Contest information: Please leave a comment and be entered to win Melissa's latest e-release, Bare Naked Lola, to one lucky reader. Contest closes May 13th. Please leave email addy in your comment in case you win.
Howlong did it take to write the story? From the day you came up with the idea tothe very last day of writing.
MBR:Probably about 7 months or so, with a bit of research (nudist resort anyone?)thrown in for fun :)
Tellus about your latest release/Upcoming release.
MBR:I live in North Texas California
Itwas just a fun idea! From there, there mystery developed.
Whatmade you want to write?
MBR:I majored in English in college, and began teaching right afterward. I taughtmiddle and high school, well before the big YA craze. There were very few trulyengaging books for these readers, so I began to write one, but my love ofmysteries, the Hispanic culture (influenced by my Mexican husband), and mydesire to include swearing and sex in my books led me to the Lola Cruz series!
Whatauthors do enjoy reading in your downtime?
MBR:I have eclectic reading tastes. I read a lot of women's fiction (love KristinHannah), and literary fiction (currently reading Mao's Last Dancer). Justfinished the YA Obsidian, by Jennifer L. Armentrout. Love. If it's great, I'lldevour it!
Howimportant is the beginning chapter - the opening - the first few lines?
MBR:VERY! The first lines of Living the Vida Lola (the first Lola Cruz Mystery)are:
WhenI was fourteen years old, I snapped pictures of Jack Callaghan doing thehorizontal salsa in the backseat of a car with Greta Pritchard. That's when Iknew for sure I'd grow up to be a private eye.
Capturingthe right mood is essential!
Inwhat order do you write? For example starting beginning to end, combiningparts, in random order or in development cycle?
MBR:Total linear writer. I can't jump around. I plow forward, and fill in later, ifneed be.
Youare called upon, at a school, to tell those interested in becoming an author,all the ins and outs of good writing skills and getting published. What are thethree important elements in writing, publishing and promoting that you wouldgive them?
MBR:Good question! The biggest lesson is simply to never give up. I love MarkTwain’s quote about the difference between people who succeed and people whofail is that the ones who succeed never give up. I believe that, one hundredpercent. Three elements? Never. Give. Up.
Doyou plot out each chapter? Or are you a seat of the pants writer?
MBR:Somewhere in between. I plot the big picture elements. I have a roadmap of thestory and know where it's going, but I don't plot down to the smallest details.So much happens organically, and knowing it all would take some of the fun ofwriting away.
Doyou listen to music while you write? If so what are your favorites Artists andor albums?
MBR:Not really. I get lost in my characters' world. Sometimes I'll put on some genremusic just to get my head in the zone. Country when I'm working on myDressmaking series, or Latin or Salsa to get into Lola's head. Love Juanes forthat!
Outof all your characters which one do you identify the most with and why?
MBR:That's tough. I love Lola and like to say she's my alter ego if I were a sexy,smart, Latina
Outof all your books, do you have a favorite book/character(s)? What is it aboutthat particular book/character that you enjoy so much?
MBR:I really don't. I love them all for different reasons. When I'm working on one,I think it's the most horrible thing ever, but then I fine tune it and begin tolove it, and by the time it's done, I'm proud of it.
Doyou have a book that you you just cringe? If so, which one is it, and why?
MBR:Ha! Probably The Flight of the Sunflower, a children's picture book that waspublished eons ago. It's a nice story, but not my best work!
Whatare your writing goals for the future?
MBR:To keep doing what I'm doing! I love writing, escaping to the worlds I create,and helping others find success as writers.
Now a few fun questions:
Howwould you describe yourself using only five words?
MBR:Dedicated. Relentless. Passionate. Transparent. Caring.
Ifyou could write a warning label for yourself as a person or an author, whatwould it say?
MBR:Don't mess with my kids or their education.
Doyou have any guilty pleasures?
MBR:Just one? Mochas. Love them. Too much, and need one every day. Have learned tomake my own, thankfully.
Nameone thing readers would be surprised to know about you.
MBR:That I've been to a nudist resort!
Ifyou could go any place in the world and to any time period, what place or timeperiod would you choose to visit?
MBR:Tough question! And I don't know that I have an answer to that.
Whatis your favorite super power and why do you want it?
MBR:Super high metabolism so the mochas don't stick to my thighs!
Title: Bare-Naked Lola (A Lola Cruz Mystery, #3)
Author: Melissa Bourbon Ramirez
Genre: Romantic Mystery
Genre: Romantic Mystery
Going undercover is second nature for Private Investigator Lola Cruz, but she’s out of her league when the case of a murdered Royals Courtside Dancer leads her to a local nudist resort. Parading around the sidelines of Sacramento’s professional basketball scene in a barely-there cheerleading outfit is one thing—but parading around in nothing but smile? If she has any chance of hiding this from her traditional family and on-again/off-again boyfriend Jack, she’s going to have a lot more than her duct tape bra and killer dance moves to keep under wraps…
Find Melissa at the these places on the web:
Website http://melissabourbon.com
l Facebook http://www.facebook.com/AuthorMelissaBourbon.MisaRamirez
l Twitter http://twitter.com/melissabourbon
l Goodreads http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1911502.Misa_Ramirez_Melissa_Bourbon_Ramirez
1 comment:
Couldn't be a nudist but your book sounds like fun. I enjoyed the interview. Good luck
Sincerely,
Linda Hays-Gibbs
My Angel, My Light As Darkness Falls
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