Reviewers International Organization: Interview with award winning romance author DENISE LYNN

I recently spoke with Denise about her passions, writing and reading.

1. How would you define medieval romance fiction? Wikipedia (my new favorite time killing website) defines the medieval period as being from the 5^th to the 16^th century.

   Personally, if there are knights, monarchs, a feudal system, castles or keeps and they don’t use guns or light sabers, and of course the romance plays the important part of the story, I class it as a medieval romance. Doesn’t matter to me if the author adds suspense, paranormal or fantasy elements, I still see it as a medieval romance.

2. What type of event, person or place interested you in this particular type of fiction?

   Now you’re asking me to give away my age. “Higitus, Figitus, Migitus Moe….” Disney’s The Sword in the Stone.

   My parents took us to the drive-in and I just remember being drawn to the screen…literally. Since then, anything with knights, wizards or dragons will find me in the audience…front and center—book, movie, renfest…doesn’t matter, I’m there.

3. Who is your favorite writer?

   Can you describe the qualities of that writer that exemplify excellent in the crafting of this mode of fiction? I can’t break it down to just one. There are several that I think are excellent.

   When I was “learning” to write my first book, I used two of my all time favorites…basically because I had double copies of everything they’d written and could mark up one copy. Jude Deveraux and Roberta Gellis. While both wrote medieval romances (in the olden days of course) they wrote two entirely different types of medievals.

   Ms. Deveraux’s were fast paced, action oriented with tons of dialogue and emotion that kept me up many, many nights way beyond a reasonable hour simply to find out how the couple arrived at their HEA. Ms.

   Gellis’s stories transported me to the middle ages. She was and is so gifted at getting the right amount of history in with the romance that I am and will always be in total awe of her talent. And after all this time, I still can’t figure out how she does it…magic…I’m almost positive it’s magic.

   When I grow up, I want to be a combination of those 2 authors. I don’t think that’s asking for much.

4. If you were giving advice to someone else who is crafting a novel, what would you advise about making it both credible and fascinating?

   Know your setting/time period enough to lie if you must. I don’t ask for a thesis on the history of the time, I only ask that when I’m reading a historical romance that the author makes me believe her/his background is right. LOL – yes, I’m terrible – the history doesn’t REALLY have to be dead on, just make me believe it is.

   Give me a logical reason for something to be happening. Don’t give me a H/H who bathes 3 times a day and has an intelligence level of Einstein without explaining how that came about. Explain it, make it seem logical for that character and yes, I will buy into the story.

   I don’t care if your 9^th century castle is made of stone and has clear glass windows….as long as you tell me why that’s so unique. Go ahead, boil me in oil, hang my head from a pike—but before you do that, give me good, engrossing story to read and I’ll believe anything for those 3 hours.

   As for fascinating…hmmm, good question. From a writer’s perspective, I can’t answer that except to say write it from YOUR heart. But as a reader I find not only the relationship between the H/H fascinating, but the subplot that drives the story.

   Obviously, there has to be something more than just boy meets girl, etc., I want suspense, action, danger, I’ll even take some paranormal elements…anything to keep the story moving at a fast pace.

5. How would you address the writer’s need to create romance in fiction that avoids being stereotypical?

   But I don’t think the romance is stereotypical. Each writer comes to the page with their own words, thoughts, experiences, backgrounds and all of those things color their writing to some extent. Of course, some things are going to be stereotyped because we’re writing genre fiction…and the audience has specific expectations of their chosen genre.

   Plagiarism aside, no two writers are going to take one idea and write exactly the same scene and to me that’s what makes the story unique and keeps it from being stereotypical – the individual writer’s voice.

6. How did you come up with the idea of your own Falcon novel series? I’m sure you’ve heard this before.

   I don’t know where the ideas come from, they just come. I was doing edits on one book and the opening to Falcon’s Desire just…appeared. It was just there…I sat back and the rest of the story just started running.

   The next two were because my editor said, “What about the brothers?” And the last one was because I HAD to do the little sister’s story. It wouldn’t go away.

7. What would you describe are the unique features about your novels that you want reviewers and readers to appreciate long after they have finished the last page of each book? I seriously have problems remembering scenes from a movie a couple days after seeing it, so I’ve never expected a reader to remember my story long after they close the book. I only hope that I’ve been able to give the reader a few hours of escape entertainment.

   And I hope that once they’ve finished the story, they want to read the next one.

8. Describe the difficulties you have while writing your novels and how you deal with those problems? Real life interruptus.

   You know, those pesky things like a day job, chores, errands, family, sleep….the things that you just simply have to deal with as they come. And that “thing” where everyone in your family thinks your little hobby is cute, but…”I need” I’m still trying to deal with that one—without ending up in jail of course.

9. Do you just write your story or plan it first in a particular way? I don’t plan anything. LOL.

   I see a scene, let it simmer, it quickly evolves into a full movie, then the voices come (No, no, get those white-coated men away from me.) and once I can run it backwards, fast forward, stop and pause in my head, I hit the keyboard. Once chapter at a time.

   Write it. Read it. Edit it.

   Move on to the next. By the time I’m through what I guess you’d call the first draft, the story is pretty well clean and ready to go.

10. Are you conscious about audience, purpose, setting, and tone in a particular way before, during, or after your writing process continues?

    Before? Other than setting, no. During?

    Yes – since I’m still getting my feet wet so to speak, mostly I try to remember what specific “problem areas” or things my editor suggested on the last manuscript or three. Too slow, move the pace up a notch, it’s a romance, Denise, they can make love, etc., etc.

    , Harlequin seems to know their market pretty well, so when they make a specific “for the market” suggestion, I usually find that they are spot on. Those are the things I try to remember. My setting is a given for now – 12^th century Europe.

    Tone? I’ll probably always write medieval adventure, revenge being my most favorite subplot for the moment. Purpose?

    My only purpose is to entertain and provide a safe escape from the norm of everyday life. Afterwards? Oh, heavens, I’m conscious about everything then…will the reader like it, will it entertain them, will they hate my H/H, will they be offended, will they slam the book against the wall, will they buy the next one?

    And on and on and on. Obsessing is my third, but most important job.

11. Finally, what is important for reviewers to note about your works?

    Do you prefer more general reviews or have something else in mind such as a more thorough analysis or just an overview? Anything else? LOL – oh, please don’t hate me.

    When I was a reader with no thoughts of writing, I would get RT and read the summary synopsis the reviewer wrote and totally ignore the rating. One of my fave movies is Excalibur…at the time the movie reviewers hated, detested, loathed the movie, but it was my all time favorite then. So, ratings never meant much to me.

    I’d rather just have the general review. I make certain to have my big girl pants on when I read the reviews. I sent the work out and asked for a public opinion, I can take it—good, bad or dismal.

    May not like having my child called ugly, but I can take it. What some reviewers don’t understand is that some writers—ok, me and maybe one other--actually take the review to heart---it’s sort of like entering contests – give me the score and I’ll figure out how to fix it. So, with a rated review I’m insanely still looking at it as a judged contest.

    But, I can’t do anything about fixing that story anymore. However, I CAN and do take the comments, good and bad, into consideration when I’m working on the next book. Ahhhh, 4 out of 6 reviewers liked the suspense element….

    let’s try that element again. Ohhhhh, 4 out of 6 reviewers hated the paranormal element…let’s skip that one the next time around. Ouch, 3 reviewers wondered if you’d ever learn to write…let’s set that aside and reread Elements of Style…later.

    
    

12. What is on your reading list of books waiting to be read right now? Since I’m working, there are no historical romances on my TBR pile atop my desk. There are: fiction - Purchased By The Billionaire, His Marriage Ultimatum, Taken for His Pleasure, Accepting the Boss’s Proposal.

    Nonfiction—research - The Perfect Heresy – The Revolutionary Life and Death of the Medieval Cathars, The Nag Hammadi Library, The Chalice of Magdalene, Gnosis and Hermeticism.