Happy Australia Day with Jan Graham

Wow! Happy Australia Day!!

What better way to celebrate than to introduce another Australian author , and as we are getting to know some of the authors from Secret Cravings, well it just made sense. There are a few of us now :)

So without any further interruptions...please welcome...

Jan Graham

Welcome Jan!

Could you give me a brief rundown of your currently available items with Secret Cravings?

Hi Imogene, like you I have a release coming out on 3rd February 2012 from Secret Cravings. It’s not my first book, but is my first one with Secret Cravings. The Cougar Club is a novella from the Hot Flash range of books. It’s the first in a series of novellas called the Sydney Cougar Series. All of the stories in this series are based in Sydney, Australia, which is where I’m from.

1. What is your main genre, and how did you get started in it?

I mostly write contemporary erotic romance, my Wylde Shore Series (which unfortunately isn’t with Secret Cravings) has both suspense ménage, and BDSM themes to it, still in a contemporary setting and The Sydney Cougar series (releasing through Secret Cravings) is straight out contemporary. All of the books are quite erotic, so the heat level for them is pretty high.

2. Okay, what is the most exotic location you have written in? And how did that come about?

The most erotic location? Lol…well I would have to say, my bed, at home in Sydney. Although when you’re alone in a bed covered with a laptop and notes scribbled on bits of paper, it’s not really erotic. I must add I don’t usually write in bed. J

3. Have you got a current WIP and can you give us any hints as to what we will find within the book?

I have two current works. The first is the third story in the Sydney Cougar Series, as yet untitled. It’s about Mark Dean, who readers will have a bit of a idea about from the other two stories in the series, and the older woman he falls in love with. The other work in progress is the third book in the Wylde Shore Series, it focuses on Mercedes, she’s been a minor character in the previous two books, and her struggle to accept the changes she needs to make in order to make it work with the man of her dreams. As always there will be a bit of a crime twist and lots of BDMS action.

4. Coffee, Tea, Hot Chocolate or something stronger? And why?

Usually coffee first thing of a morning, to wake me up and give me a kick start for the day. Then I change to tea which can be green, herbal or regular black tea, depending on my mood and what I feel like at the time. I think I prefer tea because it’s more refreshing and give me less of a buzz than coffee.

5. What was the hardest scene you have ever written, and why do you think it was difficult? (emotionally for you and/or your character)

The most difficult scene I’ve ever written was in my first novel Finding Angel, the main character, Angel, had been through a severe trauma, and the scene where she first let’s her two Doms know how she got certain scars on her body was very emotional for me. I’d done a lot of research into the effect of PTSD on female victims of crime, as well as drawing on my previous life, where I used to work in welfare, so I’d met women that had suffered trauma like Angel. By the time I wrote the scene Angel basically came to life, embodying many of the women I’d worked with, so I cried. In fact I howled. I don’t know how I even saw the screen sometimes. I think the emotion came out so strongly because as a professional working with survivors of crime, you tend to channel your empathy, but don’t show much other emotion in order to help your client. So I had years of unshed tears built up in relation to the people I’d worked with, and it all flowed out as I wrote the scene.

6. If you had the opportunity to try something in your books, what would it be?

I’m going to answer this question from two perspectives. Something I’d like to try writing about and put in one of my books would be M/M or F/F romance story line. I’m not sure that I’d have the knowledge to do a same sex storyline because it’s not something I’m familiar with. Even though I have GLT friends I’m not in the mindset of how the relationship structure works, whether there are intrinsic differences to straight relationships, particularly in relation to a M/M setting.

If you’re meaning is there something I’ve written or read in a book that I’d like to try doing then the answer is yes. I love to read paranormal romance so I’d like to have a relationship with a sexy vampire or werewolf, or maybe both at the same time, we could do a whole ménage thing…lol. J

7. If you could invite 3 of your characters to a dinner party, who would you choose and what do you want to learn from them?

Well I’d prefer to have a party and invite them all, but if I had to stick to three they would be…this is nearly too hard to decide. I think Trudy from The Cougar Club because she’s outspoken and tells you exactly how she feels, despite of the consequences. I’d like to learn that skill from her. Steve from Finding Angel, for no other reason than I adore him and would enjoy his company and his sense of humor. And finally, I think I’d invite Zeke from The Cougar Club because he could tell some great stories about what he’s witnessed at Rubens (the club featured in the story) and I might even get some pointers on how to attract a younger man into my life. J

8. What would you do differently on your road to becoming published?

I think I’d have a larger completed body of work. When I got the contracts for both Finding Angel and The Cougar Club I had lots of work in progress, but no more manuscripts that were completed. So I’m faced with having a longer delay between releases now than I would have like. I’m hoping it won’t frustrate readers who like my writing too much, but I would have preferred to have books in each series released closer together.

9. You are going on a holiday and can only take 5 things with you. What would you pick and why?

I’d take my eBook reader, loaded with lots of great books, because I love to read. My camera, so I’d have lots of visual evidence of where I’ve been and what I’ve done, unless it’s something incriminating, then I wouldn’t take a picture of it. J A sexy lead man from my favorite book or movie, I think people could guess why I’d take him along. Of course there’d be no pictures of those activities…lol. The fourth thing would be a change of sexy underwear, because it’s essential and I’d hate sexy man to see the same thing everyday. Finally, I’d take a toothbrush, again because it’s essential, and I wouldn’t want to kiss sexy man without having nice fresh breath.

10. If you could give a piece of advice to a reader who wants to write a book, what would it be?

I‘d say, writing the book is the easy part. As well as the writing, you need to ensure you understand the publishing and promotion side of what authors do, and be prepared to be disciplined with your time because the non-writing stuff can distract you from actually doing the thing you set out to do…write.

You can catch Jan Graham at Website: http://www.jangraham.com.au/ , Blog http://jangraham.blogspot.com/ , Facebook http://facebook.com/JanGrahamAuthorpage and Twitter http://twitter.com/#!/jan_graham .

Their current releases include…Finding Angel from Siren Publishing, and the soon to be released novella The Cougar Club From Secret Cravings Publishing.

COMPETITION!

Jan has kindly offered a copy of The Cougar Club as a prize to one lucky reader when it’s released on 3rd February. So, in order to win, name their most recent release with Secret Cravings. Prizes will be drawn randomly on the 31st January 2012.