Interview with Laurel Bradley

When did you first start writing? What keeps you doing it?
I started writing long before I ever put pen to paper. My parents read to me a lot when I was a child, but it was never enough. After I’d been put to bed, I’d make up stories until I fell asleep. Writing was the natural next step. I keep writing because I love being able to “be” all the characters. I’m the princess, the dragon and the knight when I write.

When you first started writing, what was your biggest shock and/or realization about the publishing industry? My biggest shock was how hard it is to get published. Somehow I thought I could simply hand my complete manuscript to a publisher to get it published. I was very naïve. The second biggest shock about the industry was marketing. I learned that no matter who the publisher is, it is the author who is ultimately in charge of promotion.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received about writing? Follow your dream and don’t give up.

What advice do you have for new writers (if different than above)? Ask for help. Every published author was once an unpublished wannabe. If you have specific questions, ask them.

Where do you find your inspiration for your stories? Everywhere. Literally. A conversation with a friend about infertility prompted (A Wish in Time) a time travel romance where the quest of a child causes two women to unexpectedly switch places in time. Gourmet ice cream and Cervantes’ Don Quixote prompted Crème Brûlée Upset. To watch a short book trailer of either of these go to www.laurelbradley.com

Please tell us about your newest release Crème Brûlée Upset. Crème Brûlée Upset is a fun and funny contemporary romance from The Wild Rose Press. It’s available as an eBook at the moment, but will be in print July 25, 2008.

When Mike Tucker dumps crème brûlée down chef Patrice Wilson’s dress whites, she knows it’s time to forget her life-long crush and move on. It isn’t until she’s no longer speaking to him that Mike realizes he’s loved her all along. His just-before-Christmas campaign to win her back involves four nosey parents, three scoops of ice cream, two other suitors and a Don Quixote singing troubadour.

Click excerpt to read an excerpt of Crème Brûlée Upset.