Today we have a very special guest, Rebecca Zanetti,Ā stopping by for an interview and a giveaway. I met Rebecca at Nationals in Orlando and I thought she was such a funny, sweet person that I just had to have her on the blog.Ā Her debut novel, Fated, is out next week by Kensington Brava. You simply have to check it out.
Bio:
Growing up amid the glorious backdrops and winter wonderlands of the
Pacific Northwest has given Rebecca fantastic scenery and adventures to weave into her stories.Ā She resides there with her husband, children and extended family who inspire her every day.Ā Rebecca has completed several manuscripts, winning award throughout the writing industry for her work.Ā Recently she finished FATED, the first book of a vampire series, āThe Dark Protectors,ā which will be available February 22, 2011 from Kensington Publishing.
Fated looks like a very sexy read. What inspired you to write this novel? Iām guessing vampires arenāt roaming around Idahoā¦unless they really are and youāre just not telling anyone!Ā
If vampsĀ were roaming around here, youāre right, I wouldnāt tell anyone!Ā This book wouldnāt leave me alone.Ā Everyone said not to write about vampires, that they were overdone.Ā So I wrote this one for fun, just for me to read once in awhile.Ā Then it sold.
Whatās your writing schedule like? Do you wake up to the dulcet sounds of harps and float to your computer which miraculously turns itself on and opens your novel? Because I wish thatās how it is for me.Ā
HAHAHAHA.Ā On writing days I stumble out of bed, get the kids off to school and start drinking coffee with a chocolate protein shake mixed in.Ā Then I put on music, comfy socks and start writing.Ā Sometimes I forget that I havenāt really gotten dressed and end up opening the door to the UPS guy if heās delivering stuff.Ā (Hopefully shoes).Ā Heās actually laughed out loud at me before.
Whatās the best part of being a writer? Is it the paparazzi? Or the endless parties with A-list actors? If you see Gerard Butler, tell him to call me šĀ
The best part is that I can be as odd as I want.Ā You canāt be too āout-thereā as a lawyer, but itās expected in writers.Ā The real āmeā gets to show up.Ā And if I see Gerard Butler, heās busy.Ā Iāll call you later.
How many books do you plan in this series? I hope itās a lot because I adore book series with lots and lots of books (but you have to write them fast because Iām a fast reader).
I have nine Iād like to write.Ā The heroine in FATED has a little girl named Janie who all the races want because sheās so gifted.Ā The last book is her book, and it all ties together.Ā
I had a chance to meet you at Nationals in Orlando (and yāall, Rebecca is like super sweet!), was that your first Nationalsā conference? What was the best part about it for you?Ā
My first Nationals was in D.C. the year before and I had just started writing.Ā I hadnāt joined any online chapters and didnāt know a soul.Ā So I went to the workshops, met people and spent the evenings watching movies and going through my stuff in my hotel room.Ā This year, Iād sold to Kensington and had joined several online chapters, so my nights were full.Ā It was fantastic to meet my online friends like my critique partner and your pal, Sayde Grace.Ā I also met a lot of new friends like you.Ā J This coming year Iāve applied to teach a workshop or two, so weāll see what happens.
What do you do when youāre not writing sexy vampires and the women they love?Ā Ā
Iām a lawyer teaching legal classes two days a week right now and Iām happily married with two kids in elementary school.Ā My husband, Tony, is pretty coolā¦and very supportive of this whole writing gig.Ā Heās outdoorsy so we spend some time snowmobiling in the winter and playing at the lake during the summer.Ā I bring my laptop.
What are your plans for the future? You know, other than having your book made into a movie with Gerard Butler as Talen? (Because I want to be on setā¦you have to let me be there!)Ā
Okay ā truth time.Ā DageĀ Kayrs, who is the hero in CLAIMED, is all about Gerard Butler.Ā I had Gerardās picture on my wall as I wrote that bookā¦CLAIMED is Book 2 in the series and will be released in October.Ā Dage is the King of the Realm, the ultimate maleā¦and who else would he be based on than Gerard Butler?
Whatās your favorite movie and why?Ā
Life with Father.Ā Itās a goofy, true story set in the late 1800s (and filmed when Elizabeth Taylor was about 16) about a wife wanting her husband to get baptized.Ā Irene Dunne plays the wife.Ā Well, itās more about their hilarious relationship.Ā But itās hard to explain unless you see it.Ā If youāre sick, or down, or just need a smileā¦watch this movie.
And finally, the most important question of all: does Talen wear boxers, briefs, boxer briefs, or does he go commando?Ā Ā
He goes commandoā¦and I think that word is actually used in FATED.Ā
MARRY ME
Cara Paulsen does not give up easily.Ā A scientist and a single mother, sheās used to doing whatever it takes to protect her daughter.Ā But āWhatever it takesā has never before included a shotgun wedding to a dangerous stranger with an attitude problemā¦
OR ELSE
Sure, the mysterious Talen says that heās there to protect Cara and her daughter.Ā He also says that heās a three-hundred-year-old vampire.Ā Of course, the way he touches her, Cara might actually believe heās had that long to practiceā¦
I’dĀ like to thank Rebecca for stopping by today. Her book will be out February 22, but you have a chance to win an ARC here today! To win, leave a comment pertaining to this burning question: Who is your favorite vampire of all time? (movies, or books)
P.S. I’m having a giveaway as well over at Jillian Chantal’s blog. Be sure to stop by for a chat!