Interview and Contest!

Through this writing journey, I've been lucky to meet some very talented people who also happen to be extremely gracious! One of those people is author Leslie Ann Dennis. Leslie agreed to chat with me about her writing, and even give away a PDF copy of her awesome book, Reason To Believe, so enjoy!

What made you want to be an author?

My answer is so NOT unique to authors. I read so much as a kid and throughout my adult life. It was the coolest escape EVER. I wanted to create the sort of places readers like myself would want to go and I also wanted to create characters that readers wanted to be like or be around. It's such a thrill to have readers nowadays tell me that's what I've managed to do with my stories. YAY!

How long did it take to get your first novel published?

That's a toughie. I have been through the slush pile with one version before. They asked me to cut 10,000 words and resend. I resent and the editor had left and the new editor passed on my sub w/all the new changes. I shelved the story. But as in many cases with writers, you can hide the book under your bed and hopes it stays quiet -- but it never does. So I pulled it back out in 2007 and rewrote it with a spicier slant. It sold in 3 months after I sent it in to the publisher.

Tell us about Reason To Believe.

Ahhh.. the book of my heart. It's got characters who I hope we can all identify with. Lane is strong-willed (a little hard-headed) but she's got a good heart and she loves her only living relative (her grandfather) enough to chase down a landowner in Scotland in order to save a tree that was planted in her grandfather's name 75 years ago. And it you love Scotsmen (and let me just say I adore them!), then I hope you'll fall in love with
Conlan MacGregor in this story. He's perfect in my opinion. And I was a wee bit jealous he didn't really exist in real life. At one point tho, as I was writing about him, someone asked if I'd ever been to Scotland, and I ALMOST said, "No, but my friend Conlan lives
there." Thank Goodness I caught myself before I slipped up and let everyone know how crazy we writers can be. In my heart, Conlan will ALWAYS be real.

Do I sense a weakness for Scottish men?

Oh Lord, yes. From the tartan to the accent, I'm in love with them all. :)

What do you do when you aren't writing?

I'm thinking of plots and characters that I can write about. I wish I was more disciplined and could actually write ALL the time when I have a second free, but I'll be honest and tell you I'm addicted to lots of television shows (which I can't watch all the time either, but I'm a heavy TiVo'er) and I also play MMORPGs (Online games like World of Warcraft, Dark Age of Camelot, etc). If I have "free" time... it's usually doing one of the above.

I want to now about your alter ego, Paisley.

... Ooooh Paisley Scott? She's something else, all right. She writes the steamier stuff (and
yes, there is actually a level of steam hotter than what Leslie wrote in Reason to Believe!). She has 3 novellas out with The Wild Rose Press. If you'd like to learn more about Paisley, you're welcome to drop in on her site: www.PaisleyScott.com (although, it's in need of an update). I'm sure she's got a cabana boy that'll help her out with that.

What are you working on now?

Currently, I'm hard at work on a Sci-Fi Futuristic. I've never written one before, but I'm a sci-fi nut. I love books and movies that deal with it -- but don't smack me upside the head with all the different terminology. I inject a lot of humor into my writing, so with this one, you can expect more... The Jetsons meet I, Robot. Something like that.

Anything else you'd like to share with your readers?

I'm a sucker for email. I LOVE to hear what folks think about my stories. I'm also a major animal lover, so feel free to talk about your fur-babies with me. LOL! Oh, and drop by my website too! It's got a guestbook and everything (hint... am I being too obvious here? LOL). www.LeslieAnnDennis.com

Lovely talking with you, Christle! Thanks for taking time to interview me. It's been fun!

*HUGS*
Leslie (and Paisley too)






Want to win a PDF copy of Reason To Beleive for yourself? It's easy! Just go to the forums page on my website ( www.christlegray.com )and find the Contest room. Tell us about something you were given a reason to believe in - and feel free to be creative! Each post will grant you one entry into the contest, and you can enter up to three times. I'll pick a winner randomly March 25th.

Good Luck, and Happy Reading!