Lynne Silver has stopped by to chat with the bunnies of Joyfully Reviewed….


Lynne what is your most current work out?
Conquered Match, book 2 in my Coded for Love series came out on January 11, 2013 from Ellora’s Cave. Book 3, False Match, came out March 6.

Tell us a little about False Match, what inspired you to write False Match?
Two things inspired me for the Coded for Love series. The first was a visit to my father-in-law’s office. He works for the federal government in a suburb outside of Washington, D.C. It was the most nondescript office building I’d seen, and yet there were armed guards and other security checkpoints. Why? Because, well, I don’t know. There was something secret going on there, and I realized it could’ve been anything…hidden aliens, nuclear bombs or a lab creating genetically enhanced humans.

The second thing that inspired me was two newspaper articles. The first came out around Valentine’s Day talking about the science behind falling in love. The article discussed that each person can smell a potential good mate for them. Certain DNA combinations make stronger babies, and the whole dating scene is really a disguise for finding the strongest breeding mate.

The other article was a science article detailing how close scientists are to creating designer babies. Want a boy? Blond hair? You name it, Geneticists can give you your perfect baby. (In case the dating scene doesn’t work out for you. See paragraph above)

All of this combined to give me genetically enhanced soldiers living on a top-secret government compound in suburban Maryland who find their perfect matches.

When you start writing, do you already have the story plotted out or do you let the characters dictate what will happen?
I do extensive character worksheets for the hero & heroine. I know their physical appearance and more. I don’t do plot outlines, but I do know the journey the characters will take. I often surprise myself, or rather, my characters do.

What inspired you to write in your genre?  Is this the genre you started writing in or have you morphed to this one?
I used to write hot regencies, but these contemporary stories were fighting their way out of my head. I think my voice is well suited to contemporary.

Who was the toughest character for you to “get right” that you have written so far?
I know I will be writing a story for Rowan, a character from the Coded for Love series. I’m nervous to write him for a few reasons. For one, he is missing a limb, his arm. Since I write it hot, I have to be sensitive to love scenes and the physical aspects of it. Rowan is also from a totally different world than me, and I want to be careful to make him real and not a stereotype of someone who grew up in a tough urban neighborhood. Stay tuned to book 6 to see how it goes.

Do you draw inspiration for your characters from real life? Any fun stories you could share?
It’s hard not to use human behavior in your characters from people you know or observed. I hope it’s what makes my characters three-dimensional. I’ve never based a character on anyone I know in real life.

I do tend to get physical when writing to make sure my character’s actions make sense. Yesterday, I got on my belly on the tile floor and asked my kids if I was lying perpendicular to the door or horizontal to the door. They didn’t know. Honestly what are they teaching in second grade?

My husband does help in some of the research. For example, I’ll pose him in a certain position then pose myself as I’ve put my heroine. My husband is 5’10 and I’m 5”8, so it really helps to get scenes right. If I know my hero is taller than 6 feet and the heroine is 5”6, she might kiss the hero’s pectoral at the base, whereas I kiss my husband’s neck. Or I might realize they won’t be able to perform a certain act without falling. I’m obviously a very kinesthetic writer.

What do you find the hardest part of writing?
Plotting. I have lots of fun scenes, but tying them together for a satisfying ending is hard for me.

Name one thing that your readers would be surprised to know about you.
My kids have the following answer: “Mom is addicted to Skylanders on her iPad.” (this is a very recent vacation phenomenon)

Do you have a guilty pleasure?
Anything with chocolate salted caramel. The days that Georgetown Cupcake makes that their special of the day is the BEST day of the month.

What TV Show are you addicted to?
I go through phases. I liked the first season of Downton Abbey. How I met Your Mother (though it’s slumping), Arrow for the male eye candy.

What do you need before you start writing?  Anything that is just a must have or the creative juice don’t flow?
I have to be swathed in layers. I can’t write without my Snuggie & fingerless gloves.

If your story was optioned for a movie, who would play your characters?
In the Coded for Love Series: Claire Danes would be Loren. Selma Blair if she put on 20 pounds would be Doctor Samara Jones. Though they’re not actors, there are two All-Black’s Rugby stars I used as inspiration for Adam Blacker and Chase Stanton. Dan Carter (Adam) is one, and I can’t for the life of me find the name of the other dude. But he’s hot.

What author causes you to “go fan girl”/ squeal over/anticipate upcoming books?
I count the seconds until a book by Nalini Singh (psy-changeling), Kresley Cole (IAD) or JR Ward (BDB) come out. Also Kristan Higgins and Eloisa James.

Do you have a favorite movie you have seen in the last few months and/or an all time favorite?
I haven’t loved very many movies lately. But some of my favorites: An American President, Emma, Love Actually, and The Princess Bride.

What are you currently working on, and what else is in the wings?
I am finishing up the Coded for Love Series (Book 4, Xander’s book), I have a contemporary novella from Entangled coming in July, and I may be self-publishing some hot contemporary erotic romance.

How do you pick your characters names?
I tend to read through the baby naming websites and look at census polls for popular names in the years my characters were born. Since my characters come from military families, I think the parents would pull names from the top 50 most popular names. Nothing funky.

I wish I were better at coming up with names. JK Rowling is the Master at naming characters. Severus Snape, Argus Filch, Narcissa Malfoy…Brilliant!

Do you prefer the love at first sight approach or a steady growth throughout?
I think there is lust at first sight and a steady love grows from that.

Where can readers find you?
Find me at www.lynnesilver.com  Be sure to sign up for my quarterly newsletter on the site. There are always prizes for subscribers & sneak peeks.
Twitter: @LynneSilver
Facebook: LynneSilverAuthor

And for the silly side – What is your favorite type of chocolate? 
Either Toblerone or Cadbury Caramello.