Coffee Shop Conversations: Q&A with author Christina Phillips

Hello all you fabulous Dames, and welcome to Coffee Shop Conversations!

On this segment of the blog I will be conducting interviews with Authors, Bloggers and anyone else relative to the literary world and willing to answer my questions. Coffee Shops are great places to just relax, let the hair down and talk about life, love and good books! So without further adieu, let's get to chatting with my special guest:

Author: Christina Phillips

"Christina Phillips has always loved writing, and while her efforts in eighth grade usually involved space ships, time travel and unfortunate endings, as soon as she discovered romance novels a whole new world opened up. She now writes ancient historical romances about strong heroines and gorgeous warrior heroes who, no matter how torturous the journey, are guaranteed a happy-ever-after. Christina was born in the United Kingdom, but now lives in sunny Western Australia with her real-life hero and their three children."Source

Christina Phillips on the web: Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter

Christina's Latest Release:

'Forbidden'

Released  09.07.10

"He was a master of seduction - but no match for the magical allure of the woman he wanted most... 

Carys knew from the moment she first spied on Maximus in his naked barbarian glory that he was a dangerous Roman centurion-his taut, battle-scarred flesh marking him as a fearless warrior. But her desire for him was as undeniable as it was illicit.
Charged by his emperor to eliminate a clan of powerful Druids in Britain, Maximus never expects his mission to be thwarted by the clan's ethereal princess, Carys. Falling under her spell, he doesn't realize her true heritage-until he captures her heart as well as her body.
Now Carys and Maximus must overcome the devastation of war and face the ultimate sacrifice if their forbidden love is to survive."Source

Read an excerpt: here
Read a review of 'Forbidden' at The Book Pushers: here
 
Book Trailer/Blog Party Vid:

Get Your Copy Today:

Barnes&Noble | Amazon | Borders
 The Book Depository | Powell's

-Q&A Questions-
RJ: Hey Christina! Thanks so much for stopping by for a little chat. Firstly, congratulations on your new book, 'Forbidden', available as of 09.07.10! What have the past few months been like; with finishing the book and anticipating it's release? What have you experienced emotionally as well as professionally with the completion of this new book?

CP: Thanks, Rita! The last few months have been hectic! I sold Forbidden last September, and it was originally slated for release in February 2011. But then at Christmas its date was brought forward to September 2010 which was very exciting but also a bit terrifying! There have been so many wonderful moments - seeing my gorgeous cover (which was even better than I'd imagined!), receiving a 4 Star review from Romantic Times BOOK Reviews and then having FedEx deliver my books!

RJ: Why don't you tell me and the readers a little bit about 'Forbidden' from the author's point of view?

CP: Forbidden is a story about two people who fall in love against impossible odds. They come from vastly different cultures and everything is stacked against them. Maximus has been charged by his emperor to destroy all Druids - and Carys is a Druid princess. And Carys has sworn to rid her land of the barbaric invaders - and yet she falls in love with one of their officers. It's a story about overcoming prejudice, the threat of war and the fury of ancient gods and goddesses.

RJ: Where did the inspirations for your plot, characters and setting come from?

CP: The inspiration for this book came to me one night while I was doing boring admin work. The scene literally fell into my mind of a Roman Centurion who was searching for his Druid princess lover, who had been captured by the wicked High Priest. I had no idea why any of this was happening but knew I had to find out or go insane!! And although none of that original scene survived into the book the overwhelming sense of impending doom did.

RJ: What challenges or difficulties did you face with the writing of this particular novel?

CP: One of the biggest challenges was I had no idea how the book was going to end! Even at the three-quarter point, I still had only the vaguest idea. Another challenge was building the world of my Druids. There's so little information about them and I wanted it to be as authentic as possible. Then there was the hierarchy of the Roman Legion and how Rome culture impacted on the conquered people.

RJ: 'Forbidden' is not your debut novel. How does it differ from your previous books and what were you trying to achieve with this one?

CP: Two years ago I sold two short erotic novelettes to The Wild Rose Press. Foretaste of Forever is a dark paranormal and Touch of the Demon is a dark futuristic. Forbidden is my first full length novel that sold and is an erotic ancient historical romance. My two novelettes were a departure for me, since I usually write full length books, and the reason I decided to go back to writing the longer books was because I enjoy having more room to world build and explore my characters. Forbidden does have a paranormal element woven throughout, but it's not paranormal in the way my novelettes are which have witches, demons and vampires.

RJ: Lets talk about your Hero and Heroine (Maximus & Carys). What are their flaws and what are their redeeming qualities? Also, why are they attracted to each other (aside from physical attraction)?

CP: Maximus is a patrician, a member of the nobility in Roman society. His upbringing was privileged and he was expected to follow a structured career path. However, being a bit of a rebel Maximus goes his own way, causing great scandal back in Rome. It's this aspect of his character that makes him more open-minded than, perhaps, some of his countrymen when he falls for Carys. He's an alpha male, a commander of troops and has been brought up to believe men are the superior gender (yeah, right!) But although his initial attraction to Carys is physical, it's not long before he is completely entranced by every aspect of her personality - even when her refusal to obey his commands drives him mad.

Carys is a Druid princess and like Maximus enjoyed a privileged upbringing - until the Romans invaded her beloved homeland. She is an acolyte of the Goddess of Wisdom, Cerridwen, and although she loves her goddess and will do anything for her she also has a habit of interpreting Signs in a way that best suits herself. I love that about her :-) After meeting Maximus, she decides to take him as her lover to prove to herself she is not deficient in matters of sex (as her previous lover accused) despite knowing he is the enemy of her people and it's her duty to kill him. But even before their first night is over she realizes she feels a lot more for this tough Roman than pure lust.

RJ: How did your writing journey begin and how did you get here? What pit-stops, wrong turns, and perfect lane changes did you make on your road to publication?

RJ: The writing process differs from author to author. Some are planners, and others just jump right in. Some consider themselves night writers, while others need daylight and a park bench or a coffee shop (wink) to set the mood for creativity; what's your writing process and atmosphere like?

CP: I decided to get serious about my writing at Easter 1999, not long after we moved to Australia from the UK. I started out writing category romance, then chick lit, then paranormal and after telling my critique partners I could never write an erotic romance because it was too hard, I then wrote two dark erotic novelettes. I discovered that I loved writing erotic romance so then tried my first ancient historical which hooked my agent's interest and sold to Berkley Heat.

CP: My writing process has changed a lot over the years. When I first started I planned every chapter in advance before starting the book. But now, I'm lucky if I know for sure how the book is going to end even when I'm half way through writing it! I much prefer to write during the day, and am lucky enough to have the spare bedroom as my office (which is just as well if you could see the amount of mess I make during the course of writing a book!) I've not tried writing on a park bench or in a coffee shop and don't think I'd be able to concentrate enough to actually do any writing!

RJ: Romances has transcended many different sectors of pop culture. I think the Beatles said it best, "All you need is love". This being a Romance Blog, I've got to ask: what are your favorite romance picks of the following: Favorite Love Song? Favorite Scent on a man? Favorite Romantic Comedy? and of course, Favorite Romance Novel?

RJ: What's coming up next for you (book-wise or otherwise)?

CP: I have so many favorite love songs but I especially love (Everything I Do) I Do It For You by Bryan Adams. Those lyrics slay me every time. Favorite scent on a man? Well that would be whatever my husband happens to be using at the time!!! Fave romantic comedy, this is a hard one because I really enjoy romcoms. I love Sandra Bullock movies and have a soft spot for While You Were Sleeping which might also have something to do with Bill Pullman! Favorite romance novel? I can't possibly choose just one!!!

RJ: Do you have anything that you would like to address to your fans and the readers?

CP: In February 2011 the second book in the Forbidden series hits the shelves - Captive. This is Morwyn's story, Carys's best friend from book one, and has a wonderfully tortured hero.

RJ: Final Question: Name something shocking or interesting about yourself that the readers may not know.

CP: I want to say a big Thank You to all the readers for your support - it's truly appreciated! I keep my website updated on a regular basis - http://www.christinaphillips.com and blog a few times a week - http://christinaphillips.blogspot.com and love to hear from readers. I'm also on Twitter (ChristinaPh) and Facebook

RJ: Final Question: Name something shocing or interesting aboutyourself that the readers may not know!

CP: OMG. I can't think of anything! Although I do have a weird habit of saying I will NEVER do... whatever... (eg. write about vampires, write in first person present, write an erotic romance!) and then I immediately go and do it. Much to the amusement of my CPs!!!

RJ: Thanks so much Christina, for stopping by and sharing! Forbidden looks to be a really great books with TONS of heat and lots of historical info too!
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To all the readers, be sure to make use of those 'on the web' links above to better acquaint yourself with this fabulous author! This has been great! Good luck to all of the giveaway contestants and I hope all of you have enjoyed this edition of: