Today I am speaking with Lynne Connolly.

Hi Lynne! And welcome to Fallen Angel Reviews! It is a pleasure having you with us today. Thank you for taking time out of your busy day to answer some questions for us.

Lynne, I have to tell you that I visited your website and all I can say is, WOW! I really love the lavender on your webpage. I must tell you that your writing really has a way in capturing every book you write. I love the stories, especially the gothic and paranormal. You are a very prolific, multi-talented author.

Thank you! And (modestly glancing away in true British fashion), I did the website too. In some ways, I'm just as proud of that, because it didn't come naturally and takes forever, but I like to be able to update it whenever I want to.

Why not tell your readers about your current release?

With great pleasure. WILDFIRE was supposed to go to New York, but the publishers got cold feet when they realized it was about rock musicians. "Books about musicians don't sell." Well into the second week of release, I'm delighted to prove them wrong. The short series of four books that will eventually comprise the WILDFIRE series are about the members of an up and coming rock band. They're just stepping up to the big time, and the highlight of the first book is the three concerts scheduled to take place at the London Hammersmith Apollo, the mecca of rock venues in the UK. The series is set in the same world as the Department 57 books - our world, but with a secret population of shapeshifters, vampires and other paranormal beings.

Two guitarists - one a wild man of rock, the other a talented classical goddess. Opposite ends of the music spectrum, but when they join together, the sparks fly, and they create their own special kind of Wildfire.

The members of Wildfire are Talents - Firebirds - but once John Westfall, the band's manager, realizes what a prize he has in Aidan Hawthorne, the band's lead guitarist, he'll stop at nothing to obtain the power he's coveted for so long. Including sacrificing his own daughter.

The moment he hears her play, Aidan is drawn to Corinne in a way he's never known before. They connect on so many levels and Aidan will do anything to release her from the cage John Westfall has trapped her in.

He offers her marriage, he offers her freedom, but Aidan wants more from Corinne than a place on his band and a piece of paper - he wants her heart, body and spirit. And he'll give her his in return.

Classical guitarist Corinne is desperate to escape her father's control. More so when it becomes apparent just how much control he has over her, and not just the contracts she's signed. Her only way out is through Aidan's proposal. She loves him but craves the freedom to choose - can she trust him to give it to her?

Would you like to share any upcoming projects?

Well there are the other three parts of the Wildfire series. The second book, ICEFIRE, is about the singer in the band, Ryan, who is a fragile, troubled individual. His heroine is an American publicist, a woman who has her life so together it's frightening, and she really needs a shake-up - which Ryan is only too ready to give her.

The next two Department 57 books are in the pipeline, and these bring the vampires in the teams to the fore. I always wanted the series to feature all Talents, as I call them, all people with special gifts. All my Talents are kinds of humans, not different species but different branches off the same tree. What makes us think we're the only version of human being out there?

I haven't abandoned my first love, the historical. I've sold a Regency set historical romance to a new publisher, Uncial, opened by an old friend and mentor, Jude Glad. I'd love to see a revival in the historical market! I've also sold the first of a Georgian set trilogy to Triskelion, which will be out later next year. And Richard and Rose will live again, too. Mundania has those books, and I'm looking forward to their re-release.

How would you describe a typical day for you, after you get out of bed?

Bath, feed the ravening hordes (two cats, but they can raven like few other beings), and switch on the laptop. A few emails, then down to work. I usually work until around 2 am, since insomnia has hit me.

What would you classify as your favorite part of a book to write?

The beginning, the end, the middle - it depends on the book, the characters, the situations. It is so exciting to write the first words to a new book, and very satisfying to finally type "The End," but I'm always thinking of the next project. I only ever write one book at a time, so I can immerse myself in it and in my characters.

Tell your fans something about you they would never guess.

Oh goodness. Well if you dig around on my website, you'll find I'm a mad miniaturist. I love doll's houses, making them, and making the contents, as well as collecting some of the exquisite objects you can find these days. I write with two huge houses around me, my Georgian and the Tudor. The first time I was in print outside academia and childhood stuff was when I was the featured artist on the first issue of "Miniature Dolls" magazine, for my series of literary dolls, which I make from scratch.
And I'm the kind of person others can easily ignore, and often do. So in person, I tend not to put myself forward.

Of all things you have accomplished, is there one accomplishment you are most proud?

Giving birth was a good one. The ultimate creation, although of course I had a little help in that! THE CHEMISTRY OF EVIL, my first contemporary paranormal was a good one, too, because I never thought I could do a contemporary, but now I love doing them. WILDFIRE, because the idea for that came to me after I took my daughter to a Velvet Revolver concert, her very first rock concert, and I enjoyed her watching the band as much as I enjoyed the music (which was excellent, too). I knew music could be transmitted via a novel, it's exciting, visceral and about as good as good sex. The challenge of combining the two was heady, to say the least.

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

I don't think spying is a very nice thing to do. Does that make me terribly boring? But perhaps to a place I'm not usually able to get into, backstage at Covent Garden or at the Hammersmith Odeon, just to soak up the atmosphere.

From what do you derive the most inspiration for your writing?

Difficult. I'm a magpie, I pick up stuff all over the place, and sometimes I don't know I'm doing it. It can be deeply inappropriate (use your imagination!) but sometimes it will find its way into a book, unless I try very hard to keep it out. I don't draw on my own sexual experiences for my characters, for instance, or they would all end up as clones of me. I let them take their own paths.

Do you outline your stories or do you just write as you go?

Always plan. I need to know where my characters are going. The details may, and usually do, change, but the general outline of the story remains firm. A novel isn't like real life - story arcs in real life often never end, falter, or just stop abruptly. Many don't end the way you want them to. But my books always have the happy ending, and there's always a resolution to the story. So I need to plan. If I realize, part way through, that they aren't going the right way, perhaps I'm trying to make my characters do something against their natures, I'll stop and re-plan.

Do you feel as if the characters live with you as you write? Do they haunt your dreams?

Always. That's why I can only work on one story at a time. It feels like a betrayal to start another one, although I often plan the next one while I'm writing. I get some of my best ideas when I'm asleep, but I'm not always quick enough to write them down!

Has being published changed your life any?

Yes and no. I live in the same house, and because my books, the print ones at least, aren't readily available in the UK, nobody knows what I do. I get some wonderful letters from fans, which have served to validate what I do and help to give me confidence to do more, perhaps take a few more chances. But I've always written, always. I wrote my first story when I was seven, at least the first one I remember, and the ill-health that dogged me as a child meant I spent a lot of time on my own, doing school assignments alone, and I suppose I got used to it. Writing stories has always been there for me.

Where do you see yourself in three years from now?

Still writing.

Do you have a website other than http://www.lynneconnolly.com that you would like to share with your readers? Any blog or myspace?

I've got the blog bug. I contribute to my own blog, sadly infrequently, http://lynneconnolly.blogspot.com/
Sisters of the Night, a paranormal romance blog, http://sistersofthenight.blogspot.com/
Mavens of the Pen, a group of friends and writers, http://mavensofthepen.blogspot.com/
The UK historical romance blog, http://historicalromanceuk.blogspot.com/
Triskelion Author blog, http://triskelionauthors.blogspot.com/
Then there's the new Department 57 blog, http://department57.blogspot.com/ . I don't write this blog, but Diane, the PA to Cristos, the head of Department 57 does. People can write in the Comments as characters from the series, and it gives everyone a chance to play!

I have yet to explore myspace properly, I don't seem to be able to get the hang of it.

For Fun: What is your secret indulgence?

Old films and vanilla ice cream. Feel free to come around and share!

Lynne, thanks for spending time with us today. For everyone who wishes to learn more about Lynne and her incredible books, please visit her website to read more about her awesome works. It has been a pleasure, Lynne, and I wish you the best with your writing.

It's been an absolute delight. Thank you!

Interviewed by: Linda L