I want to welcome Ann
Raina. First I’d love you to introduce yourself.
I’m way beyond forty and currently I live in Germany with
five cats and a horse (not in the same apartment; he just didn’t fit). I’ve
been writing novels for years and I still love creating plots, finding
characters and putting them together. My muse is always with me. We talk about
ideas and how to get them into a story every week. My creativity wouldn’t be so
fulfilling without her additions, comments and questions, especially about the
logic in plot twists.
Tell us about your
latest release.
This fall three novels will be released, the first one’s The Secretary’s Bodyguard. The story is
about Jazmin, who’s married to the bodyguard of the Secretary of State. On an
official visit to Colombia the secretary and his entourage are attacked by
terrorists and have to flee through the forest, hunted by men out to kill them
all.
Now I have a few
questions for you – I have found readers do like to know fun things about us
writers.
1.) Who is your
favorite villain – it can be from a book (even one of yours), movie or TV show.
And why?
From a movie I’d choose Hans Gruber, portrayed by Alan
Rickman, in Die Hard 1. He’s cynical, bad without remorse and yet in his way so
funny you can laugh. Okay, I’m guilty of liking this movie anyway… In my
opinion the bad guys always get the best roles, the more challenging
performance. If the bad guys are well played they make the good guys look
handsome and well-behaved, but without the edges.
2.) Who is your
favorite character out of your books? Why?
I tend to write one book with a set of characters and then
let go. This time I wrote three novels in a row because Ethan Mahoney and his
wife make such a lovely couple I couldn’t part with them. And, yes, if I come
up with another plot there will be a forth book. He’s dedicated to his wife and
also his job. He’s straightforward and reliable and a wild tiger if anyone
dares getting close to his wife. He has a way to cheer her up and still respect
her. In the second book he’s confronted with a villain he can’t truly beat and
to write that confrontation was a real challenge. I guess, with Ethan I wrote a
character I would very much like to meet. I confess I’m still a girl with
dreams when it comes to that.
3.) What genre do you
write? What made you pick that one?
I write contemporary romance and Science Fiction. I like
SciFi because of the never ending possibilities to create new worlds and
venture onto other planets where our rules don’t apply. But recently the ideas
were more earth-bound. While writing a story that plays here and now I have to
stick to historical facts and it’s very interesting to do research before the
first paragraph is written.
4.) What are you
working on now?
Another SciFi story which I started between book two and
three of the series. Yes, sometimes I can’t get enough. At first I wanted to
take down notes and do nothing else. I tried to focus on the plot I was writing
at that time, but it just didn’t work. The first ten pages were written before
I blinked. Then I tried for discipline and finished book three (A Bodyguard’s Vacation) to return to
the SciFi plot. Right now I’m in the middle somewhere and try to wrap up and
not forget where I was heading. Getting distracted by side plots is one of my
problems…
5.) What got you to
start writing?
I honestly can’t tell. I suppose it was Han Solo. I loved
the character so much I started writing fan fiction when no one knew that word.
All of my early stories were hand-written and only some friends got them for
reading. I stuck with fan fiction for quite a long time, but then made the turn
to my own worlds and own characters.
6.) Where do you get
your ideas from?
Dreams. Taking a shower. Working in the garden. When an idea
hits me I take down notes, play around with it and present it to my muse for
duly dissection. After that brainstorming sets in, decorated with coffee and cookies.
(I understand all FB posts about the essentials of coffee for authors…) If we
can’t get any further on one day we postpone. I take down more notes and the
full plot will take about two or three weeks for creation. Again, every movie I
watch or book I read can become a source for ideas.
7.) What would people
who read your work be surprised to find out about you?
I think I can only write books, which deal with so much
trouble, action, suspense and else because my real life is very orderly. I’m
happy with my life. I can put all these imaginary problems in my books because
my day-to-day life is enjoyable.
8.) Do you have any
special talents?
I’ve learned riding years ago and finally bought a horse, a
chestnut colored gelding. He’s nine years old by now and a very good partner in
the woods. So I spent a lot of time outdoors.
9.) What was the one
piece of advice you received when you were an aspiring author that has stuck
with you? Why?
Know the character and its language. I was told by my
teacher in high school that my writing is nice (okay, at that time), but I lack
the ability to write narrative according to the man’s or woman’s upbringing.
People from different social places talk differently. I try to keep that in
mind every time I create a new character.
10.) If you could talk
to any famous figure (present, past or fictional) who would it be and what
would you talk about?
I would’ve loved to meet Sir Peter Ustinov. He was such an
intelligent man.
11.) What song would
you say describes your life?
Michael Buble’s It’s a Beautiful Day.
12.) If you could come
back as any animal – what would it be?
I prefer to be a cat in a large home. Maybe a writer’s cat.
Mine tend to look intently at the screen and I guess they were critics in their
first lives…
Excerpt:
“You would’ve slapped him?” His voice tripped over the last word. Ethan tried to imagine his wife hitting Walter Coleman, the incarnation of a strict, very conservative and always serious chief of security. It was funny. Reconsidering that she had brought down Ryan, the image lost some of its entertainment value. He frowned as he watched her very nice butt on a westbound trail that only she saw. There was that little idea in the back of his head he’d better ignore.
“He insinuated I might be in a setup with the terrorists following us. It’s completely stupid, I know, but that’s the way he thinks.” She stopped on the way up and turned until Ethan reached her. Her frown was deep and she looked tired. “He’s doing his job, and he was right to remind you to do yours. We’re not here because of some weekend trip gone wonky. You have to work and probably risk your life saving the secretary.”
He put his hands on her hips. “Princess, can you imagine that I’d put his life over yours? It’s not gonna happen. I’m very proud that you’re so brave. So tough. It might come out all wrong, but it’s not. I didn’t expect you to be like this. Not even with the police training and all.”
“I panic on the inside, Ethan.” She caressed his stubbly cheek and ran her thumb over the cleft in his chin. He saw her fight off emotions that would lead to tears. “I’m so afraid you’ll get hurt. And that those men will catch up to us and kill us all in cold blood. I can’t stand the thought that you’ll throw yourself in the line of fire and that those bastards might finally end what they began.” She combed his hair with her fingers. “I can’t think of a life without you.”
“I’ll work hard so no one gets killed. Would that be okay?”
She trembled as he took her in his arms. “They’re still coming after us, and they’ve got the larger firepower, don’t they? Please, Ethan, tell me that we stand a chance.”
He let go and smiled at her. “Well, we’ve got you with us. And if I got the secretary right, he’ll hire you as recruitment. Wait an hour and he’ll order Walter to hand you a gun.”
She turned and walked on. “I can fire a gun. I was a police officer.”
Ethan, his eyes already back on her derrière, opened his mouth for a reply, rethought the argument and kept silent until she turned with a frown.
“Do you doubt I can shoot?”
Again, Ethan knew he was in trouble, no matter how he answered the question. “Walter…won’t hand a weapon to anyone he hasn’t personally trained. He’s…nuts when it comes to weapons and shooting. He wouldn’t let you touch—”
“He’d reject my help even if Ryan can’t shoot anymore?”
Ethan heard the outrage in her voice and called himself stupid to have brought up the subject. His mind juggled the possible ways to end the discussion. “Ryan’s fine, even with his left hand. I saw him train.”
Book information:
The Secretary’s Bodyguard
Copyright © 2015 Ann Raina
ISBN: 978-1-4874-0518-2
Cover art by Carmen Waters
Buying information:
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