Monday, April 18, 2011

Author Spotlight: Q and A with Stefanie Sloane

Today I welcome romance author Stefanie Sloane. Ms. Sloane has a new historical romance, Devil In Disguise, which will release on May 24. You can read my review here.

A native Northwesterner with the pale skin to prove it, Stefanie credits her parents’ eclectic reading habits—not to mention their decision to live in the middle of nowhere—for her love of books. A childhood spent lost in the pages of countless novels led Stefanie to college where she majored in English. No one was more surprised than Stefanie when she actually put her degree to use and landed a job in Amazon.com’s Books editorial department. She spent over five years reading for a living before retiring to concentrate on her own stories. Stefanie currently resides with her family in Seattle.

Diva: Describe yourself in five words.

Stefanie: Funny, sensitive, curious, shy, loyal.

Diva: What are three things that your readers would be surprised to learn about you?

Stefanie: Well, first, I never really planned on being a romance writer. In high school I thought that I would become a journalist and write for Rolling Stone magazine. Only, I don’t smoke, drink, or like to stay up until the wee hours, and I’m shy, which kind of put a crimp in the plan.

Second, I was the 30th employee at a little internet company called Amazon.com. My office was in a garage and I knew nothing about the web—and had no idea what a ride my nearly six years there would be like.


Third, writing romance runs in my family! My mom is Lois Faye Dyer, the amazing Silhouette Special Edition author of nearly 30 books. She writes incredibly moving contemporary stories that most often feature complex and completely yummy cowboys.

Diva: What were you doing before you became a writer? And what would you have done if your writing hadn't taken off?

Stefanie: Well, I was and still am a mom to two amazing and challenging young girls. As any parent knows, this is a full-time job—rewarding, but demanding! And Justin Bieber fever has recently hit our household, so the challenge-o-meter just ratcheted up. I’ve also done quite a bit of editorial consulting work for various companies and nonprofits, which I truly enjoy. If I wasn’t writing historical romance, I would probably be concentrating on my nonprofit work. In this economy, nonprofits need our help more than ever.

Diva: What authors have had the most influence on your writing or your desire to become a writer?

Stefanie: First and foremost, my mom. She started writing when I was quite young and she was working a full-time job—so that’s, what, three full-time jobs all at one time between raising children, working in the legal system, and writing? She taught me what discipline and belief in yourself and your dreams can do for a person.


Julia Quinn has also had a major influence on me as an author. We’re the best of friends, and she’s always been there for me both personally and professionally. Her strength has carried me through some of the more bumpy patches of life’s roadway.

Diva: How long did it take from the time you finished your first book, to get your work published?

Stefanie: Well, the first book that I ever wrote was a contemporary chick lit back in 2003. I finished it and signed with an agent less than a week before giving birth to my second child! Unfortunately, that book didn’t sell, and learning to care for two kids took over all of my time until 2007 when I started what would become The Devil in Disguise. That summer, at the national RWA conference, I was introduced to agent Jennifer Schober, who encouraged me to send a partial her way. I finally did mail off the first 150 pages to Jenn in early 2008. She offered representation shortly thereafter and we set to work on polishing the partial. It went out to editors in the fall of 2008 and I had my offer from Ballantine by Thanksgiving. I think that I ate an entire pie in celebration!

Diva: What's the best piece of advice you were given while you were trying to get your work published?

Stefanie: “A watched pot never boils.” Honestly, I’m one of the most impatient people on the planet. So when a fellow author heard me lamenting the fact that I wasn’t progressing as quickly as I should, she said those words to me. And was she ever right! And it’s excellent advice for every part of the author process—and really, life in general. Have patience with yourself, with those around you, and with your work. You’ll be surprised by what it does for your outlook.

Diva: What book(s) are you dying to get your hands on?

Stefanie: There are so many! Amanda Quick’s Quicksilver releases tomorrow. In late May there is Julia Quinn’s Just Like Heaven. And Jennifer Ashley’s The Many Sins of Lord Cameron is due out in August.

Diva: Do you have any tidbits that you can share about what's next on your agenda?

Stefanie: Oooh, yes! I recently signed a contract for the next three books in my Regency Rogues series. Here’s a sneak peek at the fourth book, tentatively titled The Saint Who Stole My Heart:


Lord Dashiell Matthews, the Viscount of Hardwicke, remembers little of Lady Elena Barnes beyond her slight build, mousy character, and bookish ways. Her unavoidable presence at Hardwicke House would be inconvenient, true, but a woman could hardly prove enough of a distraction to interfere with what was the most important case of Dash’s life—ferreting out the monster who’d murdered a dear friend’s mother many years before.

Dash would, of course, live to regret such an assumption.

As for Elena, a trip to London to retrieve a priceless book is troublesome, though not nearly as much as the feelings the viscount inspires in her. His touch elicits feelings from Elena that she’d only ever read about. Her skin tingles. Lord Hardwicke is as handsome as she remembered—actually, more so as he’d grown into his frame in a rather attractive manner—and as dim as a ha’penny tallow. Or is he? The more time Elena spends with the man, the greater her suspicions grow regarding his intellect and just what he might be up to as they’re thrown together in the search for an individual known only as the Rook.

Can true love save the day? Find out in the exciting and enthralling fourth installment of the Regency Rogues.



Thanks so much to Stefanie for taking time to answer my questions. To learn more about her and her books, find her at:

Website: http://www.stefaniesloane.com
Twitter: @StefanieSloane
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Stefanie-Sloane-Historical-Romance-Author/191673530858361

12 Talk to me!:

desere_steenberg said...

Really stunning post I loved learning more about Stefanie and I cant wait to read her books ! Thank you for the chance to win !

Kym said...

I am really looking forward to the release of Stephanies book ! I have enjoyed following her on FB, and just learned more about her thru this great interview:)

Kym
krykym(at)fullchannel.net

Unknown said...

Thanks for sharing this. It was really interesting and I will definitely be reading this series!

SharonA said...

I'm looking forward to reading Stephanie's new book, sounds like a fun read. I enjoy hearing about how writers make their way in the business, thanks for asking the questions.
Sharon

Anonymous said...

Can't wait to read your books! And I like learning interesting facts about authors, so thanks!

Candy
cgorsi(at)hotmail(dot)com

IandSsmom said...

I just love the covers of her books!!! Can't wait to read the books! She should write a book about working with Amazon.com in the beginning I bet there are good stories there!!
shannonjean14(at)gmail(dot)com

June M. said...

I really love the way that the first 3 books of the series will be released so close to each other. They sound great and I love all the covers.

manning_j2004 at yahoo dot com

RFTC Blog said...

I can't wait to start this series. It looks so good. I've actually had it on my wishlist for months and I'm counting down the days to it releases. BTW, I love the covers!

iqb99@yahoo.com

Sarah (The Brazen Bookworm) said...

I've been excited to read these books since someone (Julia Quinn, maybe?) posted about it on FB a while back. I'm so glad that the series is being published close to each other...I'm not very patient when it comes to waiting for books!

sarah@brazenbookworm.com

Unknown said...

Hi all,

Wow, thanks for all the love! I can't wait for my books to be out in the world. And in less than thirty minutes, an advanced reader's copy of The Devil in Disguise will be! Stay tuned!

Unknown said...

And the winner of the signed advanced reader's copy of The Devil in Disguise is..............

DANIELLE GORMAN!

Congrats Diane! Please email me your mailing addy (stefanie@stefaniesloane.com) and I'll send out your book ASAP.

Thank you to everyone for stopping by and saying hello today! And if you're interested in hearing more about my books, be sure to visit my site and sign up for my newsletter. Newsletter subscribers receive web-exclusive content and excerpts early!

Yvonne said...

Thanks to everyone that visited and commented on the blog. Congrats, Diane, you'll love the book! Also thanks to Stefanie for guesting on the blog and hosting the giveaway.