Liz Talley in The Dungeon

So exciting to have another wonderful author in The Dungeon!  This time I want to introduce you to the cute-as-a-button Liz Talley. :bunnybounce:

A finalist in both RWA’s prestigious Golden Heart and RITA contests, Liz found a home writing sassy contemporary romance. Her first book (Vegas Two Step) starred a spinster librarian and debuted in June 2010. Since that time, she has published nineteen books with Harlequin, Berkley, and Montlake. Her stories are set in the South, where the tea is sweet, the summers are hot, and the men are hotter. Liz lives in Louisiana with her childhood sweetheart, two handsome children, two dogs, and a mean kitty.

Let’s put her on The Rack & see how she handles Mistress Heidi‘s list of questions, shall we? :fairie:

What is your favorite color?  Yellow

Favorite song?  Currently, “Way Over Yonder” by Carole King

Favorite movie?  Tough one…uh, Sense and Sensibility

And of course, favorite book?  I can’t even….LOL. Too many to name. I do have a special fondness for Lonesome Dove though.

What was the first book in your chosen genre that you remember reading, or that made you want to write the same?  Wow, these are tough. I never expected to write contemporary romance. I wanted to write Regency, so I’m going to say To Sir Phillip, With Love by Julia Quinn. I loved that book so much I decided to try my hand at writing a historical romance. And then I fell in love with writing.  :cuckoocat:

What do you think of Heidi?  She’s great, right?  I’m pretty sure I can’t say anything bad here. LOL  She’s fantastic!  (Note from Heidi:  Yeah, it’s probably a good idea to say only good things. You don’t want to incur Mistress Heidi’s wrath.)

How did you get started writing?  After I read the aforementioned book, I had a lightbulb moment. Maybe I could write a book. It started out as fun for a bored SAHM, but one day, I finished the book. And then I found other writers. And RWA. And a whole new world that I fit into. :ducks:

Tell us a little bit about The Call—i.e. your first sale.  It happened in September. It was a Friday afternoon, and when I checked voice messages, I had a call from Wanda Ottewell, the senior editor of Superromance. Well, I nearly peed my pants. But with shaking hands I called the number she’d left and asked to be connected to her office. I got voicemail. I left a message. And promptly got so keyed up that I could hardly function. Seriously. I was a mess. A million thoughts went through my head, and I was certain she was calling to tell me the revisions I’d done on the revise-and-resubmit weren’t going to work. I went to the bathroom, like, a million times, and finally my husband found a Xanax in the medicine cabinet and made me take it. After an hour, she called back and told me they wanted to buy my book. I told her thank you and took down all the information about deadlines, etc. She finally said, “You might be the calmest author I’ve ever made this call to.” I said, “Well, I took a Xanax.” She pretty much collapsed into laughter. In hindsight, it was pretty funny. :giraffe:

Fill in the blank—If you like [blank], you’ll love Liz Talley!  A fabulous book?  Figured I’d go for the gold. :alice: (Another note from Heidi:  Brava! Brava!  Go big or go home, right? :devil: )

If your plane crashed in the Andes, would you convince the other survivors to eat Heidi first or last?  Last. I’m a proponent that as long as someone is around who can spin a good yarn, hope remains. Heidi goes last. (Further intrusion from Heidi:  Whew. :dizzyegg: )

You’ve recently begun writing for Harlequin Blaze, as well as Harlequin SuperRomance. Can you share the thinking behind that move and the differences—as well as what you enjoy most—in writing for both lines?  Well, I’ve done fifteen Superromances so I’m pretty versed in writing bigger books with secondary story lines. Most of my Supers feature a small town with lots of family complexity, warmth, and depth of emotion. In Blaze, I don’t have quite as much room for building complexity, but instead I focus on the intimate relationship. Another huge change, of course, is the level of heat and the way the story is driven first by sexual desire. One thing I like about Blaze is the tight storyline and the quick jump to intimacy.  (Even more intrusion by Heidi:  As do we all…as do we all. :cuffs: )

Tell us about your latest release and why we’ll love every word. My newest release, COWBOY CRUSH, is at heart a story about finding a place to belong and coming to terms with things a person can’t change. My hero, Cal, is a two-time PBR champ and he’s rehabbing a shoulder injury. It’s hot, he’s bored, and a beautiful woman interrupts his pancake breakfast. Maggie’s a Philly fish out of water in the one-horse town of Coyote Creek, Texas, and she needs help in getting a ranch she’s inherited into shape for a quick sale. Cal offers to supervise the work, moves his trailer out to the ranch, and pretty soon things heat up. :devil:  There’s plenty of sexual chemistry, but even with all the frolicking, the heart of the story is about falling in love. :bouquet:

If you could write anything—whether in the same genre/sub-genre as you’re writing now or another—what would it be?  I’d love to write a good mystery. Love reading them, but they’re really hard to write.

What are you currently working on?  Currently, I’m working on my third book in the “Morning Glory Girls” series. The first book, Charmingly Yours, launches on May 24th with Montlake, and I’m super excited about this series. It’s pretty much Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants meets Sex and the City.

LIGHTNING-FAST LASHES:

Leather or lace?  Lace

Devil or angel?  Angel

Angel food or devil’s food?  Angel Food (honestly that drove the answer to the preceding question :chocoyum: )

Hemlock or arsenic?  Arsenic…and Old Lace  (he-he—love that answer; it’s always where my mind goes, too :bunnyyum: )

Blood, sweat, or tears?  Sweat

Boxers, briefs…or commando?  Boxers

Cowgirl or missionary? (Hey, get your mind out of the gutter. I was simply asking what you wanted to be when you were growing up. :basket: )  Wait….can I be a puppy? LOL  (Okay, I checked with Mistress Heidi & she says you can be a puppy if you wanna. :sleepy: )

heart_wings

That was awesome, Liz—thank you so much!  I know readers are going to love chatting with you after that fabulous interview! :happyeaster:

But that’s not all Liz has to offer, My Darlings!  She has generously offered to give away a copy of her newest Harlequin Blaze release, Cowboy Crush (print or ebook—winner’s choice) + a $10 Starbucks gift card! :bunnyhop:

All you have to do to be entered is answer this simply question for Liz:  WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE THING TO DO IN THE SPRING? :spring:

Winner will be announced on Sunday, April 17th as part of our regular “Happy Sunday” post, so be sure to check back to find out if you’ve won!

And remember, you can chat with Liz about anything. Ask her about her books, her writing, her favorite tv shows.  Just be sure to “Think Spring” if you want to be entered in the drawing.

You can also visit Liz any old time and learn more about her books at LizTalleyBooks.com!

Happy chatting! :candy:

Comments

25 Comments  •  Comments Feed

  1. Anne says:

    Welcome, Liz. Read, reading is my favorite thing to do year round. The only thing different I do in Spring, is Spring clean and I can hardly say I enjoy it.

    On April 11, 2016 at 6:59 am

    • Liz Talley says:

      Uh, yeah, spring cleaning is so not my favorite. But there IS something nice about cleaning out junk and getting your house smelling spring fresh. I concur on the reading. But that’s year round, right? 😉

      On April 11, 2016 at 9:22 am

  2. DebraG says:

    Good Morning. What a wonderful interview. It was nice meeting you. Do you have to do a lot of research for your books?

    On April 11, 2016 at 7:22 am

    • Liz Talley says:

      Sometimes. I’ll admit if something is too daunting, I will work around it. For example, in my upcoming Sept. book, I had originally wanted it to be more of a medical drama with the hero being a cardiothoracic surgeon. I had scenes in the operating room and I did an incredible amount of research, but when it came down to it, it was too hard to write something that’s so ever-changing and in depth. My heart surgeon became a former science geek who runs a fishing charter service. Much easier to write. Did I cheat? I prefer to think it came out the way it should and gave bonus conflict and guilt for the hero.

      Thanks for the question.

      On April 11, 2016 at 9:25 am

  3. Minna says:

    My favourite thing to do in the spring is to ride by my bicycle again after all the snow and ice has melted. :bunnybounce:

    On April 11, 2016 at 9:12 am

  4. Liz Talley says:

    Oh, that sounds so nice. I’m no hearing Queen’s “Bicycle” in my head 🙂 Enjoy your upcoming rides 🙂

    On April 11, 2016 at 9:25 am

  5. Kathleen O says:

    Hi Liz.. Your new books sound like winners!! I love just being able to put away the winter coats and boots… And knowing Flip-flop season is just around the corner… :bouquet: Which of your character’s was the hardest to write with your new Blaze book?

    On April 11, 2016 at 9:28 am

    • Liz Talley says:

      Oh, yes, flip flops!

      Hmm….well, writing Cal was a bit harder because I had to climb into the head of a stubborn man, and even worse, a stubborn man who rides bulls for a living. I actually enjoyed the research on bull riding, the equipment and the rules, etc. but I also needed Cal to be coming to the end of that career and not knowing who he could be after he stopped riding. So he might have been more difficult than Maggie.

      Thanks for the question 🙂

      On April 11, 2016 at 10:54 am

  6. Teresa Fordice says:

    aw to see all the new growth and the babies, cattle, chickens, etc on our farm

    On April 11, 2016 at 9:40 am

    • Liz Talley says:

      Oh, I LOVE this. I really think I’m a farm girl at heart. One day I want donkeys and miniature goats. Maybe chickens though I hear they’re messy. Still, I love gardening and the concept of farm life. Maybe I need to come stay a week with you and do your chores just to see if I’m cut out for farm life. LOL.

      On April 11, 2016 at 10:55 am

  7. Heidi says:

    Hey, all! Welcome, Liz, & thank you to everyone for dropping by to chat with our wonderful guest. :alice:

    Normally I’d try to get the ball rolling with a couple of questions or comments, but I see you’re doing just fine on your own. Carry on. :candy:

    On April 11, 2016 at 12:15 pm

  8. Heidi says:

    Not trying to enter the giveaway here, but I’ll chime in & say that my favorite thing to do in the Spring is watch the flowers come up—daffodils, crocuses, tulips :bouquet: —& then to see all the birds & wildlife return to the yard. :cuckoocat:

    I’m much more into Spring Watching than Spring Cleaning, I guess. :ihatemornings:

    On April 11, 2016 at 12:20 pm

    • Liz Talley says:

      I’m with you on that. I had a bit of fun this year when I found bulbs in my garage. No clue what they were but I planted them anyway. To my delight, I had some gorgeous pink and purple hyacinth bloom a few weeks back. It was fun to be surprised 🙂

      On April 11, 2016 at 3:05 pm

  9. Dee says:

    What I like to do in the spring is try and enjoy the sunshine (if applicable) and fresh air more. It’s definitely a better time of year to do that instead of January. If only my senior year HS English teacher thought that one through.

    On April 11, 2016 at 12:56 pm

  10. Liz Talley says:

    Oh, I sense research paper….

    I feel you. As a former English teacher I can say that I despise this necessary evil as much as the students did. I had to grade them ALL! LOL.

    Yes, fresh air and sunshine does wonders for the spirit. I hope you get plenty of sunshine to counteract the curse of the Senior English teacher!

    On April 11, 2016 at 3:07 pm

    • Dee says:

      It was actually a journal entry called “fresh air, fresh beginnings”. The problem was it was early January, it was flurrying and Mrs Doyle would not let us wear jackets in the 15 degree weather because we needed to ” feel the freshness of the air”

      We were more worried about hypothermia

      On April 11, 2016 at 4:49 pm

  11. Ruth C says:

    Hi Liz, glad to meet you. My favorite thing to do in Spring is clean out the flower beds and plant new bulbs. I have a brown thumb when it comes to indoor plants, but the outside ones always bloom for me every year. :spring:

    On April 11, 2016 at 3:13 pm

    • Liz Talley says:

      Me, too! I do love planting flowers and a few vegetables. I go out almost everyday to check on the status. There’s something so pleasing about planting something and watching it grow. Thanks 🙂

      On April 11, 2016 at 5:03 pm

  12. Ruth C says:

    Liz, as you’re well aware, springtime in Louisiana is crawfish time! Nothin’ better!

    On April 11, 2016 at 9:13 pm

    • Liz Talley says:

      Just had a conversation about this very thing with a travel agent from Jersey this morning. She wanted to know how they taste. How do you describe the heaven of boiled crawfish and ice cold beer? LOL.

      On April 12, 2016 at 12:53 pm

  13. Kimh says:

    Congrats on
    The book, love blaze books
    I like gardening ,watching sports
    Thanks :alice:

    On April 12, 2016 at 12:35 am

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