Simply Sexy Reads: Author Interview: Elizabeth Lynx

Author Interview: Elizabeth Lynx

What is the title of your book?

Rules of Payne

Please tell us a little bit about your book.

It is the story of Morgana Drake, a young woman living in Chicago and following her dream to get into the Executive Development Program at her job at Mimir, the third largest online retailer.

The only problem is that her boss, Henrik Payne, VP of Sales and Marketing, is a jerk, not just to her but to everyone he meets. She wouldn’t be so bothered by this fact; she has dealt with bad people in her life before, but Morgana is also insanely attracted to Henrik.

Also, Henrik has a problem with giving her orgasms whenever he feels like it. He tries to stick to his strict rules of not getting involved with women and remaining extremely professional at work, but Morgana seems to be his weakness.

This is book 1 of 2 and ends on a cliffhanger, but the second book Rules of Payne 2, has just come out and is only 0.99 cents!

His rules get broken while she keeps risking her dreams.

How did you come up with your book idea?

I had read several boss/secretary type of romances, even some comedies and either it wasn’t steamy enough or was way too steamy or didn’t have the humor I was looking for. So, I created Morgana and Henrik. I wanted that alpha male boss with the quirky assistant. I believe you can have humor and sexy times in the same book. I tell people it’s as if Bridget Jones went to work for Christian Grey.

Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?

Umm…eat cake? No seriously, Morgana does have a serious cake addiction in this book. I guess if anything, I didn’t want to write a female character that was uncomfortable in her body. The woman likes cake, so yes, and she has a little meat on her bones. I didn’t want that to have ANYTHING at all to do with her actions or thoughts. She saw herself as a sexy, smart and confident woman just trying to get ahead in the world. She is secure in herself and I wanted that to shine through. I hope readers see that it’s not how you look that people are attracted to, it’s who you are on the inside. On that same note, Henrik is a powerful figure, VP of the company and definitely an alpha male, but on the inside, he is unsure of himself. To the outside world, he is almost perfect: rich, powerful, and handsome and could have any woman he wants. But on the inside, he has nothing.

I want the reader to realize that not all is what it seems when you look at another person. They could be beautiful and appear to have it all, but be falling apart on the inside, and vice versa.

If your book became a movie, what would your ideal cast be?

HENRY CAVILL!!! Seriously though, I can’t help but picture Henry Cavill as all my leading men. It’s a sickness, I know. Henrik: Henry Cavill; Morgana Drake: Christina Hendricks; Aria Dixon (Morgana’s Roommate): In a dream world it would be a young Debbie Harry; Evaleen Bechman (HR Manager): (Again, dream world) Young Kim Basinger; Tiffany Blackburn (Friend of Henrik): Natalie Portman; Edgar Mimir (Friend of Henrik): Chris Hemsworth.

What are your publishing credits?

Before the Rules of Payne series, I wrote the Him Her Them Series: Grading Him, Reaching Her & Becoming Them. There is also a boxed set of the series.

What are your plans for the future?

I am continuing with the Rules of Payne characters. I have a character blog post called Payne In The Blog that I post every Tuesday & Thursday. I started with the character of Morgana Drake and now it’s on Aria’s perspective and love interest. Evaleen & Tiffany will have a turn, as well. They will each get their own book. I have put the blog on pause for the summer as I have little boys at home and while they are off from pre-school, I can’t devote the time to the blog as I would like. But, I am starting back up in September.

What is your day job?

Stay at Home Mom. I have 3 and 4-year-old special-needs boys at home. So, I write when I get a chance, which isn’t much since they are a handful!

What is your preferred genre to write?

Romance, especially romantic comedy.

How did you become a writer?

It’s the worst reason anyone should become a writer: for money. My family was struggling financially and I read this article about a stay at home mom who wrote romance and made all this money. I thought if she could do it, I could do it. Not even knowing anything about the writer or her books, I just jumped right in. I found out later that her youngest had gone off to college so that’s why she had so much free time to write. Also, she had been doing it for years, built up a fan base, and had about thirty books out there and that’s why she was making money at it. It was too late when I realized this wasn’t a money maker. I know, I’m an idiot.

But, it didn’t matter because I fell in love with writing. So, here I am, over a year later, still working hard and putting all the crazy character voices that come into my head down on paper.

Are you a planner, complete with detailed outlines, or do you fly by the seat of your pants when writing?

Mainly, I fly by the seat of my pants. I come up with an idea, very roughly plot it out, and then get to writing. I find if I plot too much, it ends up getting completely changed as I write. I even plotted out a chapter in the latest Rules of Payne book and by the time I finished writing it, the ending was completely different then I had plotted.

What is the best writing advice that you have ever been given?

Be yourself and people will start to pick up your books and read them because of who you are. I remember thinking, “How is a stay-at-home mom with an acting and Improv background going to get readers to relate to her so they go out and buy her books?” But that’s exactly what happened. I really believed that readers only wanted writers with literary degrees or had been writing all their life, but some readers will pick up books because they think your Facebook posts are cool or funny, or Twitter or like your blog. Some of my first fans and reviews were from Facebook friends that had no idea I was a writer, but thought I was funny. When they found out I wrote, they immediately went and got my book. So, you never know. I use my ‘funny’ background not just in my writing. But in my social media and marketing presence, it separates me from the crowd.

What advice would you give a new writer?

Patience. Seriously, do NOT expect your first or second or even fifth book to be the one that gets you on that bestseller list or that agent you really want or that publisher to accept your manuscript. Everyone starts off at the bottom and slowly works their way up. It’s a career like any other. A lawyer doesn’t get to be the senior partner in the firm when they just passed the bar. So, you will not get a bestseller with your first book or that agent you covet will not take your first submission. Just stick it out and good things will slowly start to trickle in for you.

What other projects do you have in the works at the moment?

I’m working on a contest for Harlequin on Wattpad called So You Think You Can Write. You can view the chapters for free on Wattpad. It’s called That Sweet Deal.

What surprises can we expect from you in the future?

Other than the Payne characters getting their own stories, not much else. There are a few things I am working on that may or may not see the light of day anytime soon. They are things that could potentially involve traditional publishers, so it depends on the publisher.

If you could journey into any of your books, interacting with the characters, which would it be and why?

I would definitely dive into Rules of Payne and hang out with the ladies at their Thursday night meetup called their SWIM (Smart Women Idiot Men) Meet.

What are you reading?

Truth or Beard, by Penny Reid

What public appearances do you have planned in the future?

I make a public appearance at Target about twice a week with two little boys. We are the ones in the milk isle, I’m yelling at my oldest that this isn’t a playground. Seriously, I have no author appearances scheduled anytime soon. I really want to get out there and meet fans, but trying to sell a home. If anyone has done that then you know where I am at – no big spending for a while (travel, hotel, etc. that’s needed for author appearances).

Chocolate or vanilla?

Why is this even a question? Of course chocolate.

What is your favorite drink?

Coffee at the moment.

Who is your dream man and why?

Not to repeat myself but HENRY CAVILL! One word: Superman.

Is there anything else you’d like to share with your fans?

I am currently writing something that I plan to send to a literary agent. I’m just going to drop a hint here: It involves a bearded Scotsman.

On behalf of Simply Sexy Reads, thank you!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Elizabeth Lynx writes romantic comedies with a lot of steam. There is one thing she knows for sure, she is not a robot. At least she says she's not. She is also not a space alien. How do I know this, because she was born in Baltimore Maryland in the 1970's when no one wanted to be in Baltimore Maryland so why would her parents say that if it weren't true. Of course she has had her suspicions growing up and is still in a continual search for evidence that backs up her space age theories.

To bide her time she writes about 'normal' people and their sexy romantic lives. Her husband chooses to put up with her theories and paranoid musings. Her two little boys help her see that perhaps she isn't an alien but more of a climbing rock. This theory is new, so she needs more time to develop it further.

LINKS TO ELIZABETH LYNX'S RULES OF PAYNE SERIES:

Amazon US: http://amzn.to/1GCdlSw

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1Arq4nw

Amazon AU: http://bit.ly/18sG6G4

Amazon CA: http://amzn.to/1I0HLiL

B&N: http://bit.ly/1O70QUG

iTunes: http://apple.co/1GyQt6F

Kobo: http://bit.ly/1CO6mIW

MORE OF ELIZABETH LYNX'S PUBLISHED WORKS:

Grading Him

Reaching Her

Becoming Them