Twenty Questions with... Shelli Rosewarne

I am delighted to welcome Shelli Rosewarne onto my blog today, author of An Angel For The Tree as well as featuring in not one, but two anthologies out this month.

Shelli and I have enjoyed releases in the same imprints at the same time, so we have ‘met’ each other often in the land of social networking, yet I don’t really know all that much about her. I’m hoping a round of twenty questions will solve that, and help us all get to know Shelli that little bit better…

(Tip: Make sure you read to the very end ;-) )

ACT ONE – all about you…

Shelli Rosewarne had always wanted to be a writer. However, like with so many things, life and paying the bills got in the way and she worked in various jobs from call centers to shops to offices. She eventually realized that life is too short not to try and follow your dreams, and has recently had her first novella published with Breathless Press. She currently lives in Edinburgh with her long-suffering fiancé and slightly psycho cat. When not writing she loves reading, music and photography.

1) Have you always been a writer or is it something you fell into?

I loved writing when I was at school, we would get assignments in English to write stories and everyone else would have done a few paragraphs and mine would be about ten pages long! At the time though it didn’t really occur to me that it was something you could do for a living – definitely never mentioned by the careers advisors. I would still do odd scribbling but I lost confidence in it a lot as I got older and only really got back into a few years ago after taking a Creative Writing course.

2) Do you have a particular writing style or ritual?

Not really, I’m a complete pantser so I tend to just sit down at the computer and see what comes to me. I don’t like complete silence, I tend to have either music or more likely background television on. I’m a little odd though as it has to something that’s watchable but not too exciting – as then I’ll get distracted. Yup, I am weird!

3) Is there a book or an author that has influenced you in your writing?

I read a lot of fantasy authors so elements of fantasy or mythology do tend to show up in a lot of my books. I love authors like Christine Feehan and Sherrilyn Kenyon who combine romance and fantasy really well.

4) Is there one piece of writing (or life?) advice that has stuck with you, or that you would like to share? 

I think the main thing is just to write and keeping writing. I put off doing it for quite a while as I was worried that nothing I wrote would be any good. If you write nothing though then you’ll never know. Also, something that stuck with me was that as writers we often put higher expectations on ourselves than other creatives. You wouldn’t expect someone to instantly be able to paint a masterpiece or play a concerto on the piano, they need to practice and hone their craft. It’s the same with writing; don’t expect to be amazing straight away.

5) Can you tell us three things about yourself that we probably don’t already know?

Erm, let’s see. When I’m not writing I also do wedding photography, so I just can’t get away from the romance! Saying that I’m probably well on the way to the record for longest engagement at twelve years and counting. I’m also a bit of a geek – I used to play wow, dungeons and dragons and criticise the X-Men movies when they don’t match up to the original comics. Hmm, that may be giving away enough for today J  

6) What five luxury items or gadgets would you hate to be without?

I probably would be lost without my laptop but apart from that I’m not really a big gadget person. I do need my Diet Coke – does that count as a luxury item? But that’s more for the benefit of everyone around me. I don’t function well without my caffeine!

ACT TWO – all about your new release…

Available now...

In ancient times, women were regarded as sacred. They were thought to hold the mystical power of creation—responsible for the continuation of our species. With the rise of science and religion, these myths were dispelled and their plight began.

HerStory: Fiction Honoring Women’s History Month is a collection of flash fiction and short stories from today's top authors featuring female characters that exemplify strong strength of mind, body, and character. Some of these tales are based on real people while others are purely fictional. However, all are standing up for themselves and what they believe in.

Grab yourself a glass of wine or favorite hot beverage and get comfortable as you read about the lives of women who will light the fire in your soul.

7) Congratulations on your forthcoming anthology HerStory; I gather you story is based on a real person and a real event, what can you tell us about it without giving too much away?

It is based on a local history event from the area where I grew up. It used to be a mining town and in the 1960s there was an explosion in the pit there. The story follows Maud, who was the resident nursing sister on site at the time. At the time women were strictly forbidden from going underground, so by attempting to help the injured Maud was not only risking her life but braving disapproval and the possible loss of her career.

8) I understand HerStory is a collection of short stories celebrating Women’s History Month; can you tell us how you got involved?

I saw a call out for it on book blog run by Tara Chevrestt, who has been amazing at getting all this organised. I thought what a wonderful thing it would be to get involved in. I’d had Maud’s story in the back of my mind for a while. I’d seen her mentioned in press releases about the accident and it had sparked my imagination, so it seemed like the perfect time to write it.

9) Do you have a favourite paragraph or sentence from your story that you would like to tantalise us with?

It was like stepping into another world. The darkness was so thick she could barely see a few steps in front of her. The lights from their helmets and the lantern one of the men carried reflected off the gray walls. As they moved away from the entrance, the passages became narrower, the roof lower. Maud could almost feel the dirt and stone pressing in on her. The light of the day didn’t penetrate here and she could feel the cold and damp seeping through the heavy overalls. She tried to take deep breaths, but that just seemed to fill her lungs with dust and she found herself coughing.

10) HerStory is not your only release this month, what can you tell us about A Chance At Love, as featured in the Serviced anthology from Breathless Press? 

Yup, I’m a busy bee this month! A Chance at Love is a military themed romance: 

Suzanne had always told her big brother that being a soldier was too dangerous, so when she sees the uniformed officer in front of her house she knows exactly what he’s here to tell her. While Aidan may set her blood on fire, Suzanne has already lost one soldier she loved and she’s not prepared to trust her heart to another one.

11) Over to you, what can you tell us about either HerStory or Serviced, to make us rush out and buy them? 

Well, they are quite different reads – but then we all like different reads at different times, don’t we? Serviced is about hot and steamy romances with some lovely, feel-good happy endings. HerStory is celebrating strong, inspirational women who were standing up for what they believed in, even against the obstacles of their time.

12) What can we expect from you next? Is there something you are working on right now?

I have quite a few in the pipeline at the moment. I’ve just finished a sci-fi romance, which has been really fun to do, so I’m hoping to get that subbed soon. Plus I have a few paranormal romances and a suspense that are currently in progress.

QUICK FIRE ROUND – it’s pop quiz time…

13) Plotter or pantser? 

Complete panstser

14) Secret Seven or Famous Five? (please tell me you know them!?)

Famous Five definitely, I always loved Timmy!

15) Digital books or print books?

I do love how much easier digital books can make it to try new authors and, of course, to get published. But I must admit there’s just something about print that makes me prefer it. I like the feel, the smell, the ‘proper’ turning of the pages. I think there’s still room for both.

16) Tea or coffee?

Neither, I’m a Diet Coke addict though.

17) Cats or dogs?

Cats. I suppose it depends what you have, I always used to be a dog person as a kid because we only had dogs, then when I moved out and got my cat she converted me!

18) Extrovert or introvert?

Introvert, though I have my moments.

19) Save or spend?

I rarely have anything spare to have to worry about that lol.

20) Facebook or Twitter?

Facebook definitely. I’m on Twitter, but to be honest it baffles me.

And that’s a wrap!

Thank you so much for taking part, Shelli, I wish you every success with your new releases. To find out even more about Shelli, and keep up with her projects, you can visit her at:

Facebook     Blog     Twitter

Buy it now...

ISBN: 9781938397509
Words: 82,165 (approximate)
Release Date: March 1, 2013

Smashwords
(More links to come)

ISBN: 978-1-77101-022-1
Heat Rating: 5 (adult content!)
Word Count: 65386
Release Date: March 1, 2013

Breathless Press (20% discount in March)
Amazon / Amazon UK
All Romance eBooks / Bookstrand
Barnes & Noble / iTunes (coming soon)

Giveaway...

Here it is:

Since Aurelia has been lovely enough to have me over then I better do something to earn my keep! Simply leave a comment and you could win a free copy of whichever of my two anthologies you would prefer. See, I look after you J

Didn't I say you'd want to read right to the very end?