Even if I never had anything published, I’d still want to write.
Hi Everyone,
Welcome back to my favorite series, Keeping Your Dreams Alive. I'm so pleased to introduce you to a new friend of mine, author, Stephanie Cage. I met Stephanie through Crimson Romance. The cover of her new novel, Perfect Partners caught my eye and I immediately download it.
Stephanie, I'm so thrilled to have this chance to get to know you better. Thank you for being here today and sharing your dreams with us. Would you please tell us a little about yourself?
Stephanie...
In the real world I’m married, I
live in the beautiful county of Yorkshire, in the north of England, and I work
in administration. To tell the truth,
though, I don’t spend all that much time in the real world. I love books because you can go anywhere you
want to go, for the price of a paperback… or a download… or for nothing on a
library loan. You don’t get a cheaper
ticket to adventure than that! The only thing better than reading books is
writing them, because you truly get to ‘choose your own adventure’. (I wonder who else remembers those
books?) So you can look for me walking
the moors in Yorkshire, but you’re just as likely to find me on a faraway
planet, flying with the dragons.
People of all ages have forgotten how
to dream. What inspired you to dream?
From
when I was very young, my parents encouraged my reading – and
writing – habits. For some reason, they
used to let me stay up late to watch the prize-giving ceremony for what was then
the Booker Prize (now the Man Booker prize) which was a huge deal in the UK
literary world. I decided very early on
that I was going to win it. I don’t
think they believed me… I can’t imagine why!
Later, I realized that I was more interested in writing to entertain than
to impress, so that dream fell by the wayside, but I never stopped dreaming of
seeing my name in print, and luckily that’s already happened quite a few times
in different ways. My favorite is on
the cover of my ballroom dancing novel, Perfect Partners – I think
Crimson Romance’s cover designer must have read my mind, it’s so exactly the
cover I wanted for the book.
We all place obstacles in our path
which brings our dreams to a dead stop. I call these obstacles dream killers. What was your dream
killer and how did you overcome it?
My
dream killer is that dullest of little voices, the one demanding I ‘be
realistic’ and pointing out that ‘writing isn’t a proper job.’ I haven’t so much overcome it as sidestepped
it by keeping up my writing alongside my ‘proper job.’ Although on my more stubborn days I do turn
around to it and shout, ‘Tell that to J.K. Rowling!’
How do you keep the dream alive under
extreme adversity – external or internal?
Every so often I’ve come close to
giving up writing after a long spell without any apparent success. What always stops me in the end is realizing that even if I never had anything published, I’d still want to write. Some people describe the thing they’re born
to do as ‘like breathing’. For me, it’s
more like exercise, I think. I can stop,
I just feel lousy when I do! As much as
my body needs me to go for a walk or a swim every now and then, my brain needs
me to write. So I just keep writing for
the pleasure of doing it, and sooner or later I have an idea that’s too good to
keep to myself, and then I’m back on the roundabout of submissions, rejections
and eventually acceptances.
When you reached the top, how did it
feel?
I’m
a long way from the top still, but there have been some wonderful moments
lately when readers have responded to my books exactly the way I dreamed
of. Some years ago, when I was working
in marketing (like my heroine Lisa in Perfect Partners) I found that I
was reading a lot of light romance to relax, and I decided I wanted to write
books that would make people happy after a hard day in the office. So I’m over the moon when someone comes up to
me and says, ‘I sat down with your book last night and it just totally took me
away. I really believe in Lisa and
Redmond and I love their romance – it’s so hot!’
How did realizing your dream change
you?
I
don’t think being published has changed me, but I have changed a lot by being
part of writing groups and especially the Romantic Novelists’ Association,
because I’ve learned so much from others and realised how much I have to give
back to people who are newer to writing – or to the quest for publication –
than I am. I think perhaps that’s one of
the most important things to realize about dreams: they don’t depend on just
one person. You get to them a lot more
quickly once you start spending time around people who are on a similar
journey, regardless of whether they’re closer to the destination than you are,
or not.
Photo by Steven Bisby
What's next? What new dream would you
like to reach for?
I
still dream about going into a mainstream bookshop and seeing my book lined up
on the shelves with all the big name authors, but that’s an old dream. A newer one is to get to know and spend more
time working with other authors, whether that’s through blog visits and tours,
conferences or courses. The writing
world is so full of excitement, I don’t think I’ll run out of writing dreams
for a while!
Blurb of Perfect Partners:
“What’s he doing
back in London after all this time?”
Eight years ago,
Lisa Darby’s dancing partner and first love, Redmond Carrington, left London
for a fun summer on the cruise ships – and never came back. Lisa’s grown up a
bit since then, and she’d like to think she’s prepared for anything, but when
Red comes back from America with a proposal for her, she’s not sure she’s ready
for what he’s suggesting.
A TV studio is
filming a knockout competition of six of the world’s best couples – each of
them partners both on and off the dance floor. Redmond wants Lisa to pose as
his girlfriend so that they can compete. It’s an unbelievable opportunity for
an aspiring professional dancer, and the spectacular prize money would help
save Lisa’s beloved dance studio, which is in need of major renovation.
Scooping the prize is going to take the performance of a lifetime from Lisa and
Redmond, but with the sizzling tension between them, they might just pull it
off.
It turns out that
putting on an act for the cameras is the least of Lisa’s worries. As time goes
on and she rediscovers her feelings for Redmond, she’s left questioning what’s
really behind his offer, and where their partnership is heading this time.
Sensuality Level:
Sensual
Excerpt of Perfect Partners:
Lisa never
knew why she said what she said next.
“Wouldn’t it be easier if
we didn’t have to pretend?”
Redmond stared at Lisa
for a long moment and she couldn’t read his expression. She wished she could
swallow the words back, but they were spoken and a lump of tension was forming
in her throat. Then he began lifting his hand slowly. She watched, mesmerised,
almost feeling the heat of his hand before it reached her cheek. Her mind ran
ahead of the reality, seeing his strong fingers cupping her face and drawing
her into the kiss she’d found herself daydreaming about earlier.
Even as she imagined his
hungry lips on hers and the familiar warmth of his body close against her, the
cautious, hurt part of her mind was warning her not to believe it.
*
Where
you can find Stephanie Cage:
Stephanie
Cage is a British romance writer, author of 'Perfect Partners' (Crimson
Romance) and 'Desperate Bid (The Wild Rose Press). She studied English
Literature at Oxford University and Creative Writing at Bath Spa. One of her
most exciting writing moments was winning a holiday to Sicily in the Woman's
Own Short Story Competition. More recently she won the Yorkshire Ridings
Magazine's Romance Story competition. Oddly, both short stories were set in the
same location in Yorkshire
.
Find
out more about Stephanie Cage:
My
blog: http://www.stephaniecage.co.uk.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/StephanieWriter
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Stephanie-Cage-Writer/212877878754408
Buy
Links:
Amazon:
http://amzn.to/19GRuxm
Barnes
and Noble: http://bit.ly/1dpwiLC
iTunes:
http://bit.ly/18HT3Xx
Crimson
Romance: http://www.crimsonromance.com
Stephanie and I would love to hear from you so please leave a comment by clicking on the pencil.
Hugs to all!
Nancy C. Weeks
