Thursday, November 26, 2009

An Interview with Stephani Hecht

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Hope you all are having a great turkey day! Today I only have one author for our 2 for Thursday promotion as the other is MIA. Sorry, everyone but it does happen sometimes. But today we have the wonderful Stephani Hecht. And I hope you will help me welcome her to XtraOrdinary Romance. Welcome Stephanie!

At what age did you realize you wanted to be a writer?

As far back as I can remember, I always dreamed of being a writer. I think it may have been the first “chapter “ book that I read as a child that really put the spark in me though. It was Charlotte’s Web and to this day I still love it.


What has been your biggest influence on becoming a writer?

I think it would have to be some of the teachers I was blessed with in middle and high school. They were the ones who taught me to love a story. By that I mean, fall in love with the beginning, savor the middle and treasure the end of a book.

How did you feel when you got your first publishing contract?

It was amazing and surreal. I still sometimes expect someone to come up and tell me it was all a mistake and that my dream isn’t really happening. *G*

How many novellas/novels have you published to date? When did you have your first sale?

I’ve had twenty-eight novellas/novels published to date. (Wow, I didn’t realize it was that many until I went and actually counted. Boy, has time flown.) I was first published in 2007 at the now defunct, StarDust Press.

Tell me about your latest release. Please include if it is part of a series or a standalone book. 

I had Angelic Rapture, Book Ten of the Archangel Series, come out on November 15th. Next up will be A Cherished Christmas on December 1st, it will be a short story that has some of the Drone Vampire Chronicles characters in it. Then on December 15th, will be Feral Desires, Book Two of the Lost Shifter Series.

What was your inspiration for this book?

All of the characters in these stories started off as secondary characters in other books and they developed such strong personalities that I had to spend more time with them. So I guess you could say they were the inspiration.

How do you categorize yourself: pantser or plotter?

Pantser all the way! I never know where my story will take me.

How do you handle the editing/revision process?

Just like how you would go about eating an elephant…one bite at a time. I know, it’s a cheesy statement, but it is so true with so many things in life. When I start writing a book, I do the first draft then I go back several times, editing and revising, each time adding more layers to the story and making it richer.

You’re received some fantastic reviews...how do you feel about them and why?

I love it when I see someone has enjoyed my books. What writer wouldn’t? The real thrill is when the reviewer says my book touched them on an emotional level. Then I know I did my job right.

Did anything odd happen while you were researching this story?

For the Lost Shifter Series I did a ton of research on feline breeds and my eight-year old daughter helped. She’s a huge animal fan and just loves to look up stuff on the internet. When she finally saw my cover for Primal Passions, she was so thrilled and wanted to know if eXtasy was ever going to do a cartoon of the series.

What’s your nickname?

Oh boy, now this is really embarrassing. I have an aunt who likes to make up really strange nicknames. Mine was…I kid you not…Sneezledorf. To this day she still calls me it!

How long does it take you to complete a project?

It depends on the book, but I usually write 3-5K a day. If I’m feeling really froggy though, I can finish a novella in a weekend. Of course by the end, I’m babbling to myself and given to bouts of crying, but who says writing is glamorous?

Is your family a constant source of interruption when you’re writing or are there ground rules?

They know when Mom is doing edits to run and duck for cover. How I generally handle it is I put my earbuds in and listen to music. That drowns out most of the yelling and crying. That still doesn’t stop my daughter from coming up and putting her head in front of the monitor so I have to pay attention to her, though.

What is your favorite genre to write in?

I adore writing paranormal and I really love writing M/M. It’s a thrill to bring to hot, alpha males together and watch the sparks fly.

What is your most favorite thing to do?

I live to watch my daughter dance and my son ski. I have always enjoyed watching all forms of dance and I get such a kick out of seeing my daughter perform. With my son, it always amazes me to watch him go through the gates of the ski slope since I can’t even do a proper snow plow.

Stephanie’s Bio: Stephani Hecht is a happily married mother of two. You can usually find her snuggled up to her laptop, creating her next book.

Where can readers find out more about you and your work? (List them all.)

http://www.stephanihecht.com/  

http://www.myspace.com/stephanihecht

http://www.extasybooks.com/

She loves to hear from her fans at: archangelwriter@yahoo.com

Stephanie, thanks for taking part in my 2 for Thursday promotion. I really enjoyed having you here!


Lynn

4 comments:

  1. Hi Stephanie,
    I really enjoyed reading your interview. I can totally relate to your story of having teachers who fostered your love for reading. I fell in love with reading after my 2nd Gr. teacher gave me books to read with this bit of advice...to sink into the story. I was a loner even as a child and books gave me a chance to slip away from reality and be surrounded by fantastic worlds and incredibly extraordinary characters.

    Happy Thanksgiving to you and your loved ones!

    Anna Shah Hoque
    s7anna@yahoo.ca

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  2. Lynn, once again, I commend you on a holding a great interview and introducing another wonderful book to add to my evergrowing TBB/TBR pile.

    Wish you a wonderful Happy Thanksgiving.

    Anna Shah Hoque
    s7anna@yahoo.ca

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  3. I enjoyed the interview, as always.

    I discovered Stephani's work a while ago and look forward in reading more of her works.

    Thanks,
    Tracey D

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  4. I know Stephanie will be commenting once the holiday is over...but from me...thank you very much, Anna! I so enjoy having you here!

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