Welcome Ms. Bradley to Love Romances and More, thank you for joining us. 

How long have you been writing? 

Seriously, since 1992. I sold my first book in 1998, which released a year later. 

Did you always want to become a writer?

Honestly, no. The drive to write didn’t come until college, but boy, it hit with a vengeance. 

You have published books in many different genres; Medieval, Victorian, Contemporary and Erotic Romances, which is your favourite genre and why?

Don’t forget Regency and Georgian. LOL. I love something about all of them. I write very much by my mood and what’s inspiring me. Characters come to me in certain time periods, places, along with certain moods and tones. When it’s my choice and I’m in the mood to focus in on that period or tone or content type, that’s where I focus. Otherwise, I follow my deadlines. 

What inspired you to write in the first place?  Does the same thing inspire all of your stories?

The sheer number and depth of the stories in my head dictated that I HAD to write. It was a compulsion. To this day, each story means something different to me. Each character and their arc represents something unique for me. The message may not be clear to the casual reader, but it reflects something inside me, something going on around me, the music I’m listening to…something. 

What influenced you to get published?  How long did it take you to get your first book published?

Pure, burning ambition to tell my stories made me continue to try to be published, even when times were tough. I struggled for 6 years to sell my first book to NYC. Now, I’ve sold 13, plus 4 e-books—with more to come! 

What is the most, and the least interesting fact with writing?

The most interesting thing, hands down, is to lose yourself in your characters and your world. There’s this “zone” that writers talk about. It’s like writer euphoria, where you really feel what you’re writing and you know it’s right and everything feels easy. As a writer, you live for those times because you’re pretty sure that’s when your reader will be flipping pages eagerly, engrossed in the story. My least favourite part of writing, to be honest, is promoting. I love interacting with readers, so you’ll see me chat quite a bit. But I really don’t enjoy sending out blips here and there, updating my site, etc. Necessary evils because readers want information, but it’s just not a lot of fun. Oh, and blogging. I’d rather give my energy to writing, but I have a small following of folks who seem to enjoy the blog, so I keep it up. 

How did you celebrate your first release? What was it like to see your book in a bookstore?

Celebrate? I’m not terribly good at that. I tend to just move on to the next book. That’s one reason I’m able to get out multiple full-length books a year, despite a travelling husband, small child and a full-time job. I just keep moving. Writing is really the reward. 

What was it like to see my book on a shelf the first time?

Somewhat surreal. You wait and wait for that moment, and when it comes, you kind of expect the book to sing and dance for you. LOL. Naturally, it doesn’t but that’s still YOUR NAME on that cover. It’s a cool moment. 

Often a writer’s first book is the toughest to write.  Was this true for you?  If so, what helped you get through it? 

Absolutely, the first book was the toughest. It took me nearly 5 years. It was so long when I finished, that I eventually broke it out into 2 totally separate books and sold them. But what helped me finish that book, even though I knew it was too long to sell in its finished state, was sheer, stubborn determination. I was doing to finish that *&%# book if it killed me. I’m really, really headstrong. Ask my husband. 

Do you usually outline your stories before you write them, or do you "go with the flow"?

I’m extremely structured. My time to write is very limited, so I plan everything in advance. That way, when I do get my 2 hours a day or less to write, I don’t stumble around and write stuff I can’t use. I dive immediately into the story and go. That’s not to say that minor events and my characters don’t occasionally rewrite the story in spots for me, but the overlying premise and major events and the characters’ journeys tend to remain the same. I’m able to roll with the small changes, and they usually make for a better book. Anyone who knows me knows that I don’t revise much. I write a draft, I lightly edit it, I send it past a few authors who are kind enough to critique for me, I read the book for continuity after it’s complete, then off to my editor it goes. The system works for me, but I know it’s not for everyone. 

What does your writing day look like?

Depends on what day of the week it is. I’m mostly an evening and weekend writer, so days are packed, no matter what. I usually devote 2 hours a day to writing and promoting collectively, often after my munchkin has gone to bed. It’s a crazy schedule, but I’m not sure what I’d do with free time at this point. I’m not a huge TV watcher, so other than a few shows, I’d have a lot of free time if I didn’t write. My book buying budget couldn’t handle that much free time. LOL 

How do you handle family and your writing career? Is your family understanding of the time that you have to give your career? Is it sometimes difficult for you?

Sometimes, yes. But my husband married me knowing this is what I wanted. My munchkin has never known life any other way. We’ve all settled into a rhythm and it works for us. Sometimes, I don’t sleep as much as I’d like, but that’s life… 

How did they react to fact that you are also an Erotic romance author? Has your Mom read one of your books?

My husband is in favour of whatever makes me happy and makes him money. *rolls eyes* He’s a very practical, bottom-line man. Mom knows what I do, but no, she hasn’t read them. She can’t read erotic romance by her only child without flipping out. In truth, she’s more of a men’s action adventure fan. Her library is filled with Clancy and the like, so it suits me that it’s not really up her alley, anyway. But she has a lot of her friends reading my books. J 

Most authors are also avid readers.  Is this the case with you?  If so, who are some of your favourites?  Have any influenced your writing?

Yep. I started as an avid reader. I don’t have as much time to read now as I’d like but I still read as I can. I don’t have favourite authors as much as I do favourite books. Tami Hoag’s LUCKY’S LADY, The Bound Hearts series by Lora Leigh, The Matrix of Destiny series by Dara Joy, TRIPLE PLAY by Rhyannon Byrd, LOVER AWAKENED by JR Ward, MIDNIGHT MAN by Lisa Marie Rice, FANTASY FIX by Christine Warren. I also have lots of Lisa Kleypas on my keeper shelf.

Your characters come to life in your books.  Do you feel each of your characters live with you as you write?  Do their lives sometimes take over a part of your life?  Can you name an example? Do you have living role models for your characters?

Characters totally come to life for me. And they talk to me, and talk and talk, until I can finally get their stories out of my head and down on paper. I have characters who have been nagging me for a decade or more. And yes, as I write them, I feel them. I think it’s one reason so many of my reviews tend to cite the “realness” of my characters. 

Characters can sometimes take over my life. For instance, when I was finishing STRIP SERACH, I found myself depressed and I wasn’t sure why. I realized that I’d slipped into Nicki’s life and was suffering with her the loss of the man she was destined to love. Once she got happy, I got happy again. 

I don’t have a living role model, per se. These characters just show up in my head one day and start talking to me about themselves. They don’t always focus in on their actual story right away. I kind of get to know them first, like you would a friend. We hang out together and I get to know their sense of humour and the things they value first. Then, when they trust me, they open up to me. Heroes especially. It’s not an overnight process. 

You started recently to write under the pseudonym Shayla Black, was there a special reason why you took a pseudonym? Or will you just release your spicier books under this name?

Shayla Black books are the wicked edge of romance. They are much more erotic than Shelley Bradley books. Or they may someday be for other genres. With Shelley Bradley books, you’ll always get contemporary or historical romantic adventures with plenty of steam and a lot of relationship. With Shayla Black books, you’re going to get the more erotic or more unusual. I wanted to make sure that readers loyal to Shelley Bradley books weren’t alienated or confused. 

Do you find it difficult at times to write love/sex scenes? What about the BDSM scenes in Wicked Ties?

Nope. That’s the best part of writing. LOL. Love scenes are a natural extension of characters for me, so once I’m in the characters’ heads and deep in their story, writing the intimate expressions of their love and desire is one of the most natural things for me. 

Have you ever suffered from "writer’s block"?  If so, what did you do to get out if it?

I have…sort of. It’s usually more about me or that something is wrong with the plot. I’m either tired or sick, or I’ve made an error when I laid out the book. When writing WICKED TIES I was stuck for a week and I couldn’t figure it out. Then I realized it was because I had the flu and I had no brain. As soon as I felt better, the book picked up smoothly again. 

Sometimes, I’m hoping a character will do something in my master plan for the book, but they won’t. Then it becomes a negotiation. Or rather, I wait for the character to tell me what s/he is willing to do. Then I work on it from there. I’ve just emerged on the other side of this problem in my current WIP, a Shelley Bradley novella for Samhain coming out in July. I know now that my heroine wasn’t going to do what I wanted, but we compromised. J 

Did you ever expect your books to become so popular?  Why do you think your books are in such demand?

Are they? I’m in my writing cave all the time. I don’t pay a lot of attention to readers’ groups and the blogosphere. If I did, I wouldn’t get much writing done. I’m glad to hear that’s your take on the subject! I hope, if that’s true, it’s because readers know I really pour my heart and soul into everything I write. I never want them to be disappointed. 

What is your favourite book from the books that you have written so far? Who are your favourite hero and heroine, and why?

I really can’t answer that. It just depends on my mood. I like something about virtually everything I’ve written, especially my contemporary romances. They all speak to me in different ways. 

Which book was the hardest to write and which the easiest?

The easiest book to write was BOUND AND DETERMINED. I’d been resting for about a year before I started that book. So I was very fresh and clear-headed. I also had a very long deadline and absolutely no promotion to do during the writing, so I could focus. It made for a very smooth experience. The hardest book was the one I just finished. DECADENT is the follow up to WICKED TIES. It’s a ménage book, and the dynamics of 3 major characters, all with huge backstory and 2 with some very serious personal issues to work through… I enjoy a writing challenge, so it was great, but I was very happy to type THE END on that one. I’m waiting on pins and needles for readers’ reactions. 

If you could change places with one character from your books, who would it be and why?

I’m torn. In some respects, I’d like to be Nicki from STRIP SEARCH. She had a great life… Independent, surrounded by nothing but good-looking, half-dressed guys all the time and Mark. To date, he is one of my favourite heroes. Tall, blond, buff, totally yummy. 

In other respects, I’d like to be Lauren from NAUGHTY LITTLE SECRET. I relate to her in some ways. Curvy, thirty-something with kids. With that story, I really wanted to portray that love and passion happens for women who are older than 25 and have had some romantic history. Besides, a sexy “stranger” sneaking into my house to fulfil all my wicked fantasies has a nice ring to it. 

Do you have plans to write any Historicals in the near future?

I never say never. I’ve been looking again at an idea I started in the past but never finished. It has paranormal elements. For fans of my historicals, you may remember Darius Melbourne. He may see the light of day in the next year or two. I know it’s been a long wait since 2002, and I’m sorry. Hopefully, I’ll find time in my schedule and a publishing situation so that you can finally know his story. 

Congratulations on your newest release in January, WICKED TIES.  It’s a wonderful and captivating story. What inspired you to write this book, it’s slightly different than your previous work?

I don’t always know what motivates me to write a given book. The characters are there cheering me on, and I’m driven to tell that particular story. Jack and Morgan captivated me, and my challenge was to get across all the emotions they were tossing at me: uncertainty, need, fear, desire, bitterness, fascination, familial love, guilt, looking for a place to belong, not understand one’s self. It was complicated. 

Are you working on anything right now, and can you tell us a teaser about these projects?

I’m working on a novella called WATCH ME. It will be an e-book for Samhain in July, then in an anthology with Jaci Burton in 2008 called SNEAK PEEK. Here’s a blurb:

Shanna York was set to achieve her glittering ballroom dreams and become a dance champion—until her dance partner gets tangled up in scandal and blackmail. With the clock ticking and all her ambitions at stake, the last thing she needs is the gorgeous owner of a sex club tempting her with the forbidden.

Or maybe that’s the very thing she needs…

Alejandro Diaz has sizzled for Shanna since he set eyes on her months ago. Her repeated rebuffs will make her surrender that much sweeter. She’s ambitious and driven…but so is he. When she asks for his assistance to ensnare a voyeuristic blackmailer with a video fetish, he doesn’t hesitate to help her stage a bedroom trap. But neither is prepared to face scorching, endless passion, the blackmailer’s real identity—or the undeniable love that grows between them.

Any final advice to aspiring authors?

Don’t give up. Tenacity is 90% of this business. Keep writing. Keep submitting. The minute you stop knocking on doors is the minute you lose all chance of selling. 

Do you have anything to add?

Thanks for this opportunity, Danny. I appreciate your kind words and support!