Author Interview: Alisha Rai

The Basics
– Alisha Rai
– Genre(s): Contemporary, Paranormal
– Publisher(s): Samhain Publishing

To Other Authors

– What are the three MOST important pieces of advice you would give to a brand new author?

• 1) I say this all the time: finish your book. It’s one of the most tempting things, to just stop when you hit a wall or give up after the first chapter. You can’t sell a book that isn’t finished.
• 2) Get an (honest) critique partner, preferably one who isn’t related to you, who will give it to you straight.
• 3) Relates to number two: don’t freak out over constructive criticism :). If you have an honest critique partner whom you trust, ideally, he/she won’t gush over every word you write. Take the good with the bad, forget that this manuscript is your baby, and consider your partner’s opinion with an objective eye.

– What’s your favorite way to advertise?

• This :). I like blogging, but am a bit intimidated about starting my own. Maybe someday. In the meantime, guest blogs are fun.

– What hard-knock lesson did the publishing world teach you (can be your own experience or someone else’s that you learned from)?

• Don’t get discouraged if you get rejected. The editor/agent doesn’t hate you, honest. A lot of publishing is pure timing and luck.

For the Readers

– What are you reading, if anything, at the moment?

• I just discovered Gena Showalter. I powered through Lords of the Underworld and am currently munching my way through the Atlantis series. Don’t you just love discovering a new-to-you author who has an impressive backlist? It’s wonderful!

– Do you prefer ebooks or print for your reading pleasure?

• Hmm, tough. Some of my favorite authors are only out in print right now, so I have very little choice with them. Plus, nothing beats a print book in the tub.

• On the other hand, the instant gratification of an e-book can’t be beat. Click, buy, read? Very seductive. Since I read really fast, it’s also convenient to have the ability to carry all your books inside of something you carry anyway. I read my ebooks on my laptop or my palm (can’t afford the Sony yet, sigh). Last week when I went on vacation, I could just sit on the airplane with the Treo in my hand instead of having to lug around three or four books in my bag. My shoulder was very happy. I have a feeling as more publishing houses discover ebooks, I’ll probably be abandoning print all together.

– Name three of your all-time-favorite, read-them-over-and-over books.

• 1) J.R. Ward Lover Fill-in-the-Blank. Since it’s a series, I can count it as one giant book, right? Love Butch and Zsadist’s stories the most though.
• 2) Linda Howard After the Night. I don’t know if it’s the bathroom scene or the fact that this was my first introduction to sensual romance, but I cannot give this book away. Even if the hero is alpha to the point that he can be a little jerky.
• 3) Shannon McKenna Behind Closed Doors. Actually, I love everything Shannon McKenna writes, but this was the book that introduced me to her.
• I could give a whole laundry list of favorite authors/books: Kresley Cole, Sarah McCarty, Lora Leigh, Angela Knight…how long do we have here?

Idle Curiosity Compels Me to Ask

– What inspired you to be a writer?

• I don’t know if there was any one thing, but I’ve spent most of my life writing and most of my adult life writing romances. About two years ago I finally said to myself, “Self, this is it. You are going to finish this book and try to sell it.”

• So I did.
• And I got rejected left and right.
• So I regrouped, saw what I had done “wrong” and tried to write a whole new book. And here I am. There, you have the cliff notes, highly edited version of my career :).

– What do you do immediately after finishing a manuscript?

• Um, I edit it again. I’m one of those people who is never satisfied with what I’ve written. I consider it finished only when all of the edits are done and it’s in the publisher’s hands.

– Do you talk to your characters or your muse or both?

• I don’t think I have a muse. I do talk to my characters though, and I daydream scenes constantly. Usually at traffic stops, much to the dismay of other drivers, I’m sure.

Promo Section

~ Most Recent Release ~

Glutton for Pleasure Samhain Publishing ISBN 978-1-60504-470-5 They’re craving something sweet. She likes it spicy. Devi Malik knows how to heat things up. She does it every night as head chef in her family’s Indian restaurant. Her love life, though, is stuck in the subzero freezer. Now, with a chance to fulfill a secret fantasy with her long-time crush and his brother, it’s time to put her desire on the front two burners. For Marcus Callahan, a love-’em-and-leave-’em attitude isn’t only a necessary evil of their kink. It’s a protective device. Lately, though, his brother Jace has been making noises about craving something more. Jace’s dissatisfaction with their lifestyle grows with every glimpse of sweet little Devi. Yet Marcus is too haunted by the pain of their shared past to give love a chance. Despite their reputation for vanishing with the dawn, they discover one night with Devi isn’t nearly enough. And Devi finds herself falling in love with two very different men. It’ll take more than explosive sex to light up the shadows surrounding the Callahan brothers’ secrets. But Devi’s never been afraid of the dark… Warning: This title contains two sizzling men for the price of one, ménage a trois, oral sex, anal sex, fun toys, great food, and creative uses for syrup and dressing rooms.

Learn More
Website – http://www.alisharai.com

Thanks, Alisha!

Join me next week for an interview with Pam Champagne.