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URL:
www.morganashbury.com
Contact:
morgan_ashbury@yahoo.com
Video of Morgan's Novels
ABOUT MORGAN
Morgan has been a
writer since she was first able to pick up a pen. In the
beginning it was a hobby, a way to create a world of her
own, and who could resist the allure of that? Then as she
grew and matured, life got in the way, as life often does.
She got married and had three children, and worked in the
field of accounting, for that was the practical thing to do
and the children did need to be fed. And all the time she
was being practical, she would squirrel herself away on
quiet Sunday afternoons, and write.
Most children are raised knowing the Ten Commandments
and the Golden Rule. Morgan’s children also learned the
Paper Rule: thou shalt not throw out any paper that has
thy mother’s words upon it. Believing in tradition, Morgan ensured that her
children’s children learned this rule, too.
Life threw Morgan a curve when, in 2002, she underwent
emergency triple by-pass surgery. Second chances are to be
cherished, and with the encouragement and support of her
husband, Morgan decided to use hers to do what she’d always
dreamed of doing: writing full time. “I can’t tell you how
much I love what I do. I am truly blessed.”
Morgan has always loved writing romance. It is the one
genre that can incorporate every other genre within its
pulsating heart. Romance showcases all that human kind can
aspire to be. And, she admits, she’s a sucker for a happy
ending.
Morgan’s favorite hobbies are reading, cooking, and
traveling—though she would rather you didn’t mention that
last one to her husband. She has too much fun teasing him
about having become a “Traveling Fool” of late.
Morgan lives in Southwestern Ontario with a cat that
has an attitude, a dog that has no dignity, and her husband
of thirty-six years, David.
INTERVIEW
Q: Why did you become a writer? Was it a dream of yours
since you were younger or did the desire to write happen later
in your life?
A: Being a writer is the only dream I’ve ever had. I think I was
8-years-old when I wrote my first piece of fiction, an ‘episode’
for my favorite TV show at the time – Voyage To The Bottom Of
The Sea. I can’t tell you why it was my dream, though. I can
tell you that my father was a writer, and so is my eldest son.
Maybe it’s in the genes.
Q: Tell us what a typical writing day is like, please
A: Lately, nothing is typical! Ideally, I’m up by 8; as the
computer boots up, the coffee drips. I begin with my e-mail,
then I check to see if I have any promo spots to do, or chats
scheduled. Then I open my w.i.p. and tell myself to get writing.
On days when the words don’t want to come, I go to my online
writing group and see if there are some critiques I can do for
beginning writers. Often, just the act of putting ideas down
will free up the rest of my words. Generally, I treat writing as
an eight hour a day job…and then some.
Q: What do you love about being an author? Is there
anything you dislike?
A: I love everything about writing, every aspect of it – so
there is nothing that I dislike.
Q: How do you write? Do your characters come to you first
or the plot or the world of the story?
A: In most cases, my stories begin with a ‘what if’. What if I
had a story about a man and a woman who not only appear total
opposites, but have a strange role reversal thing going (Made
For Each Other)? What if I write a modern Beauty and the Beast,
and reverse the roles again – have the guy beautiful and the
woman of a beastly nature (Beau and the Lady Beast)? What if I
have an older woman who has never discovered her sensuality, or
her self esteem, get together with a much younger man from her
past (Lily In Bloom)? What if an older woman says out loud that
she believes in Fairy Godmothers, and they hear her (Magic &
Love Trilogy)? And right after the ‘what if’, come the
characters…and finally the plot.
Q: What would you want readers to take away from your
books?
A: Each novel is a great romance with that extra bit of heat,
but I try always to put something more in it. So the reader can
feel free to simply enjoy the love story for a couple of hours
and escape their cares, and if that reader has had a pleasant
break from reality, then I’m happy. But if that reader picks up
on something that resonates within their own life—be it fear of
commitment, or a searching for self, then I’m thrilled.
Q: What do you think is the biggest misconception about
erotic romance fiction?
A: That it’s ‘dirty’ or ‘naughty’ or ‘porn’. My novels are all
romances, first. The relationships involve people who are
working toward a lifetime commitment. In telling their story, I
want to give the reader the full experience of it, and to do
that, I have to keep the bedroom door open. The purpose of my
novels is not to arouse the reader, but tell a story of human
relationship—a conflict that needs to be resolved—and to engage
the reader in the total romantic experience.
Q: There are so many publishers out there, how did you
decide who to submit your work to Siren?
A: It had to be Karma! I had registered for the Romantic Times
Booklovers Convention in Daytona Beach in 2006, and had
requested an interview with Ellora’s Cave. And then the
unthinkable happened: E.C. announced they were not accepting any
appointments for that convention. Well, since my beloved had so
generously decided we were going all the way from Toronto to
Daytona for my career, I had to see someone! I looked at the web
sites of all the publishers of erotic romance who would be
represented there. There was just something that drew me to
Siren Publishing. As I was reading the submission standards, one
line stood out for me, ten feet tall: Stories must be at least
50% romance. That was important to me. So I met with the
publisher, and she invited me to submit. That was in May of
2006. I signed my first contract in August that same year. I’ve
never looked back. I’m very blessed to have found them, and they
treat me—and all of their authors—exceptionally well.
Q: Who or what has been your biggest influence as a
writer?
A: I’m influenced by life. Inspiration is everywhere. Also, I do
share my birth date with Ernest Hemingway.
Q: Your work is very popular with readers and reviewers;
how does it feel to have such positive recognition for your
work?
A: I’m thrilled. Truly! Sometimes I get e-mails from people who
have read my books and enjoyed them and it almost makes me cry.
Q: What do you consider to be the key elements of a great
story?
A: Characters. Writing good stories is all about creating
characters the readers will not only identify with, but love.
Q: What do you wish men understood about women?
A: That when we say “put the seat down” we mean “put the seat
down”!
Q: What is your favorite thing to put in your mouth?
A: What a question to ask an author of erotic romance! And the
answer is...fresh warm cinnamon rolls with lots of butter.
Q: Besides your spouse, who makes your heart beat fast and
why?
A: Sometimes, you’re someplace you’ve never been before. There
are people all around you but for some reason you look to the
left, and there, just there, is a handsome, intriguing stranger.
Just then, he looks up and for a few seconds your gazes meet.
Slowly, he smiles, and then sends you a saucy wink. Your heart
pounds, your skin tingles. It’s only for a moment, and only for
that time-out-of-space, but in that moment you’re reminded of
your youth, when everything was new and fresh and possible
Q: What do you do to relax?
A: My daily swim relaxes me, as does a good book to read.
Q: Any advice for aspiring authors?
A: Yes!!I have two pieces of advice: keep writing, and never
give up on your dream. Yes, it’s good to take writing seminars,
to help you learn the technicalities. But to my way of thinking,
the one thing you can do to become a better writer is to keep
writing. And never, ever surrender your dream to anyone, for any
reason. If success can come to one person, it can come to you,
too. You’re entitled to your dream. I truly believe that the
majority of people who ‘never make it’ are people who quit. So
don’t quit, keep writing, and eventually, you’ll be where you
want to be! |
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