Thursday, November 5, 2009

An Interview with Tierney O'Malley

This morning I’m here with the wonderful Tierney O’Malley. Please join me in welcoming her to XtraOrdinary Romance!

Welcome Tierney.


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

It was two years ago when I realized that I really, really, wanted to see my name on a book cover.

What has been your biggest influence on becoming a writer?

I have to say it was my English professor. She told me on numerous occasions that I write publishable essays and that I should try writing for magazines. Since I am addicted to romance novels, I decided to try writing contemporary romance for online publications.

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

It was December of 2008 when I first received my acceptance letter from Cobblestone Press. I screamed and laughed a lot. I felt pure joy.

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

Let me see. I sold four novellas to eXtasy Books, three novels to Red Rose Publishing. Two are part of a series. To Trust a Wicked Man sold to Cobblestone Press is my debut novella.

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

Wow, I am so tempted to tell you about my latest and upcoming release. But I’m not going to be greedy so I’ll talk about my latest instead. Wicked Proposal is a stand alone book that came out September 2009. This books is about love, of course. :-) But the characters faced hurdles before they finally shared that priceless feeling. Imagine a hero who has to resort to doing something wicked just to be with the woman he loves and a heroine who nearly lost her life trying to show her courage and surrendering herself to the hero believing his intention. Lies, deceit, romance, hot sex, love. Yup. This book has it all.

What was your inspiration for this book?

:-) Books with perfect heroes and kick-ass heroines. Yup, they inspired me to create Wolf who took the deceiving route to win the heroine and Madeline, a simple flower shop owner who found her strength and courage at the perfect time.  

I thought why create perfect characters? They must be flawless and ordinary. Characters that most readers would relate to.

How do you categorize yourself: pantser or plotter?

I don’t plan, outline or study my characters. When I write, I have the basic idea of what to write. So I have to say that I am a pantser. But, along with an idea, I do have a rough synopsis of the book. I like to know the conflict of the story, the basic facts about my characters, and how the book is going to end. So, am I a little of both?

How do you handle the editing/revision process?

I write whenever I find the time. It’s the same with the editing process/revision process. Lately, I’ve been using my timer to keep me going and not check my email every other ten minutes. :-)

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

Reading a glowing review is like pumping gasoline into an empty gas tank. It gives you more power, energy to face yet another grueling hour of writing and rewriting a story. I do appreciate reading reviews. I feel that they not only help boost sales, but also tell me that I have the skills to write and the time and effort I put in to finish a book is not a waste.

Did anything odd happen while you were researching this story?

Is coming up with a new idea for my next book counts as odd or unexpected? :-)

How much of yourself can we find in one of these books? Do you every make yourself a character?

Every heroine in all of my books possessed a part of me. I find that I could really step in their shoes if I knew what it was like to lose someone, to fear water, to be passionate about saving the forests, and how frustrating it was to misplace a pair of prescription glasses.

Did you do anything special after that first sale?

Not right away. My first book came out in April, we left for Europe in June. So I consider the trip as my way of celebrating my first sale.

How do you get your ideas for your stories? Do they come all at one or in bits and pieces over a period of time?

Coming up with an idea, I think is the easiest part of writing a book. All I have to do is listen to my children, people at work, news and I could come up with a handful of ideas.

Is there a message you want the readers to take from this book?

True love doesn’t come easy. But when true love comes, it is the sweetest and most romantic of all.

What’s your favorite scene? Most difficult? Why?

Oh, I so love this question. My favorite scene in this book was when Wolfe recited the line in Elizabeth Barret Brown’s poem How Do I love Thee. Oh so romantic. The most difficult scene would be when Madeline was drowning. How does one describe the feeling of not being able to breathe? What does one think when dying. Tough.

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

My website: http://tierneyomalley.com/

Blog: http://wickedthornandroses.blogspot.com/

Blog: http://tierneyomalley.blogspot.com/

Twitter: TierneyOMalley

eXtasy Books: http://www.extasybooks.com/

Red Rose Publishing: http://www.redrosepublishing.com/

Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B002D66HJ2

Fictionwise

Amazon Kindle

ARE (All Romance Ebooks)

Mobipocket

Tierney’s Bio: Tierney O’Malley began writing her first eBook two years ago when her youngest was in fifth grade. Today there are four eBooks available for purchase on her list. Her first precious eBooks include To Trust a Wicked Man, published by Cobblestone Press; Three Christmas Kisses, and Wicked Proposal, published by eXtasy Books. Ms. O’Malley lives with her husband and children in Seattle Washington, and is currently working on a new novel and sets of series she recently sold to Red Rose Publishing.

Ms. O’Malley is always excited to hear from readers. To leave your comments, questions or suggestions, you can reach her at http://tierneyomalley.com/ 

Thanks, Tierney for being my guest today...I had fun learning more about you!

Stop by next Wednesday when we give a copy of Tierney’s book, Wicked Proposal, away! See you all then.

Lynn

10 comments:

  1. Hi Tiernay,
    Great post! Best of luck with your future projects.

    Happy Reading
    Anna Shah Hoque
    s7anna@yahoo.ca

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  2. Hey there, Anna! Thank you so much for stopping by. Saw your website. Pretty cool. I love to read, too. Other authors like to listen to music while they write. I like to have a book within my reach. Sort of an inspiration. LOL
    Blurbs for the three books I sold to Red Rose Publishing are up.

    Tierney

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  3. I enjoyed reading the interview. I look forward in reading your book.

    Thanks,
    Tracey D

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  4. I feel a close kinship to anybody that uses a timer to keep themselves editing and off email. That is so me. The premise of Wicked Proposal sounds great. Of course I love the cover! Good luck.

    Boone Brux

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  5. Hi Booklover0226,

    Glad you enjoyed reading the interview as much as I enjoyed answering them. Last time I look, Wicked Proposal is number 36 at Fictionwise's erotic romance category. Hope you'll get a chance to read it. :D

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  6. Hey Boonebrux,

    Yes! I love my timer. Thank you for stopping by. My daughter asked me the other day if she could meet the hero on the cover. LOL

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  7. Hey, I want to meet him too:)!

    Boone Brux

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  8. Boon Brux,

    Hahahah. The only way to meet him is through the book. ;)

    Tierney

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  9. You are living many peoples dream. Can't wait to get a copy of your book. Nate

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  10. Hi Nathan,

    Thanks for stopping by. And thank you for your comment. Sometimes I forget that there are many aspiring authors there still waiting to get their first acceptance letter. I shouldn't complain because I have a second book and third and fourth to finish. :-) But yeah, I do complain. Again, thanks for stopping by.

    Tierney

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