Meet Author Gwyneth Bolton

Today romance author Gwyneth Bolton is hanging out with us. I remember when Gwyneth and I were first published. She could already write her butt off, but since then she has grown into more than an incredible author. She’s also a true friend.

Tell us a little about yourself.
I’m a wife, a daughter, a sister, an aunt, a friend and a professor. My guilty pleasures are the Food Network, soaps and romance novels. If I had my way I really would spend the day watching soaps, reading romance novels and eating bon-bons. Okay, I’m lactose intolerant so maybe not bon-bons… maybe Turtles.

Tell us three interesting/crazy things about you.
One crazy thing about me is I hate talking about myself. I’m getting better at it but it is still a bit uncomfortable. Two other crazy things about me are that I’m an introvert—really, really shy—and people never believe me when I tell them this because I often act crazy and make jokes a lot. But that’s because I can usually turn it on and turn it off when I have to. But usually after I have been around a lot of people and interacted with them, I need a long nap to recuperate.

What genre(s) do you like to read?
Romance, Science Fiction, Mystery, Urban Fiction, Urban Fantasy, Non-fiction, Erotica and Erotic Romance. Actually, I love just about all kinds of books, but romance has my heart—forever, for always, for love… LOL.

What is your favorite novel and why?
The River Where Blood Is Born by Sandra Jackson-Opoku is my favorite novel because of the way she captures the African Diaspora and the after effects of the enslavement of African peoples across the world. The novel is the perfect mix of magical realism and family drama. It has a little something in it for everyone. This novel really makes me think about why people come into our lives, if they may be long lost relatives from families pulled apart because of enslavement… And it makes me think about my own connection to the Motherland.

What was the last novel you read that you enjoyed and why?
Hmm…. probably 32 Candles by Ernessa Carter… I loved this book. The narrator, Davie Jones, was funny and the author did a nice job of using her to provide so many remixes! She was definitely a remix on the trickster figure. And people will have to read the novel to find out how she does this. I don’t want to give away the plot. And the author also remixes those 80s movies staring Molly Ringwald that we all loved. The story was captivating and made me stay up all night to finish it and see if Davie got her “Molly Ringwald Ending.”

When did you begin writing?
I’ve been trying to write the next great American novel ever since I was 12-years-old. I wish I still had some of my masterpieces that were written on three-hole-punch loose-leaf paper. I used to buy a pack and just write and write and write. And then I would torture my best friend Lily by making her read all those pages. But I guess I don’t really consider that my beginning to write. I don’t think I even really began when I majored in writing as an undergraduate or got my MA in Creative Writing. I think I really began after I finished my first academic book and realized that I could write a book. And I decided to write the kinds of books I liked to read, romance. So, I began writing in 2004.

What genre(s) do you write?
I write romance novel, erotic romance and non-fiction.

Where do your concepts for your novels come from?
My concepts come from everywhere. But I think my best novels come from characters that I first meet in my dreams. When the characters invade my dreams, I get to know them and their stories in deeper ways and the stories just flow out of me. I think some of my best novels came to me in dreams: I’m Gonna Make You Love Me; If Only You Knew; Divine Destiny; Protect and Serve; The Law of Desire; Make It Last Forever… All of these came to me as dreams first and the stories just poured out of me.

How long does it typically take you to write a book?
It depends. When I’m really connected to the story and dreaming about the characters, the writing is quick. It just pours out. But when the characters are silent and slow to reveal themselves, the writing is slow as hell and takes me forever. I’m talking forever-ever…

Tell us about your latest book?
At First Kiss is the last book in my Hip Hop Debutantes Trilogy. The first two books were I’m Gonna Make You Love Me and Sweet Sensation. Troy Singleton and Jazz Stewart didn’t fall in love at first sight. They didn’t even become good friends right away. Frenemy would be a better description for these two. They tolerate one another because their best friends are married to one another. But that is as far as it goes. And then there’s the fact he’s a player and she’s a serial dater. They are too much alike to ever be attracted to one another. And they can’t be around one another without getting on each other’s nerves. So they don’t ever have to worry about hooking up or anything like that… Or maybe, they are so much alike that they are really perfect for one another and it will take an act of God or something just as strong to get them to realize it…

Where can readers purchase your latest book?
They can purchase it from any book store and also from Harlequin.

What other titles have you written?
My other titles are: I’m Gonna Make You Love Me, If Only You Knew, Divine Destiny, Sweet Sensation, Protect and Serve, Make It Hot, The Law of Desire, Sizzling Seduction, Make It Last Forever and Rivals in Paradise.

If you could change one thing about your writing career thus far, what would it be?
I would have become more business savvy a whole lot sooner. There are so many predators out there waiting to take advantage of people’s dreams to be published and turn them into nightmares. You have to be careful not to get tricked by one or at least me aware enough to realize it when you have been tricked and pull out of it quickly.

What do you find to be the best and worst part of being a writer?
The best part of being a writer is the readers. I love connecting with them and hearing from them. They really make all the pulling out my hair by the roots when a story isn’t going my way worth it.  The worst part is that you can’t trust a lot of businesses in this publishing game. There are so many crooks out there.

What do you have on the burner for the next year?
After my 2011 books, April’s At First Kiss and November’s Ready for Love, I’ll be taking a break to complete some academic projects and focus on my duties as a professor. Hopefully it will be a short break.

How can readers reach you?
http://gwynethbolton.com/
Facebook

Gwyneth, thank you sooooo much for coming over and hanging out with us today. For those of you who haven’t tried Gwyneth’s books before. Wha’cha waiting for?