Welcome Inga Ellzey

Greetings, today I have the pleasure of hosting Inga Ellzey on my blog. Inga's debut novel, THE EXCHANGE is full of romance and intrigue. Inga was nice enough to stop and answer some questions about herself and her novel. So, with no further ado, let me jump right in....



Erin: Did you always want to write? Or did you stumble into writing?

Inga: I wrote poems and short stories as a kid (12 years and up). I have always liked words and sentences. At 15 I inherited my cousin's book collection. She had graduated from college and I got about 200 books…everything from the Carpetbaggers to the Tale of Two Cities. I loved reading and still do. Eventually, I got hooked on Romance books. Joanna Lindsey and Lavyrle Spencer are my favorites.

I make my living writing training manuals, newsletters and articles for national journals in the field of dermatology…but all those are technical in nature….nothing like writing a suspense romance novel. That passion came to me on my 50th birthday when I was on a cruise aboard a luxury cruise ship that sailed the Mediterranean for one month….sound familiar?

Erin: How long have you been writing?

Inga: As I said since I was about twelve years old….mostly poems about how much I hated being not grown up, having rules, and having to do what my mother said. I was a rebellious child….so much so I got married at 17…actually I had just turned 18 five weeks before my wedding.

Erin: What inspires you when you write?

Inga: Believe it or not and I swear that this is true….nothing inspires me. I have these characters in my head and sorta,kinda know the situation that they should be in. When my hands hit the keyboard, the characters appear to me and they start talking to each other and they steer me. It's like I am just an observer writing down what they say and do. Even new characters just appear to me. I never even thought about Kenny and Picco. They just stepped into the scene and I could see them, hear them, and I instantly knew who they were and how they fit into the plot.

Erin: What does your office (or writing space) look like? It is the chaos to your orderly thoughts or visa versa?

Inga: I don't have a writing space. Where ever I plug in my lap top becomes my writing space. I wrote most of The Exchange in England in a 16th century farmhouse that I rented. Sometimes I sat outside in a lawn chair, sometimes at a desk. I write on airplanes or I might sneak in an hour at the office (I'm the boss) to write at work. It's not the space that energizes my creative processes, it's just the lap top and seeing the last words that I wrote that brings me right back to the plot and my friends (my characters).

Erin: Is writing your full time job or do you juggle another personna?

Inga: I solely own and run three national multi-million dollar companies. I employ over 100 people (mostly women in diverse ethnic groups). I have one company in California and two in Florida. I have been so busy with my businesses that I haven't had time to work on The Foundation since this past May. I have over 100 pages written. My characters are all waiting for me but I probably can't see them until sometime in January…then I'll work on the book and finish it by June. I write purely to express my inner thoughts and want writing novels to be a major portion of Part Two of my life. (I will be 60 in May and want to spend the next 30 years as a book author and seeing my books made into movies. I have two studios presently considering The Exchange for a movie.)

Erin: What was it about The Exchange that captured your imagination and made you want to write an entire novel about it?

Inga: I think there is a little bit of Jewelle in all of us. Jewelle is also a little bit of me to the extent that sometimes we live lives that we want to escape from because who we are deep down is someone other than the person we are 24/7. I do not mean we are frauds or that our lives are not fulfilling. It's just that we are all restricted, to a large degree by our circumstances….most of which we choose to be in. I have three large companies with hundreds of individuals that depend on me. I make lots of money and live a wonderful life. I can't think of much I need or want. I am a wife (third time), have two children (one biological and one adopted)…both great adults. I have an 8-year old grandson who has been in a vegetative coma since he was born and I share my life with my husband, five dogs, birds, fish, and all the wild life I can crowd in my back yard. So my life is filled with responsibilities, people and pets, and many friends both human and animal in nature. My life is full….so full I often long for time to escape it all….for just a day or week or month….to be me and do things that my soul needs and wants. I don't want to replace my life with another….I just want that escape…taken an emotional sabbatical.

In escaping our day-to-day lives, we sometimes find out who we really are down deep and what we need to nurture our souls and spirits. It's different for each of us. For me it's an inner peace and contentment that is totally a one-on-one experience with one's self.

So the character of Jewelle started out as me searching for my real identity and the writing of an entire novel just evolved as did the many characters I "met" along the way.

Erin: Who is your favorite character in The Exchange?

Inga: Since I created them all, I love each and every one of them. Really! I actually went into a deep depression for three weeks after I finished the book. I missed my friends and I missed being with them as they had become real to me and part of my life. It would be easier if you had categories for me like, "Person you would like most as your best friend," "Person you would like to be stranded on a desert island with," that kind of thing but favorite is tough. OK, then I'll choose. Kenny Scott. Kenny is a poster child for human excellence, compassion, loyalty, strength, and enthusiasm. He has everything reason to complain but chooses to be truly content with his life. Kenny has a sense of humor, is spontaneous, and knows how to squeeze every ounce of life out of a day. He is a champion of all those innate wonderful human qualities that God has given us to make the world a better place. He does make the world a better place and I was so lucky to be part of Kenny's life for those three months I shared with him during my writing of The Exchange. Hint: Kenny will be a main character in The Foundation.

Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to share a little bit about me and my passion for my novel, The Exchange on Quinn's Essentitals..

Inga Ellzey

All part of the game...

So I just spent the last week working a critical scene in my new book only to finish and realize everything I'd written was unnecessary because I'd already tied the lose end that I thought I'd left flapping in the wind in the scene before. How does that happen, you might wonder? Well, in this case, my process backfired.

See, I'm pretty strict about finishing a scene and moving on to the next one without going back to review the finished scene first. Why? Because until I know exactly how the book will end, I don't like to spin my wheels on polishing and perfecting scenes which may not make it to the final or draft of may change so drastically that I'd have to polish all over again. Usually I start the day with the new scene and only read the last two or three sentences from the last before I move on. But I'd had a break in writing because of holidays and the hustle and bustle of going back to work and I lost my place. It wasn't until I dug myself so deep in my new scene that I couldn't get out that I decided to go back and review--ARGH (picture me slapping my forehead with disgust). There it was, plain as day with a nice neat bow. Everything I'd spent 10 pages and countless hours trying to explain was neatly packaged in two action packed paragraphs. I hate when that happens.

On a happier note, the Cardinals are winning. :-)

Starting the new year out with a bang!

For my first featured author of the New Year, I'd like to introduce MacKenzie McKade. MacKenzie is a fabulous author who writes HOT HOT HOT stories with strong female characters and to die-for heroes. Seriously, her men are so sexy you'll be wanting to sign yourself over to one to "tie me up and do with me as you will."

I had the opportunity to talk with MacKenzie recently. Here's what she had to say.

Erin: What is your favorite holiday tradition?

MacKenzie: Outdoor Christmas lights displays. There is nothing that draws me into the holiday spirit like a show of colorful lights. The more the merrier. On Christmas Eve I load my family into the car and we drive for hours looking at all the beautiful lights. Then it’s home for some hot chocolate.

Erin: What will be your top New Year's Resolution?

MacKenzie: Boy that's hard one to answer. Along with the usual ones of eating right, working out, and losing weight, I'd have to say write more. I'd like to publish several more books in 2009.

Erin: What's in the future for Mackenzie McKade? New books in the works?

I'll be attending the Romantic Times Convention this year in April. It’s always a lot of fun. I love meeting new people and sharing my work with them.

As for upcoming books, I’m currently working on a shape-shifter story, followed by a Christmas story under contract. Then I plan on filling some of my readers’ requests by focusing on making series out of several previously released books. I haven’t made up my mind whether I’ll start with the second book in SIX FEET UNDER or FALLON’S REVENGE. Guess it’ll be a surprise for all of us.

Erin: Tell us about your next release and why YOU think we'll love it.

If you love cowboys like I do then you'll love TAKE ME AGAIN. It’s double the fun—double the pleasure. Here’s an excerpt:

TAKE ME AGAIN, Wild Oats, Book 2

Marking one’s territory was never so naughty…

Dolan Crane would love to hate the beautiful new veterinarian who’s horning in on his territory. It’s tough when the flame-haired fantasy come true makes his body burn with just a smile. The smart thing to do is forget about her, so perhaps a threesome arranged by his old college buddy is just what he needs to get her out of his head.

Divorcee Tracy Marx has followed her restless feet to Santa Ysabel to start a new practice—and maybe find someone to take her outside the boundaries of vanilla sex. Instead she finds trouble in the form of a cowboy whose dark, sexy gaze lights her up—and could also destroy any chance of success. The best thing to do is stay far, far away from him.

When Dolan shows up for the promised night of fantasy, he’s shocked to find Tracy has traded her medical bag for a leather bustier and bondage gear. Tracy would like nothing better than to slap that smirk right off Dolan’s face, but the prospect of being sandwiched between two men is impossible to resist—even if one of them is her adversary.

Besides…no one calls her chicken.

MacKenzie will be stopping by this week to chat so if you have any questions....let's hear them! (Note, she has jury duty this morning, poor woman, so she won't be in until later this afternoon).

Happy New Year!

It's 2009 which is just unbelievable to me. This time last year I was getting ready for my sabbatical, still looking for an agent and harboring hopes that I might sell my new books. Now I have both an agent and a publisher again and I'm in those count down months until my new novel, HAUNTING BEAUTY hits bookshelves. Eight months and counting, to be exact.

If you haven't checked out my contest page lately, make sure you do because I have some really great contests planned. Not only will I continue to host other authors, but I'm dipping into my cool stuff reserves to spice up the give-aways.

My featured author this month is MacKenzie MacKade. On Monday I'll have an interview posted and MacKenzie will be popping in to answer questions. MacKenzie is a delightful, fun person and her books are STTTEEEAMMMMY HOT, so drop by if you're in the mood....for conversation that is. Not for the other thing, lol.

I'm starting this year with a list of resolutions. Of course I have the usual--lose weight. I actually started Nutrisystem right before Christmas and after 3 weeks I've lost 10 pounds. I'm feeling very good about that considering I gave myself days off for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day and I took them off big time. :-) But I am still 100% motivated to lose the rolls.

Next I'm going to slow it down. If you read my blogs, you know that the past year I worked myself to dust. I am determined not to do the same with the new year. Enough is enough. What's the point if there isn't a life in there, right?

What resolutions do you have? I'd love to hear them!

Happy Holidays

I had a wonderful Christmas and hope all of you did as well. I didn't have any big ticket items on my list--in fact, my list was very short this year. A sure sign of contentment. What I wanted was my family close, my friends near, and a lot of love. And being one of the luckiest women in the world, I got it. Christmas Eve day was spent with my husband and daughters. As we've done every year since they were little, we went to the movies and saw Yes, Man. It was very funny and the perfect movie for the perfect day. We started this tradition because when we first moved to Arizona, we had no family or friends to spend the holidays with and Christmas Eve always seemed to last forever, just waiting for the festivities to begin.

After the movie, we raced home, prepared some snacks, wrapped those last minute presents and then the doorbell began to ring. Christmas Eve was spent with the family I have in town (and wishes for the family I don't have near to be here) and a few of our closest friends. We gathered, played games and had a wonderful evening. Christmas morning everyone came back for an enormous breakfast of bacon, eggs and waffles (until my waffle finally gave up the ghost). Then everyone went home to lounge on a rainy day in front of their fires and enjoy some down time, just doing whatever. I have so much to be thankful for and I took the time to count blessings.

Hope you all had as fun a day as I did.

The Sucks in Success

Just kidding. There is no sucks in success even though sometimes it may feel that way. What do I mean? Well, for example, having a writing career means I don't have Saturday and Sunday mornings to lounge around and watch the news and read the paper. Am I sad about that? Absolutely not. My relationship with writing has been one of the most rewarding in my life. It challenges me daily, forces me to grow and takes me to a place I've never been before. Some days I love it. Some days I hate it. Some days I'm even ambivalent. But in the end, I've proven time and again, it's not something I'll ever give up.

Writing has taught me not to let outside judgement penetrate my skin. This was a huge lesson for me because I'd always been open to criticism and taken it all to heart. Through the agonizing business of trying to get published, I've learned that opinion is just that--opinion. It's a simple lesson, but for those of us who have been ruled by the need to please everyone, learning that not only can it not be done, but that it's not even necessary was a life changing experience. I am stronger person because of my willingness to let others like or dislike me. And I wouldn't have reached this point if I hadn't endured the countless rejection letters from agents and editors which all came to mean nothing when I finally hit the yes and my books began to sell and readers began to write to tell me they loved my stories.

I can only be what I can be. And no that's not a marine, (I'm a wee bit old for that). But it's a better person.

Giving back this season

My computer has been at the doctor and it's been really hard surviving without it. But now it's back (yay) and I'm back in business. Are you all as stunned that it's already December as I am? Not only is it December, but Monday marks the half way point. I know they say the older you get the faster time goes, but geez. Stop the bus!

Even though life is busy, I am filled with the spirit of giving. I haven't done much of my shopping but I have dropped a dollar in every Salvation Army bell-ringers basket I pass. And I thought it was time to reflect on the year and what I've done that really makes a difference.

This year I was part of a very cool program at work. Intel (do-do-do-doo--that was their little trademark jingle in case you were wondering) launched a program this year which challenged all their employees to volunteer one MILLION hours world wide. Guess what? We did it. And not only did all those non-profits and schools get volunteer hours, but Intel is also paying them for the hours the employees worked. It's a beautiful thing that really made me proud of my contributions to this trend setting company. I may complain a lot about how it's sucking the life out of me--and I still feel like it is sometimes--but when I look at this major accomplishment I am proud.

I hope what Intel did challenges other major corporations to look at their commitment to social responsibility and start giving back as well. I know not every company can afford to dish out the money to pay for volunteers, but there's not a company in the world that couldn't give 4 hours a quarter, bi-annually or even once a year to have their employees do some volunteer event. The rewards are tremendous. Employees want to feel good about where they work and teaming up to help the local Y, or the under-funded school down the street, or clean up a park so kids don't have to play in a trashy place--these small gestures really fill the heart.

On top of the volunteering I do on my own, my business group within my company also adopts a under privileged school and we mentor, help upgrade their PCs, and assist in other ways. And every holiday season we do a toy drive and deliver presents to each and every student in the school. I get choked up just thinking about it. If you've never done something like this, I'm here to tell you, it will change your life.

So this holiday season, I hope you'll find the spirit within yourself. It may be too late to organize a holiday event for your team at work, but there are still a lot of organizations that need your help. You don't have to spend Christmas day at the soup kitchen (although that's a great thing to do) but just reach out. You'll be surprise at how many hands you'll find reaching back. And think about next year. What can you do in your company to make a difference in the community where you work. Start the ball rolling and get others involved to help keep it moving. If you don't know where to start, get in touch with me and I'll help. It's truly a beautiful thing.