The Romance Reader's Connection

AUGUST AUTHOR OF THE MONTH

 

 

Joyce

 Lamb

 

Click on cover to purchase book.

by Wendy Keel

 

The Romance Readers Connection welcomes up-and-coming author Joyce Lamb as one of our August Authors of the Month. Joyce's first book RELATIVE STRANGERS just came out in May 2003 in paperback and her next novel, CAUGHT IN THE ACT, is out this month. We are pleased to have you here Ms. Lamb.

Wendy: Ms. Lamb can you tell our readers a little about yourself?

Joyce: Thanks, Wendy! It's good to be here. Here's a little about me: I was born and raised in Rockford, Illinois. By day, I'm a copy editor in the Money department at USA Today, based in suburban Washington, D.C. That's why many of my characters work at newspapers - that's what I know.  But my passion is writing romantic suspense.

Wendy: In RELATIVE STRANGERS, your debut book, there are many great secondary characters, will we see any to them again?

Joyce: I'd love to revisit Meg and Margot. There's so much more to their story. And it'd be nice to give Margot a good romance. But I don't see a sequel in the near future. I have too many other great characters in my head at the moment.

Wendy: Your fictional twins in RELATIVE STRANGERS were separated at birth, did you find this a hard topic to write about?

Joyce: I did some reading on the subject and talked to a few friends who are twins, though they didn't grow up separately and no one was a jewel thief … at least, that I know of. But it was mostly my imagination, picturing what it would be like to find out there is someone out there who looks just like you who has been very, very bad. The story idea itself is cliché (I admit it), but with fictional twins, one is often good and the other evil. So I twisted it: Margot as the "bad twin" is far from evil. She's just very messed up.

Wendy: Can you tell us how you go about doing research? Any hints for aspiring writers on doing research?

Joyce: I try to talk to people who actually do the things my characters do. For instance, CAUGHT IN THE ACT features some tricky photo editing, so I talked to people who use photo-editing software. I also talked a lot to my dad, who was a journalist before he retired and a private detective afterward. He knew a lot about police procedures and such. Much of what happens in the newsroom in CAUGHT comes from my own experience as a journalist. Wild stuff happens in newsrooms sometimes, and I bounce ideas off my co-workers a lot. They probably worry about what I'm up to sometimes. And, of course, the Internet rocks. I've researched everything from emeralds to militias. If the FBI decided to check me out, some of my Net activities would probably look pretty darn suspicious.

Wendy: I had the pleasure of reading, CAUGHT IN THE ACT, and once again there are many great characters.  Will Mel, for instance, have her own story?

Joyce: I loved Mel! She and Marshall seemed about to start something, so that would be a fun story to write. I don't have any plans to do it now, but I can see coming back to them later.

Wendy: Both CAUGHT IN THE ACT and RELATIVE STRANGERS were set in Fort Myers, Florida, is there any special reason you choose that location?

Joyce: I lived in Fort Myers back in the early 1990s. I love it there - the sun, the beach, the traffic … oh wait. Seriously, I grew up in northern Illinois, which is a great place to live, but it's not especially exotic. To me, anyway. There's just something about Florida that makes it the perfect setting for a book. It's gorgeous, hot and steamy. Just like characters in romance novels. And Florida weather calls for lots of skin-revealing shorts and tank tops. What can I say? It's hot.

Wendy: Ms. Lamb can you tell us how you got started writing? How did you go about getting published?

Joyce: I started my first romantic suspense novel when I was 17, sitting on my bedroom floor in my jammies pounding away on my dad's electric typewriter. I'd just finished reading RAGE OF ANGELS by Sidney Sheldon, and I thought, "This is what I want to do." Luckily, my parents didn't give it a second thought. They just said, "Go for it." So I did. Unfortunately, it's really tough to get a novel published, not to mention make a living at it. Plus, I was young and inexperienced and not a very good writer - yet. That's how I got into the newspaper business: It was my backup plan and a good way to make a living while building my skills. Meanwhile, I did tons of research on how to get published. Then I wrote to agents until one unsuspecting sucker (just kidding, Kay) agreed to represent me.

Wendy: What advice would you give any aspiring writers?

Joyce: Don't give up! Persistence is key. I wanted to give up many times, but if I had, I wouldn't have two books published. Read, read, read, and not just in the genre you want to write in. And write, write, write. Every day, even if it's just for an hour or less.

Wendy: Is there any specific reason you write romantic suspense instead of any of the other genres? Did you plan to write romantic suspense or is that just where the stories went?

Joyce: I started right off the bat writing romantic suspense. I don't know that I even realized at the time that it was a specific genre. I just like my romance mixed with danger and adventure. Doesn't everybody?

Wendy: Can you tell us how you came up with your characters? Your women are strong and very able to take care of themselves, was that planned?

Joyce: I'm a Charlie's Angels kind of girl. I respect women who kick butt, or at least try to, when they have to. Plus, that independence adds a level of tension - and trust - when the heroine is forced into a situation in which she has no choice but to rely on the hero for help. I'm a strong person, and I like to reflect that in my characters. You won't see weepy, defenseless victims totally reliant on men to save them. That's just not me.

Wendy: In CAUGHT IN THE ACT, Jessie uses self-defense, have you taken self-defense classes?

Joyce: I'm not a black belt or anything, but I survived childhood with an older brother. Plus, I worked in middle management. You learn all kinds of self-defense there.

Wendy: Can you tell us anything about any future books?

Joyce: My agent is working on selling my third novel, FOUND WANTING. It's about a woman who's on the run from the father of her teenage son. The bad guy hires a detective to find her so he can, he says, get to know the son she stole from him. Once the detective finds the heroine and her son, though, he discovers she's not anything like he expected and that something's fishy. It's very fast-paced, and the romance between the hero and heroine is my favorite so far. I'm writing book number four as we speak, but I'm going to keep that one to myself for now.

Thanks!
Joyce Lamb
http://www.joycewrites.com

Thank you Ms. Lamb it was a pleasure to interview you and to read your work. I look forward to reading more from you in the future.

 

(Click here for review of CAUGHT IN THE ACT)

 

 

For your convenience click below on one of the icons if you would like to order a book.