Interview with Bobbye Terry

A native Virginian, Bobbye Terry now resides in the cotton fields of West Texas with a Chocolate Lab that has a sock fetish. Bobbye is a multi-published author of romantic comedy, fantasy and suspense. Now, writing solo, except for a possible collaboration on special projects, she pens her books as Bobbye Terry, Daryn Cross and as half the writing team of Terry Campbell. She continues to write with extensive humor, even in suspense, where southern charm meets macabre reality.

Her next release is This Magic Moment in the Unforgettable Heroes boxed set, releasing January 30, 2014.

GIVEAWAY: One Romance Books '4' Us size XL tee-shirt will be given to one person who leaves a comment. NOTE: Only shipped to US and Canadian addresses.

So now, let’s get to know her. Here are some questions she answered for RB4U:

1. Your novel is being made into a TV series/movie. Who’s in your dream cast?

This requires that I select a novel, and since This Magic Moment is about to debut as part of the Unforgettable Heroes  boxed set with seven other fantastic authors  (for only $.99-a little blatant self-promotion), then I’d choose it. My hero, Zack, is a no-business CEO who suddenly gets blindsided by the equally independent and determined Crandall, who is CEO of her own company. I can see Bradley Cooper as Zack and heck, why not Jennifer Lawrence as Crandall?  They look so good together. J

2. What’s your writing schedule like? Do you strive for a certain amount of words each day?

I like to write 3000 words a day, but have a tendency to write in spurts when coming off  a break. Then I regain my normal pace and often put on a surge near the end and do as many as 5000. These are clean counts with very little filler. That’s because I edit every morning before I start

3. What is the most important thing you do for your career now, as compared to when you first started writing?

I take breaks. When I first started, I thought I had to write all the time. Now, I realize that I need time off between projects or I burn myself out. The time off can be as short as week or as long as a month. It depends.

4. Of all your characters, who’s your favorite, and why?

Gee, this is really hard. I suppose my new character, Lindy James, who becomes Lindy James Payne in the As the River Runs series, is my new favorite. She’s a lot like me, analytical and practical, but very passionate.

5. If you could change something about your first book, what would it be?

My first solo book was Coming to Climax. I honestly can’t think of anything that I could change to make it better. However, that book was totally revamped before I sought publication.

The first book I wrote with a cowriter as Terry Campbell was Craig’s Legacy. That book was not the first published, though, because we threw away the first 100 pages of it and started the story later. It turned to be out a very popular book with a lot of awards.

6. How do you choose names for your characters?

I wish I could tell you. They usually just show up and demand to have a book written about them. It’s rare I have to grapple with finding the right one.

7. What genre would you like to try writing that you haven’t yet tried?

This question is hard because I currently write in romance, mystery, fantasy and inspirational nonfiction. I have written more than one historical, a time travel and a cyberpunk science fiction novella series. What’s left? I would like to try my hand at steampunk.

8. Have you ever used an incident from your real life into one of your books?

Oh good Lord in heaven, how about every one? There is something in every book that has happened to me in some variation. And that part about my heroines being accident prone? That’s not an accident.

9. Any part of a book that drives you crazy as you write: beginning, middle, or end?

The beginning always drives me crazy. I have to really work with it to make sure I begin at the right spot. Also, sometimes the spot right after midpoint hangs me up. I don’t want to rush the end and always have to slow myself down.

10. Out of your entire backlist, which book has the best opening line? What's the line?

Ah, that would be Fat Chance by Terry Campbell. The line: “So long, goodbye, it’s been fun and you can forget about ever getting between my legs again.” Lindsey, the heroine, is talking about a Thigh-Grasper exercise machine.

Fun Stuff:

1. What is your favorite holiday and why?

I am a traditional gal, so I love Christmas with all of the glitz and also the holiness of the religious meaning.

2. What are two things people might be surprised to know about you?

I have won a cooking award and I used to sew a lot of my own clothes in high school.

3. As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up? Anything I wanted to be. I had all my options open.
4. Favorite food…would be soft shell crab, hands down. I am a Chesapeake Bay gal and I could eat them until they run out of my ears.
5. Favorite happy memory.

Being at a little place called Minnesott Beach midway down the Carolina coast behind the barrier islands.

6. Favorite drink…Coffee!!  

7. Hot summer days or chilly winter nights? Hot summer nights. Love the beach and warm weather.

8. What is the top thing on your bucket list?  Not sure. I’d love to go on a cruise in Greece. That would be fun.

9. If you could have a super power, what would it be? Gee, how about flying? Then could go wherever I wanted to quickly and see places I’ve never seen. Besides, flying on a plane is becoming uncomfortable and cumbersome.

Now, How about a blurb and an excerpt from This Magic Moment, which will be part of the Unforgettable Heroes boxed set on January 30^th. Here they are:

 Blurb:

Zack Graham, CEO of Scrumbles Snack Cakes and Crandall Drake, CEO of Pretzelcious Pretzels  are workaholics. Mike Kramer and Gretta Fishman, who work for each CEO respectively, are not. What’s worse, Mike and Gretta are lovers who can’t spend time with each other due to their boss’ OCD work habits. But they have a plan: ask Maxwell Magic, the magnanimous, magical, mystery matchmaker, to solve their problem by getting their two bosses to stop working and start loving in a match that lasts forever.

Zack and Crandall are in for a crazy ride, because Maxwell knows all and he will design a plan that is infallible; but, in the process they will have long-hidden secrets exposed and will be forced to sacrifice more than they thought possible to gain what they never though could come true.

But it can, because it’s magic-This Magic Moment!

And the excerpt:

Quickly she reached in the shower and turned on the water. Letting it run for a minute, she tossed off her clothes and held out a hand to feel the water pressure. Nice and hot. Then again, maybe she should make it cold. Tossing that thought aside in favor of creature comfort, she stepped under the spray.

As she massaged shampoo into her hair, she thought about his massaging her shoulders the same way. Not just her shoulders but across her breasts, her nipples. Between her legs. She shivered, despite the temperature of the water. Jeeze, how had her mind wandered in this direction in such a short time?

As she got ready to rinse out the shampoo, the lights flickered. Even with her eyes closed, she could tell the difference. Okay that was just once. She winced as they went out a second time, her eyes burning as a little soap got in her right eye. She brushed at the soap, silently praying they wouldn’t go off three times because when they did go out it would be … Blackness engulfed her. She sighed. Yep, three times they went out for good.

Isn’t this just hunky-dorie?

At least the water still ran, but better hurry up before it went cold. In total darkness, bending under the shower head to get the remaining soap out of her hair, she felt for the side of the shower stall. Once the soap had rinsed off, she groped her way to the front and felt outside for the towel on the counter. Where was the blasted thing? There, her hand met terry cloth. She grabbed it, letting it drape down and began to dry off. Stepping out cautiously, her foot hit the mat. One down. As her other foot joined it, something ran over the first one.

Screaming at glass-breaking pitch, she hopped from foot to foot, and lost her balance, slipping on the mat and falling to the floor. The towel fell out of her hands and plopped on the floor somewhere out of her reach. Crandall’s breath came in gulps, realizing her whole unclad body was now in vermin territory. The damned things were probably waiting to scurry all over her like some horror movie right off late night TV. By the thousands in regiments. She was mortified of mice. Damned thing that had attacked her was probably a rat. Jumping to her feet in fear, she bumped into the toilet. Thank God. Quickly, she climbed on top. Now what did she do? Wait for the lights to come back on?

The door banged open and Zack stood there holding a flashlight like a spotlight on her naked body. “Sorry, are you sure you’re okay?” She saw his head dip as his eyes drifted from her bust line downward. The man didn’t budge an inch.

Seeing the towel, she jumped down and grabbed for it, wrapping it around her torso and then jumped back on the toilet lid. “The least you could have done was turn around like a gentleman.”

“Who said I was one?” He grinned. As she glared at him, she heard him chuckle. “Okay, already, I’m turning. I thought you were in trouble.”

“There’s a mouse in here.” She sprang off the toilet in a high-hurdle move and beat feet out of the room. “Grab my bag please and set it on the bed, then find that hideous thing, now!”

“All of this is over one little critter?” He chuckled.

She sat on the bed and drew her legs under her. “Get rid of the damned monster, and I mean now!”

Minutes later, after a bunch of banging and shifting, he walked back out of the bathroom, holding the vile mouse by its tail. “See how cute?”

“Honest to God, Zack, if you come any closer with that thing, I’ll spray you with mace!”

“Wonder what you’d do to a rapist.” He shook his head. “Be right back.” He opened the outside the door and closed it behind him. She scrambled in her bag for a robe and threw it over her shoulders, quickly dropping the towel on the floor and belting the robe in place.

As he entered again and shut the door behind him, Zack shone the light back on her. “Too bad you had to put on your robe.”

“Too bad you had to have that flashlight.”

“That’s all we have right now. Here’s hoping the electricity comes on by morning.”

She heard him ease to the ground on the mattress. “By the way, if I forgot to tell you the first time we were in the same bedroom, nice body.”

She refused to speak, but his words pleased her, washing over her like a warm blast of air.

Do you all want to know where to find out more about Bobbye? Look in these places:

www.BobbyeTerry-MysteryHappens.com

www.DarynCross.com

www.BobbyeTerry.com

http://www.turquoisemorningpressbookstore.com/collections/vendors?q=Bobbye+Terry

www.Facebook.com/Bobbye.Terry

www.Twitter.com/DarynCross