Thursday, June 14, 2012

Interview with Julie Lynn Hayes

Hey everyone! Today I have Julie Lynn Hayes with me. I've pinned her down and poured a few drinks her, lol! Should be fun *wink, wink.* Pull up a chair, pick out a drink, and join us!  I met Julie several months ago when Romance First signed me. 

After several conversations, and EIC edits, a friendship evoled. She was a godsend, let me tell you. I had questions, and she had answers! But not only that, she opened doors and introduced me to some wonderful authors in our genre. :)      
    
Today I'm highlighting Growing Pains, a book she co-authored in the Southern Comfort Series. This is book #2.                  
   


Excerpt:  The swimming hole was almost barren at this time of day—the interval between school and dinner. Mark and Todd wasted very little time in stripping to their underwear and diving into the cool water. Mark soaked up the sunlight for a moment before heading toward the shadows. Todd followed. 
”I bet this beats waiting for your ride?” 
Mark was trying not to think about Blake or what he might think when he came out of band practice and Mark was nowhere in sight. He tried to push away the twinge of guilt that said he could’ve left a note. Or just found a way to let him know. What would he have done anyway, caused a scene in front of everyone? Not Blake. Not very likely. 
Todd chortled. “Who were you riding with?” 
“Um… Blake.” 
”Should have known that.” Todd started swimming away, leaving a startled Mark. He stared after him for ten seconds before he followed, catching him just as he stopped, treading water and shaking his head. 
“What’s that supposed to mean?” 
“I just meant I know you’re staying at his place, figures he’d give you a ride. Just a shame you have to wait for him every day.” 
“Yeah, I know,” Mark murmured, his face reddening, not entirely because of the sun. He’d read too much into the other boy’s comment and assumed the worst. That only served to show how paranoid he was about being outed. 
“Hey, I’m glad you decided to come out here with me. It’s been too long since we hung out together. I’ve missed that.”

Her Links:
Her Publishers:
Romance First Publishing: http://romancefirst publishing.blogspot.com/

Now for some fun, lol! *Rubs hands together* I asked Julie to answer her own questions. Yes, I turned them back on her, hehe. I've answered these for her, and while fun, they can sure make you think!

The Questions

You’re marooned on a small island with one person and one item of your choice—who is that person and what item do you have?
Hmm, that one person is Gary Oldman, and the one item is… let me think… a comfortable bed.  Yeah, I’m not planning on living very long, but damn, I’ll be happy!




Which musical would you say best exemplifies your life – and which character in that musical are you?
That would have to be Man of La Mancha, I think, because I’ve spent most of my life tilting at windmills and taking up the cudgel in defense of someone else. So  that makes me Don Quixote, I do believe.

Take these three words and give me a 100 word or less scenario using them:  weeds, rain, lawnmower    
Richard Harris may have left his cake out in the rain, but damned if I didn’t leave the lawn mower. I know, stupid thing to do. Cheap lawn mower—stupid rain. Guess it wasn’t quite the value I thought it was when I plunked down a whole $25 for it at Cousin Jed’s Bargain Barn, huh? Now I’m left standing in weeds up to my ass, and people with metal detectors keep coming come by, like they think they’re gonna find something valuable there. Where’s Jeff Foxworthy when you need him? I think I might be a redneck!

You’ve just been let loose in the world of fiction, with permission to do anyone you want. Who do you fuck first and why?
Wow, what a loaded question! Who to do, who to do, who to do. There are so many wonderful heroes out there, from the angsty Heathcliff to Mr. Rochester, to any of Sherrilyn Kenyon’s hot men. Sherlock Holmes and Hercule Poirot.  But I’ll start with a true Southern gentleman who always knew how to treat a lady, and appreciated her for she is, not who society wants her to. I’ve read the book 17 times, there has to be a reason, so I’m choosing Rhett Butler, from Gone With the Wind.

What is your idea of how to spend romantic time with your significant other?
Sad but true, I don’t have one, I’m separated from my husband and not dating. But just pretending, I’d probably be the sort that likes to cook a good meal and then cuddles up to watch some TV or a movie. In reality, I am at my computer all the time, writing and editing lol.

When you start a new story, do you begin with a character, or a plot?
Usually character. In my experience, plot follows along once you begin to think about your character, although sometimes they come hand in hand. One of my current WIPS, When Will I See You Again is one such mixture, but I won’t comment on the plot since that would be a spoiler. Sometimes inspiration comes from a prompt, such as those from the Wednesday Briefs, or Silver Shorts, and then it’s usually character driven as he begins to speak in my ear and I scramble to get it down before I lose it  lol.

If they were to make the story of your life into a movie, who should play you?
Wow, I’m torn between Nicole Kidman and Barry Humphries (Dame Edna).   I really don’t know, but my husband used to say I looked like Juice Newton, so maybe her. Or Jan Smithers – she played Bailey in WKRP in Cincinnati.  Glenda Jackson – there’s another thought.  I know – Julianne Moore! Yes, that’s it. I choose Julianne Moore. She’s a great actress and she was a wonderful Clarice in Hannibal.

Who’s your favorite horror villain and why?
Wow, that’s a hard on, I do love me some horror films. Dracula is too obvious because I don’t consider Dracula to be a horror film but a romance lol So let’s look at real horror films. Then I’d have to say John Kramer, of the Saw films. He was a man of integrity, and he had reasons for what he did, and he wasn’t the evil guy that he’s oft depicted as being. Of course, there’s Dr. Hannibal Lecter, but again I don’t see him as the villain, rather I find him the hero of his books/films, so let’s just call it a tie, okay? Both of them.

Do you have an historical crush and if so, who is it?
Oh yes, I do, for many years now. Go to my blog and it’s no secret – Cardinal Armand Jean DuPlessis Richelieu.  After him would come Napoleon, but Cardinal Richelieu is first. I admire his intellect and his ability to handle running an entire country from behind the throne of a foolish king. That makes me tres sexy, in my book.


Is there a story that you’d like to tell but you think the world isn’t ready to receive it?
Yes, but I already wrote it and the world is going to receive it in February – Revelations. It’s a contemporary Biblical story that addresses the question – what if the Second Coming has already happened? And then some? I wrote it in a multiple POV, first person, but the protagonist closest to my heart, the hero of the book, is Judas Isacariot. 
Thanks for having me on your blog, MA!  It was a blast!
Loved every minute of it Julie, lol!

A little about Julie:


Julie Lynn Hayes was reading at the age of two and writing by the age of nine and always wanted to be a writer when she grew up. Two marriages, five children, and more than forty years later, that is still her dream. She blames her younger daughters for introducing her to yaoi and the world of M/M love, a world which has captured her imagination and her heart and fueled her writing in ways she'd never dreamed of before. She especially loves stories of two men finding true love and happiness in one another's arms and is a great believer in the happily ever after.
She lives in St. Louis with her daughter Sarah and two cats, loves books and movies, and hopes to be a world traveler some day. Currently unemployed,  she continues to write her books and stories  and reviews which she posts in various places on the internet. Her family thinks she is a bit off, but she doesn't mind. Marching to the beat of one's own drummer is a good thing, after all.  Her published works can be found at Romance First Publishing, Dreamspinner Press, and Silver Publishing.  



I hope you guys enjoyed the interview! I had fun doing it, lol. Please make sure to check out her blog and her links. :)

~M