Good morning. Today I am speaking with Jude Mason.

Hi Linda, thank you so much for having me.

Jude, why not tell your readers about one day in the life of Jude Mason.

And ruin all those fantastic, sexy misconceptions. I'd love to be able to come up with something glamorous and exciting, but it's never like that. I'm usually awake by about 7:30 A.M. dying for coffee—always the first order of business. After a quick shower and dressing, I'm raring to get to my computer. I'm one of the very lucky authors who can spend their day writing, plotting, editing, whatever's on the agenda. I'll usually stop several times during the day, to pace or grab something to eat, but I'll normally work until it's time to get dinner going. I've been known to lose track of time and not get to that until my husband comes in and shocks the hell out of me.

After dinner, I may edit, or I may take time to myself. Occasionally, I'll keep writing, but not often. Evenings are normally time with hubby or family.

I'm usually in bed by about 10 and might watch an hour of TV. Exciting as all get out, I know.

It seems that you are always busy with some new and exciting book. Why not share your works with us and plans for future releases?

I've actually just been lucky enough to have two new works contracted to Venus Press, my main publisher, but I'd better start before them. A list even. Jeeze! These are works that will be published through Venus Press, unless otherwise noted:

October 2006 Freeing the Beast Within, an All Hallow's Eve story, and the sequel to And There Were Beasts will be released.

November 8.2006 Scorpio Tattoo, one of the Mystic Signs books will be released, and this one I'm really excited about. It's, in my opinion, my best work to date and I'm dying for the readers to let me know if they agree with me. Mystery, paranormal, a love story, great sex, it's got a lot going for it.

December.2006 Being Neighborly will come out. This one is a really different story, well two stories really. I told both sides of the story, his and hers. The first half of the book is her story, how she meets the fellow, what she thinks and feels as that meeting progresses. The second half is from his point of view. I have no idea if it's been done before, but it was one of the most challenging books I've ever written.

Now to the two I've just signed contracts for. Jesse's Homecoming, a girl/girl western that I really enjoyed putting together. And, Mind Meld, a Confession to Venus, and a sci-fi, just to add a little variety to the mix.

I've also had a short story accepted by Aphrodite's Apples, which will come out this fall in their second Masquerade anthology. Island of Fantasies, a fun tale of a Greek Goddess who just happens to have amnesia.

What do I have planned for the future? More of the same. I'm a writer, and I adore my job. I'm working on a new one right now for VP; a bad girls book and it's just starting to get interesting. I've also been invited to join with several other authors in an anthology that's in the works—a diary, a house in New Orleans and a touch of the paranormal. Each author has chosen a year, the first being somewhere in the 1700's then tells about what happened with the owners during that time. It feels like it's going to be a fascinating collection of stories.

What is your favorite part of writing?

I love it all, even the editing. Coming up with the scenarios maybe gives me the biggest rush, but putting that final fix in is a very close second. I even like the editing process, but people think I'm crazy for it.

What was your reaction when you got your first contract?

If I remember correctly, I screamed. Wow, someone actually wanted my work. The very first one was for a short story. The pay wasn't great, but I was so jazzed I'm sure my husband thought I'd lost my mind.

Do you have any unfinished projects sitting around?

Uh, yeah, several. I'll get to them, I promise. LOL! Let's see, there's, My First Noel, a novella I began and semi-finished several years ago about an older woman, younger man. I've also got the beginnings of one I've simply named Sammy about a character who appeared in An Acquired Taste, a novel that came out earlier this year. He's flaming gay and needs to tell his story. And then there's the third and final book in my Dealing With series to finish. I'm sure Tracey, over at Venus, is going to begin bugging me for it soon. She's been very patient with me.

Do you have a character that is especially close to your heart?

All of them. Each one has spoken to me and shared their lives and thoughts with me, so how could each and every one of them, not be special.

How long have you been writing - have you always wanted to be a writer?

I can't remember a time when I wasn't coming up with stories, or at least ideas for stories. Writing has always been part of who I am. It's not so much me wanting to be a writer; I am a writer and always have been. I just needed to realize it and find the right way for me.

How many books have you written, how many have been published?

I've written fifteen or so complete books. Published, nine, I think.

Was there any one person or event in your life that inspired you to write your first book?

Not one event or person, a combination perhaps. Like I said, I've always written, but when I discovered the internet it showed me a lot of doors that I could open and explore, if I had the guts. I met an e-publisher, Roy Larkin, who gave me information and encouraged me to at least try. I did and was shocked at how much I needed to learn, but here I am.

How would you pen the perfect vacation?

This question got me laughing. If I could still write and go on a cruise with my husband, I think that would be close to perfect. He's a photographer so I can see him wandering off to take pictures while I write, then later in the day we'd get together and go exploring new places.

Of course, if you asked me this same question tomorrow, you'll most likely get a totally different answer.

Do you have a favorite song that you could listen to over and over again?

There's a few, James Blunt's, High or Goodbye My Lover, Nick Cave and Kate Bush's, Where the Wild Roses Grow, Metalica's, Enter Sandman.

Do you outline your stories or just go with the flow?

It depends on the length I'm aiming for. If I'm writing something under say 10K, I'll most often go with the flow. If it's novella length, or longer, I'll do a rough outline, chapter by chapter. The outline is flexible, I've often had characters who just refused to do what I thought was the right thing. I've learned to listen to them.

Have you ever written a screenplay?

No, and you're not the first to ask me this. I've never thought to try it. Although now the topic has come up, you never know.

For Fun: Who is your favorite actor?

Robin Williams maybe, he's incredibly talented. Johnny Depp is gorgeous and I've loved whatever movies I've seen him in. Sean Connery was, and still has a place in my heart. He did some very cool stuff. I actually don't watch a lot of movies or TV so there's probably actors out there I'd love, but I've just never seen them.

You have a lovely website. Do you have another one other than www.my-haven2001.com you would like to share with your readers?

Thank you. Haven has been a labor of love for a few years. I think I finally have it to where I want it.

Let's see, I've got a newsletter list with yahoo, here:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Jude_Masons_Haven/
And I've also got a couple of blogs that I'm terrible at keeping up, but do try. Url's are:
http://jude-mason.blogspot.com/
and here:
http://www.myspace.com/jude_mason

Jude, it has been a pleasure having you with us today. I wish you the best in your writing career.

Thank you, Linda. This has been great fun and I hope the readers enjoyed learning a little bit more about me.

Interviewed by: Linda L