Barbara Monajem confesses her love for the OXFORD Dictionary #historical #interview

Imagine: your second RWA conference and your first KOD Death by Chocolate event and you meet a nice lady sitting next to you, little knowing this person would be a friend since. 

Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you 

Barbara Monajem!!!

Barbara Monajem is the award-winning author of the Bayou Gavotte paranormal mysteries, Sunrise in a Garden of Love & Evil, Tastes of Love & Evil, and Heart of Constantine, as well as several Regency novellas. Her latest novel, Lady of the Flames, is a Regency romantic suspense with magic. She lives near Atlanta, Georgia with her husband and an ever-shifting population of relatives, friends, and feline strays.

Lord Fenimore Trent’s uncanny affinity for knives and other sharp blades led to knife fights, duels, and murderous brawls. Five years ago, he faced a choice: marry Andromeda Gibbons, the woman he loved, or find a safe, peaceful use for his blades by opening a furniture shop—an unacceptable occupation for a man of noble birth. The choice made itself when Andromeda turned to another man. The furniture shop prospered, but now Fen’s partner has been accused of treason. In order to root out the real traitor, he may face another unpalatable choice—to resort to the violent use of his blades once again.

Once upon a time, Andromeda Gibbons believed in magic. That belief faded after her mother’s death and vanished completely when Lord Fenimore, the man she loved, spurned her. Five years later, Andromeda has molded herself into a perfect—and perfectly unhappy—lady. When she overhears her haughty betrothed, the Earl of Slough, plotting treason, she flees into the London night—to Fen, the one man she knows she can trust. But taking refuge with Fen may mean far more than getting help. 

Can Andromeda learn to believe in love, magic, 

and the real Andromeda once again?

Find an excerpt from Lady of the Flames at: Excerpt

Find Lady of the Flames at: Amazon   Barnes and Noble

And now for the Fun!!! QUESTIONS:

Vicki:  I’m a huge handbag girl. What is your favorite accessory? Barbara: Do socks count as an accessory? I adore socks – thick, thin, short, long, wildly colorful or purely practical. The only item on my bucket list is to become successful at knitting socks. Since I hardly ever get any time for knitting, I’m not sure I’ll ever succeed, so maybe this is just a way of staving off the inevitable…?

Vicki: Okay, you ca get by with the socks especially since you crafted them. I love warm wool socks (hint-hint)!

Vicki: How often do you get lost in a story?  Barbara: Every day! (Whether I’m reading or writing one.)

Vicki: What was the first story you remember writing? Barbara: I wrote one about apple tree gnomes in third grade. An embarrassing number of years later, I still put little magical creatures in my stories, even though they’re adult romances these days.

Vicki: That is so cute. 

Vicki: Be honest, when reading...do you put yourself in the heroine’s role? Barbara: Yes, to some extent. Often I think, I would never have the guts to do that! or, What, is she crazy? Sometimes, I fall in love with the hero, but just as often, I think he’s a great guy for the heroine but wouldn’t do for me. 

Vicki: Is writing or story-telling easier for you? Barbara: Writing. I don’t enjoy talking. I have an occasional, unpredictable stammer, which makes talking sort of nerve-wracking and too much work.

Vicki: If you couldn’t be a writer anymore, what profession would you take up? Barbara: Retirement? LOL. Actually, I’m a total nerd about words—their origins and meanings and how they change over time—so I would love to work on the Oxford Dictionary. That was always my dream job.

Vicki: Wow, Barbara, that would be interesting.

Vicki: What’s the first thing you do when you finish writing a book? Barbara: Jump eagerly into writing the next one.

Vicki: If you were given a chance to travel to the past where would you go and specifically why? Barbara: It depends on whether I could also be invisible if I chose, invulnerable to disease, and could beam myself back to the future anytime I liked. (I’m a wimp, so danger wouldn’t work for me.) Anyway, to answer the question, I’d like to see Anglo-Saxon England. This is due to reading lots of historical novels about that era. The ones that spring to mind are the Saxon Chronicles by Bernard Cornwell. Ancient Rome and Roman Britain would be great, too. Again, it’s because of books I’ve read: The Eagle of the Ninth and other stories by Rosemary Sutcliff, and the Marcus Didius Falco mysteries by Lindsey Davis.  Also, after reading The Doomsday Book by Connie Willis (time travel to the mid-1300s) and The Vizard Mask by Diana Norman (17^th Century), I would like to try either of those eras when the plague was raging. I know it sounds ghoulish, but for some weird reason it fascinates me. I’m pretty sure I would come home in a hurry because seeing the suffering and being unable to help would be so horrible. OK now, enough dark stuff for today…

Vicki: What do you do to unwind and relax? Barbara: Duh! I read, of course.

Vicki: Do you read reviews of your books? If so, do you pay any attention to them, or let them influence your writing? Barbara: Yes, I read them. If they’re complimentary, I’m happy. If they’re not, oh well. And sometimes I learn something helpful, so why not?

Vicki: What are the next five books on your ‘to be read’ pile? Barbara: The Soldier’s Dark Secret by Marguerite Kaye (Regency romance). Wicked My Love by Susanna Ives (Victorian romance). Why Kings Confess by C.S. Harris (Regency mystery). An Early Wake by Sheila Connolly (contemporary mystery--in Ireland). Night at the Vulcan by Ngaio Marsh (a reread of a mystery by one of the greats). There’s not one paranormal in the lot, so that’s what I’ll be looking for after that.

Vicki: What drew you to write in the genre(s) you do? Barbara: I enjoy romance, mystery, and magic (which can be anything paranormal). I love writing stories that combine all three. J

FIND Barbara Monajem at:

Email     Website   Facebook  Twitter   Goodreads   Pinterest   Blog

UP NEXT: It will be an anthology in the summer, but I don’t have a final cover yet. The title is Passionate Promises, and the authors are all from the Embracing Romance bloggers.

PREVIOUS RELEASES: The Christmas Knot, my Regency Gothic mystery romance novella (I admit, I really have a hard time sticking to one genre at a time), is in the boxed set, Captivated By His Kiss, which is still available for 99 cents (but not for much longer).

WILL YOU HAVE A DRAWING FROM THOSE LEAVING COMMENTS?

 A drawing would be good. I will give away a Regency novella duet (two related novellas) OR one of the Bayou Gavotte paranormal mysteries, winner’s choice. E-books only, Amazon or Barnes & Noble. Please leave your email address in the comments to be eligible. 

Thank you, Barbara, for being my guest today 

and many hugs!