Writing Belle: Cosmopolitan Red-Hot Read Author Tamara Morgan

Let's just take a minute to talk about romance. Regardless of whether or not it's your thing, there's no denying that female romance authors dominate a huge part of the publishing market. Girl power? You bet. Love stories? Definitely. My taste in literature ranges from Victor Hugo to Catherine Jinks, so I'm always looking for new, promising authors. Today, Tamara Morgan, a prolific romance author of thirteen books - including a Cosmopolitan Red Hot Read - is visiting with us to talk about life, love and feeding the muse.

Tamara, welcome to Writing Belle! How did you get started in writing?

Thanks for having me! I’ve been a “writer” for most of my adult life. Long before I started writing books, I worked as a freelance copywriter. Words have always made up a large portion of my life, whether I’m writing about love stories (my favorite) or product descriptions for tool catalogs (not my favorite).

I took the plunge and wrote my first book in November of 2008 as part of NaNoWriMo. The book was awful, but the experience was wonderful. I haven’t looked back since.

You are the author of quite a few novels! How many have you published, total?

Lucky thirteen! Some are long, some are short, some are action-packed, some creep up on you a little more slowly…but all of them revolve around laughter and love.

What has been your favorite book to write so far?

My favorite book to write was probably Confidence Tricks, my third novel. It features a romance between a con artist and a jewel thief, and it’s full of lies and double-dealing between criminally-minded characters.

I LOVE heist stories of all shapes and sizes, especially when they’re also pegged as comedies, which is why I decided to write one. If I could pick any other career in the world, I would be a lovably crooked cat burglar.

Your novel, "Model Behavior" was featured as a Cosmopolitan Red-Hot Read. That must have been exciting!

Thank you! The Cosmopolitan Red-Hot Reads line features a ton of great romance authors I admire and respect, so whenever I need an ego boost, I go look at the company my book is keeping.

If you’re looking for a short, fun, hot read, I definitely suggest any of the authors on that list.

What is your favorite thing about writing contemporary romance stories?

I love steeping myself in pop culture for the sake of my art. No, really. I love all things movies, television, music, books…and when you write contemporary romance, those things are legitimately considered part of the job.

There’s nothing better than having someone ask me what I’m doing for the weekend and being able to reply, “Oh, I’m watching a Game of Thrones marathon. Sorry I can’t come out with you guys, but my heroine really identifies with Khaleesi as she prepares to tackle her unforgiving boss, and I need to do some research.”

Do you have a publisher or are you an independent author?

I’m a little bit of both, actually. I’ve published with some of the smaller epublishing houses and with Harlequin, and I also have a few self-published books out. There are benefits and drawbacks to each one, so it’s been interesting to compare my different experiences and make plans for the future.

Tell me about your most recent release.

My most recent release was Model Behavior, which came out in January. It’s a really fun and fast-paced story about a pair of long-time friends—one of whom is ready to move things to the next level, one of whom is not. The book revolves around a list of seven tasks the hero must complete before the heroine is willing to give up their friendship for something more.

One of the tasks is making the hero get a tramp stamp, so that kind of gives you an idea what the book is about.

Any new projects coming up?

Always!

I’m currently putting the final touches on a new heist book (I’m telling you…they’re my weakness), though I don’t have an official release date or plan for that book yet. I will say that the heroine is a claustrophobic jewel thief who happens to be married to an FBI agent. Cue the shenanigans!

I also have an ongoing holiday series that I self-publish, with a new book out every November. The first two are already out (In the Clear and Off the Map), and I’m working on the third (Out of Reach) right now. It’s strange to write about Christmas just as the weather starts to turn warm, but I’m used to it by now.

Thank you so much for stopping by!

Of course! I always love to talk books and romance.

About the Author

Tamara Morgan is a contemporary romance author of humorous, heartfelt stories with flawed heroes and heroines designed to get your hackles up and make your heart melt. Her long-lived affinity for romance novels survived a B.A. degree in English Literature, after which time she discovered it was much more fun to create stories than analyze the life out of them. She lives with her husband and daughter in the Inland Northwest, where the summers are hot, the winters are cold, and coffee is available on every street corner.