Debbie Mumford Spotlight

With three stories published by Freya's Bower, Debbie Mumford is an author on the rise. You'd think she'd have enough of words by the time she got home from work as a technical writer for a land-use / architectural firm, but she doesn't. She manages to find the creativity to write fantasy romances that let you fly with dragons or flirt with faeries. Read on to find out more about this talented writer!

Which of your characters would you like to meet? Why?

I’d love to meet Caedyrn, the hero of Sorcha’s Heart. As a black dragon, he takes “tall, dark and handsome” to new heights, and Sorcha (lucky woman!) gets to love him in both forms. (Warning: shapeshifters ahead!) Sigh.

Which of your books has been the hardest to write? Why?

I think I’ll cheat on that question and say Opening Her Eyes, which is technically the hardest book I didn’t write! Opening Her Eyes was supposed to be my first contemporary romance—you know, nothing weird, just normal, everyday people. Unfortunately, I decided to use a different technique. I followed a detailed and rigorous outline system (which shall remain nameless) and discovered to my dismay that I am quite capable of outlining a story to death. By the time I finished, I had no desire to write the book. All the magic was gone.

Needless to say, I won’t use that particular technique again! I’m sure it works wonders for some folks, but it was deadly to my writing process.

I adore reading thrillers, but doubt I could ever write one. Is there a genre you’d like to write, but don’t think you could?

Definitely! I adore science fiction—I’ve been reading it since childhood—but I don’t feel like I have a sufficient grasp on scientific issues to write it successfully. Besides, I like to write happy endings, and those aren’t always attainable in true sci-fi.

If you were teaching a course on popular fiction, what are a few books that would be on your reading list?

Hmmm. That’s a hard one; I wouldn’t want to overload my students with reading material. LOL. Okay, buckle down here, Debbie. Dying to Please by Linda Howard; Naked in Death by J.D. Robb (the incomparable Nora Roberts!); Outlander by Diana Gabaldon; and Angels and Demons by Dan Brown

What was the worst job you ever had?

Data entry for a manufacturing firm. They had a fail-safe system, so they didn’t care about accuracy, only speed. I’m very accurate, but my speed is only so-so. Besides, they weren’t interested in my thoughts and analysis, only my ability to move data from paper to computer. It was a lousy fit. We parted company in short order … to shouts of delight on both sides!

If you could be a man for a day, what would you do? Be specific. ;)

No thanks! I’ve never had any desire to be male. That might be because I grew up as an only girl with five older brothers. I’ve often thought that if I were interested in writing a memoir (which I’m not!), the perfect title would be “Growing Up Female in a Testosterone-Soaked World.”

What would you do with $1000 in spare cash?

I’d take an autumn vacation to Quebec to enjoy the fall colors and meet my fabulous editor face-to-face.

If you were a car, what would you be? Why?

A red, Mustang convertible. It’s fast, sexy and powerful. Yeah, baby!

If you had to leave the United States forever and move to another country, which would you choose and why?

Oh, not something I’d be happy doing, but since this is a hypothetical question … Scotland. I speak the language (more or less), and my ancestral roots are Scots-Irish. I feel a distinct pull to Celtic lands and legends.

Tell me about your work in progress.

I’m currently revising my contemporary, paranormal romance, Second Sight, for Freya’s Bower. As soon as that earns my editor’s approval, I’ll move on to the first sequel to Sorcha’s Heart. I wrote a very rough first draft of Aislinn’s Tale during NaNoWriMo this year, so I’m enjoying a break from it at the moment. Once Second Sight is turned over to Freya’s Bower, I’ll be raring to work on Aislinn again!

Thanks so much for this opportunity to chat with you, Kate! Please stop by my website and take a peek at my cover art on the Books page. I’m biased, of course, but I think Freya’s Bower is producing some of the best cover art in the e-book industry!
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My thanks go to Debbie for agreeing to be interviewed. I admire her willingness to contribute to that anthology for charity, Dreams and Desires. She not only has talent, but a big heart as well.