Meet Author Gail Roarke

Would you like to tell our readers a little bit about yourself, and what got you into writing to begin with?

I grew up in Virginia, but moved out to Oregon 19 years ago to escape the heat, humidity and traffic. It's a decision I've never regretted. I've been married for almost 11 years now, to a wonderful and very supportive spouse. I've been writing all my life. I dreamed of being a professional writer since was a kid, but until I arrived in Oregon and met a number of writers, I'd never actually known anyone who wrote for a living and it never felt like a real possibility.

Even so, I still wrote mostly for my own entertainment for many years. In early 2009 I Got Serious about writing. I started applying some discipline, writing every day and sending out stories regularly. About a month later, I got laid off after 15 years with my employer. I've been writing nonstop since, trying to break in. I've made some sales, but it's early days yet.

I write because I enjoy it. Growing up a small town in Virginia left me feeling like an alien. Reading SF, fantasy and other genre fiction showed me worlds far more interesting than my own. But there was never enough, so I had to elaborate on what I'd read, telling myself more stories, and exploring characters and playing with ideas. I would write for the rest of my life even if I never made a living from it. It's a hobby I've enjoyed since I was a kid, and I still enjoy it.

Tell us a little about the background for latest relase/upcoming relase?

My most recent release is Queen Bee, a contemporary Wicked short from Cobblestone Press. Daisy Cooper spends her days as a staid, conventional secretary--and her weekends playing hard at a notorious sex club. She's kept her professional and private lives separate, but that changes when someone she's met at the club turns up in her workplace. This story is a departure from the form of my first two stories, in that there's nary a superhero to be found.

On January 15, my next story will be released by Cobblestone Press, Three On A Rooftop. That story marks the return of Leah Wright (Iron Maiden), who was the viewpoint character in Flying High and Bound by Convention. In the newest story, Leah visits Chicago and encounters a couple of local superheroes and gets very familiar with them before they're done.

What, for you, is the hardest thing about writing?

The hardest thing is dealing with fear. Fear that this time I won't have anything to say. Fear that this story is no good. Fear that nothing I write is any good. These are all attempts by the ego to protect itself from the possibility of rejection. If you don't send a story out, it can't be rejected. And you can't send it out if you don't finish it, and you can't finish it if it's unsalvageable, right? You need to start anew, which delays the moment of rejection.

Long-time professional writers tell me that everyone deals with this. It doesn't go away even if you're a best-selling novelist. What differentiates successful writers from wannabes is that professionals just keep plugging away, ignoring their fears, because they trust their process. I'm learning to do that, but it's tough.

How do you like to approach your writing when starting a new project? Do you do outlines and breakdown scenes, or do you just leap straight into writing the narrative?

I leap right in. I've tried plotting. I've tried it many times over the years, and it has never worked for me. I worry the plot to death, picking at nits until it collapses, leaving me with nothing. What works for me is having at best a very general idea of what I want the story to be about. Sometimes I just open a new file and start writing with no idea where I'm going. Either way, I just sit down and start writing. I try to just write in creative mode--no editing. Editing comes later, and then only when absolutely necessary.

How do you create your characters? Do you start with a basic outline of personality type, or work them up as you go along?

It depends on the story. Sometimes I start with a character; I have an idea of who he or she is, and what they're like. I throw them a problem and see how they handle it. Sometimes the germ of the story is a situation; in those cases, I start with a mostly blank slate and discover who the character is by how they react to the problem. However I start, I always learn things about the characters I didn't know when I began.


What do you think are some of the most effective things an author can do to advertise him or herself?

That's something I'm still learning. I have three stories published so far, with one more due to come out a few days from now, and another in the pipeline. I maintain a blog, and I post excerpts and promos on various yahoo groups, and I participate in a few other online forums. But I don't have even information yet to know which efforts will yield the best results.

What do you like on your pizza?

Pepperoni, sausage, and mushrooms. I'm not a fan of olives or pineapple, though I'll eat them. I won't eat anchovies. But most important--the crispier the crust, the better. Soft, floppy crusts turn me right off.

Beatles or Monkees and why?

I'll have to go with the Beatles. They changed the face of music. But I have a sneaking admiration for the Monkees because, despite being a completely pre-fab corporate creation, they nonetheless produced some entertaining music that I still enjoy listening to.

You got to spend a day with your favorite celebrity. Who would it be and what would you do?

Oooh. That would be Jemima Rooper. She's a British actress who appeared in the series Hex (as Thelma Bates, the lesbian ghost) and as the heroine of Lost in Austen. I have a huge crush on her. What would we do? What we'd probably really do is eat, drink, talk about writing and acting and whatever topics came to mind. What I'd like to do is probably best left to the imagination. I have a _huge_ crush on her.

Where can readers find you on the web?

They can find me on my blog, http://gailroarke.blogspot.com/. I'd love to hear from people there.
They can also find me participating on the Romance Divas forums (http://forums.romancedivas.com/), and on the Cobblestone Press website (http://www.cobblestone-press.com/).

What is coming in 2010 from you?

Three On A Rooftop will be available from Cobblestone Press on January 15th. One Knight Stand is in the pipeline, and will probably be released in February, but I don't have a firm date for that one yet. After that...I have two more stories in submission at Cobblestone, and I'm sending out stories to a number of markets all the time, so there's no telling where I'll pop up next. But you can be sure that I'll crow about future sales on my blog.

Sneak Peek into QUEEN BEE:

Daisy worked her way into a position to see the couple on the bed. To her utter lack of surprise, she recognized a woman named Lisa crouching over a dark-haired man Daisy didn't know, engaged in sixty-nine. She knew Lisa well. They'd often shared a bed, usually with several other people, but occasionally just the two of them.


Daisy wasn't yet so jaded that watching other people have sex had lost its fascination. She watched along with the rest of the crowd for a few minutes. Individuals and couples drifted away and were replaced by other spectators. Someone slid into position at her side, a tall blond man—six two at least—shirtless but wearing a pair of slacks and shoes. He sensed her attention and smiled at her before he turned his attention back to the show.

Lisa and her playmate continued pleasing one another, seeming oblivious to their audience. Lisa began breathing more loudly and erratically, her attention to her blow job flagging. Daisy wasn't surprised when Lisa raised her head, halting her blow job to shudder all over and make the delighted little noises Daisy had come to know so well. Then, her orgasm over, Lisa resumed her efforts.

The blond man next to her leaned in a little. "They sure seem to be having fun, don't they?"

"They do," she agreed. She waved a hand to indicate the crowd around them. "They seem to be the only ones, though."

He nodded slowly and moved closer. "I've noticed that. It seems to happen a lot. People pay good money to come to these clubs, and then they just sit around and watch. I don't get it."

"We're watching," she pointed out, though she hoped it wouldn't be for much longer.

He acknowledged her point with a minute shrug. "Yeah, but I just got here. What's your excuse?" He grinned. "I'm Paul, by the way."

She looked up into his eyes and said, very seriously, "Nobody's asked me yet. I'm Daisy."

Paul leaned in again, close enough that Daisy could feel his breath on her ear. She shivered, desperately horny and eager to join Lisa on that huge bed. "Sometimes," Paul said, "I'm tempted to just announce, 'Everyone who'd rather have sex than watch sex, raise your hand!' Maybe that would get people moving."

She laughed. She knew exactly what he meant. "It might at that."

"What about you?" He stood behind her now, not quite touching her but close enough that she could feel his breath on her ear when he spoke.

"What about me what?" she asked, deliberately drawing him out.

"Wouldn't you rather have sex than watch someone else have it?" Now he did touch her, placing his hands lightly on her hips.

She felt a rush of excitement. She glanced at him over her shoulder, biting her lip as she considered it. He was a good looking man, and his proposition was nicely done.

"Yes," she said. She turned to face him. "I think I would."


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