Interview with Blogger & Reviewer Stella Ex Libris, part 2

And here we are, with part two of my interview with Blogger and Reviewer Stella, from Ex Libris. This is part of Armchair BEA's weeklong events. If you haven't read part one, you can see it here. The first part focused on Stella, the blogger; this part looks at Stella, the person.

Bea: Can you tell me a little bit about what your home life is like? Significant Other? Kids? House? Apartment? Urban? Rural? Cat? Dog? Klingon? Wookie?

STELLA: Lol, sure. I am a 26 years old Hungarian girl working by day as a junior lawyer, and moonlighting at night as a bookaholic blogger. I’ve always lived in big cities, born and (almost exclusively) raised in Budapest, capital of Hungary, then due to my dad’s work lived 2 years in Brussels (Belgium), 3 years in Bucarest (Romania), and then I’ve done part of my university studies abroad too: lived 1 year in Lille, a nice atmospheric little city in Northern France, and another year in Brussels again. Now I’m back in Budapest, working full time and preparing to pass my bar exam, so even less free time than before *sighs* I have two younger sisters, but since they study abroad and my parents didn’t want to remain alone in such a big house all alone, I postponed my plans of moving to my own apartment and live at home with them. I live in a nice house with a garden and terrace in a green suburb of Budapest, takes me 30 minutes to get to work, which is on the bank of the Danube, so a beautiful setting and panoramic view at least if I have to spend so much hours there ;-)

Bea: What do you do when you aren’t blogging?

STELLA: Besides work which takes up quite a lot of time? Besides reading my biggest passion is travelling! I love discovering the world and meeting new people, learn about their culture, traditions and eat foreign cuisine. I also love to cook and bake and of course love watching my fav TV series too. I love meeting up with my friends and go out to dine and wine or simply meet in a café and talk the night/weekend afternoon away.

Bea: On your blog, you mention that you can’t live without sunshine, clouds, laughter, water, reading and talking. What is so special or important about those things to you? How do you go about making sure that you have those in your life? 

STELLA: Sunshine is one of the most important things to me, coming right after my family and friends. I need the light, the warmth, the play of the light and shadows. I love having the sun in my eyes blinding me, and even sleeping with the sun shining on my closed lids. As you can see I’m passionate about sunshine :-D lol

Clouds: lol, no contradiction here with the sun: I love white, fluffy clouds, to wonder about their texture, shape, I love gazing up at the azure sky and look at them. If I were to become a professional photograph I could happily spend my time taking pictures of clouds all the time. Love how different they can be depending on the weather, the lights, the colours of the sky. Again a passion of mine. (as you can see I am quite passionate about a lot of things).

Laughter: I love to laugh and smile. I know it goes against netiquette to use lots of smilies, but I can’t help it (believe me I try real hard, these are already the lucky ones who were left to remain). Someone asked me whether I smile as much in real life as I use smilies in e-mails, and I told him even more. I’m a very smiling and positive person.

Water: I love looking out at the sea and ocean, but when I wrote this I was simply thinking of drinking still, mineral water. My favourite drink, I love the cleanness of it and how it quenches thirst. (I don’t like swimming in pools, so if I have to swim, I much prefer the sea or ocean.)

Reading: I think this is self explanatory for any book blogger. I’ve always read a lot, as soon as I learned how, and even before that I made my parents read to me tons of stories. I could never go without all the wonderful stories that exist!

Talking: Friends have often said that my family is like a loud, chatty, vivacious Italian family: we constantly talk and cut in on each other’s sentences. I’m a little miss chatterbox (if you haven’t noticed it by now seeing how much I wrote) {Well, I did ask a lot of quesitons, lol- Bea}. I love talking with friends, exchanging ideas, having passionate debates.

And regarding your last question, well I don’t know, somehow they are in my life because I consider them important and because they are a part of me. 

Bea: I noticed that you enjoy traveling. Is there a place that is your dream destination? What’s your favorite way to travel – alone, in a group, a tour, camping, backpacking, etc.?

STELLA: I have done all kinds of travelling: we travelled a lot with my family when I was younger, even in quite uncomfortable ways (spent 16-18 hours in the car with my 2 sisters and me in the back), and I am extremely grateful to my parents for always taking us to wonderful places and giving us the world. Since university I travelled a lot with girlfriends, we flew off to a destination and spent some days, weeks sightseeing. And then for my graduation gift my parents gave me a trip to China. It was breathtaking! So beautiful and amazing! I went there all alone to join a group trip, but everything turned out wonderfully as there were 8 of us in our early 20s so we had a blast. I only travelled alone to one place I think: for my 20th birthday I asked my parents for a week in Paris. One of my best trips: spent the week soaking up the atmosphere of the city, sitting in parks, drinking café au lait and seeing so many beautiful places! Paris is my favourite city. My dream destination? There are so many places I would like to see and visit, but the one I am yearning for the most is a Latin-America tour, especially Peru! Would love to see the Machu Pichu and other Aztec and Mayan ruins and temples.

Stella in China

Bea: You speak 6 languages, was that so you could travel, was it for work, you love languages…? Do you have a favorite language to speak in? How about to read in?

STELLA: No, learning languages came to me naturally, without even making it such a conscious question at first: both my parents and all my grandparents speak a couple of languages, it is a way for us of being open to the world and being able to go out there and get a glimpse into other cultures. I learned French when I was little thanks to my dad’s work, then I quite autodidactly taught myself English (through magazines and films and in big part thanks to my high school best friend who was passionate for anything to do with America). I always enjoyed learning languages, because then you feel like you got closer to that culture and people. There is a saying in Hungarian that says that you are as many persons as many languages you speak. And I agree. My favourite language to speak in? hm.. I love the way French sounds, I love hearing myself speak in French lol but my favourite language to read in? English! It has been years since I last read in anything but English I think.

Bea: What is the one thing in the world you would never give up?

STELLA: Independence of thought. I love to think and love to ponder a decision and then take it. I would hate it if someone took it from me.

Ok, now for some quickie, fun questions

Beer or wine? Wine, though I prefer cocktails
Margarita or daiquiri? Both! Lol let’s say strawberry daiquiri, have been eating strawberry for the past couple of days, love their scent and taste (Bea - If you lived closer, I'd say let's go out for strawberry daiquiris. :( )
Beach or forest? Oh, love both, depending on my mood. Let’s say beach if there is not too much people, don’t like it when it’s crowded. I love walks in the forest to think or simply enjoy nature.
Star Wars or Star Trek? Oohh *blushes* haven’t seen Star Trek yet. I saw the new 3 Star Wars movies, but wasn’t that impressed (don’t throw stones at me please!) (Bea- you haven't seen Star Trek? Ever?!?! We need to remedy that, STAT!)
Lost or X-Files? Watched the first 2 episodes of Lost and when I heard the growling of a polar bear (don’t know what it was at the end) I gave up. Was too young to be interested in X-files when it was on, so neither really.
Emily Dickinson or Robert Frost? Ooh both, but let’s say Emily Dickinson, women should get more recognition ;-)
Print book or ebook? Both! However since I have had my Kindle, I have read about twice or 3 times more ebooks than print.
Author you’d most like to meet? Ooh, let me see: Kelley Armstrong! Sonya Bateman, Laura Bickle, Erin Nicholas, Gini Koch, Diana Gabaldon, and if I could Jane Austen definitely!
Monopoly or Scrabble? Scrabble. Love the creativity behind it, and in my family we have Sunday Scrabble parties and there are always these big debates because my dad makes up words and wants to convince us they exist :-D
Fave food? French fries and anything that is dessert! :-D
Fave drink? Fresh still water

Stella, thank you so much for taking the time to do this. I am delighted that I got to learn more about you. 


Now, go take a minute to check out Stella's blog, Ex Libris, and say "hi". And don't forget to check out Book Lovers Inc, where we both review.

Interview with romance author Morgan Ashbury Part 2

 

Hello, and welcome back. Today I wrap up my interview with Morgan, writer of romance and erotic romance. If you missed part 1, you can find it here.

Morgan writes romance and erotic romance and has been very busy in the 4 years since she was first published , with almost 20 books to her credit. Today we are talking about romance, her mentors and other assorted topics.

Welcome back Morgan, thank you for taking the time to do this. 

Bea: Was there someone who was, or is, particularly helpful to you? Was there someone who inspired you in your writing? In what way(s)?

Morgan:  I always acknowledge Kelley Armstrong. I met her at a writing seminar just as her second book, Stolen, came out. We clicked. I went to her website. One day she said, “What do you think about starting a writing group on line at my site?” That group gave me the forum I needed to improve my craft. Kelley also invited me to go to CanWrite 2005 in Kitchener with her, and that was where I first learned about “erotic romance”. Then she said, “let’s go to RT in May next year. It’s in Daytona Beach!” I did, and that is where I met my publisher.

I consider her friendship to be one of my greatest treasures.

Bea: Ok, so now I have to ask: Who are some of your favorite authors? 

Morgan:  How much space do we have? Kelley Armstrong, Emma Wildes, A. J. Menden (KA OWG member), D. B. Reynolds (KA OWG member & future featured interviewee), Sharon Ashwood, Raina James (KA OWG member), Lara Santiago, Nora Roberts, J. D. Robb, Jayne Ann Krentz, Catherine Coulter, Kay Hooper, Barbara Delinsky, Clive Cussler, Vicky Lewis Thompson. I also enjoy the staff writers who write as “Richard Castle”, lol. 

Bea:  Do you have a favorite of the stories you’ve written?

Morgan:  I am proud of every single story I have written. I have 16 titles published under the pen name of Morgan Ashbury (and no, please don’t tell them my real name), and I have 4 stories (well, 5 on Friday the 11^th) published under a second pen name, Cara Covington.

My Magic and Love series is my sentimental favorite. I was very proud of The Lady Makes Three, my first ménage.  I am also really liking this Lusty, Texas series, too!

***I think Magic and Love is my fave also, I really enjoyed them - Bea*** 

Bea: If you could be a character in a book, which one would it be, and what part would you play? (Romantic lead, sidekick, etc)

Morgan: Oh, there’s a bit of me in every book I’ve written. I’m Hannah in the Magic and Love Trilogy. I’m Lily, in Lily In Bloom. But if I could be in someone else’s books, I’d be a friend or a confidante to the hero or the heroine. It’s just the way I’m wired, at heart, I’m not a centre-stage kind of person.

Bea: You’re on Twitter and facebook, but don’t use them often that I’ve seen. Do you think that hurts your sales at all? Do you think they are important or necessary for published authors?

Morgan: Yes, they are important. All promotion is important. That said, I do believe the best promotion is writing really good stories.

I write a weekly blog and have since 2006. It’s called Wednesday’s Words, and it has a substantial following. It’s included as a regular article in a number of blogs, and is a featured item in “Euro Reviews” an European book review site based in Antwerp, Belgium.

Just this past December I finally set up a blog for it, specifically. This blog keeps the name of Morgan Ashbury visible, and that is half of what promotion is all about.

I don’t use the social networks often because I’m so busy writing! I published 6 books in 2010, which is a lot. And, sadly, I forget to tweet. It’s not that I don’t want to tweet and…[um is there a verb for posting on face book? Is it facing? Booking?] I do want to. There’s just not enough hours in the day.

There is one other aspect to all of this tweeting and facing and blogging. Let me say it like this: my first computer was an abacas.

Bea:  Do you prefer paper books or ebooks? Why?

Morgan:  I do like holding a paper book. But I have an awesomely lucrative career writing e books. So, I have to say I prefer both, for different reasons.

Bea: What is the most romantic anyone has ever done for you? How would you define romance in real life? 

Morgan:  In real life, romance changes as you grow older, and closer to the one you love. I have been married now for 39 years, come July 2011. When my feet or ankles ache, I say to my beloved, “please rub my feet” and he never says no.

That is pretty darn romantic.

Bea: Does your family read your books? What do they think?

Morgan:  My husband reads every single book I write. He is my main beta reader, and he is very proud of me.

My daughter reads some of what I’ve written, but she kind of skips over the sex scenes as she doesn’t want to know that I know those things!

My brother has purchased every one of my books, and my sister has read a few.

Bea: You first became published a few years ago, at what some might consider a late age. Do you think that has been an advantage, disadvantage, or irrelevant? 

Morgan:  I think things happen when they are meant to happen. In this day and age, when I can sit at home in my pajamas and write, and people buy and read what I write, things like age or infirmity really are irrelevant. 

I personally know a very good author, a top seller with both Amber Quill and EC, who is in her 80s.

Bea: Anything that you want to add or say to your readers?

Morgan: I consider myself highly blessed to have been given this second career at a time when I didn’t know what the future really held for me. 

So many of my readers take the time to write, and I am thrilled each and every time I hear from them. To my readers I would like to say, thank you! Thank you so much for reading what I have had enormous fun writing. 

Morgan, thank you again for coming by. I've enjoyed this.