When I am writing, I try not to think of anything else except for the characters ...

INTERVIEW WITH LUCINDA RILEY

BY AGNES A. ROSE

Lucinda Riley was born in Ireland and she lived for the first six years of her life in a tiny village called Drumbeg. Lucinda and her family moved across to England where she started school. Being a child, if she wasn’t reading and writing stories or at ballet lessons, she was dressing up in her mother’s old ball gowns the moment she came home from school and becoming a princess, with a storyline that could last for weeks. When she was nine years old, she played a child murderess in “The Bad Seed”. At fourteen, she went to London to full-time dance and drama school. At sixteen, she got a leading role in the BBC television series called “The Story of the Treasure Seekers”. And for the next seven years, she acted professionally in theatre and TV. She also got married to an actor. At twenty-three, she fell ill. Then she turned to her imagination to help her through and while in bed, she wrote her first book, “Lovers and Players”. One of her friends read it and passed it onto an agent. Finally, she was offered a three-book contract. So far she has written many books but the most popular seems to be “The Seven Sisters Series”. A few weeks ago “The Butterfly Room” was released in Poland.

Agnes Anne Rose: Thank you so much that you accepted my invitation to take part in this interview. I am very honored that I can host you here and talk to you. As most of authors you also started writing stories when you were a child. Could you tell us something more about it?

Lucinda Riley: Writing has always been a passion of mine since I was a small child — I was always making up stories, and when I later worked as an actress, I would re-write my character’s plot in my head. However, I didn’t start writing in earnest until I was 22.

© Roni Rekomaa

AAR: As I mentioned above, “The Seven Sisters Series” seems to be the most popular of all your books. How did you come up with the idea for this series?

LR: In January 2013, I was searching for my next story but wanted to find an overarching angle to add another element to my past/present writing, something that would challenge and excite me – and my readers. I had always watched the stars – especially the Seven Sisters in the belt of Orion, and on that frosty night in North Norfolk, I looked up to the heavens, and, thinking also of our own children, came up with the idea for a seven book series based allegorically on the legends of the Seven Sisters constellation.

AAR: Which part of the above novel series did you write the easiest and which one was the most difficult to write?

LR: The easiest book in the series was the first – Maia’s story. The most challenging has been the most recent one, ‘The Sun Sister’, Electra’s story. With each book, the series gets more complex, not only in terms of the themes and the historical content, but also in terms of the plot itself – there are so many strands that I have to mentally keep hold of, and now at Book 6, the mysteries are all beginning to come to a conclusion… although I can’t give any secrets away just yet. You’ll have to wait for Book 7!

This is the Polish edition of 

The Girl on the Cliff

Published by ALBATROS

Translated by Marzenna Rączkowska

AAR: I have read most of your books published in Polish. The first one was “The Girl on the Cliff”. What inspired you to write such a moving story?

LR: My inspiration is always sparked by an evocative location that begins the 'feeling'. I was born in Ireland and lived in West Cork and loved its windswept rawness. Extreme locations are always exciting to me because they are dramatic and of course, romantic. The thought of a vulnerable child, barefoot and alone during the Atlantic storms that used to break with such fury when I lived there with my own small children, gave me the character of Aurora, the narrator of the book.

AAR: Your next book that left the greatest impression on me was “The Angel Tree”. I couldn’t stop thinking about it for a very long time. In this book, you focus on very difficult relationships between a mother and a daughter. Why did you decide to tell your readers this kind of story and how much difficult it was for you to create Cheska?

LR: I met some fascinating characters during my time as a young actress, on the London stage and in film and television. Actors, in particular, tend to be a tortured bunch, with the ‘public’ face often very different to the reality of the human being behind it. Unless of course, they start to believe their own myth and the fantasy world they inhabit, as Cheska does. When I met my husband Stephen some years after I wrote the book, I found out that he had known someone very much like Cheska… I’d also experienced being in the spotlight and have a number of close friends who are famous in their field or married to someone who is, so I’ve learned first hand how fame can affect people. The whole concept of fame terrifies me, so when I was writing about Cheska and the extremes of her fame and lack of freedom, I put a lot of my own fears into that. To be honest, I have no idea why anyone would go out of their way to seek fame for its own sake like today’s reality TV stars seem to do. I treasure and protect my private life and my family – they’re what keeps me sane.

AAR: Your first book “Lovers and Players” you wrote as Lucinda Edmonds. It tells about the lives and love of three young women. What made you write your first book? Can your readers still buy it even though it was published almost thirteen years ago?

LR: I began to write ‘Lovers and Players’ at 22 when I became ill with glandular fever. As I was not able to work, the novel was completed in one fell swoop and was mainly inspired by my experiences of living in London and the people I had met. It’s currently out of print, although I do have a copy of it on my shelf… perhaps one day I’ll take a look at it again and re-write it.

AAR: Why did you stop writing books under the name Lucinda Edmonds?

LR: I got married in 2000 and decided to focus completely on my family of four children… although that didn’t stop me from simply writing for myself! During that time, I wrote a few manuscripts, some of which eventually became ‘The Olive Tree’ and ‘The Butterfly Room’, and used my married name of Lucinda Riley from that point.

This is the Polish edition of 

The Butterfly Room

Published by ALBATROS

Translated by Anna Esden-Tempska

AAR: A few weeks ago “The Butterfly Room” was released in Poland. I read on the Internet that some of your readers even compare it with “The Forsythe Saga”. In their opinion, your novel is layered, complex, fascinating and deeply satisfying. How do you remember your work on this book?

LR: ‘The Butterfly Room’ began its life as a manuscript I wrote almost ten years ago called ‘Red Admiral’, which is a type of butterfly. I decided to revisit it after finishing ‘The Moon Sister’ in 2018. At first, I thought it would be a ‘light’ summer project – something to take my mind off the more challenging Seven Sisters series. However, as ‘The Butterfly Room’ developed, I found myself rewriting the entire manuscript, adding and deleting characters and plotlines. Since writing the initial manuscript, I realized I had grown a great deal as an author, and many of the characters gained more depth and complexity.

AAR: On the pages of some of your books, you invite readers to visit some exotic countries. I mean “Hothouse Flower” or “The Midnight Rose”. Could you tell us something about the research? Did you visit Thailand and India?

LR: I travel to all the places that I write about. In the case of ‘Orchid House’, we were actually living in Thailand at the time – for a while, our family had a house on Koh Chang, the island where a part of the book is set, and it is one of my favourite places in the world. For ‘The Midnight Rose’ I travelled to India and visited the Moon Palace in Jaipur where I’d imagined Anahita living. I also stayed at the amazing Rambagh Palace which is now a hotel, still owned by the royal family of Jaipur and where they are regularly seen playing polo. I also went to Mumbai, where Ari lives, Cooch Behar up in the north and New Delhi. The architecture and landscapes in India are truly breathtaking!

AAR: I know you have very close contact with your readers living all over the world. How important for authors is to be online?

LR: The world is becoming more technology-based year by year and I think it’s incredibly important to find different ways of reaching your audience. Social media allows direct contact with readers all over the world. When I was an author twenty years ago, there was no such thing as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube or even private websites, and I would do a lot of my publicity in bookshops and during book tours. Today, however, my 2-minute inspiration videos can reach readers all over the world, and the feedback I get is amazing and is a constant inspiration to keep writing. I also did the first ever live ‘Google Hangout’ Q & A in Brazil which was watched over 200,000 times.

AAR: What is the greatest challenge you have faced in your career as an author?

LR: In 1998 I moved publisher to Pan Macmillan with a two-book deal and released ‘Seeing Double’ (now re-written and published as ‘The Love Letter’), a book which involved a story about members of the British royal family, in 1999. At the time Pan Macmillan was going through ‘restructuring’ and it was not a good time for them to publish anything. In addition, many people felt that the story was not welcome by ‘the Establishment’, and the book did well in Ireland, but all the orders were cancelled in the UK. We will never know what really happened!

This is the Polish edition of 

The Angel Tree

Published by ALBATROS

Translated by Jan Kabat

AAR: When you are writing in your study, do you imagine what your very large audience will think about a character or an incident?

LR: When I am writing, I try not to think of anything else except for the characters and the setting – I can’t allow myself to be swayed, or to feel pressured by the knowledge that millions of people will be reading what I’m writing! The characters live in my head and tell their stories through me, so dictating the first draft into my trusty Dictaphone is a very private process.

AAR: How long does it take you to complete a book, from the time the idea for the book is conceived, to when you submit it to your editor?

LR: I realised that from conception to giving birth, all the books take nine months, just like a pregnancy. Weird, but true. I start with the research process, which includes reading all the books I can get my hands on and travelling around the location. Then I dictate the first draft and pass it on to my editorial assistant to type up. Once the first draft is complete, I begin the editing process, which is the most intense part – I go over each sentence dozens of times, playing Rubik’s Cube with the words to make sure everything is perfect.

AAR: You’ve achieved so much as a writer and career woman. Is there any goal you feel you have yet to attain?

LR: I absolutely love what I do, and having had my time in the wilderness as a writer, I appreciate every single moment of what’s happened now. I work 24/7 and gain enormous satisfaction from putting the stories in my head on paper and seeing them published around the world – even if I get rich I would still always write. Currently, all my energies are devoted to the Seven Sisters series, but I already have a lot of ideas in mind for future projects. My goal is simply to write until I drop!

AAR: How can you be so productive with so many outside and family obligations? How do you keep a balance between home and work?

LR: I have to take myself off for two or three weeks and live like a hermit, working eighteen hours a day writing the first draft. Once this is finished and I’m onto the technical editing stage rather than the ‘creative’ part, I’m able to work from home and spend time with my family. However, like any working mother, I’m permanently exhausted and perform the usual juggling act that any mother with kids and a full-time job will recognize!

AAR: You told me that you are working on the seventh part of “The Seven Sisters Series”. Could you tell us something more about it? What can your readers expect from this book?

LR: I’m very secretive about the future of the Seven Sisters series – readers write to me all the time asking to have their theories about #whoispasalt and the ‘missing’ sister confirmed. All I can say for now is that I have just begun the research process on Book 7 – in fact, I have recently been on a journey, following in the footsteps of the ‘missing’ sister…

AAR: Lucinda, thank you so much for this interesting and pleasant conversation. This is very important to me because I know you are very busy at work, so thank you very much once again. Is it anything you would like to tell your Polish readers? In Poland, you have a lot of fans who always look forward to each of your next books.

LR:  Thank you so much for all of your insightful questions! And I’d like to say DZIĘKUJĘ CI to all of my Polish readers for your support and kind words – I receive so many messages from Poland and they motivate me a great deal in my writing. I’m wishing you all a peaceful winter and a happy new year!

This is the Polish edition of Seven Sisters series

(The Seven Sisters, The Storm Sister, The Shadow Sister, The Pearl Sister & The Moon Sister)

Published by ALBATROS

Translated by Marzenna Rączkowska & Maria Pstrągowska 

 If you want to read this interview in Polish, please click here.

I try to give my stories an uplifting feel by bringing God’s hope...

INTERVIEW WITH SUSAN ANNE MASON

BY AGNES A. ROSE

Susan Anne Mason is a Canadian author who writes romance novels with a spiritual leaning to them. Her objective is to create heartwarming stories about forgiveness and redemption. She was always a reader and a writer and those two activities were part of her life for as long as she can remember. She got her start as a teenager. Although her first novel was rejected, the author did not give up. Over thirty years later, she took up the craft again and finally got published! Susan lives in a suburb near Toronto, where she works part-time as a church secretary. She is a wife and the mother of two amazing kids, and a member of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) and Romance Writers of America (RWA). In addition to writing, she likes to scrapbook and to research her family history on-line. So far five of her books have been published in Poland. These are THE COURAGE TO DREAM SERIES (IRISH MEADOWS, A WORTHY HEART and LOVE’S FAITHFUL PROMISE), A MOST NOBLE HEIR and THE BEST OF INTENTIONS which is the first part of THE CANADIAN CROSSINGS SERIES.

Agnes Anne Rose: Susan, I am very honored that you accepted my invitation to take part in this interview and now I can talk to you. In September your book THE BEST OF INTENTIONS was released in Poland. As I mentioned above, this novel is the first part of THE CANADIAN CROSSINGS SERIES. Could you tell us something more about the book and the whole series?

Susan Anne Mason: Hi Agnes! It’s so nice to meet you. The Canadian Crossing books came about because I wanted a series where the books weren’t so tightly linked. I adored the Courage to Dream series, but I felt those books needed to be read in order which is hard for some readers. So the Canadian Crossings series is about three people who meet on a ship crossing from England to Canada, and each book is one person’s story, not directly linked to the other.

The Best of Intentions is about Grace Abernathy who is coming to find her widowed sister, Rose and her infant son. Grace plans to convince Rose to come back to England with her, but everything changes when she is met with tragic news, and she becomes determined to make sure her nephew, Christian, is safe. Grace uses an assumed name to secure the positon of Christian’s nanny and moves into the Easton estate. In the course of her new job, she is shocked to find herself falling in love with Andrew Easton, the boy’s guardian. Unfortunately, Andrew is engaged to a spoiled socialite who is sure to make a terrible stepmother for Christian. Grace has to try her best to protect her nephew. . . and her heart.

AAR: THE COURAGE TO DREAM SERIES tells the story of the Irish O’Leary family. Just like the above novel series, this one is also included in historical fiction. What inspired you to write about people from Ireland? Was it your Irish roots on both sides of your family tree?

SAM: You’re right, Agnes! My Irish heritage was a big part of wanting to write about an Irish family. In addition, I’ve always loved family sagas. One series that I loved as a teen was THE THORNBIRDS, a novel about an Irish family who move to Australia. It was a televised mini-series in Canada, and every week I waited to find out what was happening with Meggie. Some of the elements in that series inspired me for IRISH MEADOWS.  

AAR: Which of your Irish characters is closest to you and why?

SAM: My favorite character was Rylan Montgomery, but I would say I felt closest to Brianna O’Leary. As a young woman, I was a lot like her – quiet, intimidated by authority figures, and always wanting to please the people around me. So Brianna’s journey to finding herself and finding the ability to stand up for herself was one I could really relate to.

AAR: I read on the Internet that it took you a decade before you got published IRISH MEADOWS. Why?

SAM: That’s a complicated question! I was starting writing again for fun when my children were young, never really intending to get published. It took over two years to write one book (which was terrible, by the way). Then I discovered the Toronto Romance Writers, began to attend seminars, and got immersed in the writing world. Before that, I had felt totally alone, not knowing any other writers. I began to learn more about the craft of writing until my work was good enough to win a writing contest and gain the attention of a Bethany House editor who offered me a three book contract!

This is the Polish edition of THE COURAGE TO DREAM SERIES
Published by DREAMS
Translated by Anna Pliś

AAR: A few weeks ago I read A MOST NOBLE HEIR. I was very impressed with this book. I think that this is the most beautiful book combined Christian values and ordinary human life. What made you write this novel?

SAM: I actually got the idea while doing ancestor research. I learned that my great-great grandfather worked as a groom in the stables of a wealthy English family whose estate was called Stainsby House. After a little more research, I found that he married one of the kitchen maids from the estate and this got me imagining what their love story might have looked like. I thought it would be fun to write a story where the characters were married early in the book (instead of a romance where the couple doesn’t get together until the end), but had to find a way to keep the conflict up between the two. And what better way than to have the stable boy become the heir!

AAR: Why do you combine Christian values with the plot of your stories?

This is the Polish edition of
A MOST NOBLE HEIR
Published by DREAMS
Translated by Elżbieta Zawadowska

SAM: I try to give my stories an uplifting feel by bringing God’s hope and unconditional love to the world. It’s wonderful when a reader sends me a message saying that my words spoke to her and gave her hope about a situation in her life. I find that very rewarding.

AAR: As I mentioned above, your first novel that you wrote as a teenager was rejected. Could you tell us what happened to this book?

SAM: Nothing! It’s up on a high shelf in my closet with that rejection letter! I started it when I was twelve and finished it when I was about 15. It was really a big mess but a great learning experience!

AAR: Where do you get your information or ideas for your books?

SAM: Many times I get a kernel of an idea from either my family’s lives or from a newspaper story and then build a plot around that. For instance, in Book 2 of the Canadian Crossings, THE HIGHEST OF HOPES, the story question came from my own grandmother who never knew her parents. Her mother died in childbirth and she was told that her father died of a broken heart. During my research, I discovered that he did not die, and in fact had remarried and had another child. It made me wonder what my grandmother would have done if she ever found out. Would she have gone back to England to find her father and confront him or pretend he didn't exist? So I had my character Emmaline do this when she finds out that her father, who she thought was dead, is very much alive and living in Canada. Emmaline is a feisty woman and of course she crosses the ocean to find him.

AAR: What was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating your books?

SAM: How hard writing really is! And how much work goes into editing and refining the story until it actually comes out in print.

AAR: Do you hear from your readers much? What kinds of things do they say?

SAM: I don’t hear too often from my readers, but whenever someone takes the time to contact me, I am very touched and make sure I respond to their message. As I said before, the most satisfying thing is to receive a note from someone who has really appreciated the positive message in my books.

AAR: You have also written contemporary romances. I mean THE RAINBOW FALLS SERIES and a book entitled HEALING THE WIDOWER’S HEARTS. None of them has published in Poland yet. Could you tell us a little more about these books?

SAM: These books were published by a small press in the States and I doubt they will be translated. But you never know. They are centered around the residents of a small fictional town called Rainbow Falls in North Dakota. The first heroine, Lily, is running from a troubled past. Her new landlord Nick proves to be an honorable man, something Lily has never experienced before. She has a hard time trusting him, but when she learns he is thinking of becoming a minister, she knows she could never be good enough for him.

HEALING THE WIDOWER’S HEART is a Harlequin book, about a widower and his young son who can’t get past their grief and the young counsellor who helps them heal. That was one of my favorites!

AAR: I am very interested in your writing process. Do you write more by logic or intuition, or some combination of the two? Summarize your writing process, please.

This is the Polish edition of
THE BEST OF INTENTIONS
Published by Dreams
Translated by Elżbieta Zawadowska

SAM: I would say it’s a combination of both. I have to give my publishers an outline of each book before they offer me a contract. I usually work with my critique partner and we brainstorm story ideas as to what could happen in each book. When I have a rough outline of each story, I send it to my publisher. However… once I start actually writing the story, it becomes more of an intuition thing, and many times my characters refuse to cooperate with my outline. Ha ha! The story usually ends up quite different than what I started out with.

AAR: What were your goals and intentions in your books, and how well do you feel you achieved them? 

SAM: My goal was to bring uplifting stories to people to give them hope for the future. And also to let them know that God loves them no matter what. I also wanted to write wonderful love stories with happy endings! Overall, I feel I have achieved this.

AAR: Are there any stories about people you met while researching your books? Could you share them?

SAM: Most of my research is done on the internet and by touring some cities for my book. I haven’t really met any people. Sorry!

AAR: What is your next project? Are you working on a new book?

SAM: I am working on a new 3-book series which will be titled REDEMPTION’S LIGHT. It is about a young woman in 1941 who wants to open a maternity home for unwed mothers. The first book is called A HAVEN FOR HER HEART and it should come out in the late fall of 2020.  

AAR: Susan, thank you so much for this interesting conversation. Is there anything you would like to add or tell your Polish readers?

SAM: Just that I am most grateful for the love and support I have received from you! I appreciate you all!

If you want to read this interview in Polish, please click here. 

I’d always wanted to write a book set on the beautiful Oregon coast...

INTERVIEW WITH IRENE HANNON 

BY AGNES A. ROSE

Irene Hannon is a bestselling and award-winning author. She has written more than fifty romantic suspense and contemporary romance/women’s fiction novels. Irene holds a B.A. in psychology and M.A. in journalism. She juggled two careers for many years until she gave up her executive corporate communications position with a Fortune 500 company to write full time. All of her novels are written from a Christian worldview. In her spare time, she enjoys cooking, gardening and singing. As a trained vocalist, she has sung the leading role in numerous musicals. She is also a soloist at her church. When not otherwise occupied, Irene and her husband enjoy traveling, Saturday mornings at their favorite coffee shop and spending time with family. They make their home in Missouri. In Poland we can read three of her books: THAT CERTAIN SUMMER, ONE PERFECT SPRING and HOPE HARBOR.

Agnes Anne Rose: A very warm welcome to you, Irene, and can I thank you, for taking time to talk to me today. Have you always considered yourself to be a writer? Can you share a bit about your journey to publication?

Irene Hannon: I’m happy to be here! Yes, I’ve always considered myself a writer. I think writers are born, not made – and that writing, like any other talent, is a gift. However, in my younger years I never considered writing novels as a realistic career choice. Everyone knows how hard it is to make a living in any creative field, and I didn’t want to have to worry about having enough money to live. So after I got my journalism degree, I took a job in the business world, where I wrote everyday – and I began writing books at night. It took a long time to sell my first book, and there were plenty of setbacks along the way. But I kept writing and eventually reached a level of success that allowed me to leave the corporate world behind and write full time.

AAR: Who have been the people who’ve encouraged you and seen the potential in your writing?

IH: My parents were my greatest supporters in the early years. They believed in me, which gave me the confidence to keep trying. My dad continues to encourage me, and I know my mom is watching over me from heaven. The first person who convinced me I had serious potential was a high school English teacher. She was also passionate about the power of language, and she passed that passion on to me.

AAR: As I mentioned above, your stories are told from a Christian worldview. What made you decide to create Christian fiction?

IH: Two things. First, I’ve always believed that you can tell compelling stories without including vulgarity, explicit violence, or bedroom scenes.  Christian fiction is a perfect home for those kinds of stories. I also like the genre because it’s hope-filled and centers on the things that really matter. That said, the faith element in my books tends to be low-key. Usually I show the characters living their faith rather than talking about it, but it’s clear that their beliefs affect all their choices.

AAR: How do you make a story believable, particularly if you haven’t had personal experience of the difficulties your protagonists endured?

IH: My degree in psychology is helpful. So is my stage work, which requires me to take on various roles and become another person. Bottom line, empathy is the key. You have to put yourself into the character’s shoes and do your best to imagine what they’re feeling. Reading extensively helps with this, because there are many wonderful authors out there who’ve created characters that help us better understand a huge variety of experiences and challenges.

This is the Polish edition of
THAT CERTAIN SUMMER
Published by REPLIKA
Translated by Piotr Kuś

AAR: Now let’s talk about the books that were published in Poland. The first one is THAT CERTAIN SUMMER. It was released in 2013. According to some Polish reviewers, this is a beautiful story about the power of faith and interpersonal relationships, as well as the amazing combination of events that come together the fate of several people one summer. Could you tell us what inspire you to write this book?

IH: I wanted to write a book about healing in a sibling relationship. So I created a story in which two very different sisters who’ve been somewhat estranged for quite a long time are brought together one summer to deal with a family crisis. There’s resentment and rivalry and past hurts to overcome. The message I wanted to send is that it’s never too late to make amends and start over – and that forgiveness for past transgressions is often the key to a better future.

AAR: Your next book, called ONE PERFECT SPRING, was published in Poland in 2014. Some of the Polish readers say that it is a very pleasant novel about the power of prayer and faith in the fact that our lives are saved by some higher power and everything that happens to people leads them to what is intended for them. Could you tell us how you remember your work on this book?

IH: ONE PERFECT SPRING begins with a letter from a little girl, in which she asks a philanthropic businessman to help her plan a birthday surprise for her older neighbor. That simple gesture of kindness ends up touching countless lives and reaping a host of blessings. One of the messages in this book is that everything we do can have a ripple effect, and that grace can enter our lives in the most unexpected ways. It’s a beautiful, uplifting story about second chances and starting over.

AAR: A few weeks ago I read HOPE HARBOR that was released in Poland last year. I am very impressed with this novel. I can’t forget about it. Let me ask you how did the idea of telling the story of Tracy and Michael appear?  

IH: I’d always wanted to write a book set on the beautiful Oregon coast, so several years ago I made a trip there to research the setting. One of the crops grown in Oregon is cranberries. So I decided to have a heroine who owns a family cranberry farm that’s having financial difficulties. She also has a deep sadness in her background. Michael comes to Hope Harbor in search of answers… and redemption. He has a painful secret too – and deep regrets. I wanted to take readers on a journey with these two wounded souls as they find healing, hope and love. There’s also a secondary storyline about an older woman who’s holding a grudge that has isolated her for many years. Watching her transformation as she begins to interact with Michael is a key part of the story.

This is the Polish edition of
ONE PERFECT SPRING
Published by REPLIKA
Translated by Monika Orłowska

AAR: Apart from these three books we discussed above, you have written many more. Could you choose one of them and recommend it to your Polish readers? Tell us why this one.

IH: I would recommend any of the books in my Hope Harbor series. In addition to the first title – HOPE HARBOR – there are four more… and at least three to come. I’m thrilled that readers worldwide have embraced this little Oregon seaside town. DRIFTWOOD BAY, the most recent Hope Harbor novel, has been especially popular. Each story stands alone, but there are a few secondary characters that appear in all the books – Floyd and Gladys, my seagull couple; the bantering clerics from the two churches in town; and Charley Lopez, an artist who runs a taco stand on the wharf. I invite everyone reading this blog to drop in on Hope Harbor and get acquainted!

AAR: What is the most surprising thing you discovered while writing your book/books?

IH: That writing never gets easier. People who aren’t writers don’t always understand that. But the truth is, the longer I do it, the harder it get. That’s because I want every book to be better than the last one, so I’m always trying to improve. And I learn something new with each book I write.

AAR: Do you have a favourite character that you have written? If so, who? And what makes them so special.

IH: I love all my characters, but the reader favorite is Charley Lopez, the character I mentioned above from Hope Harbor. He always has words of wisdom to offer and seems to know a great deal about everyone. I’ve received more reader comments about him than all of the characters in all of my other books combined.

AAR: Your latest book DARK AMBITIONS was released in October. This is the third part of CODE OF HONOR SERIES. Could you tell us something more about this novel and the whole series?

IH: I write in two genres – contemporary romance and romantic suspense. DARK AMBITIONS is a suspense novel. The Code of Honor series features three childhood friends from difficult backgrounds whose bond has been strengthened by time… and danger. As children, they vowed to make the world a better place, and that’s the code they live by – hence the series title. DARK AMBITIONS is the third book in the series and features an ex-military pilot who now runs a camp for foster children. The story begins when he finds a trail of blood in the snow at his camp. He hires a female private investigator to help him solve the riddle his visitor left. But the deeper they dig, the more danger they’re in – because someone doesn’t want the truth to be told. It’s an edge-of-the-seat story with a climax that most readers didn’t see coming. And as with all my series, every book is a standalone. There are no plot threads that carry over from book to book.

This is the Polish edition of
HOPE HARBOR
Published by DREAMS
Translated by Emilia Niedzieska

AAR: Could you give us a window into your writing style? Are you a planner or a seat of your pants plot follower?

IH: A little bit of both. I spend quite a while getting to know my characters and my basic plot before I start writing. I also do a lot of research at that early stage. Once I start writing, I let the story take over. I don’t have an outline or even a scene-by-scene plan.

AAR: You’ve written more than fifty books. Do you ever experience self doubt?

IH: Often – especially when I’m trying to figure out where to go with my next book. That stage feels very unproductive to me, because no words are appearing on the page. I’m in thinking mode. I know it’s a part of my process, but at that point I sometimes think the threads of the story will never come together or that I won’t find a really compelling idea. My husband could tell you about the self-doubt, because he has to listen to it!

AAR: As I mentioned above, you are an award-winning author. For example you are a seven-time finalist for and three-time winner of the RITA award. This award is considered to be the “Oscar” of romance fiction. But you have won many more of the awards. Could you tell us something more about them? Do you have the one that is most important to you?

IH: I’ve been very fortunate to have my work recognized with multiple awards, including National Readers’ Choice, Daphne du Maurier, Retailers’ Choice, Booksellers’ Best, Carol, and Reviewers’ Choice from RT Book Reviews magazine. My lifetime achievement award from RT Book Reviews, which recognized my entire body of work, was special. But the one that means the most to me is being inducted into Romance Writers of America’s elite Hall of Fame. That happens after you win three RITA awards in one category, and only 16 authors have done that in the almost 40-year history of the organization.

AAR: What does literary success look like to you? How has your life changed?

IH: Being able to make a living with my fiction writing has been an immense blessing. I work long hours, but my schedule is far more flexible than it was during my corporate days. So now and then my husband and I can sneak away for lunch to a lovely spot in the country on the spur of the moment. Other than that, my life hasn’t changed all that much because my priorities are the same… faith, family and fiction. My husband and I live in the same house we bought when we got married, long before I’d achieved much literary success. I do more interviews and make more appearances than I used to, but when I’m home (my favorite place to be), I’m the same Irene I’ve always been. I’ve never need material things to make me happy, and while I enjoy the occasional moments of glamor my success has brought, I’m happy that most of my days are quiet and low-key.

AAR: Finally, I would like to ask you if you are working on anything at the present. Could you share with your readers about it?

IH: I always have a book in the works! Next April, Book 6 in the Hope Harbor series will release. It’s called STARFISH PIER. And next fall, I’ll start a new suspense series featuring three sisters involved in truth-seeking professions. The series is called Triple Threat, and Book 1 is called POINT OF DANGER. So lots of novels are ahead!

AAR: Irene, thank you so much for this nice conversation. It was a great pleasure for me to be able to talk to you. Is there anything you would like to add or tell your Polish readers?

IH: I’m delighted that several of my books have been translated into Polish and hope more will be translated in the future. Thank you to all who’ve read or bought my books in Polish. For those who read English, I invite you to visit my Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/Irene-Hannon-426433004084567/), where I chat with readers almost every day. And my website (www.irenehannon.com) has more information on all my books and my background. Thank you, Agnes Anne, for inviting me to visit. I’ve enjoyed it!

If you want to read this interview in Polish, please click here.