MC: Hi Shelli. Welcome! Tell us a little about yourself.

SS: Hi, thanks for having me! Well, I live in the Pacific Northwest where I’m the Vice President of my local RWA chapter. I’m a single mom, and I love to write. I used to do Tae Kwon Do where I’m a second degree purple belt, but I’m taking a break due to time and monetary reasons.

MC: When did you start writing?

SS: I started writing when I was a teenager. My own little romances that we’re maybe seven pages long. LOL.

MC: What was it like auditioning for American Idol?

SS: It was… an experience. LOL. It was tiring. Contrary to what everyone thinks, you don’t just go and audition for Randy, Simon and Paula. There are three stages to the audition, three cuts you have to make. The first part of the audition you have to wait in line for hours on end (we got in line at 3 in the morning) before you even get to audition. You wait it tight, crowded lines. Then you get herded into whatever venue they’ve picked, and you wait for your number to come up. You go down with 5 or 6 people and stand in front of a panel of judges. But the entire floor is full of sections with judges, so at one point you’ll have about 60 people auditioning. That’s the first cut, if you make it through that you go to the second round. Round three is Randy, Simon, and Paula. During the first round they encourage people to be the next William Hung because we can’t all be the next American Idol *rolling eyes* I just went along to support my best friend and decided to audition because I thought it could be great research for a book some day! I got booted first cut. I almost sang The Greatest Love of All with hand motions and as off pitch as possible, but decided it wasn’t worth the humiliation. (I was a music major and I would never hear the end of it!) Overall the whole process is really staged and a bit cheesy.

MC: Tell us about your books. You have two out with Cobblestone Press right now, correct?

SS: I have Tourist Attraction and The Pirate’s Booty both out with Cobblestone Press. They both are contemporary erotic romances and have been receiving great reviews! Here’s the mini premise for each.

Tourist Attraction: Melanie goes to Hawaii on vacation with two major goals. To get a tan, and to have a fling. Then things take a twist–or at least her ankle does–and she finds herself in the care of a sexy doctor. One who’s more than willing to show her his bedside manner.
The Pirate’s Booty: To save her business, Renee crashes a party thrown by the descendant of a pirate. She plans to steal back a brooch taken from her ancestor centuries ago. But what she doesn’t realize is that it’s a sex party, and Devon Murray is as notorious as his pirate ancestor.

MC: What’s coming up next for you?

SS: I have two more books coming out with Cobblestone Press. This Spells Trouble was my first paranormal that comes out in October. My heroine is a witch, my hero is a vampire. This is part of a three book Halloween series, Vegas Magic, I’m doing with Sara Dennis and Loribelle Hunt. I also have a book Silk Hauntings coming out in December. That is fun, sexy little ghost story.

MC: What do you love most about writing?

SS: The freedom of it. I love creating my own stories and giving them my own ending. It’s just like reading a book I love, only I’m in the drivers seat.

MC: What’s your least favorite part about writing/publishing?

SS: Writing a synopsis. That and trying to find some of my earlier works a home. And then knowing it’s possible I may have to just bury the manuscript.

MC: Is there a setting that you’ve wanted to include in a book that you haven’t yet?

SS: I’d like to do a futuristic. And I’ll probably be doing one soon.

MC: Do you have a muse?

SS: I think the muse is the biggest excuse to procrastinate if I’ve ever heard one. I didn’t even know what a muse was until I saw the movie.

MC: Any advice for up and coming writers?

SS: Write a book, and then another one. Keep writing and sending them out. You get better with each book, and you prove to the agent/editors that you’re productive.

MC: How about some fun questions?

SS: What’s your favorite Rascal Flatts’ song? Oooh I just discovered them a few months ago. (I’m a newly converted country fan!) I really like ‘What hurts the most’ and ‘Fast Cars and Freedom.’

MC: Is the glass half empty or half full?

SS: Who cares as long as it’s Diet Coke J Umm… probably ½ full

MC: If you were a flavor of bubble gum, what flavor would you be?

SS: Oooh Pina colada

MC: Who are your favorite authors and why?

SS: Lori Foster, Cherry Adair, Sasha White. All write fabulous for their genre.

MC: What’s your idea of the perfect date?

SS: Probably a picnic dinner, under the stars in the country, with a cd player playing various types of music (depending on my mood, lol) Country and Classical.

MC: Do you have a favorite sport?

SS: It used to be baseball, but the Mariners are pissing me off. So it’s now football. Go Seahawks!

MC: Do you believe in love at first sight?

SS: No way. I believe in lust at first sight, but I think the love comes later.

MC: How can readers get in touch with you?

SS: You can visit my website at www.shellistevens.com, my blog at www.shellistevens.blogspot.com, or email me at shellistevens@shellistevens.com

1 Comment

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  By Donna, August 31, 2006 @ 7:51 pm

  Very interesting! I am learning all kinds of things about my favorite authors! She really tried out for American Idol!! How cool is that?!

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