I am delighted to be speaking with Erica Leigh Madson today. Thanks for chatting with us today Erica and welcome!

To start, can you tell us a little bit about yourself?

I have worked in the film business in various capacities for about 25 years now. Met a lot of people, heard a lot of stories. Because I work freelance, I have time off between shows and, because I like to be busy, was easily convinced that, just maybe, I should try my hand at writing.

Electric Vamp was just released, can you tell us a little about it?

Electric Vamp is the culmination of Sophie’s and Jerry’s relationship which began in Electric Vibes, and continued in Electric Vibrato. The passion each has for the other flows through the book as they face challenges, meet them and overcome them. Just like real life.

Electric Vamp is the last book in the Ferguson Film Fantasies trilogy. What was the hardest part of writing this series?

Actually, Vamp is the third book in the trilogy about Jerry and Sophie under the Ferguson Film Fantasies banner. Jerry’s extended family will provide lots of stories in the future. As for the hardest part of writing it, I’d have to say it was writing that first word. Just as a journey starts with one step, so does a book start with one word. Once it is written there is an implied commitment to continue. One can outline and plan and, yes, fantasize but it takes a certain kind of nerve to sit down at the computer, open a new document and write that first word.

What would be the one thing you’d want readers to take away from your stories?

That love is kind and compassionate. That life isn’t about being better than other people or making more money or getting your name in the paper. It’s about caring and those small, shared, intimate moments between two human beings.

What was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating your books?

Once I started writing about Jerry and Sophie, the characters just took over. Yes, I had an outline, an overall arc to the story in mind but somehow my characters took over pretty early on. Which made writing their story easier in many ways but more difficult in others. When they wanted to go in a different direction than I was headed, I would get stuck, sometimes for days. But you know what? The interesting thing is that in almost every instance, I came to understand that their, the characters’ choices, were usually better in the end.

Do your fans' comments and letters influence you in any way?

Yes and no. I think everybody wants to be liked so it’s wonderful to receive praise from my readers and, in the same way, criticism can hurt. What I find the most interesting is that they sometimes see a theme or a meaning in places where I had not consciously written such into the story. But, you know, in each case I realized that what my fans saw in the story had been in my subconscious at the time. Readers are very smart!

What would you consider your most interesting quirk?

I rarely make decisions on what other people think. It confuses them. And I sort of like that.

What is the hardest part of bringing out a book? Surviving the editor? Shaking hands? The last chapter?

Having the faith to continue on through the first chapters and trusting that I will be able to draw the various threads of the story together into a coherent and satisfying ending.

What is the one thing you've always wanted to do but never had the courage / opportunity to try?

Take off and travel around the world by myself. Way off the usual tourist trails; hot springs in Iceland, watching the Paris to Dakar rally through north Africa, counting turtle nests in the south Pacific. Some day, I promise I will make a list and take the time.

To you, what is the best part of the holidays?

Spending time with old friends and making new ones. Getting to see how children grow and develop year to year.

What’s would be the theme song to your life?

“I’ll do it my way”. Absolutely not a Sinatra fan, of the man or his music, but there is something in those five words which has resonated with my life since I was a stubborn but precocious child.

Could you tell us what you’re currently working on?

Outlining in my head the start of the story about Kathryn, Jerry’s aunt who is a movie star with great guts and great gusto. The type of woman I admire.

Is there anything else you would like to share with us today?

Some people denigrate romances as being not great literature but I strongly feel they can be a very positive force in many women’s lives, portraying role models of resilient, liberated, loving females. Also, anything that encourages reading in this day and age is a good thing. Finally, everyone goes through times when they need an escape hatch from their lives; what better than to escape into a wonderful adventure that leaves the reader happy and satisfied?

Thanks for taking time out of your busy schedule to answer some questions for us today! Readers can learn more about Erica and her books on her website at ericaleighmadson.com/.

Interviewed by: Tammy