1. Have you always wanted to be a writer or is it something you discovered along the path of life?
AC: I should have known. Really. I mean, I loved my high school English classes, especially creative writing. But noooo… I had my heart set on being a famous artist. So, I went to art school, starved, went back to school for nursing, made money to eat, and eventually discovered writing as a good outlet for my creative side. Less messy than painting too!
2. How has your writing path evolved? Where did you start?
2. How has your writing path evolved? Where did you start?
AC: I began by taking a course in screenwriting. Hollywood passed on my romantic comedies, but I learned the basics of storytelling. Since I live closer to New York than Hollywood, I thought I’d try writing a novel. I monitored my reading taste for a while and discovered I liked reading the hot stuff! After I made that admission and stopped blushing, I turned one of my screenplays into a steam bath of a novel. I wrote some more and began submitting. Eventually I got tired of rejections from NY and tried to e-publish.
Three e-publishers wanted my first book, and I’ve e-published over a dozen since then. Some of them became print books too, but they’re the big, expensive trade paperbacks. I always feel guilty asking people to pay that much for a book. But the Strange Neighbors series is a mass market paperback, which means it’s smaller and cheaper! Yipee! I don’t feel guilty at all asking people to buy it. Nope. Not a bit. It’s only $6.99 and longer than all my other books! What a bargain.
3. Do you commit to a daily writing goal? So many words or chapters?
3. Do you commit to a daily writing goal? So many words or chapters?
AC: I try to write at least 1,000 words per day. I spend a lot of time promoting and sometimes, I wish I could write more and promote less. Of course, I could exercise more and eat less too, but that’s another battle.
4. If you could give a new writer one piece of advice, what would it be?
4. If you could give a new writer one piece of advice, what would it be?
AC: Don’t give up. Write a book. Try to sell it, but meanwhile write another, and another…rinse and repeat until you sell one, and then guess what? You also have a back list!
5. What made you decide to start writing paranormal stories?
5. What made you decide to start writing paranormal stories?
AC: They’re fun for me as a writer. Anything is possible. I don’t have to limit my imagination with stupid things like facts and physics.
6. Which paranormal characters are your favorites to write (witches, werewolves, vampires)?
6. Which paranormal characters are your favorites to write (witches, werewolves, vampires)?
AC: I love them all. The thing I love most is being one! By that, I mean writing in first person. (LOL. What did you think I meant?) I’ve been a shapeshifting coyote, black cat and Greek God in my e-pubbed paranormal comedies Being Randy, Wonder Witch and Oh My God.
7. What books are currently on your to-read list?
7. What books are currently on your to-read list?
AC: Too many. I have a pile on my Sony e-reader, another pile on my iPod and then some real piles on bookshelves and tables! Now if I can find my e-reader and iPod under those piles…
8. Who are some of your favorite authors?
8. Who are some of your favorite authors?
AC: Mary Janice-Davidson, Katie MacAlister, Gerry Bartlett, Angie fox, Delilah Devlin, Annette Blair…and the list goes on and on and on.
9. If you could entertain a character from a book, who would it be and what would the evening be like?
9. If you could entertain a character from a book, who would it be and what would the evening be like?
AC: Well, first I’d have to think of one that wouldn’t bite. Maybe one of the witches from the Strange Neighbors series. Morgaine would be an interesting person with whom I could have a long, interesting conversation over tea. Gwyneth, on the other hand, would have me howling with her colorful hillbilly expressions and we’d drink moonshine.
10. If you were not a writer what would your career be?
10. If you were not a writer what would your career be?
AC: Yuck. Like a real job? I can’t think of anything I’d want to get dressed for.
11. When you are not writing, what are you usually found doing?
11. When you are not writing, what are you usually found doing?
AC: Promoting, reading, online shopping or making jewelry. When it’s warm enough, I might be reading in my hot tub.
12. What are some of your favorite activities or hobbies?
12. What are some of your favorite activities or hobbies?
AC: Travel, shopping for bargains, nature walks, reading on balconies overlooking unspoiled beaches.
13. How did the idea for your newest book/series come about?
13. How did the idea for your newest book/series come about?
AC: I heard that quarterback Tom Brady owns a condo building in Boston’s Back Bay. I used to live in the same neighborhood. I pictured one of those beautiful old brownstone townhouses converted into apartments and then gave the penthouse to a professional baseball pitcher/ landlord. Brainstorming with a couple of friends produced the rest of the cast.
14. Tell us a little about your newest book.
14. Tell us a little about your newest book.
AC: The Werewolf Upstairs in book 2 in the Strange Neighbor series.
Book 1, Strange Neighbors is still available on Amazon along with many of my others.
You can find them here:
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=Ashlyn+Chase&x=14&y=22
THE WEREWOLF UPSTAIRS BY ASHLYN CHASE – IN STORES FEBRUARY 2011
Petty Crime Never Looked So Good…
Alpha werewolf Konrad Wolfensen sees it as his duty to protect the citizens of Boston, even if it means breaking into their businesses just to prove their security systems don’t’ work. But when his unsolicited services land him in trouble with the law, he’ll have to turn to his sexy new neighbor for help.
She Should Know Better…
Attorney Roz Wells is bored. She used to have such a knack for attracting the weird and unexpected,. But ever since she took a job as a public defender, the quirky quotient is her life has taken a serious hit. Until her sexy werewolf neighbor starting coming around…
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=Ashlyn+Chase&x=14&y=22
THE WEREWOLF UPSTAIRS BY ASHLYN CHASE – IN STORES FEBRUARY 2011
Petty Crime Never Looked So Good…
Alpha werewolf Konrad Wolfensen sees it as his duty to protect the citizens of Boston, even if it means breaking into their businesses just to prove their security systems don’t’ work. But when his unsolicited services land him in trouble with the law, he’ll have to turn to his sexy new neighbor for help.
She Should Know Better…
Attorney Roz Wells is bored. She used to have such a knack for attracting the weird and unexpected,. But ever since she took a job as a public defender, the quirky quotient is her life has taken a serious hit. Until her sexy werewolf neighbor starting coming around…
ABOUT THE AUTHOR A multi-published author with Ellora’s Cave and Total-e-Bound, Ashlyn Chase specializes in characters who reinvent themselves, having reinvented herself numerous times. She has worked as a psychiatric nurse, and for the Red Cross, and has a degree in behavioral sciences. She lives with her true-life hero husband in beautiful New Hampshire, where she is working on the third book in her series, The Vampire Next Door, set to release in August 2011. For more information, please visit http://ashlynchase.com/.
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