Who's that girl? Interview - Bec Skrabl

Moving around the countryside, we're headed south of the border into Victoria, Australia!

Name? Bec Skrabl.

Where are you? I live in country Victoria, about two hours from Melbourne and any decent bookstores. Thank Goodness for Rendezvous Romance Bookstore!

How many years have you been a member of RWOz? Two years. And it's been the best thing I've ever done.

What genre/s do you write? I switch between genres, but primarily paranormal and historical. Or a combination. (:

Who are your favourite authors? My absolute favourite author is Dorothy Dunnett of the Lymond chronicles (a perfect example of an author who's way smarter than me). I find it hard for a book to absorb me these days, because I'm constantly analysing it to work out what the author's done right, but Ilona Andrews, Meljean Brook, Lilith Saintcrow, Linnea Sinclair and Nalini Singh are just a few of those who suck me in until I reach the end of the book and haven't earmarked a single page or made even one note!

What inspired you to write romance? As a kid I loved fairy tales (the old, darker style of Grimm’s or Hans Christian, which might explain a few things), and used to write endless stories about unicorns, sword-wielding princes and dragons. I started out reading epic fantasy when I was eight and Mum gave me the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings series, but something was always missing. My favourite fantasy’s involved a strong romantic central storyline and one day I wandered into a different section of the bookstore…and found what I was looking for.

Who's your dream agent and/or dream publisher? ACE, Avon or Berkley.

What's the best thing about going to conference? This year was my first one and I loved every second of it. How do I sum up the best bits? Meeting friends I knew only via email, making new friends, meeting Nalini Singh (and sending a text to my boyfriend when she sat two seats up from me, "OMG, you will never guess who is sitting at my table!", to which he replied, “Don’t embarrass yourself.”).

Or maybe it was sitting down with people and having serious discussions about writing for hours on end, and having them understand what I was talking about. I don’t know, it’s too hard picking a favourite thing. Least favourite – having it all end for another year ):

And lastly, finish these statements...
My greatest strength as a writer is...definitely not plotting. Maybe world-building?
A sexy hero needs...a little bit of arrogance, a lot of respect for the heroine and a hint of vulnerability. A wicked smile doesn’t hurt either.
My latest WIP (work in progress) is about...a steam-fuelled Victorian London, with a heroine in hiding from the monster hunting her and a hero hiding from the monster within. (:
When I write I like to...drink copious amounts of tea and torture my stubborn alphas with strong-minded heroines who bring them to their knees!
My best writing milestone to date is...signing with Natalie Fischer at the Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency in April. I nearly choked on my toast when I got the email saying she loved my work!

Bec, thanks for sharing and it's been great having you!