My guest today is E. Ayers, author of A Skeleton At Her Door, and I'm excited to have her visiting with me here at Life, Love and a Good Book. When I invited her to be my guest today, we agreed that it would be fun to tell everyone the "story behind the story" of her writing life.So, without any more delay, here is Ms. Ayers. Take it away!
I'm a writer. If you took my keyboard away, I'd write by hand. If you broke all my fingers, I'd learn to write with my toes. The proof of that is in a closet full of boxes containing hand-written manuscripts. I wrote stories for my kids when they ran out of things to read and weren't ready for Stephen King or Fanny Flagg, but they were bored with what was considered age appropriate, yet too young for grown-up stories.
Now, I write contemporary romances. They are adult in nature, but not erotic. No, you don't want that 13 YO son looking over your shoulder the entire time, but if he happens to pick it up and read a sexy scene you probably aren't going to have one of those OMG-do-people-really-do-that discussions with him over what he read. It will be more of a yes, that's what people do. (Maybe someday I'll tell you about my daughters watching a borrowed video that had been taped over with porn. Yes, it was a mother's worst nightmare moment. No, I take that back. The worst moment was when my oldest daughter was in eleventh grade and decided she wanted to speak to me privately about something personal. My tummy drew into a knot because she had a steady boyfriend... She only wanted to put her hair back to light blonde because it had darkened to a dirty ash color. And you wondered why I have gray in my hair?)
I have teenage granddaughters, which is totally impossible because in my brain I'm only 30 something. It was only a few years ago that their mothers were teens. I had a very early start.
Now, I write contemporary romances. They are adult in nature, but not erotic. No, you don't want that 13 YO son looking over your shoulder the entire time, but if he happens to pick it up and read a sexy scene you probably aren't going to have one of those OMG-do-people-really-do-that discussions with him over what he read. It will be more of a yes, that's what people do. (Maybe someday I'll tell you about my daughters watching a borrowed video that had been taped over with porn. Yes, it was a mother's worst nightmare moment. No, I take that back. The worst moment was when my oldest daughter was in eleventh grade and decided she wanted to speak to me privately about something personal. My tummy drew into a knot because she had a steady boyfriend... She only wanted to put her hair back to light blonde because it had darkened to a dirty ash color. And you wondered why I have gray in my hair?)
I have teenage granddaughters, which is totally impossible because in my brain I'm only 30 something. It was only a few years ago that their mothers were teens. I had a very early start.
I met my husband when I was still seventeen and fell madly in love. Five weeks later I turned eighteen and we got our marriage license on my birthday. That marriage lasted almost 37 years and we were still very much in love. He was my rock. He was that true to life hero. I think there's a tiny piece of him in every hero I write, but there's nothing that you could ever point to and say, that's him. He wasn't very romantic, it wasn't part of his personality, but he was very loving and very caring. Dirty diapers didn't scare him. He loved newborns and toddlers, and my family called him the human toy. He could fix any appliance, but didn't have a clue how to use them. I used to joke with him that he'd better die first or he'd starve to death. He used to laugh. I didn't expect him to take me up on it so soon.
I buckled down back in the '90s, went back to college, and took every grammar class I could. Originally I had CLEPed them. (Credits for taking a test that said I didn't need to take the class because I knew the material.) If I was going to write, I needed to know where to stick the darn comma. So there I sat in a room full of 18 year olds, wondering what the heck a predicate was other than the back half of a sentence. Talk about feeling like a fool! Most of the time, I know where the comma goes, but please if you say infinitive or nominative case to me, I'll still look at you with that deer-in-the-headlamps stare. Now, I edit for other indie authors.
I've published three novellas and two full-length novels. And there are more right behind those. Why? Because I could. I broke a contract with a publisher for a variety of reasons, and then decided I'd indie publish. Every book I put out has been vetted by several people and edited by a professional editor with an excellent reputation and years of experience as an editor and author. I know I don't want to read something that isn't well written so why would my readers not feel the same way?
I've published three novellas and two full-length novels. And there are more right behind those. Why? Because I could. I broke a contract with a publisher for a variety of reasons, and then decided I'd indie publish. Every book I put out has been vetted by several people and edited by a professional editor with an excellent reputation and years of experience as an editor and author. I know I don't want to read something that isn't well written so why would my readers not feel the same way?
If you love a Harlequin-style romance, you won't like what I write. Technically, I write slice of life, the romantic slice. But I write that whole slice and not just the romance so there are heavy mainstream elements. Let's face it; women today have lives, busy lives. They aren't sitting at home painting their toenails, and they aren't waiting for Mr. Wonderful to sweep them off their feet. And Mr. Wonderful is trying to figure out how to get out of the meeting because he's got a date tonight and if he's late... Life is difficult. She's not going to give up her career nor is he. They've got to figure out how to blend their lifestyles into something they both can handle.
My pet peeve with many romance novels is that the hero is always big, sexy, and gorgeous. Hmm, what is sexy and/or gorgeous is really in the eye of the beholder. Seriously, there are very few jobs or sports that give a man that perfect physique that so often appears on a romance cover. (Want to try buying that man some clothes? They have necks like bulls and waists of gazelles, and those thighs don't fit in a pair of jeans.) And the women are just as bad. Sorry, but most of us don't weigh 95 pounds and wear a size zero. Yes, there are some women who are naturally tiny, and for others tiny would be a size fourteen. My heroes and heroines are all very different with every body build. They are also very different people with different personalities and different backgrounds. I like making my characters real. No one is perfect.
Characters happen, and some can get very demanding of my time. But I can't write their stories until I find them the perfect mate because I truly believe we all have one. They must have a good tale to tell. Life throws things at us and people make mistakes, same with my characters. All the grit, the dirt, the family, the friends, the job, and the things you want to pretend don't happened are in there.
My biggest fear? Oh, please, don't let me become senile in my old age. Those nurses in that old folks home are going to think that I've led an amazing life.
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Thank you so much for being with us today, and, now, leave a comment for several chances at a free download of A Skeleton At Her Door--a very timely book for this Halloween season.
Here are some of the books that Ms. Ayers has published. Hop over to her website and take a look!
http://www.ayersbooks.com/
Here are some of the books that Ms. Ayers has published. Hop over to her website and take a look!
http://www.ayersbooks.com/
Or better yet, drop over to Amazon or Barnes and Noble and just download them and enjoy an afternoon of good reading.
Mariner's Cove (novella)
A Skeleton at Her Door (novella)
Wanting (A River City Novel)
Coming Soon:
“I hate you, Dickie Warren.” Chloe Langston remembered the sentiment in high school. Realizing Dickie is Rich Warren her boss, old prejudices come forward. Will Rich convince Chloe to let go of the childhood misunderstanding that stands between them? Will he prove there’s a fine line between love and hate?
Amazon
http://tinyurl.com/3zfrp4j
B&N
http://tinyurl.com/3jsmmvz
Mariner's Cove (novella)Start with a house at the beach. Stir together a widow who still felt married, an irresponsible cousin, a misconception, an opportunity of a lifetime, a few tears, and a little humor. Add a generous amount of rain, plenty of sunshine, a love of sailing, and three children with very different problems. Put it all together in Mariner's Cove, then watch the friendship grow, and true love blossom.
A Skeleton at Her Door (novella)When Angie opens her door on Halloween she finds a six-foot tall skeleton on her doorstep. Trick or Treat?
AMAZON
B&N
Life and Love Come Together in River City
Wanting (A River City Novel) If you ask businessman Mac McGuire, he'll tell you this is his story. He fell head over heels in love with Amanda Conner, an unfettered beauty with a turbulent past. Wanting her is one thing, gaining her trust is another. From the violence of River City’s housing projects, to the glamorous digs of the downtown, and out to the lake district, this is one time that his money isn't working in his favor.
Available at Amazon
A New Beginning (A River City Novel)
When Patrick Makowllen, a conservative investment adviser takes on the gifted artist Dallas Nixon, she destroys his budget, turns his life upside down, and tarnishes his sterling reputation. In spite of the chaos, she colors his life with more love and passion then he ever dreamed possible.
Coming Soon:
A Snowy Christmas in Wyoming
A Challenge (A River City Novel)
