Below is the Lovers interview with Gina L. Maxwell, the NY Times Best-Selling author of Seducing Cinderella. Enjoy 🙂
Jessica: What other countries other than the US are you gaining the most traffic? Will your paperback book be available in other countries?
It’s doing very well in the UK. My husband likes to keep track of my ranking over there, and he keeps me posted. It’s also sold in Italy, Germany, and France, as it is right now in the English eBook version. However, Entangled is working to get the foreign rights sold to different countries so it can be translated and released in whatever format they choose. So far we’ve sold rights to France and China (for SC and Rules of Entanglement). So the gang will definitely be traveling abroad!
We also just sold the audio rights for all four books in the series. So it will be available in that format as well, which is very exciting!
Tiffany: Reid taught Lucie how to flirt; I loved the restaurant scene where he made her practice with the waiter. Do you remember where you learned to flirt?
This is such a great question! I had to really think about this one; and I’m afraid my answer is going to make me sound like such a harlot, but here it goes. LOL. I honestly think flirting came naturally to me. I can remember, very vividly, stringing along two boys—yes, TWO—at the same time when I was in first grade! I had a Poochie stationary kit (Poochie was a pink and white cartoon dog back in the early 8Os) that I used to write them little love notes. One day they got sick of sharing me and wanted to chase me at recess to determine who “won” me. I wouldn’t let them. I gave them my best smile, told them I loved them both, and sashayed my cute butt over to the monkey bars knowing full well they’d trail after me. And they did. LOL
Rosette: Can you tell us who designed the ankle bracelet that was for sale on your website. It was a replica of the one Reid gave Lucie. It was of a sparrow, the symbol of finding one’s true love.
Absolutely! Her name is Jamie Burch at Chasing the Moon Creations. (You can find her on Facebook or her Etsy store). She’s one of my dearest writing friends; and when she started up her jewelry business and I saw how incredibly talented she is, I wanted to collaborate with her on something I could use as a giveaway and help drum up business for her. That led to the idea of actually writing the piece into the story. I was working on my line edits at the time. So I picked a scene I thought it would work best, added a few lines, and voila! A custom piece of jewelry was now a gift from Reid to Lucie and available to the public. The anklet is absolutely beautiful, and everyone I know who has purchased one loves it.
Incidentally, I have another great friend, Kara, who has a jewelry business, and I’ve already spoken with her about creating a piece that will be featured in Book 2! I’d like to ask Jamie to do something for Book 3, and finally go back to Kara for Book 4. I love incorporating my friends in any way I can, as I continue on this awesome journey. The more the merrier!
Elizabeth: Do you think that Reid knew early on that Lucie was destined to be his one true love when he gave her that ankle bracelet?
Again, great question. You girls are awesome at this! You know, I think he did subconsciously. At that point he never would’ve admitted it or even given the idea a hard look. But almost instantly he recognized that there was something different about the way Lucie made him feel. I think he secretly wanted to be the one she found when he gave it to her, whether he knew it or not.
Jessica: What inspired the “rain scene?” That was pretty hot!!
Ah, the rain scene. My personal favorite, if only by a smidge. Two things inspired that scene. One, I love the idea of sex under running water, whether it’s rain, a shower, waterfall, or a sprinkler. LOL. There’s just something sexy about water cascading over naked, writhing bodies. (Was that too vivid for interview talk? LOL) You’ll most likely see a lot of variations on that type of scene in my future books.
The other reason I add rain to certain scenes is because of something I learned in college as a theatre major. Rain symbolizes a cleansing of some sort. It can be physical, but mostly it’s an emotional one. It’s used in movies ALL. THE. TIME. Next time you see rain in a movie, take a good look at what’s happening. Most likely the character(s) just had an epiphany about how they feel or what they’re doing in life.
In this particular scene, I wanted the thunderstorm to run parallel with the emotions of the scene. It starts out as only a threat in the distance, a possibility of what could come. But when Reid’s feelings for Lucie come to a raging head, the storm around them underlines the rawness and volatility of the whole situation.
Tiffany: Are there certain characters you would like to go back to, or is there a theme or idea you’d love to work with?
Honestly, no. I’m a total pantser, so I don’t think that far in advance. I kind of take things as they come and see where it goes from there.
Rosette: Reid’s relationship with his father is strained as is Tom Hardy & Joel Edgerton’s relationship with their father, Nick Nolte, in Warrior. Were you inspired by Warrior at all?
I think I probably was, in part, although not consciously. I really loved that movie and the power behind all of the brokenness in that family. As I learned more about Reid, I realized he wasn’t really a fighter at heart, so I had to figure out why he’d been doing it his whole life. That’s when the father issue came out.
Elizabeth: Will we ever find out how Jackson (Jax) found out about his best friend, Reid, dating his sister Lucie? He’s pretty protective of her.
I would love to write this scene and most likely will. However, it’s not in Book 2, so it’ll either be something we add to the paperback as an “extra bonus” or something I’ll post on my Maxwell Mob group page as a treat for all my loyal Mobsters. (To join the MM, go to www.facebook.com/groups/maxwellmob)
Jessica: Will we ever get to meet Michelle, Fritz’s daughter, in the future?
Wow, I don’t know. I never thought about it before, but she’d probably be a very interesting person to get to know. Growing up with Fritz for a father would make one’s personality very unique. I guess we’ll have to see!
Tiffany: What happens to Dr. Mann? Will he get his happily ever after?
Nope. Dr. Mann gets to wallow in his shallowness for the rest of eternity. I can’t take a guy I didn’t like and make him into a guy I do like. I wouldn’t put any of my heroines through that. Besides, I think it’s important that our heroes and heroines only become better versions of themselves as the story progresses. I don’t believe in changing anyone into a completely different person. Even at the end of SC, Lucie isn’t strutting around like a confident peacock (yes, I know she’d be a peahen, but work with me here). She’s definitely more confident in her own skin than she was in the beginning, but it’s only been a couple of months. It’d have to be a total personality transplant to get her to act like an A-list celebrity on the red carpet. So I’m afraid Dr. Mann will have to find himself someone who walks in the same shallow end of the pool as he does. He’s not getting any help from me. 😉
Rosette: If Reid could offer any advice to the “Plain Janes” or women who don’t think themselves pretty, etc., what advice would he give them?
Reid would tell them to look past what they think people see, and focus on what they want people to see. If you carry yourself as a confident, competent woman, then that’s exactly what you’ll be seen as. If you shrink into yourself and give the occasional cursory glance to the world around you, people will have no choice but to see a shy, insecure woman.
It’s not about being what society deems beautiful. It’s about being your beautiful. Everyone has certain features that are better than others. If you have nice eyes, learn how to accentuate them. If you’ve got a set of killer legs, learn the types of skirts and pants that’ll make men’s eyes glue themselves to your sexy limbs.
But the stuff on the outside is only secondary. What matters is finding that person that looks at who you are as a whole and thinks you’re the most beautiful belle at the ball. Whether you’re dressed to the nines or schlepping around in PJs and major bedhead.
Elizabeth: What does your Reid think about you? Would he want to hang out with you, the author, his creator? 😉
LOL, I’d like to think so. Reid is a natural social butterfly and up for anything, as am I. So I think we’d have a lot of fun together.
Jessica: If you had to go back and do it all over, is there any aspect of your novel you’d go back and change?
Not change, but I’d love to add things. It was very hard for me to write a full story in under 65K words. My paranormals are over 100K words (unedited), so I’m used to having a lot more space and time to work with. I would’ve loved to have shown Lucie and Reid’s time together more. Maybe more of the PT training session side. I definitely would’ve shown the fight in the end (something else I’m considering adding for the paperback version, but nothing has been decided yet). So nothing different, just more.
Tiffany: What has been the best compliment given to you as an author? What has been the toughest criticism given?
The best things to hear are that people are amazed that this is my debut because it reads more like an accomplished author or that they’ve read it more than once (which I’ve affectionately dubbed a re-Reid…get it? LOL). Hearing those things make me absolutely giddy!
The toughest criticism I’ve received is when a reader hates Reid. Some people are simply looking for a mega-alpha-male who’s nothing more than a fighter. I don’t fault them for that at all. I love those types of heroes too. I even tried writing Reid like that in the beginning! But he would have none of it. He fought me word by word until I let him be who he wanted to be. But there are those out there who don’t believe an MMA fighter could give a woman advice on what to wear to catch a guy’s attention or teach her how to flirt. I strongly disagree, but they’re certainly entitled to their opinions. In fact, it doesn’t even bother me when they voice said opinions in a matter-of-fact manner. But when reviewers use GIFs and cruel remarks to shred Reid into tiny pieces, that’s when it really bothers me. But I’ve learned to shrug it off, so it’s not as bad now as it was in the beginning.
Rosette: If there is one thing that you could change about your writing career, what would it be?
That I would never-ever-ever have to look at or understand any contracts whatsoever! Since I’ve only had a “writing career” for a few months, I can’t say there’s really anything I’d change. It’s been more than wonderful! But the business side of things is so not my forte, which frustrates the heck out of my business-minded husband. LOL.
Elizabeth: How did you get involved with Entangled Publishing? Jessica is a sweetheart by the way. What advice would you give to aspiring authors about being noticed by publishers?
Yes, Jessica is a sweetheart, as is my other publicist, Renee. I love them both dearly and without them would be a quivering mess, huddled in a fetal position somewhere. They somehow manage to keep me sane, and they’re amazingly supportive. I can’t say enough about them.
I started hearing Entangled’s name around the writing community. Great things were being said, and their stable of authors was growing fast. So I did some research online about them, as well as asked authors signed with them their thoughts. I heard nothing but great things and decided to submit to them. Best decision I ever made!
My advice to aspiring authors is to make yourself as prevalent in the writing community as possible. Twitter is a HUGE necessity these days. The amount of networking and inside info you get on Twitter alone is worth it. That’s where I started seeing Entangled’s name…through retweets about their submission calls. Network as much as possible and make as many friends as you can. You never know when one of those friends will be able to help you get one step closer to your dream.
Jessica: Are you writing now? If so, do you feel the process is easier now in respect to writing your current book than it was your debut?
I am writing now; but no, it’s definitely not easier. If anything I’d say it’s a lot harder. Not only is finding the time to actually write extremely difficult (doing promo stuff for SC takes up a huge amount of my time), but I feel a lot of pressure to make Book 2 just as good as the first one. I didn’t expect this kind of reaction to SC, so I wasn’t prepared for the situation I find myself in at this point. It’s not that I’m concerned with the success of Book 2 as much as I’m afraid of letting my readers down. All I can do is my best and hope it turns out well.
Tiffany: Book 2 in the Fighting for Love series, Rules of Entanglement, will release November 20. Can you tell us why you named the book that? Can you tell us a little bit more about what will happen?
If you’ve read SC, you’re aware that Vanessa, Lucie’s BFF, has a list of rules she follows when considering a man for the role of Significant Other. In Book 2 we learn what those 10 rules are, how she applies them, and why she has them to begin with. The story revolves around the week before Lucie and Reid’s wedding in Hawaii as Vanessa—and ultimately Jax—try to make sure everything is perfect for the happy couple’s arrival. But they get tangled up in a sticky—and intimate—situation where it becomes a battle between Vanessa’s rules and Jax’s will. The two are positively explosive together and so much fun!
1. If you were writing a book about your life, what would the title be?
Never a Dull Moment
2. Favorite ice-cream flavor and topping?
Chocolate with marshmallow topping
3. Favorite song that describes your mood today?
“One More Night” by Maroon 5
4. What is your favorite movie? and actor?
Favorite movie is The Sweetest Thing (Every woman needs to see that movie! It’s pee-your-pants hilarious!) I’d say one of my favorite actors is Johnny Depp. Not only totally gorgeous, but he can play any part with any accent. He’s amazing.
5. Favorite wine? We know Lucie’s is Moscato. Tiffany’s too!!
Mine, too! I also recently discovered a Café Zinfandel that’s awesome. It’s a sweet red, but not too sweet. Unfortunately, as much as I love wine, if I drink any I have to be prepared to go to sleep because it knocks me out every time! LOL.
6. If you could go anywhere in the world, where would it be and why?
I’d love to visit Italy, but I want to learn how to speak the language first. I’m Italian, and I’d love to immerse myself in the culture of my ancestors for a few wonderful weeks.
7. If you could have a one night “fling” with anyone in the world and without anyone finding out, no consequences, who would it be with? Why have you chosen that person? And what would you want him to do to you in the bedroom?
O_o Uh, I’m afraid I’m going to have to plead the fifth on this one, lest it tosses me into divorce court. LOL
Click here to read part 2 with our interview with Gina!
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