Author Interview and Giveaway: June Kramin

Today we have author June Kramin with us to discuss her upcoming book Money Didn't Buy Her Love. Read about her writing method, then enter to win a copy of the book.

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When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?

I was told since the 3rd grade that I would be a writer. I guess life got in the way. It wasn't until I hit forty that I settled down and started writing. The first story I did was for my daughter. I guess I learned to love when someone flipped out over what I had done & wanted to do it again.

How did you get into romance?

I was more of a thriller reader than romance, so it was kind of a surprise that my books took that twist. I was even upset at the "romance" label put on my time travel novel. So many guys liked it, I was afraid some men would stray at seeing "romance". But, when you write about a girl with an attitude, a man that loves her unconditionally, and there is a lot of sex going on, it is what it is. LOL. I guess I have enough guy banter and such that a guy can still admit to liking a few of them. I'm a sucker for happy ever after and wanting readers to get lost in someone's else's life for a while.  

Tell us a little about the book?

Money Didn't Buy Her Love just completely fell into place for me. It started with an idea of a man slamming on his brakes to avoid hitting someone. That turned into a woman and suddenly, she was in a wedding dress. Their age differences and lifestyles came out & I thought "what a mix-matched couple. They have to fall in love!" I really love the twists it took. My son happened to get married right after it was finished. When I saw the picture of my daughter in law - I knew she was in touch with her inner-Dani in that pose. I just had to use them for my cover.

What were your struggles with writing your protagonists and antagonists?

I actually don't struggle - I let them boss me around! Tee hee... I guess some people would call that a problem, but I learned long ago to go with the flow. When I write - it's like I'm reading it. I can't wait to see what happens next.

Where did the idea for this book come from?

I stop at a county highway every day on my way to work. There are no people around, yet every day for about a week, I imagined slamming my brakes to avoid hitting someone. It was driving me crazy. I had just finished edits on something so I decided to write it out and make it go away. This book is where that took me.  All of my novels start with 1 silly thing nagging at me. I'm just glad only 1 hits me at a time!

What is your writing method?

By the seat of my butt. Pantsing is the term. Each day I open up my word doc, read the last page or so and continue where I left off. Rarely do I have any idea or plan. Sometimes I have a sentence or 2 of what I think may happen,  but those notes usually get deleted. I can only say my characters are the boss so many times before people think I'm crazy. Well, I am. That's a whole different ball of wax! I say do what works for you.

Why did you decide to go with this type of publishing? (indie vs trad vs self)

I have used 3 small publishing houses. I have had some great experiences and will say nothing but good about any of them. I recently re-released a couple of those titles so I decided to try on my own with this one since I found such a great book designer. No matter who your publisher is, you will do a lot of the promo work. I have a pretty good following going so I wanted to try to just release this one on my own. Maybe the winter has been too long and I have the blues, but I just wan't up to the querying thing. We'll see how it goes. I have a few more books I have to get to yet. Not sure if I'll hunt for an agent or just get them out there myself again.

Is there anything you want your readers to get out of your books?

I keep teasing that I try not to teach a lesson. I want the reader to be able to escape into someone else's life for a while. You can be jealous of their trip to Maui and cheer Jeremy for standing up to Dani's father. I aim for a "feel good" when they are done and want to leave them wanting more. A couple readers have even thanked me for making them cry. I've had people nag for sequels - a few got their way. :)

Tell me a bit about yourself.

I'm a pretty mellow soul these days. The long winter has made us even worse movie buffs than before. When the weather is decent, I ride my horse around our home. We live in a great spot. I also love taking my 2 dogs for walks. You'd be amazed at the scenes that pop into your head on a quiet, country road. I work for a printing company doing graphics.

Where can the reader find you books?

I'm at every major outlet. Amazon, B&N, Kobo, Smashwords... it's in every format available. Most are in print - a few (Any Musa releases) you can only get from me at signings. They are a coveted "Promo Print run only" kind of deal. I do offer them as giveaways as well. Follow my facebook fan page for all giveaways and special promotions: http://www.facebook.com/JuneKramin or my website: http://www.junekramin.com/ for all buy links.

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