MY INTERVIEW WITH ASRAI DEVIN

Here it is!  My first interview!  I was nervous as heck when I hit the send button, but when I got the answers back, I couldn't have been happier!  Thank you again Asrai Devin!  What an honor!  Enjoy this interview!

1)  First off, I would like to thank Asrai Devin immensely, as she is giving me the chance of a lifetime and letting me interview her.  And it so happens that she is my very first interview.  So, welcome and THANK YOU!!!!!

Thank you!! I'm so excited. I only squeed a little bit. I'm sure they only heard me a few doors down. 
How often do I get a chance to talk about myself? I'm there!!

I also apologize for any Canadian spelling. Old habits die hard.
 

2)  Hockey players.  Yes, they're hot.  They're sexy.  Why?

Don't forget rich!! LOL.
The idea came from two places. Partly from Suzanne Brockmann's series about Navy SEALS. I thought I'd love to do a series about hot sexy men. But I didn't know what group to hit.
Of course, at this point I had never actually finished a novel. 
Then I spent a romantic evening with my husband watching the Calgary Flames play. I think around this time Craig Conroy just came back to the Flames. And it hit me, hockey has a bunch of sexy men who probably have lives full of drama and strong women. You rarely see their wives and girlfriends, but they have to have lives beyond hockey. 
At the time I chose Calgary because my husband is a big fan and I never thought it would get beyond NaNoWriMo 2006. 
I grew up in a small prairie town. Hockey has always been part of my life. My younger brother played hockey until I was a teen, I attended many games. As a teen, watching the senior hockey team was the only thing to do on weekends. 
 

3)  Out of the three books in the series so far, is there one that is loosely based off of how you and your husband met, with a hockey twist?

Actually no. LOL. My husband and I met under very unglamorous circumstances.  Through a weird quirk of fate he ended up in the small town I grew up in. We actually met when I was working at the grocery store, but we didn't get to know each other until we both worked at a pig barn together. Oh yes. I am not kidding.

4) Are any of the hero's in your books that are based off of your husband?  Or are they all straight from your creative mind?

My husband is one of a kind. I couldn't have dreamt him up if I tried.

My hero's are from my fantasies. I have admitted on my blog that the name Corey came from a old high school crush. He was a hockey player I watched as a teen. There are some elements of him in my heroes. 

5)  How about with the heroine's, any of them loosely based off of you?  

 There are elements there. I worked for three years as an educational assistant, which is why I wrote about teachers. Write what you know. 

6)  When reading Complications Over Coffee, you mention Doug Black often.  Is his book next?

His sister and Scott Jones are next. He is after that. In the original version of Complications over Coffee, Doug's sister was paired with Corey and then Doug's story came next. I had his book planned before Complications, but too many people demanded Corey. Okay, I just really wanted to write his story. I love Corey. 

7)  Can you give us a little teaser about what that book entails?

 Love Can't Wait stars Amy Black-Johnson who is divorcing her famous hockey husband, Adam Johnson. One night she feels unworthy and goes to the bar to assuage herself. She winds up having an one night stand with Scott, who she finds out in the morning is her ex's team mate and also her brother's best friend. But then she needs a favour and then he needs one in return, and they can't seem to stay away from each other.

I can give you a sneak peak of Doug's book. Doug has retired from hockey, and is considering what he should do next. A coaching offer comes in from Saskatoon where Doug's crush, Sophia Clark lives. Sophia was Mandy's best friend from college, and was widowed about two years before the story takes place.

8)  How about a release date for the book?  I know I want to know!  I'm anxious to read it!

Love Can't Wait is already out, everywhere except Barnes and Noble, which is why I haven't said anything about it. Barnes and Noble has a self-publishing program for anyone in the US. Outside the US, you have to through Smashwords.

9)  What kind of books do you like to read in your spare time?  Who are you some of your favorite authors?

I just recently read ALL of Alexis Morgan's Paladin series. Total brain candy. So fast and easy to read. With great alpha men!! If only Blake Trahern were real. 

I also love Suzanne Brockmann's Troubleshooters series.

I re-read Bet Me by Jennifer Crusie every year.

And I read a lot of non-fiction. New age spirituality, self-help, crocheting, parenting.

10)  What got you into writing?  Were you walking the halls in high school reading random reports?

I have always had a NEED to write. When I was too young to write, I would record stories on my parents' cassette recorder while my mom napped with my little brother. I wrote all through high school. Oh there is some bad poetry in my closet and probably some decent stuff but I think it will stay there. 

11)  When you are not writing about hockey players, what do you do for fun?

Chase around my two children. one is 9 and one is 2. I entertain my husband with my wit and charm. And I play a lot of video games. I adore Bioware's Dragon Age series. Dragon Age: Origins over DA2. That's a character thing, I'm in the middle of a playthrough where I _didn't_ romance Alistair http://dragonage.wikia.com/wiki/Alistair It is breaking my heart. My 2 year old, Sunshine Boy, is crazy about Mario Kart. And my daughter enjoys the Just Dance series on the Wii. 

Right now we are all playing our own games of Skyrim, another RPG. It's pretty addicting. 

I spent a lot of time on Twitter, reading blogs and reading emails. My guilty pleasure is Yahoo Answers Parenting section. I'm addicted to being right.

12)  Paperback books or E-books.  Which do you prefer and why?

Ebooks except in the tub. I learned that lesson early on in life when I tried to take my Speak and Read into the tub.

Ebooks are more convientint. They take up less space. And there is so much more available.  

13)  Ever planning on releasing any of your books in paperback?

I tried through CreateSpace early on and I didn't have my US tax stuff in order yet. It's daunting. I do have to order a copy of Second Chance Romance from Lulu for my grandmother. 

14)  Who is your favorite hockey player

Mikka Kippursoff. I'm a sucker for the Norse guys and goalies. He's from Finland and he was the best goalie in the league a few years ago.

Craig Conroy has the best smile in the league however. He's retired now however. 

I'm horrible at picking just one favourite. 

15)  That's about all the questions I can think up.  Again, thank you so much for the opportunity and for allowing myself and Every Turn of the Page to interview you.  Any last comments to the readers of this interview and your books?

Gosh thank you again for interviewing me. This was such a blast.

To everyone who has my read my books, it's such an honor that you used your free time to read one of my stories. It amazes me and I am just so grateful for the opportunity out of all the ones someone could have chose. And then that people actually enjoyed it, stuns me on a daily basis. Not becuase it's horrible, but just that it's possible!

Thank you to Shannon for having me.