AUTHOR INTERVIEW - ASHLYNNE LAYNE

What is your name, where were you born and where do you live now? 

 My pen name is Ashlynne Laynne and I was born in Charlotte, NC and continue to live in North Carolina.

Do you work another job as well as your writing work?

 Yes. I work full time for a major power company and have for the last fourteen years.

What is the name of your latest book, and if you had to summarise it in less than 20 words what would you say? 

 The Progeny is the first book in my Progeny Series and is my first publication. If I had to summarize it in twenty words, it would be— Half-human, half vampire meets bi-racial Wiccan and falls madly in love, only to have his family viciously attacked.

What can we expect from you in the future?  i.e. more books of the same genre? Books of a different genre?

 The second of my Progeny series—Blood Bonds—releases in June 2012. I’m currently writing the third in the series, writing a new series of novellas, and editing a previously unpublished work that I hope to release next year.

Do you have plans for a new book? Is this book part of a series? 

 Yes. There will be six or seven books in all.

What genre would you place your books into? 

 erotic paranormal romance

Do you read all the reviews of your book/books?

 I’ve conditioned myself not to, simply because not everyone likes everything and a bad review can be discouraging.

Would you ever ask a reviewer to change their review if it was not all positive about your book/books? 

 No. Writing is an art and therefore subjective. One person’s opinion is their own and does not mirror those of others. As a reader, I’m always suspicious of books with only good reviews because that is not the norm.

Do you choose a title first, or write the book then choose the title?

 I chose the title of The Progeny first. It was a long thought out process.

Do you decide on character traits (i.e. shy, quiet, tomboy girl) before writing the whole book or as you go along?

 I dreamed of Ascher first. This was the beginning of The Progeny. Shauna came next after some thought and consideration. The rest of the characters came as I wrote for Ascher and Shauna.

Do you basic plot/plan for your book, before you actually begin writing it out? Or do you let the writing flow and see where it takes the story? 

 I start each project with a loose plan but it rarely holds up. As I write more of the series, Ascher and Shauna are rebelling against my plotting.

Have you ever suffered from a "writer's block"? What did you do to get past the "block"? 

 When I’m blocked, I usually take a few days off to relax my mind. This usually puts me right back in the game.

What do you do to unwind and relax? Do you have a hobby? 

 Believe it or not, writing is very therapeutic for me. When I’m not writing, I love to read, cook and spend time with my husband and teenage son.

Have you ever based characters on people you know or based events on things that have happened to you? 

 I injected my character traits into Ascher and Shauna. Those who know me will be able to see these traits in the books. I tend to channel from my own sexual experiences for the love scenes.

Which format of book do you prefer— e-book, hardback, or paperback? 

 e-book

What is your favourite book and Why?  Have you read it more than once?

 I have several but my newest favourites are the Fifty Shades Series. I was skeptical at first but I read the whole trilogy in a week. I intend to read them again in the near future.

Do you think books transfer to movies well? Which is you favourite/worst  book to movie transfer?

I think whether a book is a good movie depends on the screen writer and director.  I’ve seen great books be terrible movies. I’ve also read books that I loved that never got a movie option. My favorite book/movie adaptation was The Shining by Stephen King.