When she’s not concocting sinister plots and steamy love scenes or traveling and exploring new cultures, Alexa spends her time reading, watching brainless TV and thinking about exercising. She loves to hear from readers. To find her, visit www.alexabourne.com or http://alexabourne.blogspot.com, or follow her on Twitter @AlexaBourne.
Alexa's new book is Her Highland Champion.
A Decadent Honor Guard story….
Heather Winchester leads a charming life. With good friends, a beautiful flat in one of the most amazing cities in the world, and a promising future once she finishes her Ph.D, she is finally pursuing her own dreams instead of catering to everyone else’s…except she doesn’t remember any of it.
Malcolm Fraser has returned to his Highland village to forget his failings as a professional bodyguard. Believing he could just lose himself in the mundane activities of running his bed & breakfast, he finds a woman’s lifeless body by the loch instead….
Captivated by Heather as she regains her memory, Malcolm is thrown into the line of duty. As danger comes knocking on their door, will he be strong enough to love her and keep her safe?
Q: Welcome, Alexa! What inspired Her Highland Champion?
A: A visit to the village of Glenfinnan in the Highlands of Scotland inspired this story. I was on vacation in Scotland and wanted to go to Glenfinnan because it was the birthplace of the character Connor MacLeod of the Highlander movie. Once I got there, I was amazed by the beauty of the place.
Q: Scotland is very inspiring. What is the story behind the story?
A: I wrote this story and started submitting it to agents and publishers in 1999, when I knew nothing about writing. I mean, I had 2 heroes, knew nothing about point of view, motivation and all those other terms. But I had so much fun writing it, I kept it and vowed to go back to it once I knew more. Fast forward 12 years. My friend Camryn Rhys suggested I submit to her publisher because they were starting a new line called the Honor Guard Series, which incorporated international settings, local flavor and alpha heroes. I pulled the story (and its 2 heroes!) out from under the bed, revised it (and chose 1 hero) and submitted it last November. Three weeks later, I got the contract.
Q: What do you enjoy most about writing romantic suspense?
A: I love seeing the good guys win, the bad guys get what’s coming to them and seeing my main characters rise to the challenges and grow.
Q: How do you choose names for your characters?
A: LOL! I don’t believe I choose their names. I believe they let me know what works for them. A few times my characters have “suggested” names and I’ve tried to change them, but in the end, the characters ALWAYS win.
Q: LOL That's so cool! Where is your favorite place in the world?
A: Scotland is my absolute favorite place in the world. Whenever I’m there, I’m calm, relaxed and happy.
Q: I feel the same way! Please tell us about your favorite character in the book.
A: My favorite character is actually a secondary character, Jamie MacDougall. He’s the pub manager in my fictional village of Glenhalish. He’s a giant of a man with a good heart! He doesn’t trust easily, but he’s fiercely loyal and will do whatever he can for those he cares about.
Q: What is your writing process or method?
A: I write a rough draft within 1-2 months (depending on the story). Then I plot. J Next comes revising, which entails choosing one major focus per draft (I do 4-6 drafts per book), such as figuring out the sequence of events, making sure the suspense unfolds correctly and realistically, adding more details.
Q: Wow that's interesting. What do you wish you’d known before becoming published?
A: I’m absolutely amazed with how much time promotion work takes. It’s interesting and fun, but so very time-consuming. Finding a balance with my “real world”, my writing and promoting I can tell will be a constant struggle for me.
Q: That's true. Do you have any advice for unpublished authors?
A: If you want it badly enough, don’t give up. It took 12 years from submitting my very first (crappy) manuscript to receiving my very first contract.
Q: What’s next for you?
A: I’m waiting to hear whether my publisher wants my second novella. The hero in that one is the 2nd hero from my very first suspense. (Fingers crossed!) I also have a full-length manuscript out on submission. While waiting to hear back on those, I’ll be revising another full-length story that got requested.
Fantastic! Best of luck with all your projects! Thanks for being our guest today! Do you have a question for readers?
What country would you like to see used as a setting in a book?
What country would you like to see used as a setting in a book?
"Win it before you buy it!" Alexa and her publisher are giving away a copy of her new book to one lucky commenter. Please remember to leave your email in some form so we can contact the winner. Thanks!
Please visit Alexa online:
Website: www.alexabourne.com
Twitter: @AlexaBourne
