[Author Interview & GIVEAWAY] Tyler’s CH Admirand

About the Author:
C.H. Admirand is an award-winning, multi-published author and has published ten novels in mass-market paperback, hardcover, trade paperback, magazine, e-book, and audio book format. Fate, destiny, and love at first sight will always play a large part in C.H.’s stories because they played a major role in her life. When she saw her husband for the first time, she knew he was the man she was going to spend the rest of her life with. Each and every hero C.H. writes about has a few of Dave’s best qualities: his honesty, his integrity, his compassion for those in need, and his killer broad shoulders. She lives with her husband and their three adult children in the wilds of northern New Jersey. She loves to hear from readers! Stop by her website at www.chadmirand.com to catch up on the latest news, excerpts, reviews, blog posts, and links to Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter.

You can find my review of Tyler here.

The Interview:

1. Tell us a bit about yourself.
   CA: I’ve been a huge fan of Romance since I was a pre-teen and got my hands on a copy of Phyllis A. Whitney’s Lost Island. I borrowed it from our library’s Bookmobile and read it twice before I had to return it! From then on I was hooked. I’ve been writing seriously (aka hoping to be published) since 1995 and published my first book in 2001, but didn’t sell the second until 6 years later! Good thing I’d continued to write, because I sold that second book and five more. At the time it felt like I’d been hit with a tidal wave, but it was such an amazing feeling to know that I hadn’t come up against a wall that I couldn’t scale. I started out writing Irish Western Romances (historical), Medievals and Regency-Era Historicals. Tyler is my first Western Contemporary Romance – believe it or not it was very hard to switch gears and become re-acquainted with the present time. I kindof liked living in the late 1870s in Colorado, for a change of pace, I’d go back to 11th Century Northumbria and then skip forward to the Regency Period in England. What an awakening, having to stumble into the light and realize that technology had nearly passed me by!

2. What is like being an author?
   CA: Insane—because it’s not my only job—I have a day job, a wonderful family that runs circles around me—even though only two of our three children still live home, and once a week I take my mom and her live-in to buy groceries and do bills, etc. Soooo, that being said, I squeeze (literally) every spare moment I can to write and try to keep up with my writing career. When I have a book due and have a deadline, I’m up at 5 am and writing until 8 am or so, then I get ready to go to my day job. Weekends are spent writing until my hands cramp and my eyes feel like they’re going fall out of my head. Some days, I’m lucky to have half a brain left. BUT I wouldn’t trade one minute of it. I was chatting recently on a blog and mentioned that I’m getting better at juggling it all – family/writing career/day job/my mom – the order changes by the minute, depending on what or who requires my immediate attention. 😉

3. What goes into your research of your cowboy novels?
   CA: I’ve been a fan of Silver Screen Legends and Classic TV Westerns for as long as I can remember, so I had a fabulous array of larger-than life cowboy heroes to choose from when deciding what characteristics Tyler would have. I’d been out West and to Texas a couple of times, so it was like taking the trip all over again when I began to write about it. When I was at the RT Booklovers Convention in Houston a couple of years ago, one of my author friends suggested we support her publisher and the EC Models by going to a local club…I had NO idea what I’d agreed to until I got there. Thank goodness my creative side took over while I struggled with my acute embarrassment, but the result was an inside look at a real ladies’ club (aka strip club). It was hard getting up-to-speed with the latest technology out there, things I hadn’t really paid much attention to, because it didn’t impact my daily life, until the CD player in my car took one of my CDs hostage six months ago and wouldn’t give it back! I was desperate to hear my music, so I took a giant step forward and purchased an MP3 player.

4. Is hard to write this kind of book?
   CA: It was harder for me to write a contemporary than a historical. I have a personal research library that I’ve been slowly adding to over the last fifteen or so years. I’m comfortable there, I can look up facts at 2 am and not have to worry that I’m wearing sweat pants and a beat-up Drop Kick Murphy’s t-shirt. After writing historicals for the last fifteen years, it was almost like experiencing culture shock. Fortunately, our children are in their mid to late twenties and I can pick their brains about what’s hot technology and trend-wise. They usually laugh first and then answer my questions. 😉

5. How long does it take you to write a book like this?
   CA: It depends on the deadline…it could take anywhere from three to six months to write a book like this, depending on my deadline/work schedule and family.

6. Are your characters based on any actual people in your life?
   CA: I base all of my heroes on some of my husband’s best qualities: his honesty, his integrity, his compassion for others…and his killer broad shoulders—aside from that, I include bits and pieces of my Irish roots and ancestry, including family names, in all of my books.

7. What influenced you to become a writer?
   CA: It was actually my 7th Grade English teacher, Mrs. Mildred Smith. She sparked my love for writing with her creative writing assignments that included drawing a corresponding picture to go with the assignment. After my first book was published, I tracked her down through the board of education and found out that she’d retired, but when I explained why I was looking for her, they gave me her address. We corresponded and it was great to be able to tell her that she was my favorite English teacher and how much she influenced my writing…I didn’t dare ask her to “grade” my book though. 😉 She was really tough!

8. Do you have any favorite authors who inspire your writing?
   CA: I have a bunch of favorite authors, but I they don’t inspire my writing as much as they satisfy my need to read romance. 😉 Some of my favorite authors are Nora Roberts, Julie Garwood, Sherrilyn Kenyon and Sandra Hill.

9. What’s in the works for future novels?
   CA: I turned in book two, Dylan, in December and am expecting to receive edits any day now. After RT, I’ll be nose to the grindstone writing book 3, Jesse.

10. Anything that you would like to say to your reader fans?
    CA: I’m so grateful for you! Thank you for your support and feedback. I love hearing from you! www.facebook.com/CHAdmirand, www.twitter.com/CHAdmirand , www.chadmirand.com

The Giveaway:
Many thanks to Sourcebooks for allowing me to giveaway TWO copies of Tyler! All you have to do is leave a comment  about the interview below. All comments MUST include a form of contact info (i.e. contact in profile, email address, twitter id, facebook id, etc.) NO CONTACT INFO=NO VALID ENTRY This giveaway will be open to US and Canada residents ONLY. Giveaway will run until April 7th@1159pmEST .

Bonus Entries (PLEASE LEAVE SEPARATE ENTRIES FOR EACH)
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