New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author Victoria Ashley grew up in Rockford, IL and has had a passion for reading for as long as she can remember. After finding a reading app where it allowed readers to upload their own stories, she gave it a shot and writing became her passion.
She lives for a good romance book with bad boys that are just highly misunderstood and is not afraid to be caught crying during a good read. When she’s not reading or writing about bad boys, you can find her watching her favorite shows such as Sons Of Anarchy, Dexter and True Blood.
She is the author of Wake Up Call, This Regret and Slade and is currently working on more works for 2014.
Loren Kleinman (LK): What’s your definition of a bad boy? What are the key characteristics of good bad boy in romance novels?
Victoria Ashley (VA): Let’s see…my definition of a bad boy would have to be dark, mysterious, tatted, confident and don’t take crap from anyone. Well they don’t have to be tatted, but I like them to be. They do what they want when they want and when they want someone, they make sure that person knows. They’re not afraid of what others think and they’re not afraid to play dirty when it comes to the woman they love. I love that about bad boys in novels. When they want that special woman they do anything to get and keep them. That’s what makes good bad boy novels.
LK: Are bad boys misunderstood?
VA: I would like to believe that most bad boys are but I can’t say that about all of them. I have met my share of bad boys in real life and I have to say it is much different in person than what you read about in fictional books. I guess we would all like to believe that we can help these bad boys in some kind of way and bring out the good that is buried deep. Sometimes we find that and sometimes we don’t. Sometimes it’s worth the chance—at least from what we all read about in fictional books. Those are usually my favorite reads.
LK: If you could date anyone of your characters in Slade, who would it be and why?
VA: I would have to say Hemy. He may seem a bit intimidating but he has a big heart and will stop at nothing when it comes to the woman he loves, even if that means getting stomped on in the process. His dedication is beautiful and it’s hard not to fall for him. He’s dangerously sexy but also has a huge heart. You got to love him.
LK: What is your writing philosophy and take on writers’ craft?
VA: My philosophy on writing is to write because it’s something you enjoy doing. Like with any career that is part of the public, you put yourself out there as a writer, underneath a microscope to the public eye. Sometimes it burns you when you see a bad review, but the hard part is to take each review and try to find a positive even when there is none. Strive to make each manuscript better in a sense that you make fewer errors than before. The key is to still remain true to self, but to better your skill with each book.
LK: Talk about what inspired you to write Slade.
VA: This is a hard one for me to answer. To be honest, it sort of just popped in my head one day. I’ve written two pretty long novels and I really just thought it would be a nice change to write a novella for fun. I wanted something that I could have fun with and would entertain people. I thought what would be better than a series about sexy as sin male strippers. So I figured I would do it for fun and take a little break for a while before dedicating my time to a full novel.
LK: How are the characters in your books relatable?
VA: Well most of the men seem to be tatted and pierced. Mostly on the bad boy side but always have a huge heart that has been broken in some kind of way. They’re strong, protective, and confident and love deeply. The women all seem to be pretty different in each one but strong and loving.
LK: Do you think the “damsel in distress” is an overused theme in romance novels? Why or why not?
VA: Not really. I mean every writer has their own way of writing and twisting things. It all makes for great entertainment in books and I don’t believe it will ever get old.
LK: What are some of your favorite books and authors? Why?
VA: Jake Undone and My Skylar by Penelope Ward and Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire. They’re very addicting reads and the authors make me feel as if I know these characters. I would fall asleep thinking about these books and wake up thinking about these books. I do believe these three books will stay at the top of my favorites list for a very long time. I will definitely rush to buy any books these two authors will give us.
LK: What do you consider more important in a novel: story, language or both? Why?
VA: In a novel I don’t really think there is one specific aspect that is more important than another. Each novel has its own story, its own language that makes it stand apart from all others. Each novel is part of its creator, made in the mind of the writer and transcribed to paper. When we read a novel it’s to escape into the story that was created and to experience it the way the writer wanted us to experience it. To say that one aspect is more important than another is to say that there is a right or wrong way to write a novel and I just don’t feel like that’s the case. Each novel is beautiful in a different way because it is unique. You can have more than one or the other as well as an equal part of both and still have a great novel.
LK: How do you weave a compelling hook?
VA: I strongly believe this: to experience every emotion while reading is the recipe to a great book. As an author, if I can laugh, cry, get mad, and sad all while transferring the story from my mind to the script and then evoke the same emotions from my reader, I’ve accomplished what I set out to do. If the characters become real in the minds of the readers then I believe you have created a compelling book.
LK: I loved the book My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult. How do you think this particular passage from the book relates to misunderstood bad boys: “You don’t love someone because they’re perfect, you love them in spite of the fact that they’re not.”
VA: Most women want a man that is imperfectly perfect. We all know that the traditional fairy tale in life doesn’t exist. The perfect guy+ the perfect girl= happily ever after. That would be boring right? When you find a man that went off the deep end a little bit and strayed, but the love of a woman brought him back, made him love, and change, it’s heart wrenching and more powerful of a story. Misunderstood bad boys are my favorite characters to read. Why, because they have layers that you get to peel back as you read the story and in turn you fall so deeply in love with them that they are left in your heart and mind for weeks, months, and years to come. When you look back and pull the characters from your like-box that are closest to your heart, what characters are they 99% of the time? Misunderstood bad boys. At the start of the story they disgust you, piss you off, and make you think how could any woman want to be with him, but then they find that one woman that changes it all and they melt your heart in two. It’s then that you start to fall in love with all of the imperfections that were there from the beginning.
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