With us today is Romance and Contemporary Literature author, Marysol James. Whether you’re looking for a steamy read or something different–books that explore life and death and the human condition, Ms. James writes it all.

Why did you start writing? Oh, I worked in publishing for more than a decade, first as a freelance writer, then as the editor of some supplements in a weekly newspaper, then as the editor-in-chief of a monthly magazine. So I’ve been writing for ages as a ‘professional’. But I wrote my first real, honest-to-goodness book about two years ago and I wrote it because I realised that I love – love, love, love! – to express myself this way. For me, there’s just nothing better than being a full-time writer: it’s a kind of freedom.

What’s your favorite thing about being an author? Being able to grab my laptop and go to a café for the day, if I want. Or that I can stay at home in an oversized sweater and drink coffee in my tiny office space. Or that I can take a day off and not have to inform anybody. Or that I get to write what really, passionately interests me. Any and all of the above!

Have you read anything fantastic lately? I just reread ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’ and I adore it just as much as I did the first time that I read it back in Grade Eight… the real, true classics never, ever get stale or become irrelevant.

What can readers expect from your books? Well, my books fall firmly in to two categories, since I write two quite different genres.

First, I write sexy, steamy, slinky romances with strong heroines and alpha-male heroes who are protective without being a**holes. I don’t like books that have women simpering and twisting this-way-and-that to keep the hero interested. I believe in strong plots, humour and character development in romances. I also tackle various ‘hard’ themes, such as alcoholism, abuse and illness – but I believe in HEA’s (or at least HFN’s!) and make sure that all my couples end up together, despite the odds.

Second, I write crisp, clever, contemporary literature. These books are quite a bit darker than my romances, with strong elements of magical realism and Native Canadian spirituality. There’s romance in these stories and most definitely love, but there are no racy, descriptive sex scenes like I have in my other books. I love being able to write both genres… keeps me intrigued and in love with writing!

And finally, I like to write series… and I like for my characters to ‘travel’ between them – so don’t be surprised if you see a hero/ heroine from one series show up in a totally different series. It’s like a game for my readers, and they’re always delighted to see characters in new settings and circumstances.

Anything new you’d like to share? At the moment, I’m working on the fourth book in my best selling ‘Dangerous Curves’ romance series, called ‘Gentle Curves’ (publication date: June 2nd!). I’m also working on the first book in a new romance series, which I’m really excited about. It’s like meeting a whole new group of friends!

And (yes, there’s more!) I’m starting to scribble out copious notes for the third book in my ‘Nakasee Lake’ trilogy. This is my Contemporary Literature writing, and I’m enjoying the mix of hot and explicit romance and more ‘serious’ writing. I like choosing what to work on – it depends on my mood!

Thank you so much, Rachel!

And thank you for taking the time to chat with me! You can find all of Marysol’s series, both romance and contemporary lit, to purchase on Amazon.

Connect with Marysol:

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This section will feature an interview with a different writerly friend from the Goodreads group Read Romance, Write Romance each week.