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Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Interview with Author Eliza Daly and Giveaway


Today I am happy to welcome to RFTC author Eliza Daly. Eliza is celebrating the recent release of her debut book Under Her Spell and has stopped by to answer a few questions. Please give Eliza a warm welcome.

Eliza Daly’s first attempt at creative writing was in fourth grade. She and her friends were huge Charlie’s Angels fans and she would sit in her bedroom at night writing scripts for them to act out at recess the following day. She was Kelly Garrett. Fast forward to the present, she’s still writing stories about beautiful women who always get their men. The journey from fourth grade script writer to published author wasn’t an easy one, but it was always an adventure and the final destination was well worth it.

When Eliza isn’t traveling for her job as an event planner, or tracing her ancestry roots through Ireland, she’s at home in Milwaukee working on her next novel, bouncing ideas off her husband Mark, and her cats Quigley and Frankie.

Places to find Eliza:


First off, can you tell us a bit about you?
First, I’d like to thank you Danielle for helping me celebrate the release of my debut novel, Under Her Spell, a lighthearted contemporary romance. This is a very exciting time for me and I’m so glad to be sharing my news on Ramblings From This Chick.

I’ve lived in Wisconsin my entire life. I’ve been in the Milwaukee area for almost 20 years. I live with my hubby Mark and my cats Quigley and Frankie. I’m an event planner and I travel about 100 days a year for my job. When I’m not traveling for my job, I’m at home busy writing. In addition to romance, I also write young adult and women’s fiction. I am obsessed with Ancestry.com. I’ve been tracing my Irish ancestry roots for 5 years and I’ve traveled to Ireland twice to visit me Irish rellies.

Did you always want to be a writer?
No, I wasn’t one of those authors who read the entire Nancy Drew series then had an epiphany she wanted to be a writer. However, my first attempt at creative writing was in fourth grade. My friends and I were huge Charlie’s Angels fans. I would write scripts for us to act out at recess. Fast forward to the late 1990s when I attended an RWA conference in Chicago with my sister. I met some wonderful women, who encouraged me to write about my often humorous travel experiences for work. So the journey began.

What kind of writer are you? Panster or Plotter?
Surprisingly, I’m a panster. I’m an extremely organized, and somewhat anal, person in every other aspect of my life, so I have no clue why this doesn’t carry over into my writing. I forced myself to plot out one of my more recent books in advance, because I’d just finished writing a book to discover it had no plot. Well, maybe it wasn’t that bad, but the book was definitely missing some key elements. So I’m trying to be more of a plotter.

Where do your ideas come from?
A lot of my inspiration for characters and plots comes from real life experiences. I’m an event planner and have written three heroines who are planners. Paris is my favorite city and I’ve set two books there. I’ve been researching my Irish ancestry for several years and the women’s fiction book I’m currently working on is set in Ireland.

A la Twitter style, can you describe your book (or series) in 140 characters or less.
I’m a big talker, so that’s really difficult. I always complain that pitching your book in a one page query letter is harder than writing the 400-page book. How about this: It might take more than a few spells for a divorce lawyer and romantic event planner to live happily ever after. Hmm. Guess it’s a good thing I don’t tweet much.

What are some of your favorite kinds of stories to read?
My reading tastes are very eclectic. I love humorous romances, amateur sleuth, young adult, and lighthearted women’s fiction.

Do you have a favorite book and if so what is it?
I’ve never been able to pinpoint one favorite book. My favorite series are Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum series and Lawrence SandersMcNally series.

What are the scenes that are the hardest for you to write?
Love scenes. And not just because I know my mom will be reading them, but emotion is one of the most challenging things for me to write. And love scenes are all about emotion.

If you could have dinner with any three authors, who would you choose and why?
  • Lawrence Sanders. I was a huge reader before I went to college. During college, I studied so much I rarely read for fun the entire four years of school. About a year after graduating, I mentioned to my now husband how much I missed reading for fun and he recommended the McNally series by Lawrence Sanders. He said it was a quick and light read. I laughed through the entire first book then devoured every book in the series. So I’d like to take Lawrence Sanders out to dinner and thank him for enabling me to rediscover my love for reading, which ultimately led me to becoming a writer. And his writing style also influenced the type of books I wanted to write.
  • Oscar Wilde. The Importance of Being Earnest is my absolute favorite play. I laughed through the entire thing. I also own the movie with Rupert Everett (who I love) and Colin Firth. Being of Irish descent myself, I’d love to travel back in time and share a pint with Oscar Wilde in a Dublin pub.
  • Dean Koontz. I tried reading one of his books and it freaked me out so much I didn’t even make it a quarter of the way through it. I’m intrigued by a writer who can have such an emotional impact on his readers. And I’m curious exactly how his mind works.

Last question, are you working on anything right now?
My next book from Crimson Romance, Identity Crisis, comes out in March 2013. It’s a romantic suspense and completely different than my quirky lighthearted romances. I have always been intrigued by the witness protection program and art forgery, so when a story idea popped into my head one day, I ran with it. I’m also currently querying a women’s fiction book set in Paris. Hopefully I’ll have exciting news about that book in the near future.

Thanks for stopping by today. Please check out the upcoming stops on my blog tour, October 22-November 21, at Eliza Daly's Blog Tour. I’ll be giving away a variety of gifts, such as e-books, writing journals, Amazon or B & N gift certificates, and chocolate on Halloween. If you comment on 5 or more of my 20 blog stops, and are a Facebook fan, you’ll be entered in a drawing to win one of two $25 Amazon or B & N gift certificates at the end of my blog tour.


When a series of failed relationships and business ventures have Monica Jackson doubting her self-worth, she turns to spell casting to attract positive energy and the opportunities needed to achieve her goals. But can Monica’s belief in spells restore her belief in herself?

Monica creates a spell to find her soul mate, and one to ensure the success of her new romantic event planning company, Enhance Your Romance. Monica is confident she has found her niche until divorce lawyer Reed Walker opens a practice next door to her office. The anti-marriage slogan plastered on his office window, and his down-on-love clients, quickly prove detrimental to Monica’s business. When his arrival appears to trigger a string of bad luck, Monica fears one of her spells sent negative energy into the universe and it has returned to her threefold. Although Reed is beyond sexy, and she admires his self-confidence, she’ll do whatever it takes to get the universe back on her side, and Reed out of her life. No way is she losing another business.

Reed finds himself attracted to Monica’s beauty and her optimism. His job and his parents’ divorce have made him a pessimist, especially when it comes to love. However, he soon finds that Monica’s pro-love attitude is rubbing off on him, causing him to lose his edge. If Reed doesn’t distance himself from Monica, he’ll likely destroy his reputation as a pit bull divorce lawyer.

Can Monica and Reed look past what they might be losing to realize the love they have found?

Purchase: | Amazon |
2 lucky commenter will win a copy of Under Her Spell


To Enter:
  • Please leave a comment answering the question: If you could have dinner with any author who would it be?
  • Please fill out the Rafflecopter form.

Good Luck =)
a Rafflecopter giveaway

44 comments :

  1. Lets see if a dead author is an option it would be Jane Austen, but a living author would be Jen Langcaster, she is hilarious. Her books always make me laugh. This novel looks like a great read, the story sounds like a fun one. Thanks for the introduction to a new to me author.

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    1. Jane Austen would definitely be right up there for me also Ann. I've read Pride and Prejudice twice and have seen the movie a dozen times. I've never read Jen Langcaster, but I've looked at Bitter is the New Black. Love the title. I hope you enjoy my book if you give it a read and thanks so much for stopping by and taking the time to comment. :-)

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  2. Clarissa Pinkola Estes- Her book Women Who Run With the Wolves is an interesting analysis of "the wild woman archetype." And, of course, Eliza Daly- she is a blast to dine with!

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    1. I like that, the wild woman archetype. That might actually be a good addition to my writing craft library. I like writing about sassy wild women. :-) Thanks so much for stopping by!

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  3. Danielle I absolutely love the banner with my pic and book cover. Love it! Thank you so much for taking the time to do that, it's incredible. Thanks again for having me here today. :-)

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  4. Hi Eliza, I just finished Under Her Spell last night (OK, I probably should have been paying more attention to the Presidential Debate, but who can blame me?). It was so fun! I had never read a romance book before, and I really enjoyed it. Kudos to you and congrats on a successful career!

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    1. Woohoo, thanks so much for reading my book Jamie! And I won out over the debate to boot. :-) I'm ecstatic that you aren't a romance reader and you liked it. The book was originally chick lit, so I think it kind of has that sassy tone--like me. Lol. Thanks so much for your comment it made my day!

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  5. I'd also like to mention that Under Her Spell is now available on iTunes and Google Play--which is Nook compatible. It will be on Barnes & Noble in the very near future. Thanks!

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  6. Hi Eliza! Love the interview. So impressed that I went out to get a sample of Lawrence Sanders--none of his books are on Kindle! Sigh. Library for me :)

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    1. Bizarre that his books aren't on Kindle. Make sure it's the McNally's series you check out Mary. He also writes some very dark stuff. Hope you enjoy it and thanks for stopping by!

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  7. I think I would pick Johanna Lindsey, if I have a chance to have a dinner, because she is my favorite historical romance author. ^^

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    1. I haven't read Johanna Lindsey, but I would love to dine with a historical author. I'm in awe at the amount of research they conduct to write a book, and I would have a difficult time writing about another time period. Thanks for stopping. :-)

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  8. Congrats on the new release. You are a new author for me. I love to read and always looking for new authors. This book looks great.
    If I could dinner with any author it would be a tie between Laurell K Hamilton, Jeaniene Frost, or Lynsay Sands. These are my top 3 fav authors.
    Thanks for the chance to win.
    christinebails at yahoo dot com

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    1. Thanks so much for the congrats Chris! From the authors you listed, my writing might be a bit light for you. Lol. Hope you like the book if you do read it. I really need to check out Laurell K Hamilton. I've seen her Anita Blake series often referenced in books on writing. I live for the day I'm referenced in a writing how-to book. :-) Thanks for stopping!

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  9. I'd love to hang out with and have dinner with a sort of local author. Gina Ardito, the crazy red head from Long Island. I met her at RWA-NY and we had a fun time hanging out before the book signings.

    NoraAdrienne(at)gmail(dot)com

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    1. I didn't make it to RWA NY last year Nora. Used to go every year. Sounds like you had a great time. And wonderful of you to support an author you just met. Sounds like it would be a fun dinner. Thanks for stopping by!

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  10. thanks for a great post and congrats to Eliza on the new release! I'd have to say Nora Roberts :)

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    1. I really like her J.D. Robb series but I'm way behind with it, since my reading list is a mile long right now. Thanks for the congrats and for checking out my post!

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  11. if he was still alive i'd pic C S lewis to have dinner with. i love his works and i would have so many questions to ask him

    parisfan_ca@yahoo.com

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    1. I haven't read his books, but I've seen The Chronicles of Narnia. That would be a very interesting dinner indeed. Great choice. Thanks for stopping by and commenting. :-)

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  12. I'd have dinner with Dorothy Garlock!
    temarasheppard(at)yahoo(dot)com

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    1. Ok, I'm embarrassed to admit this, since Dorothy Garlock has 20 million books in print, but I wasn't sure who she was and had to look her up. I don't tend to read a lot of historicals, but I see she has a Jazz Age Series. I absolutely love that era. Will have to check her out. Thanks for turning me onto a new author Temara. And thanks for stopping by!

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  13. Hmm...I would sit down to dinner with Susan Elizabeth Phillips and probably couldn't eat a bite since she would have me laughing to hard. Funniest writer I know.

    cjwriter@zoominternet.net

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    1. Omigosh Christy, I have to tell you a funny story about Susan Elizabeth Phillips. I love her and I've read almost all her books. When I first started writing in the early 2000's I attended my first Romance Writers conference. I stood in line at her book signing rehearsing what I was going to say to her, that I loved Fancy Pants etc. Anyway, so I get up to her and I'm about to say something and she says to me, "So, what do you write?" I just stood there like an idiot. Number one, Susan Elizabeth Phillips was asking "me" what I write? Number two, what "did" I write? My mind was a complete blank. I'd just started writing and I wasn't even sure what I wrote. I managed to sputter "romance." Duh. Since I was at the romance writers conference.

      Thanks for that stroll down memory lane and for stopping by!

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  14. Nice interview. I'd like to have dinner with Gena Showalter.

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  15. My friend is a huge Gena Showalter fan. I've never read her but her YA book Alice in Zombieland looks great. I also write YA so I read a lot of YA. Thanks for the comment!

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  16. Congrats on the release!

    I'd have to go with Nora Roberts, because not only is she an institution in the romance world (and doesn't even need her surname as an identifier!), she absolutely wows me with every contemporary or romantic suspense book she writes. I'd love to live in her brain for a day :)

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    1. Thanks so much for the congrats! You're absolutely right, she doesn't need her surname as an identifier. I more often hear her referred to as just Nora than in conjunction with her last name. Thanks for popping by and leaving a comment. :-)

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  17. I'm surprised Janet Evanovich wasn't one of your choices. I will be checking out the Lawrence Sanders series.

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    1. I've met Janet (notice we are on a first name basis :-)) and had my pic taken with her, so thought I'd go with authors I haven't met. Or better yet, dead ones, since this might be my only chance to meet them. You would LOVE the McNally series. You'd get the humor. Thanks for stopping by Grainne!

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  18. Hi Eliza! I can't just pick one author, but there are quite a few I would like to get together with: Kathleen Woodiwess, Rosemary Rogers, Nicola Cornick, Johanna Lindsey, Nora Roberts, Tessa Dare, Susan Elizabeth Phillips, Karen Ranney, and Sue-Ellen Welfonder. Whew! That was quite a mouthful!

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    1. It is a hard decision Cathy, isn't it? I had a hard time narrowing it down to 3 for the question. Looks like you'd have some great dining partners. Thanks for the list!

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  19. Wonderful interview, Eliza, can't wait to read this story and your upcoming romantic suspense. Great questions as well. 3 authors I'd like to share a meal with...hummm...just 3? Okay, James Lee Burke, Rumi and Agatha Christie; I bet that would make for some interesting table talk!

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    1. Thanks so much Leigh. Agatha Christie. Definitely. I'd like to ask her how she ever kept all her characters straight. It's been years, but I've read dozens of her books. May have to pull one out and give it a read. Thanks so much!

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  20. It's a very hard question because I have many favorite authors. Hmmm...Michele Hauf, Caridad Pineiro or Carol Marinelli!

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    1. These authors would definitely provide some interesting dinner conversation. I've looked at Caridad Pineiro's books before but I haven't ever read one. I have a good friend who also writes for Harlequin Medicals. Thanks for stopping by!

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  21. Either Kresley Cole or Gena Showalter .

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  22. Congrats on your debut book, Eliza!! It sounds great! :)

    I wouldn't know what to talk about with some famous author I don't know (well, I spose I would figure out something, but I'd be nervous and uncomfortable) so I'll stick to dining with my author friends in WisRWA at lunch outings and monthly meetings.

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    1. Good answer Stacey. You never have to be uncomfortable around us! Thanks so much for the congrats!

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  23. Kristen Ashley.. big fan of her books

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    1. Thanks so much for stopping by and commenting. :-)

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  24. I'd have dinner with Neil Gaiman. His writing is quirky, original & unique. What a dinner that would be.

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    1. I love quirky. Will have to check him out. Thanks for sharing!

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