Today I have the pleasure of speaking with Ingela F. Hyatt. Thanks for being here today Ingela, welcome to FAR!

Thank you Tammy, I’m glad to be here.

To start, will you please tell us a little bit about your current release, A Knight of Passion?

Reynard is an escaped prisoner. Rianna his daring and willful captive. Together they race across England: He accused of murder, and she hoping for rescue. But true Love and sensuous Pleasure has other plans...

A Knight of Passion is a story which is very near and dear to me. It’s filled with adventure, intrigue, passion, and of course true love. Reynard (the hero) is a brave and bold knight of honor, yet is wracked with the guilt of having killed a woman with his lust. Because of this, he vows never to touch another again. But even the most valiant heroes cannot the resist the call of passion and true love. I absolutely love Reynard. A part of him is dark and brooding, but he also has a great sense of humor (which Rianna doesn’t find at all funny at times). I loved watching him battle his intense desire for Rianna, his beautiful captive, who is also his betrothed. Lady Rianna (the heroine), is a spirited young woman who’s been waiting to marry her betrothed for years. But when she awakens one night to find an escaped prisoner kissing her with such tender passion, something prompts her to help him flee the castle. Of course, she never expected he would kidnap her. I love spirited heroines. (But then I’m quite willful myself. *grin* ) Rianna is very emotional, but she is also feisty and gets herself into lots of trouble as she tries to escape Reynard, and fights the attraction she feels for him. I must say I do enjoy putting the hero and heroine through hell, and these two go through plenty of hardship before they finally get their happily-ever-after.

If you could be invisible for one hour, what would you do and where would you go?

Hmmm, is there a Playgirl mansion nearby?

What is your favorite part of a book to write?

I don’t think I have a "favorite" part of a book, I love writing the whole thing—the beginning, the middle and the ending. But then, being a pantser (writing-by-the-seat-of-my-pants) I love watching the story unfold, to see where it will take me. But if I could claim a favorite, it would be watching the hero struggle with his reaction to love. All my heroes (and heroines) are flawed, and often have something which prevents them from giving into that wonderful emotion. Its fun watching them overcome their obstacles to be with the woman they’ve come to love.

Since everybody needs a break, even when doing something they love, how do you like to spend your time away from writing?

I love to read. I’m constantly reading either romances (historical, fantasy, contemporary on occasion), or research books. I love history which of course is why I became a historical romance author. It’s very intriguing learning about the past, especially the Middle Ages, as its so different from our modern time. And then of course, I’m addicted to movies. Comedies, adventures, sci-fi, fantasy, mystery, you name it, I love watching it. Recently I’ve taken to watching B&W movies from the 30s. They are so entertaining, especially the crime dramas and murder mysteries. I’m also an amateur photographer, and spend as much of my spare time as possible photographing nature (I don’t have a lot of spare time). I guess I like anything that will give me a break from the computer— though I can only handle withdrawal for short periods of time. LOL

To you, what makes a great romance hero?

He can’t be "perfect." Perfect heroes become boring very quickly. I think a great romance hero is one who is flawed but overcomes his personal conflicts to be with the woman he loves. A man who is noble, and brave, not afraid to stand up for what he believes in. A hero who will ALWAYS be there for the heroine, who loves her so much, he would lay down his life for her. A man who is kind, gentle, passionate and loyal, yet he is strong and fierce when need be.

If you could meet one of your characters, which one would it be?

I’ve written nine manuscripts, so there are so many characters to choose from. But I think, if I were to choose right now, I’d say I would like to meet Garron, Reynard’s look-alike cousin and bad guy in A Knight of Passion. Why? Read the book and you’ll find out. *grin*

Do you have any advice for aspiring authors?

Oh, lots. You can find all my advice at my website, but let me sum it up for you.
Read. If writing is your passion, then you need to read the genre which interests you most. If you love historical romance then read and write historical romance. You must get to know the genre you want write.

Write. Practice makes perfect as they say, and there is only one way to hone your craft, and that is by writing. And don’t just write one story and then revise it over and over again. Write many, write whatever inspires you. A Knight of Passion was my sixth manuscript and that’s the one that landed me my first contract. Also, don’t write what you think will "sell", write what you love—only then will your story be from the heart.

Submit. Once you’ve edited and polished your manuscript to the best of your ability, it’s time to submit to publishers. I know it’s scary to send out your baby to strangers, especially when the rejections start rolling in. But nothing ventured, nothing gained. The only way to get published is to take a chance. And rejections are not the end of the world—I got 128 before I was published, Louis L’Amour is said to have been rejected 350 times! Often times rejections are accompanied with some good advice. But remember, always take advice with a grain of salt as this is your baby, you decide what to change.

Support. Being a writer can be a lonely occupation. That’s why we need lots of support. I know if I hadn’t had the support of my mom and dad, I would have likely quit long ago. It’s important to have family and friends support your career, they help to keep you going, even in the "dark" times. But you also need to know the publishing business, that’s why the RWA (Romance Writers of America) was created. It’s a fantastic organization where you can meet not only other aspiring writers, but successful authors as well. Learn the "trade" secrets, what’s happening with the market and more. If you can afford it, join the RWA and one or more of their chapters.

Persistence. If writing is your passion, if the only time you are truly happy is when you are writing, then don’t ever stop, don’t every give up! I know it’s difficult sometimes, but you must remember this: with every NO, you’re actually one step closer to YES (I can’t remember who originally said that, but it’s true).

What was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating your books?

That editing really is a writer’s best friend. A couple of years ago, I hated editing. Because I am a pantser, I write whatever comes to me which can make the story quite long. Then I would have to go back and edit out scenes, even whole chapters. It drove me crazy, being forced to cut things out of a story that I loved. But then I came to the realization, (thanks to my editor) that editing is what makes the book, makes your manuscript shine and brings it all together.

Your debut novel, A Knight of Passion is a historical, is there another genre you would like to try?

Oh yes. I love vampires, I’m quite addicted to them, actually, and I have several paranormal/historical romance novels buzzing around in my head, waiting for when I have time to write them. I’m also interested in fantasy romance, and have a series of dragon romances waiting in the wings (no pun intended). But historical romance will always be my first love.

How did you celebrate selling your first book?

Me and my family had Chubby Chicken from A&W for dinner. Corny, I know, but it was just so great to finally celebrate after seven long years of struggle. And when I signed the contract, we celebrated by having some awful tasting champagne. LOL But I didn’t care, I was thrilled to sign my name to a contract. I did keep the cork to remember the occasion.

In your opinion, what are the three most essential ingredients of an excellent romance novel?

Characters who are real with personalities and histories. Characters whom readers can relate to. Even the bad guys and secondary characters must have a reason behind everything they do.

Both internal and external conflicts are essential to the story. Of course, internal is at the core of the situation between the hero and heroine. I know people say internal conflict is a must, but I also love intrigue, and I think adding that extra twist in the external conflict keeps the characters, and readers, on their toes, and can make a good book, great.

The story must be written from the heart. Whenever I’m writing, I feel the deep emotion of each and every character, be they good or bad, joyous or angry, I feel and experience it all. When my heroine cries, so do I. When my hero rages, so do I. A part of me is in every one of my characters, and I think that writing what you love, what you are passionate about, is the most important ingredient of all.

What can your fans look forward to in the next twelve months from you?

On October 17th, A Knight of Passion comes out in Print and will be available at Amazon.com, Barnes&Noble.com, Powells.com, etc., plus Borders, Walden Books, and various independent booksellers.

Currently I’m working on a four book Robin Hood series, called The Sherwood Chronicles. And have many, many books planned for the future.

Is there anything else you would like to share with your readers today?

Not only do I love to write, but I love to hear from readers as well. If you would like to chat with me and fellow lovers of romance, you can join my Romantic Ramblers Chat Group:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/RomanticRamblers/

If you would like to keep up-to-date with my books, reviews, interviews, news, events and more, join my Newsletter Group (no chat): http://groups.yahoo.com/group/IngelaHyatt/

All subscribers are eligible to win romance novels (paperback & ebooks) from you favorite authors in my monthly contest.

And I would like to thank Tammy, and FAR for this great opportunity to talk about my book and my writing.

Thank you so much, Ingela, for spending time with us today! Readers be sure to visit Ingela’s website.

Interviewed by: Tammy