpartum depression, and it was the first thing that really helped me find myself again. Now I can't imagine not having a story in my head to play with and keep my brain occupied.
3. What’s your worst habit as a writer?
I'm a deadline diva. I write a whole lot faster the closer those deadlines get. I wish I could write more consistently, but nope. #UnderPressure
4. Ever get caught reading/writing sexy times in an awkward place/time/situation?
All the damn time. I read a lot on my phone while I'm waiting for my kids to be done with their things. So inevitably another parent pops over to chat while my cheeks are flaming red and I'm fanning myself. Also, this is why I don't write in my car because I'd get really upset if I lost the flow of a scene because of random kid-related interruptions.
5. What is the best reader response you’ve ever received?
It was really recent actually. A reader friend got in touch with me to say thank you for the representation of mental health in my stories. She was going through a dark time and recognized a lot of her symptoms on the page, and said it gave her hope to see my heroine have her HEA. I do try to accurately represent mental health struggles, but to have someone say it made a difference and helped them feel better, whoa. Best message ever.
That's awesome. Those messages are so important when the doubt bunnies creep in. Sort of like plot bunnies but much more destructive.
6. What is the most fascinating/creepy/disgusting thing you’ve discovered because of writing?
I fall down a lot of fascinating rabbit holes on the Internet while researching, but I think I'm the only one who'd find them fascinating. LOL The creepiest thing was sleeping in the haunted hotel with you during that writer's retreat! The most disgusting things I've come across are those random ads from Amazon that pop up because of my search history with some crazy things I did not need to know exist. #privatebrowsingfromnowon
hahahaha now, in my defense, the creeps you heard were of the living variety! And also, Karysa Faire originally picked the hotel soooooo.... but I love that we've been able to do two retreats and an epic road trip together and I look forward to many more!
7. Name a book that scared the bejeebers out of you and why it scared you.
Ugh. I do not do hard core scary books. I can't. They keep me awake and sleep is precious. So this might not seem too scary to most of you, but Nora Roberts wrote a creepy series called The Sign of Seven Trilogy. In the second book, The Hollow, there are scenes with this creepy demon who takes the form of an evil little boy and the way she describes it was just so vivid, I haven't been able to get him out of my head. I fully recognize that this is horror lite, but it's about as creepy as I get.
Oh I'm totally picking that up. I've never read Nora Roberts (gasp! I know!) So that sounds like a great place to start!
8. What music inspires you?
I listen to an ecclectic mix of music, 70's glam rock/classic rock, old school alternative, current pop, torch songs from the 40's, Johnny Cash. I love any song that has a gut-wrenching story for inspiration, but when I'm writing I need to listen to things with out lyrics. Brain.fm is my go-to writing jam because it lines up my brain waves for focus and I can zone out for hours.
Of course you also loooooove all the metal I make you listen to! Admit it! #goatsforever
9. Did a teacher in school ever encourage or discourage your desire to write? Care to share?
I had a teacher in high school, Mrs. Kohler, who was the best. She always encouraged my writing, but I never understood what she saw in it. Writing essays and poems for class was just doing my homework. I didn't see what she saw. It wasn't until I was much older that her words came back to me and encouraged me to give this writing thing a try.
10. What's your favorite genre to write? And...what's a genre you haven't written but would LOVE to write?
I love writing contemporary romance. I like writing about real people, the boy next door, the girl down the hall. Fantasy is great, but the stories that come to me are about real people with real problems finding their way to an HEA. Someday, when I have more brain power back from my littles, I would love to try a historical romance. I just can't keep track of the research and world building yet, but I'd love to write something in the Gilded Age-Prohibition years set in Chicago.
You will triumph! I know this. I see it in my magic 8-ball. And I will buy it and read it and love it.
11. What accomplishment are you most proud of?
Finishing the first book and publishing it. I did so many things wrong and I learned a metric ton in the process, but finishing it opened the door to so many wonderful things in my life. Knowing that I could do this big, hard thing has helped me find the courage to tackle so many other challenges in my life.
And it brought you to me so dammit, I'm so glad you did it too!
Here's a little more about Eva!
Eva Moore writes sexy contemporary romances featuring compelling characters finding love in the modern world. Pulling up her Chicagoland roots, she has chased adventures around the globe, with stints in France and Singapore. Eva now lives in California (at the wine end, not the movie end) with her college sweetheart, three gorgeous kiddos, and a shih tzu who thinks he's a cat. She loves hearing from the outside world while she's hiding in her writing cave/closet. Please visit her at www.4evamoore.com.
You can also find her at these sexy places!
bit.ly/evamoorenews www.facebook.com/4evamooreauthor www.facebook.com/4evamoore www.facebook.com/groups/FriendsForEvaMoore/ www.twitter.com/AuthorEvaMoore www.pinterest.com/authorevamoore www.instagram.com/authorevamoore www.bookbub.com/profile/eva-moore
I would LOVE to giveaway a copy of TWO of Eva's books, Opened Up and Stripped Down because damn, have you seen those covers? Hot. Very hot. So! In order to win, I'm going to send you on a scavenger hunt! Head on over to my reader group Ro's Roadies of Romance on Facebook and watch the video of Eva (announcement at the top of the page) and I having a Metal and Wine tasting! Try out my BRAND NEW COMMENT FEATURE below and tell me a brand of wine we tasted OR one of the metal songs/bands we listened to! OR if you don't do Facebook or groups, just comment below some of the music you know I listen to or some of the wine you know Eva drinks! I'll choose a winner to receive both ebooks in Eva's Exposed Dreams series!
ALSO! Tomorrow is Bookstore Romance Day and Eva and I will be hosting a panel with Sheryl Lister, Stacy Finz, and Diane Rinella tomorrow night at 5:30 p.m. AND WE WILL BE BROADCASTING LIVE ON FACEBOOK! You can go to the event page and find the live video there!
And Stay Tuned for more Rock 'n' Romance...
