These have been an exciting few months for Rowena Cherry.

On January first, Rowena received a call from Glenda Ivey of JADA PRESS, announcing the results of the JADA PRESS 2005 BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARDS.

FORCED MATE won an Honorable Mention.

Rowena Cherry was also selected to present a workshop at the New England Conference of the New England Romance Writers of America, which is coming up on April 1st.

Rowena’s title is: CHARACTERIZATION WHEN YOUR HERO IS NOT HUMAN.

Just yesterday, Rowena learned that she is a finalist in two categories in the prestigious PEARL awards for paranormal fiction.

BEST NEW AUTHOR
- C.T. Adams / Cathy Clamp
- Kim Harrison
- Gena Showalter
- Rowena Cherry

BEST FUTURISTIC
- Heart Duel by Robin D Owens
- Shadow Fires by Catherine Spangler
- Forced Mate by Rowena Cherry
- Unleashed by CJ Barry
- The Scarlet Empress by Susan Grant
- The Legend Of Banzai Maguire by Susan Grant
- Day Of Fire by Kathleen Nance

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This month Rowena brings you an exclusive interview with Award Winning, Best-Selling Author, Sapphire and double PEARL finalist, and creator of the 2176 series, Susan Grant.

R: Welcome, Susan. Thank you for giving your time to answer my questions. Can you tell me how you came to be involved in writing about a demon for charity?

SG: Author Terese Ramin contacted me and asked if I’d join her and other authors in the project to benefit victims of the tsunami disaster. I’d been hoping for something more “hands-on” to help, so I was grateful for the opportunity. Since it’s basically a round-robin type book with each author writing a chapter, it was wide open for me when it came to subject matter--in other words, no publisher telling me what I had to write, nor was there pressure from readers expecting me to stick to my niche. So, I got to write whatever I wanted. It was delightful.

R: Was there a special reason you gave your demon a Scottish accent? (A wonderful piece of characterization, that, I thought)

SG: Thank you! But that’s just how Damon appeared in my head, speaking in a Scottish burr. I thought: okay, that works for me! Also, he’s ancient, so it sort of fits the character, too.

R: You've written a time travel, several highly successful alien romances, and you were the creator and star of the 2176 series of adventure-romances set in the future. Do your stories have any common thread?

SG: Yes, definitely. For one, they’re all “Aviation Romances,” a term I invented. My characters either fly or know someone who does. Of course, I’m itching to branch out more, and some upcoming books may not have any flying at all. But, the underlying theme of all my books will still be there: ordinary people thrust into extraordinary circumstances, in which they rise to the occasion, sometimes reluctantly.

R: How much of your personality and life experiences are in your characters and the situations in which they find themselves?

SG: Well, ever since the first time I was abducted by aliens, I’ve felt compelled to put those experiences into my books. (Kidding!) Seriously, whereas no one character is all me, there are little bits of me in each. Just as often, a hero will be more “me” than the heroine. It just depends. The character I feel was most like me was Andrew from Once A Pirate.

SG: And of course, traveling all over the world, and, in my younger days, having gone through some of the most hellishly brutal courses the air force had to offer, many of those experiences make their way into my books.

R: What do you think makes a hero attractive and compelling? Are any of your heroes based on someone you've met or admired from afar?

SG: Loyalty, courage, and innate kindness are what make a hero compelling. Of course, a killer grin and six-pack abs don’t hurt!

R: YOU MEAN ABS LIKE THIS?

R: Do you follow any sort of formula when you start a novel? Do ideas come easily to you, or do you have to do a lot of revising and editing?

SG: Unfortunately, I never seem to get those “high concept” ideas that editors gobble up, booksellers sell so easily, and that movie directors buy. But, I like my quirky concepts nonetheless. Many times something I read in the newspaper sparks an idea, or something I see in my travels. I prefer to write seat-of-the-pants, polishing as I go. I don’t care for a rigid or detailed outline because many of the surprises and twists in my books have surprised me as much as they later have the reader.

R: Do you find any type of scenes more difficult to write than others?

SG: No, not really. It just depends on my mood and muse that day.

R: Among your own books, have you a hero or heroine?

SG: Rom B’kah from The Star King was my favorite hero. Ché Vedla was a really close second. (I adore those Vash royal males) Cam Tucker from The Scarlet Empress was my favorite heroine.

R: What about a favorite book? And if so, was that book the easiest to write, or the hardest?

SG: The Star Princess

Yes, the Star Princess was my easiest book to write. Maybe that’s why it’s my favorite!

R: You have won awards and a lot of recognition and kudos as an author. What has been the most rewarding achievement --or moment-- of your career so far?

SG: Winning the RITA award in 2003 for Best Paranormal for my book Contact, definitely! I think that experience will remain unequalled for a long, long time.

R: Is there any news of anything exciting in the near future that you would like to share?

SG: I hope to hear of new book sales VERY soon with a brand-new publisher (or two). Please keep fingers crossed for me!

R: Will you be giving any workshops or book signings?

SG: I’ll be speaking at the Sacramento RWA meeting on March 19th and then again at the RT Booklovers Convention in St Louis Apr 27th-May 1st. I’ll be signing books after each event.

R: Is there anything I haven't asked that you would like to mention?

SG: I have a website that I’m quite proud of, designed by Emily Cotler of WaxCreative. I would like to invite everyone to stop by to see the latest news, contests, excerpts, and more!

R: Thank you very much for your time, Susan Grant!

SG: Thank YOU, Rowena, for having me.

SUSAN GRANT -- US Air Force veteran and jet-pilot Susan Grant is a RITA award winner and New York Times best-selling author who loves writing about what she knows --flying, action-adventure, and the often unpredictable interaction between the sexes.

As one of the first women in history to graduate from the US Air Force Academy, Susan spent seven years in the military as an instructor pilot and pilot, achieving the rank of captain. Now a commercial airline pilot, Susan flies 747 jumbo jets for United Airlines to China, Australia, Europe, and many other exotic overseas destinations, where she finds plenty of material for her novels. A busy mom to a couple of school-age children, Susan makes her home in Northern California .

Visit Susan on line at www.susangrant.com

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My workshop handouts are going to include excerpts from various published authors featuring descriptions or wicked doings of alien hunks, and also cover art showing “Alien” Cover models in various stages of undress.

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