~Author Interview & Book Giveaway~ Miss Mae, author of When the Bough Breaks

The day is finally here! Today I am interviewing the lovely and talented Miss Mae, author of the excellent YA novel, When the Bough Breaks. Discover the reason behind her pen name, the inspiration for her new release, and what time period she prefers. Then find out how you can win a copy of When the Bough Breaks.

To read my 5-pearl review of When the Bough Breaks, click here.

I always ask, have you always wanted to be a writer?

Well, pretty much. When I was younger, my dream was to be an artist. I took art classes in school and was told I had talent. One of my still life drawings was presented at an exhibition. This desire stayed with me until my teen years when I became drawn to romantic suspense from the library books I checked out. After reading those, I dreamed of creating my own worlds and characters.

"Miss Mae" is a pseudonym, I assume. Why did you choose to use a pen name?

Though my name is only four letters, people seem to have the hardest time remembering it, or pronouncing it correctly, or spelling it the proper way. I decided, if published, I needed something really simple and easy!

Give us a little glimpse into how your mind works. Do you think of a character or scene first? How does the story progress from there?

Hmm, you know I'm not exactly sure myself! LOL I think just a seed pops up, and I don't really think about it much. Weeks, or months may pass and over time that seed will take shape and morph into a "formula." So I guess it's the scenes first that appears and then the characters are created to fit.

What was the inspiration behind When the Bough Breaks?

LOL, the concept of the "bad boy" being tamed by his love for the "good girl". But in this particular story, I had to come up with a reason for his supposed "playboy" reputation. So the "rich master of the big house in a small town" was added, and the ensuing secrets that came along just created extra spice!

Do you like to listen to music while you write? If so, what type of music do you prefer?

No, I can't listen to music. Too distracting. I prefer quiet, but that's hard to find with four dogs running in and out of my room!

Just for fun, what's your favorite color? Food? Animal? Time period?

My favorite color is blue, but red comes close to tying it. Favorite food is chocolate...yum! And animal? Wow, I can't say there's a favorite since I adore animals (I can't eat them either). And time period...um, probably 1950's and early 1960's. Seemed like such a fun age then (thinking "Happy Days" here.)

Where can we find your books?

It would really help so much if prospective buyers would buy straight from the publishers' sites. That would be The Wild Rose Press and Whimsical Publications.

Direct book links from the publishers:

Said the Spider to the Fly, e-book

Said the Spider to the Fly, paperback

See No Evil, My Pretty Lady, e-book

When the Bough Breaks, paperback

Thank you for joining us, Miss Mae!

Want a chance to win a paperback of When the Bough Breaks? Miss Mae has graciously agreed to send a paperback copy to one very fortunate reader.

First, the ground rules:

1. You must be a follower of this blog. This makes it easier for me to contact you if you've won. Following is not an entry but it is required. I've only done a few giveaways but I've already experienced problems when the entrants don't follow me.
2. Multiple entries are allowed. Leave separate comments for each entry. For example, if you choose to follow Miss Mae's author blog and her group blog, leave one comment stating that you follow her author blog and one comment stating that you follow her group blog. Any questions?
3. Make sure your comment(s) are unique, as in, if you are known as Jane Doe, please add something to your comment to differentiate yourself from the other Jane Does out there.
4. This giveaway is open to US residents only. If you are under 18, please have an adult enter for you.

Here's how to enter:

1. Follow Miss Mae's author blog, Pure Southern Genteel. You must follow publicly and leave a comment on this post to indicate you're following or we won't know that you are.
2. Follow Miss Mae's group blog, The Sweetest Romance Authors. Again, you must follow publicly and leave a comment on this post to be entered.

It's that simple. A winner will be drawn Monday, December 28. Entries will be accepted until December 27, Midnight Eastern time. The winner will be announced on this blog on Monday, 12/28. Check back then to see if you won.

Happy reading, writing, and blogging!