Interview with Roxanne Snopek (Fake Fiance, Real Revenge)
Thank you for joining me in the shadows. Pay no attention to that odd silhouette over there. Weird things live here. Where do you hail from?
I hail from the Canadian Prairies, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, to be precise. Say that three times fast.
Tell me about your latest book. What makes it stand out from the crowd?
Della Fontaine, one of my secondary characters ALWAYS stands out from the crowd! She’s big, rich, loud, has questionable taste and no brain-mouth filter. I found her hilarious to write! She’s great comic relief in a pretty emotional story. Other than that, the book is everything you want in a romance novel: mistakes, heartache, regret, chance, risk, reconciliation and happily-ever-after. Plus cowboys, revenge and a fake engagement!
Do you have anything new in the works and can you tell us a bit about it?
I’m tickled to announce that my latest novella will appear in a Christmas 2013 anthology, published by Entangled Bliss. “Saving Rudolph” involves a woman who gets stranded in a blizzard with a trailer-full of reindeer she’s attempting to “liberate” but has, in fact, stolen. Naturally, she’s rescued by the town sheriff.
What advice would you give to writers just starting out?
Go to chiropractic school. All writers need a day-job, at least at first, and I hear that one pays well.
How did you deal with rejection letters? Any tips for unpublished writers?
Used to be we kept them in a shoebox, for a ritual burning once we finally sold. Now I put them in an email-folder, just so I don’t keep sending material to someone who’s already said no. My tip for unpublished writers? Don’t keep sending material to someone who’s already said no.
What tools of the trade are must-haves for you?
Subscriptions to RWR, RT Book Reviews, RWA National conference recordings, local chapter membership and yoga, so I don’t cripple up from all the sitting.
What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever done to research a story?
Since I’m terrified about real-life people and hate embarrassing myself, I do most of my research online. Which results in some bonehead mistakes that readers call me on, thereby terrifying and embarrassing me anyway.
What do you like to read?
I’m a pretty omnivorous reader, depending entirely on my mood at the time. I love relationship stories, mother-daughter stuff (I have three girls), mystery/crime/thrillers of any kind, big meaty stories and quick satisfying stories.
Who is your favorite author and why?
I have a lot of favorite Barbaras: Barbara O’Neal, Barbara Freethy, Barbara Rogan… but my favorite book is The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver, from which came the quote inked on my shoulder.
Now for the fun questions. Let’s strip away the veil of invisibility. Do you have a day job alongside writing and will you tell us about it?
Yes. I’m the Human Resources director in an animal hospital. Hiring, firing, paying, scheduling, reviewing, reprimanding, etc. I have a truly fabulous team, thank goodness, and I can do much of it from home, but it still gives me hives from time to time. They’re all super-supportive of my writing, probably because they think they’ll be rid of me then! Sorry, guys, I’m a lifer.
If you weren’t a writer, what career might you have chosen?
Aerial acrobat with Cirque du Soleil. Or possibly chiropractor.
Who is your favorite superhero (or heroine)? Can be from a comic book, movie, novel, cartoon, video game or anywhere else heroes reign.
How about TV? I want to be Gemma Teller Morrow from Sons of Anarchy. Great hair, middle-aged and still hot, able to run in crazy-high heels. Plus, she’s stone-cold fearless in the face of danger, and says what needs to be said. Okay, she might be pure evil and need to be killed off soon, but have you heard her sing?
Your favorite book hero?
Jack Reacher. I need say no more.
You finally have an evening free to spend any way you want. Money is no object. Where do you go? What would you do?
I want to watch TV in my pajamas, while on a private jet to the Bahamas.
You’ve been gifted (or cursed) with the ability to shift into another form by a witch. What kind of shifter are you? Why?
A cat. They really have the life, don’t you think? Ours sleeps (and sheds) wherever he wants, has his own bathroom, and has mastered the art of meditation. Well, I guess what I’m saying is I want to be a pampered house-cat cat.
Thanks so much for being my guest today! Anything else you’d like to share with my readers? Don’t forget to give us links to your website etc.
Thank you for having me! Your questions were great!
@RoxanneSnopek
Fake Fiance, Real Revenge
Roxanne Snopek
Blurb:
Real-estate tycoon Mitchell Granger has a problem. In order to secure a lucrative deal with an eccentric client, he told the teeny white lie that he was engaged…and now he needs to prove it. Even worse? The only name that came to mind was Sabrina Becker, the girl he was never good enough for growing up, and who still lives near his family ranch.
Sabrina doesn’t mind posing as Mitch’s fake fiancée—no, she doesn’t mind at all. One, she’ll make him pay with new construction for her business. And two, Sabrina’s got a plan to exact revenge on her first love, the boy who left her and Three River Ranch behind. She’ll pretend so well, he’ll fall in love with her…and then he’ll get a taste of what true heartbreak feels like.
But as Mitch sheds his corporate skin and picks up his dusty jeans and cowboy hat, will both his and Sabrina’s grand plans get derailed by love?
Author bio
Roxanne Snopek is the author of ten books, more than 150 articles, and has had short fiction published in several anthologies. She is currently serving as Vice-President of the Romance Writers of America Greater Vancouver Chapter. She and her family live in the Pacific Northwest, where she’s at work on more love stories for Entangled Publishing.
Roxanne Snopek has been writing professionally for more than two decades and is the author of eight books, more than 150 articles, and has had short fiction published in several anthologies. Her non-fiction has appeared in a wide variety of publications, from The Vancouver Sun and Reader’s Digest to newsletters for Duke, Cornell and Tufts Universities. She’s done corporate copywriting on topics ranging from pet food for Iams/Eukanuba, to employee profiles for VersaCold to air-conditioner maintenance for Home Depot.
In 2006, her first novel Targets of Affection was published by Cormorant Books, under the name RGWillems. When her editor asked for more, she happily wrote the second and third in the series, certain she was on her way to fame and fortune. Then the economy fell apart, her editor stopped taking her calls and Roxanne realized it wasn’t going to be that easy.
After some wallowing and navel-gazing, she found Romance Writers of America, one of the largest professional writers’ organizations in the world, and began to seriously study the craft of fiction writing. Roxanne is currently Vice-President of the Greater Vancouver Chapter of the Romance Writers of America. They voted her in, so they can’t complain.
In her spare time, Roxanne is also the human resource manager for a veterinary hospital. She and her family live in the Pacific Northwest, where she’s always at work on the next book.
On a personal note:
Take a look my blog*, in which I open up a tiny window into the uncharted landscape that is My Brain, while dancing between the boundaries of Too Much Information and Oops, Now I Need a Pen Name. Mostly it’s just Real Life, family, art, writing, yoga and why some mornings, you just shouldn’t talk.
*or don’t. Really, it’s up to you.
Buy Links
His Reluctant Rancher: Amazon
Three River Ranch: Amazon
