Today, we skip across the pond to chat with romance author Audrina Lane, and cover everything from broken hearts to mother-daughter relationships.  Enjoy!

Meet:  Audrina Lane

I live in a small village just outside of Ross-on-Wye in Herefordshire, UK. I’ve been in my current house for 7 years and have been slowly renovating it with my fiancé Steve. We also share the house with our two black Labradors Rael and Lily. To date I have published three novels that make up The Heart Trilogy series, when you work full-time finding the time to write can be difficult, but not impossible!?
I work full-time for Herefordshire Library service so I am surrounded by books on a daily basis and can’t wait to one day see a copy of my books on the Library shelves. I also enjoy dog walking, swimming and dancing. When I’m not writing I enjoy reading all sorts from Stephen King to the multitude of indie authors of all types of genre and styles. To relax I love films and TV series again anything from the latest Tom Cruise film to Game of Thrones and Breaking Bad on the TV.

 

 

My Chat with Audrina:

Hi Clara, it’s great to have this opportunity to be interviewed by you for your Creative Corner.

The Basics:

What are the 3 words that best describe you?

The 3 words that best describe me are Happy, Friendly and Enthusiastic!

Tell us about your work.

I have just finished the final book in The Heart Trilogy. The novels are in basis a romance story but the twist is that they are not just about 1 couple. I decided to write about a mother and daughter. The first book “Where did your Heart go?” covers the break-up of the daughter, Charlotte’s first relationship and her Mum, Stephanie gives her the diary from 1988 which tells about her own first relationship and in essence the only person she has ever loved. The 2^nd book “Un-Break my Heart” shows how Charlotte and her new boyfriend Mitchell cope with the strains of ambition on their fledgling relationship, whilst Stephanie is reunited with James her first love, after 24 years apart. The final novel “Closer to the Heart” looks at what happens with the two couple’s relationships and how they deal with the malevolent influence of James’ ex-wife.

Which piece of work are you most proud of?

I guess out of the three books I’m most proud of the final novel, I feel my style of writing has improved and grown from the first two. It also has some explosive moments in it – sorry can’t reveal any as the book is only just out!!

What other creative endeavors do you enjoy?

I also enjoy writing poetry and have entered a few competitions recently. Other creative outlets are house renovating and decorating. I also enjoy dancing and attend a monthly session called Barefoot Dance where a group of people get together and dance for two hours to an eclectic range of music. It’s hard to describe but it is so amazing to be a part of.

Are you a publicity-lover, or publicity shy?

I think I’m a publicity lover as with my first book I managed to secure an interview on a local radio station, which really gave my sales a boost. I never leave home without my business cards!!

I love music, and I’m always interested in the musical tastes of my friends.  Tell me your 3 favorite songs.

Just choosing three songs will be really difficult for me as I adore music and listen to all sorts. My three favourites are:

“Father Figure” by George Michael – it has beautiful lyrics and the memories of my first love.

“My girl” by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers – it reminds me of my first visit to New Zealand and my current fiancé.

“Shut up and Dance” by Walk the Moon – it’s a new song and it is just so lively and sounds like the 80’s.

What song best describes your life?

“Dancing Queen” by Abba I think best describes my life as if I could just dance my way through it and go back to being 17 again I’d do it!!

The Glamorous, Dangerous Romance Section:

You are offered, free for one year, the use of either a customized, fully staffed jet (say a Bombardier Learjet 40XR), or a fully-staffed luxury yacht (perhaps a 150-foot vessel built by Palmer Johnson).  Which do you choose?

I think I would choose the yacht, just the thought of being able to sail anywhere then moor up and dive into the sea and swim. Or equally attend the Monaco Grand Prix and live the highlife watching the racing cars from the deck.

Fabulous!  Where are we going?

We will be going on around the world trip Clara, but first stop would be the Bay of Islands at the top of New Zealand.

Who are we bringing with us?

Guest wise I would choose Stephen King so we could pick his brains about writing and George Michael so he could sing for us, Jamie Oliver for his cooking. Then as we sailed around the world we would meet up with all the other lovely indie authors that I have made friends with online.

I love to shop!  And guess what?  An eccentric billionaire has offered us his charge card for a day of shopping; with one caveat…we can only go to one store.  Where are we going?  What do we buy there?

Our shopping trip would be to La Perla – the most expensive lingerie shop in Italy. We’d be able to buy the most glamorous and hand-made underwear.

Which of the following soap operas most resembles your life:  All My Children, Grey’s Anatomy, Dynasty or The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills?

I would have to choose Dynasty as although I have heard of the other tv shoes I’ve never watched them. Anyway who wouldn’t like to swan around in designer 80’s ball gowns or power suits with shoulder pads!!

Which celebrity would you most like to star with in a romantic movie?

I think my romantic co-star would have to be Tom Cruise, he has been in so many of my favourite films. He can also sing, dance and is pretty fit for 52!!

The setting for this movie is a private island.  Where is it located?  What do we find there?  Now comes the danger…This lover’s paradise has an unforeseen danger.  What is it?  Naturally, this danger imperils the love of your life.  How do you save him/her?

My private island would be in the Dominican Republic, where we can relax on perfect white sandy beaches and enjoy tropical sunshine. The unforeseen danger would be the tropical storm about to hit but luckily with my super up to date weather forecasting on the yacht we would sail away into the sunset before the storm hit!!

 

Interviewee’s Choice:

If you could go back in time and tell your younger self one thing; and one thing only, what would it be?

Also staying with the going back in time questions I would tell my 16 year old self to fight for her first boyfriend and not give up!

If you were given the chance to go back in time and change one thing, what would it be?

If I could go back in time and change one thing it would be have the courage to send my first ever book off to a publisher instead of feeling too scared about rejection as who knows I could have been a bestselling author by now!!

If you could trade places with someone for one day, whom would you choose?

If I could trade places with someone for a day it would be a fictional character. I would step back into Georgia and become Scarlett O’Hara from Gone with the Wind, because frankly my dear I would give a damn about Rhett Butler!! Oh and the dresses and that fabulous staircase to flounce down – pure heaven.

The Personal Touch:

Your Heart Trilogy features a mother/daughter pair.  What was your own relationship with your mother like?

On the whole my relationship with my Mum was pretty good. I was the eldest and felt the pressure of always being good. I did find that my younger sisters got away with a lot more than I did growing up! My only small downside was that when I did split up with my first boyfriend she was not very sympathetic and I remember her telling me that I would get over it – not really what you want to hear when your heart is broken.

Did you draw on your relationship with your mother when writing about Stephanie and Charlotte?

I guess I did draw on my own relationship, especially as people have commented on the close bond that they share – I guess I always wanted this with my Mum when I was younger but I definitely have it now and would not trade my Mum for anything in the world.

What advice would you give someone dealing with a broken heart?

I’m not sure I could give any advice and I sometimes feel that I haven’t fully recovered from my first love. I guess my advice would be don’t compromise your identity just to make someone love you.

If a twist of fate allowed you to have either success as a dancer, or success as an author, but not both, which would you choose?

I think I would choose success as an author, although one of my earliest ambitions was to be a dancer. As an author you can live many different lives through your writing.

We share a love of music and dance.  If I were to visit London, where would you take me to enjoy these activities?

As I live quite a distance away from London, I don’t really know any of the good venues to go too. I would probably need to ask John Leith for his advice on the best places or just go where he was doing the music. I would also take you along to Barefoot Dance and for live music one of my favourite venues is Huntington Hall in Worcester as it is in an old church. The pews are still in place and the acoustics are amazing.

You share a love of 80s music with my lothario character, Rod Skinner.  If he invited you would for a night of dancing to 80s music, would you go, or would his bad boy ways turn you off completely?

I think I could handle bad boy Rod Skinner if it meant I could indulge in a night of 80’s music and dancing.

We are going to the Notting Hill Carnival.  Do we play it safe and wear our street clothes, or go all out and dress in sequins and feathers?

If we’re off to the Notting Hill carnival then I say bring on the bikini’s covered in sequins and the feather’s – we would be out there shaking our thing with the best of them!!

Reach Out & Touch Someone:

Where can my readers get more information on you?

Readers can find out about my current and future projects on my website

www.audrinalane.co.uk

What social media sites do you use?  How can my readers follow you?

I am active on Twitter: @AudrinaLane

My Facebook page is: https://www.facebook.com/audrina.lane

Or my Heart Trilogy page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Heart-Trilogy/1518803495007973

Where can my readers purchase your work?

My books can be found on Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk. My first book can also be downloaded for Free from my website on the link above.

Here is the link to my author page which you can then click on my books from there: http://www.amazon.com/Audrina-Lane/e/B00E263F96/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0

Thanks again for a great interview and I hope one day that we can meet up for a dance!!

Thank you so much for joining me, Audrina!  Best Wishes on all your future endeavors!!

Happy Reading!

Clara