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This February, Bonnie Rock talks to Stella Cameron about her latest releases FINDING IAN. Be sure to check out Stella and FINDING IAN at The Best Reviews.
Or check out Stella's homepage at http://www.stellacameron.com.
Stella Cameron is the New York Times/USAToday/Washington Post bestselling, award-winning author of sixty historical and contemporary novels and novellas. Each of her single-title releases has appeared on the WALDENBOOKS mass market, and romance lists, and on the BARNES AND NOBLE list. Stella has won the ROMANTIC TIMES Career Achievement Award for Romantic Suspense and the ROMANTIC TIMES best Romantic Suspense of the Year Award. She has been a RITA finalist, and is the recipient of the Pacific Northwest Writers' Association Achievement Award for distinguished professional achievement and for enhancing the stature of the Northwest literary community. The Personal Skinny: I was born and raised in Dorset, England. While I was editing medical text and working in London's Harley Street, I met my husband, an officer in the American Air Force, at a party. He asked me to dance (The Mexican Hat Dance) and we've been together ever since. I get a lot of questions about England and whether I still have strong feelings for the country where I was born. Usually my answer is something like this, "I'll always believe I've been very lucky to live in America and I wouldn't live anywhere else by choice, but do I get homesick? You bet. The climate here in the Pacific Northwest is similar to that in many parts of England. As seasons change I can become very pensive. When the scents of autumn and fallen leaves are in the air, I see Hyde Park. Winter rain reminds me of being in some small Cotwolds town, and ducking into a tea shop for a hot cuppa! In spring I am once again in an English cottage garden shere a wak sun shines on new flower, and summer takes me to Weymouth, my hometown, and the sea. Those sensations can make me cry before I remember to smile." Of course, it's only the need to research the next book that takes me home every couple of years... Stella and her husband live in Seattle, Washington. They are the parents of a son and two daughters, one of whom is married. And Stella and Jerry are "absolutely dotty and doting" grandparents for the first time. |
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FINDING IAN Zebra February 2002 Buy Now
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Writerspace: How did you get started writing?
Stella Cameron: Our children were still small, but the youngest was finally in kindergarten. I'd been writing consistently for a couple of years, but without any particular
goal other than to become a better writer. I bought a spanking new IBM Selectric and felt like taking on the world:) Prior to that I really did work on a
state-of-the-ARK machine I paid $35 for at a garage sale. But with that fabulous equipment that actually allowed me to correct, well, of course I would
make my way to stardom! I also had to pay for the typewriter and believed that if I stuck with the program, I could do it.
Writerspace: How do you research your books? Do different types of books - regency, suspense, historical - require different types of research? Stella Cameron: Absolutely different--except for the character work. In both cases I like reference books around me and I have very good collections. With Regency suspense I buy books because they add to what I already have, give me a deeper understanding of some point, whatever, but every contemporary story requires me to start from scratch. Research from books is fine, but not always the best source for breathing life into the book. I travel to the places I write about and (can't quite manage this for the historical books!) talk to people. I've just finished a book set in Louisiana and I don't believe I could have felt so "there" if I hadn't spent great times with some people who live in the area I uses. Photographs I take are usually pinned up around me, and maps hang on the walls. The Internet is invaluable to writerly types. I believe anything we want can be found on the Net and I'm a constant visitor. A tip: People like to be asked about the jobs they do, and the places where they live. The golden rule is to organize questions before interviews. Writerspace: What are the differences in writing different genres and time periods? Is there any certain genre or time period that you prefer above others? Stella Cameron: Switching between genres is refreshing for me--and natural. I see the difference as a change in accent but with the same voice. The nineteenth century is my historical bag. Love it, love it. Since I write stories with elements of mystery or suspense for both time periods, I'm always comfortable. I like 'em both--a lot! Writerspace: What did you start writing? Stella Cameron: I wrote twenty-five contemporary books before the first historical. Writerspace: FINDING IAN is your first book marketed women's fiction. Could you tell us a bit about this amazing book as well as what inspired you to move into yet another genre of writing? Stella Cameron: FINDING IAN is a romance! The story is very emotional and I think there are people (not you or me or any other avid readers) who mistake emotion for something different from romance. That's selling us short, or so I've decided. Each of my favorite writers gives me a relationship in the story. Not all are as developed as I'd like them to be, but they're there. A love story is at the heart of FINDING IAN. Remember when I mentioned the Paperbag People to you? What they were probably suggesting was that they'd rather not be identified as enjoying a romantic story. Fiddlesticks, to them, say I:) How sad to feel a need to apologize for loving Romance. Thank you for calling FINDING IAN amazing. You overwhelm me--in the nicest way. When I write I don't think of anything but the story and it isn't until I finish the book that I step way back to analyze. I admit to being incredibly attached to this one. I was born in England and married an American which gave me insight into the cultural clash that happened between Jade and Byron. We have an adopted daughter who is nothing like Ian but who opened my eyes to the challenges of not knowing one's parents. Regardless of how happy a person may be, there are bound to be niggling questions. And Cornwall is special to me, it always will be. Readers may need a tissue or two for FINDING IAN, but they'll have a good share of smiles, and shivers, too! Writerspace: Could you tell us a bit about TELL ME WHY, your latest suspense release? Stella Cameron: TELL ME WHY is the most recent book I've set on the shores of Lake Washington. This is the tale of a woman's (Carolee Burns) determination to be loved for the person she really is, rather than as a celebrity, and a man (Max Wolfe) who has successfully dealt with a similar crisis. They are madly attracted, then madly in love. Well, that's a prescription for a quick wrap and happy-ever-after, isn't it? Not exactly. Carolee has the ex-husband from hell and as if that weren't enough of a problem, someone out there doesn't want her to be happy, especially with Max. That someone goes to dangerous lengths to keep them apart. Writerspace: What can fans expect in the next installment in the Mayfair series, and when will that book hit the stands? Stella Cameron: Latimer More, Finch More's brother and the tenant at 7A Mayfair Square, is slightly bored with his society image as, "The Most Daring Lover in all England!" Latimer has met a girl, a Scottish lass named Jennie McBride, who makes him think about the unthinkable, marriage. Too bad this independent but impoverished miss won't take his pursuit seriously. Jennie has pressing matters to attend, such as dealing with the man who would forgive her debts in exchange for owning her--or else. This story is a wild ride and I hope everyone will enjoy the trip as much as I have. Writerspace: How did you come up with the idea for the Mayfair series? How many books do you currently have planned, and how long do you intend to torment your fans? Stella Cameron: The answer to the first part of the question is easy--I met Sir Septimus Spivey:) On the second part, I am writing the fifth book and it's called, ABOUT ADAM. If you read THE ORPHAN you'll probably be gasping for this one. I'm not sure if this is the end of the series, so, as I've been known to say before, hang in there with me. Writerspace: What else do you have planned for future? What are you currently working on? And what can readers expect to hit bookstores next? Stella Cameron: Plans can change, but I'm plotting a contemporary series. Watch this space for updates... Then there's another contemporary series. And then there's another historical series. I love revisiting characters. I'm working on ABOUT ADAM, #5 in the Mayfair Square books. FINDING IAN will be next up (Feb) followed by THE ORPHAN (Mar), GUILTY PLEASURES (June), TELL ME WHY in paperback (August), COLD DAY IN JULY, hardback, (Sep), and both TRUE BLISS and MAD ABOUT THE MAN, in October--all 2002.
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