New Adult Book Club discussion

This week, we have Stephanie Queen in our Q&A seat to answer all your burning questions.

After her writing was put on the back burner for a while (read: a long while), she finally started writing again and became a USA Today bestselling author! She is the brainchild of books such as The Hot Shots, Playing the Game and many more.

Leave your questions for her below now!

Hi!
Who are your favorite authors?

Any exciting plans for the summer?

Nicole wrote: "Hi!
Who are your favorite authors?"

Hi Nicole!
I have so many favorites, but one of my new loves is L.j. Shen! Her stories are so intense and deep and they take me right in. Although they take a lot of energy, so I have to be ready for them. Same with Meagan Brandy who I also love and admire.
It's the pouring out of all that emotion and leaving nothing behind that captures me. I know for a fact that's a hard thing to do for an author!

Katrina wrote: "Any exciting plans for the summer?"

All my exciting plans are for my characters, and I get to watch and wish I was in the story world with them! Lol!
I'm working on a hockey romance and in love with the characters, creating all kinds of exciting craziness for them to get through--like a revealing Sports Illustrated shoot for a hunky hockey star.
My theory is that the duller my life is, the more exciting I need to make it for my characters--good news for readers! Lol!

On exciting summer plans--
Just to give you some background, I live in New Hampshire which is a very good place to be in this time of COVID.
We have lots of open space, trees, ocean, lakes, fresh air and starry nights.
I live on a lake with my husband and my two sons live nearby. I couldn't ask for a better situation all things considered.

Exciting plans for travel are further off beyond the summer--like Vegas in November--crossing my fingers on that!

What made you want to become an author? ..And why this genre?

Great question--Hope you don't mind a long answer! Lol!
I started writing as a child. Seriously. Second grade.
By the 6th grade I was hooked.
But I was too good at math to be an English major, so even though I continued to write (including a play when I was in high school) and even though I took creative writing as an undergrad at UConn, I was a business major to try and be practical.
So writing became more like a hobby than a career for a long time. Until I got serious in 2010.
As far as the genre, I'm a full-fledged member of the die-hard romantics club, so I never had a choice. Although I trow some suspense and mayhem in my love stories sometimes, and I do love to read thrillers, I have to write about that elemental struggle of two people falling in love. Always.
Thank you for asking!!

How old where you when you published your first book?
How many books have you written?
Do you draw any of your plots from things in your own life or things you have seen?
What made you decide to start writing?
When do I get the next beachcomber book?

Donna wrote: "How old where you when you published your first book?
How many books have you written?
Do you draw any of your plots from things in your own life or things you have seen?
What made you decide to st..."

Lol, Donna!
Not sure about the next Beachcomber book, but maybe as a Christmas present.

I was 40-something when I published my first book... but don't look too closely at the math! Lol!!
(tough question!!!)

I've written more books than I have published, so I think it's somewhere around 50 books written, though some of them are novellas.

As for drawing the plots from things in my own life, yes and no. I love sports, so that's the biggest reason for me writing sports romance. In fact my very first--never published--romance novel was about a professional golfer who looked suspiciously similar to my husband--don't tell him.
I did date a pro hockey player once, but none of the stories resemble anything that took place in real life.
In college I was a football cheerleader, but I have no plans to write a cheerleader dates the football player story! Lol!
For me, story starts where real life leaves off. The fun about creating the story world is that it's not real life, that you can live in an imaginary world and experience things you wouldn't in real life.
With the exception of the emotions and exploring emotional truths, because those are all real and we've all experienced these.
The emotional jouorneys of the characters are authentic and universal and that's what draws people into the stories.
The plots are only the devices, the skeleton to hang the real emotional meat on, the stuff that people read for.
(except if you're reading a Dan Brown Thriller, then plot is everything and the characters are like props! Lol!)
But since we're talking romance stories, it's all about the emotions, baby!

How did you decide to start writing as a profession?

Do you have a favorite character or a favorite series?

Susan wrote: "How did you decide to start writing as a profession?"

Hi Susan, there was never a question that I eventually wanted to write professionally, the only issue was how to juggle it with the rest of my life, like having kids and working a day job that I loved.
But being a member of Romance Writers of America and attending their conferences really helped me become a professional, as well as making lots of writer friends along the way. We're a very close community and help each other out all the time!
In particular, one author came up to me at the conference in New York City in 2011 and told me I should self publish because it was the new and better way to go.
Hope that answers your question.
xo

Susan wrote: "Do you have a favorite character or a favorite series?"

My favorite character is always the one I'm writing about now, but if I had to look back on all the stories I've written and choose, I would say it's Dane Blaise from the Beachcomber Investigations series. He's too alpha and protective and cool not to be in love with forever (plus he reminds me of my husband).
xo

Who is your favourite character? Which was your hardest book to write? When can we have coffee😀?

Powells books is having virtual authors visits. Are you doing anything like that? Im clear in Vancouver Wash.

What got you started writing this genre?

What setting would you love to use for a book but haven't yet?

Do you do research or is it all from your imagination?

Glenda wrote: "Who is your favourite character? Which was your hardest book to write? When can we have coffee😀?"

Lol! Glenda! I'd LOVE to have coffee with you. I'll be in Las Vegas in November.
You know Dane Blaise is my favorite. I'd say the book I'm working on right now is my hardest, because with each new book I like to challenge myself to do more, better, dig deeper.
Cut that vein a little deeper to bleed onto the page.
(sorry for the gorey metaphor)
xo
SQ

Tammy wrote: "Do you do research or is it all from your imagination?"

I do use a hefty amount of my imagination, but I also do research so that the books will feel authentic when I'm covering an unfamiliar location or situation, job, etc.
I used to do more of my research in person, but that takes a lot of time which has become short these days!
xo

Gladys wrote: "What setting would you love to use for a book but haven't yet?"

Hawaii. It's the place at the top of my bucket list of places to go.
The Amalfi Coast is a close second!
I bet you I'll do it!

Sandy wrote: "Powells books is having virtual authors visits. Are you doing anything like that? Im clear in Vancouver Wash."

I don't have anything like that scheduled, but I've been toying with setting up a Chat Room for my SQ Team fan group. As soon as I have a window between deadlines!
xo

Valerie wrote: "What got you started writing this genre?"

I never really considered another genre because I've always loved reading romance best. I'm enamored with the power of falling in love, the struggle because it's never easy--in real life or in stories.
xo

my story is one for the soap operas.

Sandy wrote: "my story is one for the soap operas."

Soap opera angst is always fun!