Recently, I had the wonderful opportunity to chat with a very talented and very nice author.  So, without further delay, let’s hear from...

Melinda Barron

Did you always know that you wanted to be a writer?  When did it hit you that you actually were a published author?  How did you celebrate?
Yes, I did. Telling stories has fascinated me since I was very young. When I got the first e-mail from Loose Id that they’d accepted Tales of the Magician 1: The Captive One, it was around seven in the morning. I jumped up and down a lot, then called my family. It took quite some time for me to catch on that the e-mail of “we’ve changed our minds,” wasn’t going to show up.

You have had many varied careers, what was your best and worst job, and why?
The best one is writing. I have to write everyday. I don’t know about worst. Teaching is hard, but it’s not “the worst.” Probably the “worst” would be waiting tables. But you get to study people when you do that, and you learn a lot about society.

Tell us about Melinda and who she really is.
Melinda is a person who likes to entertain, and who likes to pull you into other worlds, which is where she’s the most comfortable.

I read you love to travel. Where would you love to go that you haven’t traveled to?  And what is the place that you most enjoy visiting?
Of course, the place I most want to visit is Egypt. I have a strong desire to see the pyramids and the temples. Plans are in the works, if things go right, for that to happen in about four years. My favorite place so far was London. I absolutely loved it, loved the people, loved the history and loved everything about it, even the food <g>.

If you could travel to any time or place in history, where would it be, and why?
Once again, it would be Egypt. I would choose the time of Ramesses II, the greatest Pharaoh of all times, or at least to me. I would love to watch him in action. A close second would be England during the time of Henry VIII, as long as he didn’t turn his romantic eyes toward me.

Tell us some of your favorites…foods, movies, books, authors, seasons, holidays, music, and any other favorites?
I love Thai, Sushi, and Italian food. I love horror movies, but not slasher movies. Favorite movies are Gone With The Wind, The Ghost and Mrs. Muir, The Ghost and Mr. Chicken, The Lord of the Rings trilogy, and all the Star Wars movies. I have lots of favorite actors, chief among them Russell Crowe, Eric Bana and Orlando Bloom. I’m a big reader, and will pretty much try anything, but I love mystery and romance the best. Favorite authors are Elizabeth Peters, Nancy Martin, Charlaine Harris, Dana Cameron and Douglas Preston/Lincoln Child. For romance, I love Anya Bast, Titania Ladley, Jen Holling, Anne Douglas, Allyson James, … the list could go on and on. I love classic rock and R&B music, like the Robert Cray Band, Jeff Healey, Stevie Ray, The Eagles, Heart and Fleetwood Mac. I love Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas. Plus, I love anytime I can spend time with my family.

I read you are fascinated by history and the past.  Do you incorporate your love of history into your writing?  Ancient Egypt seems to be a favorite of yours. What fascinates you about Egypt?
The past fascinates me. I love to see where we’ve been, and how things were accomplished. I think I incorporate my love of history into some of my books.  The Tales of the Magician books deal with archeologists. I’m fascinated by history and the things we can learn from the past. Egypt has fascinated me since I was a child. My mother teased me that it was Yul Brynner in a kilt in The Ten Commandments that did it. I have to agree with her <g>. Seriously, though, their advance society that thrived, and the many ways their lived and loved and yes, even their fascination with death, fascinates me to this day.

Do you have any advice for aspiring writers?
Keep to your dreams. Write what you know. Don’t let anyone discourage you. Just keep on hitting the keyboard and sending things out. Even rejections show that you’re following your dream, and it can’t come true if you never write anything.

Do your friends and family read your work, and what do they think?
Funny you should ask that…they know. Some approve, some don’t. My older brother googled Melinda one day. He found some of my early work, which is spanking erotica. He called me and said, “Is this you?” When I said yes, the phone got very quiet. I think it took him a few minutes to realize his baby sister, who is well into her forties, was writing about erotic spankings. Then he laughed and said, “and you make money doing this?”

If you could use only five words to describe yourself, what would they be, and why?
Laid-back, loyal, fun-loving, workaholic, loner. I love to work, and writing is a lonely business that I take too fairly well. But, I also love to play with friends and family and have a good time.

Do you enjoy hearing from your readers and how is the best way for them to get in touch with you?
It’s fun to hear what people liked and didn’t like about my books. They can e-mail me at bast_writer@yahoo.com  or they can visit my blog, which I’m terrible at updating, at http://www.barron-chronicles.blogspot.com/ or myspace at http://www.myspace.com/melindabarron or join my Yahoo group, The Eclectic Erotic Sirens, with Jade Buchanan and Midnyte Dupree, at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Eclectic_Erotic_Sirens/

When you are writing do you plan your stories all out before starting, or do you write page by page?
I have a general idea of what I want to do, and then the characters take over and control me. This is especially true in my BDSM books. The Dom controls my writing, just like he controls the sub, <g>.

What would a perfect day for you involve?
On workdays, it would be to sleep until at least nine or ten. Get up, enjoy coffee and the fresh air from the open windows. Then, sit down and start to work. On play days it would be eat out, enjoy a movie or a day at a bookstore.

How do you spend your free time?
Reading, watching movies, going to bookstores, spending time with family and friends.

Do you have anything else you would like to share with us?
I have a new book coming out Sept. 11 from Loose Id. Sweet Perfection is the sequel to Sweet Vibrations, which released in August. Then Sweet Silence, the third book in the series, releases in November. All these books are BDSM. I love the dynamic of BDSM books, and the exchange of power between a Dom/sub.

And, I have stories coming out with Resplendence Publishing, starting in October with Nuit Aux Trois, a ménage/ghost story.

I feel blessed that I’ve been able to fulfill my dreams of writing stories, and I hope I can keep it up for a long time.