The Romance Reader's Connection

OCTOBER AUTHOR OF THE MONTH

 

 

 

Rebecca

York 

 

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by Thea Candee

Prolific writer Rebecca York takes readers on a paranormal journey filled with romance and suspense.  I was fortunate to review Ms. York's "Moon" trilogy and as a "new-to-me" author, she has won my heart with her sexy heroes and strong heroines.  Welcome to TRRC Ms. York.

TC: You have been published since the early 80's and you have written many romances since that time. Have you noticed any changes or trends within the romance genre and how do you keep up with the changing views and reader's tastes?

RY: I started off writing straight romances. It took a while for me to figure out that I'm best at romantic suspense--where suspense and intrigue are melded with the romance. I write stories where you can't pull the romance or the mystery/suspense element out. If you did, the story would fall apart. I've seen a shift in these stories to a little more emphasis on the relationship between the h/h and a little less on the mystery/suspense. In recent years, my stories have become more sensual. And because the sensuality in an Intrigue can only go so far, I've also started writing for Harlequin Blaze.

TC: Not having read many category romances, I'm unfamiliar with your 43 Light Street series that is featured in the Harlequin Intrigue line. What is this series about and can a new reader just jump into the series and not be lost, or do they need to start at the beginning?

RY: Well, there's absolutely no problem jumping into the series because each book stands alone. Each is about a hero and heroine who fall in love against a background of danger and intrigue.

I started the series with three books about three women who worked in an office building in downtown Baltimore at 43 Light Street. (It's a real street, but the address is made up.) One was a private eye, one was a lawyer, and one was a psychologist. I used to joke that if you worked at 43 Light Street someone would eventually come at you with a knife or a gun, a great guy would come along to share the danger with you, and the two of you would end up walking into the sunset together. One great thing about the series is that readers can find out what happened to the h/h of the various books, because they become secondary characters in later stories. And I've created a cast of characters. If I need a lawyer or a doctor, I've got them on hand. And now some of my men and women work at the Light Street Detective Agency. It's associated with Randolph Security, which goes in for some spectacular rescue operations--and provides a home for tortured former secret agents from earlier books. I've got a community of misfits who have banded together to get people out of trouble. It's really satisfying for me--and I think a lot of readers like the idea, too.

One thing about Intrigue is that it doesn't fit the normal pattern of a category romance because the suspense and danger are as important to the book as the romance.

TC: Throughout the writing process were you aware that Berkley wanted KILLING MOON for it's new line, Sensation, and if so, did that create any unusual demands or stress knowing that most people would judge this new imprint through your work?

RY: I got the idea for KILLING MOON four years ago. It grabbed me by the throat, so to speak, and wouldn't let go. Back then, the demand for paranormal was at a low point, and I kept asking myself, "Who would buy this book from me?" But I had to write it. So I did--with no expectation that it would be sold. While I was writing it, my agent retired. So when I went searching for a new agent, I looked for someone who would love what I called "my wolf book." I found an agent who was excited about the book, but he still thought it would be a hard sell. Then I ran into a Berkley editor at the Washington Romance Writers' Retreat and asked her if she would look at my werewolf book. (I knew she had to at least be willing to entertain the idea because she was Sue Krinard's editor!) they bought it for a dark paranormal line they wanted to start. Then they decided to fold their lines and come out with the Sensation imprint. So the book was written long before Berkley even thought of Sensation. Originally, they bought two books from me. Then editor Cindy Hwang asked me to do a third book. Those second and third books were written specifically for the Sensation imprint. But I wasn't worrying about my impact on Sensation. I was thinking about writing the best books I could--which is always my goal. I also knew this was a great opportunity for me to cut loose with paranormal romantic suspense. Berkley sent out a lot of review copies, and I started getting nervous--worrying about whether people would like the book. When the reviews started coming in, I was really excited to see I was getting a great reception.

TC: I enjoy paranormal stories and I'm always looking for a fresh viewpoint on an old theme. I liked your idea on how werewolves came to be, how it affects the family and how it might be treatable. How did you come up with the concept for changing into a werewolf, along with your character thinking it might be treatable as a disease?

RY: I thought about it a lot! What you're asking here is about my "world building." I had to come up with a werewolf world view. I wanted my werewolves to be different from "standard werewolves." I wanted a reason for their "condition," and I didn't want it to be that you turned into a werewolf after being bitten. So I thought about other reasons why it might happen. Then I had some long conversations with my friend who is a PhD biologist about the genetics of the problem. I like to write about "tortured heroes," so I thought about giving Ross problems in his background that would make him hate what he was--and came up with the details of his dysfunctional family. Also, I wanted him to be able to solve his problem--which is where Megan Sheridan comes in.

TC: EDGE OF THE MOON features my favorite character, Jack Thornton, the detective who was prominent in the first book, KILLING MOON. To me, Jack is a very dynamic character who shoulders a lot of roles; a tough and smart detective, a sympathetic open-minded listener, a widowed father and a man who learns to move on with his life and open his heart again to love. Who do your characters take after? Do you ever imagine a certain celebrity when picturing them? Or, do you write down what you want your characters to display emotionally and physically and that's the end of it?

RY: I don't imagine a particular celebrity. Really, the internal makeup of my characters is more interesting to me than how they look. I don't write down what I want my characters to display emotionally. I just think about it. I have a general idea of the character. Then I write down as much as I know about the plot--which isn't very detailed yet. After that, I write the first few chapters of the book. While I'm doing this, I get to know my characters better. Then I go back and work more on the plot.

Really, all my guys look like a taller, tougher version of my husband.

I got to know Jack pretty well when I was writing KILLING MOON. I wanted to give him his own story, and I wanted him to end up happy. He's a tough cop. But he's also a good father, and his relationship with his kids plays a big part in EDGE OF THE MOON.

TC: Do you use critique groups and if so, how useful are they?

RY: In the seventies I took a class at my local community college that was run like a critique group. People brought their work in progress and read it to the class and got feedback. I took the class for four or five semesters. When I felt like I'd gotten everything I could from the teacher, I asked some of the class members if they wanted to meet on our own. We've been doing that ever since! Some of the same people are in the group with me, and we meet every two weeks at my house. At first, I did a lot of reading and getting feedback. These days, I'm mostly there to help new members sharpen their writing skills. I take great pride in having helped a lot of people get published. Now I might talk about a plot I'm working on. Or if I have a scene or a chapter that's giving me problems, I might read it. I had fun making their eyes bug out with the first chapter of my first Blaze, BODY CONTACT. And I did get some feedback about toning down the hero a little bit. (His name was also Jack.) One unusual thing about our group is that we're not all romance writers. We have everything from women who write nonfiction articles to those who write straight mysteries to romance writers. We've been meeting for over 25 years and we've stuck to the rule--no guys. We decided that nobody would read love scenes in front of guys. And we like to hear love scenes.

TC: I'd imagine that there would have to be a certain level of trust within a critique group, how do you build that trust and is it easy to accept the criticisms they might have on something you've worked very hard on?

RY: Well, the first thing you've got to realize is that we're a fantastic group. <g> We've probably had 200 books written by members. We're very creative, and we're very supportive. Nobody in our group is there to tear people's work apart. We all have the same goal: Making each other's work as good as it can be. I hate to hear criticism of my work. But I listen because I know the people are trying to help me. We aren't the kind of group who just say, "That was nice." Or "good job." We're very analytical, and we try to think about what worked and what didn't and how it can be improved. That becomes obvious if you sit in on our sessions. We don't just listen to chapters or scenes. We also help each other with plots or query letters or anything else we need.

TC: What do you have "in the works" for the upcoming months? Do you have a website/newsletter where readers can get more information about you and your books?

RY: People can see what's upcoming on my website. I'm trying to get my act together to have a newsletter, but so far I haven't been able to do it. I try to put the first chapter of upcoming books on my website. My husband does the web site for me, so I can ask him to change something, and the results appear almost instantly. ( http://www.rebeccayork.com/ )

I have a "headline news" section. And the titles of upcoming books are in my book list. I've just turned in a couple of books. One is a Blaze called BEDROOM THERAPY. It's about a woman who writes a sexual advice column and is being stalked by a killer. The detective who's investigating the murder of the previous victim stays around to protect the heroine, and they get into some hot and heavy action. Long ago, when I wrote nonfiction, I ghostwrote a sexual advice column in a national magazine. So I was able to use that experience in the book. I had a great time writing letters from "readers" and answering them. And the letters feed into the relationship between the h/h. Also, I figured that if I were doing a story about a sexual advice columnist, the hero should have a sexual dysfunction she'd need to solve. So he's got a very interesting problem that leads to all kinds of creative encounters. You'll have to wait until January to find out what it is! And how they solve it.

I've also finished an Intrigue called OUT OF NOWHERE, about a woman who's a secret agent. She's on a vital mission, but she has amnesia, so she's desperately trying to figure out what she's supposed to do. And the sexy private eye who fishes her out of the river where she lands thinks she's involved with a bunch of drug dealers he's investigating.

What I'm actually writing now is the first book in Intrigue's New Orleans Confidential Series. It's a gritty look into the seamy side of the Crescent City. My heroine is an undercover cop posing as a prostitute, which leads to some very interesting situations. The hero is keeping tabs on her. He's supposed to stay in his surveillance van, but he keeps coming into the bordello for hands-on experiences.

I'm also working on some proposals for big paranormal books. And I'm going to participate in a Berkley anthology with Sherilynn Kenyon, Dara Joy, and Robin Owens. I think that's great company to be in!

TC: And so are you!  Thanks again for taking time to answer my questions.  If you would like to read my review for Ms. York's latest and final story in the "Moon" series, WITCHING MOON, please click here.

 

 

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