Interview with Eliza Daly

Today we are pleased to have author Eliza Daly on the blog for an interview! Please help us welcome her, and if you leave a comment with your email address, Eliza has offered up a great giveaway!  You don't want to miss out on a giveaway, do you?

Hi Eliza, and thank you for stopping by today! 

How long have you been writing? How many published books do you have, and what genres?

I’ve been writing for twelve years. Under Her Spell is my debut novel. My next book for Crimson Romance, Identity Crisis, comes out in March 2013. It’s a romantic suspense and is completely different than my quirky lighthearted romances. I have always been intrigued by the witness protection program and art forgery, so when a story idea popped into my head one day, I ran with it. I also have a romantic comedy currently under consideration titled Thinking Outside the Box. It’s about an event planner who organizes themed funerals.

Do you write in multiple genres or just one? If just one, do you ever consider straying outside your genre?

I also write women’s fiction and young adult. I hope I don’t stray any further for a while, since I’m already having a difficult time focusing on these three genres.

Are you a plotter or do you write from the seat of your pants?

I’m a total pantster, which is interesting because I am very organized in my life as an event planner.

What is a typical writing day like for you?

I wish I had a typical writing schedule. When I’m traveling for my job, I’ll brainstorm story ideas or do line edits in my hotel room or on an airplane. Late night is my creative time, so when I’m in my hotel room and can’t sleep it gives me something to do. When I’m home, I try very hard to stick to a schedule, writing daily from 9 A.M. to 5 P.M. and some evenings.

Who do you love to read? Favorite authors, favorite books?

My favorite series is the McNally series by Lawrence Sanders. Love his dry humor.

What is something you'd like to accomplish in your writing career next year?

I’d like to publish another book. I’m not too greedy at this point in my career. I just hope to keep publishing books.

If you could have one paranormal ability, what would it be?

To be a shape-shifter, so I could become a cat and have a heart-to-heart talk with my cats Quigley and Frankie. I’d let them know that a trip to the vet is for their own good, not a method of torture and that if they would let me sleep in an hour later I’d give them lots of treats.

Tell us a little about your latest release.

Rather than telling you the book’s blurb for Under Her Spell, I’ll give you the inside scoop on the book’s background and its evolution. The heroine Monica is an event planner like me, but she plans unique romantic events whereas I plan corporate events. I wanted a character that could persevere despite the endless challenges thrown at her, and I immediately thought of my job. No matter how well you plan an event, so much is out of your control when it comes to executing it, such as weather, airline delays, unreliable vendors, Bud Light girls showing up at a Miller Brewing event, etc. I thought one of the ultimate challenges for Monica would be to have a divorce lawyer move in next door to her romantic event planning company.

The book was originally a 400-page lighthearted women’s fiction book. When I finished the book, the women’s fiction market was saturated and it was a hard sell, so I rewrote it. I cut a couple hundred pages and added a hero and some steamy romance scenes. I decided it was too steamy for comedy, so I de-steamed it a bit. I sold the book as a 260-page lighthearted romance. Thankfully, not all my books have gone through such extensive rewrites.

What is something that you absolutely can't live without? (Other than family members)

My cats Quigley and Frankie. They are my big furry stress balls. If I start getting stressed out, I pet them and it reminds me about what is really important in life.

Could you ever co author a book with someone? If so, who would you choose, and what would you write?

No. I’m a bit of a control freak and my writing process is too chaotic.

If you could spend a day with anyone from history, dead or alive, who would it be, and what would you do? What would you ask them?

Audrey Hepburn. She is the epitome of style and grace. We’d spend a day in New York City doing things we’ve never done. Like she and Fred/Paul did in Breakfast at Tiffany’s. I’d ask her what it was like to kiss Gary Grant and if she liked the ending of Roman Holiday. I didn’t.

What are some of your other hobbies outside of writing?

Genealogy. I have spent the last five years tracing my Irish ancestry and I have traveled to Ireland three times to meet me rellies.

What is a talent you wish you had, but don't?

I wish I had a great singing voice. I’ve always loved to dance and I dreamed of being in an 80s pop band.

Favorite color?

Fuchsia

Weather: Hot or cold?

Hot

Favorite place to read?

My living room couch with candles burning.

Favorite meal

Homemade macaroni and cheese or spaghetti with meat sauce.

Favorite non-alcoholic drink.

Green tea or Diet Coke.

If you could travel anywhere and do anything, no limits or money holding you back, where would you go?

I would rent a cottage in Ireland for the summer to write a women’s fiction book set there.

Thanks so much for having me here today Nikki. I would like to give away two e-copies of Under Her Spell. To be eligible to win one, please comment on my interview and include your e-mail address. I will announce the winners in the comment section on November 23. Thank you to everyone who stopped by today. Please check out future stops on my blog tour, ending November 27. I’ll be giving away a variety of gifts.

Author Bio  

Eliza Daly’s first attempt at creative writing was in fourth grade. She and her friends were huge Charlie’s Angels fans and she would sit in her bedroom at night writing scripts for them to act out at recess the following day. She was Kelly Garrett. Fast forward to the present, she’s still writing stories about beautiful women who always get their men. The journey from fourth grade script writer to published author wasn’t an easy one, but it was always an adventure and the final destination was well worth it.

When Eliza isn’t traveling for her job as an event planner, or tracing her ancestry roots through Ireland, she’s at home in Milwaukee working on her next novel, bouncing ideas off her husband Mark, and her cats Quigley and Frankie.

You can find Eliza on the web at Website, Facebook, Twitter and Goodreads.

Book Blurb for Under Her Spell

When a series of failed relationships and business ventures have Monica Jackson doubting her self-worth, she turns to spell casting to attract positive energy and the opportunities needed to achieve her goals. But can Monica’s belief in spells restore her belief in herself?

Monica creates a spell to find her soul mate, and one to ensure the success of her new romantic event planning company, Enhance Your Romance. Monica is confident she has found her niche until divorce lawyer Reed Walker opens a practice next door to her office. The anti-marriage slogan plastered on his office window, and his down-on-love clients, quickly prove detrimental to Monica’s business. When his arrival appears to trigger a string of bad luck, Monica fears one of her spells sent negative energy into the universe and it has returned to her threefold. Although Reed is beyond sexy, and she admires his self-confidence, she’ll do whatever it takes to get the universe back on her side, and Reed out of her life. No way is she losing another business.

Reed finds himself attracted to Monica’s beauty and her optimism. His job and his parents’ divorce have made him a pessimist, especially when it comes to love. However, he soon finds that Monica’s pro-love attitude is rubbing off on him, causing him to lose his edge. If Reed doesn’t distance himself from Monica, he’ll likely destroy his reputation as a pit bull divorce lawyer.

Can Monica and Reed look past what they might be losing to realize the love they have found?

Under Her Spell is available at: iTunes, Google Play, Kobo, eBooks and Barnes & Noble