Hey guys,

Today, I have the pleasure of sharing an interview I did with author Sylvia Day! Hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did chatting with Sylvia. Here goes:

1) Can you tell us a little about your current release, BAD BOYS AHOY?
BAD BOYS AHOY! is a collection of three loosely intertwined stories. The idea for the anthology came from my editor, Kate Duffy. She loved my novella "Stolen Pleasures," which was the Readers' Choice Winner of the 2004 Lori Foster/Brava Novella Contest. She asked if I could write two more novellas to make up the first ever historical BAD BOYS anthology.
"Stolen Pleasures" - Sebastian’s story was thought up on a whim when I heard about the Novella Contest. I knew I wanted to write a historical, and I had 750 words with which to snag the judges’ and, hopefully, the editor’s attention. I’d always wanted to write a proxy marriage story, so that was the leaping off point. Then I added in a pirate, and the rest just fell into place.
"Lucien's Gamble" - For Lucien’s story, I wanted a really bad boy who wasn’t a nobleman. He appears in all three stories, and his gentleman’s club is frequented by many of my characters. (So far, he's the readers' choice by a long shot! *g*)
"Her Mad Grace" - Hugh’s story came to mind because of the resurgence of gothics. I wanted to take the standard gothic and spoof it. Some elements are must-haves, like the creepy mansion, so I kept that. But instead of a tortured or scarred hero, it’s a mad duchess with a household of misfit servants.
BookList called it "wickedly entertaining", and yesterday I found out it made BookScan's Top 100 Bestseller list in its first week!

2) Great!! Congratulations! That’s really awesome. I'm sure you were thrilled. My second question has to do with the genre of your book. You're an erotic romance writer? Can you define that for us? How does it compare to a simply hot romance title?
A hot romance is a romance with hotter sex. An erotic romance is a romance where the relationship grows through the sexual interaction. The sexual content couldn't be removed without damaging the story.

3) That's a great definition. Thank you. My third question has to do with the path to publication. Writing success is usually long and frustrating, but you were published after a relatively short time, weren't you? How long was your journey?
From the moment I finished reading my first romance novel, I knew I wanted to be a romance author. I just loved how wonderful a great romance can make the reader feel. College, the military, and raising a family happened first. Then, once I'd settled down into being a homemaker, I had the time I needed to dedicate myself to writing and getting published. I sat down at the keyboard in Oct. 2003 and sold BAD BOYS AHOY! in Dec. 2004.

4) That’s really amazing. As most struggling writers know, it usually takes much longer than that. I guess all that waiting time and reading prepared you for the eventual sale of BAD BOYS AHOY. Now, Sylvia, many readers have no clue what "the writing life" is all about. What is your typical day like?
I get up. Start the computer. Make coffee. Check email. Drink coffee. Drop son off at school. Answer email. Drink more coffee. Open my work-in-progress. Drink more coffee. Start writing. Pick up son from school and tidy up the house a bit. Write more. Cook dinner. Write more. Watch a little tv. Write more. Then I go to bed. :)

5) What's the best part about being an author?
Hearing from readers. There's nothing in the world like knowing your story brought a bit of fun and happiness to someone.

6) I completely agree. Let me congratulate you on signing a new three book contract with Brava. Can you give us a sneak peek at your next books?
Thank you! It's very exciting for me. The beginning of any career is a bit rocky, so it's wonderful when you feel like you're wedging your foot in the door. *g*

I'd love to share my upcoming stories with you. :)

Here's my Aug. 06 Brava:
England, 1770. Beneath the silk and lace of London society lies a secret, elite organization of spies. Protecting the Crown from its enemies is hazardous, but for Marcus Ashford, protecting his heart from an unyielding passion is the far greater peril…

A MATTER OF DANGEROUS INTRIGUE…
As an agent to the Crown, Marcus Ashford, the Earl of Westfield, has fought numerous sword fights, been shot twice, and dodged more than any man’s fair share of cannon fire. And yet nothing excites him more than the primitive hunger his former fiancé, Elizabeth, arouses. Years ago, she’d jilted him for the boyishly charming Lord Hawthorne. But now, the elegant widow is his to defend, and he will do so while tending to her other, more carnal needs, showing her the depth of a real man’s desire…
…AND UNDENIABLE PLEASURE
Dangerous secrets led to the murder of Lady Hawthorne’s husband. Secrets she now holds in a diary many would kill to obtain. But to entrust herself to the protection of the most seductive man she’s ever known? Outrageous. Unthinkable. Irresistible. For it was Marcus’s strong passions and burning desire that frightened her into abandoning him years ago—and her answering craving has never waned. Now, he means to be at her service, in every sense. And perhaps the only sensible course isn’t to resist temptation, but to surrender to it completely…

And here's my Jan. '07 Brava:
Lady Pelham could not have designed a husband more suited to her needs. The Marquess of Grayson is a dear and enchanting friend and an unrepentant ladies’ man. Their union is solid; their hearts safe from one another. But every marriage has its surprises…
THEY WERE TOGETHER FOR ALL THE WRONG REASONS…
They are London’s most scandalous couple. Isabel, Lady Pelham, and Gerard Faulkner, Marquess of Grayson, are well matched in all things—their lusty appetites, constant paramours, wicked wits, provocative reputations, and their absolute refusal ever to ruin their marriage of convenience by falling in love with one another. Isabel knows such a charming rake will never appeal to her guarded heart, nor will she sway his philandering one. It is a most agreeable sham…until a shocking turn of events sends Gerard from her side.
Now, four years later, Gerard has come home to Isabel. But the carefree, boyish rogue who left has been replaced by a brooding, powerful, irresistible man who is determined to seduce his way into her affections. Gone is the devil-may-care companion who shared her friendship and nothing more, and in his place is temptation itself…a husband who desires Isabel body and soul and who will stop at nothing to win her love. No, this is not at all the man she had married. But he is the man who might finally steal her heart…

Thanks so much Sylvia! I enjoyed our chat. To read more about Sylvia, visit her website at: www.sylviaday.com