Interview w/Song of the Muses author, Alisha Paige

BLURB:
Cursed for mocking Aphrodite, the goddess of love, Clio, Muse of History and her lover are thrust back in time to the Salem Witch Trials and then the Italian Renaissance. Only love can save them both, but is their love strong enough against the one goddess who can end all love?
Is their love A LOVE BEYOND TIME?

A Love Beyond Time .....Coming to Faery Rose August 8, 2008 (digital release) and October (print release), 2008 from The Wild Rose Press! A Time-Travel Novella to be included in a 9 Story Series about the Greek Muses!

Visit Clio, Muse of History

Today I had the pleasure of interviewing Author Alisha Paige, one of the Song of the Muses authors from the Wild Rose Press. Her story "A Love Beyond Time," is being released today!!

Welcome Alisha!

Wow, before we get into your interview let me start off by saying your cover is beautiful! The cover artist really outdid herself with the muse stories, they're all fabulous!! Okay enough staring at that cover! The model has such telling eyes!!! If its Ok with you lets jump right into the interview!

C of C- How long have you been writing?
AP- I’ve been writing all my life but wrote my first full length manuscript eleven years ago. I’ve been writing full time for the past four years.
C of C- It never ceases to amaze me how long a journey it is to publication.


C of C- Are you a plotter or a pantser?
AP- I write by the seat of my pants, which can be rather frightening sometimes!
C of C- that seems to be the consensus, most of us write by the seat of or pants!!

C of C- How would you describe your voice?
AP- Well, I’m a romance author so I try to be romantic *g*, but I’ve been described by reviewers as sensual, emotional and vividly real.
C of C- LOL!

C of C- What is your favorite part of the writing process?
AP- When a scene moves me to tears, I usually know I’ve done something right. These are wonderful moments.
C of C- I agree!

C of C- Where do you find your inspiration?
AP- From my muse, Clio of course. Seriously, my children inspire me the most and great stories. I’m always trying to come up with something unforgettable. Books have always been my friends. If I can touch just one person with a story, then I’ve done my job.

C of C- How do you come up with your ideas/plots?
AP- Sometimes I will have a very vivid dream and expand it into a book or many times, I read some fascinating tidbit from history and my mind goes into a million directions.
C of C- Don't you just love history!!!

C of C- Do you write in short stretches or for long periods of time?
AP- Mostly short stretches these days, like a thousand words a day. I have little ones so it can be quite challenging.

C of C- Do you write in silence or listen to music?
AP- If Elmo, Sponge Bob, Oscar the Grouch and Slimy the Worm are considered music, well then yeah.
C of C- lol, OMG, boy do I know what you mean!!!

C of C- Do you eat or drink while writing?
AP- I write in my kitchen so there’s always a coffee pot gurgling or if it’s nighttime, I’m sipping red wine. That’s usually when my love scenes are created and I’m totally relaxed after a long bath and a full day with the babies.

C of C- Do you research your story before you write it, or as you go?
AP- A little of both. If I’m writing about a certain time period, I will need some facts immediately but I never know where my story will take me so I usually end up doing quite a bit of research during the process as well.

C of C- What have you learned through research that you’ll remember for the rest of your life? AP-How lucky I am to be writing about some of these strong people that have lived in much harsher times. We are such spoiled creatures these days.
C of C- I couldn't agree more!

C of C- How do you decorate your writing space?
AP-I have photos of my family, tons and tons of sticky pads with notes on them and a stack of reference books on my printer.

C of C- Are you a neat/organized writer or is your office and/or space a complete mess with sticky notes everywhere?
AP- Organized clutter.
C of C- lol, I hear ya!

C of C- Does all your writing take place on a computer or do you ever write on pen and paper?
AP- If I take the kids outside, I will take a pad and pen and write the old fashioned way.

C of C- What is your favorite time period?
AP- I have many favorites but I really love the 30s and 40s, though romance books don’t sell well in this period. However, that didn’t stop me. And why? I love the nostalgia, the naive innocence of this time.

C of C- Do you feel a draw to the people and time period you write about?
AP- Most definitely.

C of C- What character did you most enjoy writing?
AP- I really enjoyed writing Clio, the muse of history. All that time travel just rocks!

C of C- Readers are always curious to know about authors lives. What is the worst job (non-writing related) you’ve ever held?
AP-I was a physician’s assistant to a plastic surgeon once. Horrid. He was money hungry and many of the patients were shallow, weak people.
C of C- Oh man, I can only imagine.

C of C- What is one thing you think your readers would be interested to know about you?
AP- I earned a scholarship to study voice but chose writing instead. I love to sing.
C of C- Wow, that's awesome Alisha!!

C of C- Are you reclusive or do you like being with other writers?
AP- I like my time alone but I love hanging out with other writers, especially because the life of a writer is so solitary. I adore my sister muses.
C of C- There's nothing better than hanging with like minded people, is there?

C of C- Do you find love scenes easy or hard to write?
AP-Sometimes it’s difficult to come up with something a little different, but I always work it out.

C of C- Do you ever act out your scenes?
AP- I’m not telling.
C of C- lol, :O)

C of C- How long do you wait once a story is finished to revise it?
AP- I begin revising right away. Once I’m finished I’m very excited to get it submitted.
C of C- Would you mind rubbing some of that off on me??? :O)

C of C- Do you ever second guess yourself and your writing?
AP- All the time. I think every writer is guilty of this.
C of C- Some more than others, sigh*

C of C- Do you ever stray from your genre?
AP- I write in many genres. My first book was a paranormal, my second was a historical, my third a fantasy, my fourth an urban fantasy. You get my drift. I like to dip my toes in other waters and see what I can dream up.
C of C- Multi talented! That's fabulous!!

C of C- Is it necessary to have a Critique/Writing partner?
AP- I don’t think so. I’ve had them before and sometimes it doesn’t always work out, especially if the other writer does not understand your genre well. I feel sometimes it stifles my voice because I start changing everything to please my critique partner. I’d rather have changes suggested by my editor.

C of C- Do you allow family and friends to read your stories?
AP- Yes, but usually only after my books are published.

C of C- Is there a subject you would like to write about, but don’t because you believe it isn’t marketable?
AP- I’d like to write more vintage romances set in the 40s but alas, I’ve been told over and over again that this time period just doesn’t sell.
C of C- I say go for it anyway!!!

C of C- Authors make writing look so easy. Is it harder than most people imagine it to be?
AP- It’s difficult sometimes to create that special balance of character, conflict, romance and satisfying ending. I feel like I’m juggling at times, but I love the challenge.

C of C- How long does it take you to finish a story?
AP- It takes me about three months to write a full length novel and a novella can be written in a month. These answers vary when juggling babies.

C of C- When you write a new story are you apprehensive about allowing others to critique it? AP-Sometimes.

C of C- Which author/(s) are on your must-read list?
AP- My muse sisters.

C of C- What is your favorite writing memory?
AP- Getting my first contract was thrilling. I called my husband at work and he said, “How is my published author?” I still get chills thinking about it.
C of C- I can only imagine!!! It must be an indescribable feeling!

C of C- Do you have more than one book out now?
AP- I have two books available now and three books to be released in 2008.
C of C- wow, you've been busy!! AND I must say your book, "The wooden Nickel" looks great!!

C of C- Has your writing Journey been a smooth or bumpy ride?
AP- It’s been pretty smooth with a few bumps along the way. I never let the rejection letters stop me. They only make me want to prove myself as a writer.
C of C- That's a great attitude to have!

C of C- What advice would you give to a new aspiring writer?
AP- Read everything you can get your hands on in your genre. Go to writer’s meetings. Learn about the market place. Expect rejections. If you never get rejected, you’ll never get published. It’s just a stop on the road to publication. I once heard a great saying and I’m sorry that I don’t remember who said it but it goes something like, “Double your failure rate and you will double your success rate.” So write, write, write and submit like crazy. Don’t let that manuscript just sit there and collect dust. You’ll never know if you don’t send it out there. And you just might be pleasantly surprised and soon you can call yourself a published author too.
C of C- That's great advice!!

Its been a pleasure having you here with me today, Alisha! Thank you very much for taking the time out to sit down with me! I've enjoyed getting to know you and wish you nothing but the BEST in all your future endeavours!!!

For more information on Alisha Paige, please go to: http://www.alishapaige.com/