Barbara, welcome to Fallen Angel Reviews. Thanks so much for being here with us. To find out more about Barbara and for information on her books, visit her website (http://www.barbaraclarkbooks.com/) Before we start talking about your books, tell us a little about yourself.

I used to teach kindergarten, first, second, and third grade students. Now I write sensual and romantic erotica romances. I'm a wife, mother, writer, and proud grandmother who dreams of new stories and talks to the birds in my back yard. A pair of Western Scrub Jays have me well-trained to throw them a handful of unshelled peanuts every morning. If I don't, they come up on the covered patio and make noises at the back door.

How have you been? What new projects are in the works for you?

Actually, I'm busier than ever. Currently, I have contracts for three more paranormal romance eroticas and a contract for Jade Dreams, Book #6 in the, "Sons of Earth and Wind," series.

Describe a day in the life of Barbara Clark.

During the school year, we have two of our grandchildren here from 6:30 a.m. to the time I drive them to school, around 7:50 a.m. Sometimes I stop at the market or go to the post office on the way home. I check my email and take care of items needing immediate attention then work on writing. After lunch, I follow a similar routine.

Before dinner, I turn off the computer. My husband is retired so I like to spend the evening watching TV with him. That's when I'll work on promotional items such as decorating bookmarks with ribbon and beads or making notepads. Sometimes I page through magazines looking for pictures or articles pertaining to my current or future stories and books. I tear those out to save for the content or inspiration.

My current manuscript is always simmering in the back of my mind. I keep a notepad handy to jot down ideas, or I turn on my AlphaSmart keyboard and write for a while then transfer the text into my computer the next morning. I generally read for fifteen or twenty minutes after I go to bed.

How long have you been writing?

I wrote my first play in the fourth grade, and wrote a lot of poetry when I was in high school. However, I only started writing full time in the summer of 1993 when I retired from teaching.

After writing six full manuscripts, I made my first sale. It was to Kensington/Zebra for their Precious Gems line. The book, Annie's Rainbow, was on the market for the month of January 1998. My next sale was to a new epublisher in 1999. That first paranormal romance, Tears of the Hawk, became Book #1 in my paranormal romance series, "Sons of Earth and Wind." Since then, I've sold four additional paranormal romances, two short and two long contemporary romances. My newest release, a paranormal romantic erotica short story, Desert Passion, is under the pseudonym, April Reid. Seven of my books and the short story are available at Amber Quill Press, LLC, http://www.amberquill.com. Two are available at Wings ePress Inc, http://www.wings-press.com.

Do you believe research is essential for writing a good book?

Absolutely! All my books, except the one I'm working on now, are set in contemporary times. I'm careful to be sure the trees, plants, birds, animals, weather, and topography are correct for the particular scene. I keep reference books handy to check facts. I also research online and ask experts if I'm not sure. The careful research pays off in the reader being able to trust what I write. One lady commented that she enjoyed the scenes set here in southern California because she's been to those areas and driven on those freeways.

For Rainbow Valley, set in Arizona, I chose a specific area on the map, did research, and added color and texture based on when I lived in Tucson and on the trips my husband, children, and I made there to various National Parks.

For Deserts of the Heart, where the last half of the book is set in northern Africa, from Cairo and across a section of the Sahara Desert to the Atlas Mountains, I read at least 16 books. They included travel guides, biographies, and books filled with photographs of the Sahara. I also have an English-Arabic, Arabic-English dictionary beside my computer. I kept the World Atlas handy so when I said a road went here, or there was a high plateau in that region, it was true.

At times, it's easy to get lost in research. I certainly have a better understanding and appreciation of other cultures from what I've read.

What is the best piece of writing advice you have received?

The quote, "Writing is rewriting."

I do a lot of self-editing as I go along, but I also go back over a chapter to see if the text flows. When the book or story is done, I read it through in one sitting, if possible, marking places where it needs changes, corrections, etc. Then I go through again. Of course, I do several spell checks as I go.

As a writer, what type of books do you personally find appealing?

It depends upon what I feel like reading. I enjoy stories in various romance sub genres and also like to read fantasy, science fiction, mysteries, and nonfiction. Last year one of the nonfiction books I enjoyed was Lost Dinosaurs of the Sahara. Currently I'm halfway through, Gorgon; Paleontology, Obsession, and the Greatest Catastrophe in Earth's History. It's about the animals living on earth 250 million years ago, and the catastrophe that wiped out 90% of life before the Age of Dinosaurs.

You have an extraordinary list of hero's and heroines in your The Sons of Earth and Wind Series. Of all of them, do you have a favorite? If so, why is that one your favorite?

Usually, the hero of my current story or book is my favorite, although I have to admit I do look back, fondly, to those in past books.

And speaking of your heroes, they have some pretty tortured pasts. What do you feel this brings to your stories?

These are men who have withstood horrendous experiences, but come through with their humanity and honor intact. They bring a new strength and understanding of human nature to the present situation. Women and children can trust them.

Tears of the Hawk was my first book of yours and remains my favorite. Do you have a favorite or is there a book of yours that has special meaning?

That's like asking a mother which child is her favorite. Each book has a special meaning to me. For example, Rainbow Valley (wings-press.com) is set in Arizona--a beautiful state where I spent two of my happiest childhood years. The heroine, Annie Reed, had a childhood similar to mine in that her family had to move several times. The first three books in the Sons of Earth and Wind series (amberquill.com) are set here in southern California. In A Breath of Heather, Book II, the heroine teaches first grade as I did. In Tears of the Hawk, Book I, the heroine is an Astrophysicist. In A Touch of Fire, Book III, the heroine can control the fiery lines of magnetic power deep in the earth and moderate earthquakes. Each of my other books is also special to me. In all my books, the hero and heroine come together to complete a stronger whole.

You write under 2 names, Barbara Clark and April Reid, why is that?

When I decided to try writing a romantic erotica, I chose the pseudonym, April Reid, so a reader would know it was steamier and more specific than my other stories.

You attended 23 schools before college? WOW! What affect do you think moving so much has had on your writing?

I learned to be persistent and adaptable. You have to be when you're bounced from west coast to east coast, to a variety of schools and cultures. Yes, in the 1940s and early 1950s, before TV gave our nation more common ground, there were vast differences between west and east. Another benefit was living in a variety of areas. In North Carolina and again in South Carolina, we lived near a swamp. In South Carolina, we lived through a hurricane. In Boston, we lived across the street from Fenway Park. I walked past the Boston Philharmonic building on the way to Girls' Latin School. In Arizona, one house we rented was at the end of the road. We pumped our own water. Another was on the other side of town (Tucson) where I rode a bicycle across the hardpan desert on my two miles trip to school. In New York, we lived in Queens, one of the Boroughs and I rode the El (elevated railway) to school. Many of these settings have appeared, one way or another, in my books.

Can we get a teaser for what you are working on right now?

The book is an April Reid book, titled, Dark Passion. It's part of my Sultans' Women collection.

Here's the back cover text:

While gathering orangefruit along the shores of Conch Bay on the planet, Traber, Alyssa Palonui is captured by slavers and taken to the slave markets of Zoltar to be sold to the highest bidder.

To protect herself and her royal family, Alyssa hides her identity and her ability to call water from the planet's depths.

Traveling incognito, Rahim Al Sayyed, Sultan of Aradi, sees the flame-haired woman standing in chains on the slaver's block and makes the highest bid, telling himself it's to save her from the vicious owner of a brothel. Rahim doesn't know she's a princess of Oceanus and betrothed to his deadly enemy--the one who caused his father's death.

As they journey over mountains, across the high plains, and into the stronghold of the enemy, Alyssa and Rahim explore growing paranormal gifts and the deep, dark passions hidden in each other's heart, mind, and soul.

Is there anything else you would like to share with us?

Never give up your goals. I have a quote beside my computer that has encouraged me many times. It says, "All dreams lie beyond defeat."

I personally feel that you are to be commended for 34 years of teaching! I couldn't think of a way to work in that as a question but I just had to mention it. Bravo!

Thank you. I loved the children and the energy and excitement of the classroom. The last five years I taught, I had students in my classroom whose parents I had taught in kindergarten, first, or second grade.

Barbara thanks again for taking the time for this interview.

Thank you for asking me.

Interviewed By:
Jaymi