Author Bio:
As a military brat, I moved around quite a bit as a child. My home town is a little spec on the map in the middle of Texas.
Now, I live in Maryland with my patient, loving husband and a much burdened cat. Every morning, though I’m sure he would love nothing more than to sleep in and enjoy a life of leisure, my timid, black Siamese wakes me without fail at four o’clock, often with a triumphant whooping meow having acquired breakfast for me of some poor unsuspecting mammal who could weigh up to and including his own body weight.
I love to spend my days cuddled up with a good book, or creating my own heartwarming, spicy romances. With a vivid imagination, and penchant for creating sizzling stories filled with strong, insufferable men and women who turn their worlds upside, I write with passion eager to explore new projects. My books combine heartfelt, endless love with scandalous, steamy eroticism that will leave you panting for more.
What inspires you to write?
I am an emotion driven writer, and I strive to draw out a strong emotional connection between my characters and readers in each scene and chapter. I remember feeling compelled, delighted, troubled, and excited while reading, and romance fiction drew forth the strongest emotional response from me. I knew when I decided to write, my passion was for erotic romance, and those stories were the ones burning inside me to tell.
I find inspiration in the strangest places.
One day I turned on my TV to just veg out, and during the three second delay where I could hear the program, but could only see a black screen, I heard one man telling another, “There you go, start slow and get the rhythm. Now faster.” The second man’s, gruff grunt answered him, and the first man continued patiently, “I know it hurts. You can do it.”
With a huge grin on my face, I watched the screen finally click on to find a survivalist teaching the proper technique for starting a fire using two sticks. I quickly wrote down what I heard, and imagined how that very scene would play out.
Who would hear, and like me, misread their situation? How would the scene play out if one of the men were a woman?
My mind will just snow balls until I have written three chapters and then I look at my clock and find I didn’t get to watch the program at all.
Tell us about your writing process.
Every morning I am the first awake. I feel most creative first thing in the morning so I often write while enjoying a steamy cup of coffee. My affection for the beverage lends itself to most all of my characters. I often find I have written two or three paragraphs describing filling a coffee pot with chilled water, smelling it percolate with a moistened tongue and savoring the warm flavored brew, creamy and sweet as it fills the character with euphoria.
After the compulsory homage to coffee, I let my ideas flow and follow where the story leads.
I write at least two books at a time. Right now I am in the middle of writing three stories. One book I have only a few chapters written down, another halfway finished, and another a few paragraphs. I have never been able to just write one story start to finish, than go onto the next.
I try to put myself in each of my character’s places. See things through their minds and perspectives, and tell their story the way they would want it told. I enjoy torturing my heroes and turning their worlds asunder, then bring in a woman they can’t resist and torture them more.
For Fiction Writers: Do you listen (or talk to) to your characters?
I do try to interact with my characters, but the ones I like best are aloof, brooding, no-nonsense stoic heartthrobs that don’t have time for my silly questions. I can’t help myself. I tell them, they can resist temptation, and then I pen a woman they find they can’t live without. Maybe my characters don’t talk to me because just when they discover their true love, and source of happiness I take it away, knock them down, drag them around a little before letting them find happiness.
As most of the male leads I write are soldiers or warriors, they should be used to getting knocked down and built back up again. At least that is what I tell them.
Who are your favorite authors?
The first book I ever read in its entirety was Stephen King’s Carrie. I was around fourteen, and the next novels I ventured were his The Gunslinger series. Loved all of them. At one time, long ago, I could boast I had read everything by Stephen King. But that was a very long time ago. I’m afraid after I read my first Harlequin romance around age eighteen, King lost me for a time.
How did you decide how to publish your books?
I love the control and direction I can give my books by publishing independently. Although the benefits of having a publisher can make a great impact on promotion and distribution, I enjoy remaining true to my story. Self-publishing frees me from the influence of gimmicks such as the current fad of publishing a forth of a book for full price and leading the reader on to pay four times the price for the same full length book I pride myself on providing.
What do you think about the future of book publishing?
Publishing has come such a long way from typing out a manuscript, mailing it to publishing houses, and praying someone found the time to read your writing and take a chance. I’m excited to see what the future holds.
What genres do you write?
erotic romance, fantasy, paranormal, sci-fi, military
What formats are your books in?
eBook, Print
Website(s)
Aleena Stark Home Page Link
Link To Aleena Stark Page On Amazon
