Interview with Eden Rivers

Today, Coffee Time Romance has the pleasure of speaking to romance author, Eden Rivers. Thanks so much for granting us this interview, Eden. I hear you have a new book out, Nature’s Pentacle. I must say this paranormal erotic romance was a delight to read. I love the theme with the witches, and the intrigue with using one as a pawn. You paint believable characters so true to life. The more I turned the pages, the more I wanted more of your writing. I hated when the book came to the end.

Thank you for your kind words! I’m so glad you enjoyed Nature’s Pentacle.

Why not tell the readers what made you decide to compose Nature’s Pentacle?

Many authors start either with plot or character, but the inspiration for Nature’s Pentacle came to me as an image of the forbidden sexual rite at the beginning of the story. Before I even knew Matt or Lena, or had any idea of the adventures they’d embark on together, I cold see the parched earth of the drought wracked clearing, and the thirteen witches gathered there in a desperate bid to heal the land. From there, I moved on to character, and then plot.

The book is quite engaging. Did you feel drawn into the story where you could not let it go?

Definitely. I stayed up late writing many nights with Nature’s Pentacle, because I just had to get everything written down. The story insisted on being told, and now I’m immersed in that world again as I work on the sequel.

How long does it take you to finish a book from start to submission?

I remember it took me eight weeks to write the rough draft of Nature’s Pentacle, but I couldn’t say how much longer I spent on revisions before the manuscript was ready to submit. Once a story’s down on paper I tend to relax and stop keeping track of time.

I read that you have an upcoming release with Loose Id; Strange Sabbats. Can you tell the readers what they can look forward to with this book?

I’ll start with the nutshell version for Strange Sabbats: For Aileen, Bryan, and Sylvie, three witches related by blood and common circumstances, finding the men of their dreams is a supernatural ride through love, jealousy—and fierce, red hot witch sex. The witches in this novella live in the same world as those in Nature’s Pentacle, and in their erotic relationships, they’re all forced to grapple with the complications of their magic.

When is your best time to do your composing?

I’m not a morning person, so I usually start writing for the day around 11 AM, after morning yoga, and work until around dinner time. If my muse is with me, I’ll often return to the computer after dinner and work for several more hours.

Do you like to listen to music when you are composing? Or perhaps watch TV or have the glow of burning candles in the background?

I’m a purist when I write, just me and my computer. My desk is in a sunroom with lots of windows and sliding glass doors, so I often find myself staring out at my gardens when I stop to mull over the direction my story’s taking. When I’m editing a manuscript, I’m much more likely to have music on in the background.

Would you say romance is your number one genre to write?

Thus far, everything I’ve written has fallen into a sub-genre of romance, but I have an urban fantasy all plotted out for sometime down the line. I’m very excited about that project.
Is there much research in your stories?

For my erotic romances, I don’t tend to do much research, though I love having the internet at my fingertips for the little questions that pop up as I write.

Name three things you look for in the other person.

Wow, my husband and I have been together so long, this is a tough question for me. But I think what I look for when I’m creating heroes is probably pretty similar to what I saw in my husband when we first met. My heroes have to be kind, intelligent, and a sense of humor is a must. From there, the pool of traits widens, and each one is unique.

What three words describe you?

Creative is a given with a writer, and to that I’d add determined, and sensitive.

You are called upon, at a school, to tell those interested in becoming an author, all the ins and outs of good writing skills and getting published. Name three important elements in writing, publishing and promoting that you would give them.

The first trait would have to be persistence. It’s a tough business, and people who succeed as writers have almost always completed more than one manuscript before they sign their first contract. I think professional organizations like Romance Writers of America are extremely valuable, and a good critique partner or critique group can be helpful, too.

For your next works in progress, you are asked to rough it and live in a tent, would you do as your editor asked? And what beautiful location would you set up your tent?

One of the great ironies of my life is that I’m a nature nut with horrible allergies, so I’d opt for a nice hotel room over a tent. Location wise, I’d love to write in Hawaii in January! We had over 100 inches of snow in my area of Wisconsin this winter, and my muse didn’t thrive under these conditions.
What is your absolute favorite dessert?

Dark chocolate cake.

For Fun:You wake one morning to find that you and your spouse have changed identities for a whole week. What fun things would you do that week?

Oh no, I’d have to learn higher math! And my husband would have to learn how to put a complete sentence together! My husband is a math professor, and the bit about opposites attracting is a valid observation in our case. So if we switched identities, it had better be over his summer vacation. In that case, I think it would be fun to see what an all men’s volleyball game is like from the inside, and learn more about how men interact when women aren’t around.

You are at a picnic and a contest is in effect for the perfect hot dog and perfect hamburger. Now it is your time to build the perfect hot dog and burger, what all would you slather on each one?

I’m a traditionalist for picnic foods. Give me some mustard, ketchup, and relish, and I’m happy.

Eden, you have a nice website, so easy to navigate. I found it full of exciting events. Would you like to share your website, or blog, email, myspace or any other links with our readers?

I love keeping in touch with readers, so thanks for giving me the opportunity to tell them how to contact me. First, my website link is http://www.edenrivers.com. My author blog can be found at http://edenrivers.blogspot.com and my author newsletter at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/edenriversnewsletter/join. I love to meet new people on MySpace http://www.myspace.com/edenriversauthor and I have an author forum at Coffee Time Romance https://coffeetimeromance.com/board/forumdisplay.php?f=545. Of course, I love to hear from my readers at eden@edenrivers.com as well!

Thank you very much for this interview, Eden. I had fun today and enjoyed our chat. I wish you the best in your writing.

Thanks for your wonderful questions, Cherokee! I’ve enjoyed chatting with you.