Fiction

Debbie Macomber

11/26/2010
John Neal

Debbie Macomber is a New York Times bestselling author. Among her library of romance and women's fiction is the holiday story Mrs. Miracle that The Hallmark Channel turned into a hit movie last year. Debbie brought Mrs. Miracle back for this year's Call Me Mrs. Miracle. TheCelebrityCafe.com's John Neal spoke with Debbie about her latest holiday story-turned movie.

TheCelebrityCafe: Call Me Mrs. Miracle is a wonderful book and I'm not a huge romance reader, but I liked it. It's not really a romance book, though, is it?

Robyn Carr

11/20/2010
Jaclyn Baldovin

Robyn Carr is an energetic and personable romance novelist who has written several books, including those in the popular Virgin River series. TheCelebrityCafe.com’s Jaclyn Baldovin spoke to Carr about her most recent novel, A Summer in Sonoma, her memorable experiences as an author and her many successes.

TheCelebrityCafe.com: What was your inspiration for A Summer in Sonoma?

Tony DiTerlizzi

4/22/2010
Carolina Taylor

Tony DiTerlizzi is a busy man. He’ll even say so! The creator of The Spiderwick Chronicles is also an award-winning illustrator and motion picture producer. TheCelebrityCafe.com’s Carolina Taylor spoke with Tony about his writing, his illustrations and giving back to his youngest readers.

TheCelebrityCafe: What words would your best friend/s use to describe you?

Tony Diterlizzi: Busy! Seriously, I am such a work-monster and always have been. So, when I do take the time to hang with my pals I make sure it’s worthwhile.

Collins, Jackie

11/29/2000
Dominick A. Miserandino
When people say the name Jackie Collins, they inevitably think of music, right? Got you! The best-selling romance author has released a 'soundtrack' to her latest literary works. She tells us a little bit about them and a bit about her theories on fame and Hollywood.

DM) How did this cd come about with Rhino records?

JC) I was picked as recording artist of the week in Entertainment Weekly. It's kind of a fun thing. A friend of mine, Bruce Roberts had written this track and thought it would be fun if we put together some music that I really love, of female singers. We put this track on it and called it, "The Dangerous Kiss, Lethal Seduction track" and we then made an entire CD.
So, I said that I would do it only if I could have songs on it that I really loved.

Brandon, Jay

11/29/2000
Dominick A. Miserandino

DM) How often did you have to call upon your real life experiences as an attorney in writing the book?

JB) No, no, no. Real life is boring. Writing about law is much better than practicing it. I can skip all the parts where you get ready for trial and then it gets re-set to another day. Or the witness you need is out of town. Instead I can write about duels of wits, witnesses being murdered during trial, much more exciting stuff than what happens in the real practice of law.

Neville, Katherine

11/29/2000
Dominick A. Miserandino
Katherine Neville's novels have sold millions of copies around the world. She weaves a line between historical descriptions and fantasy which have fans clamoring for her books and writings. In our interview Katherine gives a little behind the scenes view of her writing style and method.

DM) A lot of your novels deal with historical figures and other well known figures in fictitious settings. How historically accurate are some of these depictions?

KN) I try to be as historically accurate as possible. But there were still many mistakes in my first book (THE EIGHT, 1988) because I didn't yet know a key rule of writing historical fiction: Go to the horse's mouth. That is, instead of using histories or biographies, you should use direct sources such as memoirs, diaries, letters, and eyewitness reports.

Roby, Kimberla

11/29/2000
Dominick A. Miserandino

DM) In your book, how closely are the sisters based on your own family members?

KR) The sisters in my book are not based specifically on any of my family members. However, Marcella is an example of thousands of women throughout this country--women who are struggling to raise their children on their own as single moms. Racquel is an example of lots of different women as well, in that she is having a very difficult time dealing with some infertility issues.

DM) There have been some critics who've said that it's impossible for a single parent to be a sufficient role model.

Brown, Molly

11/29/2000
Dominick A. Miserandino
Molly talks about her writings, her historical studies and knowledge and of course her favorite Monarchs.

DM) In "Invitation to a Funeral", where does history end and fiction start?

MB) Though the book features several real life characters and events, the story is fictional. I spent three years researching the background for the novel and tried to be as accurate as possible about the politics and living conditions of the times, but for the purposes of the story, I took liberties with dates. For example, I included a number of real life incidents that occurred over a period of several years, and squeezed them into one month in the autumn of 1676.

Miller, Ron

11/29/2000
Dominick A. Miserandino
Author Ron Miller tells us why he was inspired by a poem over 400 years old and some of his literary influences.

DM) I understand that Bradamant is based upon a 16th century poem. Is this true, and how does your version differ from the original?

RM) The title character of "Bradamant" is one member of the huge cast of Ludovico Ariosto's epic poem, "Orlando Furioso".(a list of just the characters alone in "Orlando" is some 40 pages long!). I was very taken with the idea of female knight serving in the army of Charlemagne.

I only excerpted a very small thread and adapted a few characters from the incredibly convoluted maze of plots and characters in the original .

Rule, Ann

11/29/2000
Dominick A. Miserandino
Ann talks about her mystery/crime novels, her writings, her personal life and her experience with Ted Bundy.

DM) What author inspired you to start writing?

AR) I think writing just kind of caught up with me. I had things I wanted to say. My favorite authors--who influenced me--were Harper Lee, Betty Smith, Thomas Thompson and Truman Capote.

DM) Did any family member or friends read your writings as they were growing up?

AR) Not really. My five children were pretty bored with what I did for a living. Once, Mike--when he was 16--had to write a book report and asked me to tell him about The Stranger Beside Me, and I said, "No way.

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