| Written by Cincy Chic staff, on 05-06-2007 04:32 |
Chic Spotlight: Romance Novelist Toni Blake
Cincy Chic reader, meet Toni Blake, a Northern Kentucky-based man-meets-woman-and-lives-happily-ever-after romance novelist. Learn how she just got steamy between the covers - we're talking about her newly released book, people!
Cincy Chic: Was a romance novelist a career aspiration for you all along?
Toni Blake: No. I've always wanted to be a novelist, but originally had
aspiration leaning more toward "the Great American novel." Only I
slowly figured out that I didn't really know what that was. Then, one
day in 1995, a friend handed me a few Jennifer Crusie romance novels
and said, "This is what you should be writing." She was right. I was
surprised by how smart, funny and sexy they were and I knew immediately
that this was what I should be doing. I never looked back.
Cincy Chic: How do you get inspired to write these novels?
Blake: For me, writing is like breathing. I'm unhappy if I'm not
writing and my head is filled with stories that are all dying to come
out. My main goal when I start a book is to touch women's emotions,
entertain them and also to encourage them to embrace their sensuality.
Cincy Chic: Were you a part of any groups that helped you hone your skills?
Blake: Yes, I've been a member of the Ohio Valley Romance Writers of
America since 1996, which is a chapter of a national organization, the
Romance Writers of America. When I was first starting out, I learned a
lot from them, not only about craft but about the market and the
romance industry in general.
Cincy Chic: Romance novels are all about "girl meets boy, the plot
thickens with adversity, the couple overcomes the adversity together
and then lives happily ever after." Did that happen for you in real
life?
Blake: No. I met my husband through a friend of a friend and we got
engaged two months later and have been living happily ever after for
almost eighteen years now. Marriage comes with plenty of adversity at
times, certainly, but fiction calls for more drama up front. Fiction
just isn't real life, nor is it really meant to be.
Cincy Chic: Is it tough to hold a relationship with a man that doesn't
look like Fabio and sweep you off your feet on a bed of roses everyday
when you make a career out of writing about men that do?
Blake: Well, personally, I was never a Fabio fan. Most romance writers
are kind of embarrassed by the image Fabio gave our industry, to tell
you the truth.
But more to the point of your question, no. Again, fiction and real
life are worlds apart. Romance heroes, for the most part, are simply
not real guys. They are often an image of what women wish guy were,
with flaws added in to make them seem real. So I'm perfectly happy
with my real life guy.
And the heroes in my books aren't really the "sweep you off your feet"
type, anyway. Usually they're gruff but still very sexy guys who have
endured a difficult past, and it takes the love of the heroine to help
"heal" them.
Cincy Chic: What's the most romantic thing any one has ever done for you?
Blake: That honor would belong to my husband and though he's done many
romantic things over the years, I would say that the most romantic
thing he's done is caring for me when I'm sick. I know that doesn't
sound romantic in a hearts and flowers kind of way; but when it comes
down to it, if a guy will take care of you when you're sick as a dog,
that's true love.
For a more traditionally romantic answer: I suffered a long-term
illness a couple of years ago. I was very ill for about six months and
couldn't leave the house for awhile. When I could get out again, he
bought me a little blue convertible to make getting out even more fun,
and I adore it with all my heart.
Cincy Chic: How many romance novels have you written thus far?
Blake: Twelve. I'm currently writing my 13th.
Cincy Chic: One just came out. What's it about?
Blake: Tempt Me Tonight is the story of a city girl who
returns to her hometown to help her parents with some business issues,
but she runs into the guy who broke her heart when they were young. The
book is very much about redemption and forgiveness, and it's also about
being whisked back to the emotions of first love. My books are all very
steamy, as well, so there's plenty of sexy stuff, too.
Oh, and Tempt Me Tonight was also excerpted in the June issue
of Cosmo, which was a real thrill for me! Readers can learn
more about the book and read an excerpt by visiting my website at
www.ToniBlake.com.
Cincy Chic: Why do you think romance novels are so popular?
Blake: They show, over and over again, that it's possible to overcome
adversity and find your happy ending. At the end of every romance novel
is a happily-ever-after and that's very satisfying to readers. These
books are much more about the journey than the conclusion. Romance
novels have the ability to whisk women away from the stress and
troubles of their everyday lives and take them someplace new. Some
romances are funny, some are sexy, some are highly emotional - and some
have all of those qualities and more - so there's something for every
taste in the world of romance.
Cincy Chic: Any aspirations to write in other genres?
Blake: I might like to branch out within romance to other sub-genres
eventually. I would love to write some historical romance (mine are
contemporary) and possibly some more mainstream women's fiction. But I
suspect I will probably always write stories for women, about women and
they will always contain romantic elements simply because I'm a
romantic at heart.
Cincy Chic: What's it feel like to see your name in print?
Blake: Well, it's pretty wonderful. I sold my first book almost ten
years ago, so it's not a new thing for me anymore, and I will admit
that some of the initial excitement can wear off over time. But it's
still wonderfully gratifying to know I've followed my dreams and I have
my name on a dozen books so far to prove it. And seeing my name in Cosmo was a new and big thrill, too.
Cincy Chic: What's the best thing about it and the most challenging part of being a romance novelist?
Blake: The best thing? There are actually lots of best things, which
range from being able to work in my pajamas to hearing from readers who
loved my books and seem profoundly moved by them.
The most challenging, I would say, is the uncertainty of the business.
It's very competitive and you never know what's going to happen from
day to day. A challenge that I love, though, is writing a book that
will still be compelling and keep readers turning pages even though
they know it's going to end with a happily-ever-after.
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