SIREN BOOK REVIEWS

Author Interview with Denyse Bridger! 

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Dear Readers,

Please welcome Canadian author, Denyse Bridger as our first Interview! So, let’s get to it, shall we? 

SBR: What is your favorite book, and why?

DB: Gone With The Wind has been my favourite novel since I was about 17, which was when I first saw the movie and read the book. Scarlett O'Hara is a complex, but very compelling heroine with a brassy sense of practicality, while also being vulnerable and totally unaware in many ways about what it is that makes her happy. She gets an idea in her head, and even when everyone around her can see the truth, she's blind to herself, and that is part of why Rhett Butler loves her – he understands her in ways she can't herself, and that makes him a truly sexy and unforgettable hero.

SBR: Do you research your books? What kind of research do you do?

DB: I do research ANY book that requires it. Historical research is great fun, because I love to write historical stories. One of the most intriguing books I've written is OUT OF HELL, set just after the Ripper murders, but tied to them, as well, so that has to be accurately written. I read a lot, check maps when I've set something in a far away place, and then I check websites, of course, to make sure there's accuracy. Sometimes, I'm lucky enough to know people who can help, and I talk to them.

SBR: What is your ideal hero?

DB: Ideal hero is a man who is strong, confident, aware of himself and what is around him, and can show honest emotion. There's such a fine line between arrogance and domineering bastard, one is attractive in the right personality, other is just mean and nasty. It's a fine line, but vital to alpha heroes, and those are the kind I love to read and write!


SBR: Do you write a series? If so, how hard do you find it to keep all the details straight?

DB: The only "series" I've created is my Devane Files, and at this point there are only 2 titles, despite having several more planned... Michael Devane is a clairvoyant police Inspector in Victorian London, and keeping the details straight is as simple as writing notes and keeping a brief point timeline that I can refer to. I am tempted to write sequels to a few of my stories, but with so much in the works, I have no idea if it will happen!

SBR: What kind of notes do you keep while you’re writing?

DB: Mostly I keep point form notes, just so I can reference things. Details that I want to be sure I include when I write. Mostly, I have a very solid memory for stories – it's real life that tends to get muddled for me!

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SRB: How do you come up with and develop your characters?

DB: The characters usually emerge from a song lyric, an image, or a vague idea. With the mental creation of a person, the story begins to take shape, and I create the secondary people who will populate the tale.

SBR: When you sit down to start writing a book, what do you?

DB: Step one tends to be a brief outline, setting the stage with a location, then the people needed to tell the story. If it's a novel, the outline can be very detailed. Mostly, I can summarize what I want to write within a couple of paragraphs, then the points of detail are jotted down. I don’t have to write extremely detailed outlines, but I do think for a solid, flowing story, there has to be some kind of organized "plan" for it.


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SBR: Do you want to share a summary and excerpt from one of your books?

DB: Of course!

HEART OF STONE

Publisher: Solstice Publishing

Buy it here: 

http://www.solsticeatnight.com/products/Heart-of-Stone.html 

Genre: Action/Adventure thriller

Summary: 

Randall Stone is the stuff of heroes, a mercenary given a discharge from the army he has served with his life. But the government is still interested in using the skills they've taught Major Rand Stone, and he continues to work with his hand-picked team. Into his shadowy world a light has come, and in her love, Stone discovers unhoped for joy, and, perhaps, unbearable sorrow?


Excerpt:    

"How many messages do you think he's got waiting for him?" Blake asked as they trailed after Stone.

Rand heard Jennifer's laughter, and suppressed a smile at his team's banter.

"Well, we've been gone three weeks, and he said to call in three days. By now she might not even be talking to him."

"That don't look promising," Nick Holloway, a temporary team member selected for this particular mission, noted when they entered the military hangar and spotted Brookman waiting for them. On loan from the CIA, Nick had been an unofficial presence on many missions organized by Donald Brookman over the years. He'd worked with Stone's team several times before, and was giving serious thought to making the move permanent.

"Listen, Brookman," Rand began when they reached the International Security Director, who was their unofficial boss. "We're tired, and I am not going anywhere for at least a couple of days."

 The rest of the team had stopped at his back; their muttered affirmatives echoed his assertion. When Donald said nothing, the silence settled, a strained, tension-laden quiet both ominous and unnerving.

 "Brookman?"

 Donald ran a hand over his silvery hair and looked Rand directly in the eyes.

 "She's dead, Rand," he said with no preamble or cushioning words.

 "Who's dead?" Rand responded automatically, his weary brain sluggish. But his body grew taut with contained panic. He knew already. He really didn't want to know at all.

 "Robin Bourne died three days ago," Donald stated. "Her car went off the road. She was killed in the explosion."

 The silence held for several seconds.

"What?" It was an expulsion of air, disbelief the only emotion present in the whispered word. Rand's smile faltered. His gut told him it was true, but his head wasn't ready to accept it...


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SBR: What do you have in store for your readers?

DB: At the moment I'm working on my first werewolf novella, plus finishing up a contemporary romance that's sensual, not erotic. I've got a new historical western coming out soon with Moongypsy Press, it's called "Winner Take All" and is a very sexy/erotic romance with a mega-sexy hero. Plus, just finished a short story called "The Secret He Keeps" that's decidedly erotic in nature and I'm waiting to hear where it will be published. I'm also doing a story called "Viper's Nest" for a soldier/friend in Italy, he's waiting for his orders to go to Afghanistan, and I'm writing this as my personal tribute to him, and his courage.

SBR: Do you cook or bake? Tell us about some of your favorite things to make.


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DB: I love to bake, and cook. I'm learning Italian, so that's an adventure and then some... Baking is a lot of fun, and mostly I have no failures. The couple I've had weren't so much failures to anyone other than me, so are they failures??

SBR: What is your favorite movie?

DB: All time fav is Gone With The Wind, others are Van Helsing, Pirates of the Caribbean, Underworld, League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, not exactly romances, are they??? Oh, and I adore Casablanca, of course.

SBR: If you could go on vacation and money wasn’t a concern, where would you travel to? What would you do?

DB: Italy, without hesitation. As to what I'd do – I think I'd be lost for a few years as I met so many of the wonderful friends I have there, and just SEE the incredible country and culture... It would be magical, and amazing!

SRB: If you were handed a million dollars right now, guilt-free, what would you do with it?

DB: Well, after I booked my trip to Italy, I'd help friends and family clear up any debt they had, and maybe send everyone on their own dream holidays!

SBR: Dog or cat person?

DB: Dog, definitely! Big, wolfy looking dogs, like Siberian Huskies!

SBR: What is your biggest pet peeve?

DB: Liars, and users. Those who think it's ok to be dishonest, rather than simply be upfront. And why is it apparently acceptable to use anyone and everyone to get ahead, while stepping all over people in the process? I don't understand this mindset and I'm seeing so much of it lately it's sickening. Apart from that, the lack of respect people show now, which is tied in part to that user mentality, of course.

SBR: What is your perfect date?

DB: Honestly? Dinner, cooked by the two of us, a movie, talk, and a walk along the beach as the sun rises...

SBR: Do you have another job, besides being a writer?

DB: Not at the moment, I'm a caregiver for my mom, but that's an unpaid thing, despite being a full-time job.

 SBR: Tell us the first five random things about you that come to mind.

DB: I never read something I've written.
I've never been in love with someone who loved me, too.
I still want to believe people are basically decent, even after they let me down badly.
I love to sit in the dark and listen to Italian music. (Shocking, I know.)
I'm totally addicted to popcorn!

SBR: What CD is in your stereo/track on your MP3 player right now?

DB: MP3 player has Emanuele Dabbono, Riccardo Foresi, Matt Dusk, Vasco Rossi, Rod Stewart, Michael Jackson – and in the CD player is Wolf Song. How's that for diverse?? J

SBR: Any final words, Denyse?

DB: Thanks SO much for giving me a chat to chat with your readers here at Siren!!

Where can our readers find you?