Cold Call Friday with Rosslyn Elliott!

Welcome Rosslyn, to your “Cold Call” interview!! For those of you who don’t know what the “Cold Call” feature is, at the beginning of the month I have a poll, the winning author YOU then get to interview!! Rosslyn Elliott won this month’s vote and I am thrilled to present her here with YOUR questions. Without any further ado, heeeerrrre’s Rosslyn!

If we were to sneak a peek inside your clothes closet, what would we learn about you?

First, you’d find I’m not the best closet organizer in the world!  This question makes me laugh because there are costumes (cow, bumblebee, pirate), wigs, and historical clothing in my closet. There are crocheted shawls and gloves and a Victorian style wide lace-up belt.  There are full length skirts that go over petticoats, a couple of evening dresses, and a LOT of comfortable long-sleeved t-shirts and jeans. I think the casual observer would have a very interesting time going through my closet, but she would not find expensive stuff (with the exception of the two historical ensembles, which were still bought on sale under $200 each). I am a dedicated bargain shopper.  I very seldom buy any item of clothing that costs over $30. The only exception is that in recent years I’ve had to pay more for shoes to pamper my middle-aged feet. The middle-aged know what I mean!  And thanks to my friend Keli Gwyn for such a creative question.

When is the best time to write?

I’m on deadline right now, so my relationship with writing time is definitely love/hate. I often write at night after my daughter is in bed. I can concentrate then, when the day is done. I also have writing time when she is in school two days a week, and my husband takes her out for the day on Saturdays to give me some more time.

I’ve been surprised by my newfound ability to churn out the pages when I absolutely have to do it. I’ve always been a slow writer, but a combination of unexpected events left me with a shorter time than I expected to write the third novel in the Saddler’s Legacy series. As a result, I’ve had to write a minimum of 2000 words a day for the entire month of November.  So my answer now is that until I make my deadline, there is no best time to write: there is only the time that I must write, whether I like it or not! But I look forward to a return to normalcy when this third book is finished.

What’s your favorite season? Do you have a favorite season to write about in your novels?

The change of seasons plays a major role in Fairer than Morning, and it was one of my favorite parts to write. Winter and spring are the two seasons in the novel. While I was writing, I was giving my critique partners 1 to 2 chapters a week, which means it took them four months to receive the first half of the book (ah, the good old slow days!) One of them, a male friend, asked during that time: “Is winter ever going to end in this novel?”  Ha! He later realized what was going on when the arrival of spring coincided with emotional and spiritual changes in the story. So I loved writing winter and spring equally, because the cruelty and bleakness of winter was a powerful adversary for my hero, but the gentle beauty of spring was a poignant reminder of new life.

As far as my own personal favorite season, I’ve moved so much that the answer varies according to where I’m living.  In Ohio, my favorite was summer. Here in the Southwest, it’s fall.

If the paparazzi were stalking the hero and heroine of your next book like they stalk “Brangelina” and “Bennifer” what cutesie nickname would the newspapers use when they print the pictures?

The hero and heroine of Sweeter than Birdsong are Kate and Benjamin, so let’s see: Kateamin? I like it!  Even stranger would be the hero and heroine of the third novel, Susanna and Johann. I never realized before this question that their names share three letters, because Johann is pronounced the German way: Yo-hon, and Susanna is pronounced the American way, as in “O Susanna.” Nonetheless, I think the media would call them SusannaJohanna. ;-) Leave it to Joy to think of a funny question like this!

For the fans, desperate to learn about your next release, where can they find you online?

Sweeter than Birdsong will release in February 2012. So if you would like to learn more about this series, or if you just want to visit me on my blog or send me an email through my website, I love to hear from you! Here are some places you can find me.

Website:  www.rosslynelliott.com

www.facebook.com/rosslyn.elliott

Twitter @rosslynelliott