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~ Zinnia Hope ~

 

 

This month we have a sit down with the multi-published author Zinnia Hope.

Zinnia is a professional writer and lives with her husband and children. She has ebooks and print books available. She has had work appear in "Gent", "Home of the "D" Cups", and some of "Hustler's Publications" as well as Would That It Were.com. She has published books in US, Canada and Turkey.

Zoë Knighton from Sensual Reads and Reviews is delighted to be able to chat with the talented author Zinnia Hope. Welcome Zinnia.

Thank you, Zoe. I'm very pleased to be here on Sensual Reads!

I love your name. Zinnia's are one of my favorite flowers.

Mine too. My fave is the peppermint stick zinnia. I have one flowerbed on the farm that is full of them during the summer.

How exciting is it that Free Spirits is on Freya's Bower's Best seller list? How did you celebrate when you found out.

Actually, I didn't pay a whole lot of attention to it until Marci, the editor-in-chief, pointed it out to me one day, lol. I guess it just didn't sink in until someone whacked me upside the the head with the news!

Congratulations on your latest release. Conspiracy of Angels looks like another hit for you.

Well, it certainly has brought me some lovely emails and even an phone call from a reader! I've had a couple congratulate me on breaking stereotypes and a few who related with the town life in Conspiracy of Angels to the trials the protagonist goes through.

Conspiracy of Angels will be in print this spring, so I'm looking forward to seeing it in a bound volume too.

I love how your books are erotic but also goes beyond by adding a deeper emotion. Your writing has a sense of the spiritual that flows effortlessly.

Does this come easy for you?

Actually, yes, it does. I wasn't even aware I had such a style until readers and editors began pointing it out to me. My style has been called lyrical by several editors, but I'm also told that my non-erotic material makes the reader look deeply within him or herself.

Could you tell us about your upcoming releases?

Well, I have the Daughters of Trinity Series to write for Freya's Bower, but Lord only knows when I'll have time to get to that--perhaps later this upcoming summer. Those involve the daughters that Faerie King Roahre and the mortal Honey have together. The plot involves Goddess Freya's trickery as well as those who wish to keep the Faerie Realm from becoming a more prominent race. Each daughter, Loilati, Enigma, and Unne, have a special magical ability and their own distinct personalities.

Visiting Donna Dee is available at Amira Press for pre-ordering now, but officially debuts on February 14th when Amira Press has it's re-grand opening. It's a short title of about 8,000 words. The story is told from two alternating POVs; one is Regina who is 19 and very mature for her age. The other is Arnold, who has just been released from a 50-year prison sentence. It involves a bit of magic that I won't give away here, but the story is very poignant.

I also have a novel coming out this year with Lavender Isis Press. The editors there are familiar with my work and asked if I'd like to write for them or had something they might like, so I sent them the first chapter and a two-paragraph synopsis of a sci-fi murder mystery called The Red Storm. Three days later, they offered me a contract. The murder mystery and the romance run neck and neck throughout the entire story, however, the romance in The Red Storm is sensual.


You recently participated in the Freya's Bowers charity release Dreams and Desires with proceeds going to a local shelter. How does it feel to know your story is not only going to entertain but help those at the shelter?

I have weathered a couple very abusive marriages. So, when I was asked to participate in Dreams and Desire's anthology, I was very pleased to donate a story that will help someone who is in a similar situation that I went through. There's nothing scarier than being out on the street with children in tow and no place to go. At the time I left my second husband, my mother was very, very ill, so I didn't feel I could bring the chaos and stress into my mother's home without making her illness worse. A good friend took us in, but those months that followed were a nightmare. I hope Dreams and Desire's sales skyrocket to aid the women out there who desperately need help. Being alone and knowing you're hunted is a horrifying sensation.

What special challenges does being a mother have for your writing? How do you balance both?

Oh, golly, where to start--LOL! Since my husband and I have a blended family, there is constant pandemonium in our home. My kids, his kids, and our toddler all get along great, but when they're all under the roof at the same time and they have a few friends of theirs over too, there are times that I just have to walk out the door and go kick a few chickens. rofl!

Seriously, though, I just deal with it as best as I can. My husband runs interference when he's home. I shut the office door and lock it, typing like mad while he yells: "Leave your mother alone!" and "The door's locked isn't it? Well, you know what that means, so don't knock on it unless it's an emergency!" LOL!

I suffer insomnia too, so I write at all hours and whenever I can find a few quiet moments.

What are your favorite ways to relax when life gets stressful?

My life is always stressful, lol. The husband and I never have time alone. Even when we go to bed at night the youngest is across the room in his toddler bed. I love a good movie, and occasionally, I can get the household heathens to settle down enough to quietly watch one with me. Honestly, I don't get relaxation time often enough to even remember it, LOL!

What was it like when you first discovered you had a fan of your books? What is your most memorable fan experience?

Heck, I've done everything backwards in my career. I have a fan-base for my stories that appear in men's magazines first, then I started writing e-books and those fans began reading my material published at Freya's Bower, so I began networking with other e-book authors and writers and things just progressed from there. I have a couple literary agents interested in my work, so I'm hoping one day my fan-base will enjoy my traditional print novels too.

If you could discuss writing with any author that ever existed, Who would
you choose?

I've already done that with some of my favorite authors through email, but to sit down and discuss writing over a nice meal to just relax...well, that would probably be Stephen King or maybe Sue Grafton.

If you had to give up one of the following which would you choose? Good food, good sex or good music?

Good food. Sometimes I get so busy that I forget to eat, so cutting out eating wouldn't be an issue, rofl.


Thank you Zinnia Hope for chatting with us today. I wish you much success with your upcoming projects.

Thank you for having me here, Zoe! If anyone is interested in keeping in touch with me or learning about new releases, my chicken stories, etc. I have a monthly newsletter that I recently launched. I wish everyone mountain blessings.

Zinnia


Interview conducted by Zoë Knighton
Sensual Reads & Reviews
February 2007


 

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