Today I am speaking with Trixie Stilleto.

Hi Trixie! And welcome to Fallen Angel Reviews! It is great to have you with us today. Thank you for taking time out of your busy day to answer questions for us. The readers would love to hear something about Trixie Stilletto.

Thanks, Linda. I love Fallen Angel Reviews and your readers. I appreciate being interviewed by FAR!

Trixie, I love your slogan on your website, not to mention your philosophy in life. “Life is a smorgasbord of men. I believe in diving in like a starving woman hitting an all-you-can-eat buffet!” In fact your whole site is rather intriguing. You have quite a list of works, why not share with us your latest, Framed in Dreams, I love that catchy title.

Thanks, Linda. I appreciate your comments on my title. That’s an area that always concerns me because I’m terrible at coming up with titles!

Now I’ll tell you about my story Framed in Dreams. Helen Myers is looking to change her life, but her dream Bed & Breakfast on the shores of Lake Ontario is a fixer-nightmare. What’s a girl to do when she’s spent all her money buying the place?

Bert Vogl wanted to renovate the mansion on the shores of Lake Ontario, but as owner of his own construction company, he knows exactly how much it will cost to fix it. He wanted to create a showplace out of the monster, but a woman with more money than brains bought it out from under him. When Helen Myers asks for an estimate on renovation costs, however, he figures it’s a chance to get what he wants after all.

Can Burt make Helen an offer she can’t refuse?

Trixie, if we were to follow you around for a day, tell us what kind of day we would have.

Well, you’d probably be bored in a hurry! LOL.

I usually get up around 10 a.m., fix a light breakfast and check e-mail while I’m eating. Then I go for a short walk, shower, get dressed, do a few chores, answer e-mails and do some business work (copy edits, promotional stuff, manage my bookstore). Around 3 I fix dinner for my husband and I then head to my “day job” at 5 p.m. I work on both my fiction and my “job” until about 1:30 a.m. then it’s back home. That’s when I usually watch a little television and go to sleep.

See? Pretty boring!

What is your writing routine once you start a book?

I write in spurts because when I have free time, I write. Occasionally if I’m on a strict deadline, I’ll work on two projects at once but I prefer to stick to one story at a time.

I write a rough draft that is VERY rough, truthfully just the basic storyline. Then I go back and fill in all the details. This process could take several weeks or months depending on the length of the story involved.

I go though it a final time to fix any problems and send it off to my editor.

Anymore upcoming works or releases that you would like to share with your readers?

Well, later this month (July) the final installment in my Scarecrow & Betsy McGee series will be released. It’s called “Wedding Wild” and is set in Niagara Falls, New York. I will also have a couple of paperback releases later this year. I believe Trixie’s Treats, Vol. II will be released in August. That’s a compilation of short stories. Then in December, Amber Quill will release the Scarecrow series in paperback as well. I’m also working on several upcoming projects with a wonderful group of authors. We call ourselves Servants of the Muse. Readers can visit our website and check out what’s going on as well as entering our contest.

How may readers/fans contact you?

I love to get e-mail from readers at trixie@trixiestilletto.com

Do your fans' comments and letters influence you in any way?

I’m always interested in what fans have to say about my writing. Perhaps if they are interested in reading a story about a secondary character in one of my books I will consider writing it but only if the character is demanding a story as well. LOL

What truly motivates you in general? In your writing?

I like happy endings. Sadly in life those can be hard to come by. Perhaps that’s why I always seek them in my entertainment and when I tell my stories.

Do you feel humor is important in women's fiction and why?

Yes I think humor is important in everything. Life would be pretty insane without it. As a reader, I want stories to take me out of my day-to-day problems. I think humor is a great way to do it.

What are your thoughts on love scenes in romance novels, do you find them difficult to write?

I wouldn’t say difficult. I would say that I have to be in the right frame of mind to do so. Also I have to be really connected with the characters. The one thing I do not want a reader to think after reading a Trixie story is that was too much “insert slot A into slot B.”

What kind of research do you do, if any?

As much as is necessary. Some stories require more research than others so it really varies from story to story.

What is your favorite part of writing?

It’s the first blush of an idea and being so excited about the characters and their story that you can’t wait to get to your keyboard and write.

What do you do to relax and recharge your batteries?

Read, go fishing with my husband, play with my cats.

Every writer dreams about receiving “the call”. What were you doing when yours came in?

I had been writing traditional romances for a long time when I got the idea for my first erotic romance, The Quarterback

I honestly didn’t think anyone would want to publish it. When I submitted it to my editor at Amber Quill, I was stunned when they said they wanted it. It was published less than a month later!

Do you have any unfinished projects sitting around that you feel will never get finished?

No. I’ve got a lot of unfinished projects but I know one day the time will be right and the characters will demand that I tell their stories.

Do you have an outline when you begin a story or do the characters just flow in your head and you begin writing?

Never outline just jump right in.

When composing which comes first, your characters, the setting or the name of the book?

The characters and the setting come first. The titles are the absolute last thing I worry about. Sometimes I don’t have a title until I’m ready to submit the book.

Do you find it hard to write a synopsis? And do you do it at the beginning or end of a story?

Oh you wouldn’t believe how hard it is to write a synopsis. I loathe them. I usually won’t do it unless a publisher requires it before buying the book.

Do you have anything else you would like to share with your readers?

I would like to invite everyone to sign up for my newsletter by sending a blank e-mail with subscribe in the subject line to stilletosfishnets-subscribe@yahoogroups.com.

Also for readers who like things a little less spicy I would invite you to visit the website of my alter-ego Karen Troxel

For Fun: What is your favorite all around movie?

That is a tough one. I love any of the recent romantic comedies such as “You’ve Got Mail”, “While You Were Sleeping”, “Pretty Woman”. I also love the old Doris Day/Rock Hudson films like “Pillow Talk.” I guess if I had to pick one single film as my all-time favorite it would be “An Affair to Remember.”

For Fun: What is your favorite flavor ice cream?

A toss up: Praline Pecan and Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup.

Do you have a website other than www.trixiestilletto.com that you would like to share with your readers?

Well, I write traditional romances as Karen Troxel.

I’m also part of a wonderful group of writers called Servants of the Muse

Readers are welcome to check out both of those websites.

Thank you so much for sharing time with us today, Trixie. Anyone interested in reading more about Trixie and her marvelous books, please visit her website to read more about her great works. It has been fun Trixie, and I wish you the best with your writing.

Thank you, Linda. I enjoyed it!

Interviewed by: Linda L