Today I am speaking with historical romance/mystery author, Donna Lea Simpson. Hello Donna, how are you today? We at FAR are anxious to hear about Donna.

Donna, how does your day begin once you wake?

Cats fed, coffee on, computer and internet on, answer e-mail and start work! In that order.

I left out the yawning and stretching and tripping over the cat (followed by a little mild swearing) but you get the drift.

You have a new release, Lady Anne and the Howl in the Dark. I believe it has some mysterious undertones. We are dying to hear about the release, could you share some insight with us?

Lady Anne and the Howl in the Dark began with my own strongly skeptical nature. What would I do if a friend wrote to me and said, "The werewolves are howling!!" and asked me to come investigate? I would bring a leash and some kibble, figuring I'd become the local dogcatcher. But what if every sign pointed to a real werewolf being on the loose? That's when 'Howl' got interesting!

Can you tell us about the Lady Anne series?

Lady Anne Addison is a 24 year old spinster, wealthy, intelligent, but with a surprisingly passionate nature that she hides beneath a plain exterior. When she meets the intriguing, handsome and sensual Marquess of Darkefell sparks fly, but she can't help but be skeptical of him. Why does he keep kissing her? He's trying to distract her, she figures, but from what? There are three books so far, 'Howl' is followed by Lady Anne and the Ghost's Revenge (Sourcebooks Casablanca - August 2009) and Lady Anne and the Gypsy Curse (Sourcebooks Casablanca - November 2009) and yes, the enticing Lord Darkefell is in both!

Do you see yourself in any of the characters in your books?

There is definitely a lot of me in Lady Anne! She's skeptical and I am too, she's independent and so am I, she's smart and I'm… well, at least I'm skeptical and independent!

What are your plans for future WIP?

I am open to writing more Lady Anne books, if readers are interested, I'm working on the fourth book in my Awaiting series, and I'm planning a couple of Regency-set historical romances as well as working on an idea I have for a contemporary murder mystery series. Anyone interested?

Do you have to go through many drafts/edits to get it polished just right?

I do at least three complete drafts.

Draft One is rough. I write through quickly, polishing a little each day of what I did the day before, then writing on, a half chapter to a full chapter per day. I deliberately leave it a lot short, because I do very little window dressing (my term for clothing, landscape and architectural description) in the first draft, as I'm trying to get the flow right.

Second draft… emotions. I make sure the emotional world of the book is right, as well as the hero and heroine's connection. Motivations. Dialogue is another thing I polish in the second draft.

Draft three is all about the details: clothing, weather, landscape, architecture, word usage, historical detail. I try to smooth everything at that point.

Sometimes, though, a book needs a Draft Four, particularly if the editor has any suggestions!

As an author, do you think it is important for a writer to stay in touch with his/her readers, and the growing trend of what they really like to read?

If you want to eat and pay your rent, yes. I write for a lot of reasons. I love it. I can't imagine doing anything else. I love it. I don't have any other marketable skills.

I love it.

But also, I write for a living, it's my career. How far would a doctor get if he didn't keep up on the latest research? Or what would car makers do if they didn't pay attention to what buyers want.. wait, that may be a bad example right now. LOL. Yes, I do think it is part of a working writer's obligation to consider what trends are about to take off, (once a trend is big, it's too late to enter it as a new writer) though you can never substitute that for your own creativity. I like to consider trends, as I said, but then work a little outside of the box. Paranormal is huge, so I did do that for my Awaiting series while it was on the rise, but Lady Anne and the Howl in the Dark is kind of my twist on it, taking the trend and turning it upside down.

I read that you love the outdoors. Describe the perfect outdoor vacation to your readers.

I have always loved camping and the beach. But lately I have found there is a lot to be said for a comfortable motel resort, with hot showers, restaurants and the lake not too far away. Sunsets on the beach, sand, swimming.. ah, perfect!

Is there a book you have read that left a strong impression you will never forget?

Well, lots of books actually but I'll choose two. Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice is the book that really hit me strongly with what could be done with romance, because it really is a romance novel, but one with such delicacy, understanding, clarity, purpose, intelligence. I've read it at least a dozen times, perhaps more, and Lady Anne and Lord Darkefell's relationship owes some of its early theme of misunderstanding to that book.

Recently I read Stephanie Barron's powerful work A Flaw in the Blood and was blown away by her technique… the mystery woven with romance woven with history. Fabulous!

Where would you classify as your most romantic place to visit to gather some story ideas?

The inside of my mind… LOL. I read lots of travel books and love watching movies set in different places. I'm not much of a traveler, really; I'm a homebody, which is good for a writer, in some ways, because I get a lot of writing done!

If you could be a character in any Disney Movie, which movie would you choose?

Oh… Giselle from Enchanted!!! I love that movie. But really, I'm more like Belle from Beauty and the Beast. Belle is a bookworm.

Do you have a favorite nursery rhyme you will always cherish?

Not exactly a nursery rhyme, but when I was a kid I was fascinated by the book Millions of Cats, and the pictures with it. I can still repeat the phrases in my head, "Hundreds of cats, thousands of cats, millions and billions and trillions of cats..."

So I blame Wanda Gag, the writer, for my love of cats.

Your editor just phoned and said she needed you to host a banquet dinner tomorrow and she needs you to prepare enough food for sixty guests, plus do a book signing. Do you stay calm? And what menu would you delight the guests?

Calm? Good God, no, I'd panic. Freak right out.

But I'd make chicken spaghetti. It would be a stretch to do it for sixty, but I'd order 15 pounds of chicken, roast it in the oven (not mine; it would never fit) while making the sauce, a straightforward tomato sauce (canned tomatoes, lots of Italian spices, mushrooms, onions, peppers, tomato paste) then douse the roasting chicken with the sauce, and serve it over spaghetti. Voila!

Then I'd drink a bottle and a half of merlot. There would be interesting signatures on books after that!

Can you please share your website with us, or any myspace or links?

Love to!

My website, BookBlogs, Wordpress blog, Myspace, Facebook

Donna, I have enjoyed our talk and thank you for taking time to share some insight with us into your life and writing.

You're welcome, but thank you! It's been such fun!

Interviewed by: Linda L.