Author Interview ~ Rae Summers

So, today is another day for fun on the couch. Get your mind out of the gutters… the couch is being used for an interview. You know who you gutters peeps are. Anyway, we have with us author Rae Summers. Rae, before Megan and I get going on your interview, do you have any new news to share with us?

My first novella, Let’s Misbehave, was released on 7th July by The Wild Rose Press. And that it got an awesome 4.5 star review from RT Book Reviews. You can read it here: http://www.rtbookreviews.com/book-review/lets-misbehave-0

Wow, how awesome is that!

Ooh a first book! How exciting. Isn’t it a heady feeling to see your name on a work and know that’s something you did and can share with others? That said, what inspired you to write your first book?

All my life I’ve written scraps of stories, but never finished anything. About eight years ago my then-fiancé made a passing comment along the lines of “wouldn’t it be nice if you could actually make money out of all the time you spend on this” and I thought “yes, wouldn’t it?” So I sat down and started writing a novel. That one was never completed either, but it taught me that there was a whole lot I didn’t know about writing, so I went on a writing course that quite literally changed my life. The rest, as they say, is history …. I’ve now got four completed novels and two novellas under my belt.

I soooo wish I had that productivity!

You are a busy, busy girl. I’ll bet you have tons more ideas, too. Now, to inspiration, how did you come up with the title?

The idea for Let’s Misbehave came to me as I was listening to the Cole Porter song of the same name. The song not only sparked the idea, but is also central to the story, so it was an easy title to come up with. If you’d like to hear the song, just visit my trailer on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CRjGdk2DysA

I’ll have to track it down, I’m positively intrigued.

So many books strive to be ultra-realistic and fantasy at the same time. How much of the book is realistic?

Let’s Misbehave is set in the 1920s. As an historical novel, I wanted to be true to the period, but also didn’t want to get bogged down in facts and lose the story. So I’ve deliberately kept the background low key and placed the emphasis on the characters. I’d love to hear from readers if I succeeded or not!

Feedback is always fun. Let’s get to more fun. What is your favorite character you’ve written (published or not)? Why?

My favourite character was a rock chick who called herself Phoenix. She rode a motorbike and had a phoenix tattoo. She was so much fun to write, and I loved her sass. Unfortunately she didn’t fare too well in the contemporary romance contest I entered her into. The editor who judged the contest loved my voice but asked to see a different partial instead. One day I hope Phoenix will get her moment and that her story will make it into print.

I love tattooed heroines. If that one’s not revised and subbed somewhere, you should sub it. Strong women rock. What are your current projects?

At the moment I’m revising a full length contemporary aimed at Harlequin’s new Riva imprint (launching in 2011) and I’m putting the finishing touches on another 1920s novella, currently titled An Innocent Abroad. It’s a coming of age story set on the Amalfi Coast in Italy. I’ve really enjoyed researching that one!

Ooohhh… good luck!

I’d love to know what you found for research for the historical one. I love retro... especially art nouveau. Do you have to travel much concerning your book(s)?

I wish! I love to travel and explore new places and new cultures. Sadly, the bank balance and the day job don’t always make that possible. But that’s one of the reasons I love to write: in my head I get to go places I’ve only ever dreamed of visiting, and the research is such fun!

Sometimes the best places to go are in your head. Nothing wrong with that.

Le sigh. I love research. Ask the boys. Because if you can’t quite get it right, you can keep practicing. Speaking of animals, what animal do you think makes the best pet and why? If you couldn’t tell this was the “nothing-to-do-with-writing” portion of the interview.

Without a doubt, cats are my favourite pets. I love that they’re independent and self-sufficient, so if they show you love you know it’s genuine and not just because you feed them regularly!

LOL, sometimes I think it’s because they think of us as their staff and want us to take care of all their needs and have learned they have to work for it. But that’s just me.. :-D

I dunno, I have cats and both are snobs. Even my shifter boy is persnickety in his own way. But I still love all of my pets. You can erase any horrible experience from your past. What will it be?

Many years ago, I had a huge crush on a guy I worked with. He was mature and experienced, and way out of my league in so many ways that I just blush now to think about it, while I was still so young and naïve. He was a co-owner in a new nightclub and I persuaded a group of friends to go with me to the launch party. When we bumped into each other in the club he said it was ‘so cute’ that I’d come, and made it clear just how obvious I was. I wished the proverbial floor would open and swallow me up. Now with hindsight I wish I’d never wasted a good evening by going there, and that I’d just hung out with my friends at one of our usual hang-outs!

We have ALL been there, hon. You are not alone.

Yes, but if we didn’t have nights we wished we could erase, then what would we learn from? Live, learn and get loves. What were you doing at midnight last night?

Visiting the Menagerie Authors blog, of course! Actually, midnight is when I usually switch off the laptop and start heading for my bed. By then my brain is usually fried.

LOL, suuuure you were… we don’t’ mind a little ego stroking now and then, though.

Ah, smart girl, she sucks up. Hee hee. And she was honest. Since beddy-bye time isn’t thrilling (Well, it is, but we can’t go into that right now), what’s the strangest thing you’ve ever eaten?

In a pub in Scotland years ago I was persuaded to try haggis. It was actually really delicious, but I’m very grateful no-one told me what it actually consisted of until after I’d finished eating!

You are WAY braver than me. Sorry, I knew what it was from the get-go. I’m a wuss when it comes to gross food. Switching gears, Have you ever cried during a movie? If yes, which one and why?

Where do I begin? I cry regularly in movies. And when I read emotional books. According to my mother, as a child I used to cry during the opening credits of a local kiddies TV program that started with a monkey falling off a barrel. He clearly never got hurt, because he was back and falling off every episode, but I still cried!

Well, now it’s time to say goodbye. We certainly enjoyed your company, Rae. I hope that you will come back sometime soon and give us a heads up on how you’re doing.

Thanks for having me here on Menagerie Authors!
- Rae Summers

Rae's first grade teacher was so seriously concerned by her day dreaming that she called her parents in for a conference. Fortunately, her parents staunchly defended Rae's right to daydream and these days she's able to prove their faith right by turning those day dreams into novels. She hopes her stories bring as much pleasure to her readers as they bring to her.

Rae Summers lives in South Africa where she works in television advertising, a line of work that is only glamorous on very rare occasions. When she isn't working or being mom to two young daughters, Rae can be found with her nose in a book.

You can reach Rae online at: Her blog address: http://raesummers.wordpress.com

Let's Misbehave by Rae Summers

Gabrielle is the quintessential Flapper, a wild child who turns her back on home and a resentful and unloving mother to become a nightclub singer. She wants nothing more from life than freedom and pleasure.

Sebastian is a dutiful son, following in his father’s footsteps and on the verge of marrying a suitable bride. But as the Twenties roar to their conclusion, he finds himself torn between duty and the urge to indulge his adventurous streak.

From the moment Gabrielle and Sebastian meet, the tension between them simmers. When he rescues her from a boorish suitor, Gabrielle discovers a kindred spirit beneath Sebastian's serious demeanour, and she sets out to seduce him into one last passionate fling before he settles for a loveless marriage.

But the fire that burns between them threatens to consume her. Will Gabrielle survive falling in love with the one man she cannot have?