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LATEST RELEASE
SECOND CHANCE BABY - A. C. Arthur -
Harlequin Kimani/Romance -
0-37386-084-6
Unwilling to raise her
baby with an absentee, workaholic father, Felicia wants a
divorce. Her husband convinces her to give him another
chance. But as they rediscover the passion they'd lost, will
it be enough to make them a family?
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Name: AC Arthur
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Date of Birth: 9/26
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Occupation: Paralegal/Author
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City of Residence: Catonsville
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Favorite Color: Blue
1. Are you a full time author?
Not quite. I work three days a week and write the rest.
2. When you’re not writing, what do you like to do in
your spare time?
I plan events (weddings, parties, etc), read and watch old
movies.
3. What would you say is responsible for your critical
success and your popularity with readers?
I don’t really know, but whatever it is, I hope its
working. J Seriously, I don’t think there’s one
particular thing that I do that accounts for
success or popularity. I thank God everyday for the
gift, try to be honest and sincere in everything that I
do and just pray that my good intentions come across.
4. What would you consider to be your greatest
accomplishment (as a writer) to date?
Getting published. I will never forget how tough the
road to publication was. That’s something I don’t take
for granted at all.
5. If you were introducing a new reader to your work,
which one would you choose and why?
I think I’d have to say WITHIN THE SHADOWS or
GUARDING HIS BODY because I think both of those
books encompass the best aspects of my work: emotional
conflict, suspense and hot love scenes!
6. Tell us a bit about your most recent releases,
INDECENT PROPOSAL and this month’s SECOND CHANCE BABY.
INDECENT PROPOSAL is my first mainstream project.
It’s the story of four women and one weekend that
changes all their lives. I think I’d describe this book
as a smoking hot collage of betrayal and revenge.
SECOND CHANCE BABY is my contribution to Kimani’s
newest continuity: The Braddocks. It’s Tyson and Felicia
Braddock’s struggle to maintain their marriage, their
goals and their sanity, all while trying to figure out
who murdered Tyson’s father. I love reunion/second
chance romances so this storyline was right up my alley.
7. SECOND CHANCE BABY is part of a continuity with three
other authors. How difficult is it being a part of this
kind of series and working with other authors?
It was difficult in that the story was mostly outlined
for me so I had to work a little harder to get to know
the characters and bring them to life. From the
standpoint of working with fantastic (and legendary)
authors such as Adrianne Byrd, Robyn Amos and Brenda
Jackson, well, let’s just say that I was truly honored.
8. What is it like working for six different publishers
(Kimani Romance, Genesis, Urban Books, Parker Publishing,
Ellora's Cave and Cobblestone Press)?
Hectic. LOL Some days are better than others, like the
times when deadlines aren’t overlapping. But I am so
thankful for the opportunity to spread my writing wings.
Each story I write for each publisher is different and
more challenging than the last. It certainly keeps me
motivated.
9. Along with romance for those publishers, you
also write erotica for Ellora Cave under the Sapphire Blue
pseudonym. Tell us about the genre and the books you’ve
written. And of course, I want to find out why the foray
into erotica?
Sapphire Blue writes erotica...red hot, explicit, taboo,
you name it she writes it! The stories I write for
Ellora's Cave are paranormals (shape shifters,
futuristic, witches, etc), they are still romantic but
the focus is more on the developing physical
relationship and the alternative worlds the characters
live in. My latest Sapphire Blue release is actually
from Cobblestone Press titled Fever, it's my first
vampire story and its part of a twenty-five book series.
For a complete list of Sapphire Blue stories visit
www.sapphirestories.com.
Why erotica, because my romance editors had to draw the
line at my love scenes somewhere. LOL After a while I
figured maybe I just need to write an erotica story that
way I won't be breaking the rules. I like to read
different genres and as such I write what I like to
read. But I figured using a pen name was best for the
erotica because I didn't want my romance readers picking
up a book that was too hot or too extreme for their
tastes.
9. What has been the most difficult thing about being a
published author who write African-America Romance?
Getting the books on the shelves in large bookstores.
Most Kimani books are on the shelves, but you have to
search high and low to find them. But even as I write
for different publishers I find that the battle is still
the same.
10. What are you working on right now?
Just finished the sequel to INDECENT PROPOSAL,
working on another installment in my Donovan series for
Kimani and a paranormal under my pen name, Sapphire
Blue.
11. How have you grown as a writer since the release of
your first book, OBJECT OF HIS DESIRE (Genesis Press) in
2003?
I’ve learned more about the business, first off, and
that’s always a plus. On the writing front I think my
growth comes in character development, really getting to
know my characters and writing them in a way that the
readers will get to know them as well. I re-read
Object of His Desire earlier this year because it
was being re-released and could see lots of places where
my writing was weak. I attribute this growth to the
great editors that I’ve had the pleasure of working with
and their endless supply of red pens!
12. What are some of your favorite authors, genres,
and/or books?
For romantic suspense I love Maureen Smith and Nora
Roberts. For paranormal Lora Leigh. For contemporary
romance Gwyneth Bolton and Adrianne Byrd. I read some
mainstream and erotica but I don’t really have a
favorite in those genres, just read whatever book
catches my eye in those categories.
13.What advice or encouragement do you have for aspiring
authors?
If you don’t have a tough skin, grow one, the literary
industry can be brutal! But remain focused, don’t let the
small stuff discourage you.
14. How can readers contact you?
acarthur22@yahoo.com
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