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Author Interview: Hannah Murray | Romance Thursdays

Nov 26, 2020

This week on Romance Thursdays, I interview Hannah Murray. You can also check out last weeks interview with Rilzy Adams as we talk about writing standalone romances, her favourite authors and more.

Romance Thursdays is a feature that spotlights romance authors to highlight how amazing the romance writing community is. Each week I’m will be interviewing a different romance author from across subgenres as well as both traditionally and self-published. I want to share their experience writing romance and why they love it so much. While also focusing on their writing and books.

This week I had a lovely time interviewing Hannah Murray. Hannah is the author of the Jane and Lacey duology, Honey and the Hitman, Their Perfect Fit and more. You can check out Hannah’s backlist now.

Hi Hannah, and welcome to Angel Reads. For those that haven’t read anything by you yet. Tell us a little about yourself and your books?

Hi, Angel – and hello readers! I’m so happy to be here.

Okay, a little about myself. Well, I’m an American author of mostly contemporary romances. I live in the Pacific Northwest with my family, which includes a husband, a kid, a dog, and a best friend. I love pizza and candy, I bake when I’m bored, and I will do just about anything to avoid doing the dishes.

Why did you start writing romance novels? Is there anything in particular that drew you to it over other genres?

I’ve been a romance reader for YEARS—I think I was 12 (maybe even younger) the first time I picked up a category romance—and I just fell in love with the genre. I did a lot of creative writing in school, lots of different kinds of stories, but none of them really held my interest. Then, when I was 16, I spent a year in Brazil as an exchange student, and I just didn’t have access to books the way I did at home. I tried reading a romance in Portuguese, but while I was conversationally fluent, I could only read about every third word. With nothing to fill the space books normally took up, I started daydreaming about all the stories I wished to read. I drafted my first romance on the aeroplane home from Brazil, and while that book went nowhere, it planted the seed.

You normally write more on the side of contemporary romance, but you have dabbled into the paranormal side. Why do you like writing contemporary romances? Is there any other romance sub-genres that you would like to try?

Contemporaries just seem to be my sweet spot. It’s what I most love to read, and it seems to be where my talents lie. When I wrote my one and only paranormal, a vampire story called Tooth and Nailed, I was so uncomfortable, and not in a good, stretching-my-writing-muscles kind of way. It’s a much darker book than I usually write, with far less humour, and while I think it’s a good book, it just didn’t feel like me. I’m glad I did it because I absolutely think there’s value in pushing outside your comfort zone, but I probably won’t go that far again. I do have some ideas for stories with paranormal elements, though, so never say never.

I also write BDSM romance, but that also falls under contemporary, as do the LGBTQ+ and polyamorous romances I’m also writing now. I’d love to be able to write historical romance, but I have zero patience for the research. It would be the worst historical ever, but I have GREAT ideas.

What is your favourite thing about romance as a genre? Why do you like reading and writing it?

My absolute favourite thing about romance is the guaranteed Happily Ever After. I love that. I want that. And I don’t want to read, or write, a book without it. There’s so much uncertainty in the world right now, and so much pain, and when I sit down to read I want to forget about that for a few hours. While I do enjoy non-fiction—the messier the better!—for fiction, I’m a romance only girl. I need that happily ever after joy.

What are some of your favourite tropes that you like reading and writing in the romance genre?

I love the Brother’s Best Friend trope, and Teach Me Sex—those are probably my top two. Friends to Lovers, Only One Bed, Fake Relationships, Second Chance Romance…the list goes on. One that I’m not especially keen on is Enemies to Lovers because it can really give me anxiety if the hostility is too heavy or the thing that made them enemies is too big—I just can’t seem to settle into believing a person can love someone who purposely ruined their family business, or killed their brother, or something else equally awful. But I also find myself writing an Enemies to Lovers at the moment, so maybe that’s growing on me a bit.

Who are some of your favourite romance authors? Who inspired you to write?

So many! I cut my teeth on Nora Roberts, of course, and my historical go-to back in the way back was Julie Garwood—I still have all those old paperbacks, and I re-read them a lot. Right now I’m obsessed with Talia Hibbert and Naima Simone, and Julie Kriss is also a personal fav. For hysterical, laugh out loud funny romances I adore Pippa Grant, and whenever I want to feel like my heart is being ripped out of my chest I go for Sarah MacLean. And there are so many more—I could fill pages with my favourite reads.

As for who inspired me, that’s impossible to pinpoint. I think every romance I ever read has inspired me in some way. I just wanted to be a part of this wonderful, amazing world.

What are some of the ways that you think we can start overcoming the stigma of romance novels?

Wow, that’s a tough one. That stigma is so pervasive, and it can feel so heavy. I think social media has gone a long way in a very short time at minimizing some of that. Romance Twitter especially can be fantastic. There are so many smart readers and writers talking about the genre there every day, and doing so unapologetically. When someone says romance novels aren’t ‘real books’ or are somehow valueless, there is a veritable tsunami of people willing to call bullshit. Romance writers are smart, and so are romance readers, and as time goes on we’re less and less willing to accept someone shaking a finger in our faces over it. I believe one of the best ways to dispel the shame is to stop hiding our love of the genre, and while everyone has to do what feels right for themselves and their situation, more and more people are able to write and read romance proudly. It’s lovely to see.

Do you currently have any books in the works? Is there anything that you are looking forward to writing, but haven’t started yet? Is there something different that you want to try writing?

I do! I have a short novel coming from Totally Bound called Santa Daddy. It’s part of their Naughty or Nice holiday collection and is the first of five planned books in my Perfect Taboo series. They’re all BDSM romances, and each will explore a different taboo kink. That’ll be available via the Totally Bound website Amazon, and other e-retailers on December 15. And of course, you can find information and links to all of my books on my website.

I have so many other stories in the works, it’s not even funny. My To Be Written list has at least a dozen things on it. Mostly contemporary, but I do have a couple of wild cards. I recently dug up a manuscript that I wrote years ago about a reluctant witch, and I have some ideas on how to revamp that. I’m looking at co-writing a time travel romance with a friend of mine as well. It will feature contemporary characters (my strength) stuck in the past (her strength). It’ll have two romances, one an MF and the other an MM, each with their own HEA. I don’t know when we’ll get to it, but we’re having a lot of fun plotting it out, and I think it’s going to be hilarious. So definitely new and interesting stuff on the way.

Thank you so much for coming by Angel Reads. It was lovely having you here. And I can’t wait to read more of your books!

Thank you for having me – happy reading, everyone!

***

And that is it for this weeks interview. Did you enjoy getting to know Hannah Murray more? I had a blast with this interview.

If there is an author that you would like to see featured here, please do let me know and I will try my best. If you are a romance author and would like to be apart of Romance Thursdays, don’t hesitate to message me.

Have you read any books from Hannah Murray before? Are you excited for more Romance Thursday posts? Let’s Chat!

About the Author

Hannah has been reading romance novels since she was young enough to have to hide them from her mother. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband—former Special Forces and an OR nurse who writes sci-fi fantasy and acts as In-House Expert on matters pertaining to weapons, tactics, the military, medical conditions and How Dudes Think—and their daughter, who takes after her father.

Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads | Website

Author Interview: Rilzy Adams | Romance Thursdays

Nov 19, 2020

This week on Romance Thursdays, I interview Rilzy Adams. You can also check out last weeks interview with K.E Osborn, where we talk about writing MC romances and more.

Rilzy Adams is the author of the Falling Like A Johnson series, Birthday Shot, Go Deep and many more black romances. Let’s get into this interview.

Hello Rilzy, and welcome to Angel Reads. For those that haven’t read anything by you yet. Tell us a little about yourself and your books?

Heya! I am a thirty-year-old attorney ridiculously obsessed with coffee, sushi, prosecco and love. My books cover a huge range, from fun, sexy, low angst ‘Go Deep’ and ‘Birthday Shot’ to more winding roads to love such as in ‘The Gift’, which explores finding love after the death of a spouse and ‘Yours Always’ which dealt with a couple trying to hold it together after their marriage is hit by a deep tragedy. I think the important thing is, regardless of how it is presented that love with all its beauty and, at times, chaos is at the forefront!

Why did you start writing romance novels? Is there anything in particular that drew you to it over other genres?

I started off writing epic fantasy and then I guess low fantasy but I started to realize that whenever I wanted to dig into a book and get lost that I always ended up picking up a romance novel. And I loved daydreaming about love. I think it is so important to write what you can’t stop reading and or thinking about it and so it was a natural transition.

You write a range of contemporary romances from series to standalones. Is there one that you prefer to write more? Why do you like switching between the two?

I think I like series more than standalones because you get to check back in with couples you have grown to love to see how things are progressing and also explore characters who might not have had the stage in a previous book but have interesting stories to tell. I write stories as they come to me and as much as I love series sometimes the story meant to be told takes the form of a standalone.

What is your favourite thing about romance as a genre? Why do you like reading and writing it?

I think love is just the most simple but yet most complicated thing in the world and there is so much beauty and hope in that even though sometimes the path to love and experiences with love can be painful. I love exploring that through reading and writing.

There are many subgenres in romance. Is there something new that you would like to try and write? Is there a subgenre that you love to read, but don’t think you would write something in that subgenre?

The answer to both of these questions is the same. I know at first blush it doesn’t make sense but hear me out :). I love the idea of writing a paranormal romance. Also, I love reading paranormal romances but I swear every time I have a plot that I think would be a good fit and I sit down to write, it just doesn’t work. So it might be that I don’t ever end up writing something in that sub-genre but definitely not for lack of trying.

What are some of your favourite tropes that you like reading and writing in the romance genre?

I love writing friends to lovers and enemies to lovers. I love reading enemies to lovers, fake relationships and forced proximity.

Who are some of your favourite romance authors? Who has inspired you to write?

I think hands down Christina C Jones and Nicole Falls are two of my favourites. I also like Brenda Jackson and I went through a period of time being obsessed with Eric Jerome Dickey. And I pre-order anything Katrina Jackson writes even without reading the synopsis, title or anything. I think I have also probably read almost everything in Nora Roberts’ catalogue – maybe not the most recent stuff – but between the ages of fifteen and maybe twenty I tore through her books.

What are some of the ways that you think we can start overcoming the stigma of romance novels?

I think I could rant about this forever. I honestly don’t get where the stigma comes from. Well, I mean… I know. It is definitely rooted in sexism and the thought that anything that deals with emotions like love is feminine and therefore frivolous whereas genres with believed masculine energies are lauded. Love is such a universal experience – at some point in everyone’s lives, they have longed for it, chased it, run from it, fallen into it, rose up in it, embraced it, tried their damndest to figure it out. It is the most relatable thing there is. And that is even before we consider that although romance novels tell a love story there are often so many other facets of life covered: dealing with loss, self-love, social issues etc.

When I was growing up I was told that romance novels were not ‘serious’ but I was never told that when I was dug into a fantasy novel. I think the only way to overcome the stigma is to continue challenging it. In these circumstance reading and writing romance novels proudly is in itself an act of rebellion against the idiotic stigmas.

Thank you so much for coming by Angel Reads. It was lovely having you here. And I can’t wait to read more of your books!

I’m so excited to start picking up Rilzy Adams books, I already have a few waiting on my Kindle. I hope that you enjoy this interview and will check out Rilzy Adams books up as well.

Have you read any books from Rilzy Adams before? Are you excited for more Romance Thursday posts? Let’s Chat!

About the Author

I’m a twenty-something lawyer by day and an author of contemporary romance by night.

Although I love love, I flirt with urban fantasy and thrillers because, well, sometimes we need a few witches and gore to spice things up! I live in the Caribbean and am addicted to coffee, sushi, Prosecco and sunshine.

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Author Interview: Felicia Grossman | Romacne Thursdays

Nov 5, 2020

On this week’s Romance Thursdays I have the lovely Felicia Grossman. You can also check out last weeks interview with Michelle Major where we talked about small-town romances and more.

Felicia Grossman is the author of The Truitts series, which includes Appetites & Vices and Dalliances & Devotion. I adored reading these two and you can check out my reviews of the first and second book now. Grossman has also written a novella The Sweet Spot, that features in the Love All Year: A Holidays Anthology. Now let’s get into the interview.

Hi Felicia, and welcome to Angel Reads. For those that haven’t read anything by you yet. Tell us a little about yourself and your books?

Hey! Thank you so, so, much for having me! I’m originally from Wilmington, Delaware. I’m a romance author. I am also a lawyer -some of the time. I primarily write historically set romances (though I have a short in an anthology called Love All Year that is contemporary). My first series, the Truitt Series was set in the area I grew up. It’s multigenerational (the couple in the first book are the parents of one of the leads in the second) which was both fun and kind of challenging to write.

Why did you start writing romance novels? Is there anything in particular that drew you to it over other genres?

My grandparents owned a news store in Atlantic City where they sold genre fiction on wire racks and I loved looking at the romance covers when I was little. My grandmother was also a huge romance reader because she wanted that guaranteed happy ending and wasn’t going to waste time on a book without one. I think the first romances I read were those I found lying around their house. And when I started writing, I only wanted to write happy endings so here we are.

The Truitt’s series stands out against other historical romances because of the setting and characters. Why did you choose to set the series in the US?

I’m Jewish and American and write primarily Jewish main characters. So while my family wasn’t necessarily in the U.S. during the periods I write about, the experience I wrote in those first two books is culturally similar to my own.

I’d argue that the American Jewish experience is unique and fundamentally different than even that of Jews in other former British colonies in that it is almost completely inorganic, i.e., the community and its structures developed in accordance with a very specific vision and strategy created by the leadership at the time. I say this because those early leaders wrote a lot of essays and letters about exactly what they were doing and why.

This was possible due to emerging European philosophy of the time, the extremely small size of the initial Jewish community in the U.S., and the specific political outlook of the non-Jewish leadership in early days of the United States. Thus, there’s a lot of really explicit material to use when writing the experience and, honestly, as I said before, it’s much more similar to my own current experience than anything happening anywhere else in the world at the time, including in England.

Also, with the U.S., I don’t have the problem where I have to mentally think about the couple and their family leaving within two generations to ensure their later survival. But that’s another story.

What is your favourite thing about romance as a genre? Why do you like reading and writing it?

I’m definitely an “HEA” person. I like being able to read a book, fall in love with the characters, and see them happy in the end. It’s just satisfying. One of the most challenging but best things about writing romance is discovering what that HEA looks like for each specific, unique, set of main characters. That’s part of the adventure, not just the journey but creating the right destination for them (especially as they often don’t know what it looks like in the beginning either).

Historical romance is a major sub-genre of romance. What drew you to it over subgenres of romance?

The dresses (I’m only half-joking, there is no one who loves a fancy dress as I do. I started dreaming about prom at like five–not the dance, not the date, the outfit). And you know, I also was a history major.

What are some of your favourite tropes that you like reading and writing in the romance genre?

I had this discussion the other day and it’s pretty clear that I love to write limited relationships. I like to have characters who think they know exactly what they want, negotiate it perfectly, and then spend the book realizing they need something else entirely and have to figure out how to grow and change so they can have it. It’s kind of my thing.

In reading, I love enemies-to-lovers even though it is so hard to execute well. I have a thing for the “bad boy with a heart of gold.” I’m allegedly descended from several so it might be genetic. And I tend to like plots that border on “banana-pants.” I grew up with a father who loved opera so I’m willing to full-on Barber of Seville and Die Fledermaus level of silliness.

Who are some of your favourite romance authors? Who inspired you to write?

Okay, so I’ll stick just to Histrom or we’ll be here forever: Beverly Jenkins is a complete inspiration. Her stories are amazing but the way she builds her communities and threads in social history that makes her stories so rich is just unparalleled. Joanna Shupe is another writer who is extraordinarily deft and clever with her use of history. Eva Leigh makes me laugh like no one else. Sarah McLean is amazing at writing couples that bring out the best in each other. Rose Lerner is so meticulous and her tone and mood are so unique and lovely and melancholy and delicate–and while that will never be me (I’m like the opposite), it’s just beautiful to read.

What are some of the ways that you think we can start overcoming the stigma of romance novels?

Um…if you know, tell me, because my own mother and sister are super literary snobs (though to be fair to them, the snobbery isn’t limited to romance, they turn their noses up at mysteries, thrillers, and sci-fi so…). In all seriousness, I think the more readers discuss romance novels, both favourably and critically, in honest, forthright, and interesting ways, the less stigma there will be. Some of the discussions around the genre are brilliant and fascinating and especially the work reviewers and bloggers are doing, truly engaging in the genre in serious ways, is what makes readers–new and old– excited and interested. Us authors just have to produce work that lives up to that responsibility.

Thank you so much for coming by Angel Reads. It was lovely having you here. And I can’t wait to read more of your books!

***

If you haven’t checked out Felicia Grossman’s books yet and love historical romance, then get on it, they are fantastic. I hope that you enjoyed this weeks interview and join me again next week with a new author.

Have you read any books from Felicia Grossman before? Are you excited for more Romance Thursday posts? Let’s Chat!

About the Author

Felicia Grossman is the author of American historical romance novels Appetites & Vices and Dalliances & Devotion, as well as the contemporary novella The Sweet Spot. A Delaware native, she now lives in the midwest for her family and two dogs. When not writing romance, she enjoys eclairs, cannolis, and Sondheim musicals.

Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads | Website

Author Interviews

Author Interview: Hannah Murray | Romance Thursdays

Hi Hannah, and welcome to Angel Reads. For those that haven’t read anything by you yet. Tell us a little about yourself and your books?

Why did you start writing romance novels? Is there anything in particular that drew you to it over other genres?

You normally write more on the side of contemporary romance, but you have dabbled into the paranormal side. Why do you like writing contemporary romances? Is there any other romance sub-genres that you would like to try?

What is your favourite thing about romance as a genre? Why do you like reading and writing it?

What are some of your favourite tropes that you like reading and writing in the romance genre?

Who are some of your favourite romance authors? Who inspired you to write?

What are some of the ways that you think we can start overcoming the stigma of romance novels?

Do you currently have any books in the works? Is there anything that you are looking forward to writing, but haven’t started yet? Is there something different that you want to try writing?

Thank you so much for coming by Angel Reads. It was lovely having you here. And I can’t wait to read more of your books!

About the Author

Author Interview: Rilzy Adams | Romance Thursdays

Hello Rilzy, and welcome to Angel Reads. For those that haven’t read anything by you yet. Tell us a little about yourself and your books?

Why did you start writing romance novels? Is there anything in particular that drew you to it over other genres?

You write a range of contemporary romances from series to standalones. Is there one that you prefer to write more? Why do you like switching between the two?

What is your favourite thing about romance as a genre? Why do you like reading and writing it?

There are many subgenres in romance. Is there something new that you would like to try and write? Is there a subgenre that you love to read, but don’t think you would write something in that subgenre?

What are some of your favourite tropes that you like reading and writing in the romance genre?

Who are some of your favourite romance authors? Who has inspired you to write?

What are some of the ways that you think we can start overcoming the stigma of romance novels?

Thank you so much for coming by Angel Reads. It was lovely having you here. And I can’t wait to read more of your books!

About the Author

Author Interview: Felicia Grossman | Romacne Thursdays

Hi Felicia, and welcome to Angel Reads. For those that haven’t read anything by you yet. Tell us a little about yourself and your books?

Why did you start writing romance novels? Is there anything in particular that drew you to it over other genres?

The Truitt’s series stands out against other historical romances because of the setting and characters. Why did you choose to set the series in the US?

What is your favourite thing about romance as a genre? Why do you like reading and writing it?

Historical romance is a major sub-genre of romance. What drew you to it over subgenres of romance?

What are some of your favourite tropes that you like reading and writing in the romance genre?

Who are some of your favourite romance authors? Who inspired you to write?

What are some of the ways that you think we can start overcoming the stigma of romance novels?

Thank you so much for coming by Angel Reads. It was lovely having you here. And I can’t wait to read more of your books!

About the Author

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