I was fortunate enough to land an interview with a great newspaper, The Examiner.  In case some of you missed the interview, I’d like to share it.

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 Seriously Interviewed questions.

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Thank you for sharing who you are with us. We have tried to make the process simple. There are two sets of questions. Serious questions and Are you serious? fun questions. Choose up to 5 questions from each list that you would like to answer.

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Thank you

Seriously Reviewed

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Thank you so much for this wonderful opportunity.  I am thrilled you asked me for this interview.

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Serious Questions – please use these questions to tell readers about you – the author and your books. Serious questions with serious answers. Choose up to 5 from the list.

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What is your favorite thing about being a romance writer?  My favorite thing about being a romance writer is the ability to make up characters and situations in my head.  I love to get my characters into as much trouble as possible, then see if I can get them out of it.  There is no better job in the world!

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When writing your description of your hero/ine what feature do you start with? Eyes, age, hair color, etc?  I usually begin with the most unusual or striking feature.  For instance, in my book Innocence Lost, Megan has violet eyes and that is typically the first thing someone notices about her.

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Is there anything special you do to get in the mood to write?  For some odd reason, when I listen to Beethoven, Mozart, Chopin, and most classical music, this puts me in the mood to write.  I may also read a book that strikes a chord and puts me in the right frame of mind to write.

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Are you a plotter or a pantser?  I’m actually a little of both.  I create plotlines for my stories, then just let my characters fill in the blanks.  When I tried to plot an entire story, I found my characters usually had different plans, so I just gave up and let them have their way.  For instance, in my forthcoming third book, Innocence Found, I had no idea a shot was about to be fired upon the hero in the park until it happened.  That allowed for an interesting and somewhat inconvenient attempted murder charge to be inserted into the plot.

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If I was a first time reader of your books, which one would you recommend I start with and why?  Well, I would recommend a first time reader start with the first book in my series, Innocence Lost.  Although each book in the series is a stand alone book, they are in chronological order.

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Are you Serious Question – these are fun, quirky bits about you. Answer with a single word or go into as much detail as you want. Choose up to 5 or come up with some of your own.

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What song would best describe your life?  Love Rollercoaster by The Ohio Players from their 1975 Honey album.  No question!

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What’s a guilty pleasure you have?  Chocolate and shopping.  Okay, that’s more than one, but I couldn’t decide which one to put down.

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What sound drives you crazy?  When someone eats with his or her mouth open.  Arrgggg!  I can’t stand the smacking!

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If you came with a warning label, what would it say?  Warning!  Anything you say and do can and will be put in my next book!

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What’s number one on your list of things you hope to do before you die?  Be on the New York Times bestseller list.

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I hope you enjoyed the interview.  If you could ask your favorite author a question, what would it be?

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~Tiffany

www.tiffanygreen.net

Follow me on Twitter: @SeeMyTiara

Friend me on Facebook: tiffany.green.5895

Those familiar with me may know that when I find a book (or series) I really like, I tend to turn into a bit of a fanatic. I’ve been cyberstalking author Julie Moffett ever since I picked up No One Lives Twice, the first (now second) book in her Lexi Carmichael series. A funny, intriguing story featuring a geeky heroine? Yes, please!

Well, I’ve been on the edge of my seat waiting for a third release in this fantastic series, and here it finally is! I just had to share it with you. A heart-pounding action/mystery taking place on a beach — doesn’t that sound like a great summer read? Today, it is my pleasure to welcome Julie Moffett to Authors by Moonlight! Let’s start with a peek into her newest release:

NO MONEY DOWN by Julie Moffett

Me and the legendary Zimmerman twins — it’s a friendship made in geek heaven. And it all started back when I worked for the NSA…

My best friend Basia dragged me to the beach for her idea of a vacation. All those annoying people, sand in embarrassing places — not exactly R & R for a girl who doesn’t like the sun, the ocean or bathing suits. I couldn’t wait to get back to work.

But things started looking up when I ran into Elvis and Xavier Zimmerman. We discovered we had a lot in common: gaming, anchovies, hacking. After that, the vacation was perfect — until I accidentally broke some poor guy’s fingers. Then Broken-Fingered Guy disappeared, and things got really dicey. With the Secret Service and a bunch of thugs suddenly after me, all I wanted was to solve the mystery and enjoy what was left of my vacation — preferably alive.

Prequel to No One Lives Twice.

Welcome, Julie! Let’s start with a little introduction. What led you to begin writing?

It started in the second grade when I wrote a love story between Prince Valen and Princess Tina who met, fell in love and got married on Valentine’s Day. It was a hit with all the girls in my class. The boys held their noses. After that I won a 3^rd grade poem contest about a haunted house, followed by a stint on my college newspaper, and later I moved into international journalism. Eventually I got brave enough to pen a novel.

If you were to name one author who has shaped or inspired your writing, who would it be?

Anyone who dares to write a book from beginning to end is inspirational to me. It takes a lot of guts to put your thoughts down on paper for all to see and critique. My hat is off to all writers, regardless if you’ve ever published or not.

Tell us a little bit about your writing process. Do you set a certain time per day?

These days with 2 jobs, 2 kids and studying for my second MA, writing is done in snatches whenever and wherever I can. I hope things will settle down soon so I can have more dedicated time to devote to Lexi and her (mis)adventures. 

Are you a plotter or a pantser?

I’m a total plotter. Think Dragnet: “Just the facts ma’am.” I need to know the plot up front and all the way to the end, including the series arc. That doesn’t mean things don’t sometimes take an unexpected turn. They do. But I’ve always got a goal in mind.

When did you first get the idea for the Lexi Carmichael mystery series? Back then, did you think it would ever get published?

I wrote No One Lives Twice some time ago and it garnered a lot of attention, but no sale. Two editors actually called me personally to say they were so sorry they had to pass on the manuscript because they loved it, but just couldn’t figure out how to market it. They would say: “It’s not exactly a romance. It’s not exactly a mystery.” One of those editors was the late Kate Duffy from Kensington who told me, “You damn well better sell this book. It’s a shame when a good book can’t get published because of marketing concerns.” I was lucky when Harlequin started Carina Press and they were actually looking for books that didn’t fit the mold.

You also write historical romance. Do you find it challenging or liberating to switch back and forth between the two genres?

I love to write historical romances, just as I love writing time-travels, contemporary novels and a humorous action/adventure mystery series. It’s all about the writing. That being said, I do have a special love for history, and am especially fond of Scottish and Irish settings (not to mention the guys!). Gotta love those kilts and brogues!

What’s your favorite part about writing the Lexi series? What part do you find the most challenging?

My favorite part is Lexi herself. She’s such a conundrum. She’s smart enough to know she needs people and a life outside her “virtual existence,” but she doesn’t know quite how to go about it. Enter her best friend, Basia, who is essentially the expositional character in the series. She plays off Lexi’s inexperience and offers suggestions to help bring her out of her geek shell with sometimes (well, most of the time) unexpected results.

They say every author writes a bit of themselves into their main characters. In which ways, if any, are you similar to Lexi?

I think there are definitely parts of me in Lexi, but in all actuality, I’m probably more like Basia, but much less of a fashionista!

If you were in Lexi’s shoes, which hero would you choose and why — the rich Irish lawyer, Finn, the mysterious Italian secret agent and hacker extraordinaire, Slash, or the quirky and dependable friend Elvis?

Ha! You think I’d tell you?? Nice try. 

If the series was made into a movie, who would you cast in the roles of the main characters?

Oh, jeez. I have no idea. Do you have any thoughts?

Putting me on the spot now, are you? You’re right, that’s a tough one.

How many books do you envision writing for the series?

Probably six or seven. Book 3 titled No Place Like Rome is almost finished. This is mostly Slash’s and Lexi’s adventure. You may remember that Slash is Italian. His uncle works for the Vatican and they are having hacking problems. Enter Lexi and Slash to take on the bad guys!! Here’s the big question … how much trouble can Lexi cause at the Vatican? LOL! I also have Book 4 plotted out and have a plan for Book 5. Overall, I know how I want to end the series. I’m just not certain of the exact number of books it will take me to complete the series arc in a satisfactory way.

What’s the next thing in store for Lexi?

The June 4 release of No Money Down is a novella explaining how Lexi met the Zimmerman twins. No Place Like Rome might possibly come out next year if I can squeeze in time to finish it. I also will have a January 2013 release from Carina Press titled The Thorn & The Thistle, which is a reprint of an older Scottish historical romance I wrote. I really enjoyed writing that book.

Would you mind sharing a short excerpt from your newest release, No Money Down?

Why, certainly. Here’s the start of the book….

My name is Lexi Carmichael and I hate the beach.

Okay, maybe hate is too strong a word. I don’t really hate the beach. It’s just the sun is too bright, sand is everywhere and seaweed gets stuck in my toes. Don’t even get me started on how much I dislike bathing suits. It’s not pretty.

I don’t like people being crammed together in a mathematically disproportionate way in a very small area. Especially when they’re half-dressed and strutting around like peacocks. It’s too hot, too loud and smells too much of coconut suntan lotion. Beam me out of here, Scotty. Please.

Yet here I am, spending my precious vacation days at Ocean City, Maryland, on a beach without my beloved laptop, forced into this so-called “time away from technology” with my best friend and former roommate, Basia Kowalski. Somehow I let myself get talked into it. Usually I can resist her crazy ideas. After all, I have a pretty high IQ and recently graduated from Georgetown University with a double major in mathematics and computer science. But sometimes she talks so fast and runs me in circles that I often will acquiesce just to quit trying to figure out what she’s saying. Unfortunately, at that point it’s already too late. I’m stuck, having agreed to God-knows-what just to end the conversation.

Don’t get me wrong, I adore Basia. She’s everything I’m not—pretty, social, fashionable and outgoing. She’s also witty and has a remarkable flair for languages. She speaks about twenty of them fluently and has her own business as a freelance translator while working part-time for Berlitz, those folks who put out the small phrase books in dozens of different languages. She’s brought me out of my shell more than any other person I’ve ever known, even if it does make me nervous and cranky most of the time.

She’s always telling me, “Lexi Carmichael, it’s time to log off and get a life.” She’s usually right.

I’ll be the first to admit I’m not the easiest person to be around. I’m neither a girly-girl nor a tomboy. I’m skinny in an awkward way, have no fashion sense and I don’t date much (or at all), which is not surprising since my social skills suck.

I’m a geek.

That means my happy place is online. Computers, code, gaming. I’m also an ace hacker. Or at least I used to be. Then I sort of got busted. It wasn’t a malicious hack, that’s not my style, but it was still illegal. Lucky for me, my dad is a high-priced lawyer for a swanky firm in Georgetown so no one could prove anything. However, it scared the beejeebies out of me. It scared Dad too. Although I’m technically an adult, he threatened to take away all my computer equipment if I ever hacked like that again.

Thanks for joining me here today, Julie! I appreciate it.

CONTEST ALERT: Leave a comment for Julie by 11:59 PM EST on Friday, June 22 for your chance to win the Carina Press anthology housing No Money Down.

Find the Lexi Carmichael series at:

Carina Press Editor’s Choice Anthology, Vol. 2

No Money Down

No One Lives Twice

No One to Trust

Find Julie Moffett online at:

1. Twitter ID:  @JMoffettAuthor
2. Facebook link: www.facebook.com/pages/Julie-Moffett-Author/123804877633091
3. Author website: www.juliemoffett.com