Judith Rochelle

September 10, 2007

Judith Rochelle Tells All

ST: Hi, Judith Rochelle, welcome and thank you for visiting with us this week.

JR: My very great pleasure.

ST: Tell us about yourself.

JR: I live in the Texas Hill Country with my wonderful husband and our three cats. All our children are grown and out on their own and, thank God, financially solvent. I love country western music, collecting Texas wines and I am absolutely addicted to football. And reading. Of course, reading.

ST: Your latest novel, LOVE WITH THE PROPER RANCHER, looks to be an exciting, hot read. Please tell us about it.

JR: I started with the old fairy tale about the king who marries off his daughter to save his kingdom and just went from there. But Paige Cavanaugh is too feisty and sassy to go through with the wedding when she learns the truth. She runs from the church and ends up in tiny White Tail, Texas, where she meets rancher/attorney Ryan Cutter, the hunk of the month. It isn’t long before the spark flying between them turn into heated passion. But just as they’re building their fragile relationship into something substantial, the rotten bridegroom-to-be, left at the altar, tracks her down and arrives to cause trouble. How will Paige extricate herself from this very sticky situation?

ST: How did you come up with the story line?

JR: Just bouncing ideas around in my head one day, I was browsing through the children’s section of a book store, looking for a gift, and began leafing through a book of fairy tales. And I thought, what if…

ST: And where and can we buy LOVE WITH THE PROPER RANCHER?

JR: You can buy it at Amazon, Barnes & Noble and The Wild Rose Press.

ST: You have several other books that are out now. Please tell us about them and where we can buy them.

JR: My favorite at the moment is REDEMPTION, a romantic suspense whose hero is based on a real life person. It’s available at Amazon and The Wild Rose Press and soon at Barnes & Noble. As Desiree Holt, who writes with a hot pen, you can find CUPID’S SHAFT, ONCE UPON A WEDDING, NIGHT HEAT and WHERE DANGER HIDES at Ellora’s Cave.

MADE IN MEXICO at The Wild Rose Press. And as Emily Brevard, writer of inspirational romances, you can find COMING HOME at Amazon and The Wild Rose Press. Oh, and watch for CUTTER’S LAW, the first sequel to RANCHER at The Wild Rose Press September 14.

ST: Judith, I congratulate you on all your wonderful books. You’ve accomplished so much in such a short time. We’ll see you in the morning, right?

JR: Wouldn’t miss it.

September 11, 2007

From Judith Rochelle

Good Morning, Everyone,

Six years ago today terrorists who hated what the United States of America stands for committed a horrific act on our soil. Although Ground Zero, the former site of the Twin Towers, is the most visible sign of that act, a plane also destroyed part of the Pentagon and some very brave people crashed the plane headed for the Capitol. There are some important things to remember from that disaster. First of all, we are no longer safe on our own soil. This is no longer a battle fought “over there.” People who hate us think nothing of crossing our borders with intent to kill. Secondly, if not for the bravery of our armed forced, our safety would be far less secure than it is now. These brave men and women stand at duty in places of the world many of us never knew existed, under barely tolerable conditions, to destroy those who would destroy us, and protect those who support the United states and its Allies. Third, we must never forget the firemen, policemen and other volunteers who rushed to Ground Zero and for whom that day will always remain a nightmare. We owe them a debt we will never be able to repay.

Recently, as a writer, I wondered what I could do to bring home to my readers the important role these men and women play in our lives. And so, with a slight change in the direction of my writing, I have begun to write books whose heroes are Army Rangers, members of Delta Force, Special Ops, Force Recon Marines and SEALs. I hope that in my own small way I am able to bring to my readers a picture of what these people stand for and what they symbolize to this country.

Today I ask all of you, writers and readers alike, to take one minute of your time to honor both those who have died at Ground Zero and in the protection of our country, and those who still continue to serve. Without them we wouldn’t be sitting here writing our books and reading them.

Sincerely,
Judith Rochelle

September 12, 2007

The Write Side of Life

ST: Good morning, Judith. Before we start, let’s show the readers two more of your beautiful covers.

JR: Absolutely! Let’s present ONCE UPON A WEDDING and CUTTER’S LAW.

ST: Tell us what made you decide to be a writer?

JR: I’ve always had the itch but work and family just got in the way. But I kept a notebook with ideas “just in case.” When I finally retired, my husband said, Okay now you have no excuse. I always thought I’d write a straight mystery, with people from work thinly disguised, but while they were interesting character after three weeks I still hadn’t gotten past chapter one. And I had this itch growing stronger and stronger. Then I read CRY NO MORE by Linda Howard which not only changed my reading habits but pointed me in a writing direction that’s never wavered. I love romantic suspense, and every one of my books has a little of that in it.

ST: How long have you been writing?

JR: Since April 2004. I sat down at the computer and never got up!

ST: How many books have you written?

JR: 12 full length and 12 novellas. I am in the process of working on three more plus one novella. I can’t seem to shut off my mind. My husband is used to me pulling a notebook out of my purse no matter where we are and jotting something down.

ST: You’re amazing to have accomplished so much in such a short time. Which is your favorite story and why?

JR: REDEMPTION, because it’s based on a real person. The story just built itself around his personal history. He’s a fantastic character and very easy to turn into a tormented hero who finds redemption.

ST: Do you find writing to be fulfilling? And in what way?

JR: Very fulfilling. I love making up stories in my head. Also, I think every woman, no matter what her life is like, needs a taste of romance and the fantasy of the alpha hero. I want to be able to provide that.

ST: What’s a normal day like for you?

JR: Feed the cats at six (they are very demanding) and answer email and take care of promo stuff until 9 o’clock. Then two hours with my husband, juice, breakfast, and—my addiction—The Price is Right. Then an hour for household chores and writing until five. (Sometimes I bag the household chores.) I try to make it a rule not to write in the evening because that’s my time with the dh, but if I’m on a deadline he politely ignored the laptop joining us in bed.

ST: With your busy life how do you find time to write?

JR: I am so lucky, because I’m retired so I can carve out what time I need. And I get tremendous support from my husband. He knows that after him this is my Number One priority.

ST: You’re fortunate he stands with you.

JR: I know. I couldn’t ask for better.

ST: We’ll be back in the morning to learn more about this Texas gal. Until then…

September 13, 2007

Author, Author, Tell Us More

ST: Hi Everyone, we’re back with Judith and her infamous peach iced tea! Judith, are there any quirks you have or do before or while you’re writing?

JR: Don’t pick on my tea, Sloane. I need it! Now to answer your question, I don’t know if you’d call them quirks, but I set up a manuscript chapter outline so I can keep count of pages, and I do an outline of the characters so I don’t forget hair and eye color and who’s in what book. I started doing this when a character from WHERE DANGER HIDES popped up in NIGHT HEAT, and I thought to myself, what the heck is SHE doing here? Otherwise it’s just me and my peach iced tea.

ST: Who or what encouraged you to write erotica?

JR: I really admire Delilah Devlin who is in my RWA chapter and has helped me so much. Last year when Ellora’s Cave sent out their Call for Submissions for Quickies she encouraged me to write something, and my husband said, I dare you. Well, who can resist a dare! Since then it’s been like an explosion. Who knew!

ST: Just how hot are your books, Judith?

JR: My contemporaries are rated Sensual but my erotic romances are E-rotic, almost the highest rating EC gives, and the reviewers rate it top of the heat. My editor says she has to ice down her computer! Oh, and I just sold my first novella to EC’s Exotika line, which is the top of the thermostat. Definitely not for the shy readers.

ST: Where do you get the ideas for your novels?

JR: I have an overactive, vivid imagination, plus I gather ideas everywhere – the newspaper, television, conversations I overhear. And my kids have really gotten into it, coming up with ideas for me. Plus I like to play the What If game – what if this happened instead of that? What if my neighbor’s husband really left her because their child is the product iof an affair and not because he has a new girl friend? What if the rancher down the road who is very antisocial really has bodies buried in his north pasture? Give me a sentence and I’ll give you a plot. My mind is always working overtime.

ST: How do you research your books?

JR: For one thing, almost all my books are set in the Texas Hill Country and my other settings are Maine and Florida, where I live and have lived, so geography isn’t a problem. I use the Internet a lot. You can find out almost anything there. And I find people are very willing to share info with you, also. For REDEMPTION I interviewed a sergeant in our Sheriff’s dept who was former Army Counter Intelligence and for ALWAYS ON MY MIND, due out this fall, I interviewed a former Green beret who was my concealed handgun class instructor. And the ranchers around here are great about letting me visit and explaining their operations to me.

ST: Who is your support group?

JR: My RWA chapter. These women are wonderful. Next to them, my kids.

ST: Please describe your writing space.

JR: OH, my. Well, can you spell JUNK? I have a setup in our great room that is a built-in computer station. I have shelves for my books and folders and notebooks, and plenty of drawers for storage. I have my favorite mugs that hold my pens and pencils, a plush cow to clean my screen with, and a stack of papers and notes that one of my cats is always sitting on. I work a lot out of notebooks so there are always two or three lying open. And of course a stack of whatever CDs I’m listening to at the moment. Love to write with music on.

ST: What’s your favorite part of writing?

JR: MY personal involvement with my characters. They become like part of my family. After that, hearing from my readers. I LOVE my readers.

ST: What do you absolutely hate about being an author?

JR: Editing, editing, editing. After that, editing.

ST: In your opinion what’s the most important thing for a new writer to learn?

JR: As far as mechanics are concerned, have a good story to tell and learn to show, not tell. Don’t be a narrator. Let your characters tell the story in dialogue and action. Beyond that, never, ever, ever give up. The rewards are tremendous.

ST: Your website is lovely. I recommend everyone cruise over to www.judithrochelle.com and check it out. How did you decide on the content and design?

JR: I give full credit to my son-in-law. I told him what I wanted, he went out and researched dozens of other web sites and then designed mine.

ST: Thank you, Judith, for another interesting day. We’ll see you in the morning?

JR: I’ll be here!

September 14, 2007

Gazing into the Crystal Ball

ST: We’re here for our last day with Judith Rochelle. Tell us, Judith, what does the future hold for you?

JR: More writing and I hope bigger sales. I want to be able to walk into Barnes & Noble and see my books prominently displayed. Beyond that, just more writing and more writing. I have a long ways to go before I run out of ideas

ST: If you had one wish that would be granted, what would it be?

JR: That I would have one book on either the NY Times or USA Today best seller list.

ST: How did you and all your publishers come together?

JR: We have members of our RWA chapter that write for Ellora’s Cave who urged me to submit and through that I also met Marilyn Campbell, who manages their new imprint, The Lotus circle and she asked me to write for her. Wild Rose Press was looking for submissions for their White Rose line (inspirational) and I had one book that needed a home. I love my publishers. They’re great. But before I got to them I collected a stack of rejections letters higher than my junk pile. It’s all about sticking to it until you get that first break.

ST: What’s in the works for the future?

JR: Two sequels for REDEMPTION, four more books after ALWAYS ON MY MIND which is now the first book in a five-book series of psychic romantic suspense, finding a new home for my trilogy – RUN FOR YOUR LIFE, ECHOES OF THE PAST and THE HIRED WIFE, finishing a contemporary Western for Wild Rose Press and a full-length r/s for Ellora’s Cave, plus three novellas I proposed to them. And two sequels to COMING HOME, my inspirational romance. I won’t be leaving the computer chair any time soon!

ST: I am in awe. You are one energetic author. I also want to thank you, Judith, for spending so much time with us. It’s been a great week and I’ve enjoyed learning more about you. The very best to you in the future and keep us posted on your new releases.

JR: Thank you, Sloane, for this opportunity. You are wonderful to provide this venue for us to talk to readers and very supportive of other authors. I’ve really enjoyed this.

ST: You’re very welcome, Judith.