Interview with Tiffany Clare

NT: Hi Tiffany! Thank you for being my guest today.

Tiffany Clare: Thank you for inviting me!

NT: When did you know you wanted to be a writer? How long did it take for you to make your first sale?

Tiffany Clare: I didn’t get serious about writing until halfway through 2006 when I entered a big contest for aspiring writers called Avon FanLit, hosted by HarperCollins. Previous to that, I only tinkered and played around with small stuff. It wasn’t until that contest concluded that I wrote my first full length novel and have kept writing full length novels since. I sold THE SURRENDER OF A LADY in May of 2009.

NT: You have a debut release this month, can you tell us about SURRENDER OF A LADY?

Tiffany Clare: It’s about a woman who is sold into a harem to pay off her husband’s gambling debts. She agrees only because the life of her child is at risk, and she is desperate to see her baby again (he is six months old when the story opens). Rothburn has only ever loved one woman. He never expects to find that woman in a harem where she is sold to the highest paying bidder.

Book blurb:

THE PRICE OF PASSION…

Sold. With one word, Lady Elena Ravenscliffe’s destiny changes forever. Forced into Constantinople’s slave market to pay off her late husband’s debts and save her son, Elena reinvents herself as Jinan—a harem girl adored by the rich lords who bid on her favors. But one man instantly sees through her façade.

…IS COMPLETE SURRENDER

Griffin Summerfield, Marquess of Rothburn, let Elena slip through his fingers years ago. When he recognizes her on the auction block, he pays an outrageous sum to possess her even if it is for a short period of time. But when his deadline looms, Griffin will risk all in a desperate bid to make her his—and his alone…

NT: What inspired the idea for this story?

Tiffany Clare: A glimmer of an idea. A woman dancing in harem garb for the man she loved. After writing the scene, I did research on harems, looked over a ton of art (pictures really are worth a thousand words) and went from there. I’d never written a straight historical before (I tried my hand at paranormal for a long while) and never thought I’d write such an exotically set book. I’m glad I did, though.

NT: Do you have a writing routine? What is your average writing day like?

Tiffany Clare: I get up at four in the morning to write. That gives me a few hours before I have to get the kids up and ready for school. Then I’m off to work. I’m pretty useless in the evening, so I might just type up what I wrote on the streetcar or do edits, but no real writing, my brain just doesn’t work like that after for in the afternoon. I also spend a good chunk of my weekends writing and revising.

NT: Is there anyone you use as a sounding board when you’re stuck on a scene?

Tiffany Clare: I often plot with my dearest friend and critique partner Elyssa Papa. We sound things off each other all the time. Sometimes we’ll be on IM for hours plotting, looking at possibilities of ideas, etc. I’d be totally lost without her.

NT: What was the most interesting thing you had to research and what was the hardest thing to research?

Tiffany Clare: Everything was interesting. I knew nothing about harems or the Ottoman Empire. I didn’t realize how involved the British were with Chinese affairs and the opium trade.

I don’t remember any difficult things to research. It’s pretty easy in this day and age to find information that you need. The only trouble I had for the book (in the beginning) was finding the perfect date for the story to take place, because Rothburn does travel to China for a brief stint of the book, I had to make sure it wasn’t during any of the wars between the British and Chinese.

NT: When not busy writing, what do you like to do in your spare time? (If there is such a thing *G*)

Tiffany Clare: Writing is all I can do in my spare time. I’ll fiddle away on the piano when the mood strikes (I’m actually pretty terrible at it) but I love music, it is the only thing I love as much as writing (hobby-wise).

NT: What are the latest additions to your TBR? What are you most eager to read?

Tiffany Clare: I’m excited for my friends’ upcoming releases. Juliana Stone’s HIS DARKEST EMBRACE and Maggie Robinson’s MISTRESS BY MIDNIGHT and her alter ego Margaret Rowe’s ANY WICKED THING both their writing is brilliant and I’m thrilled to have read them before they released. I am also a huge Lora Leigh fan and the next book can’t come soon enough in her Breeds series!

NT: Any advice to aspiring authors? What craft books helped you that you would recommend to aspiring writers?

Tiffany Clare: Workshops on writing are helpful. I’m not much for structured learning or reading craft books, though I do buy them because I *think* they’ll be great to read—I just never get around to reading them! There was two courses that I took (online) that was brilliant. Margie Lawson. Her courses helped my dissect my work and look at it from a distance for emotion and for editing. If you ever want a course, I definitely recommend hers!

NT: What can your fans look forward to from you in the near future? What are you working on now?

Tiffany Clare: My next book to release with St. Martin’s is: THE SEDCUTION OF HIS WIFE (Feb 1, 2011)

AN INCONVENIENT SCANDAL

Emma Hallaway has not seen her husband in twelve years—and that’s fine with her. As a young girl, she’d agreed to a simple marriage of convenience, allowing her to pursue her private passion for painting. And though unknown to the rest of polite society, Emma is now one of the most daring and sought-after artists in London. However, when her secret is threatened to be exposed, Emma is forced to open her heart—and her home—to a total stranger: her husband…

AN UNEXPECTED SURPRISE

Richard Mansfield, Earl of Asbury, is all too familiar with danger. As a matter of fact, it is hard on his heels when he returns to England. Still, even he is shocked to learn of his wife’s scandalous double life as an artist. But once he sees the vibrant grown woman she has become—so passionate, so strong, and so alluring—his undeniable attraction to Emma stuns him. Suddenly Richard is determined to turn their sham of a marriage into a true and lasting love. But how exactly does a gentleman seduce his own wife?

My third book releases May 24, 2011. THE SECRET DESIRES OF A GOVERNESS

Featuring Emma’s youngest sister, Abby Hallaway who leaves her comfortable world to strike out on her own as a governess. She doesn’t expect to find herself in lust and then in love with her employer, Elliott Wright, Earl of Brendall. But will his secrets tear their budding relationship apart? Or will something more nefarious at play in the background spell out Abby’s end. . .  (that’s me writing a blurb on the fly, I guarantee my editor will write a much better one for the book in due course). Blurb coming soon on my website! LOL

NT: How can readers contact you?

Tiffany Clare: Via my web at www.tiffanyclare.com

NT: Thank you so much for blogging with us here at Novel Thoughts!

Tiffany Clare: Thank you for having me!

For a chance to win a copy of THE SURRENDER OF A LADY, just leave a comment below. (North American residences only.) Good luck! 😀