MY Interview with my FAVORITE AUTHOR Nancy Straight

As everyone who reads my blog probably already knows or has guessed . . . my ABSOLUTE FAVORITE author is Nancy Straight!





Nancy and I finally had a chance to meet this past summer during UtopYA in Nashville, TN and we had such a great time that weekend! Nancy is such a great person and over the course of this blog post, I got to know her even that much better! After you finish the interview, make sure to enter the Giveaway below. Nancy and I created some great prize packages!!


Me: Nancy, thanks so much for agreeing to do my first ever author interview on my new blog!

Nancy: Thanks so much for having me today.  You were the first friend I made as a result of being an author and I’m beyond thrilled to be here.


Me: So to get started, I'm curious about the basics. How long does it normally take you to write a book?

Nancy: Each book is different, but typically, the initial draft of a novel is complete in two months.  Between editing, alpha reads, beta reads and more editing, it is six months before a book is ready to publish.




Me: Through this process, have you learned anything while writing that has surprised you?

Nancy: I’ve learned that I am a better writer with a big can of sour cream and onion Pringles at my side.  LoL, it also helps my creative juices flow when my dog Flash wedges himself in between the side of my recliner and my laptop.  The truth is, I learn something new every day – whether it be marketing tips, an endless number of “English Rules” that I can’t help but break, and the generosity of strangers:  book bloggers and readers who take time to write reviews. 




Me: Where did the inspiration for each of your book series come from?

Nancy: That’s a tough one.  The Destiny Series were at least partially inspired by my relationship with my husband.  Not the shapeshifting demon, or the multiple lives the characters spent together, but the underlying plot that people in your life are supposed to be a part of your life.  My husband and I grew up about 300 miles away from one another in Iowa and Illinois.  We first met when we were both in Virginia Beach, VA in 1991.  We were both in Hawaii in 1993, in Orange County, CA in 1994, and Oceanside, CA in 1995.  We went on our first date in 1996 and have been together ever since.  Each time the two of us had “bumped” into each other, for one reason or another, it wasn’t the right time, but in 1996 everything clicked. 




The Touched Series was inspired by my distaste of reading one too many books with a weak heroine who made bonehead decisions and needed protection.  Cami is by far my favorite heroine in any series, she’s smart, witty, strong and intelligent. 


Me: The Touched Series, which is my favorite of yours!, delves into Greek Mythology.  Have you always had a love of Greek Mythology and how much research did you perform to write this series?

Nancy: I have had an affinity for Greek Mythology for as long as I can remember.  I didn’t know how much I didn’t know about Greek Mythology until I began to do my research.  The Touched series focuses on Centaurs, which to my shock, had very little written about them.  Can you believe it? A paranormal/mythological character which everyone had heard of, but no one knew much about them!  Where legends existed, I incorporated them, where nothing was written, I made it up – it was awesome! 

  

Me: What inspired your new series?

The Brewer Brothers was inspired by some elements of my own life.  The story starts out with two girlfriends who are short on cash and use their pool playing skills to earn money.  One of my best friends growing up used to hustle pool for extra spending cash.   All the craziness that happens to them was fiction, but the inspiration came from my early twenties.


Me: A common theme in your stories is a strong, supporting mother-like character.  The Destiny Series features Rewsna, the Touched Series features Gretchen, and in His Frozen Heart (the first of your new Brewer Brothers series) we have Mrs. Bavcock; did you always plan for each of your books to have these supporting characters?  How did they come about?

Nancy: I have been fortunate enough to be around very strong, intelligent, independent women.  Because these are the type of women I surround myself with, it isn’t much of a jump for these types of characters to find their way into my writing.  Mothers, sisters, aunts, friends are our mentors and have had a profound effect on me as a person – I think this is something we can all relate to.





Me: Rumor has it (and yes I may be starting this rumor!) your ninth book “Fractured Karma (Brewer Brothers #2) will be told from the viewpoint of a male character.  You have definitely devoted chapters of your books and even story arcs from the male point of view, but how does taking on this perspective for a whole book compared to previous endeavors?

Nancy: It isn’t a rumor and it is seriously hard!  Although most of my adult life has been spent working in environments that are traditional male – I still don’t think like a man.  Because I don’t think like a man, I am using several more male alpha and beta readers to make sure it is realistic.


Me: While working on a series, do you start thinking about the next series or stand-alone books you want to write?  Do you already have a new story(ies) in mind while working on the Brewer Brothers Series?  Any tidbits of ideas Charles’ Book Blog readers can hear about?

Nancy: Yes.  His Frozen Heart was an idea I had while I was writing Blood Debt.  I am as much a reader as I am a writer, and as a result, I dislike it when authors leave me hanging while I wait for them to finish a series.  Because of this, I only work one story line at a time.  I didn’t start His Frozen Heart until Blood Debt, Centaur Legacy, Centaur Rivalry and Centaur Redemption were complete.  As far as tidbits, The Brewer Brothers Series will have three books in it, once those three are written I have several more Centaur Books I would like to write. 




Me: Any suggestions or advice for aspiring writers?

Nancy: Be grateful to each and every person who reads your work.


Thanks so much Nancy for such a great interview!!


Make sure to check out my dedicated blog page to see information about all Nancy's books and ordering information by clicking here.


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