Welcome back as we continue with our American Title finalists interviews. Wow, has it already been a week? Don’t forget that first round voting ends on Sunday, October 28th, so if you haven’t voted yet, please take a moment after the interview to check out the rest of the American Title finalists and vote for your favorite finalist! Every vote counts and we, the finalists, appreciate the votes and support from you.

Also, don’t forget to leave a comment for a chance to win a wonderful prize! Last week, three lucky commentators won prizes. This week, I’m picking two winners from each interview, so leave your comments and don’t forget to vote!

MAI: Today we have with us ANITRA LYNN MCLEOD. Anitra, can you tell us the title of your manuscript that finaled?

ANITRA: Thief

MAI: Interesting title. Makes me curious as to if it’s a thief of hearts or thief of something else. Please tell us what your book is about by giving a short blurb.

ANITRA: Buck Rogers meets the Wild Wild West!

MAI: Ooh, I like that! How long have you been writing?

ANITRA: 29 years

MAI: Tell us a little about how this book came about.

ANITRA: I love sci-fi and westerns so I merged them into a western flavored futuristic. I also love kick-ass heroines and those strong but silent alpha heroes.

MAI: What was your expectation when you first entered the contest?

ANITRA: Thought I had nothing to lose and I might get some feedback.

MAI: What was your reaction when you learned you were a finalist?

ANITRA: I thought someone was messing with me! I read the email four times, printed it out, read it about twenty times then finally believed it and wrote back to Leah. Then, I couldn’t decide who to call first! I ended up calling my dad first since my mom passed away three years ago.

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

ANITRA: Meeting the other contestants. I knew most of them from the contest circuit so it was fun to get to know them better. Also, in doing the PR work, a lot of folks in SLC were really excited and couldn’t wait to help me spread the word. For a big city, Salt Lake can be more like a small town in many ways.

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

ANITRA: Nerves. I feel like a flasher wrenching open my trench coat, hoping that folks don’t point and laugh!

MAI: LOL. That’s one way of putting it! In one word, how would you describe this experience?

ANITRA: Exciting!

MAI: What kind of advice do you have for other American Title hopefuls and/or aspiring writers?

ANITRA: Something I took from previous AT finalists–have fun with it. Enjoy the ride. And for other aspiring writers–never give up. Take chances by entering contests, networking, getting involved. You really have nothing to lose and a lot to gain.

MAI: Wonderful advice. And last question. Any last words?

ANITRA: I just want to thank everyone for all the support. I find the writing community one of the most generous and fun of all the groups of people I know. Thanks for the interview, Mai!

MAI: You’re very welcome, Anitra. Thanks for allowing me to interview you, and good luck in the competition.

Alright, now before you hurry off to vote for your favorite finalist, don’t forget to leave a comment for a chance to win a cool prize! On behalf of all the American Title finalists, I thank each one of you for your support.

Good luck to all the finalists and I’ll see everyone back here on Thursday!

Mai Christy Thao
www.maichristythao.com

Aside from Sylvia:

You can visit Anitra at: www.anitramcleod.com

And GO VOTE! (direct link here: Vote on the Best First Line!)

Thank you!

Welcome back as I crash Sylvia’s blog once more to introduce our second American Title IV finalist. If you haven’t already done so, please go vote for your favorite finalist at www.romantictimes.com/news_amtitle.php immediately following reading this interview. This first round of voting ends on October 28th!!

And don’t forget to leave a comment here with your email address for a chance to win some cool prizes donated by the Goddess, Sylvia Day, and her friends.

MAI: Please join me in welcoming TRISH MILBURN as our next American Title IV finalist. Trish, what is the title of your book?

TRISH: Out of Sight

MAI: Give us the blurb of your book.

TRISH: Imagine what you could find out if you could make yourself invisible at will. Jenna McCay finds out when she gives a whole new meaning to “undercover” while seeking a potential presidential assassin sending threats from within the White House.

MAI: How long have you been writing?

TRISH: I began during college, but it was sporadic because of classes and my work schedule. Serious, regular fiction writing with the aim of publication began in 1996.

MAI: Tell us a little about how this book came about:

TRISH: It was one of those “what if” questions — What could you find out or accomplish for good if you could make yourself invisible?

MAI: What was your expectation when you first entered the contest?

TRISH: Of course I hoped to final, but I honestly entered with the thought, “What do I have to lose?”

MAI: What was your reaction when you learned you were a finalist?

TRISH: I was ridiculously happy. I read the e-mail, my heart rate went up, I let out a “squee” and danced around my office.

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

TRISH: A couple of things — how nice and supportive the other finalists are, and how wonderful and happy for me my friends and family are.

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

TRISH: Hmm, I honestly can’t think of one other than the knowledge that one of the very talented finalists can win. If I had my wish, all of the finalists’ books would be published. I figure the romance reading public is voracious and there’s enough room on the bookshelves — and readers’ shopping carts — for all of us.

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

TRISH: Exciting.

MAI: What kind of advice do you have for other American Title hopefuls and/or aspiring writers?

TRISH: Go for it. When you see opportunities, grab them. And be nice. Even though it might not seem like it, the industry is a small one. If you say something bad about someone, be it another writer, editors, agents, whoever, it’s likely to bite you at some point down the road. I’ve seen this happen to people, and it’s painful to watch. Finally, never ever give up if being published is your dream. The piles of rejections are going to really suck, especially after you’ve been at the writing gig for a long time, but just think of it this way — with each one, you’re one rejection closer to The Call.

MAI: Any last words?

TRISH: Thank you very much for this opportunity. I truly appreciate it. And huge good luck to all my fellow finalists. Let’s kick butt, girls!

MAI: Thank you for your time with us today, Trish. And good luck to you as well!

Alright now. Before you hurry off to vote (if you haven’t done so already), leave a comment for a chance to win some wonderful prizes! I’ve enjoyed all the comments posted by everyone so far. And I hope that these interviews have given you a better insight into our finalists and their winning manuscripts. I say winning here because honestly, these are ten exceptional manuscripts that Dorchester is willing to stand behind and publish regardless of who wins the American Title.

Thank you for your comments and support. And for your votes. I look forward to seeing everyone again next Tuesday with our next American Title IV finalist interview! And good luck finalists!!

Mai Christy Thao
http://maichristythao.com

Aside from Sylvia:

You can visit Trish at: www.trishmilburn.com

And GO VOTE! (direct link here: Vote on the Best First Line!)

Thank you!

Hello everyone! I want to give a very sincere thank you to the wonderful Goddess, Sylvia Day, for allowing me to take over her blog every Tuesday and Thursday from now until November 15th as I introduce and interview our ten American Title IV finalists. And believe me, she IS a Goddess. She’s offered to give away a prize to one lucky reader for every interview I do. To qualify to win, all you have to do is post a comment. A winner will be picked by yours truly by process of random selection (or depending on who’s comment I like best *grin*).

Before I begin, what is the American Title?

In a nutshell, the American Title Contest is the annual contest held by Romantic Times Magazine to discover the next great romance writer. Ten finalists are selected from the sea of entries by editors at Dorchester Publishing. Excerpts of their work are then posted online at www.romantictimes.com for five rounds of voting by readers, with two finalists eliminated at the end of each round. The winner will be announced at the annual RT Convention in April and will receive a publishing contract from Dorchester Publishing for the winning manuscript. This year, the theme for the contest is paranormal.

To kick this off (and because I get first pick for doing the interviews), I’ll start by interviewing myself as the first American Title IV finalist.

MAI: Today we have MAI CHRISTY THAO with us. Mai, what is the title of your book?

MAI: Prince of Darkness

MAI: Give us the blurb of your book.

MAI: A blind princess who sees a man the world has forsaken is determined to fight for him. Yet, this prince cursed to hide in shadows harbors a terrible secret that could be her salvation, or her destruction.

MAI: How long have you been writing?

MAI: 6 years

MAI: Tell us a little about how this book came about.

MAI: Never in my wildest imagination had I thought I’d write this book. PRINCE OF DARKNESS had never been intended. It is the second book in my Zenith fantasy series. The hero, Prince Kym’rin, was the antagonist in the first book under the alias of Lord Mortimir. When I’d written the first book, I made Lord Mortimir out to be this great evil-of-all-evils guy. I had every intention of killing him off. I even gave him these glowing red eyes. But somewhere near the end of the first book when I delved deeper into the secretive Lord Mortimir’s past I began to humanize him. When my heroine in the first book asked Lord Mortimir what he wanted from them and he replied simply, “To live,” I hit my head against the wall. Literally. There was no way I could bring myself to kill him off now, and so Kym’rin’s story was born.

MAI: What makes this book special?

MAI: This book is very dear to my heart. My two characters are tortured souls. I was emotionally drained writing this story. I recall bawling until my eyes were red while writing certain parts of the story because of the intensity of emotions in the scene. It paid off. My critique partners have commented at how the emotions rise from the pages of this particular story to grip them. You know the phrase every author uses to describe their book as their “blood, sweat and tears”? Well, there was no blood shed (thankfully), but I sure cried enough to go through my entire box of Kleenex and sweated when the tension in the story escalated.

MAI: What was your expectation when you first entered the contest?

MAI: I was confident I’d final. Okay, so maybe not confident, but very hopeful. And I did lots of praying!

MAI: What was your reaction when you learned you were a finalist?

MAI: I thought they’d made a mistake and emailed the wrong person. I wanted to email back and say, “Are you sure?” but I was afraid to. I waited 2 days without saying a word, expecting to see a second email retracting the first.

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

MAI: Knowing without a doubt I have not only the support of all my friends, family, and fellow writers, but the support of my fellow finalists as well.

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

MAI: The waiting. The voting process, praying I don’t get voted off. The marketing process. Not wanting to be like, “Vote for me!” but secretly wishing everyone would. Oh, and getting shredded by the judges. Yikes!

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

MAI: Nerve-wracking.

MAI: What kind of advice do you have for other American Title hopefuls and/or aspiring writers?

MAI: Anything is possible. Write the best book you can, continue to learn and build your writer’s toolbox, and dream big. Oh, and never give up.

MAI: Any last words?

MAI: Umm… Vote for me! =)

Phew! Talk about seeing double! If you got tired of me talking to myself about myself, fear not! Thursday we introduce our second American Title IV finalist.

But don’t wait to vote. Voting has already started. Go to http://www.romantictimes.com/news_amtitle.php now to meet the all the finalists and cast your vote! Voting will only stay open for two weeks. This first round of voting will close on October 28th. So go and vote for your favorite finalist! Every vote counts!

And don’t forget to leave a comment for a chance to win a cool prize from Sylvia Day! The winner will be notified by me with further instructions, so please make sure you leave an email address.

See everyone Thursday!

Mai Christy Thao
PRINCE OF DARKNESS
www.maichristythao.com

Aside from Sylvia:

Enjoy the interviews, enter for prizes, then please go to the Romantic Times site to cast your vote for one of these talented authors (direct link here: Vote on the Best First Line!)

You can read all the first lines and find voting instructions through the link above.

Thank you!