Author Interviews

Author Interview with Beth Ann Stifflemire

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I’m interviewing Beth Ann Stifflemire today, author of new adult romance “Diverted Heart”. Welcome to my blog, and thanks for answering my questions!

When did you know you wanted to be an author?

To be honest, writing was the last adventure I ever thought I’d embark on. Then in 2009 I had my very first love story hit me out of the clear blue sky. Then in 2010 I created a bucket list which included writing/publishing a book. Eventually fate played a card and I was introduced to my publisher, Waldorf Publishing.

I’ve since added to my bucket list a desire to publish at least ten books, so you’ll be seeing a lot more work from me in the years to come.

 What inspired you to write Diverted Heart?

Diverted Heart began simply with a place…but a place very important to me. My families farms near Schulenburg, Texas. I spent many, many summers and holidays there. From there my imagination kicked into overdrive. I get ideas for many characters I create often time from actors. I first thought of the mail lead character Maxwell from the actor Gabriel Macht, for some reason his younger movie roles got stuck in my brain and I loved his look.

I decided to write this as a New Adult Romance versus Contemporary Romance after reading “Beautiful Disaster” by Jamie McGuire. I love the direction you can take a New Adult novel and with the characters ages they often go through a lot of self-discovery and feel the heat of new romance/truly falling for someone for the first time.

What is your editing process like? 

Editing is the big beast of writing. For me anyway. My husband often jokes he knows when I am editing because I go into “the zone”. This is the part where an author has to give a tremendous amount of focus because the finished product is a reflection of their time & effort.

I go through a double edit process, meaning I use 2 editors. Often times this will amount to 3-4 editing passes of the entire work. Then after formal edits are complete, I enlist 3-4 Beta Readers. Every Beta Reader tends to pick up on different items that may have been missed. They are what I like to call the “last line of defense.”

The editing process can often last 1-2 months for me to feel that I’ve done it right and haven’t missed anything. It requires great focus and sometimes rewrites.

Who is your favorite character from your book? 

Taylor the main female character was definitely my favorite character because I can see pieces of myself reflected in her. Though purely fictional, she carries special pieces of myself with her along the story. For instance, she is a runner and I love to run. She also is an A&M bound student and I went to Texas A&M University. Even more so, I love the self-discovery and passion she finds when love finds her.

Did you set any writing goals for 2015? Did you meet any so far? 

Oh yes! I am a goal setting fiend. It’s in my DNA. My goals was to complete this book as well as my next, “Fate’s Betrayal”, which comes out October 1, 2015. So I’ve met my goals for this year, now for the next. If I could write 3-4 a year I’d be in heaven…eventually that’s the plan.

Are you working on something now? If so, can you tell us a little about it? 

Absolutely! I am in the beginning stages of my next Romance novel. It’s a project that I’ve looked forward to. It will be a double story that follows the passionate romance of a young women struggling to justify marriage after a tumultuous childhood and that of her grandmother after she unveils to her granddaughter, her own story of an unknown affair when she was young during a time of war. Their stories will eventually collide and strengthen them both in unforeseen ways.

Aside from my romance project(s), I’m also turning over an entirely new leaf and also co-writing the first 4 books of a children’s book series with another Author, Barbara Terry titled “The Spectacular World of Waldorf” which follows the journey around the world of an inquisitive Labrador canine, Mr. Waldorf.

About the Book

DH CoverTitle: Diverted Heart

Author: Beth Ann Stifflemire

Genre: New Adult Romance

Texas summers are no doubt some of the hottest you’ll find. The heat encountered during this summer is not at all what Taylor bargained for. She’s at a crossroads between childhood and womanhood, rummaging through the emotions of first love versus passion. Two young men tangle a web of needs and desires in her heart. The summer before college begins, Taylor is thrust from her childhood home in Houston to an inherited family farm on the outskirts of Schulenburg, Texas. Eric, her first love, has gone states away to play college football. Low-spirited and merely trying to get through an expectantly boring summer, she is nearly run off the road by her new country neighbor, Maxwell. Ruggedly handsome, devilishly charming and everything Taylor seeks to avoid, Maxwell does something to her emotions she’s struggling desperately to interpret, as they spend the summer filled with each other. Boundaries are tested and the scales of lust tip despite hesitations. A final decision must be made. Did she ever truly love Eric? Is Maxwell simply a lustful thought, or is there more to uncover beneath the surface? One thing is for certain, this summer will change Taylor in every possible way: mind, body and soul.

 

Author Bio

bstifflemire h.s.Beth Ann is a wife, mother, blogger and book lover from Texas. Her passion is writing stories that draw a reader into a world where they can become the characters and experience a gamut of emotions. When she’s not writing, she loves to be home with my family and two yellow labs. In addition she’s a sucker for super sappy romance movies, loves trying out Texas wines, is an avid hot tea drinker and enjoys checking items off of her ever-growing bucket list.

Links

http://www.bethannstifflemire.com

http://www.divertedheart.com

http://waldorfpublishing.com/diverted-heart/

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