Treva Hart

Treva, we are so excited about getting to know you better. Thanks for taking some time to spend with Enchanting Reviews. To get this going, let's just jump right into it...

Hi. Thanks for asking me!

1. When did you decide to become an author and why?
I’m not absolutely sure when I became an author. I guess I have three answers.

I started illustrating my kiddie books with side stories before I could write. I wrote like a mad thing all through my teens.

But I decided to become an author again, after an almost twenty year hiatus, one summer when this almost forgotten urge to write returned. I decided my family was going to be able to do without me more (ha) and that if I wanted to join RWA - an organization I had heard of a few years before - I needed to write a romance first.

I was first published in 2001 (almost seven years ago exactly) when Tina Engler asked me if I had a spicy story I could give her. I said, um, how spicy? She gave me a Jaid Black story and my jaw dropped. I thought about it and said I can’t write that but maybe I can write this instead…and my erotic romance career was born.

2. Who is a writer that inspires you and why?
I have a lot of authors that I’ve loved - Roberta Gellis, Linda Howard, Nora Roberts, to name a few. I’ve read far too many wonderful authors over the years to list all of them. But many authors can inspire me after I read them - I may not write the same thing afterward but I do get the need to write after they fire me up with the possibilities.

3. What award that you have won are you most proud of (doesn't have to be about writing)? What award would you like to win?
I don’t get a lot of awards because - well, I hate competing with other people. The only award I ever recall winning was my CAPA for erotic romance fantasy. I’m very proud of that one. I don’t really write for awards, so I don’t really know of an award I’d like to win.

4. With so many writers doing more than just writing, do you have a set schedule for when you write or are you able to do this full time? Do you have any superstitions or rituals when writing?
I try to write in the morning but it depends entirely on how much Loose Id requires of me (I am Editor-in-Chief and a co-owner of LI for those who don’t know) or how many family emergencies I have. But when I have a book going, I try to write at least something each day. Thursday is the official “day off” at LI for management, although that’s sometimes more of a goal than a real day off. But I often can get a good chunk of writing done then. Or weekends if everyone else wants to sleep in.

5. Most of your storylines seem to have a dark depth to them, but underneath there is a core story that permeates, draws your readers to a wholly different level - drawing them deeper. How much time do you take to plot out your stories? Or do your characters sort of take over once you sit down to write?
As you can see, most of my stories are short. I’m a pantser so I sort of start and then aim my story in the general direction I want it to go. Usually the characters tell me what to do next. I do realize I have certain themes that mean something to me and somehow worm their way into the story.

6. Have you always intended to write stories with m/m and ménage elements or are you following the current trends? And do you like the current trends?
Depends on how far back you want to go with my intentions. Until I got published in erotic romance, I didn’t know enough about it to know I’d be interested in writing it-although I always liked reading my romances as hot as I could find them. Ditto m/m and ménage. For a writer, I may lack some imagination. I’m very happy to have discovered the current trends.

7. How long did it take you to get your first book published? How did you go about picking an agent and/or publisher?
Um, well, see the second answer as to when I became a writer. It took me about a month maybe to write the book and a few weeks to get it published. The publisher asked me to cough one up. The other answer (I have so many answers) was that for over a year I had plenty of stories that I tried to get published before then and couldn’t. That doesn’t sound very long but I soon realized mainstream publishing was going to so not be interested in what I wanted to do back then. They’re all in e-book or print now, though.

8. What encouragements would you give other writers? Any advice you can offer someone who is considering their first submission to a publishing house?
I tried a number of different routes before I got published. If you enjoy writing and are willing to research and work, it can happen.

9. I really liked the depth of the storyline of HUNTED DOWN - when can your readers expect Dunne and Hunt's saga to continue?
Well, I’m thinking about what I’m going to write next now that I finished my latest, NEVER NEVER LAND. I needed to get away from my weres for a while because I was getting too down from writing them. It was a bit too intense, I guess. I may test the waters again soon, though.

10. Which couple that you have written is your favorite and why? Can you describe them using only 3 words? Is there a hero and/or heroine that you would like to revisit or rewrite in a few years?
Eeeek. I love all my babies. At least while I’m writing them. Then I kick them out of the nest and don’t think about them again for a long time. So, for right now my favorite couple is Adam and Chris because they are recent. Three words: Opposites attract --explosively. I’m thinking of revisiting and rewriting my ménage hero, hero and heroine in CARRY ON sometime.

11. If you had to describe your writing to someone using only 3 words, what would they be?
Who knows why?

12. What do you like to do when you are not writing?
I edit and troubleshoot for Loose Id in my spare time. Lately I’ve taken up walking for my health but I’ve discovered I’m really getting into it. Sleep is good, too. Really good.

13. Can you give us a sneak peek into what you are writing now? Or a hint of what is up-coming?
I can’t tell you because I’m taking a brief rest from my writing and trying to figure out what next. Currently the head is empty. Yes, you can quote me on that. I do pause nowadays when I’ve just finished a story although I’m testing some ideas. Possibly a m/m historical. Possibly a sequel to NEVER NEVER LAND. Maybe a side trip to the Alpha series. Nothing is nagging at me enough yet.

14. Is there anything else about you that you would like to share with Enchanting Reviews and your readers?
I have a list and blogs and website if you want to know what I’m thinking and doing-or at least be warned about what it is.
www.trevaharte.com
newsletter: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TrevaHarte
blog: http://trevaharte.blogspot.com
And an e-publishing info blog I share with Margaret Riley at Changeling Press called Loose Change: http://treva2007.livejournal.com/

Treva, thank you so much for time. We hope you get back to writing soon, and look forward to seeing what Loose Id comes out with!

Interview by K.A
June 2008