Guest Author: Wendy Marcus

WINNER!!!!!!

The lucky winner of Wendy's novel is Helen Lacey!! Please contact us at the lovecats Helen and I'll forward your details onto Wendy. Thanks everyone for participating =))

Wendy S. Marcus lives in upstate New York with her husband, two of her three children, and a much loved Bichon Frise named Buddy. A nurse by trade, after years of working in the medical profession, Wendy has taken a radical turn to writing hot contemporary romance with strong heroes, feisty heroines, and lots of laughs. When she’s not writing, she enjoys spending time with her family and blogging/e-mailing/tweeting with her online friends. To learn more about Wendy visit her website, http://www.WendySMarcus.com.

Please welcome debut author Wendy S. Marcus to the Lovecats blog. Wendy’s very first Harlequin Medical Romance: WHEN ONE NIGHT ISN’T ENOUGH, is up for sale in stores and on Amazon UK and Mills and Boon Aus/NZ, coming soon to stores in Aus/NZ and Amazon U.S.

Wendy, thanks for visiting us today, can you tell us a little about yourself?

I am a registered nurse and I hold a Master of Science Degree in Health Care Administration. I have three children ages 19, 17, and 14, a husband and a cuddly Bichon Frise I adore. I live in the beautiful Hudson Valley Region of New York. While I’m a real homebody and prefer family activities to almost anything else, I love to dance and party and channel my wild child when I have the opportunity. (Like RWA national. Anyone going?)

We’re always fascinated by a first sale story—can you tell us yours, and the writing journey that led to your first sale with harlequin?

I started writing in 2007 and received ‘The Call’ in 2010. Here’s how I got there. When I first started out I took a class on writing popular fiction at my local community college. I joined Romance Writers of America and studied books on the craft of writing. I entered RWA contests, and after making the finals of a few, I figured I was ready to start submitting my work. WHEN ONE NIGHT ISN’T ENOUGH is actually the second full manuscript I wrote and I’d planned to submit it to Harlequin Superromance. Then one day, while perusing the Internet, (one of my favorite past times) I came across a link to a pitch contest for Harlequin Medical Romance. I didn’t know much about medical romance but decided since my hero and heroine were doctor and nurse I’d give it a try for some experience. And holy cow! I was one of five winners! I got assigned an editor and under her watchful eye I revised (aka rewrote) my entire manuscript. Twice. Until it was good enough to be called a Harlequin Medical Romance.

What or who is your writing inspiration?

So here’s an odd story. My writing inspiration is Carrie Underwood. Never heard of her? Probably because she’s a country music singer here in the U.S. Here’s a small-town girl who grew up on a farm and had a dream to become a professional singer. So she mustered up her courage and tried out for a huge reality show here in the U.S. – American Idol. Hundreds of thousands of people try out. In 2005 country girl Carrie Underwood, who had never flown on an airplane until American Idol, won. Over the next few years she put out several CDs, won top awards in the music industry, toured the country in concert, had a role in a film, and snagged herself a professional hockey player. Not only do I find her music enjoyable, but I respect her work ethic and am in awe of all she’s accomplished in a few short years. So when I find myself slacking off I remind myself: Carrie Underwood didn’t get where she is today by playing Spider Solitaire/tweeting/facebooking when she should be working.

A brief overview of One Night Isn’t Enough.

Nurse Ali Forshay has found the perfect man for her. Dependable. Routine. Boring. Exactly what she wants to ensure a quiet, stable and anonymous life. Then his friend, Dr. Jared Padget, shows up and goodbye fairytale ending. The man’s a schmoozer. A womanizer. A whoo-a-woman-into-bed-using-any-means-necessary kind of man just like her father. And Ali wants nothing to do with him. But he’s so tempting. Thank goodness his temporary assignment at Madrin Memorial is over, and he’s heading out of town.

If only he hadn’t shown up at girls’ night out on the eve of his departure. If only he hadn’t taken her up on her drunken one-time offer. If only he hadn’t come back when he’d promised to stay away…

Read an excerpt here: http://wendysmarcus.com/excerpt-when-one-night-isnt-enough/

Five words to describe you:

1) Hardworking

2) Friendly

3) Funny

4) Dedicated

5) Trustworthy

Favourite author and/or book?

Choosing one is so hard. Is it okay if I cheat and pick three? Since no one’s here to tell me noooooo…

1) Victoria Dahl

2) Robyn Carr

3) Lisa Kleypas

Favourite writing quote?

“Writing is rewriting. A writer must learn to deepen characters, trim writing and intensify scenes. To fall in love with the first draft to the point where one cannot change it is to greatly enhance the prospects of never publishing.” Richard North Patterson

Writing ambition in five years’ time?

I would love to see a book I wrote for sale at a store in my town. But with the decreasing number of book stores here in the U.S. and the increasing popularity of e-books, I’m not sure how realistic that goal is.

And finally, readers can find out more about you at:

My website: http://WendySMarcus.com

LIKE me on Facebook: Wendy S Marcus

Follow me on Twitter: @WendySMarcus

Friend me on Goodreads: Wendy S Marcus

Thank you so much for having me here today. As part of my blog tour I’m running a contest where the person who visits me at the most stops through August can win a $50.00 (U.S. currency) Amazon gift card. (This is only stop #12 out of 30 so it’s not too late to enter!) Check out my website for details. I’m also giving away a copy of the UK 2in1 edition of my book which includes a full novel by Janice Lynn. All you have to do is pop on over to my website http://WendySMarcus.com and tell me what you think about it. Is there anything you wanted to know but couldn’t find? Anything you particularly like? Didn’t like? Or if you’re running short on time, answer me this: What is your favorite type of medical hero? Male or female.