We have stolen a few minutes with busy author Danielle Gavan…

What is your most current work out?

Possession is Nine Tenths – Ardeur is the first book in the Possession is Nine Tenths series. It’s available in trade paperback format on Amazon. The eBook is available on Amazon Kindle, Barnes & Noble Nook, Apple iBooks, Sony eReader, Smashwords and Lulu.

I had planned to go the traditional route via a publishing house but decided that getting the story out to readers was more important than finding an agent, the rounds and rounds of submissions and a shiny contract. In late August 2010, I decided to publish the book myself and haven’t looked back since.

Tell us a little about Possession is Nine Tenths – Ardeur, what inspired you to write it?

The book, and series, came to me after joining a role playing board. I created Ardeur, a spunky Canadian necromancer with a chip on her petite shoulders and attitude for miles. The more her personality emerged, the more I knew her story had to be told.

I had originally planned for the story to be a short for a contest and wrote the 2500 word piece in two days. A little digging turned up some unsavoury information on the publisher behind the contest and I decided that Ardy’s story deserved more than five short pages.

When you start writing, do you already have the story plotted out or do you let the characters dictate what will happen?

My characters definitely dictate what happens. I plot, a little, but they usually derail the train so far off into the field that I end up herding cows while they go off and do whatever they want.

What inspired you to write in your genre?  Is this the genre you started writing in or have you morphed to this one?

What inspired me to Urban Fantasy? Oh, geez. Um… I don’t think I was inspired to write UF. My plan was to write a paranormal romance but with the amount of world building and other elements I kind of “fell” into the Urban Fantasy category without really intending to do so.

Do you have a favorite character you have written?

That’s like asking if I have a favorite kid. They all have a certain something that makes me love them. Ardy is spunky and sarcastic. I love this because she reminds me of myself in that sense. Brody is loyal and determined to do right by those he loves. He’s also super hot, so yeah, loooove him. Oh, and who couldn’t adore a blue haired fairy with a love of Louboutin’s?

Do you have a character that you look back on now and don’t like?

Shade. He’s one nasty little piece of work and I didn’t enjoy writing him. At. All.

Do you draw inspiration for your characters from real life? Any fun stories you could share?

Unfortunately, no.

What do you find the hardest part of writing?

Finding the time to actually sit down and get words on the page without a million and one interruptions. Hard to do with two kids, a day job and a hubby who likes to snuggle.

Name one thing that your readers would be surprised to know about you.

I crave peace and quiet. I get antsy when there’s too much noise going on around me. Watching a hockey game, for example, is torture. As much as I love hockey, there are waaaaaay too many sounds. It’s sensory overload.

I also don’t like to be touched much. My kids are welcome to cuddle as much as they want but other adults? Two words, personal space.

Do you have a guilty pleasure?

Chocolate, Channing Tatum and Nickelback. Not necessarily in that order, or separately.

What do you need before you start writing?  Anything that is just a must have or the creative juice don’t flow?

A comfy chair, a big bottle of water, tissues and elastics for my hair. Oh, and my tunes. I have a playlist for each project.

Does music influence your writing?  If so, do any of your stories have a theme song?

Absolutely! Possession is Nine Tenths – Ardeur was written to a mix of Nickelback, Theory of a Deadman, Breaking Benjamin and other similar bands.

If your story was optioned for a movie, who would play your characters?

Easy. Brody would be played by Channing Tatum. He is modeled after him and I watched every Channing movie I could find as “research material”. Ardy would be Scarlett Johansson, and Azrael would be played by Jared Padalecki.

How old were you when you read your first romance book?

I was fourteen and the book was one of Virginia Henley’s. The Pirate and the Pagan. I took it on a babysitting gig with me and, um… it made for an interesting afternoon. I had been reading mostly VC Andrews until my mom handed me Ms. Henley’s book. Imagine the shock on my face when the first sex scene cropped up on the page.

If you still have one of those pesky day jobs what is it?

I do still have one of those, unfortunately. I’m currently a Customer Care Rep for a Group Benefits company. Definitely not my dream job, but it pays the bills. Sorta.

What are you currently working on, and what else is in the wings?

Book two in the series is in the chute. Azrael, the villain from Ardeur’s book is getting his HEA. I also have book three, Remiele, and another unrelated book in the planning stages. By planning I mean I have an idea and a blurb. That’s about all.

Other projects involve some of the ventures in which I’m a partner. I’m one of the thirteen authors who publish original content on the Amazon Kindle Blog Everything Erotic. There are a few other plans in the works but nothing concrete yet.

What is your reaction to people who say one of the following…”Oh you write romance, I thought you were a real writer”, “Romance isn’t a real writing career” or the ever popular “Oh, one of those books”.

What I tend to reply is: Yep, one of those books. It’s a real career and real writing. Write a book and try getting it published then come back and judge me. I bet your opinion is much different after that experience.

Where can readers find you? Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Website ~ Blog

Smashwords (https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/24211)

Amazon Kindle (http://www.amazon.com/Possession-Nine-Tenths-Ardeur-ebook/dp/B0041KL4YG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&m=AZC9TZ4UC9CFC&s=books&qid=1289440944&sr=8-1)

Amazon Books (http://www.amazon.com/Possession-Nine-Tenths-Danielle-Gavan/dp/0986718718/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1289440944&sr=8-3) and (http://www.amazon.com/Everything-Erotic-Sexy-Anthology-ebook/dp/B0047DWCD4/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&m=AZC9TZ4UC9CFC&s=books&qid=1289440944&sr=8-2)

Goodreads (http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4347100.Danielle_Gavan)

And for the silly side – What is your favorite type of chocolate?

I have to choose? <gasp> No. Okay…well, maybe. I’m not a fan of any chocolate with fruit. Chocolate with mint, however, is the most amazing invention ever. Peanut butter cups are a close second.