Good morning all! Today we welcome Romance Author, Alicia Dean. This author, who seems to also be a Jane-of-All-Trades, has a few interesting quirks, a busy schedule, and a new book that sounds fascinating!
Welcome, Alicia!!
Tell us a bit about yourself. What makes Alicia Dean tick?
I live in Edmond, Oklahoma. I am an author, an editor, a critique partner, a contest coordinator, a full time employee, a promo loop moderator, and I have several family members and friends, plus three grown kids, who I try to spend time with. I guess what makes me tick is living on the edge, LOL, being mega busy. I love, love, love writing, and I am so thrilled to have realized a lifelong dream in becoming an author.
Can you tell us something quirky about yourself that readers might not know already?
I’m somewhat of an odd sleeper. I love to sleep alone, I need silence and a box fan for white noise. And I sleep with a pillow over my head.
When did you begin your writing career?
I wrote my first story when I was eleven and played with it over the years, but I actively began writing with the goal of publication in September of 2001.
How do you develop your plots and your characters? Do you use any set outline?
I have a very brief 5 step outlining process that includes the Inciting Incident, then turning points and the black moment. I fill in a ‘list of events’ in between each that will become scenes. I stray from the exact layout as I write, but it gives me a map to follow, and I find it very helpful.
What books/authors have most influenced your life?
Sweet Savage Love, Stephen King, Michael Connelly, Mel Odom, Sharon Sala, Gone with the Wind.
What do you like to do for fun and relax?
Reading, used to be playing golf, but it’s been a while. I love MLB and the NFL (Watching, that is, not playing. LOL). I love watching all kinds of televisions shows, probably too many. I’m HOOKED on Dexter, True Blood, Vampire Diaries, and Justified.
Now, about your story, CUPID’S BEAU. What can you tell us about it?
Ivy Pierce is a Cupid who prides herself on doing her job well. Except when it comes to a certain human male, Grant Crawford. Although she doesn’t understand why, each time she’s supposed to shoot her arrow into his heart, her stomach hurts, her chest hurts, and she feels….sad. Cupids are never sad.
Humans who are not looking for love only get three chances to find it. And after Ivy sabotages Grant’s last chance, her boss, Aphrodite, sends her to earth to right her wrong. She has until Valentine’s Day to help him find his soul mate.
But the more she’s around him, the more she wants him for herself, even though she knows that can never be. A Cupid and a human? Unheard of.
As V-Day draws closer, can she sacrifice her own happiness to help the man she loves find his?
What was the most difficult to thing/scene to write in this story?
I think the most difficult thing for me about the story itself was keeping it ‘sweet and clean’ and watching my language. JEven though it wasn’t a requirement, since I self-published it, the story seemed to ‘need’ to be clean and sweet. Ivy needed that kind of story.
Which character was the most difficult to work with – the hero or heroine?
The hero. Ivy, my heroine, oddly came naturally to me. I say ‘oddly’ because she is so different from my usual heroines. But then, this is way different from my usual stories. The hero was more difficult because I needed to make him a jaded playboy, yet worthy of Ivy’s love.
Did the story turn out the way you planned from the beginning? If not, what change happened that you didn’t expect?
In general, yes, although I didn’t expect all the ‘heavenly’ references that came up. One thing that really surprised me is that I thought Ivy would taste coffee for the first time and became addicted. As it turned out, she absolutely adored the smell (and became addicted to smelling it), but she couldn’t stand the taste.
What do you hope readers take with them after they’ve read this story?
I hope they will laugh and feel happy afterward. I’ve never really written with humor, and there is a touch of humor in this story, along with what I hope is a feel good ending.
Fast & Fun:
Boxers or briefs? Boxer briefs
Silk or satin? satin
Ryan Reynolds or Ryan Gosling? REYNOLDS for sure!!!
Wine or beer? Wine
Twitter or Facebook is more fun? FB
Chocolate or Vanilla? Swirl
Tea or coffee? COFFEE
Baseball or hockey? Baseball
Heels or running shoes? Running Shoes
HBO’s Game of Thrones or True Blood? True Blood!
What place to travel is on your Bucket List? Greece
When traveling do you prefer hotels or Bed & Breakfasts? B&B
Was it love at first sight for you when you met your spouse? J No. We were friends first. Now we’re divorced. And still friends.
What did you notice first when you met your spouse? His eyes
Where can readers contact you?
Twitter: @Alicia_Dean_
Website: http://www.AliciaDean.com
Email: Aliciamdean@aol.com
Buy links for Cupid’s Beau:
Thank you very much for being here, Alicia. We all wish you the best of luck!!
Thank you a ton for having me. It’s been fun!
Giveaway:
Alicia is giving away a few books! If you’d like to enter to win some of those titles, just leave a comment or question plus your email address for Alicia below.
Winner(s) will be drawn on Saturday Jan 26 by noon EST
Kacey's Kreations 
So happy to see a feel good, sweet story by you. Do you plan on writing more of this genre in the future? No doubt I love ALL your books, but really excited to read Cupids Beau. You have an amazing God given talent for writing. Where & how do you get the names for your characters? The names always seem to fit the storyline for each person so well!!
sounds like such a cute story!
Thank you SO much for the kind words. I am not sure about writing more like this in the future. It just came to me and who knows, another might come to me. As do the names. 🙂 I just envision/think about my characters and the names pop up. I'm glad you feel they work. Thank you for stopping by!
Thank you, Diana. It was so much fun to write!
This book sound like it is great and I am going to check it out. I always enjoy reading about authors and their interests. Good interview!
Thank you! I hope you enjoy if you check it out. I had fun in the interview, I'm glad you liked it.
I really enjoy Sharon Sala (Dinah McCall) too! 2 of my faves are Nine Lives & Jackson Rule.Thanks for stopping by, Alicia!!
This story was wonderful-I love your characters but Ivy is one of my favorites (she has some tough competition) As always….with every short story you write, I want more!!!
Be sure to come back, and put your email addresses ladies, so if you're name is drawn as a winner, we can contact you directly. Thank you!
Yes, Kacey, not only is she a fantastic author, she's an amazing person. She's in my OKRWA chapter, and is so giving and generous with her time and expertise. She helped me with my first big break by reading one of my manuscripts and referring me to her agent. She's awesome!
🙂 Thanks, Christi. Ivy was a lot of fun to write. Sorry, sometimes short stories are just…short. LOL. But, I'm glad you want more…that's a good thing for an author to hear.
By the way, I want to thank Kacey for having me here. I don't think I did that in my interview, but thanks for the invite and for the fun questions!
Oh, you are one busy woman! Wow! And sleeping alone? I did enough of that. Now, I at least have to have a body pillow beside me if my hubby isn't there.All the best with your newest release!~Jessicajessicasubject.writer at gmail dot com
Yes, Jessica, I am busy, but I enjoy it. I've been divorced for fifteen years, so I'm quite used to sleeping alone. 🙂 Thank you for the good luck wishes!
Nice interview, Alicia. Sweet Savage Love, I haven't heard that title in AGES! Good luck, sweetie.
Thanks, Calisa. LOL. It was the book that made me first fall in love with romance. I read it when I was about 12 or 13, I ended up reading it 8 times and I still have a tattered paperback. I appreciate you stopping by!