Where there’s suspense there’s Dawne Prochilo

Dawne Prochilo a published romance author, a freelance writer and online journalist, owner of promotional blogs Sex Marks the G-Spot (erotic romance) and Front Seat Romance (sweet romance) and The Romance Marketplace (a new blog with promotion tips).

Dawne is also the Promotions Director and Review Coordinator for a publisher, and was named the 2012 Seriously Reviewed Review Coordinator of the Year.

Please tell us your latest news!

I have a new suspense romance novel, Finding Kennedy, being released with Total E-Bound in September and, most importantly, I became a grandmother this past April to the most precious little boy, Carsyn.

Please describe your writing environment.

A desk in the corner of the living room with the radio tuned into the classic rock station for mood writing. It’s also very cluttered. My apartment is clean and organized but my desk is a post-hurricane disaster but yet, I still know where everything is located…usually.

Do you plan all your characters out before you start a story or do they develop as you write?

Yes I do. I have index cards and each character, even the secondary ones, have their own card with personality traits and physical attributes listed. It keeps me in order and gives me reminders of eye color, body build and little tidbits of each character.

What main genre do you write in?

Romance is the umbrella genre and my writing styles vary from sweet all the way to four flame erotic. I did the erotic romance as a challenge to myself but am returning to the sweeter romance that we all grew up with. I find that specific genre is my comfort zone and really gets my creativity moving.

How does your family feel about having a writer in the family? Do they read your books?

They have always been supportive of my career and the time it took to get this far. As for reading what I write… my daughters love reading my romance novels and my son, well, he is a boy and has no clue as to what lies in between the pages of any of my books.

What are your hobbies?

Aside from reading and writing, I love to cook and bake. When the kids still lived at home I would make everything from scratch and experiment new recipes. It’s very therapeutic and relaxing to make a mess in the kitchen and see your family appreciate your hard work.

Do you recall how your interest in writing originated?

It was during my freshman year of high school. I had an English teacher who pushed me and always criticized my writing composition. While her words seemed harsh at the time, I look back now and see how she saw potential in me. At that moment, I knew I wanted to be a writer and published author just to prove her wrong and show the world I had talent.

Do you write full time? What did you do before you became a writer? Or Still do?

I am fortunate that I am able to write full time as well as other industry titles. In the fall/winter of 2011, I quit my part time job to focus solely on writing, whether novels or online content.

I used to work for a newspaper (almost 13 years as a staff writer) and most recently, I worked at a non-profit camp for special needs children and adults as an office administrator assistant.

Do you have a specific writing style?

Not really. Many authors are branded with a specific genre but I am all over the romance board with my sweet to erotic tones of writing. I love to challenge myself and have proven that with my prolific writing abilities.

What do you do on a typical writing day?

No sleep, tons of caffeine and always having one of my two laptops or cell phone attached to my hip. I have email alerts on my cell phone and it’s constantly ‘dinging’.

When I do sleep normal- I wake by 6am and, with coffee in hand, sit at my laptop and sift through emails for about an hour then I set off to write my next WIP or online advice article pertaining to relationship and love. It’s nothing for me to sit there for a total of 16-20 hours a day with other small activities in between but I have recently decided to set aside one day per week as a Non-Work/Email Day. The first was tedious but I survived.

Can you please give us a sneak peek at any of your upcoming books?

This is from my WIP, The Butler's of Willow Creek. A series of historical western romance centered around the small Colorado town of Willow Creek, pre-1900.

Excerpt: 

     Cody resolved to climbing into his empty bed, all the while thinking of Lydia sleeping a mere ten-feet from him; his bedroom, adjacent to where Lydia slumbered in Bethany’s old room. Though he had spent many hours sharing Lydia’s bed above the saloon, being within this proximity now, in his own home, propelled a renewed sexual awakening.

     He tossed and turned for what seemed a lifetime. His thoughts bargained between images of Lydia nestled deep under the covers to how his family’s reception of her presence in the family home would be regarded. Cody knew Daniel would stand behind him. Their father’s reaction would be the hardship.

     Cody pictured Bertrand ranting and raving, using obscenities and condemning Lydia and her profession. Forget the fact, Bertrand called upon the establishment on a daily basis, he would be furious with one of Madame Love’s ladies being under his roof. It was plumb perfect for him to go the Willow Creek Saloon and call on the women and flaunt his indiscretions, but to bring one of those soiled doves into his domicile.

     Cody drove thoughts of his father’s tirade aside and flipped to his back. Laying a forearm over his eyes, he reconciled he had to endeavor sleep and catch a few hours of slumber. Daybreak came early, and he knew in a few hours when his father woke up to find Lydia here; all damnation would be volatile.

     He knew if he looked to the window, he would see the first break of dawn illuminating on the horizon. Shutting his eyes, Cody envisioned Lydia slipping into Bethany’s old bed.  His sister hadn’t slept in the bed for close to six months now. The youngest of the Butler offspring, Bethany was proven the most stubborn. She wanted to be treated just like one of the boys and did everything in her power to do so. From hauling bales of hay from the loft of the barn to the corral to feed the horses to being included in on the branding of the cattle, Bethany was not about to be out-worked or underestimated.

     Leaving ideas of his sister behind, Cody visualized Lydia curled up, in the sweet manner he had seen her in dozens of times when she would drift off in his arms after they would talk in the early morning hours at the saloon in her room. Engaging notions of Lydia sleeping settled Cody’s overburdened mind. From his father’s forthcoming outburst to Lydia’s predicament with Charlie, Cody began to drift off.

     When he thought he had only just fallen asleep, Cody was awakened by a crashing sound. Jolted up in bed, he found his orientation in a haze of exhaustion and sat up. It only took him a few moments to grasp his mental state.

What would be the best way for readers contact you? Do you have a website? Email address? MySpace site? Blog? Message Board? Group?

Email- dawne.prochilo@yahoo.com

Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/dawneprochilo

Twitter- https://twitter.com/goldendawne1

How can readers find out more about you and your books?

Blog- http://dawneprochilo.blogspot.com/

Will Kennedy's stalker get to her before Van can save her? Can he stop a crazed fan from stealing his love away? 

Kennedy Parker, guest speaker and erotic romance author, attends a conference but brings along her childhood friend and PI Van Nuccio for protection from overly obsessed fan Harold Dobbs.

During the weekend events, Van is never far from Kennedy's side all the while Harold is watching, waiting to make his move.

After sharing a passionate afternoon, confessing their love to one another, Kennedy and Van embark on the final event of the conference but a slight distraction pulls Van from Kennedy, which Harold takes advantage of.

Now the race is on for Van to find Kennedy before Harold harms her. Reliving a past incident when a client was in danger and harmed, Van must set aside his feelings of inadequacy to save Kennedy.

Buy

Dawne’s Books

 Crape Myrtle- June 2009
On Her Own- July 2009
Sex Sells- Feb 2011
Room 11- Feb 2011
Rachel's Desire- March 2011
When We Meet Again- May 2011
His Holiday Seduction- Oct 2011
On Her Own (re-release)- Nov 2011
Wildfire Beach- Nov 2011
A Cougar's Revenge- 2012
Callie's Way- Feb 2012*
Lynn's Chance- March 2012*
First Chance- March 2012
Weekend Retreat- April 2012
Melody's Dance- May 2012*
No Matter What- May 2012
Forever Friends- June 2012
Insatiable Kate- June 2012
Tessa's Passion- July 2012*
Bewitching the Sheriff- July 2012
Finding Kennedy- September 2012

*The V.W. Club series