Long and Short Reviews welcomes Ava Bleu whose newest book Glorious Sunset, an edgy inspirational romance releases August 26.
She’s currently working on another edgy inspirational that centers on a heroine who is at the height of a nervous breakdown. It’s also a romantic comedy.
Ava said with a smile, “Hey, if a breakdown can’t inspire comedy, what can?”
Ava has been writing for fun since she was old enough to hold a pencil. She began writing for a purpose when she found herself working a job that she was less-than-enthusiastic about.
“I wondered if there was a possibility of earning a living from doing what I love. That was about 15 years ago. I am not yet earning a living doing what I love,” she admitted, “but I find it makes the days working that nine-to-five a little more bearable.”
Ava thinks that the most important thing in any novel is strong characterization.
“You can get away with wicked unrealistic storylines if the reader likes and believes in the characters enough. Look at my novel about a time-traveling king granting wishes to save his soul. A reader could think that’s ridiculous or a reader could think that’s fantastic. I’m putting my money on my strong hero and his ability to persuade people to think it’s fantastic,” she said.
She always starts off with the plot for her book, but as the characters develop–the story changes.
“I haven’t written one book that didn’t deviate drastically from my original plan,” she explained. “The characters and their development really lead the story for me. I try to go with it because once you feel their voices taking over it’s like a zen moment.”
Ava told me that her dogs have taken over her office and made it their room.
“Occasionally they’ll let me use the PC but only if I allow them to play with my toes or risk getting one chewed off if I’m wearing slippers and they think my foot is a chew toy. I now write like a vagabond, carting my laptop with me to wherever I can find space,” she said. “I feel like Dr. David Banner (a.k.a.,the Hulk), always moving throughout the house, always with that sad music following me until I camp in a new location … and the dogs find me and my toes again. They don’t understand the concept of ‘mommy needs her toes’ or ‘yuck’.”
“What would you say is your most interesting writing quirk?” I asked.
“Is wine a quirk or a magic elixir?”
“Probably a magic elixer. What about your most embarrassing moment?”
“This is really one of those stories that is much more interesting with a bottle of tequila next to a roaring fireplace, but here goes.
“I fell down the stairs at a mega-church. It was my first visit and I had raised my hand thinking I was praising God, turns out I was volunteering to come down and be saved. I’m all for saving, but that wasn’t my intent. I distinctly remember thinking ‘what a crock, this place is a racket…’ and just like that, foot slipped and I took an epic tumble. If you’ve ever been in a mega church you know how long those staircases are. It was like I was in the middle of a Carol Burnett skit – I just kept rolling and sliding and showing my goodies. And all the way I could hear people gasping and
‘oh no-ing’. When I stopped I was fuzzy and I remember being helped up. To the waiting doctor or nurse, you ask? No, to the back room to be saved. Call me crazy, but I was concerned with my brain matter and just how much of my privates had been seen by the congregation (and hoping the whole thing wasn’t broadcast on that jumbo-tron screen at the front). Not to mention the rug burn, scrapes and bruises—thankfully, nothing broken.
“I decided if they cared so little about my physical well-being they couldn’t really be trusted with my spiritual well-being.”
If you have read Ava’s first romance, The Diva of Peddler’s Creek, you may have noticed that she loves food. She’s always looking for the best, and right now she thinks that’s probably a dish called Chicken Oscar. I don’t know if this is the recipe she uses, but it sounds yummy. Don’t feed her souse meat, however!
“I had it when I was three and have still not forgotten the horror,”she assured me.
No matter how much she likes food, she doesn’t want it to touch on the plate.
“If I have a hot dog on a plate, please make sure that potato salad doesn’t touch the edge of my bun,” she said. “On second thought, I’ll get my own food, it’s safer that way.”
“Have you ever eaten a crayon?” I asked.
“Absolutely. Isn’t that the rite of passage for the honor of starting kindergarten?”
“Well, I don’t remember eating crayons (though I’m sure I did), but I do remember eating that paste that smelled like spearmint.”
“Ebook or print?” I wondered. “And why?”
“Ebooks are here to stay and I’m glad because I believe a lot of people are reading that normally would not because of it. But my personal choice is print all the way, baby! For me, reading is an experience, the memories live in the sense of touch, the smell of the paper, the sound of the pages turning … all those things combine to transport you to a different space. It just feels like when you’re on a device, the device and handling it kind of steal the attention away a little.”
Finally, I asked, “What advice would you give a new writer just starting out?”
“If you’re considering writing for a living, don’t waste years wondering if you’re good enough to be in the game. Doubt will eat up valuable time and, in truth, the only way to find out if it is for you is to do it and put yourself out there. Rest assured, the industry will let you know if you suck. You’ll either decide it’s worth the pain and neurosis or you’ll decide you’d rather do other things with your life. I’m kind of fond of the neurosis at this point. Why, if I didn’t send out every manuscript thinking the industry was out to personally destroy my brilliant, creative voice, I would never try so hard to do better. I suspect that’s the sickness that separates the normal people from the writers.”
African King Taka Olufemi has traveled over four hundred years to find the woman who holds the soul of his murdered queen and he’s a little cranky. With a ruby brooch as his vessel, the former king is forced to grant wishes to ungrateful mortals hoping to one day find, and win, the heart of his lost love.
But it will take more than good looks, superior intelligence and an impressive pedigree to earn the love of Violet Jackson. The ambitious interior designer doesn’t remember Taka or their history. Love—with its inevitable heartbreak chaser—has no place in Violet’s immediate life plan. All the handsome “genie” can do for her is pony up on the three wishes he’s promised and try not to be a pain while he’s at it.
While the arrogant king is praying for his submissive queen and the faithless object of his affection isn’t praying at all, guardian angel, Aniweto, is praying for them both. With Ani’s help, Taka and Violet’s epic love will be rekindled and this royal couple-behaving-badly will finally earn their happily-ever-after through the grace of the Almighty.
About the Author: Ava Bleu lives and loves in the Midwest, countering bitter winters with smooth jazz and tasty edibles. A book-lover, author, artist and photographer, Ava believes creativity in any form is worth celebrating. She can be found in bookstores and the public library camped next to the cookbooks and/or on the town keeping an eye out for hero-material.
Ava Bleu ~ Twitter ~ Facebook
Buy the book at Amazon or Barnes and Noble.