{"id":3407,"date":"2011-02-04T06:30:59","date_gmt":"2011-02-03T17:30:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/?p=3407"},"modified":"2013-02-03T16:20:22","modified_gmt":"2013-02-03T03:20:22","slug":"release-day-interview-with-beth-anne-miller","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/2011\/02\/04\/release-day-interview-with-beth-anne-miller\/","title":{"rendered":"Release Day Interview with Beth Anne Miller—Plus Giveaway!"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Please note:<\/span> <\/span><\/strong>The giveaway associated with this interview closed <\/span>on Friday 4 February and has been drawn<\/a>. No further comments will be posted unless they relate specifically to either the interview or Into the Scottish Mists.<\/em> Or check out today’s current post<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

—<\/p>\n

Today, Friday 4 February is release day for Into the Scottish Mist<\/strong><\/em><\/a>, the debut romance novel from my friend Beth Anne Miller<\/strong><\/a>. I interviewed Beth Anne on the Supernatural Underground<\/strong><\/a> on Tuesday, but because a debut novel is such a big deal (in my book anyway!) I just had to do another interview with Beth Anne right here on “\u2026 Anything, Really”<\/strong><\/em> as well, for extra celebratory fun! And we have managed a few different questions, so can promise you something new!<\/p>\n

To further celebrate Beth Anne’s debut, I am putting up a giveaway book set<\/strong> to be drawn from amongst those who comment before 12 midnight, US Eastern Standard Time, on Friday 4<\/span> (so that will take Australasian and some other readers over into “extra time” on Saturday. ;-)) Giveaway details follow the interview!<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>But now to introduce Beth Anne,<\/em><\/strong> she is a lifelong New Yorker and has been an avid reader since a ridiculously young age and is often in the middle of several books at once. (Rumor, she alleges, has it she was reading street signs at around 2, but this could be an urban legend!) A road trip through the eerie moors and misty Highlands of Scotland provided the inspiration for Into The Scottish Mist. A keen scuba diver and lover of all things Scottish, Beth Anne currently works in the publishing industry in New York City and is planning her next road trip. Into The Scottish Mist<\/strong><\/em> is her first novel\u2014so welcome Beth Anne!<\/p>\n

Beth Anne:<\/strong> Thanks, it’s great to be here today.<\/span><\/p>\n

Helen:<\/strong> One challenging question that came out of the Supernatural Underground interview was a request that you provide a Twitter-length “pitch”, summing up Into the Scottish Mist<\/strong><\/em>. I was very impressed when you came back with: “Scottish actor Ian follows his estranged love Abby through the mist by Loch Ness. 400 years in the past, they must end a clan feud or sacrifice their happiness.”<\/em><\/strong> Was it tough summarising your book down to tweet length?<\/p>\n

Beth Anne: <\/strong>Yes, it really was!\u00a0 I had a brief summary that I\u2019d done previously, but when I brought it up on screen, it was 500+ characters!\u00a0 I played around with it for a few minutes, and then I realized I also had a one-line quick phrase, which was only about 60 characters.\u00a0 So I expanded that a little, and came up with the line you mentioned above.\u00a0 It was a great exercise, though.\u00a0 I think it\u2019s important to be able to summarize your story in a quick line or two.\u00a0 It makes you think about what\u2019s really important to the plot and story arc.<\/span><\/p>\n

Helen: <\/strong>Beth Anne, in an earlier conversation, you said to me: “Though romance has become one of the biggest-and-best-selling fiction genres out there, some people still look upon it with disdain.”<\/em> So here’s the two-part question:<\/p>\n

i) Why do you think it is that romance is looked on with disdain by some?<\/p>\n

Beth Anne: <\/strong>Even though romance novels and authors get a lot more respect than they used to, I think that there are plenty of people who still think that romance fiction is all about empty-headed heroines, jacked-up heroes, and no plot to speak of.\u00a0 I strongly disagree with this.\u00a0 Most romance authors put a huge amount of research into their novels.\u00a0 I\u2019ve learned a lot about colonial America, British history, various law-enforcement techniques, and a slew of other things from romance novels.\u00a0 Just because the main plot line involves two people finding their happily-ever-after doesn\u2019t mean the story isn\u2019t richly detailed.<\/span><\/p>\n

ii) You’re a pretty smart gal, with two degrees in both science and literature\u2014so why do you personally enjoy this “disdained” genre?<\/p>\n

Beth Anne: <\/strong>I think it’s fair to say that most of us read fiction to escape, whether it’s an escape into a fantasy world, or an exotic locale, or just to take a journey with a fictional character into a life that’s different from ours. I’ve been an avid reader of romance novels for almost as long as I can remember because they offer escapism and a happy ending, which isn’t a bad thing, given how awful real-life can sometimes be. They also generally include a hero that we can fall in love with, which is one of the most important aspects of a romance novel\u2014and my favorite part!<\/span><\/p>\n

Helen:<\/strong> So what do you think are some of the essential elements of a successful romance\u2014as a reader, what are you looking for?<\/p>\n

Beth Anne:<\/strong> A required element of a romance novel is the “happily-ever-after”<\/strong><\/span><\/em>. Without one, a book can be many things, but technically it’s not a romance novel. For those of us who read to escape from the trials and tribulations of our everyday lives, knowing a book is going to end happily can be really important. You don’t have to worry that the hero is going to decide that the woman across the hall is a better choice than the heroine, or that the heroine is going to be fed up with the hero’s sloppiness around the house and walk out on him. You know that at the end of whatever adventure, heartache, or drama these two characters are forced to endure, they will end up together\u2014and happy!\u2014at the end. I don’t think it will be spoiling anything to reveal that Ian Mackenzie and Abby Sanders end up living happily-ever-after at the end of Into The Scottish Mist!<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

The hero<\/strong><\/em><\/span> is also very important. When I read a romance, I want to fall in love with the hero. I want him to have the right combination of strength and vulnerability to make me feel like he can protect me from the bad guys but sometimes just need a hug. He needs to be confident, but occasionally he has those same dark moments of self-doubt that we all have. And since it’s fiction, it’s okay to say that he has to be easy on the eyes as well. Ian Mackenzie is a big, strapping man. He has had extensive training with swordplay and is an expert horseman, both of which have been of great use to him as an actor. When he finds himself 400 years in the past, these skills are essential for his survival, but fighting with a blunted sword and a stunt double is drastically different from fighting for his life with a real sword against a real enemy, no stunt double in sight.<\/span><\/p>\n

And probably the other important element of romance is the escape to an exotic location.<\/strong><\/em><\/span> Many of us live unexciting lives, for the most part.\u00a0 We wake up, go to work, come home, cook dinner, take care of the kids, etc., and then do it all again the next day.\u00a0 Romance novels offer an escape to the Old West, to Regency England, to the Scottish Highlands, to a sun-kissed Caribbean Island (which given the winter New York is currently experiencing, sounds darn good right about now!), to the Australian Outback, and sometimes to a fantasy world.\u00a0 They offer us a few hours (or days, depending on your reading speed) of escape to another place or time, where we can experience someone else\u2019s life.\u00a0 It\u2019s a lot easier and cheaper than airplane travel, and it can help you pick your next vacation spot!<\/span><\/p>\n

Helen:<\/strong> You’ve chosen Scotland as your setting for Mist<\/strong><\/em>\u2014and it has featured as a romantic location from the novels of Walter Scott to those of Diana Gabaldon. What are three things that make Scotland a romantic location for you?<\/p>\n

Beth Anne:<\/strong> I’ve had a particular fascination with Scotland for many years, for no particular reason. I don’t have a Scottish heritage, and it’s only in recent years that I’ve had the opportunity to travel there. But I agree that many romance authors have chosen Scotland as the setting for their novels, and there are a few really good reasons for this:<\/span><\/p>\n

Castles! <\/strong><\/em>Castles have long been associated with stories of romance. I don’t know any girls who haven’t at one point or another imagined they are princesses living in castles with turrets and moats and handsome knights in shining armor. You can’t travel too far in Scotland without running into the ruin of a centuries-old castle, and though the cold reality of those crumbling stones may be a far cry from the sparkling walls of our dream castles, it just requires a little imagination to restore that ruin to its former glory and picture what it could have been. Into The Scottish Mist<\/strong><\/em> doesn’t take place in a castle, but the story is set against the backdrop of the beautiful Urquhart Castle, which stands sentinel on the western shore of Loch Ness.<\/span><\/p>\n

Misty glens and standing stones \u2026<\/strong><\/em> Scotland is full of spectacular scenery, from snow-covered mountains to sparkling blue lochs, to green fields and glens, but there’s something about coming upon a 5,000-year-old stone circle shrouded in mist that makes you think you’ve crossed into a faerie realm or through a portal in time. And as Diana Gabaldon, Lynn Kurland, Karen Marie Moning, and many, many other romance authors have shown us over the years, there is much romance to be had centuries in the past or in a parallel world. Into The Scottish Mist<\/strong><\/em> has both, though it’s the mist that provides the portal to the past.<\/span><\/p>\n

Scotsmen, preferably in kilts!<\/strong><\/em> \ud83d\ude09 Let’s face it, there’s not much that’s more pleasing to the ears than a Scottish burr. Sean Connery, Gerard Butler, Craig Ferguson, John Hannah\u2014I could listen to any of these guys read the phone book! Throw any of these guys into a kilt, and let the swooning begin! Into The Scottish Mist<\/strong><\/em> has Ian Mackenzie, who is based on a photo of Gerard Butler from the TV movie Attila<\/strong><\/em>, in which he has long, wavy, dark hair and intense blue-green eyes. He looks darn good in a kilt, and his accent will make you melt.<\/span><\/p>\n

Helen:<\/strong> Georgette Heyer talked about the “Mark 1” (\u201cThe brusque, savage sort with a foul temper\u201d<\/em>) and “Mark 2” (\u201cSuave, well-dressed, rich, and a famous whip\u201d<\/em>\u2014Aiken-Hodge, 49) hero\u2014and given the importance of the romantic hero to the genre, what do you think are the three essential qualities for the hero in a novel such as Mist<\/strong><\/em>?<\/p>\n

Beth Anne:<\/strong> <\/span>I think that although there\u2019s nearly always some suspension of disbelief required in a romance novel, the hero still needs to be believable and relatable.\u00a0 He can\u2019t be so larger than life and such a Superman that he\u2019s no longer just a guy.\u00a0 He has to have some flaw somewhere, whether it\u2019s physical or in his personality, because none of us is perfect.\u00a0 For me, the hero needs to be strong and protective.\u00a0 He stands up for those whom he loves, and would do anything to protect them.\u00a0 He almost always knows what to do in any situation, but like any \u201creal-life\u201d man, has to sometimes admit that he doesn\u2019t have the answer, or worries that he made the wrong decision and it will cost him something he holds dear, whether it\u2019s the heroine, his honor, his life, etc.<\/span><\/p>\n

Helen: <\/strong>If you could only take one romance novel onto a desert island, which one would it be? Why?<\/p>\n

Beth Anne:<\/strong> You\u2019re killing me, Helen.\u00a0 Just one?\u00a0 I have an e-reader\u2026 Okay, I\u2019m staring at my bookshelves now, trying to pick one.\u00a0 I assume that a 3-in-1, with three novels in one book, doesn\u2019t count? If I had to choose just one to bring with me, I think I\u2019d have to say Diana Gabaldon\u2019s Outlander<\/strong><\/em>.*<\/strong> It has Jamie Fraser, one of the best and most memorable romance heroes ever, Scotland, time travel, rich historical detail, adventure, bad guys, true love\u2014and it\u2019s like 800+ pages long, so it\u2019ll keep me occupied for quite a while on that desert island.<\/span><\/p>\n

Helen:<\/strong> To finish, if Mist<\/strong><\/em> had been written by someone else and you were recommending it to a friend, what would you say?<\/p>\n

Beth Anne:<\/strong> I would say that it\u2019s a novel that I think has something for everyone: a sexy hero, a strong heroine, Scotland, romance, swordfighting, fantasy, humor, memorable secondary characters, a heroic wolf, and Blackjack, a really cool horse. If you like Lynn Kurland, Karen Marie Moning, and Diana Gabaldon, then you might like Into The Scottish Mist.<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Helen: <\/strong>Blackjack is<\/span><\/em> a very cool horse! \ud83d\ude42\u00a0 Beth Anne—thank you for being my guest on ” … Anything, Really” <\/em>today and congratulations on the publication of Into the Scottish Mist<\/strong><\/em>. <\/strong><\/em>I hope you celebrate in style with a dram of something ‘Scottish‘ <\/strong><\/em>and go on to “sell a million!”<\/p>\n

* Cross Stitch<\/em> to UK, Aus, NZ readers.<\/p>\n

—<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>\"\"<\/a>Celebratory\u00a0 Giveaway:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Release day is always celebration day—and even more so when the book being released is a first novel. To celebrate publication of\u00a0 Into the Scottish Mist<\/strong><\/em> today I have a two-book set of Thornspell <\/strong><\/em>(written by me! \ud83d\ude09 ) and Cassandra Clare’s<\/strong> A Clockwork <\/strong>Angel<\/strong><\/em> to giveaway.<\/p>\n

To go in the draw, enter a comment on this post before 12 midnight, US Eastern Standard Time (EST), on Friday 4<\/span> telling us the preferred historical<\/span> period & location for your romantic<\/span> time-travel getaway.<\/strong> The winner will be drawn from the Sorting Hat and posted before midnight Saturday 5, US EST.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

The Sorting Hat<\/p><\/div>\n

Please don\u2019t forget to check back<\/strong> after the closing date to see if you\u2019ve won. If the prize has not been claimed by midnight EST on Monday 7, I will re-draw.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Please note: The giveaway associated with this interview closed on Friday 4 February and has been drawn. No further comments will be posted unless they relate specifically to either the interview or Into the Scottish Mists. Or check out today’s current post. — Today, Friday 4 February is release day for Into the Scottish Mist, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[38,42,14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3407","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-giveaways","category-guest-interviews-on-anything-really-2","category-other-writers"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3407","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3407"}],"version-history":[{"count":36,"href":"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3407\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18681,"href":"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3407\/revisions\/18681"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3407"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3407"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3407"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}