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~ PG Forte ~

 

This month we have a sit down with author PG Forte.

PG Forte wrote her first serialized story when she was still in her teens. The sexy, adventure tales were very popular at my oh-so-proper, all girls, Catholic High School, where they helped to liven up otherwise dull classes.

Even if her teachers didn’t always think so.

A lot of years have passed since then, but she's still at it, penning novels and novellas in the romantic suspense, psychic fiction and erotic romance genres.

Originally a Jersey Girl, she currently resides on the Extreme Left Coast with my husband and soulmate, one young adult...

....uh, nope, better make that three again (hey, the more, the merrier, right?) and a random assortment of animal companions.

 

Hi PG, Welcome to Sensual Reads and Reviews. Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to be with us today.  

Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?

Hmm...let’s see, what might you not already have heard about?  I lived in the same house for the first 21 years of my life and I’ve moved at least 21 times since then.  I used to love moving—I’m so over it now.  I met my husband when I was just sixteen, and we’ve been together ever since. When we were first married we lived in a loft in Manhattan that had a view of the Empire State Building. My favorite house that we lived in was a hundred-year-old stone ‘castle’ that was once owned by Jesse James’ uncle.  My favorite experience there—beside the deer that grazed in the front yard morning and night—was lying in bed with my husband listening to Lynard Skynard perform Free Bird live. There was a concert going on a few blocks away and the acoustics were so perfect it sounded like they were right in the room with us. Oh, yeah, and there were fireworks going off in the sky overhead—which we could see through the window across from our bed.

I love to travel but I’ve always lived near one coast or another and the idea of moving inland is enough to cause a panic attack.  

What inspired you to submit your first story?

I started writing short stories when I was living in NYC. I was taking classes with a fantastic writer, Carol Emshwiller, at NYU and writing and submitting new stories practically every week. That’s where I really learned about the business and small presses, etc. It was such a fun time!

How did you feel when your first story was accepted?

I was in shock.  I couldn’t believe it.  I sent out emails titled, ‘somebody pinch me,’ because I was certain I must be dreaming. But, you know, that’s the kind of thrill I get each time a story is accepted—it’s not something I ever take for granted.

What inspired you to write Love, From A to Z?

Zach—the hero. I fell in love with him while I was writing the previous book, Waiting for the Big One, and I knew I’d have to give him his own story.  And he’s such a prince, I knew his story should have a fairy tale quality to it....sort of like Cinderella, only not.

Love, From A to Z has released with Liquid Silver Books, Can you tell us a little about the story?

Well, as I said, it starts while Zach.  Even though most of the story is told from April’s point of view, it’s really Zach’s story, IMO.   Zach’s a guitarist and the book opens while he’s playing at a local club. He’s flirting with one of the patrons (April) and they’re having fun seeing who can get the other person more aroused. Little does he suspect that she’s an heiress who’s already been drugged by her unscrupulous relatives—who want to get their hands on her money. When his performance is over, he picks her up—it’s kind of easy because, by that point, the drugs have kicked in and made her more uninhibited than usual. But, the next morning, April can’t remember anything at all!

She starts to panic and Zach calms her down by telling her that her memory loss is an opportunity for her to rediscover herself. Over the next couple of days—while they wait to see if anyone will report her as missing and give them a clue as to her identity—Zach introduces her to all sorts of new tastes and activities.

I see you are on a Virtual Book Tour for Love, From A to Z, Can you tell us a few places that you will be visiting?

Sure! There may be some changes to the schedule, and I put a Tour Calendar page up on my website so that people can check in at some of the stops I already made.

But here are some of the stops I have scheduled:

The girls at Night Owl Romance are interviewing my on Tuesday October 16. Check there to find out which of my characters I’d choose, if I had to be one of them (I say if I had to, because I realized I really can be merciless in the amount of torture I heap on some of my characters)

Then, on October 18  I’ll be the guest blogger at The Book Connection. Come and find out what some of my (very tongue in cheek) rules for writing erotic romance are.

Inspired Author is my next stop on October 19 where I talk about what makes me cranky.

Then I have two more guest posts on October  22  at Storycrafters and October 24 at The Writer’s Life and I’ll have to keep you guessing about what I’m going to say there, because I’m not quite finished yet!!

Finally, on October 26 I’ll have a book promo posted on Buzz the Book.

I have been following your Virtual Book Tour for Love, From A to Z and on one of the post you mentioned you are not a big fan of romance cliches but to your surprise you have most of them in your story, how does it feel to have written something you never thought you would have?

Weird, I guess. LOL!  Seriously, you have no idea how hard I argued against amnesia when a friend of mine was adding it to  one of her stories.  But, really, it was the only way too get these characters together. Initially, April didn’t have amnesia, just a very specific memory lapse due to the drugs her cousin slipped her—and which I’d found out about while researching an earlier book.  But April—with her memories—was too worried about being loved only for her money to have really given Zach a chance. Not to mention that her uncle would have found a way to mess things up between them, anyway. And Zach was too resigned to not being in a committed relationship that he wouldn’t have pursued her, if he’d known who she was. So it was really the only way.

Are there currently any works in progress you would like to share?

I’d love to. I’m currently working on a novella that picks up where my Oberon series left off. The series ended with a few characters fates still left hanging in the balance. This first novella takes place mostly on a cruise ship and features Cara and Liam. I don’t think I’m going to be able to sell this one as an erotic romance since, as readers of the last Oberon book will remember, Cara is currently unable to have sex. Her attempts to cure herself are typically Cara—and drive poor Liam almost to distraction.

After that I’m planning on a paranormal, historical, erotic romance set in nineteenth century Ireland. The hero, Gavin, is a bitter, lonely blacksmith who meets Aislinn a beautiful but doomed fae. The biggest problem they’ll face is the conflict between Gavin’s love of the forge—it’s his birthright, his heritage, his work, his passion. He can’t imagine a future that’s not centered around it. But Aislinn, like all members of the fairy realm, can’t abide the touch of iron. I would say it’s almost a Romeo and Juliet type story, except it’s not nearly as innocent—they both have an agenda. Also, although it’s not written yet, so anything is possible, I do anticipate a happier ending.

Is there a Genre that you haven’t tried yet but would like to?

Probably something to do with time travel. I always like reading about it, so maybe someday...

What is the biggest hurdle you have to overcome when you are writing a book?

The beginning. Always.  Writing a book is like riding a roller caster. Once you’re up to speed, it tends to speed along quite nicely on its own, but getting past that first incline  it’s all push, push, push.

What is the best part of your writing career?

The fans. Absolutely.  OMG, I love the people who read my books.  I was at a book signing once with a best selling author (who shall remain nameless) who was bitching about how much she hated doing book signings. I wanted to smack her over the head with her own books. 

Also, I do love watching characters take on a life of their own.  I love my characters, too.

What has been your greatest challenge?

Actually, I’m really something of an introvert. I don’t like pitching my work in person and I HATE talking on the phone.  So the internet has really been a godsend to me.

What do you hope to accomplish in the next 5 years?

Sigh. Much as I love ebooks, I’m really hoping to break into print very soon—for the simple reason that it’s where the market is. I still believe ebooks are the future of publishing, but, for now, if I’d like to get my books into the hands of more than a few dozen people, that means putting them into print. I’d also love it if someone would pick up the film or TV rights to the Oberon series. I think it would make a great mini-series.

Any final advice to aspiring authors?

Don’t  worry too much about trends, just write what you love to read. Trends change and you never know what will be in vogue when you’re trying to pitch your book to a publisher. Also, everyone has an opinion, so take whatever you’re told with a grain of salt. NOBODY is right 100% of the time and you only need ONE publisher or ONE agent to love your work—it doesn’t matter how many others don’t.  So expect rejections and don’t let them get you down. Each one moves you one step closer to getting published. Oh, yeah, and don’t be afraid of alternative markets—ebooks for example.  Not every book is right for New York, but that doesn’t mean a lot of people won’t enjoy reading it!

Thank you PG for being here with us today, we really enjoyed it.

Thank you! I loved it too.

Interview was conducted by Crystal Stone
October 2007
Sensual Reads & Reviews



 

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