Author Interview ~ Liliana Hart

Interview With Liliana Hart

How did you come up with the idea for this story?

I always see my books like movie scenes, and I kept having this recurring scene pop into my head of these very sexy, built special ops guys, stripped to the waist in the pouring rain and mud, digging up a grave. I had no idea what the story or premise was at that time, but I knew that scene was going in the book.

I started talking it over with my husband (as I do for every book when it’s just forming in my mind) and we came up with The Gravediggers as a special ops group unlike any other. They were all exceptional with their own intelligence agencies, but for them to form the most elite group of agents, they had to “die” in their former life and be reborn with a new identity, leaving their family, friends, and past behind them.

Where do you find your inspiration?  

I’m an observer of all things. I’d much prefer to sit back and listen to conversations and watch how people react and their body language than be part of the conversation. But I’m an introvert, so that has a lot to do with it too.

Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?

Love scenes are usually the most challenging thing for me to write. I’ll skip over them for the most part, and then go back and write them at the very end.

What are your current projects?  

I’m actually taking a break for a little while, and I plan on enjoying the summer with my family. I wrote seven novels and two novellas in the last year, and I’m pooped. But I’ll start back up in the fall again. I’ve got another JJ Graves book coming in 2018, as well as another Addison Holmes, and more of The Gravediggers.

Tell us about your first book. What would readers find different about the first one and your most recent published work?

The first book I ever wrote was Kill Shot, though it had a different title in the early days. That version never saw the light of day, but after I’d written several books, I went back and rewrote the entire thing because I loved the premise so much. I’ve always been a character writer, so that hasn’t changed, but every book I write is better than the previous, which is as it should be.

Does music play any type of role in your writing?

I’ll occasionally listen to movie soundtracks while I’m writing particular scenes, but for the most part I like to write in silence.

Can you share a little of your current work with us?

I said before I’m taking a bit of a break from fiction, but I am working on some non-fiction with my husband. We’re blessed to be a strong blended family, and we’ve found there just aren’t a lot of resources out there for blended families, so that’s what we’re working on.

How can readers discover more about you and your work?

They can visit my website at www.lilianahart.com, or they can check out my author page at Amazon. I’m also very involved on social media, and I encourage all fans to join the Liliana’s SWEETharts group on Facebook. We do a lot of book discussions, and readers get the opportunity to get to know me on a more personal level.

Do you have a special time to write? How is your day structured writing-wise?

I do well in unstructured environments. I hate sitting at a desk and having set work hours. I usually work best first thing when I wake up, which is not early because I’m not a morning person. And then I’ll hit a lull mid-afternoon. I’ll get a second wind again about ten o’clock at night and work well into the early hours of the morning.

What is for you the perfect book hero?

I love flawed heroes. Especially flawed alpha heroes. They have issues, especially if they work special ops. There are things they see and deal with that the rest of us can’t understand, but with those things are psychological quirks that really make them a challenge in relationships. I love digging into my heroes a little deeper and discovering how to make the relationship between him and the heroine work.

When you start a book, do you already have the whole story in your head or is it built progressively?

Nope. I never have a clue what’s going to happen in the story until I sit down and start writing for the day. I like to be surprised.

Will you write more about these characters?

Yes, there are two Gravediggers who are begging for a story. More to come on that later.