Interview with Author Tracey Devlyn and Giveaway

Today I am super excited to welcome back to RFTC one of my most favorite authors', Tracey Devlyn. Tracey is celebrating the upcoming release of Checkmate, My Lord, book 2 in her Nexus series and has stopped by to answer a few questions. Please give Tracey a warm welcome.

Tracey Devlyn writes historical romantic thrillers (translation: a slightly more grievous journey toward the heroine’s happy ending). She’s a co-founder of Romance University, a group blog dedicated to readers and writers of romance, and Lady Jane’s Salon-Naperville, Chicagoland’s exciting new reading salon devoted to romantic fiction.

An Illinois native, Tracey spends her evenings harassing her once-in-a-lifetime husband and her weekends torturing her characters. For more information on Tracey, including her Internet haunts, contest updates, and details on her upcoming novels, please visit her website at www.TraceyDevlyn.com.

Places to find Tracey:

| Site | Facebook | Twitter | Dangerous Darlings Street Team | Goodreads | 

Huge thanks to Danielle for inviting me to hang out on Ramblings! I’m so excited to chat with everyone.

First off, can you tell us a bit about you?
Would love to! I grew up in a small town in Southern Illinois. Not long after high school, I dashed up north to where the jobs were located. I’ve been living in the Chicagoland area ever since. After watching Gorillas in the Mist, I started attending night school in search of a Zoology/Biology degree. Unfortunately, chemistry defeated me! Wound up with a Bachelor’s degree in business and am now a Human Resources Manager for an environmental organization. I never lost my passion for animals and the environment and readers will find many “natural things” in my books. Last but not least, my husband and I adopted the sweetest red Doberman from a local rescue. He eats me out of house and home!

Did you always want to be a writer?
Being a writer never crossed my mind until my early thirties. I’d discovered reading—yep, you read that right—about a decade earlier. Somewhere along the way I started envisioning different scenes and endings for the books I’d read. At one point, I decided to jot a few things down. The rest, as they say, is history.

What kind of writer are you? Panster or Plotter?
I’m a plotster. Although I’m still honing my process, what seems to work best for me is to start out with a backbone for the story. A sort of roadmap. I tend to take a lot of side trips during the adventure.

Where do your ideas come from?
Everywhere. Words, conversations, buildings, news article, random research, movies—everywhere.

A la Twitter style, can you describe your book (or series) in 140 characters or less.
A desperate mother falls in love with the spymaster she’s forced to betray.

What are some of your favorite kinds of stories to read?
I love stories with a suspense element, which is probably why I write them. Love it when an author goes “there.” When she surprises me, frightens me, or makes me cry. Historical will always be my first love, though I read widely.

Do you have a favorite book and if so what is it?
This is always a tough question! The one book that sticks out in my mind is Dreaming of You by Lisa Kleypas. Derek Craven is a hard man, who has led a hard life, even though he now has tons of money. So, picture this hardened man calling the heroine (a novelist) “mouse.” I don’t know—there’s just something so compelling about his endearment.

What are the scenes that are the hardest for you to write?
The scenes I find the hardest to write are the ones where the hero and heroine delve deeply into the “thing” that’s stopping them from accepting the other. I’ve never been good at analyzing my feelings or understanding the psychology behind it. Given the role of my day job, I’ve become better about figuring out why people do what they do, but it still takes a while to plow through the process.

If you could have dinner with any three authors, who would you choose and why?
Teresa Medeiros, Christina Dodd and Connie Brockway—those ladies are a hoot!! Did you ever follow the Squawk Radio blog? It was one of the first blogs (I’d found) and I loved the interplay between the authors. (I’d also invite Lisa Kleypas, Eloisa James and Elizabeth Bevarly!)

Last question, are you working on anything right now?
No! Can you believe it? LOL I’m working through developmental edits on A Lady’s Secret Weapon (Book 3, Nexus, October 2013) and discussing my next project options with my agent and editor. Hopefully, I’ll have good news soon!!

How do you like your historical romances? Sweet? Humorous? Serious? Suspenseful? Or a combination?

A desperate mother falls in love with the spymaster she’s forced to betray.

THE STAKES ARE HIGH, THE PLAYERS IN POSITION...

Catherine Ashcroft leads a quiet life caring for her precocious seven-year-old daughter, until a visitor delivers a startling ultimatum. She will match wits with the enigmatic Earl of Somerton, and it's not just her heart that's in danger.

LET THE GAMES BEGIN...

Spymaster Sebastian Danvers, Earl of Somerton, is famous for his cunning. Few can outwit him and even few dare challenge him--until now. After returning to his country estate, his no-nonsense neighbor turns her seductive wiles on him--but why would a respectable widow like Catherine risk scandal for a few passionate nights in his bed?

Purchase: | Amazon | Kindle | Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository |

Check out the Nexus series: 

Click for more info.

Follow Tracey along on her Checkmate, My Lord Blog Tour.

Check out whats up for grabs.

Up For Grabs:

• 1 lucky winner will win a copy of Checkmate, My Lord

To Enter:

• Please answer Tracey's question: How do you like your historical romances? Sweet? Humorous? Serious? Suspenseful? Or a combination?
• Please fill out the Rafflecopter form. 
• US/Canada Shipping ONLY

Good Luck =)

a Rafflecopter giveaway