*Contest* Interview with Lainey Bancroft

** CONTEST **
Lainey has offered up an autographed copy of her book, Settling Back to someone drawn randomly from the commenters at the end of the week! You don’t want to miss out on this so make sure to comment and please leave an email address so that we can contact the winner..if the winner does not respond in 5 days we’ll have to do a redraw…so remember to check your emails! Enjoy Lainey’s interview!

Author Pen Name: Lainey Bancroft

CA: What genre(s) do you write? Why do you write the stories that you write?

LB: I write contemporary romance and romantic comedy. The header on my homepage says, Lainey Bancroft…where reality rhymes with romance. I understand romance reading is supposed to be an escape, but I found many of the contemporary romances I read escaped just a bit too far from my reality. Not many of us are physically flawless, parading off to glamorous jobs in our designer wardrobes. Nor are we generally fortunate enough to charm our filthy rich and also physically flawless boss, who despite being thirty-something has no ex-wife or shared custody relationship baggage.
I decided romance could still be romantic and combine elements of real life that we all have to deal with, which is usually where the comedy comes into play. Not much is as funny as real life. I want readers to walk away with a satisfied this could happen to me feeling.

CA: When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?

LB: After I read The Cat in the Hat. And then again after I read Little Women, Anne of Green Gables, Rose in Bloom, The Little Princess... Unfortunately, real life got in the way for a long time. I’ve only been seriously writing for about two years now.

CA: Who or what was your inspiration for writing?

LB: A new computer in the house and a constant flow of characters talking in my head, begging me to bring them to life in a story.

CA: What is your work schedule like when you're writing?

LB: With a couple of teenagers, two spoiled dogs, an ornery cat, and a home based business, I wish I had a schedule. Generally I take care of home and business priorities in the morning and write for a few hours in the afternoon. If I have requested revisions and edits due, a lot of the household tasks slip while I focus on completing them. Good thing my kids love pizza.

CA: Your book is about to be sent into the reader world, what is one word that describes how you feel?

LB: You’re asking someone who loves words to come up with a single one? Hmm. Exhilarated!

CA: What do you like to do when you're not writing?

LB: I’m an avid reader. I also enjoy movies and time spent outdoors with my family.

CA: How many books have you written? Which is your favorite?

LB: I’ve written four full-length novels and numerous novellas and short stories. I’m afraid I have commitment issues when it comes to my stories. They’re all my favorite while I’m writing them, but when I sign off on the finished product I move on and fall in love with my next work in progress. I do have one favorite character from the first thing I ever wrote, my book under the bed. The story is so bad even Harry Potter couldn’t fix it with his magic wand, but how I do still love the character. Some day I hope to resurrect him in a fresh tale.

CA: Do you tend to base your characters on real people or are they totally from your imagination?

LB: From scratch with the odd quirk and character trait from friend’s and family members, hopefully disguised well enough that even they couldn’t tell I mined them for parts.

CA: Do you have any advice for aspiring writers?

LB: Read. Read. Read. Write. Write. Write.

I’d also recommend getting feedback early in the game. Not just a “That’s wonderful, darling,” pat on the head from dear old mom. An honest critique from someone experienced enough to catch minor boo-boos you might be making before they become bad habits. Having a critique partner or group can help you stay on track and produce pages regularly. It can also be a wonderful support system when you reach that writer phase in your life and discover most of the conversations you have in a day are in dialogue tags on a computer screen. We need more than just the imaginary friends we dream up in our novels.

CA: How can a reader contact you or purchase your books?

LB: My books are available at http://www.thewildrosepress.com/ as well as through various e-book distributors and Amazon.com. Settling Back will also be released in print June 2008. I love hearing from readers. They can contact me at lainey@laineybancroft.com. It was actually a letter from a reader that inspired me to turn my short story Dare to Dance into The 3-D Club trilogy. I have a blog as well, which I don’t update nearly as frequently as I should, but a few times a week I blather about life, writing and how never the two should mix. I love new company and comments. http://www.elaineforlife.com/myBloggie/

CA: Thanks so much Lainey for a wonderful interview LOL..it is a good thing my husband and son love pizza as well..I'm always doing something or other that involves books.