My guest this week is Moira Keith. Thanks for agreeing to appear on my blog, Moira.

Q: To begin, please explain which genre you write in, and why…
A: My first published novella was a contemporary western romance. Never thought I would write that genre as the paranormal romance genre truly calls to my heart. However, Buckling Down was my gift to my mother. I lean towards paranormal though because I am fascinated with the endless possibilities. Shapeshifters, Fae, Witches, Vampires…they all hold an appeal to me.

Q: How long did you write before you received your first contract for publication?
A: Some people will slap me silly for this, but I wrote seriously for about eighteen months before I contracted my first story.

Q: So, if you don’t mind sharing, would you tell us about your latest work in progress?
A: Would love to tell you about my current work in progress. Currently I am working on a paranormal romance. The working title for it is Chosen. It is about a woman who is part Fae and part wolf-shifter. Only problem is that she does not have the ability to release the wolf within her. Having been raised among the Fae and after losing her mother to wolf shifters, she has a very hard time accepting that side of her. After spending her life with no contact from her father, he is now seeking her help in finding the cause of the disappearances among his pack.

Q: Out of all the stories you’ve written, which is your favorite?
A: So far Chosen, though not complete, is my favorite. This is my blood, sweat, and tears story. It has been a work in progress for about ten months and is sitting at about the half way mark.

Q: Do you need to be in a specific place or atmosphere before the words flow?
A: Not really. Sometimes I am at work and will have to grab a notebook from my drawer to jot down ideas and story elements as they come to me. I have walked out of work with ten pages of massacred short hand, only to get home and have nothing new hit me.

Q: What’s the strangest source of inspiration you’ve found for a story?
A: I don’t know if it is strange as much as just the timing seemed off to me. I was really stuck on a vampire story and trying to unravel the issues to figure out where I went wrong. Well, it was about four thirty in the morning and I was driving to work. I passed by a brightly lit neon sign advertising a bar and that is when the idea for Buckling Down was born.

Q: If you could offer one tidbit of information for new writers, what would it be?
A: Remember that you are the creator of the story. Critique partners are wonderful and extremely useful, but I find it is important not to lose your voice because of what a CP tells you. They are offering their view point and opinion. It is not gospel. If the advice begins to change your voice or lead your story in a direction you do not like, it is alright to take a step back and rethink what advice you will take and what you will let pass.

Q: Do you have an evil day job or do you write full time?
A: Unfortunately, the evil day job still pays the bills. As much as I would love write full time, I am still slave to the 9 to 5 (or in my case 5 to 1) rat race.

Q: What do you like to do in your spare time?
A: In my spare time I love to spend time with my twin boys. They love to play Rockband on the Wii and I truly believe I have a couple of rock stars in the making. I also read a lot, like to dance and spend time with family and friends.

Q: Name one thing readers would be surprised to learn about you.
A: Nothing. I am an open book. Oh alright, though it is difficult to tell, I have an extremely low sense of self confidence and I swear like a sailor.

Q: What’s your favorite dirty word?
A: My favorite dirty word probably ranks high with a lot of people. Fuck, is a versatile word that works well for cursing people out or in sex. I have two that come in tie for second and some people may cringe, so if you are a delicate flower then ‘earmuffs’ please before I continue. My tied for second place dirty words would be cunt and prick, which pairs very nicely with favorite number one. Yeah, I know, so not nice and my mother is just dying as she reads this, but there you have it.

Q: What’s your favorite holiday, and why?
A: Favorite holiday has to be Christmas. In my family, I am not sure who is the bigger kid, my parents or my children, nieces, and nephew. My parents always make the holidays fun, so one might thinking picking one would be hard, but not the case here. Christmas has always been big in my family and filled with tradition, which I think is important.

Q: Do you have any tattoos or piercings?
A: I have a tattoo of a rose with a vine that encircles my ankle and I plan to get at least one more. Only thing pierced on my body is my ears, though I did do the belly button thing when I was younger.

Q: If you could be intimate with three people (not necessarily all at one time *g*) without getting in trouble with your significant other, who would they be?
A: Ryan Reynolds, Adam Levine and David Boreanaz with Channing Tatum as the cherry on top (and mom stop reading here….I’d take them all at once ) Yes, I know there are four listed there, but I’ve never pondered this question so to narrow it down was REALLY tough.

Q: If you were stranded on a desert island, what three things would you want with you?
A: How can you limit a girl to only THREE items? Laptop, cell phone and a well-toned cabana boy skilled in the art of massage ready to answer to my every whim.

Q: If you won the lottery tomorrow, what would you spend the money on?
A: I would put money away for my children. Then I would by a house, a macbook, a trip to Ireland, gorgeous shoes, a closet to house the shoes.

Q: Which household chore do you abhor and why?
A: Cleaning bathrooms. Twin five yr old boys who fail to remember to lift the seat when they go potty. Enough said.

Q: What’s your favorite comfort food?
A: Anything my mother cooks from my childhood. One of my favorite things though is really a fairly simple meal. Mashed potatoes, milk gravy, grilled chicken, and mixed vegetables. Don’t ask why, it just is. Kind of a simple girl I guess. Oh and if my mother is not up to making that, then a good piece of tiramisu will suffice.

Q: Do you have any guilty pleasures you feel comfortable sharing?
A: Shoes. Oh wait that’s not what you meant is it? Well I have to tell you at the moment, finding a gorgeous pair of shoes ranks up there with a mind numbing orgasm if you ask me. And you did. 

Q: Do you have a favorite book or movie?
A: Of course! I have both. My favorite movie is currently Underworld. Hot vampire guys? Come on who could resist? My favorite book, well it’s a series really. I love Jeaniene Frost’s Night Huntress Series. Once again…hot hero with fangs…. Enough said.

Q: Anything else you’d like to share?
A: I am quickly becoming a sports fan. The way I figure it, as a mom of two boys, knowing a little something about sports will be a necessity in my life. We like baseball. My best friend will cringe seeing as she is a huge Cubs fan and though I do indulge in different teams just to get a baseball fix, my boys and I have developed a thing for the Red Sox. The twins like to watch “Biggie” but anyone who follows baseball even occasionally realizes that Papi is not having a good year. My kids still get excited when he comes to bat or when he manages to ‘slip into base’ as they like to call it. See why I like being a mother of boys?

Q: In closing, tell us a bit about your latest release (& share a yummy excerpt for those who aren’t yet familiar with your work)
A: I would love to! This is from my release Buckling Down which was published in May by Samhain. The morning after can sometimes feel awkward, but this scene between Sydney and Levi never fails to make me smile. (Every writer has those scenes and this is one of mine.)

Sydney woke the next morning with something very hard and masculine pressed against her ass. Ah, the male physique could be such a beautiful thing. Levi tightened his arm around her and pulled her back against him. A low moan reverberated along the base of her neck, and it sent a small spasm of pleasure rolling through her. She turned her body so she could face him.

He had a mischievous grin on his face. “Morning.”

She studied his face, admired the feel of his muscles under her hand as she worked her way down his side, then back up, pushing gently against his shoulder. As he rolled to his back, he pulled her with him and then propped an arm behind his head. “Are you trying to take advantage of me, Miss Hart?”

“It’s hard to take advantage of the willing.” She slid down him a bit, the length of him hard against her stomach. Laying her arms across his chest, she rested her chin on the top of one hand while gently tracing the outline of his nipple with the other. Letting out a slow breath of air, she watched as his nipple puckered. He shuddered slightly.

“I think you might be the devil in disguise,” he moaned.

She licked his chest.

“Oh God, you are the devil.”

She lifted her head with a sigh. “And what exactly do you think you are, Mr. McKenna?”

“Famished. You are quite a workout.” He winked at her.

Thank you so much for the fun interview, I have really enjoyed my time here. You have been such a wonderful hostess!

http://moirakeith.com