Interview with Ronna Gage

1) Links to website and list of books with purchase links.

    Website           

    BOOKS:

    Paradise Mine

    In The Christmas Spirit

    Love Lessons

    Friends and Lovers

    Bare It All

    First Thanksgiving ***This book landed 8th place with the P&E readers' poll!***
    Tell Me a Lie

    Afternoon Delight

    Mystic Journey

        

2) How long have you been writing? What got you in to writing?
I have been writing for seven years now. I have always been a story teller, but it wasn’t until I made the decision to put it down and paper and share that I started writing.

3) What was your first published book? Looking back, is there anything you’d change about it?

Afternoon Delight was the first published. I would make the character development stronger. It was a short story, but I could have done so much better.

4) What or Who has influenced your writing?

I guess my mother, Mary and my brother, Tom. They both write, but don’t want to share.

5) Where do you get your ideas?

Many places really. I have trouble sleeping so I make up mini mental journeys. If they are really good, I write it down. I also get a lot of story ideas from music. I use music when I write to influence a scene and tap into the emotions I need. I.e. Country music for that Love Hurts feeling of a break up. Rock for the excited and new relationship…etc.

6) What hinders your writing? (distractions? noise?)

Right now my 3 month old Labrador puppy LUKE. Cute little guy, but very distracting.

7) What genre are you most comfortable with? What would you like to explore?

I am comfortable with the contemporary, but I would like to do another paranormal.  Maybe even a historical.

8) Are you a by-the-seat-of-your-pants kinds of writer, or do you have to use an outline to put your collective thoughts into some semblance of common sense?

I do research; get the finer points of the story’s angle…like in Mystic Journey I used the torture methods to show the not so romantic side of the historical.  I study them and then just write. I look over stuff again in the editing process with my critique partner Ava James.

9) Which of your books is your favorite? Why?

Mystic Journey. It is a mix of historical, time-travel, and contemporary.

10) Do you incorporate some of yourself into your characters? Personality traits? Likes? Dislikes?

Yes, I think we all do. The character has to be someone you can relate to. I don’t over indulge too much, but I write about what I know. I write about teachers and police most of the time.

11) What do you think is the perfect hero/heroine? Why?

The perfect hero is one that is alpha of course, romantic to a point, and sees her side of the situation as well. The perfect female is one that is strong willed, determined, stands up for herself, but lets her guard down for her man.

12) Do you have any suggestions/comments for prospective authors?
1. WRITE.
2 PROMOTE when the book is released. Make this story the best you can, because there for every one contract to publish are ten or more rejections.

JUST FOR FUN: (answer as many as you want)

1) If you could be an animal, what would it be? Why?

A dog…they are loyal and affectionate. Then a cat, because they are independent.

2) If you had super powers, what would they be? Why?

ESP

3) If you could be an immortal, what would you want to be? Why?
Not sure. Hmm.

4) If you could change three things in the world, what would they be? Why?         

The way children show respect to one another and to adults.
Jobs

Homelessness

I would change these three things because I can right now. Show a young person love and respect and don’t take bad attitude. Find a job and keep it. Only you can take care of you. And the homelessness, help some one out in some small way. It is all we can do.

5) What would be a perfect date for you?

Going out with my husband to a nice restaurant and take our time eating and talking…getting to know one another again.

6) Is there anywhere you’d like to visit? Why?
I would like to take a cruise to Hawaii. It is 2 weeks of talking.

7) Do you have any obsessions? What are they?
Does chocolate count?

8) Do you have a crush on any actor/actress? Who?

Crush; I like Alex O’Laughlin, Adam Baldwin, Sam Elliot,

Paradise Mine by Ronna Gage

TITLE: Paradise Mine
AUTHOR: Rona Gage
PUBLISHER: Siren-Bookstrand, Inc.

MAIN GENRE: Contemporary * Erotic Romance

SECONDARY GENRE: Military  *  Political

LENGTH: 304 pages 

HEAT LEVEL: Boiling
OTHER: M/F 

ROSE RATING: – 4 1/2
REVIEWED BY: Willow

BLURB:

Rae Anne Jamison and Landy Laurent have the kind of love most people envy--that is, except for Rae Anne's father, a high-powered political figure in Texas. But she and Landy ignore her father’s complaints and focus on their upcoming wedding, planning it for when Landy returns from the newly declared Operation Desert Shield.

Lonely and depressed without him, Rae Anne clings to a preplanned vacation in tropical paradise with him in a year, but when she receives word that he is missing in action and presumed dead, all hope is shattered.

REVIEW:

Brought together by some of life’s tragedies when they were children, Rae Ann and Landy knew they wanted to spend the rest of their lives together. But sometimes fate—as well as meddling relatives—has a way of interfering.

On the night before Landy leaves for his military enlistment, Rae Ann and he share the special moment they’d held off on for years. There’s no doubt about their love or devotion, despite their young age. With heartfelt promises to come back and marry her, he leaves to begin his service to their country.

Rae Ann feels a deep sadness at Landy’s departure, but clings to the promises and hope for their future. When things take an unexpected turn and Landy’s whereabout and status become uncertain, she clings to their love, praying he’ll come back home safe, for she has something very special to share with him.

This is one of those stories that slowly grows on you. The beginning starts off with a sexual bang, then mellows out some as the author takes you through a lot of character development. While the story mainly focuses on Rae Ann for a while, it picks up with Landy at an appropriate time in her life. You’ll find yourself frustrated, angry, confused, and inevitably satisfied by the end with the plot twists and turns. Questions that develop early on will be answered in due time, cloudy plot details made clear. There were a few editing errors, missing words here and there, but nothing too distracting. The author does a good job handling grammar, punctuation, and character point-of-view. My only complaint--and this is minimal--would be with some of the dialect. There were times it seemed a little too wordy or odd, which isn’t uncommon in a lot of stories. My suggestion to the author (to all authors) would be to read the dialect aloud, verbally act out the scene to see if it sounds normal. Overall, it was a really good story and I’m glad I got the opportunity to meet Landy and Rae Ann.

If you crave a story with memorable characters and tangible dilemmas, then grab a copy of Paradise Mine by Ronna Gage. It promises to deliver a heart touching tale that will make you happy, make you cry, and likely stay with you a while.