Today I am speaking with Lynne Connolly. Hello Lynne and welcome to Fallen Angel Reviews.

Thank you for having me!

I noticed on your website you have penned some great books. Your wide range of artistic stories has a way of carrying readers into different avenues, opening doors with a world of imaginations that soar. Why not tell us about your recent release.

The most recent is a historical romance, the first in the Triple Countess series, Last Chance, My Love, from Samhain Publishing. It has the tagline “What if you’re in love, but you can’t make love?” because the hero and heroine have just that dilemma. They’re married, they’re in love, they’re wealthy, privileged – but if she has another child, the birth will kill her. It’s about a dilemma far more common in past ages, before reliable contraceptives became available. They’ve tried celibacy, and it’s not working, so Daniel and Miranda have to find another way. The book is about their journey, and the way Daniel’s brothers find a way to throw them together, forced in each other’s company, even to share a bedroom. It was wonderful to explore these people, and see their progress in their journey.

Lynne, do you have other works in progress that you would like to share with us?

It’s an exciting time at the moment. I’ve written the next two books in the Triple Countess series, and the next one, “A Chance to Dream” comes out in November.

I’ve also written the first in a brand new paranormal romance series, currently called “Fresh Air,” which is under consideration with an agent in New York.

And Department 57 continues, but with a new publisher. Its debut at Loose-ID will be with the new novella, Cats’ Eyes, the story of two Brazilian male strippers and their agent lover.

The Wildfire series is finding a new lease of life at Ellora’s Cave. The first book, now titled Sunfire, is the story of rock guitar god Splinter (aka Aidan Hawthorne) and his lady, Corinne, a Classical guitarist. She has to cope with switching to rock from classical, and with the fact that her love is a shapeshifter, the Phoenix, as well as her irresistible attachment to him. I’ve substantially rewritten the book, and it’s hotter and stronger. I haven’t had the release date yet, but I’m getting very excited about my Ellora’s Cave debut!

How many books do you see yourself composing in the next year?

I have no idea, really. It depends what happens. I have two more Department 57 books planned, and the next Pure Wildfire books to write. If the book currently in New York takes off, I’ll have to concentrate on that. And I have another series planned and ready to write, another contemporary paranormal base.

Do you command your characters or do they take charge of you?

A bit of each. You have to let characters express themselves. I think romance is all about the characters. But you can’t afford to give them their heads completely, otherwise they’ll run mad. I’m a planner, so they have to follow the plot. But then, I’ve been known to stop halfway through writing a book and replot it to suit the direction the characters want to take!

What is your favorite method for relaxing?

I’m a miniaturist. I love filling my dolls’ houses with teeny-tiny things in twelfth scale. It’s a kind of madness.

What is your favorite genre to read and write?

Well I love reading ‘straight’ romantic suspense, but I haven’t written anything in that genre!

I keep up with the market and also read for the sheer joy of it, in the genres I write in, paranormal romance and historical romance.

And, of course, my three fallback reads. George Macdonald Fraser’s “Flashman” books, Dorothy Dunnett’s Lymond Chronicles, and Georgette Heyer’s Regency books. All unsurpassed in style, originality and sheer writing talent.

Do you go through much research when writing your books?

I’m a research junkie. I love research, I’d do it if I wasn’t a writer.

I love historical research, reading the letters and journals of the time, visiting the houses these people lived in, rich and poor, and loving their art and literature.

The paranormal romance involves a lot of research into mythologies. I’m learning a lot about some esoteric religious systems, how different they are, and somewhat alarmingly, how similar, although they didn’t have contact with each other. It reinforces the notion that basic human urges and desires are the same.

Have you always wanted to be a writer?

I wrote my first story when I was 7, and I’ve never stopped. I only thought about publication recently, but I’ve always written.

Lynne, what would your readers be surprised to learn about you?

Honestly, I have no idea. I don’t use a pseudonym, I love cats and doll’s houses – oh yes. My fanatical adherence to Manchester United, the football (soccer) team. So much that when David Beckham left to join Real Madrid, he ceased to exist for me. That’s pretty usual among football fans. The club is all, the country is secondary, and Sir Alex Ferguson should rule the world. He could, if he wanted to!

It’s a sickness I’ve occasionally tried to resist, but the minute Wayne Rooney hammers another ball into the back of the net, I’m back there screaming with the other 30,000 fans.

How beneficial do you find workshops or conferences for the author?

Some and some. It’s important for the writer to identify her weaknesses and then look for the classes to help her overcome it. Taking class after class, just because they’re there is as much displacement activity as watching hour after hour of mindless TV.

For Fun: What is your favorite television show?

Difficult. I’m not awfully picky. But of recent years, one shaves it over the others. I love “Dr. Who,” “CSI,” and “Waking the Dead,” but for sheer writing power, “Deadwood” beats them all. Using the ‘f’ word as a kind of punctuation and then writing soliloquies in iambic pentameter using it takes a special kind of vision.

What is your favorite flavor tea?

I’m British. There IS only one flavor of tea! I like mine medium strong with a spot of milk, no sugar.

Your favorite ice cream?

Vanilla. Real French vanilla, handmade by someone like Heston Blumenthal.

Your favorite soft drink?

Pepsi Max. I’m still in mourning.

In the story, The Secret Garden, the children found a lovely garden to go for peace, solitude and complete happiness. Where would you say is your secret garden?

I know exactly where it is. It’s the rose garden at Haddon Hall, Derbyshire. You can actually go on a virtual tour of it, so go here and see what you think! haddonhall.co.uk/tour_virtual_garden.htm

Do you have another website other than, lynneconnolly.com that you would like to share with your readers?

There are a lot. I love Jack Lynch’s Georgian era reference page, the sites of the major museums and stately homes, and mapquest has saved me from a lot of stupid mistakes!

My website is the center of everything I do. I have a newsletter, which has a free book in the Files, a Regency romance, and where all my news is broken first, a blog, and a Myspace page.
lynneconnolly.blogspot.com which I should really update more often!

If you could say anything to any aspiring writer, what advice would you give?

Keep going. Use your own judgment and decide what YOU want out of it, rather than what other people say you should have.

Lynne, thank you for sharing time with us today. I wish you the best in your writing endeavors. Keep those great books coming our way.

Thank you, I’ve enjoyed it enormously!

Interviewed by: Linda L.