Interview with Fran Lee

Tell us about your publishing journey…

It’s a long one, Nicky. I always loved to write, but never found the courage to submit anything, since I wrote what I considered erotic romance. And believe me, it was…for the time period I was living in at the time. LOL! It wasn’t until the mid 80’s that I decided to stick my neck out and find an agent. My agent raved over the stuff (typical dirty old man) but every publisher we subbed it to sent it back with a brief note that said “Sorry…we don’t print this genre. Try submitting this to Penthouse or Playboy.” One admitted it wasn’t the genre…it was the heat. In 2008 I read a paperback by Jaid Black. Oh. My! There was a publisher out there that accepted my type of romance? I contacted Ellora’s Cave…sent them that manuscript…and got back a polite rejection. But this time I decided to ask why it was rejected. The response was “Not hot enough.” So I took red pen in hand, revised, and resubmitted. I now have 18 books with Ellora’s Cave, plus two self-pubbed short books.

What do you love about being an author?

I can indulge all my wickedest fantasies without feeling like a hussy. And I have some pretty wicked fantasies. In my books, I get to create the perfect love story with the perfect (or not so perfect) man, and I get to do it my way. It’s great to read other romance books, but mine all contain a good measure of my feelings, my wishes, and my desires. And they always have a happy ending, which doesn’t happen so often in real life. I love that!

If you could have dinner with any literary character, who would it be and what would you eat?

Oh, my…now there’s a double entendre type question if I’ve ever heard one. You realize that you are talking to an erotic author, right? I’ll make this simple and quick. The Wolverine.

If your books were to be made into movies, who would you cast as the leads?

Oh, Heavens. That’s a loaded one, isn’t it? I’m afraid that could only be answered if and when such a thing happened. There are way too many hot men to consider, and it would depend on the book chosen. Of course, the heroine would be easy…since it’s always me, I think maybe Kate Beckinsale…totally hot, sexy, not afraid of anything, and able to leap small buildings in a single bound.

Vampires – do you prefer them as sexy leads or blood hungry monsters?

Oh, BOTH! Of course, vampires can be sexy and hot as leads, or viciously bloodthirsty as the villains…but either way, I wouldn’t throw one out of bed.

If you had a time machine, which era would you go back to and why?

Nicky, if I had a time machine, I would make a neat little gazebo out of it, and set it in my back yard, because the past has too many scary flaws, and the future could get royally screwed up with a visit from me. I couldn’t just go back for a visit without “fixing” stuff that I would love to change. Same with the future. I would love to go forward and make things different, but I’m afraid it would mess up the future for my kids, who might not ever be born. I can’t be that selfish, regardless of what I would love to accomplish.

What life advice do you wish you’d been given sooner?

I already got it…and see what good it did me? The key here is did I pay attention?

If you were a supernatural creature, what would you be and why?

What a plethora of possibilities. Sigh. I believe I would want to be a human being. But a much smarter, much faster, much stronger one. Sort of a Super Person with the ability to help everyone who needed help. Yeah, I know that’s pretty lame, but I believe that’s why I was put here. I just didn’t get all the super powers to go with the calling.

Where do you write best?

I write best when I am alone, with no disturbances, no music or TV going on, and no interruptions. I have my computer in my bedroom, because that’s the only place where I can close my door and put out a “Do not disturb” sign, which everyone knows means “enter at your own risk”.

What was the last book you read, and what were your thoughts on it?

Usually I go through a couple of books a day when I am in reading mode. And I tend to re-read my own books. The last two books I read were Blackie by Laurann Dohner, and Skinwalker’s Woman, by moi. I love to read Laurann’s books because she writes herself into her heroines like I do. I also adore super alpha heroes who are bigger than life and beyond real. Of course, re-reading my latest book, Skinwalker’s Woman was a blast, because once they are in print, I seldom see them again. I find myself thinking, “Wow…who wrote this great book?”

If you didn’t write in your genre, which other would you prefer and why?

Honestly, I would love to write mainstream paranormal romances, but my poor mind goes straight into the bedroom and I end up writing erotic paranormal romances even when I start a mainstream one. Sigh.

Where can fans find you online?

My plain old ordinary website can be found at: http://www.franleeromance.com

I am on Facebook at:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Fran-Lee/132560860752

You can find me on Twitter at:

https://twitter.com/franleeromance

And my blog is at:

http://franleesromanceblog.blogspot.com/

You can find my books at:

https://www.ellorascave.com/index.php/authors/index/author/slug/fran-lee/

http://www.amazon.com/Fran-Lee/e/B00373L0AQ/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1/192-0786252-6510459