Interview with Marie Lavender by Tell Cotten

*This interview was originally conducted on Tell Cotten's blog.  The link is here, but I will post it below.

Today I’m happy to have author Marie Lavender stop by and talk about her latest book.

1. Greetings, can you tell us a little bit about yourself?

Sure.  I’ve been writing since I was a kid.  I’ve always wanted to be an author.  I have published sixteen books.

2. What genre, or genres, do you write?

I write romances, both contemporary and historical.  I have written literary fiction before, and I am trying to get into writing paranormal stories as well.

3. What is your latest book called and what it is about?

Upon Your Return is a historical romance novel.  It is about a young heiress who gets herself into all kinds of trouble by being in the wrong place at the wrong time.  This sets off a whole chain of events that is both challenging and compelling.  She has to rely on a strange man for protection, and of course, they cannot help but fall in love.  This book was released in e-book form on February 13th.  The print version will be out in May or June.

4.  If you had to rate your book, would it be G, PG, PG-13, or R?


LOL!  Well, I’d have to say R.  It’s not overly graphic, but I definitely wouldn’t let a child read it.

5.  What makes your book unique?

I think the character, Fara Bellamont, is a pretty strong character who, despite of all the social norms of the time period (Victorian France), still manages to be an individual.  She does not like to be dictated to, and she puts the hero in his place several times.  She makes some decisions that society probably would not have accepted then and she gets a lot of flak for it, but that is what makes her unique.

6.  Do you plot ahead of time, or do you let the plot emerge as you write?

A little of both.  I usually have a good idea of where the story is headed, but I also get surprised at where the characters want to go too.  The longer I write, the more I realize how important all those little things that go into a book are (setting, research, etc.).  So, even if it might take time, I do plot on some level.  I am pretty casual about my writing usually, letting it just come out however it wants, but when I’m focused on a book, I get kind of obsessed with it.  With Perfect Game, one of the books I released under the pen name Erica Sutherhome, I did a ton of research on that, and I think it turned out pretty well, even though when it was just a seedling, I had no idea where it was going.  The books still manage to surprise me!  In high school, if you had told me I’d not only have a historical romance novel published, but be writing the sequels, I’m not sure I would have believed it.

7. Where can we buy your books?

Upon Your Return is available on Amazon and Solstice.  You can also link directly to any of my books through my website at http://www.marielavender.webs.com/   The rest of my books are available through Amazon and Lulu Press.

8. What’s next?

I am working on the sequel to Upon Your Return right now.  It will be titled Upon Your Honor.   I also have plans for many other books in the coming years.  I am working on a romantic suspense, and as aforementioned, I would like to write paranormal books.  I have plans for a couple of series about witches, and two vampire books.

Book Blurb for Upon Your Return

Fara Bellamont has been back in society for a year after leaving Cluny Abbey, where her uncle sent her long ago. When he chooses a suitor for her for marriage, she fears that she will be forced to marry a stranger and live a miserable life.

But, Fara finds herself thrust into an adventure of a lifetime when unforeseen circumstances cause her to place her trust in a strange man for protection. His intervention not only saves her, but puts her in an even more compromising position.

Grant Hill, a trading captain, is enchanted by the young heiress not only because of her beauty, but because she is hardly conventional. Underneath her ladylike exterior lies a tigress. Grant cannot help but offer his protection as she is in need and he is far from immune from her charms.

Fara just never bargained on the passion that she feels for Grant Hill. As events unfold, she must decide whether her desires and the dictates of her heart should trump the rules of society in this exciting tale.

Author Bio

Marie Lavender lives in the Midwest with her family and three cats. She has been writing for over twenty years. She has more works in progress than she can count on two hands.

At the tender age of nine, she began writing stories. Her imagination fueled a lot of her early child’s play. Even growing up, she entered writing contests and received a certificate for achieving the second round in one. She majored in Creative Writing in college because that was all she ever wanted – to be a writer. While there, she published two works in a university publication, and was a copy editor on the staff of an online student journal. After graduating from college, she sought out her dream to publish a book.

UponYourReturn_E-bookCover (1)

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