Interview with Chocolate Hotness a.k.a @amgriffinbooks

Hey ya'll,

A little while ago I was interviewed while on blog tour, but it didn't get to the host in time and wasn't posted. It was a good interview and worth while, so here you go.

1. Tell us 5 things that make you happy

Just 5 (LOL)? I would have to say personal peace is first. I think if one has personal peace that everything else will fall into place, including happiness. Hmm… When I originally saw this question I thought I would have a list a mile long, but in reality I’m happy with only having one answer. Anyone who has had a bout where their personal peace was ever disrupted will understand where I’m coming from. Without personal peace everything else seems to unravel. I think this is what makes some stories better than others. As readers we tend to identify with the hero/heroine and when they become unsettled (losing personal peace in some form or another) we identify with that and we long for them to find it again (happy ending).

2. What makes your perfect man, perfect? What do you look for in a hero?

I like strong, commanding men. I like for them to know what they want and go after it. They also know when to fold when needed or regroup when necessary. I like them sexy and handsome. They don’t necessarily need to be model perfect. I like a man with some flaws and maybe a scar or two. I want them to have been through some kind of struggle in their past—things didn’t come easy. Whew! In a nutshell I guess I like reading and writing about imperfect men. When you read one of the stories in the Loving Dangerously series you will get where I’m coming from. In Dangerously Mine, Taio Xochis is trying to stay out of his father’s shadow and in doing so has become rigid and stuck to his ways. Kane Epps in Dangerously Yours is hell bent on revenge that it takes him a while to recognize love staring him in the face. And Rasha from Dangerously Hers gets knocked on his butt by a feisty human.

3. What qualities make up your least favorite heroine?

I don’t like heroines that a too stupid to live. We all know the type. They always seem to be in trouble by doing, saying or going somewhere stupid. I like my heroines smart, witty and sassy. They’re one step ahead of every once else (or they think they are).

4. Do you have any quirks? When writing, or otherwise?

Quirks? Hmm… I don’t think so. I’m pretty normal and easy-peasy.

5. Do you have any hobbies that you take part in when you aren’t writing?

I love traveling! I’ve been on 5 trips this year alone and two of those were out of the country. Wait, is traveling considered a hobby? *shrugs* I don’t know, but I’m counting it as one.

6. What do you like to read?

I love science fiction, that’s why I write it. I also love paranormal. I’m sold on anything with vampires, shifters, witches or faeries. But what people are most surprised to find out about me is that I love historical romance. I can read anything about a Scottish Laird or the life of “the Ton”.  I actually read more of those than anything else. I don’t write it because I really don’t have the patience for the amount of research that would have to go into it. And also because my heroines tend to cuss too much to conform to the historical mode.

7. If you had to pick one of your characters to survive a zombie apocalypse with, who would it be and why?

All of my characters can survive a zombie apocalypse attack. They seem to really love weapons and are quite trigger happy and like to see heads roll. The men in my books are either royal guards which are highly trained warriors or they are space pirates who have lived on gut and gumption. My females have some type of martial arts or weapons training. So yeah, I’d be on their team. LOL.

8. Tell us a bit about how the idea for your book came about.

When I first sat down to write Dangerously Mine I knew my story would start at the end. The end of life on Earth as we know it. I wanted strong female characters that would face their futures head on without snivelling or cowering in a corner. I also wanted to create an event where I could have endless possibilities to follow humans as they move forward in their new lives on new worlds. I hope that one day when a new sci-fi author is asked this question he/she will be able to say that one of my books has opened their eyes to a different way of writing and scenarios

9. Which of the seven deadly sins are you most partial to? Which do you indulge in the most?

O.K. so I actually had to look this one up. I’m not partial to any of them. I really hope this means I can get into heaven.

10. Who is the person who most inspired you? Either in your life, or writing?

I would have to say my mother. She’s a writer as well. I remember her at her desk on her typewriter for hours at a time. She inspired me to get published. That’s something she never inspired to do. She was afraid of her work not being accepted or liked.

11. Do you have a favorite quote?

My late grandmother used to always say “Everybody has a little good in them. Either good for something or good for nothing.” It would crack me up when she would say it because it usually came right after someone would say something like, “I have a good man.” Needless to say she was feisty.

12. Can you tell us a little about your latest project?

I’m in edits with the fourth book in the Loving Dangerously series titled Dangerously His and I’m one week from submitting the fifth book titled Dangerously Forever. Dangerously His is about two people who want to be together but are being separated by forces they can’t control. Dangerously Forever is the story where Eva (from Dangerously Mine) and her best friend Allysan finally reunite. It’s definitely not the end of the series. There are still so many worlds and characters to explore.

13. Last but not least, if you could be anyone else in the world, who would it be, and why?

I really enjoy being me. I have a really good life. I love my family, my husband and kids. It’s by far not perfect, but that’s what I tend to like anyway.