Monday, February 4, 2019

{Author Interview} Rosalind Abel, Author of Lavender Shores Series


Rosalind Abel grew up tending chickens alongside her sweet and faithful Chow, Lord Elgin. While her fantasy of writing novels was born during her teen years, she never would have dreamed she’d one day publish steamy romances about gorgeous men. However, sometimes life turns out better than planned.

In between crafting scorching sex scenes and helping her men find their soul mates, Rosalind enjoys cooking, collecting toys, and making the best damn scrapbooks in the world (this claim hasn’t been proven, but she’s willing to put good money on it).

She adores MM Romance, the power it has to sweep the reader away into worlds filled with passion, steam, and love. Rosalind also enjoys her collection of plot bunnies and welcomes new fuzzy ones into her home all the time, so feel free to send any adorable ones her way.

Amazon author page: http://amzn.to/2qoiuLC
BookBub Page: http://bit.ly/2E5fgUe
(Read by Kirt Graves)
Facebook Author page: http://bit.ly/2rH8C4o
Rosalind Abel Website:  http://www.rosalindabel.com
Rosalind Abel Goodreads: http://bit.ly/2v6iuXI
Lavender Shores Website:  http://www.lavendershores.com
Twitter: @rosalind_abel


Congratulations on your new book! Would you say it’s been a rocky road for you in regards to getting your book written and published or pretty much smooth sailing?  Can you tell us about your journey?

Thank you so much for having me! I’m thrilled to be here!

As far as a rocky road to this particular book… Let me back up, so that I can say yes to that question, LOL!  I’ve written forty books under three different names, so by this point, getting a book published isn’t a rocky road anymore. But I’ve been writing for twenty-five years, and the first decade was nothing but constant searches for publishers, agents, and rejection letters. That was back in the day of printing off a manuscript in sending it off through the mail, times have definitely changed. I’m very grateful for the struggle, as it’s made it very clear to me that this is the only thing I want to do and it causes me even more gratefulness every time a new book comes out. One of the most exciting days of my life was when I finally received a publishing contract and began to see my dreams unfold. I’ve done things a little backwards, as I was with the publisher for the first few years of my career and through them saw around fifteen novels published, and had many of them translated into several different languages. Since then, I’ve gone the self-publishing route, which has been quite the experience. Before, I’d write a story and everything else was up to the publisher, now, I’m in charge of  my editing team, cover art, formatting, everything. And I love every single second of it!

Think that’s the same, is every single time I sit down to write a book, it is a genuine labor of love and comes along with its own battle, triumphs, and joys.

If you were to pen your own autobiography, what might the title be?

The Tenacious Dreamer

As I alluded in the first question, very little of this dream fulfillment has come easily. It’s required sacrifice, hard work, and fighting with every tooth and nail that I have available. It’s one of those situations where if you knew just exactly how hard-fought this whole thing would be from the beginning, you might have been too afraid to head down the path. So… I’m glad I didn’t know.  I wouldn’t trade it for anything!


When not writing, what do you like to do for relaxation and/or fun?

There’s very little time that I’m not working on the writing career, but, when I’m not, I love to spend time with my dogs, luckily, they like to hang out with me even when I’m writing.  I’m also an avid cook, I love to work out, go on long walks with the dogs and listen to audiobooks.

What makes your book stand out from the rest?


The Lavender Shores series is most definitely romance, filled with tropes, idealized heroes, and guaranteed happy endings. However, my characters are real, believable--you will fall in love with them not simply because they are beautiful, good, and sweep you away, but because they have shadows, struggles, darkness and their own hopes that they have to fight for. They are not shallow or simple. You’ll be able to see yourself in them, and that will cause you to love them even more, and to rejoice that much harder when they get their hearts’ desire. As you go through the series, with each installment, you feel like you’re visiting family and friends, and returning to a place that you love, almost like coming home in a way.

Can you give us the very first page of your book so that we can get a glimpse inside?

From my latest, The Victorian

Charley

Fog lay in a thick blanket over Lavender Shores, dense enough that parking a couple of blocks away from the Blue Blossom Bed-and-Breakfast was probably a moot point—anyone driving by would barely see a figure walking along the sidewalk, let alone identify me. But that was part of the fun, the thrill. After a couple of decades living in the small town, chances for anonymity were few and far between.
As I stepped from one pool of the streetlamp to the next, I pulled my jacket and scarf a little tighter. With the way my blood pounded through my veins, they were unnecessary as well. The Christmas Eve night was cool enough, but it wasn’t like there was snow or anything. Between the fog and the slight salty breeze from the Pacific, it was chilly, but in my aroused state, I could’ve been naked on an iceberg and been in danger of melting it. Still, the cloak-and-dagger routine also added to the excitement.
I paused as I rounded the corner and the Blue Blossom came into view. If I didn’t want to take a match and burn the place down, I’d have to admit how charming it was. Garland and Christmas lights looped over the street guiding the eye to the sprawling Victorian, with its gazebo on one side leading toward the wraparound porch below its turrets and gables. The entire structure was outlined in ruler-straight Christmas lights, each twinkling a soft white and illuminating the dusty lavender of the paint. The bed-and-breakfast could’ve been the setting of a Hallmark Christmas special. Hell, that was pretty much exactly what it had been designed to be. And it hit all the right notes. Lavish, expensive, beautiful, taking it right up to the line of being ostentatious but stopping just short so it remained charming.
The only thing that would’ve improved it was an actual striking of the match that I didn’t have in my pocket. What a glorious Christmas blaze that would be.
Then again, every once in a while, there was something to be said for subtlety. And a match… well… that would be a short-lived pleasure, and it would take away one of my favorite pastimes. At the thought, I adjusted myself in my pants and continued down the block.
Most of the time, when I snuck into the Blue Blossom, I alternated between darting to the back door of the kitchen or the side entrance. But it was Christmas Eve, after all—might as well make the gift to myself all that much sweeter. I walked up the steps and through the front door like I was a paying guest.


If your book was put in the holiday section of the store, what holiday would that be and why?

I have to say Christmas. For me, that particular holiday is one of the most complex that there is. It’s this time of frantic brightness and cheer, yet for so many there are complicated emotions around to family, memories, and loss. But for those of us that are able to hold all of that in our hands, when we can be authentic, the holiday can be even more beautiful,  when were able to sit back, see the beauty of the lights in the snow, relish in the love that we have in our lives that is genuine and pure.  That’s what the Lavender Shores series is to me. It’s beautiful, shiny, and sparkly, yet deep, impactful, and real.

Would you consider turning your book into a series or has that already been done?

That has already been done. Part of the strength of the Lavender Shores series is that was the plan  from the very beginning. Though each installment can be read as a standalone, as everything was planned out before the first word of the first book was written, feels complete and like a real place with real people.

When you were young, did you ever see writing as a career or full-time profession?

As a young child, no. I didn’t even learn to read very well until I was around ten, and then became a voracious, if slow, reader. It wasn’t until I was fifteen and fell in love with creative writing thanks to my English teacher, Ms. Hungerford,  that the dream was formed. I’ve held tight to it ever since!

Did any of your books get rejected by publishers?

YES!!!!   The first two books I’ve ever written, were turned down for nearly a decade, countless times. Until that magical day when one publisher saw promise in both me and those two books and signed them at the same time. By that point, it felt too good to be true. I will ever be grateful.

What is your view on co-authoring books; have you done any?

I haven’t co-authored any books yet, but I would like to one day. I think it would be fun. However, I am a very structured, type A personality, and my books are planned, outlined, and  thought through way in advance. If I don’t know where the characters are going or what their outcome goal is, I have a hard time turning them loose to explore their journey on the page. As strange as it sounds, if I haven’t done all the planning and hard work in advance, I tend to micromanage the characters when I sit down to write. Whereas,  if I’ve done the micromanaging in advance, once the writing begins, the characters have a complete freedom, and surprise me quite a bit of the time. I would need to co-write with someone who also plans and sees the larger picture before diving in.

What’s next for you?

I have the final two installments of the Lavender Shores series coming up, The Lighthouse, and The Refuge.  After two years with these men, it’s a little surreal to finally be having it all come to fruition. I’m excited, but going to miss them desperately!



Lavender Shores is a charming little California town enclosed by the Point Reyes National Seashore. It has forests, wildlife, cliffs, beaches, and ocean views. At the center of it all is a fancy downtown of picture perfect restaurants and shops, surrounded by Victorian mansions and craftsman cottages.

The town was designed to be a safe-haven in the 1940’s by five families. The series follows the descents of those five founding families as they discover romance, redemption, passion, adventure, and love. Like all small towns, everyone always knows everyone else’s business. And when you’re ‘founding family royalty’ all eyes are on you, and that can make things… interesting.

While each novel is guaranteed to have you laughing, crying, sighing, and fanning yourself as you reach every happy ending, there will always be twists and turns along the way. Lavender Shores is pure storybook quality (of the grown-up variety) and the ultimate place to fall in love.


Title: The Palisade
Author: Rosalind Abel
Publisher: Wings of Ink, LLC
Pages: 230
Genre: Gay Romance, MM Romance, Gay Fiction

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Title: The Garden
Author: Rosalind Abel
Publisher: Wings of Ink, LLC
Pages: 264
Genre: Gay Romance, MM Romance, Gay Fiction

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Title: The Veranda
Author: Rosalind Abel
Publisher: Wings of Ink, LLC
Pages: 258
Genre: Gay Romance, MM Romance, Gay Fiction

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Title: The Shipwreck
Author: Rosalind Abel
Publisher: Wings of Ink, LLC
Pages: 292
Genre: Gay Romance, MM Romance, Gay Fiction

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Title: The Hideaway
Author: Rosalind Abel
Publisher: Wings of Ink, LLC
Pages: 258
Genre: Gay Romance, MM Romance, Gay Fiction

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Title: The Glasshouse
Author: Rosalind Abel
Publisher: Wings of Ink, LLC
Pages: 304
Genre: Gay Romance, MM Romance, Gay Fiction

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Title: The Alcove
Author: Rosalind Abel
Publisher: Wings of Ink, LLC
Pages: 312
Genre: Gay Romance, MM Romance, Gay Fiction

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Title: The Wilderness
Author: Rosalind Abel
Publisher: Wings of Ink, LLC
Pages: 298
Genre: Gay Romance, MM Romance, Gay Fiction

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Title: The Victorian
Author: Rosalind Abel
Publisher: Wings of Ink, LLC
Pages: 336
Genre: Gay Romance, MM Romance, Gay Fiction

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