After five seemingly short weeks (okay, four and a half, but who’s counting?), we’ve arrived at our last and final American Title finalist, LEXIE O’NEILL.

MAI: Thank you for joining us here today, Lexie. And don’t worry about being the last finalist interviewed. The phrase “save the best for last” certainly applies here, so don’t be shy. Please tell us the title of your book.

LEXIE: Backwoods Invader

MAI: Okay, correct me if I’m wrong, but I’m picturing aliens with a title like that! What is Backwoods Invader about?

LEXIE: Treynan Rodale, the equivalent of a prince in space, completes a mission guaranteed to bring him promotion when he crashes in the backwoods of Virginia. Stranded, he must rely on the help of the locals. Delaney Harris is working to get off the farm and away from domineering men. Her tendency to help the hurt makes her reach out to the alien on her doorstep. With Delaney’s help, Treynan finally finds a substitute fuel so he can go home, but when he and Delaney share one last day alone, she doesn’t see the snake that bites her. He can’t leave her behind, but if he takes her with him…he can’t avoid taking the inheritance he’d thought to give away.

MAI: I knew it! Aliens, lol. And I’m especially intrigued by what Treynan used as substitute for fuel. Think I can find some of that for my car these days? Okay, so I’ll leave off the dry humor and politically (in)correct and in appropriate everyday issues. Please, hold off on your tomato throwing for just a little longer for Lexie’s sake.

Back to business. Lexie, please tell us how long you’ve been writing.

LEXIE: I started writing in third grade. In fifth grade, my class put on a play I wrote. I regaled my sisters with stories of the Monstrous Goop, the monster emerging from dirty dishwater to devour unsuspecting parents. In eighth grade, I wrote a novel about the kitchen we never knew in which the household cleaners kidnapped Mrs. Salt. I won a creative writing award in high school. I minored in Creative Writing at Hollins College. After graduating, I wrote another novel, submitted it, got rejected, had no idea what to do and went to graduate school to become a psychologist. A PhD and two kids later, I began to write again. So…thirteen years minus all the gaps. ?

MAI: Wow! I’m impressed by the extent of your creativity. Very interesting and unique concepts you have there. Please tell us a little about how this book came about.

LEXIE: I actually had a dream in high school about a field that I’d never seen holding a hidden, abandoned space ship hangar. The next day, I searched and found the field, but, alas, no space ships. College, graduate school, and kids kept me busy, but the idea stuck with me. I joined RWA in 2002, and started writing again. This is the third manuscript I have completed.

MAI: There was a reason that dream stuck with you for so long. Look where it landed you! What was your expectation when you first entered the contest?

LEXIE: This is the fifth contest I’ve entered. The first contest I entered, one of the judges actually recommended I take classes in grammar! Since I’d taught English Comp for a couple of years at the college level, I was dumbfounded. But I listened, I revised. And I revised. I was a finalist in the Linda Howard Award of Excellence contest in the fourth contest, so I thought I might have a chance with this one. At the same time, that score of 23 is going to stick with me forever—I don’t take anything for granted! Just hope…

MAI: I’m so glad you persevered. Tell me, what was your reaction when you learned you were a finalist?

LEXIE: I ran down the hall and told a colleague at work—wonder what everyone thought when they saw me running!!!!

MAI: I can only imagine! What has been the most rewarding part of this experience so far?

LEXIE: Meeting the other contestants, past contestants, and even the Romantic Times staff. Even on-line, their warmth and cool-ness shines through.

MAI: What has been the worst part of this experience so far?

LEXIE: Some people I know might not understand about my writing romance, so having to be quiet in some places is a problem! And, surprisingly, it’s not my church—they’re supportive!!

MAI: In one word, how would you describe this experience?

LEXIE: Woohoo!

MAI: LOL. I like that description! What kind of advice do you have for other American Title hopefuls and/or aspiring writers?

LEXIE: I’m not sure I’m qualified?, but I’m glad to share advice given to me. I was writing along, happily completing my first few manuscripts when a more experienced member of my RWA chapter asked me what I was waiting for? I honestly thought I should wait to submit anything until I was “good enough.” I’d probably still be waiting! So, my advice is get out there—submit to contests, ask people you know to read your stuff, can it be worse than a 23?

MAI: Wonderful advice. Any last words?

LEXIE: Thank you so much for this opportunity! Thank you for the opportunity to share with the wonderful people reading this, and thanks to Dorchester and Romantic Times for the opportunity to be part of American Title IV.

MAI: And thank you, Lexie, for your time today and for being on this journey with me and the other finalists. I truly consider myself humbled to be beside the nine of you. Best of luck in the competition!

Now, was I kidding when I said we’ve saved the best for last? What an amazing interview! And for those of you wondering, no, these interviews aren’t scripted. If they were, we’d have no interview at the moment due to the strike.

Okay, bad joke again. My apologies. Truly this time.

I’ve just realized that this is the last time I will get to talk to you guys and appeal to all of you to show your support by voting for your favorite American Title finalist. I truly hope that you’ve enjoyed the interviews and that you’ve gained some insight to the personalities of each finalist and the stellar stories they’ve written.

If you have not already done so, please leave immediately from Sylvia’s blog after finishing this interview to the American Title Contest page at Romantic Times http://www.romantictimes.com/news_amtitle3.php and cast your vote for one of the eight remaining finalists. Remember that every vote counts. Your vote could be the determining factor in who gets to be the next American Title winner!

I will make the final prize winner selections on Sunday, November 25th (the last day to vote!) from the comments left here. The winners will receive very cool prizes donated by Sylvia Day and her author friends.

I would like to say three more things before signing off.

First, thank you to the wonderful Goddess, Sylvia Day, for allowing me to take over your blog these past five weeks. Your generosity and sincere enthusiasm to help promote us finalists have not gone unnoticed. I hope to one day be able to pay back a fraction of what you’ve given me and my fellow finalist-mates by allowing me to post our interviews here. And please tell your friends a huge THANK YOU for the wonderful prize donations.

Secondly, I want to say a very special and heartfelt thank you to everyone for keeping up with these interviews and for your support and votes. You have no idea the depth of gratitude we have for your continued support and vote. As the contest progresses, I hope all of you will continue to support us and cast your votes through all five rounds to determine who will be the next American Title winner. Spoken as a current finalist and recipient of the cutting criticism from the three judges, your votes speak volumes and your comments help brighten our day and act as healing balm to the wounds left by the judges and from putting ourselves “out there”.

And lastly, I want to thank all the finalists again for these wonderful interviews. It has been my sincere pleasure to write these interviews and share them with the rest of the world. I am honored to be counted as one of you, an American Title finalist, and to be amongst your midst. You guys are all truly winners in my book. Wishing only the best of luck to each of you.

And a very special thanks to last year’s American Title winner, Jenny Gardiner, and to past finalists Judi Fennell and Meretta Pater for your guidance through the process.

If you’ve enjoyed getting to know the American Title IV finalists and would like to see more of us, please join us over at our blog, Title Magic. The blog has been newly created and will not be officially up and running for another couple of weeks while we hash out the logistics. But once it is up and running, we’d love to see all of you there!

In the meantime, you can find us online at Romantic Times each time you log in to vote!

It has been my greatest pleasure to do these interviews. Have a wonderful week!!

Mai Christy Thao
www.maichristythao.com
American Title IV finalist – Prince of Darkness

Aside from Sylvia:

Thank you so much, Mai, for interviewing all the finalists! And thanks to all the finalists for giving us a chance to learn a little bit more about you and your stories! I wish all of you every success. ((hugs))

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