Featured Interview With Charlotte Boyett-Compo
Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
My friends call me Charlee. I was born in Florida and raised in Georgia which makes me an official Sunshine Cracker. I was married 43 years to my high school sweetheart, the love of my life, until he died in 2009. We had two sons, two grandchildren and a great-grandchild. I now live in Iowa with my seven cats…which officially makes me a Crazy Cat Lady.
My first novel, Keeper of the Wind, was published in mass market paperback in 1996 and since then I have had over 90 novels published. I recently signed the contract on my 100th novel. Writing primarily in dark fantasy/paranormal-supernatural romance, I also write Sci-Fi, horror, mystery/thriller, historical romance and contemporary erotica. I am best known for my Reapers: badass Alpha shapeshifting were/vamps. The first Reaper was introduced in 1998 in the Demon Wind Trilogy, BloodWind, DarkWind, and EvilWind. My bestselling Western Wind Series is what is being called Cowboy Punk. It’s a post-apocalyptic world filled with laser-whip wielding, black-clad, amber-eyed hunks with an attitude.
At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
As soon as I could read I began devouring books. The earliest books I remember reading were Stone Soup and Ben and Me. I wrote my first novel at the ripe old age of twelve. I had a tremendous crush on Michael Landon from Bonanza and the book…written in a composition book…was called Western Flame. At fifteen I wrote a circus drama titled The Great Giovanni after seeing The Man from U.N.C.L.E. Robert Vaughn in The Big Show. I have always…and will always…pattern my heroes after actors whose work I admire. If you think you recognize a certain actor in one of my books chances are very good that actor was the basis for the character.
Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I have very eclectic reading tastes but there are several authors whose work I buy and keep on the shelves of my office. Dean Koontz, John Saul and Brian Lumley satisfy my thirst for horror. John Sandford, Dennis Wiltse and Stuart Woods are my mystery/cop fixes. Sherrilyn Kenyon, JR Ward, Christine Feehan and Kresley Cole are my go-to girls when I was paranormal romance. My favorite books to read are Sandford’s. He has three different hero series that intrigue the heck out of me. I adore his characters of Lucas Davenport, Virgil Flowers and the Kidd. Ward’s Black Dagger Brotherhood as well as her fallen angel series are a must on my buying list.
Rosemary Rogers and Anya Seton inspired me to write the books of my heart. Sweet, Savage Love was the first romance novel I ever read and I was hooked from the first chapter. Green Darkness is arguably on every romance writer’s Top Ten list. It is an excellent book and I know dozens of authors who have named it as their favorite book.
Tell us a little about your latest book?
My latest book took me a month to write. It was one of those books that write itself. The characters spoke to me so strongly that I found myself thinking about them day and night. Before I started writing the book I could never quite see the hero’s face when I tried to picture him until one night I was surfing YouTube looking for something and came across a Canadian TV series that looked interesting. I downloaded the first couple of episodes to watch that night and continued on surfing. When I went to my bedroom later, plugged in the thumb drive with the episodes into my DVD player, climbed under the sheets with my bowl of hot salsa, tortilla chips and mug of white raspberry tea and turned on the TV, I wasn’t expecting to fall madly, deeply, passionately in love with a TV hero but I did. From the very first shot of Jake Doyle from Republic of Doyle running toward the camera, I was a goner. I remember thinking this Allan Hawco had to be the best-looking actor out there with his curly dark chestnut hair and sexy blue eyes. I was captivated by his character of wise-cracking private eye bad boy with a killer smile. Salsa and chips forgotten, I watched glassy-eyed until I’d watched…then re-watched then re-watched yet again…both episodes. I sat there for about ten seconds after the last scene went black then flung back the covers and ran to the computer to download the other episodes. All five years worth of them! I have NEVER been hooked…OBSESSED is more like it…on a TV show before but I am enslaved to Republic of Doyle and the man who portrayed its lead. I have watched each episode of the six years…this past year was its last…at least three times each. I have my favorites and the last episode of season five is a killer. If you can watch the last fifteen minutes of that episode and not cry, you are a better woman than I. The scene is playing to the haunting song Say Something and is so touching, so beautiful it gave me a hundred ideas for my character. BTW: that episode was written by Allan Hawco and he put his soul into the script. If you are unfamiliar with the man or the show, look him and it up on YouTube.
Thus was the face, personality and pathos of Blayde McClory had been given life.
Here’s the blurb from the book:
From the moment she first saw him, Sage O’Banyon thought Blayde McClory was an arrogant ass but his smoking hot body and smoldering eyes started a fire in her body that nothing could seem to quench. Being pulled into his strong arms, locked against a rock-hard chest and having his sensual lips devour her own was like falling into a cauldron of lust.
But Sage wasn’t the only woman whose body craved Blayde’s. The woman he was sworn to protect considered him hers–body and soul. Her possessive nature was that of a black widow spider and Blayde had become ensnared in her deadly web. If she can’t have him, she’d rather see him dead.
Sage will need the might of the Burgon, himself, to extract Blayde from the hell to which Ailbhe Cunneen has had him sent but will she be in time to save her love?
Connect with the Author on their Websites and Social media profiles
Charlotte Boyett-Compo’s Website
Thank you for the opportunity of being interviewed. I am very grateful.