Sunday, October 3, 2010
"Fabulous Interview with Captain Jack Sparrow" with Fabulous and Organically Clean Tiffany Clare
*Captain Jack Sparrow nestles more snugly into the large silk pillow and winks at much-anticipated debut author Tiffany Clare, who is seated next to him. Several harem girls are standing around them; and the room is not the ship’s typical cabin we’re used to seeing. It looks as if Arabian Nights exploded in the room*JACK: Good morning, crew, and welcome to this edition of Fabulous Interview with Captain Jack Sparrow. Today, I have with me the gorgeous and organically clean Tiffany Clare, whom I had the opportunity to meet some years ago. As you might have surmised from her quiet smile and Marian the Librarian glasses, beneath her breast beats the heart of….
TIFFANY: You still talk a lot, I see. *picking up a grape from the great silver tray that one of the harem girls are holding* Are these organic? *glances around* And where are the hotties? Hellion promised me that I would get my pick of the hotties on the ship.
JACK: *looking disgruntled* Er, yes, the hotties are busy. But I find Jasmine, Hyacinth, and Monique are more than satisfactory in their servicing….
TIFFANY: You would. *snaps fingers* Wine, please. *a new tray instantly pops up with a bottle of organic wine and a glass* Thank you. I see I’m going to have to run things.
JACK: Excuse me? I was going to ask the questions. That’s how Fabulous Interview with Captain Jack Sparrow works. I ask the questions and you answer them.
TIFFANY: *smiles seductively* I totally agree. You should ask the questions, and I will answer them.
JACK: *sniffing, slightly mollified* Exactly. *Tiffany thrusts a stack of notecards which Jack takes* What’s this? ‘The Surrender of a Lady is an amazing debut about a woman who is sold into a harem. Could you tell us more about this story and what it was like to write it?’ *looks peeved as he realizes what’s happened*
TIFFANY: *smiling like cat and canary* It was a little scary to write. I think I thought I was out of my ever-loving mind when the story idea came to me. It wasn’t something I had ever read about before and it wasn’t something I’d ever tried writing before.
The story itself is about the sacrifices one is willing to make in the name of love. For Jinan, those sacrifices are made for the life of her infant son. For Rothburn it’s a little harder to define. He’d rip his heart out and put it on a platter for Jinan. There are no lengths he won’t go to keep her by his side as lover, friend, wife.
Jinan is sold into a harem by a series of wrongdoings her husband makes. Only this harem isn’t like others. She’ll be trained to please other men once she is accustomed to her new home.
When she stands on the auction block (as I call it in the book) she never expects to see Rothburn standing before her. Never expects him to bid on her. And prays that he will never recognizes her.
Rothburn is a man haunted by one woman in his past. One he let escape through foolish faults of his own. Now that he’s found her again, not only does their love affair begin, but their love for each other is reaffirmed and his desire to posses her for himself grows stronger.
But when he does the unthinkable—the one thing Jinan has said no to—can their love really survive?
JACK: *sighing but flipping to the next card* ‘Elena—or Jinan as she’s known in the harem—is a very strong heroine. Do you have a secret for writing strong heroines? How do you balance creating a strong but empathetic character?’ These questions aren’t bad really.
TIFFANY: Yes, I thought so. For a heroine to be strong, I think the author almost has to want to put herself in her characters shoes. I took my own worst fears (as a new mother, though those days are long ago now) and gave them to Jinan. I used that emotion on the page till she felt alive to me. It’s hard not to feel empathy for her plight. Hard not to understand why she would sell herself to a position at the beginning of the book that she knows is beneath her.
I also worked with one rhetorical question that provided a mount of emotion and conflict all in itself.
What would you NOT do for the life of your child?
And by life I don’t mean merely to live, but for their happiness, for them to have opportunities you can’t have (because Jinan can NEVER leave the harem). As a mother, there is nothing you wouldn’t’ do, including selling your body to men you might despise.
But, let it be said, if you write a strong heroine, you also have to write a strong hero, and a strong villain (if you have one). I’m very interested in how people will view Amir. He is no more than a pimp, really. But the book is a political battlefield that trades in the currency of sex. It’s about manipulating and negotiating your opponent into giving you what you want. Those are strong character motivations. I hope I’ve justified even his actions to the reader.
But I deviate from the original question now…
JACK: *smiles flirtatiously* Does Elena have a sister? Someone who wears those glasses, perhaps. I do like glasses on a woman. I always think she must know something. *Tiffany just stares at him until he sighs* ‘But of course, we’re here for the hero, who is always powerful and heroic. Tell us more about your hero and why we’ll fall in love with him.’
TIFFANY: How could you not fall in love with a man that will go to great lengths (any lengths) to do what he thinks is right for you? (See above, tearing out heart and platter bit.) No, really. How could you not? JRothburn is a man in love right from his first appearance on the page. There is never a question of his feelings for Jinan. He does not deny love. He does not hide from love. Without Jinan he would be lost—again—that’s why he’ll do everything in his power to do what he thinks is right.
JACK: *flips the card* Moving on. Heroes, zeroes.... Okay, here’s a good question. ‘What can we expect next of the incomparable Tiffany Clare?’
TIFFANY: *demurely* I’d hardly say I was incomparable, Jack. But if you want to pay me compliments, I’m all ears *winks*
JACK: Really? It’s what you wrote on the card.
TIFFANY: *stuffing some grapes in Jack’s mouth* The Seduction of His Wife hits shelves February 1, 2011. My marriage of convenience story about a husband and wife that must work out their difference after a 12 years of separation, they never expect to fall in love. Of course danger follows Asbury home and endangers his and his wife’s lives.
JACK: *swallowing and smiling* A wife who hasn’t seen her husband in twelve long years. Now that’s the bedroom I want to visit. Talk about a homecoming. *Tiffany shakes her head* She is glad to see him, right?
TIFFANY: Oh, dear. No, she’s not at all happy. In fact, she locks him out of her room J Asbury is going to have to prove himself because Emma’s quite angry that he thinks he can waltz back into her life and do as he pleases. She has secrets to protect, like how she amuses her time, and she won’t allow her husband to get in her way . . .
JACK: Women. *flips to another card* No, no, oh, here we go. Call story. Tell us your call story.
TIFFANY: I never expected it to happen so fast, nor to get an offer before a rejection (I think you get used to rejection in the business so you almost expect them, LOL). I got an email from my agent telling me we had an offer for three books. But of course I couldn’t say anything, because we still had to hear from the other houses. It was the longest two weeks of my life waiting to see who the final bidder would be in the books.
It felt surreal when it finally happened.
JACK: So there’s a rumor you have your own crew you run with. How important is it to have other people in your life who understand what you’re doing?
TIFFANY: I don’t know what I’d do without my critique partners. They keep me sane, tell me if I’m writing utter crap, smack me upside the head (virtually) when I veer off track and help me focus when I need help. It’s amazing how tightly you can bond with people (even if you haven’t met them yet) because you completely ‘get’ and understand each other. I wouldn’t have made it as far without the friendship I have with my critique partners.
JACK: And lastly—*tosses cards over his shoulder, Tiffany squawks—what would you like to tell the crew?
TIFFANY: I’d like to ask: What lengths would you go to for love? One lucky commenter will win a copy of THE SURRENDER OF A LADY! (North America only)
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38 comments:
What lengths would I go to for love?
You know how hard those questions are for a woman who married her high school sweetheart 30+ years ago?
I don't know, sheesh! ;-)
My heroines? Well, they run the gamut...when I think about it, they fit in. They slide into whatever strangeness they've fallen to and make it work to be with the men, or aliens, they've fallen in love with...
Me? Well, if I am part of every heroine I write than maybe I'd do that, too!
Not sure I have organic rum...but I'll see what I can scrounge up! Good to see you on board!
Welcome aboard Tiff .... May I say that you look stunning in your new author's role. 8)
I can't believe that Jack folded that easily .... what a specimen!
Though looking at those dark glasses again, I do feel as though I'm on the psychiatrist's couch being analyzed. Perhaps I'll give him another chance. *grin*
Tiff, you once said that you enjoyed Nietzsche's books at school so I ask myself what sort of romance he might have written.
I have to say that Harem girls don't really come to mind.
Can you reveal whether your book attempts penetrating philosophical insights. Perhaps a message for us from the past? Or a pathway to a better life? Or how to commune with your inner sex Goddess?
I just know it will be one hell of a read, even if it doesn't reference Nietzsche. :D
Oh, and if she hasn't forgotten, please remember me to the Goddess. :wink:
Drat! I forgot the question! Must have been hypnotized by those specs. :lol:
What lengths would you go to for love?
Love is what makes it happen.
I would go to the boundaries of space-time for love. Tunnel to other universes if necessary.
Though a simple kiss with the right girl seems to do the trick! :D
Q, I'm sure romance was not something Nietzsche would ever write. I want to say that it's beneath him to indulge in 'surface' lust and something so 'impractical' as love, I'm sure he'd analyze such sentimentality and find some untruth in its condition that so enraptures humans! I'm almost positive he'd find fault in the 'ideal' of love much like he could find fault in the ideal of 'faith'! And I do believe he died without ever marrying. LOL
As for philosophical insights, hmmm... I explore the psyche quite deeply where my hero is concerned--heroine, too, if you consider her acceptance of her fate and the growth of her character when faced with a tough decision. Rothburn is a recovering addict, and his personality does revolve around this weakness in character. But, yes, he does find a better way in life. Those English ;) were sometimes a bad bunch, selling drugs into a nation to weaken them so they could be concurred. Rothburn learns the error of his ways but not without remember the lives he took part in destroying. :) Man, it's really too early for psychoanalysis!
2nd Chance,
Well, I'd have to say if you've gone 30 yrs, you'll go to great lengths for love :)
Love that 'or aliens, they’ve fallen in love with'! LOL
Quantum, you know how to make a girl smile in the morning! Sometimes it does all start with a simple kiss :)
Tiffany, congrats on your book! It sounds like an incredible story.
So did I read this correctly? You didn't have ANY rejections before making the sale? That is awesome! (Unless I read it wrong, and then it's not. LOL)
What lengths? Why do I have Robin Hood Prince of Thieves in my head, with Kevin Costner saying, "I'd die for you." That seems a little extreme, but for a hottie like Robin Hood, sure...
And in the good old days, when you'd go trek off with your love to settle the new world, leaving behind your family and possibly (and likely) never seeing them again, I would perhaps do that for the right man.
I suppose then the question is what wouldn't you do for true love?
Oh, and Happy Debut Release, Tiff!
Talk about surreal. Reading Q's comment and remembering back to when this publishing thing seemed like such a distant dream for everyone. And now it's come true and it's just...surreal.
How did it feel to see your book on the shelf for the first time? I can only imagine.
This is a tough question. For a man, I'm not sure. For my daughter, I'd take a bullet. Without hesitation. I'm not even sure I'd restructure my schedule for a man. LOL!
Huh. This could be my problem...
Donna, well, there were agent rejections and one editor rejection (from a contest request) previous to my agent submitting the book to her 'list' of editors. The first response was an offer as opposed to a rejection. If that was how you read it, you were correct. :)
Thanks, Hellion. And er... yes, that would be the question!
I doubt that is your problem, Terri. Men have to learn to live with us women :)
Well, if the question is what WOULDN'T you do for true love?--I'd say, "I would NOT wrestle pit vipers to prove my love to you." If you don't believe me, too f-ing bad. We were not meant to be then. I also probably wouldn't jump out of a plane for you...
No even with a parachute?
The parachute was implied. Leaping out of a plane without a parachute was definitely a NO DICE sort of thing.
Between jumping out of the plane and viper pit wrestling, I'd have to say the plane jumping holds greater appeal. But at this point we're just pitting one awful thing next to another.
I wonder what a guy would have down as "things he would not do for love"? Because I'm sure most guys would not bat an eye at parachuting or snakes--it'd have to be something more horrifying like "Go shopping with a PMSy woman who is having a "fat" day" or "Spend an evening watching the WE channel and willing engage in a TALK with the little woman, during the Superbowl."
I've been with my highschool sweetheart for 11 years now and I don't think there is anything I wouldn't do for him.
Congrats on the release Tiffany. Can't wait to read it.
Tiff - It's a hard question. I mean, I'd done a lot of be with my true love. Moved, supported him by working a total sh*tfaced job while he went to school, watched him play a bazillion hours of "Halo" ...
But he did save my life, literally...so I think we're more than even!
Please don't enter me in the giveaway. I already have my copy of SOAL.
I think love is such a powerful emotion and force that things you think you would never ever do (like join a harem, for example) you do out of love. I also think that love can make you more courageous because I think it's incredibly brave of someone to lay his/her heart out and be vulnerable to loved one.
But I would not give up my chocolate. Sorry, future sexy boyfriend, but chocolate and I go wayyy back. ;)
Hellion, you are totally killing me! What a great laugh, but I agree that that would be a man's worst nightmare!
Danielle, great to see you here! Good luck on the draw for the book!
Oh, God, 2nd Chance... Watching video games is my equivalent to the pit of vipers! LOL
Ely... yeah, no giving up the choco for me either! That is a survival thing...
Hi Tiff! Welcome aboard and way to keep Jack in line. He can be quite unruly.
I don't need to be entered in the drawing either. I already have SOAL as well.
I read this story in the beginning and it's still as captivating as it was then. These characters are the kind that stay with you.
What wouldn't I do for love? I don't know. I think I would do anything for the people I love. But I think this is something that you don't know until you're in the situation.
And I'm not giving up chocolate either. Any man who would insist a woman give up chocolate for "love" is just mean-spirited and unworthy of any woman's affection. I'm just saying.
Any man who would insist a woman give up chocolate for “love” is just mean-spirited and unworthy of any woman’s affection. I’m just saying.
They know better, right? That's why they know to BUY it for women. LOL It's a win/win situation that way. :)
Yo, Tiff! My copy came today after being sent to my old address. Squee! I rubbed the cover's raised lettering and everything. So gorgeous, and I'm so happy for you!And me too, cause now I get to read it in my hand instead of a computer screen.
As for what I'd do for love, I guess I've been doing it for the past few months--I'll be relieved when my temporary nursing gig is up (there's a reason I was an English major, LOL).
What a lovely cover. Thanks for the giveaway. To be perfectly honest, I don't know what lengths I'd go to for love.
We ladies do need to draw the line at some things. And giving up chocolate is one a' them!
Well, my husband sacrificed his dignity for love. Calling the paremedics and never bothing to put on pajama bottoms the whole time they worked on me, standing out on the front deck as the ambulence pulled out with the CHP officer standing next to him...telling him where they were taking me...suddenly aware his..uhum...were swinging in the night air...
I figure he's earned some video game company. As long as he doesn't want me to play, just occassionally glance up at some particularly wild 'whoop!' of joy and satisfaction...
I don't know what is with you ladies even THINKING about chocolate being given up as an option...don't be so apocalyptic.
I am rather grinning about Chance's hubby being naked in front of a bunch of people; but then again, he was a bit under stress at the time so can be understood.
Video games are good for husbands. They keep them from being underfoot when you're writing.
I've recently had a bad reaction to chocolate and had to cut back. Though I haven't gone cold turkey. I'm not that insane. But those candy bars taunted me from the break room are NOT nice.
Mr. Chance is a great example of twooo wuv. That's just so sweet. And funny, though clearly not at the time.
Chance: Calling the paramedics and never bothering to put on pajama bottoms the whole time they worked on me
I'm sure that I'm being extremely dense, but why wasn't he wearing the pj bottoms in the first place?! Given that he wasn't though, I do agree that this demonstrates extreme loving devotion. *smile*
BRN: I don’t know what lengths I’d go to for love.
Hi BRN, Perhaps you need to be tested. LOL
Donna: They know better, right? That’s why they know to BUY it for women. LOL It’s a win/win situation that way. :)
Not quite Donna. I suggest that perhaps no man has yet felt the need to test your love.
Marnee: Any man who would insist a woman give up chocolate for “love” is just mean-spirited and unworthy of any woman’s affection. I’m just saying.
Funny how its always the man's fault when things go wrong! *grin*
To summarize, it seems that all the pirates and visitors value eating chocolate above the love of a good man! Whereas the men (at least one that is) are prepared to go to the ends of the known universe to prove their love for a good woman. Now you don't have to be a mathematician to spot the asymmetry here. I am sadly disappointed!
I had thought that love conquered everything.
Ah well,its back to the drawing board on that theory! :?
I’m sure that I’m being extremely dense, but why wasn’t he wearing the pj bottoms in the first place?!
Doesn't everyone sleep naked?
Actually, I happen to know this. Or I think I do. I think he was in the shower right before. But I could be wrong.
Q - Perhaps we've all yet to meet the man for whom we'd travel to the ends of the Universe. Really, it's your fault your taken and have spoiled us for all others.
Whereas the men (at least one that is) are prepared to go to the ends of the known universe to prove their love for a good woman.
But if he were a smart man, he'd just give her the chocolate because that's what she WANTS and a smart man knows to truly love a woman, you need to give her what she wants.
That would have been better if I'd spelled "you're" correctly. LOL!
And Hellie has a point. It's a grand gesture to go to such extremes, but what is she supposed to do while you're playing at being a hero? Maybe at least give her the chocolate before you leave so she has something to occupy her time.
Bosun: Q – Perhaps we’ve all yet to meet the man for whom we’d travel to the ends of the Universe. Really, it’s your fault your taken and have spoiled us for all others.
Bosun, thats really sweet of you! :oops:
But I note that its the man's fault again. *grin*
:idea: We are talking harems today though..... Sorry, Mrs Q said NO!
Bosun: And Hellie has a point. It’s a grand gesture to go to such extremes, but what is she supposed to do while you’re playing at being a hero? Maybe at least give her the chocolate before you leave so she has something to occupy her time.
Of course, Lots of chocs while I'm gone to retrieve the Kriptonite or whatever is needed to save my beloved. :D
Not quite Donna. I suggest that perhaps no man has yet felt the need to test your love.
Ouch! Does this mean I'm a sure thing? LOL I know several men who have tested my patience the past few years. :) (Not you, Q.)
I used to manage a chocolate store, and when men came in ON THE DAY OF THE EVENT, NOT BEFORE, they would say, "I need to get something for my wife."
I would say, "How big of an occasion is it, or how much trouble are you in?" LOL It made it easier to decide which size box of chocolates they were going to buy. LOL
Donna: Ouch! Does this mean I’m a sure thing? LOL
Donna, I think a man would only need to test your love, if he suspected that your heart is given to another.
You are far too nice to be two-timing a guy!
ON THE DAY OF THE EVENT, NOT BEFORE
Hummm! Yes that does sound a bit too familiar for comfort.
I always try to make up for any omissions afterwards though! *smile*
Helli: Doesn’t everyone sleep naked?
If so I would want to sell my shares in the clothing factory that makes PJs
Are you suggesting we return to WOAD? :lol:
Marnee, exactly, you wouldn't know till you were put in a situation where you had to make a choice :)
Donna and Marn, I totally agree... a man that asks a woman to give up chocolate... yeah, so not worth their salt!
Maggie, you always put a smile on my face! Your nursing gig, eh? LOVE That... And YAY on your copy arriving!
BRN, thanks for stopping by!
2nd Chance... oh the poor man, but man, what a man! You lucky gal you, dangly bits swingin' free and all!
Hellion, you may have a point about the video games, my hubby hates them though, so I'll never know! LOL
Donna, that is hilarious! How much trouble are you in! LOL
Hellion, you may have a point about the video games, my hubby hates them though, so I’ll never know! LOL
Yes, but that's why you had children. So they would occupy him while you wrote... Duh.
Mr. Chance slept in only a t-shirt at the time...he was fresh from the shower, but snug in the bed when I tried to die.
And I atually find some of his video games interesting. Some have real stories. Like Halo. I mean, awesome universe building in that trilogy. Wait, I think there are four of them now...or five.
I think I would do almost about anything for love. I love my hubby and can't image what will happen if I lose him some how but one thing is for sure, I would do anything to win him back.
Hi, Tiff! Sorry to be late. I've literally been out of it for most of today on pain meds. But, tardy though I may be, I wanted to say congrats again on your debut and on those gorgeous covers. I loved the interview too.
Hellie, OH That's WHY we had kids... I've been wondering ;)
Marjana kaly, That's so sweet Marjana! Your hubby is a lucky guy!
Janga, Oh, no! I hope you are feeling better soon. Thank you for visiting me.
Thank you so much for letting me hang out here yesterday!
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