Spotlight Interview with Author Gabrielle Bisset

Q1: Thanks for participating in our Authors.com Spotlight Interview series Gabrielle! Please introduce yourself and your book to help our readers get to know you.

> A:  My name is Gabrielle Bisset, and I write erotic romance.  My Victorian Erotic Romance Trilogy, which includes Vampire Dreams, Love's Master, and Masquerade, was released last summer, and since then I've released two novel length books, Destiny Redeemed and Blood Avenged. 

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> Q2: Please explain how you came to be a writer, what inspired you to write your book(s) and how long it took.


> A:I've written since I was a young girl, but it's only recently that I felt comfortable enough presenting my writing to the public.  My first novel, Stolen Destiny, was inspired by a dream I had.  I woke up one morning last July and I had many of the ideas for that story in my head.  As it's a paranormal romance, it involved a race of people I created, Aeveren, and many of the facets of those characters were racing around my head when I woke up that morning. 

> I wrote an entire first book about Aeveren before I got to Stolen Destiny, but in all, it took me about four months to write it.  In general, novellas take about a month or two and novels take about twice as long. My most recent release, Blood Avenged, took a little longer because it's the beginning of a new series, the Sons of Navarus series, and I needed to make sure I constructed things correctly for the books that will follow.

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>  Q3: What did you enjoy most about creating this book?

> A.  I loved creating the characters. The main character in Blood Avenged, Vasilije, is a 400 year old vampire who loves his life.  He's pure hedonist!  And Sasa, the female lead, is quite the opposite.  She's caring and giving, something Vasilije hasn't been in centuries.  The mix of their personalities was a lot of fun to create. 



> Q4: What facets of your life, both personal and professional, are  woven into your book, if any? 

> A.  As I have a master's degree in history, that subject always figures into my stories.  My first book, Stolen Destiny, has a characters whose past lifetimes took place in 19th century Italy, 18th century England, and 5th century Rome.  These are some of my favorite places and time periods, so I guess it's not surprising they ended up with an important role in the book.  The follow up book to that, Destiny Redeemed, has characters who lived in ancient Etruscan Italy and 18th century England, and these also come from my love of those places and time periods.  Blood Avenged is less historical and more paranormal, but it's set in New Orleans, and I even had the opportunity to research the settings I include in the book last October.  What fun that was! 

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> Q5. How did you get published?

> A.  I don't have a huge story about how I became published with my first novel, Stolen Destiny.  I sent my manuscript out to one publisher on a lark.  In hindsight, the manuscript wasn't ready in the least.  But Siren contacted me a few weeks after receiving my book and said they wanted to publish it.  Since then, I've chosen to indie publish, and I couldn't be happier.  I prefer the ability to control how my writing is produced and presented to the public.  

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> Q6: Did you have any surprises or hiccups along the way during the  book writing and/or publishing process?
A. I realize now that my first book and its publisher are a unique fit.  I write erotic romance, but at the heart of each of my books is a solid story.  It's not all sex.  Don't get me wrong.  There's sex in my stories, but it's not the driving force of the story.  Much of my publisher's books are far more sex driven.  That's okay, but it's made me realize that indie publishing is where I want to be.  



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> Q7: What one thing did you wish you'd known before you started this project?
A.  I wish I would've known that I could publish the book independently.  If I had known that, I would have been an indie writer from the start.  I've indie-published since, and the experience has been fantastic.  Yes, there's a lot of formatting to be done, but I control the process.  And the fact is that in today's publishing world, authors are in charge of promotion, no matter who the publisher is.  So why wouldn't I be an indie writer?

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Q8: You're a fly on the wall when readers are discussing your book.   What would you hope to hear them say about it?
A.  I hope I hear readers say that Blood Avenged is engrossing and makes them want more.  

> Q9: Tell us one thing about you that most people don't know or  would surprise them.
A.  I hand write everything I write.  Yes, I've written three 300+ page novels and three 100+ page novellas, and I've handwritten each one of them.  Call it old fashioned, but I love the feel of the pen and paper.  I simply cannot write on a computer. 

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> Q10: What single piece of advice would you give new authors?
A.  I would tell new authors to explore all avenues.  The publishing world is changing at lightning speed, and authors must choose the path that works best for them.

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> Q11: Share a short summary of a typical day in your life with us  please.
A.  I wake up each day at about 6:30 and do some promo work before I begin home schooling my teenage son at 9 am.  I teach him until 1 pm, when the math and science people take over. Then it's time to check emails, work on blog posts, and just work in general before I go to work.  I teach a few classes, do some office hours, and then it's back home.  I write at nighttime, so by 8 pm, I'm hard at work with pen and notebook in hand. 

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> Q12:  Describe where you do most of your writing. What would I see if I was sitting beside you?
A.  I write sitting on my bed.  If someone were to be sitting next to me, they'd see me all hunched over handwriting pages of story, scribbling reminders in the margins, and editing along the way.  I know it's a popular idea to say that an author should turn off their inner editor when they write, but I can't do that, and to be honest, I wouldn't want to.  For me, that's an integral part of the craft.  That I edit continuously is simply what works for me. 

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> Q13: What's your motto or favorite quote you like to live by?

> A.  I have two I like.  The first is, "What would you attempt to do if you knew you would not fail?"  The second is, "Knowing others is intelligence; knowing yourself is true wisdom.  Mastering others is strength; mastering yourself is true power."

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Q14: Is there anything else you'd like to share with us in closing such as your website, an imminent book launch or what you're working on presently?

> A.Readers can visit my blog at http://gbisset.blogspot.com/ and my website at http://www.gabriellebisset.com/   I'm currently working on the second book in the Sons of Navarus series, Blood Betrayed, and it's scheduled for an early summer release. 

> Thanks for a wonderful interview!

Authors.com profile: http://www.authors.com/profile/GabrielleBisset

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