Chesterfield couch, in royal purple – just perfect for our distinguished guest on tonight’s show.
Welcome to the latest Tuesday Book Club.
Joining me on the comfy purple Chesterfield couch is Eva Scott, the author of two fantastic but quite different titles – the historical romance The Last Gladiatrix and her upcoming new release The Marriage Makeover.
Eva and I are fellow Queenslanders, which is another reason to celebrate.
There are so many talented authors living in our part of the world including Anna Campbell, Helene Young and another guest on Tuesday Book Club, Noelle Clark – as well as many, many more that I would love to feature on this site.
Before we begin our interview, let’s grab an extract from The Marriage Makeover:
AAP-Reuters-New York. A woman has been found dead, partially eaten by her pet Bengal Tiger. The cause of death is believed to be a heart attack. Neighbors said the woman had bought the tiger as a cub. The tiger had become too large and dangerous to manage and had been locked in the bathroom. After several days with no food it broke out. Authorities believe the woman was already deceased before the tiger attacked her.
“Okay,” said Davan, after reading the extraordinary story from the pages of the Melbourne Daily Star, out loud to Talia. “I have some questions. One, how did the woman wash if there was a vicious tiger living in her bathroom? Two, why on earth would anyone have a Bengal tiger as a pet in the first place? Three, where on earth does one buy a Bengal tiger? And four, the neighbors all seemed to know about the tiger so why didn’t they do anything about it? I know I’d be straight on to the Council if there were a tiger living next door.”
“One, kitchen sink. Two, the woman was clearly delusional. Three, eBay. Four, the neighbors were all terrified of her because she was delusional. And you’d only report the tiger because you’d be frightened it would eat your Shih Tzu.” Talia shooed her best friend from his perch on her bed, placed her suitcase in his spot, and began to place items in her suitcase.
Great colour! The Marriage Makeover by Eva Scott due out on May 24
From fighting tigers (well, lions) in Rome’s Coliseum to tigers in New York apartments, I take it that you’re fond of cats?
I do love cats. I lost a kitten a couple of years ago in tragic circumstances (oh, I’m so sorry to hear that) and haven’t had the heart to get another one. I currently have three dogs instead. (Gorgeous!)
Will cats be a recurring theme in your books?
Most of my books seem to have felines in them. Marriage Makeover (out 24th of May) has a cheeky dog named Ernest. Just for a change.
In all seriousness though, is it difficult to switch from historical to contemporary? In the case of The Last Gladiatrix and Marriage Makeover, which story came first?
Marriage Makeover came first and The Last Gladiatrix was born of a short story. I don’t find it hard to switch from contemporary to historical at all. Stories turn up demanding to be written and I’m just a vehicle. It’s like taking dictation. I have no idea where they come from!
Is it easy to genre hop? I notice that The Last Gladiatrix was published with Escape and Marriage Makeover with Musa. Was that a deliberate decision as an author to work with two publishers for different genres?
Yes it was a definite decision. There is so much to learn about the publishing I think it’s good to try different publishers as everyone operates differently. I’ve learned things from both publishers that has made me a better writer.
Where do you start with your stories? Do the characters come first or the theme? And how does that influence the approach you take with a story?
The storyline always seems to come first. The essence of the characters is always embedded in the story. I just have to tease them out and give them life. Next I’ll sketch out the story line, breaking it down into scenes rather than chapters. Then I’ll break the scenes out into chapters.
Sometimes a chapter will have more than one scene, sometimes not. At any time the characters may take off in a different direction than the one I have planned for them. It’s always a surprise when they do but it always leads to a better story.
Strong, feisty, no nonsense Xanthe is brought to life in this terrific cover of The Last Gladiatrix.
When you started The Last Gladiatrix, did you intend it to become a series or was it something that evolved after you spent time with the characters?
I didn’t think about writing another one until my editor asked if I’d consider writing the story of a minor character who appears in the book. Her name is Klara and you only meet her for a brief period in time but she’s a force to be reckoned with. My editor wanted to know how she ended up in the Coliseum and what happened to her in the end. So did I. Now we’ll get to find out.
Not long after the book’s release we spoke and you didn’t have definite plans to continue Xanthe and Titus’ story but I understand you may have changed your mind after the wonderful reviews and feedback. Did that surprise you, that many people wanted to spend more time with your hero and heroine?
People want to know what happens next (I won’t spoil it for you as it concerns the ending) and I’m currently pondering a way to tell that story. Ideas are circulating, just waiting for one to land. I must say I wasn’t surprised people liked Titus and Xanthe. I fell in love with them and missed them like mad when I’d finished the original short story. Hence stretching it out to a novella. I miss them now! There is something about Titus that just gets you hooked.
Tell us more about Marriage Makeover.
Marriage Makeover is set on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland. Childhood sweethearts, Nick and Talia, fall apart after the SIDs death of their baby daughter. Years later Talia returns to ask Nick for a divorce but things don’t go quite as she planned. It’s a story about second chances and a true love that never dies – even if it does take a bit of bruising along the way.
Tell us more about your current writing project.
Barbarian Bride tells the story of Klara, a woman of the plains, and the son of a Roman Senator, Lucius. They meet on the eve of her arranged wedding. When Klara’s new husband is murdered on their wedding night and suspicion falls on Lucius who is a long way from home and a stranger. In the process of trying to prove who really killed her husband Klara falls into the clutches of slavers who take her to the Roman slave markets. The clock is ticking for Lucius to find a way to free her before she dies in the arena. Can he pay the price asked of him?
I love the sound of that!
Eva has a particular gift of getting her readers to experience her characters’ universe with all senses, so whether you love contemporary or want to sink your teeth into, then be sure to check out The Last Gladiatrix (my review is here) and the May 24 release of Marriage Makeover.
Web site: http://www.evascottromance.com/
Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/eva.scottromancewriter
Publisher: The Last Gladiatrix – Harlequin Escape – http://www.escapepublishing.com.au/
Publisher: Marriage Makeover – Musa Publishing – http://www.musapublishing.com/