I am so excited to be speaking with one of my favorite authors today. I have gushed constantly over the last year about Viviane Brentanos and I am thrilled she is taking the time to speak with me again today. Her books are sexy, evocative and seriously romantic and I have loved every single one. If you haven't checked her out yet, please do!

Viviane, I have huge love in my heart for you! You are truly a fabulous author.

Well thank you so much, Tara but really, you are making me blush.

Your upcoming release, Past Undone, was excellent (big surprise) and I devoured it in one sitting. Can you please tell our readers about it? Past Undone was different from your other books. How did you come up with the idea for it?

Mmm - Past Undone is one of those stories which is difficult to talk about, simply because, to do so, would give too much away. Let's just say it has a few twists and turns. It was also the novel which gave me the most trouble to finish. For some reason known only to my inner muse {a muse I never rush or try to force} I got stuck three quarters of the way through. My note pad lay open on my coffee table for at least three months. Every time I picked it up and tried to move on, the words wouldn't come. I knew what I wanted to write but nothing was happening. Perhaps it is because Past is somewhat of a departure for me. I have never tried my hand at suspense before and I found it tough. I have nothing but admiration for those who tackle it on a frequent scale. Also, Past has two female leads. How did the idea come to me? As always, in a dream. I think also at the time I had just watched Man on Fire, a wonderful movie starring Denzel Washington and the delightful Dakota Fanning. The storyline of this movie gave me the idea for Past.

Nik Lloyd was such a tortured soul, but such a heroic lead. How did you create his character?

If you have read any of my other works, you will know I love my 'men' to be tortured souls. Nik Lloyd is especially unhappy because he believes he let someone down. He carries a ton of guilt on his shoulders; a guilt that threatens to destroy him. In a way, my feisty heroine, Sofie is his salvation. She is his one shot at righting his mistakes. Trouble is, he doesn't know it. As to how I created him - to be honest, I don't know. When I write any storyline, I ask myself how it would play out as a movie.

I adored the character of Bella. What a cute, sweet girl. Was she a hard character to write?

Ah Bella. I love her too. She is an old soul in a young body, so wise and anxious for all around her to be happy although she ought to be the unhappiest little girl around. If you like, she becomes Sofie's conscience - a sort of modern day Jiminy Cricket. She makes Sofie to take a good hard look at herself. Bella forces Sofie to grow up. Was she a hard to write? No - she was probably one of the easiest I have ever created. She moved me in many ways and she made me cry.

As the author, what did you most love about this book?

All the things I mentioned above. I had three incredible characters to play around with, all suffering and yet determined to fight on. Perhaps some of the content may be viewed as controversial but I believe today's modern romance reader wants to and should be made aware of such controversies. I did it in Written in Stone, when I highlighted China's not too rosy treatment of foreign journalists and I have done it in Past with the references to the dangers of religious fanaticism. Today's reader wants some substance in the story.

I've noticed that you have used Greece in three of your books so far. Do you have a personal connection?

Ah Greece - the land of my heart. For the past 27 years, I have lived on the beautiful island of Corfu. My husband is Greek as are my children. I cry for the suffering of this beautiful land and my blood boils when I hear so much negativity and criticism and usually by folk who have no idea what they are talking about. I don't want to turn this interview into a political debate. Suffice to say, Greece does not deserve the bad press it is receiving. They are a proud nation, a hard-working nation despite the negative stereo-typing by the mindless ill-informed tabloid British press. Greece is still a country that possesses strong family values. The Greeks are a nation who never wishes ill on anyone. Greece is a state of mind.

Do you have any other upcoming releases you want to tell us about?

Oh goodness, where to start. In October, my sixth single title, A Little Crushed, will be released through MuseItUp Publishing. Without giving too much away, I fully expect to court controversy once again but - hey - this is the world of fiction, folks. Anything could and should happen. Also, I am delighted to announce I have recently signed with the Brit agent Brandon and Associates. Mr. John King will be trying to find a home for my 160,000 saga, Spin.

Is there a particular genre that you would like the chance to write?

Good question and one I have been asked time and time again by well-meaning friends who seem to think writing romance is not quite 'good enough for me'. I don't care. I love it. It's what I am good at and I am proud of all my novels. Romance, as I stated before, can be intelligent. It should be intelligent. So, back to your question. While I admire writers of other genres, I have no wish to try my hand at anything else.

Have you ever jumped out of a perfectly good airplane?

Are you serious? I have to be the world's most nervous flyer. It's all I can do to leave my seat to go to the loo, never mind jump out.

If you could wish for anything at all, what would it be?

A stable future for my children. The world is such an uncertain place at the moment. It is a sad place, full of cruelty and destruction. I worry for this planet.

Can you tell our readers a little about yourself?

Oh dear, I think I probably need a psychologists evaluation to answer that. What can I tell you about me? Mm - ok - I am slightly eccentric, sarcastic, and passionate about many things i.e. animal and human rights. I love Heavy Metal and Darren Hayes. I am a closet geek {I adore anything to do with LOTR'S, Star Wars, Big Bang Theory, A Game of Thrones, anything to do with superheroes, although Superman is the greatest coz, let's face it, he can fly. I am also a closet Gleek. I wept at the end of last season. No more Rachel, Finn, Puck etc. How will I survive? Love food but then, my mother is French so it's a kind of given. Afghan Hounds - I adore them. I used to own several and I plan to again. Oh did I mention opinionated, a control freak, irritating Virgo perfectionist - but only for some things. Most of all, I abhor injustice.

Where can we find out more about you and your upcoming books?

I have a website, one I designed myself {Oh I am so proud} vivianebrentanos.com/. I also have a blog and I wish I had more time to spend on it but I do try. All of my links can be found on my site contact and links page, including the link to my wonderful publisher, MuseItUp Publishing.

Viviane, thank you so much for taking the time to chat with me. I wish you all the luck in the world with your releases this year. You deserve it!

Thank you for having me back and for all your support.

Interviewed by: Tara