AccessRomance interviews author Tawny Taylor.
AR: Your first book from Kensington, SEX AND THE SINGLE
GHOST, was recently released. Can you tell us a bit about this story?
Tawny: SEX AND THE SINGLE GHOST is an erotic, humorous story about
a dead woman who comes back to life. She has only nine days to discover who killed
her, do a good deed for a stranger, and rekindle an old flame with her ex-boyfriend
Jake.
AR: What made you decide to write a story where the heroine
is a ghost? Were there any challenges in creating a happily-ever-after for such
a character?
Tawny: I’d written a couple of books involving ghosts for Ellora’s
Cave. One of those stories (Pesky Paranormals) had a ghost as a secondary character,
the other story (Phantasmic Fantasies) had a ghost hero. I felt it would be a
fun challenge to try to write a story about a ghost heroine. Since my readers
are generally female, I knew the heroine would have to be a sympathetic character
that readers could relate to. No small challenge.
I rarely back down from a challenge.
In this case, the results were worth the effort.
As far as the HEA went, I knew the fact that the heroine was dead
would make a more traditional HEA impossible. However, I still wanted to give
the reader a satisfying, romantic ending. I believe I found a way to accomplish
my goal.
AR: You have a large back list of books from Ellora's
Cave. Will you continue to write for that publisher now that you're also writing
for publishers such as Kensington?
Tawny: Absolutely. I have the Animal Urges series in the works.
The first book, MARK OF THE BEAST, released in July. The second, TOUCH OF THE
BEAST, was just accepted for publication. I’m hoping it’ll release sometime this
fall. In addition, I’m working with my editor on a new series titled TWILIGHT’S
POSSESSION. I have a concept and a title for the launch book, which is tentatively
titled BURNING HUNGER. It will be a vampire series.
AR: To readers unfamiliar with your books, how would you
describe your stories? What differences and similarities are there between this
Kensington release and your Ellora's Cave books?
Tawny: All my Tawny Taylor books are erotic yet are written with
a humorous tone. Most of them contain light bondage, mild forced seduction and/or
kidnapping fantasy themes. Frankly, there are very few differences between my
Kensington release and my Ellora’s Cave books. In simplest terms, I removed a
few key words (the more graphic names for certain body parts). That’s it.
AR: You also write for Cerridwen Press under the name
Sydney Laine Allan. How are these books different from your Tawny Taylor books,
and why did you choose a different pen name for them?
Tawny: ABOUT MONDAY is similar in tone to my Tawny Taylor books,
but because of the plotline, there was no way I could make ABOUT MONDAY erotic.
The heroine swaps bodies with another woman. I couldn’t stomach the idea of the
heroine having sex with a “borrowed” body.
I have plans to venture into non-erotic romantic fiction and felt
it was best to release ABOUT MONDAY under a separate pseudonym to keep the two
separate. In simplest terms, Sydney’s books are funny and sassy, but the sex scenes
take place later in the books and some of the more blunt terms for body parts
are not used.
AR: Finally, can you tell us a bit about your upcoming
books?
Tawny: I have several upcoming books:
From Ellora’s Cave:
TOUCH OF THE BEAST (sometime late 2006)
From Pocket:
MASTER OF SECRET DESIRES (June 2007)
From Kensington:
REAL VAMPIRES DON’T DRINK O-NEG (Sept. 2007)
And now for some questions posed by our readers of the AR
All-A-Blog.
AR Reader: What is your favorite book of all time?
Tawny: ACK! Of all time? I don’t know...thinking...THE GREAT BIG
BOOK OF TELL ME WHY. I used to read it every night when I was a kid. Had to buy
a copy for my kids too. And it cost me a bundle, since it was out of print, LOL.
AR Reader: What is something about you that your readers
would be completely surprised to find out?
Tawny: Uh...gosh, such hard questions. That I once aspired to
be a doctor? Or how about I play violin and viola? Or I attended an all-girl’s
Catholic high school?
AR Reader: If you could switch places with one of your
heroines, who would that be and why?
Tawny: Wow. Another really tough question! Tarik from Mark of
the Beast is really yummy, but I don’t think I’d want to live in Alaska.
Oh! I know...I have this character in a work-in-process that I’d
love to swap places with for a few days. She’s a time traveler. That would be
so fascinating! I hated history as a kid. But I LOVE living history museums and
Renaissance festivals.
AR Reader: How do you balance your working/family life
with your writing life?
Tawny: I prioritize. My house is a mess all the time. My family
rarely eats meals that don’t come out of the freezer. I spend all day in sweats,
and poke my head outside to check the weather maybe once a week. I encourage my
children to be as independent as possible. And I work with a toddler pushing cars
around my ankles and The Wiggles playing in the background.
AR Reader: Thank you for talking with us!
Tawny: Thank you!
