Today I am speaking with Tracy Cole.

Hello Tracy! I would like to welcome you to Fallen Angel Reviews! Thank you for taking time out of your day’s schedule to visit with us. The readers would love to hear something about Tracy Cole.
Hmmm…let’s begin with Last Chance. It sounds exciting, would you like to tell us about it?

Well, some of the subject matter in Last Chance is a little taboo, so those who aren't really open-minded might find some parts of the story objectionable. I, however, am very open-minded. A friend of mine sort of 'dared' me to include certain elements: some sort of romantic involvement, a threesome, anal, among a few. And all this with a limited word count!

To tell you the truth, Linda, it was a fairly difficult story to write. I wanted to keep all the necessary elements and still make it feel real... it was hard. The types of characters who could pull off such things aren't characters everyone can admire (by that, I mean almost no one, =-D) but they do have a lot of really hot sex. =-D

Tracy where do your ideas come from, do they come automatically to you or is it from some outline?

I start my writing with either a character or an idea. Usually I start with a character, but for Last Chance I started with an initial idea. I brainstormed the idea, using the 'must-have' elements, and then looked really hard at the people. Their actions begged the question, What is their motivation? And their motivation led me down the road to their fleshed out character.

After the brainstorming comes the outline. The outline is fairly loose, though, so I have room to make mistakes.

What is your favorite genre to write when you are composing?

This is a difficult question for me to answer. I love writing and I'll write pretty much anything, but I'm still trying to figure out what genre I like to write the best. I mean, the best? It's like trying to pick a favorite color. Favorite color to see? Wear? In Autumn? Summer? Winter?

I'm in love with the idea of love, so I adore Jenny Crusie, Julia Quinn, but I also like fantasy, Katherine Kerr, JK Rowling. And never forget literary fiction because the subject matter is always so varied and different, Laura Esquivel, Daniel Keyes, and of course Jane Austen.

But it gets confusing because I also like Stephen King and read loads of non-fiction. So what I like to read isn't necessarily THE determining factor in what I'd like to write since I'm fairly sure I will never write horror or non-fiction. Nothing against them, just not something I would write.

So, long answer, short, I'm still thinking. =-D

I believe you have some upcoming works, would you like to elaborate on them?

Sure. I was included in Silk’s Vault first anthology. My novella, Turnabout, is about a risque work environment. The main character has a crush on her new next door neighbor who interviews for the position of her secretary. She hates the thought of hitting on an underling, but she was interested in him before he started working for her, so she thinks maybe, just maybe, it could be alright.

Her boss gets information about their interoffice affair and has something to say about it. He tries to blackmail our heroine into letting him in on the action.

You'll have to buy the anthology to see what she does about that. =-D

What do you enjoy about being an author?

The thing I love most about being an author is the finished product. I love writing The End. I also like visiting old stories to see how much I've grown as a writer since. I'm still in the stage of my writing career where I'm changing. This will sound odd, but I can't wait till I'm good enough to stop changing. Where I can concentrate on the story more than on the writing. I can't wait to hit the point where I'm happy with what I've written months after I've written it.

It's hard to even imagine rereading my own work with a smile rather than a cringe. I know every writer has to go through this stage in order to become the writer they will become, and I've to terms with it. I'm just glad to know that I'm moving forward. I'm more than happy to have the chance to pay my dues.

Does a day in your life flow smoothly or rather busy?

Well, I haven't been writing lately, but the answer is rather busy. I'm in school full-time, I have a four year old son, and I talked to the midwife the other day, I'm officially eleven weeks pregnant. I also have a house that I'm trying to demolish, rebuild and decorate, so yeah. Full life.

Well, I am still writing, but not for publication. Most of my writing today is journaling, emailing, formal papers (last semester's papers, all added up, totalled over 10K words!), and other random things.

What would your readers be surprised to know about you?

I'm not sure my readers would be surprised to know anything about me. I'm an open book.

Do you have an agent or ever-considered getting one?

I have every intention of getting one, but not until I need one. I've been thinking again about a novel I started last year. This book will be my next undertaking. When that novel is done, I will start looking for an agent.

Who would you love to compose a book with whether living or dead?

Jenny Crusie, Laura Esquivel, and Jane Austen. Though Jenny's really busy right now, Laura doesn't speak English, and Jane is dead, these are the authors I most admire and who I would feel most comfortable writing with.

Do you have any advice for those just starting out writing?

Write with a timer, and with closed eyes. Read Becoming an Author by Dorothea Brande. Spend some time getting to know yourself and how you differ from your characters. Also, get to know others. Many and varied others.

I checked out your website: http://www.tracycole.com Do you have any other website that you would like to share?

That website was a big flop. My sister put it up and, while I love her, it wasn't very successful. I can't even get the site up on my browser. And I can't change anything on it, either. Very frustrating.

Tracy, would you care to add anything else? Perhaps your favorite color, favorite ice cream flavor, favorite State, anything just for fun?

Sure. My favorite color is orange. My favorite ice cream flavor (today) is butter pecan, but Ben & Jerry's favorite? Chunky Monkey. My favorite state is Texas, because I grew up there and most of my family lives there still.

I really had fun today, Tracy. Thank you so much for stopping by. Anyone interested in reading more about Tracy and her incredible books, please visit her website or her publisher's website to read more about her works. It has been a pleasure talking with you, Tracy. I wish you the best in your writing career.

Thank you. And the best of luck in your career, as well. Thanks for having me.

Interviewed by: Linda L