NINA BRUHNS ~ Spotlight Interview with Tracey West ~ RTR
 

Q: What can you tell readers about Nina Bruhns: the lady, the wife, the mother, and the author?

A: I guess in all of the above I feel you only have one chance to do it right in this world, so you better try to do your best while you can. There are so many people who are afraid to really live, afraid to show their feelings, so afraid to make a mistake that they shut themselves off from living life to the fullest out of pure fear. I try to do the opposite. Sometimes that gets me into trouble, but I have very few regrets. I think that fearlessness comes out in my books and makes them interesting and different. At least that’s what I’ve been told!

Q: There is a lot more to your career than just your upcoming title, SWEET SUSPICION due on bookstores in February.  What can you tell us about your writing? How long have you been writing?

A: I came late to reading romance, but after finishing my first one I was hooked! I’d long toyed with the idea of writing a mystery, but always thought an essential ingredient was missing from most mystery novels—the emotion. When I discovered romantic suspense, it took about 3 seconds to realize this was what I wanted to write. I think my characters and their stories tend to be unique. I enjoy writing about situations that interest me, and those tend to be... um, different <G>. I also have been told my writing is very sensual and captures the chemistry between a man and a woman well, along with the physical setting. I love making the setting another character in the book whenever possible (as in SINS OF THE FATHER).

Q: You have had many accolades, won many awards or been nominated for your books, do you find that this puts more pressure on you when you are writing your next book?  Do you feel you have a lot to live up to in terms of making this one better than the last?

A: Actually, no. I don’t think about it that way. I only think about contests after the book is finished and out. Then I send it in to a few contests and that’s when I start worrying <G>.  Will they like it? Is it horrible? But I absolutely don’t think about awards while writing the book. Just the characters and the story. If you do, you’ll drive yourself crazy I’m sure.

Q: What is a day like in your life? Do you have a strict writing schedule?

A:  My daily goal is 5 pages a day. I don’t stop if I go over, but really try to get my daily quota done so I don’t get behind on deadlines, etc. Since I have kids, I try to do my writing while they are in school during the day. I also bring my laptop and work at soccer/baseball/swim/etc practice.

Q: What do you find the hardest thing about writing? The easiest?

 The hardest: writing the last 3 chapters. By then I just want to put all the characters on a plane and crash it. Just kidding...sort of. But seriously, by the end of a book I feel as if I’ve known the characters forever and they’ve become good friends. I miss them terribly when they’re gone, even though I know they’re enjoying their happily-ever-after. That’s why I like to revisit them in later books. But the last 3 chapters you have to put them all through hell, and that’s really hard.

In case anyone out there has been misinformed, there is nothing easy about writing! Nothing I can think of anyway. ;D Okay, maybe coming up with new stories. If you’re a storyteller, that’s the easy part. There are always too many to choose from!

Q: Where do you get your ideas, inspirations from?

A: Everywhere! I see plots in every possible situation. Usually it’s something I see (a person or a scene in a movie or something like that) that captures my imagination, and won’t leave me alone. What makes me go with a particular idea is if it ‘feels’ sexy and full of interesting possibilities. There has to be a real chemistry in the scene and characters or it’s not my kind of story.

Q: Do you usually outline your stories before you write them, or do you "go with the flow"?

A: I usually plan to the extent that I jot down 1-2 sentences about each chapter, what happens, major plot points, etc, just so I don't go off on tangents or get lost, which is easy to do. Kills the pacing! But I don't usually plot scenes or details far ahead, since they'll probably change by the time I get to that point in the book. That's how I prefer to work. A basic framework to start out with, including GMC for the characters, then the actual story emerges from the characters' interactions in the situations you place them in. Very character-driven, which means plotting in advance is difficult for more than the broadest elements.  So, it’s kind of a combination of outline and go with the flow.

Q: Do you ever experience writer’s block? If so, have you found your own ‘cure’ for it?

A: No, almost never. I realize if I start getting blocked it means there’s something wrong with the plot and the characters are trying to tell me something. So I listen and usually discover there’s some flaw somewhere. Hopefully it’s fixable. If I just can’t decide what comes next, I analyze the problem scene using the Scene and Sequel technique, which tells me exactly what needs to follow, structure-wise (highly recommended technique). Voila, no blocks.

Q: What is your biggest passion in life?

A: Oh, there are way too many to choose just one. I guess if I had to pick one, it would be for sensual indulgence. Whether it be the taste of a piece of great chocolate, or the smell of wild orchids, or the fine hand of a bolt of heavy silk, or… well, I guess I could go on and on. But you get the idea. To experience all the wonders we’ve been gifted with on this earth is my passion.

Q: What are you reading now? Do you have any favorite authors?

A: I am always reading something. Right now it’s a stack of Golden Heart entries <G>. I have a ton of favorite authors and books. It’s impossible to narrow down the list! I also love discovering new ones, so my list is ever-changing. Perennial faves are Linda Howard, Kathleen Eagle, Jane Feather, Nora Roberts, Amanda Quick. But I love reading, and anyone who writes well is on my list.  
Q: You also write erotic romances under the pseudonym of Nikita Black.  Will we see any other stories you have done in the future?

A: Fingers crossed! I am in the home stretch of SLAVE TO LOVE, an erotic thriller I’ve been working on for years in-between SIM contracts. My plan is to have it done by the end of February. So that would be the next release. I have a bunch of Nikita books I’d love to write. The problem is time. I have to write my SIMs first, because they pay the bills. I wish I could write more as Nikita, though.

Q: Did you find the erotic romances to be a bigger challenge for you than the straight romances?

A: Not at all. In fact, in some ways they are easier. Since I’m writing them for myself and my fans, and not to fit a guideline-driven publisher’s idea of what must go into them, I have a lot more freedom to just let my subconscious take over in a way that’s not possible with a SIM. Don’t get me wrong, I love writing for SIM, but the books are definitely written within a certain framework that one must always keep in mind. Not so Nikita. This last one (SLAVE) has definitely taken over and taken me places I had no idea I was going when I started it. That would not be possible in a straight romance.

Q: Were you nervous at all on how the public, your fans would react to the erotic romances?

A: Not really. They actually came first, so I didn’t have an established category readership to shock <G>.  My writing has always been the kind that elicits very different reactions from people. While unpublished, I constantly got 3s and 9s in the same contest. So early on I realized you can’t please all the people, so you may as well not even try. I write the Nikita books with a certain kind of woman in mind, and am very careful to warn readers in advance what they’re getting into.  I honestly don’t want to offend anyone. I respect everyone’s taste and opinions. But there’s a big demand for the kind of edgy story Nikita writes, so I don’t let it worry me that some people won’t like them. That’s fine.  But I was very surprised at the overwhelming positive reaction they got, and all the awards they won. That was fun.

Q: What did you want to be when you grew up? If you weren't an author, what would you want to be?

A: Growing up I wanted to be a big band singer  :D. Yeah, this was in the age of heavy metal rock and roll. What can I say?

If I weren’t an author… I guess if I were still in my 20’s I’d probably join the FBI. I love the whole forensics thing, especially the big picture stuff (comes from being an archaeologist no doubt). But I’m past FBI recruiting age <G>. Hmm. I could see owning an artsy movie theater/coffee shop/bookstore. I could also see owning a very tasteful erotic clothing store  :D. Or running a B&B somewhere on the beach.

Q: Do you need any props to write? Do you listen to mood music or light scented candles? 

A: Nope. Just the computer and me. Preferably in total silence. A candle would be nice, but with my luck I’d probably get so deep in my writing I’d burn the place down. :D

Q: I have enjoyed all of your titles to-date and I have enjoyed every one of them immensely.  If I had to choose a favourite, I do not think I could.  What book is your favourite?   

A: Ditto <G>.  But if pressed, I guess of all the books I’ve written so far, my personal favorite is SWEET REVENGE. But only by a hair. I love all my books because I love my characters.

Q: What makes a hero attractive to you? What hero is your favorite that you have written to date?

A:  A hero must be drop-dead sexy from word one. He has to be heroic toward the heroine at all times, even if he treats rest of the world with contempt. He has to look good in jeans <G>. I love a wounded alpha-male. A man who knows what he wants and knows how to go about getting it. But he needs the heroine to heal and be whole again. As for my own heroes, they’re all so much a part of me it’s impossible to pick one over the other. If I were stuck on a desert island it would have to be Jacque <G>. But if I had 3 young kids Cole would be the one for sure. Still, Auri is the hero who tugs most at my heartstrings. On the other hand, all the heroes I’ve created have been great guys and I love every one of them.

Q: What do you hope readers to take with them after reading one of your books? 

A: A warm feeling in their heart, a tear in their eye and a smile on their face. I hope they have laughed and cried, and come away thinking that true love can really happen, no matter how impossible it seems.

Q: Do you think there is anything about you that readers would be shocked to discover?

A: LOL!!! No doubt. I look innocent and proper, but inside lurks a wildwoman!

Q: Are there any goals that you set for yourself when you began writing that you still have yet to obtain?

A: Oh, tons of them. I think if you fulfill your all goals you haven’t made the right ones. You constantly have to challenge yourself and strive for that which is just out of reach or things get boring.

Q: What are some of your hopes/dreams for the future, with respect to your writing?

A: I look forward to getting a million dollar contract, a juicy Hollywood deal, and staying #1 on the New York Times list for twenty weeks running. :D  Like I said, you gotta dream big! But seriously, just to do this for a living is a dream come true. Anything more is gravy. I’d just like to be able to continue writing stories that my fans love. That’s all I really want.

Q: Your book coming out in February 2004, SWEET SUSPICION, is a spin off of SWEET REVENGE (previously released July 2002), what can you tell us about it?  Who are the characters and what connection do they have to SWEET REVENGE?

A: This one features Grace Summerville’s (from SWEET REVENGE) wild twin, Muse Summerville, as the heroine. The hero is Remi Beaulieux, of CATCH ME IF YOU CAN and also SWEET REVENGE fame. I got so much reader mail on him he had to get his own book! The two stories take place during the same period of time, involve the same mystery, and actually come together at one point toward the end. We get to see Grace and Creole from SWEET REVENGE in cameo appearances, along with Beau and Kit from CATCH ME IF YOU CAN. Here’s the back cover blurb:

            He had to stop kissing her…

           Muse Summerville was the only living witness whose testimony could put a notorious crime boss behind bars. Remi Beaulieux was the FBI special agent assigned to her safety. The FBI had rules about that sort of thing. But in the twenty-four hours since he laid eyes on her, Remi had broken every last one of them.

           For years Muse had hidden behind her reputation as a party girl. But sharing every moment of every day---and every sultry second of every night---with her sexy protector was making it hard to hide anything. Suddenly her life wasn’t the only thing on the line.

Q: Will you have more stories released in 2004? 

A: Yes, Ghost Of A Chance comes out in September 2004.  Here’s the blurb:

 She was imagining things…

Sure, Clara Fergussen loves pirates. And the sultry atmosphere of the South Carolina sea islands certainly inspires all sorts of fantasies. But when the sexy buccaneer Clara dreamed of her first night on Frenchman’s Island suddenly walks in and declares himself to be 200 year-old Tyree St. James, the notorious Blackbeard of Magnolia Cove, she knows she’s losing it badly. There are no such things as ghosts… Are there?

            All Tyree wants is to spend the last week of his two century curse in peace and quiet. But the sudden appearance of a young, beautiful travel writer on his remote estate puts him in mind of all he will miss about life on earth. Unfortunately, falling in love won’t change his imminent, permanent demise. That would take a miracle…

Q: Is there anything at all you would like to add Nina, that we have not covered?

A: Just that I love to hear from readers! Please feel free to drop me an email any time. I also have a newsletter that I send out about two or three times a year if you’d like to get all the latest news about both Nina and Nikita releases. To join, go to my website and click on Newsletter.

Thanks so much Tracey!!!

Readers can learn more about Nina Bruhns and her stories by visiting her website at http://www.NinaBruhns.com and also Nikita Black information can be found at http://www.nikitablack.com