This week I bring you Piper Malone. She was kind enough to answer some questions for us and be our featured author of the week.
Can you tell us a little bit about yourself? Mama of a little one. Lover of the arts – written words, dance, theatre, and I’m a huge sucker for a museum. I love sports and being outside. I’m a big adventurer and enjoy trying new things, especially food! I’m big on laughter and having fun in the most mundane of places.
Tell us about your latest project. I’m currently working on Bound: Book Two, The Reign Series. This book picks up twenty minutes after Tied ends and focuses on the budding relationship between Kat and Blake. I’m having a great time writing them, mostly because Kat has no filter and Blake is a total manwhore for her!
What is your favorite book and why? There are many but the Scarlet Letter in one of my favorites. I’m also a huge fan of The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Matilda by Roald Dahl, and Gabriel’s Inferno by Sylvain Reynard.
What do you like to do when you need a break from writing? I love going out with friends catching a movie or a nice dinner. Sometimes it only takes a little break to get back on track. If I need a total reset, I’ll get in some exercise or put writing aside for a day or two. I also like visiting the local bookstore, grabbing a coffee, and wandering around the romance section. I like envisioning one of my books on the shelf and then have the conversation with myself that starts, “You’re book isn’t going to get on the shelf if you keep standing in the bookstore slugging down that drink!” Then I’m usually good! LOL!
Where do you usually write? Do you write in silence or with music or other background sounds? I mostly write at home in my office, which I have nicknamed “the HQ” but I will write anywhere I can. The majority of Tied was written on my phone! I will type or go the old-fashioned route of pen and paper if I don’t have access to technology. When I listen to music, it’s mostly classical. If there are lyrics, the HQ will turn into a karaoke bar and that is not good for anyone!
Who is your inspiration? What inspired you to become a writer? I think the treasure trove of authors who I have experienced throughout my life have inspired me in more ways than I could ever express. When an image, a feeling, or a story sticks with me it’s such a powerful feeling. It’s my goal to create that for someone else.
I’ve always felt very comfortable with writing. It’s always been an outlet, a way to express feelings I couldn’t verbalize. When my friends started reading my work and said, “I forgot it was you writing.” I knew this was what I wanted to do.
What is your least favorite part of being an author? Self-publishing is a lot of work – it’s valuable and rewarding work – but it can be overwhelming at times. I’m also still battling a fulltime job which is actually my least favorite thing about writing. I can’t write when I want because I’m chained to a desk five days a week.
What is your favorite part of being an author? Hearing from readers. Meeting new people at author events. Envisioning worlds and relationships in different ways. Allowing my creative energy to really flow and develop is so freeing.
What is your favorite motivational phrase, and why?
The greatest adventure is what lies ahead.
Today and tomorrow are yet to be said.
The chances, the changes are all yours to make.
The mold of your life is in your hands to break.
-JRR Tolkien
I first read this quote at a conference and it resonated so strongly with me because it focuses on your ability to change your path. What do you want to do in life? Do you want to write? Climb Kilimanjaro? Enact social change? Do it. You have all the power and the ability to reach greatness. You can go out there and find paths to reach your goals. You can make mistakes, that’s what makes us grow. You can get lost, that’s how we find our way. You can meet new people, that’s how we learn about ourselves. It’s your life. Our time on this earth is limited, don’t squander precious time with wondering “what if”. Go out there and live your life.
Do you have a writing space? Tell us what it’s like. The HQ is really an extra room in our house but when you give it a fancy name the coolness factor ratchets up a few notches! The HQ is truly my lair. It’s all my décor and things I love. My bookshelves, the art on the wall (including the wood worked piece my grandfather created), the quotes on the wall, and even the very first ‘draft’ of the Tied cover art I created in Word on day when I was bored. There are piles but I know where everything is.
Blurb from Tied
The heartbreak of my past has begun to heal.
After the death of my parents and a divorce, I struggled in the darkness. Craving a new life, I shed the inhibitions that have sequestered my deepest desires.
I seek an awakening.
The path leads me to Reign and into the hands of BDSM club owner Caleb Dunn. Despite his reluctance, Caleb agrees to mentor me, quickly becoming a fixture in my life.
He is a beacon illuminating my way….
We fight to keep our relationship within the walls of Reign, but the boundaries blur. The passionate moments weaving through our lives are undermined by his stoicism. But despite the wounds created by the ebb and flow of his devotion, I open myself to Caleb, allowing him to push the limits of my body and my mind…
…as I reach for the light.
Can I give him my heart and soul? Will I ever receive the same from him in return? Our future is uncertain, but one fact remains true…to Caleb, I will be forever tied.
Where to find Piper Malone
If you are an author that is interested in a spotlight, please contact us.
“Thanks for joining me today. I’d love to hear your thoughts and I’d love it if you could use the little share buttons buttons to share with your friends. I can also be found on Facebook * Twitter * LinkedIn * Google+ * Pinterest. Sign up for my newsletter over on the sidebar to the right, and you will be notified when my next book releases.”
