Tawny Weber in The Dungeon

Please join me in welcoming Harlequin Blaze author TAWNY WEBER to The Dungeon! :booby   Tawny was kind enough to invite me to participate in a “Quick Six” post on her own blog a couple of months ago, so I thought it was only fitting that I invite her to spend the day with us here at WIPs and Chains.  Of course, I don’t think I mentioned that spending a day with us often involves a bit of light torture & good-natured embarrassment.  Shhh…don’t tell her—let her discover that part for herself. :butt

Tawny has been writing sassy, sexy stories for Harlequin Blaze since her first book hit the shelves in 2007. When not obsessing over deadlines, she’s shopping for cute shoes, scrapbooking, or hanging out on Facebook and Twitter.  You can visit her on the web at www.TawnyWeber.com.

And now, let the torture begin…

What is your favorite color?  Purple! A deep, rich purple that leans toward indigo but has just a gloss of pink.

Favorite song?  “Sweet Child of Mine” by Guns N Roses.

Favorite movie?  The “Harry Potter” series.  I know there are eight of them, but it’s really all one long story, right?

And of course, favorite book?  Oh, this is tough! I think I’d have to pick Nora Roberts’s “Three Sisters” trilogy. Like my favorite movie, I’m going with the “it’s all one” excuse to pick more than one book. *g*

What was the first book in your chosen genre that you remember reading, or that made you want to write the same?  Vicki Lewis Thompson’s Notorious. I love Vicki’s writing. The humor, the sexy tone, the incredible characters. Nora Roberts makes me want to be in love, Vicki makes me want to write about love.

What do you think of Heidi? She’s great, right?  Heidi rocks!!  (Note from Heidi: Thank you, thankyouverymuch. )

How did you get started writing?  When my youngest daughter was about a year old, I was at a crossroads of what to do, career-wise. My husband asked me what I would choose if I could do absolutely anything in the world—if I could wave a magic wand and make my career dream come true, what would it be? I said I’d be a romance writer. But I had a major case of hero worship toward authors. I figured it was a dream out of my reach since I had no writing experience, outside of high school creative writing classes. But my husband is a sneaky kind of guy, so he dared me. So I hit the internet, and everything I found pointed to Romance Writers of America. I joined, I took workshops, I entered contests, and I wrote like crazy.

Tell us a little bit about your first (or most memorable, if you prefer) sale.  In April of 2006, I attended a regional conference that Blaze senior editor, Brenda Chin was at. We talked a little about a partial I’d sent her. It had won the Blaze contest, and had just become my third Golden Heart final. I’d told her I’d have the full to her the next week, and mentioned that I probably wouldn’t be attending RWA’s national conference because even with a Golden Heart final, I just couldn’t justify the expense of conference without a sale. About five weeks later, on Memorial Day, the phone rang just before 9am. I was fast asleep, but my husband was home and answered, then woke me up with a frantic, “It’s Harlequin!” Brenda told me to book my flight and pack my suitcase, because I was going to conference. 😀 Thankfully I was still half asleep, or she wouldn’t have needed a phone to my screams of joy all the way in Canada. LOL  The downside to the half-asleep part was that it felt like a dream. And because it was a holiday, I couldn’t reach any of my writing friends to share my news, so the surreal “not real” effect lasted until Tuesday when I called Brenda to double check.

Fill in the blank—If you like [blank], you’ll love Tawny Weber!  Sexy sass!

Which of your books would you like to pimp today? Tell us about it and why we’ll love every word.  Oh, let’s talk Sex and Lies. Or better yet, SEX, LIES AND MISTLETOE! My December Blaze kicks off my “Undercover Operatives” series with the adventures of the Black siblings and their patriarch, a renowned con artist. In rebellion against his father’s criminal ways, Caleb joined the DEA when he left home. Now he’s burned out, disillusioned, and ready to be done. This is a home-for-the-holidays story that features aphrodisiacs, hot sex, and that always fun question: What should I do with my life next?  I hope you love it because it’s a light, sexy story that packs a strong emotional punch!

I’d also like to mention that the second book in the series, SEX, LIES & MIDNIGHT, will be on shelves in January, quickly followed in February by SEX, LIES & VALENTINES!

If your plane crashed in the Andes, would you convince the other survivors to eat Heidi first or last?  ROFLMAO. Well, given that I’m a vegetarian, and an avowed anti-cannibal, I’m going to say I’d pimp Heidi out as our brilliant survivalist who’d guide us to most delicious roots and herbs, all while entertaining us with fabulous stories. After that, they’d all be horrified at the idea of eating her first!  (Further intrusive note from Heidi:  Oh, I like this answer very much!  It would definitely make me want to eat you last. *g*)

If you could write anything—whether in the same genre/sub-genre as you’re writing now or another—what would it be?  I can’t imagine writing anything but romance. I would love to see lighter paranormal come back, though. If I wasn’t writing sexy contemps, I could totally get on board with writing a fun, light paranormal.

What are you currently working on?  I’m working on a Blaze for next December. The working title is The Panty Thief Caper, but I’m guessing my editor will change that. LOL The story is about…wait for it…a panty thief! And, of course, the woman whose panties he stole, and the cop out to solve this sexy holiday crime.

LIGHTNING-FAST LASHES:

Leather or lace?  Leather, with a hint of lace peeking out

Devil or angel?  Devil

Angel food or devil’s food?  Devil’s food

Hemlock or arsenic?  Hemlock

Blood, sweat, or tears?  Tears

Boxers, briefs…or commando?  Commando…it’s so much faster. 🙂

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.:-p)  LOL I wanted to be a gypsy growing up. Cowgirls had to deal with dirt and sweat, and there’s nothing missionary about me.

What a great interview—thank you so much, Tawny!

Be sure to follow Tawny on her Holiday Survival Tour as she celebrates these three books with contests, giveaways, and lots of fun. You can also read the first chapter of SEX, LIES & MISTLETOE on her website: www.TawnyWeber.com  All you have to do is join the Reader LoveFest!

Tawny has also generously offered to give away an autographed copy of SEX, LIES AND MISTLETOE to one lucky blogger who stops in to chat with her today.  And no restrictions!  Overseas readers, this means you’ve actually got a shot at this one! :reindeer2

To enter, simply leave a question or thought-provoking comment for Tawny.

PhotobucketAs usual with Dungeon giveaways, the winner will be announced during our Happy Sunday post on Sunday, December 11th.  The winner is also responsible for contacting me with her mailing information once the announcement has been made.  I will forward it to Tawny, & Tawny will send your prize at her earliest convenience.

Good luck & enjoy your time with Tawny! :icecube

 

Comments

48 Comments  •  Comments Feed

  1. Nancy Northcott says:

    Tawny and Heidi, fun post! No need to enter me in the giveaway because I already have SL&M. I loved it!

    The questions Tawny answered above raised one for me. Is Devil’s Food just a fancy name for chocolate, or is there a difference?

    I love the holiday emoticons! :tree

    On December 8, 2011 at 10:07 am

    • Tawny Weber says:

      Hi Nancy 😀 Thanks for coming by :candycane (and now I get to play with the emoticons -so fun!!)

      Hmm, way to kick it off with making me do research. According to the wisdom of Wikipedia (haha) it’s actually different, made with hot liquid instead of milk, and uses cocoa instead of chocolate. So its a richer, lighter cake.

      There 🙂 My research for the day is done. And now I want cake!!

      On December 8, 2011 at 2:30 pm

  2. Jessica Lemmon says:

    Hi Tawny!
    Great interview, btw! I do have a question for you. After becoming a published author, what is the one thing that surprised you most to learn?

    Great questions, Heidi, you’re so darn fun! One day, I’m gonna buy you a drink. :cheers

    On December 8, 2011 at 10:34 am

    • Heidi says:

      :candycane And I will accept that drink, as long as it is sweet & fruity & fun. :cheers

      On December 8, 2011 at 11:41 am

    • Tawny Weber says:

      Hi Jessica :snowhi

      First off, I’m totally agreeing with you on how fun and funny Heidi is 😀 And can you imagine how much fun she’ll be after a round of fruity margaritas? Hmm… Heidi, are you going to RWA this summer???

      Ooops, got distracted by the visions of the bar. Okay, the question…

      One thing that surprised me? There were actually a lot. The amount of promotion an author has to do was an eye opener. How warm and welcoming published authors are was a wonderful treat. But I think the biggest surprise was that it doesn’t get any easier. You’d think after X# of books (fill in whichever x fits at the time, since I think this with the start of each book *ggg*) I’d have a handle on it. But it’s never the same, the books are never easy to write and the process is always a wild ride 🙂 :reindeer2

      On December 8, 2011 at 2:39 pm

  3. Anne says:

    I love the title The Panty Thief Caper, but it is a bit different for Blaze. Is there a cupid at work?

    I love when publishers bring out an entire trilogy quickly like yours is going to do for the Black sibling trilogy. When a book comes out once a year in a series, I’ve frequently forgotten so much about the first book that I feel I lose a little something when reading the second. Of course, I can reread the first book, but so many books, so little time.

    Do you know why some publishers release an entire trilogy in a 3-4 month span versus the year apart deal? I’m sure it has something to do with money.

    On December 8, 2011 at 10:58 am

    • Heidi says:

      Anne~ Tawny hasn’t arrived yet. I think she spent the night with one of our Dungeon Hotties, so she’s probably still sleeping. :cat

      I can give you a quick answer to the back-to-back releases question, tho. It often has to do with writing speed. If an author can write the books fast enough that the publisher can hang onto them w/o much lag time between *other* releases, it can work really well. But if an author is a bit slow like I am, they don’t want to wait *that* long & feel it’s better to release them every 6mos or so. I’ve had a couple of publishers suggest the back-to-back thing to me—& I absolutely love the idea & want to do it!—but once we did the math, we realized it wouldn’t really work.

      See that little caution sign in the right sidebar about my word count meter… Yeah, that’s me, Slow-Writin’ Stella. Tawny is obviously Speedy Gonzalez. :skate

      And Tawny~ Please feel free to correct me or add to that however you like. Just tryin’ to keep the hungry masses busy until you can get here. :pumpkin

      On December 8, 2011 at 11:46 am

      • Tawny Weber says:

        Dittoing what Heidi said!!

        Back to back depends on a few things- writing speed (I wrote the Undercover Ops trilogy in 7 months and felt like I had the devil biting at my butt the entire time), the publishing calendar and if the publisher has space to do back-to-back releases, and marketing. If an author is newer, building or has a time-sensitive subject in their books, back to back really helps push the sales. But if they have a strong,established name and readership, their readers are going to have a little more patience waiting 3 or 6 or 12 months to get their hands on the next book.

        On December 8, 2011 at 2:44 pm

    • Tawny Weber says:

      LOL Nope, no cupid. Although that’d be a fun Christmas twist, wouldn’t it. The Panty Thief Caper is my working title, so I’m not sure if my editor will let it ride or not. I’m guessing not *g* The story itself is straight up Blaze, though. Or at least, Tawny-style Blaze. A sassy, sexy emotional journey. And in this case, one with a whole lot of fabulous lingerie!

      On December 8, 2011 at 2:46 pm

      • Cindy Rushford says:

        :santa :skate :cat Looking forward to reading your books as there is nothing like sassy sexual and emotional to cover all of the things that make me love to read 😉 nice meeting u even though I was late.

        On December 9, 2011 at 12:58 am

  4. Trish Milburn says:

    What a fun interview, Tawny and Heidi. Tawny, that Three Sisters Island trilogy is my favorite books by Nora. Granted, I’ve only read a small percentage of her list.

    Had to laugh at your Andes crash answer. 🙂

    And just because I’m loving these funny emoticons… :reindeer2

    On December 8, 2011 at 11:52 am

    • Tawny Weber says:

      It’s a fab trilogy, isn’t it, Trish. If you’ve ever read her older Harlequin titles, it reminds me a lot of the Captivated/Charmed/Entranced books she wrote for Special Edition way back.

      Glad you liked my Andes answer :cheers And aren’t thees emoticons great. I’m trying to think of responses that would use each one LOL

      On December 8, 2011 at 3:05 pm

    • Heidi says:

      Hi, Trish! Great to have you drop by. Hmm, wonder if we could get you to blog with us someday. We’re always looking for new vict…er, I mean guests! :candycane

      On December 8, 2011 at 11:51 pm

  5. Mary Kirkland says:

    That was such a fun Q&A! Loved the answers too.
    My favorite cake is still red velvet but devil’s food comes in a close second.

    I’ve read several of Tawny’s books and they are just awesome!

    On December 8, 2011 at 12:30 pm

    • Tawny Weber says:

      Hi Mary, and thanks so much :santa Heidi rocks the interview questions, that’s for sure 🙂

      Mmm, red velvet. Another yummy sweet treat. My hands-down, can’t-resist-it favorite cake, though, is German chocolate. Mostly because I adore the traditional coconut pecan frosting LOL

      And thank you Soooooooooo much for the book love!!! You’re awesome! :candycane

      On December 8, 2011 at 3:14 pm

  6. Mageela Troche says:

    Tawny and Heidi, thanks for the great post. You two have made me laugh and brightened my day.

    The Panty Thief Caper loving the title. :candycane

    On December 8, 2011 at 2:44 pm

    • Tawny Weber says:

      YAY! I’m always glad to be a part of a brighter day 😀 So glad you stopped by, Mageela

      and thanks for the title love 😀 I’ll have to check with my editor on the chances of keeping it. I’m guessing she’s going to want a more holiday themed title, though, since it’s a December/Christmas focused release.

      Now what Christmas titles have panties in them…? :xmas

      On December 8, 2011 at 3:35 pm

  7. Gail Hart says:

    Heidi, I’m with Trish, your emoticons rock!

    Tawny, I’m with you about enjoying light paranormal.. so apparently that makes two of us. 😉 But it sounds like you got away with sticking a slight paranormal element into SLM with your new age heroine and her love potions.

    On December 8, 2011 at 2:56 pm

    • Tawny Weber says:

      Well, two’s a great start 😀 I’m willing to run with that, Gail.

      LOL I do sneak in my light para here and there. I was able to do a little more in the novella I wrote in Jan ’10 in the Blazing Bedtime Stories II anthology. You Have to Kiss a Lot of Frogs had a hero who was cursed by a witch. His thingy shrank to the size of a tadpole and the curse couldn’t be removed until he learned to put a woman’s needs first *g* Now that was fun to write! :booby

      On December 8, 2011 at 3:47 pm

  8. Mary Kirkland says:

    I just have to say that my all time favorite book of your’s is Does She Dare…omg I loved that book so much. That was such a great read.

    :cheers

    On December 8, 2011 at 3:33 pm

  9. Anna Campbell says:

    Hi Heidi! Hi Tawny! I already know Sex, Lies and Mistletoe is under my Christmas tree – BECAUSE I PUT IT THERE! Yup, sometimes you have to take these matters into your own hands, don’t you? Love the sound of the new series and I can’t wait to read all of them. Fantastic news for your fans that you’ve got three books out so close together in the next few months. I had to laugh at you being so specific with your favourite colour. Someone asked me the same question on a blog a few days ago and I said blue – I feel distinctly underprepared with that answer now.

    On December 8, 2011 at 4:12 pm

    • Tawny Weber says:

      *snicker* Well, there are so many shades of purple, aren’t there?! And I don’t really like all of them. Some kinda make me cringe. So, there ya go 🙂 I’m picky, not precise. It’s a fine line, but I fall on the neurotic side of it.

      And OMG LOL too funny that you tucked the book under your tree. You’re really going to wait until after Christmas to read it? Wow, you have willpower!! I am a fan of a woman who knows what she wants and takes it into her own hands, though!

      On December 8, 2011 at 5:26 pm

  10. Donna MacMeans says:

    Just wanted to drop in to wave madly to Heidi :houhoh (oops, wrong end of the wave, but you get my drift)
    and to fellow bandita Tawny.

    Great interview and so educational. I just thought Devil’s food cake was a richer chocolate. Personally my favorite would have to have some alcohol in it – but that’s me. :cheers

    Have to say that Sex, Lies and Mistletoe sounds perfect for the holiday season. Should heat things up a bit :brr So I hope everyone sticks that in their stocking. (What! No stocking emotionicon? Well heck these turkeys will have to do :turkey )

    Merry Christmas, all :candycane

    On December 8, 2011 at 4:21 pm

  11. Laura J. says:

    I can’t believe Heidi (and Mistress Heidi) has yet to add this to her list of questions…so I’m going to ask it….

    What “celebrity” would you most like to see as a cover model for your book (Or who -celebrity- would you like to see play the part in a LMN movie version of one of your books)? Keep in mind that the following are OFF the table…Dwayne Johnson, Jason Statham, Bradley Cooper and Chris Hemsworth. :booby

    On December 8, 2011 at 5:06 pm

  12. Tawny Weber says:

    Hi Laura 😀

    Great question. Um, except I don’t have an answer. I’m so horrible at trying to place actors or models as my characters. Mostly because my characters are alive and real in my mind, and nobody ‘quite’ works as them, except them.

    I get a big fat F for that question, huh? :brr

    On December 8, 2011 at 6:28 pm

    • Laura J. says:

      Nope! A+ and extra credit for not trying to claim Dwyane, Jason (those are Heidi’s Honey’s),Bradley and Chris (mine).

      So do you have any celebrity crushes? We won’t tell anyone! :butt

      On December 8, 2011 at 11:20 pm

  13. Hollie says:

    Hi Tawny!! Great to see you here …and that Heidi didn’t use the big whip on you!! (but ya gotta watch out for Laura…just sayin’…. LOL)
    Sex,Lies and Mistletoe looks like such a great Christmas read! Can’t wait to read it! :candycane

    On December 8, 2011 at 6:45 pm

  14. Jessica Lemmon says:

    I should have mentioned Tawny that I, too, loved your answer for the Andes mountain question. I’m a vegan so I wouldn’t eat Heidi either. Sheesh, she’s really safe with friends like us! :candycane

    On December 8, 2011 at 7:18 pm

    • Tawny Weber says:

      LOL well now we all know that if we’re ever flying over the Andes, we want to make sure our travel companions are vegetarian or vegan!!! Of course, it’d be the lone carnivore we’d all have to watch out for *g* :cooked

      On December 8, 2011 at 7:20 pm

  15. Colleen C. says:

    Tawny & Heidi I had a blast reading the interview… Love your BLAZE books and always looking forward to enjoying more… have the latest ones on my list of wants… we will see what santa brings! :candycane :santa :snowhi

    On December 8, 2011 at 10:00 pm

    • Tawny Weber says:

      Hi Colleen and thank you so much! It was a fun interview to do, for sure. And I hope Santa is very, VERY nice to you this year and brings all of the books LOL :tree

      On December 9, 2011 at 6:12 am

  16. Heidi says:

    Wow, how great to see so many people—& so many new faces!—keeping Tawny company. Welcome, welcome!

    And thank you, Tawny, for spending the day with us. The comments have been a blast!

    Keep on chatting…there’s no curfew in The Dungeon. :booby

    On December 9, 2011 at 12:09 am

  17. SiNn says:

    aww i missed it hiii Tawnyy I love your books!

    On December 9, 2011 at 6:58 am

  18. carole says:

    Hi to the both of you! I’ve only read one of your books and enjoyed it alot! I love Nora Roberts-The Sisters Trilogy is my favorite…love yur blog and how you got started on yur writing career. I love a good devil’s food cake-also i make a wicked double chocolate brownie that i make ever christmas and they always disappear. I don’t really have a question it just amazings me how all your writers create such good stories and the hero’s are sexy and hunks and I love a good love story! Have a Merry Christmas. I hope to win this book-BBF!

    On December 9, 2011 at 9:50 am

    • Tawny Weber says:

      Hi Carole :candycane

      Thank you so much!!! I love that you’re loving the heroes and stories!! That’s so awesome. And rock on with loving The Three Sisters trilogy, too. Its amazing, isn’t it.

      Thank you SO much for stopping by, and for all the wonderful words and support of the books 🙂 I hope you have a fabulous holiday season!! :snowhi

      On December 11, 2011 at 12:10 am

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