Steamy Encounter - Samantha Gentry

Please welcome my special guest this week, Scarlet Rose author Samantha Gentry who has an October release today, Steamy Encounter, with The Wilder Roses (over 18 only, please!)

Thanks for popping in today, Samantha! Over to you!

I'm currently living in Kansas, but have lived most of my life in the Los Angeles area.

For 20 years I worked in television production before becoming a full time writer. For many years photography was my avocation and that's what started me writing—non-fiction magazine articles to accompany my photographs. The writing eventually segued into fiction and novels.

As Shawna Delacorte, I have 21 novels published with Harlequin. My first Samantha Gentry ebook was published in January 2006. In addition to writing, I also teach an 8 week fiction writing class at the state university twice a year.

Can you tell us a little about your book, Steamy Encounter?

First I'd like to thank you for having me here today in conjunction with the October 3 release date for my book.

STEAMY ENCOUNTER is a novella of approximately 20,000 words which The Wild Rose Press designates as a Miniature Rose. It's the third of my Encounter novellas to be available through The Wild Rose Press. The other two are UNEXPECTED ENCOUNTER and MASKED ENCOUNTER. It was originally published by Triskelion Publishing and released shortly before they filed bankruptcy, so it was only available for a limited period of time. There have been some changes from its original form.

Both my hero and my heroine have past relationship baggage so that neither of them are looking for a relationship, but the attraction each feels draws them together in spite of that. Just a harmless no-strings-attached fling that quickly spirals out of control and becomes so much more.

How did the idea for the plot come about?

Normally an idea for a story comes from one event or incident that brings the hero and heroine together for the first time. I start by asking myself what events led up to that situation (usually the outer conflict of the story to be resolved) and why were the hero and heroine present at that moment to give context to the event. What inner conflict issues do the hero and heroine have that puts them at odds with regard to that event. However...

The story idea for STEAMY ENCOUNTER actually came to me from the title I had settled on for the next Encounter book rather than deciding on a title that fit the story...definitely a little bit of a backward way of writing a book. I made a list of steamy situations. One of them was the concept of an outdoor hot tub at a winter ski resort, the hot water combining with the cold air to produce a lot of steam so that the word steamy would have a double meaning -- literal with the steam rising from the water and figurative with the hot encounter between hero and heroine. It didn't take long for me to decide the hot tub should be a natural hot spring.


I love sale stories (ok I am just nosy!!) so can you tell us about your road to publication - and your call story?

I took a screen writing class at UCLA. When I finished the class, I decided I wasn't interested in screen writing, but did want to try writing a novel. My only writing experience at that point had been some published non-fiction magazine articles. The story idea I had been working on during the class turned out to my surprise to be a comtemporary romance even though I had not consciously set out to write a romance. I finished it as a novel, then wrote a second one. It was my third completed manuscript that became my first sale. I had submitted it to Silhouette for their Desire line. I got "the call" at my office shortly after lunch on a Friday. I took off the rest of the day, called everyone I knew, then immediately started to worry about whether I'd ever be able to sell a second book. That book was SARAH AND THE STRANGER, released in August 1992.

We are all about the love here, so please share your fave books, movies, TV shows or current fantasy squeeze (it's all in the line of research!)

I like mysteries. I think most of my favorite movies are mysteries and romantic suspense. One of my all time favorites is Charade with Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn.

With television shows, it seems that most of my current interest is with various forensic/cop type shows: CSI Miami, CSI New York, Criminal Minds, Numbers, and Bones. But for a change of pace I also love the half hour situation comedy Two And A Half Men. Right now, except for the occasional special of some sort and the local newscasts, that's about the only broadcast station television I watch. I am looking forward to two new series that sound interesting: The Mentalist, and Eleventh Hour both on CBS.

As far as cable is concerned, my most watched channels are History, Travel, Tru and A&E (with some Discovery and TLC thrown in). And two or three of the regular shows on HGTV such as Designed To Sell. I also have several documentary type shows that I like such as Forensic Files on Tru-TV (formerly Court TV) and Weird Travels/Creepiest Destinations on the Travel Channel and other paranormal documentaries.

As for my fantasy squeeze ... he's quite often the hero I'm currently writing.


What are you working on now?

I am currently working on editor requested revisions for my next Encounter book, DECEPTIVE ENCOUNTER, that I hope to have under contract soon with the Scarlet Rose line of erotic romances from The Wild Rose Press. I'm also expecting the first round of edits on DEJA VU, an upcoming contracted release from the Crimson Rose line of romantic suspense at The Wild Rose Press.

And on top of that, I have several works in progress in various stages of completion.

In addition to writing, I also teach an eight week fiction writing class twice a year at the state university. I've been teaching this class for going on eleven years. I'm in the middle of the current session which ends October 22.


How can readers keep up with your writing and books?

Through my website at http://www.samanthagentry.com/

I readily admit that I don't understand the ins and outs of constructing and maintaining a website, so I send my webmistress monthly updates and she does the technical stuff. My website includes current releases -- cover, blurb, excerpts, reviews, and publisher link. There is also information about my upcoming releases and new contracts.

In addition to information about my books, I have a website contest which is usually about movie trivia. The current one (ending October 15) is Harrison Ford movies (hmmm...perhaps I should have added Harrison to my answer about fantasy squeeze ).
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