Welcome to the Lair, Marie Force!

posted by Aunty Cindy

AC and Marie are dining in their favorite cyber Asian restaurant on Shrimp Chow Fun, Sweet & Sour pork and bottles of Tsing Tao beer. Since this is cyber space, Marie is as adept with her chopstick as AC. What are they talking about? Why books, hunks, writing and a whole lot more! Let's listen in......

AC: So where did you come up with the storyline for your debut release Line Of Scrimmage? And even more, what or should I say WHO inspired your yummy hero, Ryan Sanderson?

Marie: Yeah! I get to be adept with chopsticks! My Aunty knows that I'm a clutz with the sticks in real life. Can we have some crab rangoons, too? How can it get any better than Chinese food, my favorite Aunty

and a chat about Line of Scrimmage--and the very yummy Ryan Sanderson? Let's see, where did he come from?

It all started with a pair of boots landing in a foyer. I knew they were cowboy boots, and I knew they were unwelcome. What I didn't know, at first, was why. As I got to know him better, I realized he was an NFL quarterback showing up to blackmail his soon-to-be ex-wife into spending their last ten days as Mr. and Mrs. together. As a New Englander,I'll confess that there's a little bit of Tom Brady in Ryan.

AC drools a bit over thoughts of Tom Brady and all those tight ends in football then orders the crab and some pot stickers and takes a long guzzle of Tsing Tao: I'm afraid I know all about those characters who will not fit into the molds we have in mind for them. Aunty does not carry a riding crop strictly for the Cabana boys and miscreant Banditas. So if Ryan was not very cooperative, I hope his Mrs. gave you less trouble.

Marie: His Mrs. gave me different problems. I had to work really hard to imagine what her life would be like as the wife of the NFL's biggest star. Sure, there were a lot of perks, but she had to put up with women throwing themselves at Ryan (even when she was right there with him!), rumors of his infidelity, his obsessive focus on the game and his team, the nonstop demands on his time, and his inability to be there for her when she needed him most. When her first love, her high school boyfriend Henry, reappears on the scene months after she and her husband separate, it's only natural she would be seduced by the peace and tranquility he offered.

If you'd had it with your NFL star of a husband, wouldn't a bow-tie wearing banker be the answer?

AC: Hmmmm, the last bow-tie wearing guy Aunty remembers seeing was Indiana Jones in his professorial mode. Yes, he would definitely be "the answer" but Aunty doubts peace and tranquility would be part of that equation!

ALL RIGHT! (Aunty snaps her crop to get back on track.) We LOVE call stories here in the Lair. Care to share yours with us?

Marie: Awww, can't we go back to thinking about Harrison Ford in all his bespectacled beauty? I guess not. I'm kinda afraid of you and that crop of yours. After the way you mocked my lack of chopstick dexterity, I know what you're capable of. (Snorting over my rangoons...)

Okay, the call story went something like this.... My cousin Jen and I had managed to get her house to ourselves to eat wings and watch the season premier of Grey's Anatomy last September 27, except the phones kept ringing. So when my cell rang just after the show started, she forbade me to answer it (using a string of swears that would shock even the Banditas! My baby cousin!) I replied that it could be my kids, and of course I was going to get it. A glance at the caller ID told me it wasn't my kids but rather my agent who proceeded to tell me Sourcebooks was planning to make an offer on Line of Scrimmage! Jen and I ended up watching Grey's on TiVo a week later!

Chow fun noodle dangling from her chopsticks, Aunty stares vacantly into space murmuring about football players, Professor Indiana Jones, and Dr. McDreamy. Suddenly, the noodle splashes into Aunty's hot and sour soup.

Aunty sputters for a moment: Where were we? Oh yes! The long and winding road to publication... So what were some important things you learned along your road, Marie? Care to pass along some pearls of wisdom? Did you receive any great advice? Who from?

Marie: I went blank in the head after the words "McDreamy." I looooove him. But I digress...

The most important pearl of wisdom I can impart is to NEVER, EVER give up. My motto was "The only thing I know for sure is if I give up, it'll never happen." Another really important thing I took it to heart was to KEEP WRITING. You never know what's going to strike the right chord with an agent or editor. For me, it was my seventh book. Later, my editor said, "What else do you have?" And now my third book, "Same Time Sunday," is in line to be published next. I'm also a HUGE advocate of letting civilians (meaning non-writers) read your work. In my case, the enthusiasm and excitement of my readers kept me going.

As for advice, something Suzanne Brockmann said at our New England Chapter conference earlier this year comes to mind. She was talking about how those of us who are involved with RWA spend a lot of time around other people who have also written books, so we tend to forget what a very big deal it is to have finished a book. Suz said it's important to celebrate every accomplishment along the journey, no matter how big or small. It's a great point and one to keep in mind.

AC: Yes it is! And we're so glad you've joined us here in the lair to celebrate your BIG accomplishment of seeing your VERY FIRST BOOK out on bookstore shelves everywhere!

Aunty finishes off her Chow Fun and Tsing Tao and breaks open her fortune cookie: You have a charming way with words, but beware of tall blond men with Nordic names. Hmmm... Okay, what does YOURS say Marie?

Marie: Muse will bring you man in tight white pants with big cup.

Please tell us about an accomplishment you celebrated recently, or maybe something you WISH you had celebrated. Marie will be giving away a copy of Line of Scrimmage to one lucky commenter!

The find out more about Line of Scrimmage, read some fabulous reviews, and get another chance to win a copy, check out Marie's personal blog: http://mariesullivanforce.blogspot.com