Tuesday Special Interview: Vicki Lewis Thompson!
Author Name: Vicki Lewis Thompson
Website: www.vickilewisthompson.com
Genre: Romance
Latest book in shops now: Gone With The Nerd
Before we begin this interview, I need to check that you’re still grounded and that your head isn’t swollen from all of your success, so with that in mind, what was the last thing you bought on Ebay, and do you know how much a carton of milk costs?
Oh, dear. I don’t even have an Ebay account, and my dh does the grocery shopping! But I can tell you that the two of us have recently dined at Wendy’s and the bill was under ten bucks. Does that count?
{Oh yeah, I would say that definitely counts!}
Name your top five favourite books that you read as a child:
The Black Stallion,
Charlotte’s Web
The Secret Garden
Heidi,
Winnie-the-Pooh
My Friend Flicka
{You’ve got a lot of my favourite’s there!}
What does a typical day as a writer consist of?
Um, writing. Okay, I guess you’d like more detail. Email and writing. More detail? Chocolate, email and writing. Trust me, my day would never fly as a Movie of the Week.
Name your top five favourite books of all time.
To Kill a Mockingbird, Catcher in the Rye, Huckleberry Finn, Lady Chatterly’s Lover, Charlotte’s Web.
Which authors are you glomming at the moment? (reading a lot of?)
What, you don’t think I know glomming? {Hey, I’ve had lots of authors asking me what glomming meant!} I glom all the time. I love glomming.Anyway, I read as many of my friends’ romances as I can cram in, and I wouldn’t dare name them for fear of leaving someone out. But I also love Janet Evanovich , and recently I got started on The #1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series.
Do you have other close romance writer friends, and if so who are they?
Warning: long list! Roz Denny Fox, Patricia Knoll, Alison Hentges, Pat Warren, Christine Flynn, Cathy McDavid, Carly Phillips, Julie Leto, Leslie Kelly, Janelle Denison, Julie Kenner, Peggy Webb, Jennifer LaBrecque, Rhonda Daniels, Sue Kearney, Judith Arnold, Brenda Hiatt, K.N. Casper, Debbie Macomber, Georgia Bockoven, Judy Myers, Jayne Ann Krentz, Daphne Atkins, Cara Summers, Tory Carrington (Tony and Lori Karayianni), Laura Leone, Jean Brashear . . . . I’m sure I’m leaving out a ton of people. In twenty-three years I’ve found a lot of good buddies.
{You weren’t kidding about the long list!}
When did you realise that you wanted to write books, and who or what inspired you?
I didn’t realize it. My husband did. He saw a notice that a chapter of RWA was forming in Tucson and thought I should go. I couldn’t because of a Girl Scout meeting, so he went, brought home the info, bought me my first (!) Harlequins and said he thought I could do this. He was definitely my inspiration.
If you could have a one-to-one conversation with a famous historical figure, who would it be with and what would you talk about?
I would choose Eleanor Roosevelt, who shares a birthday with me. I’d ask if she had any advice for us in the 21st Century.
What is your ultimate goal when it comes your writing?
I want to give readers a good time. They all have different needs when they pick up a book, but I think the primary motivation is to escape into the story, leave the confusion of the real world behind for a few hours. I know that’s therapeutic, and so I want to provide the best darned escape I can.
{works for me!}
What’s your favourite food?
Prime rib. Yum. I’m an unabashed carnivore.
Which of your books is the dearest to your heart, and why?
Nerd In Shining Armor will always hold a special place in my heart. Writing it was pure joy because I wasn’t on a deadline and I was writing exactly what I wanted to write.
I had so much fun with that book, which also proves what can happen when you dedicate yourself to the fun of writing. I don’t love that book because it got me on the NYT List, although that’s certainly significant. I love it because of all the joy I had creating it.
Has anything a reviewer or reader said or written about you changed the way you write?
I don’t think so, and here’s the reason: I have to write the way I do. It’s me. I don’t think I could change the way I write if I tried. I can revise books and reconstruct plots and deepen characterizations, but I can’t change the basic way I sound on the page.
When was the last time you went overseas and where did you go?
My daughter Audrey and I went to Europe in the summer of 2004! We spent sixteen days, beginning with Rome, then going on to Florence, then Paris and finally London. It was an amazing and unforgettable trip. I’m ready to go back.
Who’s your favourite romance hero of all time?
I’m sure it’s a cliché, but I still love Rhett the best.
Who’s your favourite romance heroine of all time?
Couldn’t pick one. Impossible.
What kind of characters would you say you typically wrote?
I tend to write about everyday people, although occasionally I throw in a movie star. But I’m not very good at glitz and glamour.
I almost turned in a manuscript where the hero pushed back his sleeve and consulted his Roladex, so I have to watch it if I write about jet-setters. I also like to write about people who can laugh at themselves.
If only one person could read your book, who would that be? (as in the person who you would want most to read your book)
Oprah.
{Popular answer, but she is great isn’t she?}
What was the last movie you saw?
The Wedding Crashers
{I think everybody in the world has seen this movie apart from me!}
Name your top five favourite romantic films.
Gone with the Wind,
Dr. Zivago,
Out of Africa,
The Way We Were,
Return to Me.
{Is Return to Me the one with Minnie Driver and David Duchovny?}
If you could be any other author, who would you be and why?
I’d be Linda Howard, who writes a book for six months and takes off for six months and still manages to stay on the NYT List.
{She’s bloody marvellous isn’t she?}
What was the last book you read?
Family at Last by K.N. Casper
Have you ever written a book that you didn’t particularly care for, and do you cringe if you see people picking it up to read it?
Fortunately, I care for all my books. Some I care for more than others, and all of them get ugly at some point in the writing. But by the time I’m finished, I care for each and every one of them, at least a little bit. I don’t cringe to see someone pick it up. I think to myself “That was the best I could do at the time.”
Finally, when’s your next book due out, and what’s it about?
My next book is a Blaze called Talking About Sex. . .
The heroine’s a talk-show host at a radio station that’s about to be bulldozed to make room for a high-rise complex being built by the hero.
They were high-school sweethearts and it ended badly. She uses her show, Talking About Sex, to suggest that a man building a high-rise is compensating for his sexual inadequacies. Fun and games ensue.
Sounds fantastic Vicki! Thanks very much for your time!!
Next week, I’ve got newly published author, Emjai Colbert in the hot seat! (Yes, it’s that author!)
Website: www.vickilewisthompson.com
Genre: Romance
Latest book in shops now: Gone With The Nerd
Before we begin this interview, I need to check that you’re still grounded and that your head isn’t swollen from all of your success, so with that in mind, what was the last thing you bought on Ebay, and do you know how much a carton of milk costs?
Oh, dear. I don’t even have an Ebay account, and my dh does the grocery shopping! But I can tell you that the two of us have recently dined at Wendy’s and the bill was under ten bucks. Does that count?
{Oh yeah, I would say that definitely counts!}
Name your top five favourite books that you read as a child:
The Black Stallion,
Charlotte’s Web
The Secret Garden
Heidi,
Winnie-the-Pooh
My Friend Flicka
{You’ve got a lot of my favourite’s there!}
What does a typical day as a writer consist of?
Um, writing. Okay, I guess you’d like more detail. Email and writing. More detail? Chocolate, email and writing. Trust me, my day would never fly as a Movie of the Week.
Name your top five favourite books of all time.
To Kill a Mockingbird, Catcher in the Rye, Huckleberry Finn, Lady Chatterly’s Lover, Charlotte’s Web.
Which authors are you glomming at the moment? (reading a lot of?)
What, you don’t think I know glomming? {Hey, I’ve had lots of authors asking me what glomming meant!} I glom all the time. I love glomming.
Do you have other close romance writer friends, and if so who are they?
Warning: long list! Roz Denny Fox, Patricia Knoll, Alison Hentges, Pat Warren, Christine Flynn, Cathy McDavid, Carly Phillips, Julie Leto, Leslie Kelly, Janelle Denison, Julie Kenner, Peggy Webb, Jennifer LaBrecque, Rhonda Daniels, Sue Kearney, Judith Arnold, Brenda Hiatt, K.N. Casper, Debbie Macomber, Georgia Bockoven, Judy Myers, Jayne Ann Krentz, Daphne Atkins, Cara Summers, Tory Carrington (Tony and Lori Karayianni), Laura Leone, Jean Brashear . . . . I’m sure I’m leaving out a ton of people. In twenty-three years I’ve found a lot of good buddies.
{You weren’t kidding about the long list!}
When did you realise that you wanted to write books, and who or what inspired you?
I didn’t realize it. My husband did. He saw a notice that a chapter of RWA was forming in Tucson and thought I should go. I couldn’t because of a Girl Scout meeting, so he went, brought home the info, bought me my first (!) Harlequins and said he thought I could do this. He was definitely my inspiration.
If you could have a one-to-one conversation with a famous historical figure, who would it be with and what would you talk about?
I would choose Eleanor Roosevelt, who shares a birthday with me. I’d ask if she had any advice for us in the 21st Century.
What is your ultimate goal when it comes your writing?
I want to give readers a good time. They all have different needs when they pick up a book, but I think the primary motivation is to escape into the story, leave the confusion of the real world behind for a few hours. I know that’s therapeutic, and so I want to provide the best darned escape I can.
{works for me!}
What’s your favourite food?
Prime rib. Yum. I’m an unabashed carnivore.
Which of your books is the dearest to your heart, and why?
I had so much fun with that book, which also proves what can happen when you dedicate yourself to the fun of writing. I don’t love that book because it got me on the NYT List, although that’s certainly significant. I love it because of all the joy I had creating it.
Has anything a reviewer or reader said or written about you changed the way you write?
I don’t think so, and here’s the reason: I have to write the way I do. It’s me. I don’t think I could change the way I write if I tried. I can revise books and reconstruct plots and deepen characterizations, but I can’t change the basic way I sound on the page.
When was the last time you went overseas and where did you go?
My daughter Audrey and I went to Europe in the summer of 2004! We spent sixteen days, beginning with Rome, then going on to Florence, then Paris and finally London. It was an amazing and unforgettable trip. I’m ready to go back.
Who’s your favourite romance hero of all time?
I’m sure it’s a cliché, but I still love Rhett the best.
Who’s your favourite romance heroine of all time?
Couldn’t pick one. Impossible.
What kind of characters would you say you typically wrote?
I tend to write about everyday people, although occasionally I throw in a movie star. But I’m not very good at glitz and glamour.
I almost turned in a manuscript where the hero pushed back his sleeve and consulted his Roladex, so I have to watch it if I write about jet-setters. I also like to write about people who can laugh at themselves.
If only one person could read your book, who would that be? (as in the person who you would want most to read your book)
Oprah.
{Popular answer, but she is great isn’t she?}
What was the last movie you saw?
The Wedding Crashers
{I think everybody in the world has seen this movie apart from me!}
Name your top five favourite romantic films.
Gone with the Wind,
Dr. Zivago,
Out of Africa,
The Way We Were,
Return to Me.
{Is Return to Me the one with Minnie Driver and David Duchovny?}
If you could be any other author, who would you be and why?
I’d be Linda Howard, who writes a book for six months and takes off for six months and still manages to stay on the NYT List.
{She’s bloody marvellous isn’t she?}
What was the last book you read?
Family at Last by K.N. Casper
Have you ever written a book that you didn’t particularly care for, and do you cringe if you see people picking it up to read it?
Fortunately, I care for all my books. Some I care for more than others, and all of them get ugly at some point in the writing. But by the time I’m finished, I care for each and every one of them, at least a little bit. I don’t cringe to see someone pick it up. I think to myself “That was the best I could do at the time.”
Finally, when’s your next book due out, and what’s it about?
My next book is a Blaze called Talking About Sex. . .
The heroine’s a talk-show host at a radio station that’s about to be bulldozed to make room for a high-rise complex being built by the hero.
They were high-school sweethearts and it ended badly. She uses her show, Talking About Sex, to suggest that a man building a high-rise is compensating for his sexual inadequacies. Fun and games ensue.
Sounds fantastic Vicki! Thanks very much for your time!!
Next week, I’ve got newly published author, Emjai Colbert in the hot seat! (Yes, it’s that author!)
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