Flirtatious Friday with Laura Browning

To kick off my weekly interview series, Laura's debut could not have been more perfectly timed. Today is her official release for The Silkie's Call, Now available at The Wild Rose Press, in their Wilder Catalog. Get it while it's hot!

1.) Thank you for visiting today, Laura, and answering a few questions. I'm going to step into uncharted territory with a few of my questions, but let's start with the staple... Tell us a little bit about yourself.

Like a lot of romance writers, I’ve been reading and writing romance for along time. As a kid, I can remember retelling fairytales to put myself in the heroine’s shoes, or sometimes, make myself into some warrior woman who swoops in to save the day. While the writing bug bit pretty early, so did the reality check of earning a living, so I trained as a journalist and worked for more than two decades in television news. I accomplished what I wanted in the industry and finally decided to get out. Still needing to earn a living (go figure!), I started teaching English. Love it. Love the kids, but I love writing even more.

2.) Tell us about your latest book.

This is my first published book. The idea for The Silkie’s Call came from two different places. First, a folk song Joan Baez, among others, recorded about a silkie, and secondly from the Poe’s poem “Annabel Lee”. The idea of seals who change to human form really for the sole purpose of sexually satiating the human they visit, as well as themselves, has a certain immediate appeal. Then I tempered that with the intense love Poe describes for Annabel Lee. What I ended up with was a hero and heroine who first fell in love as children. Tragedy separates them, and when they meet again, the heroine is partially paralyzed, so there are still some major issues they have to resolve.

3.) Romance heroes come in many flavors, but most are some epitome of a woman's fantasy, rather than a truthful everyday guy. However, because they represent what many women need/want or wish for in a partner, what could men learn from your heroes?

They always pick up their dirty clothes, cook and clean…just kidding, but I was getting into that whole fantasy thing. I think the thing my heroes all have in common is they are honorable men. When I say that, I don’t mean they’re Dudley Do-Right. (The hero in my next book is the villain of The Silkie’s Call.) They are men who have an internal code by which they live. They have their own opinions, but they also allow the heroine to have hers.

4.) The heroine is the backbone of every romance and represents for the reader, a little part of themselves. I daresay, even for the male readers. What aspects of yourself, might we see a hint of in your heroines?

Stubborn. Do I need to say more? Okay, feisty and stubborn.

5.) A follow-up question, if I may. What aspects common to your heroines, would you like to see in yourself that isn't readily seen by others in real life?

I admit it, as much as I’ve run newsrooms and managed classrooms, I still really appreciate having doors opened. So I guess it is that need to be able to kick back every once in a while and appreciate a big strong male.

6.) The term "Alpha Male" means two different things to men and women, in a very general and broad sense. What characteristics do you like to include in your heroes, that might qualify them as an Alpha Male?

First, let me say what I think an Alpha male is NOT – he’s not a guy who tries to physically and mentally dominate everything in his path. He is a male who stands up for what he believes in, no matter the cost. He is a male who takes care of what’s his. While family is important to him, he can also be a bit of a loner.

7.) What's your favorite non-romance book?

While I really enjoyed J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings trilogy, I have to say I my favorite non-romance is probably Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Above and beyond the whole vampire mythology, the style he used to write the book is pretty unique. He manages to use alternating first-person to really develop not only Harker and Mina, but also some of the other protagonists. Although I’m not a fan of writing in first person, I do like seeing a story through the eyes of more than one character.

8.) If you could be any fictional heroine/hero, who would it be and why?

I’d be Scarlett O’Hara, and I’ll be damned if I’d be stupid enough to lose Rhett Butler! That book’s ticked me off for years.

9.) Pure fantasy here, someone seduces you. Who would it be, and how would they ignite the fire? (It's fantasy here, so there's no boundaries. If its Leonardo Di Caprio taking you on the bow of the Titanic, so be it! Run wild with it!)

Shemar Moore as Derrick Morgan on Criminal Minds. Yeah. Not only would I not kick him out of bed for eating crackers…I’d buy him a case and dance on ‘em! We’d be sitting on a dock along the Pamlico Sound, watching the sun set. It would be that time of day before the tree frogs really get cranked, and all the world seems to be silent except for the gentle lap of water against the shore. All he’d need to do is look at me and say in that honey on a hot biscuit voice, “Come here, baby girl.” I would melt into a puddle of butter. –Okay, I’m easy.

10.) Romance is made up of many facets, each reflecting an emotion and I believe, corresponds to a physical reaction. What three emotions are most important in your vision of romance?

Lust, fear, and trust. I think for many of us the initial response to a member of the opposite sex is purely sexual. That’s followed by the recognition and fear that the lover has the potential to not only change our world, but hurt us. Finally we develop the trust in our partner not to use the power they hold in any way that would hurt us.

Thanks for giving me a chance to talk with you today.

If you’re interested in purchasing The Silkie’s Call, it’s available through The Wild Rose Press at: http://www.thewildrosepress.com/laura-browning-m-868.html?zenid=deff7ede8d22525d542e555203f5cabc