Wendy S. Marcus with GIVEAWAYS!

We have Medical Romance author Wendy S. Marcus visiting us and she's came bearing gifts of signed books! So over to Wendy now...

 

 

Hi Nas!

 Thank you so much for having me on your blog to discuss my two January Harlequin Mills and Boon Medical Romance releases, CravingHer Soldier’s Touch and Secrets of a Shy Socialite. While both books are connected, with Craving Her Soldier’s Touch being the first in the Beyond the Spotlight duet, each book stands alone. 

 

These books are very special to me because in addition to doing my typical medical research, I also interviewed people to help add to the realism. This extra step made both stories so much more personal.

 

For Craving Her Soldier’s Touch I interviewed a friend’s nephew, Army Specialist Adam Bivins, who served with the U.S. military in Iraq, to get a feel for realistic military terminology and situations. Adam shared information on the daily life of a soldier. And he didn’t laugh too much when I asked him what latrines are called on military bases and he replied, “Latrines are called latrines.” (So much for something fun and creative!)  

 

For Secrets of a Shy Socialite I interviewed two friends, Stella Turk and Mary Ritter, one who was positive for the breast cancer gene and underwent prophylactic mastectomies, the same as my heroine, Jena. And one who had recently undergone bilateral mastectomies for treatment of breast cancer. Both women were very open about their emotions and experiences, and the information they shared helped to make Jena’s story that much richer, a story that doesn’t focus on cancer but on survival.

 

Even with three books already published, I admit, I was apprehensive about approaching people to request an interview. I didn’t know any active duty military personnel. How would I find someone? Would my friends take me seriously? Would they be willing to help me? Would they find my questions too intrusive?

 

As far as finding Adam, I posted a request for help on my Facebook page and received a few very helpful responses. And kudos to Adam for his willingness to be interviewed for a romance novel!

 

As far as approaching my friends, I just went ahead and asked. All they could do is say, “No”, right? But I’m thrilled they said, “Yes!” And they were actually kind of excited about it. In fact, when I gave one of my friends a copy of Secrets of a Shy Socialite, with her name in the dedication, she told me she felt kind of famous! But even better than that, after she finished it, she called me a master storyteller. (Because both books are, after all, works of fiction derived from my very fertile imagination.) And when a person you interviewed, who shared very personal subject matter with you, loves the story she played a role in creating, well that’s just the best praise ever.

 

I am so proud of how both books turned out, and I hope you’ll give them each a read. For more information visit http://WendySMarcus.com/books/

 

Now for a few questions to get some conversation going. If you’re an author, have you ever interviewed someone for one of your books? What was your experience? If you’re a reader, would you be willing to be interviewed for a book? And if yes, would you go as far as to let the author include your name in the dedication?

 

Thanks for stopping by for a visit. Two lucky commenters will be chosen at random to receive the 2in1 UK paperback edition of Craving Her Soldier’s Touch and Secrets of a Shy Socialite.

 

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