Please Welcome Candace Morehouse, author of Golden Enchantment

Good morning everyone, welcome to Candace's moment in the spotlight. I hope you'll find some useful and entertaining insight into her writing and being an author.

She was kind enough to answer all the questions rather than the five I asked for. Without further ado, here she is:

What writing style do you use and why? I write by the seat of my pants. A story is never fully developed until it’s done because the characters tend to take it in new directions.

When did you begin writing? When I was about 7 years old – my first book was entitled “Mr. Fathead Goes to the Moon”, about a character who looked suspiciously like Mr. Potato Head.

For each writer their genre is the one they’re comfortable with. Why did you begin writing within yours? I’ve always been a sucker for romance. When I was a teenager, it was away to go somewhere other than reality – a place I could imagine I was beautiful and popular and my knight in shining armor was just a coincidence away.

What was your initial reaction when you got that first contract? Have you had anything else contracted and if so what was your reactions? Did you have the same emotions? When I got my first contract, I was excited beyond belief. I whopped and hollered, sending my son running out to the back patio to see what was going on. After five contracts, the thrill isn’t there in quite the same intensity anymore.

Do you have to do a lot of research to write the books you do or do you write within the fields you know? Both – I tend to write about things I know, but I also do very intensive research for historical because I want them to be as authentic as possible. Suspicion of Love is the one book I’ve written that really stretched my abilities in both ways – the location was a place I’ve never been and the Edwardian era was one that required a lot of research.

What would be your one piece of advice for anyone interested in getting a book published? Have a lot of patience. The publishing industry moves at a snail’s pace compared to the rest of the world.

How did you family/friends react to your decision to become a writer? They were supportive, to some extent. The family liked the idea but didn’t like the fact that I spent so much time on the computer. Friends still think it’s neat.

What sort of goals do you set for yourself with each project? To finish and to sell it – that’s it. Finishing is the most difficult for me. I tend to start at least a handful of projects at once, then get stumped and move on. Eventually I go back to all those others manuscripts waiting to be finished, but it can take a good long while.

What sort of music do you listen to while you’re writing? I love country western, which really puts me in the mood for writing contemporaries and westerns. When I am writing a historical, I go for classical music. Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro is a favorite.

What promotional avenues would you recommend to those who are newly published? That’s a tough one. Out of all the promotion I’ve done online, I’d have to say the most effective is still face-to-face interaction. Some will disagree, but readers rarely select a book from all the millions out there by an author they’ve never heard of – so it is important to establish relationships.

How do you feel about the difference in e-book and print publishing? Have you noticed a difference in how readers respond to your work? I love e-book publishing for its ability to offer my books throughout the world. E-publishers are also more daring; more willing to try new authors and break away from the tried and true plot lines New York publishers are so insistent upon. Since I’ve only been published in small press, I can’t speak to anything else, but I do love my publisher, her vision, and her ability to grow her company when others are failing.

What are you reading right now? I’m reviewing a book for Reading New Mexico called “Woman Who Glows in the Dark”. It is a New Mexico curandera and curaderismo in general, which I find fascinating. After that, I am ready to delve into New Mexico author Sabra Brown Steinsiek’s romance novels, Annie’s Song and her Time trilogy.

For more information you can contact Candace at her website: http://www.candacemorehouse.com/