~A Quick Q & A with Author Dani Lovell ~

What do you make of the success of Sexy Berkeley?

I am blown away by the response to Sexy Berkeley .When I published, I thought I'd put it out there in the hope that maybe a few people might like to read my kind of romance story. I never thought I'd have sold hundreds of thousands of copies in just 3 short months. Incredible.

If you were any of your characters, who would you be?

Wow. This is a difficult question; I love them all. There's a little bit of me in all of them... does that count?

 

SB, was such a feel good book, are you looking to take a different route with Sexy Summers?

Sexy Summers is a very different story, although it still has the great, feel-good romance that I love to write. The structure of the story, however, is nothing like Sexy Berkeley.

Who would you date Daniel or Luke?

Can I take both? Is that allowed? If so... both. If not... hmm, very difficult... I am seriously in love with Luke right now... but my Daniel is my Daniel. Oh, and I also have a huge crush on Oliver right now...hmm.

 

How many books are you planning for the Sexy Series?

Definitely three. I am contemplating a fourth, however, I'm determined to end the series on a high, and conscious not drag it out longer than necessary. We'll see :-)

Do you have their stories in mind before you start to write or does it just come to you as you are writing?

I start out with a diary, and pencil in major parts of the story. Then I dot the smaller events I want to incorporate throughout that diary. Once I start writing, it's almost like a dot-to-dot drawing, filling in the blanks and connecting the events as I go. Some scenes come to me, literally as I write, creating whole new chapters and sometimes different endings, but I love it when that happens. It reminds me that although I know my characters inside out, there are still aspects of them to discover. I love finding out something new about one of my characters.

Who are some of your “must read” authors?

Gah! So many to choose from! The first book I read after a long period of time that got be hooked back onto reading, was Ruth Cardello's 'Maid for the Billionaire'. I have read her whole series and loved all of it. I enjoyed the love story of E.L. James's Fifty Shades of Grey, of course. The 'Beautiful' series by Christina Lauren, I loved Gina L. Maxwell - Seducing Cinderella, M. Leighton, Mara Jacobs, Sydney Landon... so many more! I can't wait to add to the list when I have a chance to read again after SS is published, my TBR list is endless!

Do you consider yourself a romance or erotica writer? And is there much difference between the two?

I would consider myself to be a writer of 'erotic romance'. I write romance, but I include real sex. I wouldn't say the purpose of the book is the erotic aspect - it's predominantly a romance, but I think - for me - the two go together. I think there is definitely a difference, I just like to combine the two.

What advice would you give to those looking into self-publishing?

If you're confident your manuscript is ready, I'd say go for it. It has changed my life entirely and I would never dissuade anyone from embarking on the journey that I have. Don't rush it, be sure your book is as perfect as it can be and seek help if you need it. I have given some of the little advice I can give to a few new authors, and I hope that it helped, even just a little. Good luck and enjoy the ride :-)

Being that you are self-published, are you wanting to remain an Indie author or is your goal to be picked up by a publisher?

Honestly, I haven't thought that far ahead. For the time being, I haven't been approached and I am happy as I am. I haven't come across any reason why self-publishing isn't right for me, so until such time - I will be happy to remain an indie author.

 

Music seems to play a part in your books, do you get inspired by songs?

Definitely. I love music. Songs really help bring the story to life for me, and some readers like to listen to the featured music as they read - I think they can really get involved in how the character is feeling at that moment. I often listen to a sad song and cry like a baby - relating the story in the lyrics to a situation that might arise for my characters.

 And one last question, do you think bloggers play a role in helping a book gain success?

Well, duh! Of course they do; absolutely yes! Spreading the word is key, and bloggers do this with such a fantastic enthusiasm. I am always thrilled when a blogger picks up SB & SS! (Thank you)