Featured Interview With Theresa Oliver
Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
Hello! My name is Theresa Oliver and I an author of clean historical romance, clean contemporary romance, and young adult and children’s picture books in all genres. I looke forward to getting to know you, but for now, here’s a little bit about me. I was born in Marquette, Michigan, and raised in Jeffersonville, Indiana. I currently live in Kissimmee, Florida, with my husband, three children, a bossy dog and a very persnicky cat.
At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I first became fascinated with writing at the age of fourteen, when my Creative Writing Teacher, Ms. Burke, gave me a simple writing assignment: Write a short story. I wrote a Twilight Zone-type story titled “The Door,” and I was hooked. Ms. Burke pulled me aside, told me I had talent, and encouraged me to continue writing. As the eyars passed, I wrote off and on, but unfortunately, life all to often took over and not as many words were written. I had almost forsaken my love of writing, when I read the book Twilight, by: Stephenie Meyer, the first young adult book I ever read. I thought to myself “I can do that” and was hooked on writing once again. Now, I write under two names and have published over twenty books. More are on the way. Now, if I don’t write, I start to have “withdrawals.” As long as stories contune to come to mind, I will continue to write them down.
Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I read in all genres, but my favorite is romance, uban fantasy, paranornal romance and fantasy young adult, and nonfiction. My favorite books include The Twilight Saga, by: Stephenie Meyer; and A Knight in Shining Armor, by: Jude Deveraux. In my opinion, A Knight in Shining Armor is the best time-travel romance ever written and should be the model for all time-travel romance books. I also read many nonfiction books on writing, which help me to continue to hone my craft and marketing. As a writer, it’s important to read.
Tell us a little about your latest book?
When I first wrote the character Dirk, the owner of the livery stable in the fictional town of Whiskey River, I imagined him being married to a princess, although I’m not exactly sure why. The book is set at Christmas time, so including a princess in the story seemed to work. I also wanted to bring in some danger. too. I did a little research on the succession of the throne in Monaco, and I found out that the Grimaldi family has been the ruling family for centuries. So, the fictional character of Gabriella Grimaldi was born. But although she is a fictional character, her uncle and cousin were real people. I love it when I can include real people and events in my fictional stories.
When I thought of Gabriella, I imagined what it would be like to be a princess, to have someone cater to your every whim and wait on you hand and foot. Although it would be nice at first, but you would lose some of your freedom by living in a guilded cage. Gabriella feels the same way and escapes to live a life of adventure. But she has been so protected that she doesn’t realize how dangerous it can be in the real world… expecially for someone in her position. Hence, the character of Gabriella was born.
I started writing A Whiskey River Princess last July, so I watched a lot of Christmas movies to get into the spirit to write the book. Surprisingly, it only took me a few months to write. However, the second draft and rewrites were extensive, which took a bit longer. The result was a much better book, thanks to my editor Liv Olivia Ventura at Hot Tree Editing. Liv, I cannot sing your praises enough.
I enjoyed spending time with Dirk and Gabriella in A Whiskey River Princess. I hope you enjoy spending time in Whiskey River, too.
Connect with the Author on their Websites and Social media profiles
Theresa Oliver Twitter Account
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