Q&A & Giveaway with Roxanne St. Claire

My buddy Lush over at Lush Book Reviews and I thought it would be fun to get together and probe the mind of the wonderful Roxanne St. Claire. 


Welcome Roxanne!  Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?

I could tell you a lot, but you probably only want the good stuff.  Let’s see…first of all, everyone calls me Rocki.  Everyone!  Since I was born, in fact.  I’ve written almost thirty books for four publishers in multiple genres…I have been married for twenty years to a fabulous, funny, sexy Italian guy who can cook like a dream and makes me laugh at least once if not fifteen times a day…I have two teenagers who light up my life and wreck my laundry room…I have been showered with luck and blessings, but am also a bona fide workaholic who lives by the motto “good enough is never good enough.”  Oh, and I’m not a natural blonde.  Will that do?

Your newest series is the Guardian Angelinos series.  How did you come up with the concept for it?

When I moved to a new publisher, they wanted to “play off but change” the Bullet Catcher concepts…in other words, do the same thing only make it completely different.  So I decided what was missing in the BCs was family – those guys (and gals) are all connected by a business that forms an ad hoc family.  I switched it up by creating a family that forms an ad hoc business.  I wanted the Angelinos to be grittier, and less “elite” than the Bullet Catchers, more street smart than tech rich, you know?  No war room with multiple computers that track every case, but a break room with Uncle Nino’s ziti warming in the microwave.  I wanted to have cases and players that were not as slick, but just as sexy.  Of course, I went Italian because I married an Italian man who’s made me Italian By Association.  My maiden name is Roxanne St. Claire…but my married name is Rocki Frisiello.

This series is mainly about family.  How important was that while you were writing this?

The family is the heart and soul of the Guardian Angelinos concept, so it was all important to me.  In fact, when writing the first book, I had to pull back in revisions and cut a lot of scenes of just the Rossis and the Angelinos being together.  Of course, they were discussing the case, but I could just do entire scenes of Nino cooking and Aunt Fran hugging and JP lurking in the background and Chessie causing turmoil and Gabe missing in secret agent action.  Man, I love that family!

How many books do you plan on writing for this series because it seems like the Angelinos and Rossi's have a very large family.  LOL

A very large family and they should all have their own books!  I’ll write as many as I can, as long as the series feels vital and fresh.  I don’t know how many or when they’ll be released or what order the stories will be told or if they will be traditionally published or self-published.  I know that there could be stories for Gabe, Chessie, JP, Nicki, and more cousins I’ve yet to discover!

Lets talk agent Lang, whom we absolutely LOVE!  How did you come up with his character?

Oh my heavens, I love Lang.  I don’t know where he came from!  The first time he showed up on the page (in SHIVER OF FEAR – he’s mentioned in the end of EDGE OF SIGHT, but he’s never on the page) I just knew he was deep and sexy and troubled and strictly by the book.  I love men who live by the rules…and get shaken up by a little rule-buster.  The very first time I put him in a scene with Vivi, the sparks flew and I knew I would have a blast writing their book.  I did!

We would love to Agent Colton Lang as our very own Bullet Catcher. Can you make that happen?

No…but Gabe could be a Bullet Catcher….read on.

So Gabe is mentioned a lot in the Face of Danger Please tell us " this blue eyed angel" is next?

I’m mad for this man who swears like a devil and makes the sign of the cross when he thinks no one is watching.  I think he has a complicated past and a tortured soul.  I would love to write his book.  I haven’t yet…my publisher has asked me to take my next few books in a slightly different direction, and I’ve jumped on that challenge for many reasons.  So, the Angelinos are on hold for a short time while I create a brand new world, all new characters, and explore a completely different subgenre.

We know your Bullet Catcher and Guardian Angelinos series are intertwined. Will the future releases be as well?

They are currently “related” in that one of the Bullet Catchers, Johnny Christiano, is a distant cousin of the Angelinos.  But I’d like to combine them even more…my dream is to make Gabriel Rossi the first Guardian Angelino who goes to work as a consultant for the Bullet Catchers.  Oh, to have Vivi and Lucy in the same scene!  They are so much alike, yet so different.  In the end of FACE OF DANGER, Johnny mentions that Lucy might be in the market to buy the Angelino’s business….we shall see.

According to your website the 2012 releases will be up soon. When??? We are dying to know!

I’m just waiting for my publishers to confirm dates and titles.  As soon as I have them, I will share.  I know I will have two contemporaries out, one in the spring and one in the fall.  In addition, my first young adult novel will be released from Delacorte Press in hard cover.  We have a working title for that book, but (this is very cool!) the book has been optioned for film and as we speak, a screenplay based on my novel is being written.  If that movie gets made, we’d like the title of the book to match the movie, so I’m waiting to formally announce the title.

You also mentioned a new series to look forward to. Can you tell us a little about it?

I’m writing four contemporary romances set on a fictional island off the Gulf Coast of Florida.  Called the Barefoot Bay series, these books follow the lives and loves of four women who rebuild their businesses, their lives, and their hearts after a hurricane destroys much of the island.  Yes, very, very different!  I used to write Silhouette Desires and I adore straight contemporary romance with lots of humor, heart, sex and sass.  All of these stories are very hot, very emotional, and very focused on the heroine’s journey and the passionate men who take them on some heart-wrenching rides.

Do you have any other series in mind that you are dying to write about?

I always have a zillion ideas, characters popping into my head, story questions begging for an answer, compelling scenes I’d love to write.  All I know is that I’d like to write a hundred books before I quit, and I’m only a third of the way there!

Out of all the characters so fa,r which one was more fun and exciting to write about ? Only one Roxanne!  LOL

Vivi Angelino, hands down, without question.  Vivi was the most fun, complicated, surprising, hysterical, dear character I’ve ever created and I loved every minute I spent with her.  My editor wasn’t all about her at first – in EDGE OF SIGHT, she told me to tone her down, that readers wouldn’t like a skater girl with a nose pierce and spiked hair.  But Vivi had so much depth, and such a tender, heartbreaking back story that writing her book was a journey I’ll never forget.  Judging from the reader response, she has struck a chord for many women who love my books and I’m so happy about that!

Is there one character that you are dying to write about right this minute?

Gabe Rossi is just aching for a book!!!  And I’m aching to write it!

Bells and I have decided to read your bullet catcher series together. We would like to follow up with you when we have conquered them all and chat?  Do you think we can pick your brain when we are all done?

Yes, please!  I have my favorites in that series – certain guys I adore, a few heroines who touched me, as well.  The first book is out of print – unless you want to pay $22 for a print on demand version – or you are an ereader, then you can get it for a nice reasonable $5.99.  There are eight books and two novellas in the series, lots of super hot guys, very smart girls, and some pretty creepy bad guys.  Oh, and one unforgettable scene in a tool shed.  Enjoy!!!

OMG we are so excited to start on the Bullet Catcher series!!! Squueee!!! Thanks so much for coming by and taking the time to answer a few questions.

GIVEAWAY

Roxanne is generously giving away all 3 books in the Guardian Angelinos series to 1 lucky person! Only open to US/Canada only. Please leave an email address so we can contact you if you win! Giveaway ends 7/28/11 12PM EST and winner will be chosen using random.org.