Today we are interviewing romantic suspense writer Dawn Brown. Her first book, Living Lies, is available from Samhain Publishing.


Q. As a child, what did you want to do when you grew up?


A. I’d decided fairly young that I wanted to be a writer. I was about ten. Before that, there was a short time when I wanted to be a veterinarian, but decided against it. The idea performing surgery on animals made me a tad squeamish.


Q. When and why did you begin writing?


A. I’d always written, from about the age of twelve on, but I’d never actually finished anything. Shortly after my son was born, I decided to get serious about writing a book. I had always wanted to and this seemed like the ideal opportunity. (I was very fortunate. My son was an eat and sleep baby.) I finished my first book, a horribly written sci-fi romance, a few months later. It was terrible and lives in a drawer never to be seen by human again, but after that I knew I could finish something. So I started my next book, Living Lies.


Q. What were your feelings when your first novel was accepted?


A. When I received the email from Samhain Publishing offering me a contract, I actually had to read it twice before the meaning really sank in. Then a screamed and did an embarrassing little dance.


Q. How do you develop your plots and characters? Do you use any set formula?


A. The fastest way for me to kill a story is to try and plot it out. The drive to complete the book tends dwindle if I have every scene planned and know up front how it ends. I usually begin with an idea for a story and a general concept of who my characters are. Once I have an idea of the goal, motivation and conflict for both characters, I’m usually ready to begin writing.


Q.Are you working on any books/projects that you would like to share with us?


A. I’m currently working on the rewrites for a romantic suspense novel, Blood and Bone. It’s the story of a crime writer who discovers the murder she’s writing about is not as straight forward as she believed. The deeper she digs, the more danger she finds herself in.


Q. Can you share a little of your current work with us?


A. Certainly.


The moan came again, louder this time. Shayne stopped and turned. A dark, hunched figure staggered toward her.


"Christ," she muttered, fumbling with the car door handle. The stooped outline lurched in front of her single headlight, the glare illuminating the ugliest Hawaiian shirt she’d ever seen.

Des Anderson.


Relief swamped her like a tidal wave, turning her muscles to jelly. But the feeling was short lived. He may not have been the homicidal maniac she’d imagined, but the jerk had scared the life out of her. And all because he was staggering drunk. Even from this distance, the smell of beer was nearly over powering.


As he swayed forward, the light hit dark smudges beneath his left eye, along his lip and circling the edges of each nostril.


Blood.


He wasn’t just drunk, he was hurt.


"What happened to you?" she asked.


Her question stopped him short. He tilted his head the way Maura’s terrier did when asked if he wanted a cookie.


Des opened his mouth as if to speak, but no sound came. Instead, he sank to his knees and fell forward, sprawling face first on the gravel at her feet.


"You have got to be kidding," Shayne muttered, looking down at the man passed out on the ground in front of her. Could this day get anymore bizarre?


Q. What, in your opinion, are the most important elements of good writing?


A. Strong, well developed characters and a story that engages the reader and draws them in. My favorite books are always the ones that I race to finish because I just have to see how they end, but when I get there I’m a little sad the story is over.


Q. What tools do you feel are must-haves for writers?


A. I think the most important thing for any writer is to have a workspace of their own. Somewhere they can shut out the world and create without disruption.


Q. What books have most influenced your life?


A. The book that always stands out in my memory was Phyllis A. Whitney’s, Dream of Orchids. I was about twelve when I read it, and enthralled by the mystery and romance. When I finished reading the book, I remember thinking, "This is the kind of book I want to write."


Q. What are you reading now?


A. I’m just starting The Devil’s Footprints, by Amanda Stevens. I’m only on chapter two, but it’s wonderfully creepy so far.


Q. Who is your favorite author and what is it that really strikes you about their work?


A. It’s hard for me to choose just one, but I think I would have to say Minette Walters. Her mysteries always keep me guessing, and her characters are intriguing and well written.