Ava James

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Ava James is a romance writer from the Midwest. Married to her high school sweetheart turned knight in Kevlar body armor, she enjoys painting, singing in the shower, and traveling. Ms. James' passion for reading romance flourished into a double life as a midnight novelist after a dear friend challenged her to "write something better."

You can find her at her desk with the Rolling Stones playing and a black cat on her lap most nights. She loves to hear from fans, so let her know what you think about her books ([email protected]).

Don't forget to check out her blog, www.avajamesromance.blogspot.com,  or follow her on Twitter http://twitter.com/AuthorAvaJames.

Q: Do you have any confessions about where your inspiration for writing romance comes from?

A: My inspiration is life. Or what life could be. Star Wars, the Firefly series, and The Mummy rank high on my list of favorites where Sci-Fi films are concerned. I love history as well, so I am a bit of genre whore when I write. When I get an idea, I tend to take off in whatever creative path my thoughts pull me in. With For One Dark Knight, I was researching castles for my upcoming nuptials and saw a picture that spoke 60,000 words to me.

Q: Do you create your female characters based on yourself, or do you give them attributes you wish you had?

A: I want them to be strong women with a sense of humor and their fair share of flaws. Some of my friends say they see me in my characters, especially in their sarcastic remarks. I try to remain true to my character and write them just as I see them.

Q: What about the male character? Is he always your dream man?
 
A: Well, no one is perfect, and they can't all be dreamy. But I try to make them desirable and realistic. I am one of those readers who gets turned off by the oh-too-perfect male character who is passive, so you won't be reading any of those heroes in my books.

Q: What's next on your writing agenda?

A: Writing more romance, of course. After the release of For One Dark Knight, I will get back to work on a spin-off of the character Ulric. I also have a Western set in Alaska that is near completion.
There are always more stories to tell.

Q: Do you have any embarrassing occurrences you'd like to share? Or, if you wouldn't like to share them, I'm prodding you to share them anyway. Go on, be a devil

A: Okay, picture thisI am fifteen, on the stairs in line for the new, really tall water slide at the local water park. The line is very long, and I've been waiting a good long while to ride this new attraction.

The boys in front of me keep looking back and giggling. I try to ignore them. But they carry on, so I ask, "What's your problem?"

"Nothing," the taller one replies, barely keeping a straight face, before turning back around.

Irritated, I turn to my friend standing on the step behind me and ask, "What's with them?"

"Umm, you're sticking out!" she says in a hushed voice, a panicked expression on her face.

I look down to where her eyes are fixed and realize half of my left nipple is sticking out of my swimsuit top.

Did I get out of line, run to the bathroom in humiliation, and call my parents to pick me up?

No. I re-adjusted the top, turned around, and informed the boys that if they didn't shut the bleep up I'd kick their scrawny butts. I was a mouthy little lady.

Q: What's the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for you?

A:  I was a nanny for a wonderful family, and on one of my birthdays the children made a ridiculous excuse of having to show me the Lego town they'd built and continued to barrage me with things I "had to see."

At 5:00 on the dot, their eleven-year-old daughter announced that we should go to the kitchen. When we walk into the kitchen, both her parents are there with a giant banner the kids made, a cake and candles, and a grilled steak dinner they had prepared just for me.

I could have said the sweetest thing was when my husband proposed, but I thought this ranked pretty high.

Q: When was the last time you laughed so hard your ribs hurt? And what was so funny?

A: Ever heard the song White and Nerdy? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xEzGIuY7kw. Watch the video and you would know exactly what Weird Al Yankovic was doing to make me LMAO.

Q: If you could have anything in the world, what indulgence item would it be?

A: I may write romance, but my heart belongs in the garage. I am a lover of American muscle. So give me a 1967 Corvette Stingray convertible, in factory light blue with white interior and roof. I would be equally pleased with a 1969 Plymouth Hemi Barracuda convertible in red and white, complete with a 440 under the hood and the appropriate side panels. Thus far I have not written a modern romance, but when I do, you better believe that there will be a beautiful car in there.

Well, folks, that wraps up our little chat with the wonderfully talented Ava James. To find out more, visit her blog at www.avajamesromance.blogspot.com, or follow her on Twitter  http://twitter.com/AuthorAvaJames.

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