An Interview with
Marin Thomas
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I’m thrilled to have this opportunity to talk to Marin Thomas this month about her latest release from Harlequin American Romance, NELSON IN COMMAND! Welcome, Marin! Hi Cindy! Thanks for having me. First off, can you tell readers a little about the type of stories you write for Harlequin American Romance? Fast-paced, emotional stories sprinkled with humor set in unusual locations. (i.e. dairy farm, Hispanic barrio in L.A., Queens, NY, Eastern Kentucky Appalachian Mountains) I’m always interested in what motivates an author to start writing. Did you always want to be a writer? Or did you ‘stumble’ upon it later in life? I'm a 'stumbler'. Although I enjoyed writing history papers and English essays in high school and college. I was the co-sport's editor for my high school newspaper and wrote a weekly sports column called the Big J my senior year. In college I majored in broadcast journalism, but not until after I'd graduated did I consider writing romance fiction. Can you tell us a little about your journey to publication? Eight agonizing years until I received the 'call'. The first few years my kids were tiny tots, I wrote inconsistently--nap time etc. Once they entered school, I joined RWA and a critique group, wrote more, read more craft books on writing and honed my skills, then began entering contests. Close to the time I sold, I received a rejection on a requested full from an editor the manuscript hadn’t been submitted to..something along the lines of …"Thanks for submitting this book but the manuscript isn’t right for such-n-such line…" I gathered my courage, called the editor in NYC who'd sent the rejection and wouldn’t you know before I could tell her what editor and what line had requested the full the first World Trade Center had been hit. Yep, I called the morning of 9/11. Two weeks later I got a letter educating me on the "Definition" of a rejection letter from the editor I had attempted to phone. Instead of giving up on the book I landed an agent with it.<g> In the meantime while the agent was re-working the book through the appropriate channels, I had another book under consideration by Paula Eykelhof, who had been the senior editor of the American Line at that time, and she bought The Cowboy and the Bride. With my agents help Daddy by Choice got a second look and also sold shortly after to the American Romance line. On your website you mention that you played basketball in college. Did basketball ‘prepare’ you for being a writer in any way? Absolutely! I began my career at the University of Missouri in Columbia. After two years, I realized I wasn't the right post player for their program and no matter how hard I tried I’d never develop the strength and dominance under the basket they were looking for. At 6' 1", I was a slim player but very quick and could run the floor with the guards as well as shoot from the top of the key. (I didn't care much for the rough and tough play under the basket) I decided I had a choice. Stay at Missouri and probably sit the bench the rest of my career or take a chance and transfer to a program that would view my speed and quickness as an asset. I transferred to the University of Arizona. After a year of red-shirting I became a starter and fell in love with the game of basketball all over again. It was all about finding my niche. I think back on those days a lot when I remember struggling to find the right "line" to submit. Did the sport teach you anything that you later used on your road to publication? I developed a "I'm-not-a-quitter attitude, which I believe is a key to surviving the ups and downs in the publishing world. One of the things I love most about your writing is how you always manage to blend serious issues with a light-hearted style that really hits readers’ hearts. Is it difficult to achieve the balance between deep emotional issues and humor? I'm not sure I know how to answer this question. I allow my characters to dictate which direction--serious or humorous--the scene leans toward. What do you think is the key to maintaining that balance? "Not" thinking about the balance as I write--which is probably a good thing or else I'd second-guess myself all the way through the book. I try not to worry about how much humor to use, or how many serious scenes or issues I have. I just tell the story and hope everything falls into place by the end. I’ve read (and loved) all your Harlequin American books to date, but I have to say that DADDY BY CHOICE remains my favorite because of the hero. There’s something about JD that really tugged at my heart. If you had to pick a favorite character from one of your books, who would it be and why? I love JD, too, Cindy. As a matter of fact I just flat out love cowboys <g> I think I fell in love with him because he thought he was unloveable and didn’t deserve to be loved. Those quiet brooding guys always get to me. Do you have a favorite character from someone else’s books? Not a specific character but I will say that Jean Brashear's books, (Super Romances), have been among my favorites. She writes deeply emotional stories with very complex characters that stay in the reader's mind for days after reading the book. Your newest release, NELSON IN COMMAND, is part of your McKade Brothers series, in where each of the brothers (Aaron, Nelson and Ryan) must learn a life lesson at the hands of their Grandfather. I love how these proud heroes are put in situations where they are completely out of their element. Can you tell us how you came up with the idea for this series? The McKade Brothers is a reversal of the rags to riches theme. I thought it would be fun to put wealthy men in situations where they'd flounder and also to match them up with women from backgrounds they'd normally never encounter. So I tossed around different occupations for the heroines and came up with "construction forewoman" "Dairy farming" and "A rubbish company". In order to tie the stories together and give the heroes a reason to have to report to their new bosses I came up with the idea of the men needing to learn a "life lesson." Your heroines are always spunky and quick witted who aren’t afraid to go after what they want. How much of Marin do we see in them? The not afraid to go after what they want part is Marin. But as far as quick witted…well, let's just say I'm more successful writing those lines than coming up with them off the top of my head. J What helps inspire you when you write? Do you have any ‘rituals’ (like music, candles, a favorite scent) that helps you find your writing zone? I wish I did, because that sounds so romantic and creative! I have to have it quiet when I write. I tried music once but ended up singing to the song out loud, humming in my head, then dancing around the room each time I suffered writers block (which would happen every time my favorite song came on) Needless to say I didn’t get much writing done. The only noise I hear now when I write is the wash machine, the dish washer, or the space heater under my desk. How much advance plotting goes into your books? Do you outline ahead of time, or are you more of a seat-of-your pants writer? The first three books were heavily plotted and outlined chapter by chapter, scene by scene using character charts etc. Now I write a synopsis and that's it. Usually by the time I'm finished with the synopsis, I know how the first three chapters will be written. After that I jot down ideas on a notepad for the each chapter, then I start typing. As I write the story I have a sheet of notepaper where I add characters names, ages, or other things I may need to recall later. Then everything goes into a folder with the title of the book on the front. If I were to sneak a peek at your office (or workspace) would I find it neat as a pin or full of an organized clutter? *g* My office is my favorite room in the house. It stays neat, except the top of my desk. My office is very 'Texas'. I have a Texas Marshall's desk, which was a gift to me from my husband after I sold my first book. There's a buffalo skull on the wall behind it. My father is an artist and one wall has a huge painting of a blacksmith on it. The colors…the wall above the chair rail is life-vest orange and the wall beneath is a faux leather technique I did myself with butcher paper, Elmer's glue and a brown glaze over it. I have an Indian rug over a hard wood floor and the two storage cabinets are distressed wood, one in burnt orange the other in dark brown. I have a Texas coat rack in the corner with a "real" Mexican sombrero, a gun belt with a pistol (not loaded) a set of spurs and a lasso. The office is very masculine and…did I mention I just love cowboys? J If you had to pick one word to describe your writing, what would it be? Boy, that's tough. Heartwarming???? I am anxiously awaiting Ryan’s story! Can you give us a little blurb about RYAN’S RENOVATION, the last book in your Mckade Brothers series? A survivor of 9/11, Ryan McKade is coaxed from his self-imposed isolation to work for a rubbish company in Queens, New York. Anastazia Nowakowski, the gentle, caring, office manager not only helps heal Ryan's ravaged heart but also teaches him that true bravery lies in one's ability to accept oneself. Thank you so much, Marin, for taking time out of your busy schedule to talk with us. Is there anything you’d like to add in closing? Ryan's Renovation hits the shelves, August 2007 but before that I have a short story called the Preacher's Daughter, in the 'Summer Lovin' Anthology for the American line due out June 2007. And finally I'm currently at work on a new series for the American Romance line called 'Heart of Appalachia'. The books center around a Scotch-Irish clan in Appalachian Mountains of eastern Kentucky in a place called Heather's Hollow. The first book, For the Children (Oct 07) explores moonshining and the bootlegging legend Lightning Jack, the second book delves into holistic healing and a bit of the 'sight' and the third book explores the issue of coal mining. I've also added a new contest to my website called "Name that Rooster". Readers can check it out as www.marinthomas.com Just click on "Marin's Attic" to find out more about my goofy rooster obsession J Thank you again, Cindy, for the interview opportunity. It's always fun chatting with you! Interviewed by
Cindy |