Do you plan everything or just let the story flow?
I'm all about letting everything flow naturally. I hate planning. Hate. Hate. Hate. That is part of the reason why I usually have a half-dozen books in various stages of completion. I'll write until it's halfway through, hit a wall, and then go on to something else.
Do your characters ever want to take over the story?
They do frequently. LoL.
What is your favourite food?
Pizza. You just can't go wrong with pizza. But it's gotta be meat. I'm a meat-atarian all the way.
Are you a morning person or a night owl?
I can't function until noon - at least. I'm a full-time writer and my workday normally starts around 6pm until between 2am-4am. I used to work at a hotel reservation center, working overnights. I worked there for eight years so I think all those years trained me to sleep in the mornings. No matter how much I try to change to a "normal" routine, it doesn't seem to happen for me.
Where do you dream of travelling to and why?
I'm actually about to embark on my dream vacation. I'm going to be spending the month of August touring Europe. I fly into Madrid, Spain on the 8th of August and fly out of Brussels, Belgium on the 4th of September. I'll be taking my 11 year old son with me and we have lots of fun things planned, such as a helicopter ride over Paris, France and a tour of the Vatican. It's going to be amazing. A dream trip to remember. Actually "I'm excited" doesn't even begin to describe it.
Do distant places feature in your books?
Not usually. I like to keep my characters in places I know about. Generally my books take place in either Portland, Me, Boston, Mass or New York City.
Do you listen to music while writing?
Nope. Music distracts me and I tend to make too many mistakes. I usually have the television turned on to a reality show of some sort. Reality shows are good since I never really have to pay attention to them to know what's happening. :)
Could you tell us a bit about your latest release?
An Heir For The Billionaire is my latest release. It was originally meant to be a breeding erotica story, but morphed into something so much more. Instead, I would like to think this is an inspirational love story about hope, forgiveness and rediscovering what is most important in life.
The heroine of the story, Katrina Alexander is a woman stuck in a rut. She's working as a server for a hotel and embarrassed that at twenty-eight years old she hasn't accomplished much with her life. When her high school reunion comes around she considers not even going because she doesn't want people to see that she hasn't succeeded. With some prompting from her best friend, Farrah Glover, she decides to go, a part of her longing to see her former high school love, Damon Garratt.
The hero is Damon Garratt. He's a man that has it all. Money, power and it would appear the world in the palm of his hand. But that's hardly the case. His world is rocked to its core when he discovers he has lung cancer and may only have a year to live. He begins to evaluate his life thus far and realizes that despite the empire he's built around him, his world is empty of what is most important in life. An invitation to his ten year high school reunion makes him realize that he had the most important thing in life already and was foolish enough to let it go, so he travels back to his hometown of Bangor, Maine, in search of redemption.
What have you learned about writing and publishing since you first started?
There has been an insane amount of learning from when I began to self-publish back in May of 2012. I knew nothing about editing, how to find an editor, how to create cover art and so forth. Virtually every aspect of the business I had to teach myself, but I was diligent and it has paid off more than I could have ever dreamed it would.
Is there anything you would do differently?
Not a thing.
Who, or what, if anything has influenced your writing?
Most of my stories are either based on things I've experienced myself or fantasies I've harboured. My heroines reflect me in many ways. My heroes always reflect the type of man I've always dreamed of being with.
Anything you would say to those just starting out in the craft?
Read, read and read some more. Pick a niche that you enjoy and read a wide variety of authors in that niche. When it comes to writing, reading others work keeps your fresh. I try to read either a novel, or several novellas a week.
What are three words that describe you?
Introverted, Optimistic, Easy-going
What's your favourite book or who is your favourite writer?
Before I started writing erotic romance I studied other authors. Selena Kitt, Tawny Taylor and Felicity Heaton were/are my favourites. I read through a good chunk of their catalogues before I started writing.
Blurb of your latest release or coming soon book
Blurb for An Heir For The Billionaire:
Katrina has been waiting for her Prince Charming...
Katrina Alexander's bland life has her wondering if she'll ever find the true love she's spent her life hoping for. With no current prospects, and a boring job, she's just about given up. Running into her high school sweetheart at her ten year high school reunion has her wondering if maybe she'd met him long ago.
He's faced with his mortality and in a race against time...
Damon Garratt is a self-made billionaire, but aside from his massive fortune has little else to show for the years that have gone by. Without love or a family, he's feeling empty. Seeing Katrina brings up old feelings from the past, and suddenly he can see his future more clearly. Racing against the clock, can he convince Katrina to give him the one thing he desperately needs - an heir?
Any websites/places readers can find you on the web.
You can find a full list of my books on my website: www.elixaeverett.com
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