Today I am speaking with M.A. Ellis. Hello M.A. and welcome to Fallen Angel Reviews! It is really great to have you with us today.

Thank you so much for having me, Linda!

M.A. is there another name you would like to be addressed?

I’ve gone by M.A. for all my writing, fiction and poetry of the past, but the name behind the initials is Mary Ann, so feel free to use that.

The cover to The Cake Babe is smoking hot; why not tell us a bit about the book?

Let me give you the official blurb:

Marissa Hughes, focused on establishing her baking business, has pushed aside all thoughts of men until Jason Henderson strolls into the kitchen the day before the wedding. Tall and ripped with teasing brown eyes, his heart-stopping grin has her self-imposed celibacy crumbling.

Jason sets eyes on the hot cake babe and immediately wonders if she’s as sweet as the confections she creates. Her girl-next-door cuteness and lush curves are sheer distraction. Before long he’s tasting more than just her famous butter cream.
Who knew a little leftover frosting, an urge to go pantiless and an errant bouquet toss would have Marissa’s calm existence churning in a sexual maelstrom she suddenly has no wish to overcome.

I noticed that Love’s Ally Book Two in the Hot and Henderson series is also out. Would you like to tell us something about it as well?

It’s part of Ellora’s Cave Torrid Tarot series and it is Tom and Tessa’s story. (Tom had some great dialogue in The Cake Babe and Tessa was mentioned) They’ve both been trying to ignore the attraction they’ve felt for the past six months but that ends when Tom gives Tessa a ride home from Jason and Marissa’s engagement party. Tessa’s a strong-willed woman who knows what she wants and it doesn’t include a lengthy relationship with the utterly yummy Tom Henderson. But fate in the form of the Page of Cups steps in and takes over—with some very steamy results.

Also, Book Three in the series was released as a Halloween quickie entitled Hallow’s Eve Hunk and in it Andy Henderson meets the girl of his dreams while doing a little vampire role playing. It gives the phrase ‘things that go bump in the night’ a whole new meaning!

Do you feel as if the characters live with you as you write?

Do they ever! I never intended to write a series. When I wrote The Cake Babe, I didn’t even know my hero had brothers until after the first chapter. And they kept multiplying. Which is great because they’re all so darn sexy it’s not a hardship when I’m standing in the line at the grocery store and one of them taps against the inside of my head and says ‘pick me next’. Plus, they distracts me from those unrealistic magazine headlines claiming I can lose twenty pounds in a month and revamp my living room into a Tuscan villa using a plastic spoon, a can of spackle and the juice of wild loganberries which I should be able to find growing in my backyard. I live in northwest Pennsylvania and the only thing growing in my backyard at the present is a layer of frost.

While writing, how does the story develop for you? Do you go from start to finish or create scenes as they come to you?

I usually go from start to finish. I recently tired the switching scene thing because I was a little stuck and obsessing at one particular point in a story. On one hand, it worked well because I wasn’t sitting and staring at my blinking cursor. On the other hand, I felt like I abandoned my characters and didn’t help them work through things. I think I’ll probably use the ‘scene’ thing as a last resort. I like the stories to progress the way the characters want them to. I think they know better than I do sometimes. If we all end up at the same point, that’s a plus.

When do you feel is your best time to write, day or night?

I’m blessed that I can write full time and I like to write during the day but I do the night writing when I’m on a roll or really need to get something finished.

Do you get a toasty feeling all over to see your book in print?

Absolutely, each and every time I go through the process of getting the cover and then seeing it hit the ‘Coming Soon’ page and then release day. It’s unbelievable. Technically I’m strictly e-book at this point but when that first book goes to print—someone’s going to have to sedate me. I’m pretty certain a two-pound block of Valrhona chocolate will do the trick.

What were some of the greatest joys after the release of your first book?

The first reader email I received about The Cake Babe nearly knocked me off my chair. No matter what your profession, everyone loves to have their efforts recognized but to have someone comment on what she loved about my characters was truly overwhelming—that and the fact that email arrived the day the book released.

Also, when my rather conservative husband emailed every friend and business contact he acquired over the past nineteen years to tell them how proud he was that my first book was published. The friends, I sort of expected. But telling a wide range of business associates your wife just wrote an erotic romance about a hot contractor and a cake baker—I never saw that coming.

Do you have problems promoting yourself?

Thanks to the fact I had to do the corporate wife thing for twelve years with my husband’s former employer who shall remain un-named (but since we still have stock could everyone please go out and purchase a bottle or two of the world’s slowest pouring ketchup) I learned how to come out of a writer’s solitary comfort zone and interact with total strangers. So promoting in person is not an issue for me at all. Other forms of promotion, I’m not so good at. I’m not as technologically savvy as I’d like to be. I don’t blog; I don’t My Space. I know I miss some promo opportunities because of that, but I just have to hope that handing out bookmarks and cards and chatting with just about everyone I meet will garner interest and readers.

Do you find promotion hard work?

I don’t find it hard work because I sometimes think I don’t do as much as I should, but I do as much as I can at this point. I’m a relatively new author but doing more promo will be one of my resolutions for 2008. It’s been a whirlwind for me this year and I like to be extremely organized, so it’s just a matter of looking at all venues available and deciding the best course of action.

Can you tell us something about you that makes you unique?

Goodness, I don’t think I’m unique. I think the life I’ve led has given me tons of opportunities and inspiration. I’ve lived all over the country. I’ve traveled to some very interesting places. If you read my bio on the website, I’ve had some really bizarre jobs. I just think all those things rolled into one life makes me more fortunate than unique.

If you could change one thing about the way you write, what would it be?

Ha! My editor, with whom I am truly blessed, would probably urge me to say I’d like to fix the way I continually interchange the words ‘rein’ and ‘reign’ and sometimes zone out on my tag lines. Presently, I like the way I write, so I hope it doesn’t sound egotistical to say I wouldn’t change anything.

Are you an organized person?

Yes. To the point it is quasi obsessive.

Do you have a website other than www.maellisromance.com that you would like to share with your readers?

Nope. That’s where to find me. Although I am going to have a major overhaul of the site early next year.

For Fun: Of all the cities to visit in the U.S. which would you say would be the best to take a trip?

That’s a tough question. I lived in Ocean Springs, Mississippi at one point and fell in love with the area and especially the people and traditions. That love of Mardi Gras segued into numerous trips to New Orleans. I’ve not been since Katrina, but it remains a city rich in history and fun and the best food on the planet. You can be as relaxed or rowdy as you want to be and I find that extremely appealing.

And from a purely female standpoint—those southern men are HOT. They’ve got the looks, the charm and the manners. My December release isn’t part of the ‘Hot and Henderson’ series but it’s set in Georgia and has a scrumptious hero with all those qualities.

Which do you like best, sunsets, or sunrises?

Sunsets. I live on a lake and during the summer I try to get out and watch the sun set over the water. It’s a great way to unwind and I like how the muted shades of blues and pinks weave into hues of purple. It’s very calming.

Which do you prefer, long walks or cuddling by the fire?

I grew up in the country and long walks were a way of life and they usually ended with pitching hay bales or cutting wood, so I’m going with cuddling by the fire—assuming the logs were split by someone other than myself.

Mary Ann, thank you so much for chatting with us today. It has indeed been a pleasure. Good luck to you and your writing.

Thanks again, Linda. It was great fun!

Interviewed by: Linda L.