Special Guest Hanna Martine!

Authorial Mom Hanna Martine!

Authorial Mom: Welcome to the Authorial Moms blog! Tell us a little about yourself. How many kids do you have? How old are they?

Hanna Martine: I have one. She's four going on fourteen.

AM: What do you write? How many books have you written/published? How old are they?

HM: I write paranormal romance novels and erotic short stories. My first novel, LIQUID LIES, releases from Berkley Sensation on July 3, 2012. Its follow-up, A TASTE OF ICE, doesn't have a release date yet. A novella taking place in the same world will appear in the paranormal romance anthology tentatively titled UNBOUND, also coming from Berkley Sensation. I will have a short story titled "In the Dog House" in Cleis Press's upcoming erotic romance anthology, ONLY YOU.

AM: Wow, that’s a pretty full schedule! Tell me about a typical day. How do you write with kids around? Or do you have to ship them off to school or grandparents’ houses to get anything done?

HM: I cart El Kiddo off to some sort of preschool every day of the week. I write best during the day, especially first thing in the morning.

AM: Did you write before you had kids, or after? What changed with your writing when you had kids?

You should really buy this book.

HM: Yes, I wrote before kids. Even though I literally had all the time in the world, I wasn't very productive or focused. Once I was home with my baby and her schedule became fixed, instead of napping when she napped, I wrote. Those quick sprints of work really forced me to hunker down and focus. I didn't procrastinate or get sidetracked because I couldn't afford to. I credit my child with giving me a work ethic and drive and desire that I didn't own before she came along. She makes me want to succeed. She makes me want to be able to say to her: Look what you can do when you have a dream and do everything in your power to achieve it. No excuses. Go for it.

AM: How old will one or more of your children have to be before they’re allowed to read your books?

HM: Considering I used to sneak my mom's romances when I was in high school (maybe even earlier, I don't recall)? I'm not sure. It will depend on her maturity and where we are in our relationship. I think the romances/books published today are far more sensible and better focused on female empowerment than the ones I read. I'd like to think that I will raise a confident, educated young woman who can read my books with mature eyes.

AM: Becoming an author means having a public persona. How do you combine motherhood with the demands of a public life? Do you feature your kid, keep her shielded under pseudonyms, or leave her out of the equation entirely? Has she asserted her opinion on this matter?

HM: I intend to keep my public and private lives as separate as possible. I use a pseudonym and only call my child El Kiddo online. It's just what makes me more comfortable.

AM: Most Moms I know have a limited amount of free time. Give me a few reasons why they should dedicate some of that time to your characters. What’s in it for us?

HM: Hot, ex-military guy with shaved head and mysterious torso-covering tattoo has got it bad for smart, driven water-magic sorceress he's been hired to kidnap. Want me to go on?

AM: Oh, my…that does sound delicious! Let’s have a little fun with fill-in-the-blanks. “The floor of my kitchen is so ___ you can ___ it.”

HM: “The floor of my kitchen is so full of dog hair you can make another Bernese Mountain Dog with it.”

AM: In what way have you turned into your mother? How are you coping with it?

HM: My mom always had a book with her. Always. I like to tell the story about how she ripped off the cover to THE CIDER HOUSE RULES and used it to wrap around her romance novels. I think she read THE CIDER HOUSE RULES for three years straight. I'm always reading, but I will never cover up what's in my hand. My mom loved books in general, and I'm so proud that she passed that love on to me.

AM: I sort of love your mother right now. Okay, what’s up next for you?

HM: I'm currently working on a novella for Berkley Sensation.

AM: Where can we find you and your books online?

HM: My books are sold through all major retailers.

Amazon link: http://www.amazon.com/Liquid-Lies-ebook/dp/B006CUFWJ6/ref=tmm_kin_title_0?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2

Barnes & Noble link: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/liquid-lies-hanna-martine/1107382987?ean=9781101569009&format=nook-book

Facebook fan page: www.facebook.com/HannaMartineBooks

Twitter: @Hanna_Martine

Or visit me at www.hannamartine.com