WWR: Where'd you come up with the idea for a series of books about three hot mercenaries?
Lucy: Well...Kate had offered me this multi-book deal with Kensington and I had no idea what I was going to do for the two books after The Real Deal. Then I wrote Daisy and Bella's stories and realized I wanted to write their brother's story. I knew he was a mercenary...I knew he was tough and strong and the kind of man who would make most women swoon. Nitro and Hotwire just sort of introduced themselves as I got into his story.
WWR: Ready's heroine, Lise, writes action adventure novels, and she's approached mercenaries for research. Since you've written a book about a mercenary, did you talk to any mercenaries in preparation for the writing of Ready?
Lucy: Actually not. I interviewed two former Army Rangers (and let me tell you, these Special Forces guys are truly heroic), one of whom had known mercenaries and answered any question I put to him. But I'll be honest, I think if I'd gone looking for a mercenary to interview, my husband would have freaked. (A lot like Joshua did when he realized who Lise had been talking too...) He puts up with a lot, but even a patient and understanding man has his limits. I think real live mercenaries drinking coffee in our living room would have been it for him.
WWR: How much of Lise the author is based on you and your own personal writing work habits?
Lucy: What a sneaky question! LOL Hmm...work habits? Probably quite a bit. You write what you know and everyone who knows me well has laughed out loud reading some of the scenes where Lise's writing interferes with her appreciation of what's going on around her. As for the other stuff - Lise's character and inner thoughts...there are parts of me in all my characters, but they are unique to me, living breathing individuals in my head. I don't see the similarities and am always surprised when someone who knows me well points them out.
WWR: This is the first book in a trilogy (Ready, Willing, & Able) and Hotwire and Nitro are so sexy. What kind of stories can we expect for them? Are we going to see Josie again when it's time for Nitro's story?
Lucy: I had so much fun with Josie and Nitro's story, Willing, that it is one of my personal favorite books to date. Josie's backstory totally intrigued me. Writing a female mercenary who wants to be a computer specialist was a lot of fun. She gets dragged back into her old life because of threats against her dad and that's all I'll say on that one. As for Hotwire...he's in protection mode and when a geriatric assassin dies, the people around him are at risk...including the woman Hotwire's sworn to protect. Of course, both Nitro and Hotwire face their biggest challenges from the women in their lives, women who aren't easily talked into bed - or kissed there...which makes for some very passionate seduction scenes and an emotional roller coaster of mountainous magnitude.
WWR: Not to give too much away, but I wanted to say that I loved the intimacy of the hot springs scenes! I thought your description of the setting was so well done and the emotions of the characters came through sharp and clear. My heart ached for Lise and Joshua, and my body... well, I probably shouldn't go there. :) Do you have to push yourself to write more and better, to delve deep, or do these kinds of scenes flow naturally out of your writing style?
Lucy: Every scene takes so much from me. Whether I'm writing a love scene or the black moment, I have to dig deep into my heart to bring out the strongest emotions possible. It's never about putting Tab A into Slot B for me...or revealing the villain with Poirot like omniscience...it is always about the emotions the characters are going through at that point in time. Emotions always take a lot out of me as a writer and while I love my job to death, make no mistake...it is exhausting.
WWR: Tell us about your choice of subject for the book. The plot touches on a concern many people in the public eye share—stalkers. Do you personally worry about being stalked?
Lucy: I don't worry about it, no, but I've personally spoken with two authors who were stalked and it is an ugly situation. I'm cautious about how much of myself I put in the public eye because I don't want my family to ever pay a price for the choices I've made in my career, but I don't live in fear. That would be giving too much power to evil and I refuse to do that.
WWR: Ready's villain seemed very real to me. How hard was it to get into the mind of the villain in this story?
Lucy: There's a lot of ugliness in the world and none of us is perfect and without sin...that means that we all have dark thoughts. Now mine might be fantasies about snubbing a reviewer who says mean things about a friend's work and my stalker's might be plans to hurt someone he perceives as having done him wrong, but in my imagination, I can draw on those negative feelings to get into his head. And the truth is, my characters are real to me, so it's not a matter of putting myself in his position, but of getting to know him well enough to express what he thinks and feels for the reader.
WWR: Lucy, thanks for the interview. We appreciate you taking the time to talk about your newest release with us. I'm sure I'm not the only one who thought this was a great book! And for those who've yet to read Ready, they'll be thrilled at the newest direction your books have taken!
Lucy: Thanks so much, Terescia! Loved your questions! And I hope that readers will stop by my website and visit and watch the flash movie I've had made for Ready's launch.
Read WWR's 4 STAR review of Ready by Lucy Monroe.
