BOOK CLUB FRIDAY--GUEST AUTHOR DAKOTA MADISON

USA Today bestselling author Dakota Madison is a writer of many facing, also writing as Savannah Young, Ren Monterrey and Sierra Avalon, in various romance sub-genres, including contemporary romance, new adult romance, midlife romance, and romantic suspense. Today she sits down for an interview with us. Learn more about Dakota at her website.

When did you realize you wanted to write novels?

As soon as I learned to read I immediately wanted to write my own books!

How long did it take you to realize your dream of publication?

I actually had some stage plays published before my first novel was published in 2002.

Are you traditionally published, indie published, or a hybrid author?

I own my own publishing company, Short on Time Books. We published my work as well as the work of 16 other authors.

Where do you write?

In my living room, or in bed!

Is silence golden, or do you need music to write by? What kind?

I can only write in silence.

How much of your plots and characters are drawn from real life? From your life in particular?

I tend to write a lot about college professors, or psychologists. I happen to be a psychology professor! I think the emotional reality of my books is drawn from my life more so than actual characters or plots.

Describe your process for naming your character?

I made use of a lot of “baby name” websites.

Real settings or fictional towns?

I fictionalize real towns. I base the towns on places I know, but change the names and add the characteristics I want to them.

What’s the quirkiest quirk one of your characters has?

The most fun I had was writing Max in Rye Must Die. He loves to sing along with songs, but always mixes up the song lyrics.

What’s your quirkiest quirk?

I have too many to mention. One quirk I have is that I cannot lay my head on a pillowcase that has any wrinkles on it. The case has to be completely smooth and wrinkle free.

If you could have written any book (one that someone else has already written,) which one would it be? Why?

Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Lisbeth Salander is such a cool character.

Everyone at some point wishes for a do-over. What’s yours?

I would never have started using a pen name. Now I’m stuck with four of them!

What’s your biggest pet peeve?

Right now it’s service providers who think they can treat authors like trash because they have more business than they can handle. The minute you believe you can afford to lose customers is the minute your business is doomed to fail.

You’re stranded on a deserted island. What are your three must-haves?

Chapstick, my husband, our bloodhounds.

What was the worst job you’ve ever held?

Delivering phonebooks.

What’s the best book you’ve ever read?

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

Ocean or mountains?

Can’t I have both?

City girl/guy or country girl/guy?

I seem to always find myself living “out in the country” but outside of a major city. Best of both worlds.

What’s on the horizon for you?

Right now I’m working on more books for my Love in Midlife romance series.

The Killer in You

A Love in Midlife Romance (Each full-length novel in Dakota Madison's Love in Midlife romance series features one of the graduates of Bookman College attending their 25th reunion.)

Falling in love with your boss's wife is never a good idea, especially when you're a mobster.

Mia Corrado can't remember the last time she had sex with her husband Nicky. He's been preoccupied with his job as the head of New Jersey's most powerful crime family and all of the wild oats he sows on the side.  When Nicky tells Mia he's too busy to attend her college reunion, and wants to send one of his underlings to accompany her, Mia is completely fed up. Until she discovers it is Luka Russo who will be escorting her. He's handsome, charming and sensitive, definitely not the typical mobster. Mia is completely captivated by him. And Luka is just as smitten with Mia. But if they act on their feelings for each other Luka may end up sleeping with the fishes.

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