Author Interview: Eat, Play, Lust by Tawna Fenske

This is a little different from our normal posts, but with a cover this great we couldn't resist accepting this Author Interview and book review (coming 9/11)! So if you are up for a great contemporary romance--we recommend checking out:

Eat, Play, Lust
by Tawna Fenske

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Publisher: Entangled Publishing, Flirt Imprint
Date of Publication: 8/26/13
ISBN: 978-1-62266-245-6
Number of pages: 57

Our Interview with Tawna Fenske:
It goes without saying that we love our books, and it is always fun to discover a little bit about the mind behind the work. We hope you enjoy our visit with Tawna Fenske, author of Eat, Play, Lust.

Tawna, where are you from and from where/who did your love for writing come from?

When I submitted my author bio for my debut novel, Making Waves, I mentioned I'm a third generation Oregonian. Since then, my dad hasn't let me forget that I'm actually a FOURTH generation Oregonian. I grew up on the rainy side of the state in Salem, but have lived in the mountainous high desert of Central Oregon for the last 16 years. I've been an avid reader since age 7, and my love of writing stemmed from that same place.

Ah, the Great Northwest! And your region is especially beautiful. Tell us, can you say that your journey to publication was difficult? If so, what were the hardest moments to get through?

I would say my journey to publication was difficult in the same way you might say a root canal without Novocain is mildly owie.

The short version of the story is that I wrote a couple crappy novels before selling a book to Harlequin’s “Bombshell” line in 2005. Then my editor called—on my 32^nd birthday, the same day my cat died and I was told I’d be fired from my job for disobeying the company’s pantyhose requirement—to inform me the line was being cancelled a month before my scheduled debut.

I spent the next several years cycling through an agent that didn’t quite work out and writing manuscripts that almost-but-didn’t-quite sell.

When my agent landed me a three-book deal for my romantic comedies in 2010, the joy was somewhat dampened by the fact that my marriage of 13 years crashed and burned like a short-circuited vibrator hurled angrily at the bedroom wall.

Though I’ve rebounded now and life’s pretty awesome, there’s always a roller coaster component to any author’s career. The biggest lesson I’ve learned through all the ups and downs is that it’s possible to find humor in almost every situation. That’s probably why I write romantic comedy instead of navel-gazing, angsty literary fiction.

Wow, you have had a bumpy road! Thankfully, your sense of humor has obviously not been damaged, and you have topics galore, should you ever decide to go the angsty route. As for your not-angsty writing style, can you describe what that is in five word?

Quirky, offbeat, steamy, funny, wine-fueled. Er, did that last one count as one word or two?

I think that final one is in Wikipedia as one word, so no worries. Tell us what movies you are currently excited to see?

Sorry, I suck at this one. I have the attention span of a gnat, and visual mediums don't seem to hold my interest. I can sit all day engrossed in a book, but put me in front of a movie and I'll fall asleep in three minutes.

Well, I think that's pretty understandable. So, what are you currently reading?

I'm not happy unless I'm reading at least three or four books at a time. Currently I'm reading Tess Gerritson's, "Last to Die," "Beautiful Ruins" by Jess Walter, "Where We Belong," by Emily Giffin, and "No One's the Bitch," by Jennifer Newcomb Marine and Carol Marine, and “Divergent,” by Victoria Roth.

If you weren't a writer, what other careers would you pursue?

I'd like to be a pirate, an astronaut, or the person who auditions male strippers.

Haha, would you consider hiring an apprentice? Hold on, back to being serious (mostly). If you could create a holiday of your own, what would it be called?

Natinal Cook Naked Day. We already celebrate this in my house, and aside from the occasional scorched nipple, it's a rousing success. Well, as long as we remember to close the blinds.

Yikes, that sure would get people excited about cooking - maybe even me! For people who haven’t read your novel, how would you summarize the plot?

It’s the story of Cami Pressman, a yoga instructor with a few food issues and a secret lust for junk food. She falls for Paul Hammond, one of her students who’s a gourmet chef with a habit of sticking a foot in his mouth. It’s a quirky, short, funny little story a lot of readers have told me they finished in one sitting.

What are two of your pet-peeves?

Shopping carts blocking the aisle, and people with no sense of humor.

To you, what makes a good story?

Sex, food, and laughter (not necessarily in that order).

What usually turns you off about a story?

Characters who are too stupid to live, self-indulgent melodrama, and mushrooms.

If you could collaborate with any author, who would you choose, and why?

I adore Jennifer Crusie and would love to get together with her for a pillow fight in our pajamas, but it's possible our writing styles are too similar for collaboration. It might be fun to team up with a male author whose gritty style is counter to my quirky, lighthearted one. Maybe mystery author Bill Cameron?

What is on your night stand?

I plead the fifth on this one (but thank you for the reminder I need batteries).

What is your favorite book?

Too many to name, but on the list would be Jennifer Crusie's, "Welcome to Temptation," Diana Gabaldon's "Outlander," Kurt Vonnegut's "Player Piano," Judy Blume's "Summer Sisters," Kristan Higgins’ “Just One of the Guys,” and Jonathan Tropper's, "How to Talk to a Widower."

Thank you, Tawna! I appreciated this time with you, and look forward to reading more from you (and perhaps cooking) in the future.

Amazon | BN | 

** Tawna will be donating a portion of the proceeds from the sale of Eat, Play, Lust to the Fisher Center for Alzheimer’s Research Foundation.

About the Author:
Tawna Fenske traveled a career path that took her from newspaper reporter to English teacher in Venezuela to marketing geek to PR manager for her city’s tourism bureau. An avid globetrotter and social media fiend, Tawna is the author of the popular blog, Don’t Pet Me, I’m Writing, and a member of Romance Writers of America.
She lives with her gentleman friend in Bend, Oregon, where she’ll invent any excuse to hike, bike, snowshoe, float the river, or sip beer along the Bend Ale Trail. She’s published several romantic comedies with Sourcebooks, including Making Waves and Believe it or Not, as well as the interactive fiction caper, Getting Dumped, with Coliloquy.

Contact the Author:
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