Hello Maria-Claire, it is such a pleasure to have you with us this morning. Why not sit back and relax in our cozy recliner. I see you are wearing the pink fuzzy coffee time slippers we always give our guests. If your coffee is not hot enough, just let me know and I will heat it up for you. Be sure to enjoy our fresh baked delicacies. Now that we are settled, let us get this interview started. The readers are eager to hear about Maria-Claire Payne and what she is up to with her stories.
Thank you for having me, Cherokee! Really, I just stopped by to chat so I could wear the famous pink fuzzy Coffee Time slippers 😉
Maria-Claire, why not tell the readers about your latest, Bending Tyme? The characters are truly refreshing. I really like the title. The cover is nice, too.
Posh Gosh outdid herself with my cover! Adding that whip…having my heroine bent over my hero’s arms….Posh Gosh did such an amazing job working in not only key elements to the story but also having some fun with my title. I was so fortunate to work with both an amazing artist like her and an equally talented editor in Becca. These women took a decent little story to such a different level!
In Bending Tyme, I wanted to create a contemporary woman and a Regency-era man who live in their own respective times according to the rules of their societies – and neither is particularly happy nor fulfilled by those prescribed social expectations, even though both are considered by their respective peers to be wildly “successful” by those same standards.
When Esme finds herself out of time and place, thrown into Logan’s world in 1812, they both finally discover a kindred spirit in the other and they match each other passion for passion, lust for lust. It doesn’t hurt that she likes to be spanked with his riding crop – and he is quite happy to oblige 😉
Where did you get the premise to write the book?
I was dabbling in a few of my favorite obsessions: the science of altering time, the Romantic poets circa 1812, men who know how to handle their riding crops (when they are not astride their horses)…and so Bending Tyme emerged.
Which of the male and female character did you enjoy the best molding into the storyline?
As much as I love Esme and Logan, working the Romantic-era poet George Gordon — the Lord Byron – into their story was great fun, as well as essential to the story-line.
When choosing your characters were any based on actual people or incidents that you have encountered in your life?
My few close friends are strong women who know what they want and men who appreciate that in their women. My characters in anything I write will likely always be an amalgamation of these people: fiercely loyal, independent, fearless, balls-to-the-wall in every pursuit — including love. Especially love!
Which of the stories would you say you enjoyed the most composing?
Hmmm…that’s a bit like asking me which of my kids or my pets I love best! My favorite stories are the works-in-progress, actually: for me, nothing beats that rush when the characters in a story start coming together (hey, I write erotica…word choice is key 😉 Finishing is a bit anti-climatic until I start the next one!
After you received your contract, what was the very first thing you did?
Threw up. You asked…! I figured the first contract was beginner’s luck and this one – my second — a flat-out mistake. I am still amazed at this wonderful gift of being able to call myself an author.
Have you ever received any rejection letters for your stories?
One – but that story was picked up rather quickly by another publisher, so – right now! – everything I’ve submitted has been put on contract. I am not easily discouraged. It’s good to be a Pisces with one foot always in a dreamscape 😉
If you could have only one wish, what would you wish for?
Oh, Cherokee! You ask some complicated questions, and I never lie when I’m asked a direct question! I should say “world peace” or “to end world hunger,” but I’m selfish: I’d wish to turn back time to bring my muse back (and then I’d put his ass to work bringing about world peace and ending world hunger…J)
What famous person would you love to help promote your book?
Well, while I’m bringing dead people back: J.R.R. Tolkien. If I must choose someone breathing, then Helen Mirren, ‘cause I kinda have a girl crush on her. Is she not the most fabulous actress and woman??? She makes me proud I have breasts ;)If she’s too busy, I guess I’d settle for Sam Worthington. He makes me happy to have female anatomy too.
If you had the opportunity to visit one of these three places for a whole month, which place would you choose, Australia, Japan, or England?
Australia. That’d be the best likelihood of finding Sam 😉
Do you have a certain television show that you cannot miss an episode of?
I ditched cable a few years ago as an experiment with my kids. We never looked back! I watch everything after the fact (Netflix junkie), but I am quite enamored of “Sons of Anarchy” and “Supernatural.” This has nothing to do with the smokin’ hot men, mind you…I like the Harleys and that ’67 Chevy Impala…;)
Is there something in your refrigerator or kitchen cabinets that you must keep completely stocked on your shelves?
Kraft mac & cheese and frosted strawberry Pop-Tarts. I posted a blog a few days prior to this past Thanksgiving on Total-E-Bound’s Hitting the Hot Spot blog site about the significance of those foods in my day. Fortunately, both of these gastronomical delights have a shelf-life of something like a hundred years, so it’s pretty simple to keep stocked up!
You are in an elevator with a mother trying to quiet her baby, who out of the blue decides to have a temper tantrum, while her teenager continues texting on her cell phone, not offering her mother any help, when suddenly the elevator comes to a halt. What would you do to try to stay calm during the situation unfolding around you?
Chances are I am staring into space, lost in my own thoughts, listening to the latest play-list I created before boarding the elevator — with my iPod on full volume. I create a playlist for each of my WIPS, so I’d be oblivious to that scene in front of me while I’m getting in the groove to write the next scene in my head. The stalled elevator? A gift: extra time to think.
If you love chocolate, what is your favorite chocolate dessert?
Oreos – especially double-stuff Oreos. Not so fond of the mini-Oreos. Not much fond of mini anything, actually.
Thank you Maria-Claire, for sharing time with us today. I wish you the best with all your dazzling stories.
Thank you for having me, Cherokee – and I am taking these fabulous pink fuzzy slippers with me, darlin’!
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