I absolutely love Paula Quinn. She’s a wonderful author and she treats her fans so great that when I started thinking about people that I wanted to interview and have as a part of this website, she was one of the first ones that came to mind. Paula was nice enough to agree to an interview and even offered up a little gift, which you’ll see in another post. So, here’s the interview!

Reading Romance Books: Thank you so much for agreeing to do an interview! I will send you a link when it’s all said and done.

Paula Quinn: Hi Sarah, thanks so much for inviting me to be interviewed for Reading Romance Books. It’s a pleasure to be part of the beginning of such an exciting new site!

Reading Romance Books: With the release of your 5th novel, what has been the most surprising thing to you about the publishing process?

PQ: For me, the most surprising thing about the publishing process has been how wonderful and helpful agents and editors are. Writing is a lonely profession, but the publishing part of it isn’t. I’ve made great friends that I hope will last a lifetime.

RRB: Do your books get easier to write as you go along or do you still struggle like a lot of us unpublished authors do?

PQ: Oh, I still struggle. Besides all the different characters, every book has its own personality and it takes a while to get the feel of it. Usually the most difficult part of the story is streamlining and plotting, but there have been times when the characters simply refuse to do what I want and insist on changing the entire tale. To date, Brand Risande from Lord of Desire was the most stubborn of all my heroes and Claire Stuart from my most recent A Highlander Never Surrenders practically wrote her own scenes. Sometimes I don’t know how stubborn a character is going to be until I begin writing them. Fun!

RRB:  What’s your writing process? Are you an outliner or do you make it all up as you go?

PQ: I never outline. I usually begin with a basic idea in my head of how I want the story to develop, but it always takes different turns, so I end up making it up as I go along. Less fighting with characters that way 

RRB:  On your website you have the pictures of who you think represent your characters. Is this something that you have in mind as you write the book, perhaps for inspiration, or do you come up with it as a fun thing after the book is finished?

PQ: Almost every character begins with a picture, or a face I’ve seen , before the book is written. It helps to make the character more real for me. I have hundreds of pictures on my computer (mostly of Gerard Butler *sigh) and before I even begin the story I’ll study the pictures, as many as I can find, to get a better “feel” of who the character should be. I love faces that have a lot going on—a pensive smile, a mischievous glint in the eyes, a stubborn set to the jaw—all helps to build the person in my mind. Of course, as I’m writing, the character takes on his or her own persona, but I like to have a model to start with.

For AHNS though, I actually met the man who would mold Graham Grant. When I began writing Laird of the Mist, I had no face for Graham, just an idea of who he was and how he looked. When I met Scottish rugby player/model Chris Capaldi, I knew I’d found my Graham. (You can visit my website at www.paulaquinn.com and click on AHNS extras for the full experience of my meeting Chris)

RRB:  When did you realize that you wanted to be a writer? How long did it take before you got serious about your writing (or were you always?) and get published?

PQ:  I’ve always loved reading and writing. As a young child, I had my head stuck in a book or a pen in my hand. I wrote my first short story at fifteen and submitted it to a well-known science fiction magazine. It was rejected . Hmph. I never stopped writing. I just never submitted anything again. But my love for writing never left my blood. I got married and had my children and being a mother was, and still is, first priority. I don’t think I ever really thought about writing as a profession. I did it because I had dozens of characters mulling around in my head wanting their stories told. I’d write and then store my books away in the closet. It was my husband who pulled my manuscripts out of the filing cabinet and urged me to start looking for an agent. It took about a year to find the right one and get published.

RRB:  Where do you get the ideas for your books? What inspires you the most?

PQ: My ideas come from everywhere and anything. A beautiful painting, a romantic song, or even an interesting face can send my muse into overdrive. There isn’t really one thing that inspires me the most, though history is so full of interesting people, complicated kings and the brave men who fought for them…just thinking about it all inspires me.

RRB: What sort of books/authors do you like to read in your down time?

PQ: Historical romance is my favorite genre. I love medievals—when men carried swords instead of briefcases. I’m really into the whole brute in shining armor thing. I also love paranormal, sci-fi, and fantasy. Some of my favorite authors are Julie Garwood, Teresa Medeiros, Lynn Kurland, and Guy Gavriel Kay.

RRB: Do you plan to stick to your historical novels or will you ever be branching out into a contemporary setting?

PQ: I’ll always write historicals, whether they be Scottish, medieval, or paranormal, they will always have something to do with the past. I love history. I’d hop right into a time machine if I could and travel back to the past, sickness and disease be damned. I’d do it!

RRB: If not romance, could you see yourself writing any other books?

PQ:  No. There will always be romance in anything I write. I love the conflict, the sexual tension, the ultimate surrender. There’s just nothing better. I’m a sappy romantic, always have been.

RRB:  What is your favorite part about being published?

PQ: Most definitely the best thing about being published is the reader mail I get. A storyteller needs an audience. Even when I hid my books in the closet, I’d read them first to my husband, or to my mom, or to a friend. There is nothing better than creating characters who you love and having others love them too.

RRB: Do you have any advice that you’d give someone who wanted to break into the industry?

PQ: If you really love to write, have faith in yourself. Write every day, and read books in the genre you’re trying to write. Get a feel for what’s out there and what editors are looking for. Don’t be afraid to edit your work, and mostly, never give up.

RRB: Do you have any news that you’d like to tell us? What are you working on now?

PQ: Right now I’m working on a four book series featuring the MacGregor/Grant children, roughly twenty + years later. Callum and Kate became so real for me, and telling their children’s stories is very exciting. Eventually, I’m hoping to do Connor Stuart’s story and perhaps Madoc’s from Lord Of Seduction. My readers love that man!

Also, readers can visit my website at paulaquinn.com for a chance to win signed copies of AHNS.

We want to thank Paula for participating with us. We love her and we encourage everyone to read her books. Her books are chock full of great story, great tension and even better love. You certainly won’t be sorry if you give her a try!

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