Seduced in Spain - Character Interview

Seduced in Spain by Devika Fernando

Hi, Emily, welcome to my blog and thank you for this interview.

   First impressions count so what are you wearing? What do you look like?

I love wearing dresses. Today’s dress is one of my favourites: It’s a black dress, knee-length with sleeves to my elbows. I love the collar because it has red and white embroidery that reminds me of traditional artwork. I’ve combined it with espadrilles. I consider myself pretty tall, slim with some feminine curves, warm brown eyes and brown hair that’s neither long nor short.

      Are you a girly girl or a tomboy?

That’s tougher to answer that it sounds. I love some girly things, like nice fashion, cute animals, romance novels, and chocolate… And I certainly go all girly and gushy when it comes to my handsome Spanish lover Alejandro. But I guess some would consider me a bit of a tomboy too. I don’t like asking for help or depending on others, and I’ve also grown more confident in the past nine years.

      What do you do for a living? Do you like it?

I’m a personal assistant to a famous hotelier, and I think it’s the perfect job for me. I love interacting with people from all over the world and focusing on tourism and various countries. And I’d never have met my true love if I hadn’t been in the tourism trade.

      Tell us your story.

You shouldn’t have said that, now I’ll sit here talking for hours and bore you to hell. *laughs* Seriously though, it’s not easily summarized. I’m from Germany, and I wouldn’t say I’m close to my family. I met Alejandro for the first time nine years ago when I visited Spain, and we were instantly attracted to each other. But then something went horribly wrong. Now I realize it was all a huge misunderstanding…but I can’t reveal more about that, or I’ll spoil things for you. Let me just tell you that a lot of things about my life are about to change now, for better or for worse.

      Describe your Hero. Is he a Darcy or a Christian Grey?

Definitely a Darcy. And by the way, I LOVE “Pride & Prejudice”! Alejandro is incredibly tall and handsome with his black hair and emerald green eyes. He’s just the right mix of muscles and intelligence / brawn and brain. He can get a bit alpha-male when he really wants something, but he’s also caring and kind and a Latin lover who really knows what a woman wants. Sorry, am I swooning too much?

      Just between us, what do you like best about your Hero?

Is it awfully superficial of me if I say his eyes? They are just so beautiful and incredibly expressive. Just kidding… I love it that he’s not afraid to be emotional. In a world where men think they have to be all cool and hard and demanding, he prefers a more quiet strength and confidence. He makes me feel safe and loved like I’ve never felt before.

      Do you prefer the bedroom door open or closed?

Sometimes open, sometimes closed. I have to say being with Alejandro has made me shed some inhibitions…

      What TV shows best describe your relationship with the hero—Scandal or Downtown Abbey?

Don’t kill me, but I’ve watched neither. I guess all others would say “Scandal” because my choices seem to upset quite a few people.

      If your story is made into a movie, what actress do you want to play you?

I can’t choose just one, there are so many choices… Perhaps Alicia Vikander, Emma Stone or Jessica Chastain.

      Tell us about your author.

She’s super busy at the moment with her latest two books, trying her hand at rural romance and royal romance. I’d describe her as an author who really injects some love and depth into her contemporary and paranormal romance novels instead of letting lust dominate. She loves writing multicultural romance novels, which is how a German ended up falling in love with a Spaniard in SEDUCED IN SPAIN and how an Irishman fell for a Sri Lankan in SAVED IN SRI LANKA.

That was a lovely interview, Emily. Hope you liked being Seduced in Spain. :)

About Devika Fernando:

Having always loved to read and write, Devika Fernando made her dream come true in 2014 when she became a self-published novelist. The Amazon bestselling author has released several eBooks in the genres contemporary romance, paranormal romance and romantic suspense. Her German and Sri Lankan roots influence her writing.

Connect with her:

WEBSITE

TWITTER

FACEBOOK

AUTHOR'S CIRCLE: ELIZABETH ENSLIN

On Author's Circle today, we interview 

ELIZABETH ENSLIN

about her memoir, 

While the Gods Were Sleeping.

Describe your book in 20 words or less without using the blurb:

An anthropologist marries into an unfamiliar culture, encounters sexism and discovers allies among local women eager for change. 

Buy the Book: HERE

Where would you live if you could live anywhere in the world?

I love a lot of different places, but I’ve chosen to live in northeastern Oregon. We’ve got rolling grasslands, rocky canyons, snowy peaks, wildflower meadows, forests and working farms and ranches. Our small towns here also have lively scenes in literary and visual arts, music and local foods.

What’s your current guilty pleasure?

I love growing, cooking and eating food. The guilt comes in because I’m a good gardener and cook, and I end up eating too much.

When did you begin writing?

I began writing as a child, mostly stories about my pets and other animals. In elementary school, I tried putting out a regular newsletter where I ranted about littering and other social ills and featured profiles on endangered species. It wasn’t very popular. In middle school, I dabbled in fantasy but realized I was more attracted to realism. For my high school newspaper in Seattle, I wrote features and editorials on gay rights and oil tankers in Puget Sound, though I also had to cover tennis matches and pep squads. Looking back over my adult life, I see that writing has been the great constant in my meandering path through cultural anthropology, teaching and non-profit administration. But only in the last few years have I dared to call myself “Writer.”

Are you a plotter or a pantzer?

I’m a pantzer by habit. I usually begin a piece by riffing on some idea, image or event. But the possibilities usually take off in conflicting directions. I want to follow them all and do stick with that process for awhile because it usually yields insights and scenes I might otherwise miss. Eventually though, I need to spend some time prioritizing directions and looking for a through line in the story, which leads me to spend more time plotting. For my recently published memoir, I found writing the chapter summaries for the book proposal helpful. It was monotonous work, but it forced me to tighten the story more around the plot.

  

Did you do any research before start or during of the writing of the books?

Although it is not meant as an academic account, my recent book is based partly on anthropological research I did in the late 1980s and early 1990s. I left out most details of my research, but since I was a researcher, I had to give some flavor of what that work was like for character development. In most of my writing, I tend to weave in some larger theme that requires me to do research. For example, several years ago I wrote an essay about my spider phobia. That required me to do some research on various spiders and their habits, including tarantula sex. That, of course, required me to explore my own phobia more. I found reading such details both terrifying and a little thrilling.

What book is currently on your nightstand?

A lot of books piqued my interest at the Indo-American Arts Festival where I met you, Falguni. One I’ve just begun is The Sleeping Dictionary by Sujata Massey.

How important do you find the communication between you and your readers? Do you reply to their messages or read their reviews?

I’m a new and relatively unknown author, so I love the steady trickle of fan mail I’ve been receiving since October from readers all over the world. That may actually be my favorite part of publishing so far: readers’ raw and heartfelt expressions of how the book moved them to tears or gave them insights they can use in their work. If the trickle becomes a flood, I may not be able to respond personally, but for now, I do. I don’t, however, read reviews on sites like Amazon or Goodreads. I see those as conversations among readers. 

Thats a very interesting way of looking at reviews, Elizabeth. And healthy too :)

What are your thoughts on ebooks? (love them, hate them, wave of the future?)

I love the physicality of books. But as I get older, I find myself drawn to some practical benefits of ebooks, like the ability to enlarge the font size and carry numerous stories with me wherever I travel.

Are you working on any other projects except writing, right now?

My partner and I are finishing a straw bale house on our farm in northeastern Oregon. The house is all sealed up from the weather and stays warm, but we still have to paint and plaster drywall, install more flooring and countertops, oil ceilings and beams. It’s overwhelming. Aside from the never-ending tasks, I find the decisions hardest. What color should I paint this closet? What kinds of doorknobs should we get?  

Wow. That's some hands-on project! I'm more of a designer than a do-it-yourselfer and so have a deep, deep respect for DIYers. Although, seeing your vision come to life is another kind of pleasure, as I'm sure you know.

Elizabeth, thanks for doing this interview and letting us get to know you.

ABOUT the author: 
Elizabeth Enslin grew up in Seattle and earned her PhD in cultural anthropology from Stanford University in 1990. Her creative nonfiction and poetry appear in The Gettysburg Review, Crab Orchard Review, The High Desert Journal, The Raven Chronicles, Opium Magazine and In Posse Review. Recognition includes an Individual Artist Fellowship Award from the Oregon Arts Commission and an Honorable Mention for the Pushcart Prize. She currently lives in a strawbale house in the canyon country of northeastern Oregon where she raises garlic, pigs and yaks. Learn more at:

www.elizabethenslin.com

Follow Elizabeth on Twitter @LizEnslin

Buy the Book: HERE

AUTHOR'S CIRCLE: ANJALI MITTER DUVA

On Author’s Circle today, I have author, urban planner, and dance teacher Anjali Mitter Duva, to talk about writing, life and her book, FAINT PROMISE OF RAIN. 

Hi Anjali, welcome to my blog. 

1.      So, what’s FAINT PROMISE OF RAIN about? (On a side note, Dear Readers, I've read it and loved it.)

My book is set in 16^th century India, and revolves around a little girl, Adhira, born into a family of Hindu temple dancers just as a new Muslim emperor takes the throne. The story is about this girl caught between her tradition, her artistry, and her family’s fear of change, all set against the vivid sights and sounds of the Rajasthan desert.

Book Blurb: 

It is 1554 in the desert of Rajasthan, an outpost of resistance against a new Mughal emperor. In a family of Hindu temple dancers a daughter, Adhira, must carry on her family’s sacred tradition. Her father, against his wife and sons’ protests, insists Adhira “marry” the temple deity and give herself to a wealthy patron. But after one terrible evening, she makes a brave choice that carries her family’s story and their dance to a startling new beginning. Told from the memory of this exquisite dancer and filled with the sounds, sights and flavors of the Indian desert, this is the story of a family and a girl caught between art, duty, and fear in a changing world. (Available here and here.)

2.     What’s your favorite line from the novel? Why?

“In Rajasthan, where I was born, it is possible for a child of five never to have seen rain.” 
This was the first line I wrote, and the one line that never changed, despite at least a dozen manuscript revisions. I was reading a guidebook to Rajasthan and found this anecdote, that it rains so rarely in Jaisalmer, the city of Rajasthan in which the story is set, that in the days of royalty, the children’s rooms in the palaces were painted with black and blue cloud designs so that when it finally did rain, they would not be afraid. This was such a powerful and magical image, I had to write it down. I had no idea then that I was about to write a book. Even less a set of four books!

Writing is often compared to magic...hence it goes to show :)

3.   Now tell us how you become a writer? 

I think I always was a writer. I just didn’t really admit it to myself. My family is full of people who write, mostly in the academic world. Growing up, I knew implicitly that writing was a worthy pursuit. But I also had many other interests. Like many writers, I wrote in a journal, I wrote stories and poems I never showed anyone. I wrote a lot of letters. I received compliments on my writing in college and graduate school as I studied international development and urban planning. I wrote some more as a freelance writer, still in those fields, still not really considering myself a “writer.” And then I started studying kathak, a classical dance form of India, and I discovered a whole world, a whole history. I researched this history as I helped my dance teacher found a non-profit, Chhandika, dedicated to this storytelling art, and that same year I traveled back to India and read that anecdote I mentioned, and suddenly everything came together, and I was writing a book set at a particular junction in the history of India and of kathak. I realized the story was there, I just needed to put words to it.

4.  Do you have any strange writing habits?

It depends who you ask. If you ask my mother, then yes. I tend to do my creative writing in cafés. I find it much harder to block out the silence of, say, a library, than the noisy hubbub of a coffee shop. The quiet feels oppressive, like it’s taunting me, making me too aware of the long pauses in my typing. The hum of voices and activity is more forgiving, and reminds me there is a world out there. Sometimes I place a little bronze Buddha statuette by my computer. A good friend gave it to me, as a way of helping me focus in the midst of activity. I find it helps create a don’t-bother-me bubble around me, averting unwanted conversations with some of the dubious characters who hang out at coffee shops. You know, like me. On occasion, it does invite a conversation, but I find those people who ask me about it tend to be interesting folk.

That's not so strange. Rowlings wrote HP in coffee shops too.

5.  Why write what you write?

The setting and main lines of the story for FAINT PROMISE OF RAIN came to me. Not in some divine epiphany type of way, more like I just unearthed, in the process of researching something else, a story that was itching to be told. So, thankfully, I never really had to ask myself—what do I want to write? That would have been terrifying. And it was a stroke of luck, I think, that my genre has turned out to be historical fiction. I’m a gal who likes structure—I am trained as an infrastructure planner, after all—and historical fiction gives me an established framework within which to set my stories.

6.  Which is the best character you have written? Is he or she your favorite? Why?

I have to admit I kind of fell in love with Hari Dev, who was to be a minor character but then grew into a complex, sweet and unique being who needed more space in the story. I’ve heard from several readers that they adore him, too. His mind is fascinating (yes, I love him for his mind!), and his relationship with his younger sister, Adhira, the story’s narrator, is heartwarming. Is he my best character? It’s hard for me to say. It’s like asking me which of my children is the best.

7.  Now to the non-creative aspects of writing. What is your best marketing tip?

Just be yourself, and be true to yourself. Really. I know it sounds hokey, but it’s so important. Understand your own personality, your strengths, your weaknesses. Don’t force yourself to do things that suck energy away from you. There are so, so many things one can do in marketing and promotion, just focus on those that energize you.

8.  What can we expect from you next?

Assuming I figure out how to fit writing back into my life after the flurry of launching my first book, you can expect another work of historical fiction. This one will be set in the sparkling city of Lucknow in the 19^th century, at the very end of the Mughal Empire and the start of the British Raj. It will be the second of my set of four books. The main characters are a frustrated courtesan and kathak dancer, Malika, and her half-French son, Etienne. The story takes place over four years right before, during and immediately after the Rebellion (sometimes known as the Great Mutiny, depending on whose history you are reading) of Hindu and Muslim Indian soldiers against the British.

I know that event: The Mutiny of 1857. It's like tattooed into my brain as I studied it in high school and for a very major exam. Wow, first Kathak and now this. It seems as if the settings of your novels are connected to me. :) 

9.   To end lets try a Rapid Fire round. Your answer should be the first word/s that pops into your head when you think of:

LIFE: a gift

PASSION: necessary

HERO: prolific and socially conscious writers

LOVE: peace

HATE: strife

Thank you once again, Anjali, for being here and talking to us. It was fun!

Connect with her:

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