Welcome all!
Today I have the privilege of interviewing Molly Ann Wishlade! She is the Author of historical fiction/romance titles Desire in Deadwood, and Wanton in the Wild West. Recently, she contacted me to review her hot little read Wanton in the Wild West. This novella was so scorching hot it nearly set my Kindle on fire!
***As a warning, this interview contains some spoilers and adult content.
Thank you Molly for agreeing to this interview. Would you mind telling us a bit about your background?
I have always been an avid reader and writer of stories and I regularly indulge my love of romance and passion by getting lost in the delicious worlds created by romantic novelists. I don’t have as much time for reading as I would like anymore, so it is a real treat when I get the chance! I’m usually busy with my WIP, my next highly erotic tale about sexy, passionate alpha males and their lady loves – and sometimes their gorgeous male lovers too.
What draws you to write historical romantic fiction?
Well, as I’ve said, I love reading romance, especially historical romance. Some of my favourite historical authors are Philippa Gregory, Ann Lethbridge and Barbara Monajem. However, there are many other authors I could name but I’d be here all day! 🙂 In my own writing I enjoy thinking what if…and setting a story in another time allows me to do that. Having said that, I loved writing my first modern romance recently and I’m looking forward to writing another one soon.
In Wanton in the Wild West getting married isn’t Amber’s priority. Now keep in mind everyone this story takes place in 1890. She would prefer to have her “fun” and give her heart to no man, unlike her friend Maisie who is eager to marry. Amber of course is the “wanton woman” in the story.
Do you think it is possible for a woman to be involved with a man physically but not emotionally? And what was it about Harry that made Amber want more than just the physical side to their relationship?
Well, it is fiction, so as a writer, I used my ‘artistic license’. Lol! I think that anything is possible in terms of relationships. What pleases one person might disturb another and so on. The great thing about fiction is that a writer can explore these issues from behind the safety of the laptop. Lol! As for Amber, she’s young and relatively inexperienced. In 1890, things were very different but people were still people with wants and needs and dreams. In some ways, life can be easier today but I still think that the human race has a way to go in terms of attitudes and tolerance. Amber falls for Harry – and Gideon – because she’s at a stage in her life where she’s ready for them. Right time, right place. 🙂 I wanted her to be fun, feisty and open minded for a woman of her time. The novella is about her sexual and emotional awakening, so the physical and emotional sides had to be linked.
It surprised me when I learned that Gideon was Harry’s lover. I actually reread that part twice to make sure I read it correctly. I think it was brave of you to include male homosexuality in a romance book. Were you worried that might turn some of your readers off considering some may find that to be taboo?
Love is love however it’s packaged. 🙂
Are you working on anything currently? If so what is it about, and when can we expect it?
Well I finished revisions on my modern romance (title tbc) and I’m hoping that it will be published early in 2014 then I had to complete revisions on the first in my historical mini-series Daughters of Deadwood which will also hopefully be published next year. I now need to finish the second novel in my Totally Bound series The Duggans of Montana and complete the third book for Daughters of Deadwood. So I have a pretty busy schedule!
Wow! You are very busy!
You are currently with Evernight Publishing. I hear a lot of excellent writers say that they could wallpaper their homes with the amount of rejection letters they have received. –This boggles my mind! What were your experiences with getting a contract? Both positive and negative.
Rejection is part of the writing process and any aspiring author should be prepared for it. Another author once told me that only a few ‘smarty pants’ authors get it right first time and she was right! You just have to keep on trying.
I always harbored a dream to write and I had a short story, some poems and a travel guide published but I thought that getting a novel published was one of those things that happens for other people, not me. So I got on with life and kept myself busy with other things. However, to cut a long story short (and it is quite a long story) I felt the urge to write building again until I just couldn’t ignore it any longer. So I got writing. I went through the whole submission / rejection / submission / revise and resubmit process several times before I wrote Desire in Deadwood and finally got that wonderful email!
I’d had some contact with Totally Bound previously regarding a Regency novel I wrote (which I later withdrew following a very honest – and painful – critique by a dear friend) and they were extremely courteous, approachable and professional. So after I’d finished Desire in Deadwood, I submitted it to Total-E-Bound exclusively. I was lucky to have the loveliest editor who supported and encouraged me through the whole process of getting my debut novella ready for publication.
The best decision I made was to stop procrastinating and dreaming and to just get on with it and put my work out there. It wasn’t easy and like many authors I’ve shed a few (thousand) tears along the way but I try to remember what a good friend told me about the whole process: ‘Write for yourself and write what you want to write, otherwise you will not be true to your author voice and you won’t be happy with your writing.’ So I try to write from the heart. I am a firm believer that love and passion do exist in very powerful forms and sometimes in life we have to make difficult choices, but in spite of these choices, we are still entitled to happiness. Life is too short not to grab it while you can.
Do you have any upcoming Author events?
I try to post regularly on my blog and I’m often on Facebook and Twitter as well as appearing on other blogs.
Do you have any advice for aspiring Authors?
Never surrender your dreams! If you want to do this then stop procrastinating and just do it! The path isn’t an easy one and you’ll have to work hard – I write whenever I have any free time, even when I’m exhausted – but it’s work that I LOVE!!!
But be warned!!! Writing is addictive and once you start…;)
Is there anything that I haven’t asked that you would like to include?
I don’t think so. 🙂
How can readers discover more about you and you work?
AUTHOR LINKS:
Email: misswishlade@hotmail.co.uk
blog: http://misswishlade.wordpress.com
Twitter: mollyannwishlade@misswishlade
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mollyann.wishlade
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/19556829-molly-wishlade
Total-E-Bound Blogspot on 12th of every month: http://totalebound.blogspot.co.uk/
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/misswishlade/
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/mollyannwishlade
BUY LINKS:
Desire in Deadwood : http://www.amazon.com/Desire-Deadwood-Molly-Ann-Wishlade-ebook/dp/B00EVYED6I/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1386323180&sr=8-1&keywords=desire+in+deadwood
Wanton in the Wild West:
Evernight Publishing: http://www.evernightpublishing.com/wanton-in-the-wild-west-by-molly-ann-wishlade
All Romance Ebooks – https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-wantoninthewildwest-1351201-158.html
Thank you so much Molly for participating in this interview. Myself and your fans alike appreciate it!
Thank you!!! 🙂
A Well Read Woman 