Tempra Collins

Welcome everyone, Spring is in the air and love is everywhere. Come and join us today as we talk to Tempra Collins, she will be talking about her book Bad Judgment and a little about herself. Coffee Time Romance welcomes Tempra Collins.

Welcome Tempra, and thanks for taking the time out of your busy schedule to answer a few questions

Thank you Wateena, it is a pleasure to be doing this interview with you!

Tempra would you tell us a little bit about the book Bad Judgment?

The book Bad Judgment...wow, where do I start? Bad Judgment is a book about a middle aged mother and her struggles to keep her family happy, as well as together. Being a parent is hard enough, but when you’re a parent of a teenage daughter, the struggle seems a little tougher. Megan loves her daughter Lacy and she only wants what is best for her as any parent would, but Lacy is now involved with a boy that in Megan’s eyes seems to be up to no good. Throughout the book Megan tries to keep her daughter away from the boyfriend, but he would do almost anything to stay with Lacy, even if it means hurting someone badly. Megan’s husband Michael has cheated on her after nineteen years of marriage and now Megan has to decide what is more important, saving her marriage, or saving her daughter from her dangerous boyfriend!

Tempra, I read Bad Judgment. I absolutely loved it! As everyone may know I gave it a five cup. Why this type of book? And where did the inspiration come from?

Thanks a lot Wateena. I think I cried for about an hour after seeing the review you gave Bad Judgment, thanks again! To tell you the truth nothing inspired me, accept for God. I was sitting on my couch one day thinking about a title for my next book and I came up with the title Seduction at first. I had no idea I was going to write Bad Judgment, none at all. I just started writing and whatever came to my mind, I wrote. My daughter is only seven years old and my son is three, so it is not like I know the experiences of having a teenager, but I know I will have to go through it with my babies, and believe me, I will know what to do if my daughter ends up having a boyfriend like Ryan, it is hard to even think about. I am getting prepared as we speak, lol, NO BOYFRIENDS! LOL.

I noticed that Megan is a very strong female character in Bad Judgment. Do you prefer you heroine's to be Strong?

Yes, I prefer strong characters, because if the character is persistent, it will help keep the reader on the edge of their seat!

Tempra, how do you work your writing life around your family life?

I usually write in the evening after dinner. It is all fairly easy to me. I write when my children are asleep or when my husband is at school. Sometimes I will have my husband keep the children downstairs while I am writing. I will write for about an hour and the rest of my time goes to my family.
What do you like best about being a writer?

I love the fact that readers can relate to the characters. It makes you feel good to know that someone out there is reading your story. I just want to share my gift with the world, and if I can get one reader to get goose bumps I feel like I have done my job.

Has the concept for Bad Judgment been in the works long? Or was this something that came to you all of a sudden?

It came all of the sudden! It took me three weeks to write it and the only reason why it took that long is because I was so emotional when I was writing it. I feel what my characters feel and it is really weird because I feel as if I am going through it with them. It is a good thing I did not write Psycho because my husband would have his work cut out for him, lol.

Tempra what do you find is the hardest in your writing? The Plot,The Characters, beginning a story , research ect...

NONE! It all comes so easy. I do not think about all of that when I am writing. I just start writing and let the characters do the work. I know it might sound silly, but if I have an idea I will write and not stop until it is done.

What are you working on now?

I am working on a short story which will be finished in a couple of days called The Thirst, and also I am working on True Obsession II: Live to Tell, which is a sequel to my first novel, True Obsession.

Tempra; Bad Judgment touched me, as I am sure it touched a lot of women who have read it, what do you hope and want the reader to get out of this story?

Wateena, that is exactly what I wanted to happen. I want the reader to realize that just because this book is fiction, does not mean that it could not happen, or has not. As a mother (parent) it is our responsibility to keep our children safe and out of harms way. We cannot always be there to protect them but we can let them know the danger out in this evil world. If you have teenagers, meet the person they are dating (if they are dating). Set boundaries and get to know the parents as well as the person. Don’t just trust anyone!

Tempra can you tell us what you think would be a perfect romantic evening?

Perfect romantic evening to me would be calling up the babysitter for a few hours, making a candlelight dinner, listening to a little bit of Kenny G and drinking until we drop, lol.

Would you give us you website address?

Yes, it is www.freewebs.com/tcollins I will be getting another website soon that does not start with free, lol.
Tempra is there anything you would like to add before we end our chat?

Yes, I would like to thank all of my fans for supporting me throughout this vivid experience. Also I would like to thank my husband and children for putting up with my mood swings while writing, lol. I dedicate this interview to my loved ones that I lost.

Thank you so much Tempra, I so enjoyed working with you, and look forward to your upcoming books.

It has been a pleasure and I would do it again in a heart beat! Thank You.

Another great author we have learned more about!

On behalf of Coffee Time Romance we thank Ms. Collins for taking time to down with us and get to know more about her and her work. Thanks Ms.Collins.

Wateena
Interviewer for Coffee Time Romance

Today I am speaking with Tempra Collins.

Hi Tempra Collins! I would like to welcome you to Fallen Angel Reviews! It is great to have you with us today. Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to answer questions for us. The readers are eager to hear something about Tempra Collins.

Thank You Linda. It is a pleasure to be here!

First let me say congrats on the Preditors and Editor Poll. I know you are excited. Why not share with your readers the day in your life from the time you wake until you call it a day?

The Predators and Editors Poll was a major shock to me. I was so excited when the results came out and I would like to congratulate everyone who was nominated and voted for.

At six-thirty in the morning, I wake up and get my daughter Leanna ready for school. She is in first grade; I drop her off and kiss my Husband goodbye, he also goes to school, lol. I get my three year old dressed and fed, and by the time I clean the house and do laundry, the day is almost over. I put my son to nap around two in the afternoon, and that is my time to write on my books, peace and quiet!

Would you like to tell us about your tantalizing books and those in progress?

Yes, True Obsession is my first novel which is a thriller/suspense. True Obsession is about a young woman named Flora who led a hard life, and is looking for the one thing, that she was never able to get in life…love! She ends up falling deeply in love with a man and would do anything to be with him, but his feelings end up being anything but mutual towards her. Throughout this novel Flora does anything and everything to be with Kevin (the man she is madly in love with), but has extreme difficulty with him loving her back. In the end Flora is willing to do anything to be with him, even murder!

The book Bad Judgment is my second book. Wow, where do I start? Bad Judgment is a book about a middle aged mother and her struggles to keep her family happy, as well as together. Being a parent is hard enough, but when you’re a parent of a teenage daughter, the struggle seems a little tougher. Megan loves her daughter Lacy and she only wants what is best for her as any parent would, but Lacy is now involved with a boy that in Megan’s eyes seems to be up to no good. Throughout the book Megan tries to keep her daughter away from the boyfriend, but he would do almost anything to stay with Lacy, even if it means hurting someone badly. Megan’s husband Michael has cheated on her after nineteen years of marriage and now Megan has to decide what is more important, saving her marriage, or saving her daughter from her dangerous boyfriend!

If you could change one thing about the way you write, what would it be?

I get way too emotional when I write. That would be the one thing I would change.

What about the one habit you have that you know you’ll never change?

When I get stressed out about a character I run straight to the freezer and grab the ice cream. Now that is habit I will NEVER change, lol.

What is your favorite part of writing?

All of it! I love the imagination, the rush you get when something happens to the characters, good or bad.

What about your least favorite part of writing?

When I am writing and my mind goes blank, that really annoys me especially when the story is getting heated.

Do you miss your characters when you are finished with their tale?

Yes, more than you will ever know! When I am through with my stories I feel as if I am sending one of my children off to college. I do occasionally read my books so I can keep in touch with my characters.

Do you have any characters that you wish you could write about again?

Yes, all of them! I would like to put them all in one book and the title would be “Looney Tunes,” lol.

Every writer dreams about receiving “the call”. What were you doing when yours came in?

I was on the computer checking my emails when I came across a contract in which the publisher looked familiar. I thought it was a joke at first, but when I saw it was real, I jumped through the ceiling and cried for about an hour straight. The feeling was phenomenal!

Did you do anything special to celebrate when you heard about your first contract?

I had my Husband buy a couple of bottles of Champagne and we talked all night about all the things would be able to buy, like mansions, etc. I’ll get there one day!

Do you belong to any groups?

Yes, I belong to Chippewa chatters adult yahoo group. Also I have my own chat group. Tempra Collins yahoo chat @ http://groups.yahoo.com/group/tempracollins_chat

Do you have any unfinished projects sitting around?

Yes, I have written a short story. I wrote my first vampire short story, called The Thirst, and also I have written, True Obsession II: Live to Tell, which is a sequel from my first novel True Obsession. Mother-in-Law’s Tongue is another work of mine, which has been submitted to a publisher and I am awaiting acceptance.

You are planning the “perfect” romantic evening? You can do anything you wish. Is there food involved or music? How would you paint your perfect evening?

Perfect romantic evening to me would be calling up the babysitter for a few hours, making a candlelight dinner, listening to a little bit of Kenny G and drinking until the sun comes up, lol.

For Fun: Name the best appliance ever created? Why will you defend its worth to one and all?

Dishwasher, lol, because I can’t stand washing dishes, even though I don’t have a dishwasher, lol.

I absolutely love the colors on your website. Do you have a website other than www.freewebs.com/tcollins that you would like to share with your readers?

Thank you. Yes www.tempracollins.com is currently under construction and will be available to the public soon.

Thank you so much for sharing time with us today, Tempra. Anyone interested in reading more about Tempra and her fantastic books, please visit her website to read more about her great works. It has been a joy Tempra, and I wish you continued success with your writing.

Interviewed by: Linda L