Interview with Regina Paul, Award-Winning Paranormal Romance Author and AC Content Producer

Regina Paul, author of the acclaimed books, 'Getting Out Alive', 'Ilara's First Christmas', and the critically acclaimed suspense novel, 'Destiny's Choices' (currently available from Amira Press), has not only been a great author and a well-recognized AC Content Producer....she is also one of my closest and dearest friends since childhood.

Regina, a current resident of Seattle, WA, is married and has led a long an illustrious career within the world of writing, having several works recognized at an early age since her beginnings in middle and high school, where she first began writing short stories. Since then, Regina has been on fire producing well-crafted stories that take us into the unknown, from the universe at large where great battles take place to save humanity to the worlds of werewolves and vampires and other things that go 'bump in the night'. But, while her books do enthrall and captivate the imagination, her stories also look at other normal aspects, with one of the greatest being the emotion of love and the realm of romance. Regina interweaves her stories and captivates us with her daring and courageous characters, all the while showing that these characters are just as human as you and me. It is with skills such as these and stories such as these that could change and define the genre of paranormal romance and may bring forth other writers who may decide to take a plunge into the genre and follow Regina's lead, which could very well spark a writing revolution within this realm. One could only hope!

Regina took the time to sit down with me via e-mail recently to discuss her growing reader base, as well as her books, her life, and even some tips for any fledgling authors out there who, even if they do not join her in her genre, are wanting to take a step into becoming authors and things that are important that she felt may be of great help to everyone:

AC: Regina, what made you start 'Getting Out Alive' and how did you first get the idea?

RP: I've always been fascinated with the alien abduction phenomena as there are so many people who claim to be abductees. I actually got the idea for Getting Out Alive from a dream I had one night. It was not long after that that I began writing Getting Out Alive.

AC: What do you think makes your stories so intriguing to readers and makes them stand apart from other typical authors?

RP: I think one of the things that makes my stories intriguing and this is what I've also been told by readers, is that I pick topics to write about that can be controversial, and as such very interesting. For example, Getting Out Alive, and Illara's First Christmas deal with the alien abduction phenomena, and one type of alien in particular, the Greys. The Mark of the Guardian takes on the subject of spirit guides, what happens after death and what might happen if a guide got stuck in the physical. Destiny's Choices main character is a full-blood Nez Perce woman who has been called by the Spirits to be a healer and carrier of a sacred object. It deals with her choice to remain on the reservation and follow her calling rather than leave with the man she loves when he goes away to college.

These aren't typical topics for romances, and so I think these are some of the things that make my writing stand out from other author's.

AC: When you create a story as original as Getting Out Alive, what is the one thing that you include that makes your stories memorable?

RP: An element of suspense. You can never be too sure what direction I'm going to take a story, and I see keeping my readers on the edge of their seats wondering what is going to happen next is my job as an author.

AC: Are there other works that you have done that we can see on-line or in print?

RP: Yes. Illara's First Christmas is a holiday story that is a continuation of Getting Out Alive, in fact it picks up right at the end of Getting Out Alive. The Mark of the Guardian is a fantasy romance freebie, and Destiny's Choices is my most current book out and is a romantic suspense.

You can find Getting Out Alive, Illara's First Christmas, and The Mark of the Guardian at Lulu Press Inc. http://www.lulu.com/reginapaul and Destiny's Choices at Amira Press http://www.amirapress.com or for more information you can visit my author's website at http://www.reginapaul.com

AC: What other kinds of things do you like to write about and are there other books that you have written that you consider being your favorites?

RP: Besides my speculative romance fiction I also write web content articles. You can visit my Associated Content page at http://www.associatedcontent.com/user/10892/regina_paul.html to read my articles.

It's hard to pick a favorite book that I've written. I really love all the books I've written so far, but Getting Out Alive, and Destiny's Choices hold special places in my heart.

AC: What is your current work-in-progress and can you tell us where to find it or when it will be released?

RP: I'm presently working on three different stories. A science fiction erotic romance novella called The Children of Khartar: Leilani's Flight and the first in a series, Doomed to Be Charmed is a paranormal werewolf erotic m/m romance, and will probably be a stand alone, but we'll see I may change my mind, and The Keepers of Eternity which is a time-travel romance and the first of a series. This one will be more along the lines of my regular sensual romance writing.

I don't presently have release dates for any of these, but I will be sure and get the word out once I do!

AC: How did people first hear about you and how did you promote yourself when you were first starting?

RP: I think most readers first heard about me through my website and my online marketing efforts that I began before Getting Out Alive.

I'm a firm believer in online promotion and as much free promotion as possible. When I first started I began by posting to yahoo groups for writers and readers, started my own newsletter, and just basically told anyone that would listen about my book. Oh, and I had a lot of help from friends and family who weren't afraid to spread the word so to speak.

AC: Who would you say was your greatest inspiration when you first began writing?

RP: My eighth grade english teacher Mrs. McLoughlin. She was one of the first to read some of my stories and encourage me to continue to write them.

AC: Are there other authors that you like to read or that you could recommend to my readers?

RP: Oh boy, this would be a really long list if I wrote them all down. I'd recommend Robin D. Owens, Linda Howard, Evangeline Anderson, Judi Lynne, Christine Feehan, Sherrilyn Kenyon, and Linnea Sinclair to name a few of my favorites.

AC: Do you have any tips for fledgling authors who are out there who enjoy their craft and are just getting started?

RP: Yes. Whatever anybody says about your writing don't stop writing. Continue to learn the craft, and understand that it is a learning process. Remember that just because one person whether than be a family member, another writer, an editor or even a publisher doesn't like your work does not mean that your work is crap. It just means that one person didn't like it, or the publisher may have too many books of the genre you're writing in in their catalog or any number of other reasons.

Most of all believe in yourself and what you write. In the end the most important thing is that you enjoy writing, and that you love what you write. The rest is just frosting.

Regina still resides in Seattle with her husband of nearly twenty years. She continues her authorship there and is always on the move with making great strides and strokes within the realms of romance and fantasy. One can only guess what she could have up her sleeve next, and by far, it will be anything but ordinary!

I wish to thank Regina for her time and wish her all the best from myself and I wish her godspeed.