Elaine Hopper is the author of a number of contemporary romance novels who is intending, in the future, to venture into the arena of paranormal romances novels.  At the present time you can read her first venture into the paranormal in her novelette in the Seasons of Romance Anthology, GAMBLE ON LOVE, which is a time-travel romance where the heroine travels back in time to 1881.

So we welcome Elaine to the Magical Romance Website and now on with the show!
 

LB First of all please can you tell the visitors to the Magical Romance Website a little about yourself as an introduction.

EH I write contemporary romance, and have about ten published romances, with two more being released in February 2003 by Awe-Struck Ebooks at http://www.awe-struck.net

I'm the mother of 5 children, 3 boys, 2 girls. Four of the children still live at home. The oldest is married, but I'm lucky in that he works with me at my day job and has the office next door so I still get to see a lot of him. I also have one grandson who is 3 years old.

My husband, Dave, and I are both ex-Air Force. We were stationed in Biloxi, Mississippi and Omaha, Nebraska for several years before settling down in South Florida. We're originally from Cincinnati, Ohio where my father, aunts and uncle still live.

I work full time as a customer service representative for a charity. I write nights and weekends when my little ones are in bed. Two of my proposals just finaled in The Lories Best Proposal contest, so I'm thrilled, and have toes and fingers crossed.


LB You have written a number of books over the years. Which one would you say was your greatest achievement/success?

EH That's tough to answer. Probably the one I'm working on at the time, or the one that was contracted most recently. I think I sold the most copies of Double Dare and Tigers Play.


LB  You have a book coming out shortly called Purrfect Justice. (Being a cat lover I do like that title.) What is this book about?

EH Purrfect Justice is a comedy romance and also a real woman, real life romance. The heroine longs to be a police woman but was rejected from the force when she suffered an eye injury and could no longer pass the physical. (I know this stuff happens as I once applied to be an FBI agent and I was rejected because I'm hard of hearing due to an ear injury suffered in the Air Force). Anyway, my heroine in PJ, Haley, works for the Fort Lauderdale Police Department in an administrative capacity instead and she's in love with Lt. Cole Fisher, one of FLPD's finest. While she's dressed up as Catwoman for the FLPD's masked Halloween party, she hears that Cole's in danger, and she runs to his rescue - in costume. He has no idea who his masked rescuer is, and becomes fascinated with her. By the way, he has hardly noticed the real Haley, when she's wearing her every day work attire, or her glasses.

She monitors the police radio, and continues to go to Cole's rescue when he needs her - in her Catwoman costume so he won't recognize her. Eventually Cole starts to see the real Haley and then to think he's in love with two very different women. Meanwhile, Haley is jealous of her alter ego.


LB What other projects are you working on and what can we expect to see from you in the foreseeable future?

EH Two of my proposals just finaled in The Lories, a new RWA contest for published authors. They're in the final round of judging now, so my fingers are crossed they'll find a home soon.

I mentioned I have two books being released in February 2003 from Awe-Struck Ebooks: Wooing Jenny and Shipwrecked. They're a pair of short contemporaries. In Wooing Jenny, Jenny Lavoie's parents are trying to force her into a marriage with Sam Stone, the son of one of their business associates. While Jenny has loved Sam since was sixteen she's not about to marry a man who doesn't want her. Sam's engaged to Katie, a wild, motorcycle-riding hellion who horrifies his family. Sam decides he wants to keep his company more than marry Katie, so he proposes to Jenny. He's shocked when Jenny still rejects him. He decides to woo Jenny, and in the process, falls in love with her. Now he has to convince her his love is genuine so that she'll marry him and save the company his grandfather built and save his heart.

Katie's been dumped by Sam and so flees the painful scene. In the process, she gets shipwrecked on a deserted island with another rich, engaged man. She wants nothing to do with Scott Vanderhorne as his station reminds her too much of Sam. But after being shipwrecked together several months, social standing no longer means anything to either of them and they fall in love. Then they're rescued, and Scott's family does not accept her any more than Sam's family. And Scott's fiance claims to be pregnant with his child...

Self Defence will be released by New Concepts Publishing in 2003 or 2004. It's a romantic suspense in which mall bookstore manager Denise "Deni" Correa is being stalked. The mall's manager convinces ex-marine and self-defence instructor Rick Hunter to guard her and help catch the stalker. Deni isn't thrilled with the idea but gives in when the stalker scares her. As they work together to find the identity of her stalker and catch him, they fall in love.


LB What do you like to do with your spare time when you are not writing?

EH I'm in my home improvement mood right now. We're laying a new living room floor, repainting the hallway, and getting ready to remodel bathrooms. We're also replanting our front garden.

Besides this, I read a lot, just signed up for a tarot reading course and bought a new tarot deck, and I like to play in the pool at my gym. I also chat with my friends online a lot and enjoy my every other Friday night out with the girls at my day job. My hubby and I like to go out to dinner and movies, a lot, too. We went to a new Mexican restaurant last night and then went to see "Two Week Notice".


LB Do you have any tips out there are aspiring romance writers?

EH Join a good critique group, a local or online RWA group, enter contests, and keep learning the craft. Whatever you do, don't give up. Keep writing and keep submitting. You can't get published if you don't submit your work. If the editor asks for revisions or mentions something they'd prefer to see in the story, edit accordingly and seek permission to resubmit to that same editor.


LB Do you have any plans to write any more paranormal romance novels in the future?

EH I have written another paranormal romance novelette that is currently seeking a home. It's part of the Enchanted Holiday anthology. It was a lot of fun to write.

So yes, I'll be writing more paranormal romances. Why do you think I'm taking the tarot reading course?


LB You are a promotions manager for the online site The Word Museum. How did you get involved in this and could you tell the visitors what the site is about?

EH I really fell into this position. I was one of the long time staff of Word Museum along with Kim Cox who is now the general manager, and Sher Hames Torres who is now the writing class manager. The three of us are also very good, long-time friends who have worked together on various romance organization boards and other projects including writing anthologies and books together.

Word Museum is all about promoting authors like ourselves, to help grow their writing careers and sell their books. To that end, we promote both Word Museum and our authors a LOT. We have a lot of advertisements and promo going. We also showcase our authors with chats and spotlights. And we created Word Muse, our monthly ezine for readers and writers, to bring readers to our authors. Authors can't sell books unless readers know where to find them and about their books.


LB. Do you have any message for the readers out there?

EH I hope you enjoy my books. I love to hear from my readers and would love what you think of my books and characters, and what you'd like to see in the future from me.

Please visit me at Word Museum, at my personal author's page at: http://www.writerpages.com/elainehopper/index.htm
 

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