Tanya Kelly

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Contemporary May-December

Tanya Kelly has been dreaming up happily ever after stories with strong heroines and larger than life heroes since she was a young adolescent. It all started when she would sneak her mom’s romance novels and read way past bedtime. With her nose always stuck in a book and a big imagination of her own, Tanya decided to follow her passion and began writing.

She finally achieved her dream of becoming a published author with the sale of her first erotic romance,Lace & More to Siren-Bookstrand.

When not spending time with her own real life hero and two teenage boys, or reviving old furniture—her other favorite past time, she can be found hiding in her small office, happily devising steamy scenes for her characters.

Tanya loves hearing from her readers. Visit her website at www.tanyakelly.com or email [email protected].

Q: What’s the hardest thing about writing?

A: Finding the time. My husband and I own our own business and we have two teenage boys so finding the time to write the stories floating around in my head is always challenging.

Q: What do you hope readers get from your stories?

A: Fun, laughter, a quiet moment to themselves and enjoyment. But most of all, I hope readers get lost in the story and fall in love with the characters as much as I did while writing them.

Q: Where do you get your inspiration?

A: From all around me. I have my happily ever after but some of my closest friends are still searching for it. I like to imagine it for them. Plus I do a lot of eavesdropping on strangers and let my imagination run wild.

Q: What advice would you give aspiring writers?

A: Just write. Silence your inner critic and give yourself permission to write everyday even if it you feel it’s ‘crap’. I found by at least writing daily, even on a day when nothing seemed to flow, helped. Plus you can always edit later.

Q: Have you always wanted to be a romance writer?

A: Yes, from a young age, I could always better express myself through writing. Whether it was short stories, poems or letters, most of my writing always centered around love and romance or as a typical young woman—around heartbreak.

Q: What is a typical day for you like?

A: I’m an early riser thanks to my husband who created that habit as it wasn’t always the case. I try to write as soon as I’m up with coffee in hand for an hour before kids get up and the workday starts. Then if I’m not taking my son to hockey or not too exhausted, I’ll get some more caffeine into me and write in the evening.

Q: Do you have things you need to help you write?

A: Peace and quiet which can be difficult in a house of boys. My comfortable chair and laptop. A coffee in the morning or hot tea in the afternoon next to me. Sometimes, a nice glass of wine helps too.

Q: What do you do if you get blocked/stuck?

A: Something else entirely. I take some time away and focus on other things I love to do, like reading, reviving old furniture which is another hobby I love or listening to some good music. I find any of these take my mind off things and gets me back on track.

Q: What’s an interesting fact about you that might surprise readers?

A: Hmmm, I wish I could say something really cool like I’m clairvoyant or have a secret super power but my life is pretty ordinary, yet amazing. I have some pretty fantastic friends that I like to think of as my partners in crime. Yes, we do get into a little bit of trouble from time to time but that’s just to keep life fun and unpredictable.

Q: What made you decide to write erotic romance?

A: While I enjoy reading many genres, erotic romance has also been one of my favourites. It’s a fun, entertaining read and I’m a sucker for happily ever after stories. Plus steamy sex scenes are an added bonus to read and write!

Q: How do you develop your characters or are they based on people in your life?

A: Sometimes my characters are inspired from someone in my life or whom I’ve met but then they take on a life of their own. I want to create characters that are memorable and that the reader cares about as much I do so I delve deep so I know what makes them tick and why they do the things they do.

Q: What do your friends and family think of your writing?

A: They are all very supportive and proud of me, including my parents who raised me to dream big. My husband likes to think every hero I create is inspired from him and truthfully, he can take a lot of credit. He is my best friend, my rock and the love of my life—not to mention sexy as hell.

Q: What part of your writing do you enjoy the most?

A: Oh, there are so many, I can’t just pick one. Creating gorgeous alpha heroes and strong independent heroines. Letting their story take you to unexpected places. The sense of accomplishment when done. But of course, the best has to be dreaming up impassioned sex scenes.

Q: What part of your writing do you enjoy the least?

A: Edits and slashing the fat from the story. When I edit, I can see when the story drags or if a scene isn’t useful but it’s sometimes hard to cut from the story. It can take a while to write so you get attached to every word and it can feel like you are cutting off a limb when you get busy hacking at what doesn’t work.

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Popular Titles

Lace & More (MF)

Lace & More (MF)

Revenge & More (MF)

Revenge & More (MF)

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