Hey there everyone.

For today’s treat to start off the week, I have had the utmost pleasure of speaking to author Samantha Cole about her exciting and exhilarating Military Romantic Suspense novels.

I therefore won’t keep you in suspense any longer, here we go with the interview.

 

Hi there Samantha, thank you for chatting with us about your writing processes, we are very happy to have you over here today.

Thanks for having me!

Let’s start with your novels from your “Trident Security Series”. Your series can be found under the Military and Romantic Suspense genres, so already I know we are in for an exciting ride when we get stuck into them! Tell us more about the unifying themes of the books, along with the characters and the adventures that they find themselves thrust into. Also, do any of your characters constantly crop up in all of your books or do you start afresh with new people with each new novel?

The core of the Trident Security series was originally based on a team of six former Navy SEAL’s now in the private sector, and has since spread out with more characters being introduced as the series progresses. My characters constantly pop up in each other’s books, but usually the person the main character is falling in love with is either new to the series or has had very little mention prior to their romance.

The age old adage is to “write what you know.” You are a retired policewoman and paramedic. Can you tell us what sort of impact these experiences have had on your Trident Security Series? Are they a constant source of inspiration when it comes to writing new books in the series?

Yes! As a retired police officer, I find most of the books I prefer to read have some sort of suspense in them, and as such, that’s what I write. My experiences in my past careers are a big help when I’m plotting the criminal portion of the story, however, I do have to check in with some military advisors to make sure I have the correct lingo. Sometimes the law enforcement slang is different from the military.

If your novels were to be made into movies, who would you cast in the lead roles?

Since I have too many characters to cast, I would say as long as the males were alpha yet tender, and the females were kick-ass and willing to fight for what they believe in, then I’d be satisfied.

What do you find the most difficult thing about writing? And what do you find the easiest?

The most difficult thing is sometimes I’m very easily distracted and take on too much at once. Between promo work, making teaser and covers, chatting with readers, takeovers, etc, I sometimes find hours have gone by and I haven’t written a word. As for what I find the easiest, when I do concentrate on my writing, and block everything else out, I can bang out chapters at a time. I very rarely get writer’s block and for that I am thankful.

Who are some of the authors in general that inspire you?

Lexi Blake and Cherise Sinclair have been great inspirations to me. They both have the perfect mix of romance/suspense/steamy sex which is what I strive for in my writing. Vince Flynn has also been a source of inspiration to me. His books are so far removed from the romance genre yet I find them riveting. If you’re into CIA thrillers and you haven’t discovered Vince’s series, then you’re missing out. It was bittersweet to read the latest book in the series as Vince passed away during the development of it, and it was passed on to author Kyle Mills, who will be taking over the series.

What sort of research do you do to write your books?

It depends on what is happening. Sometimes I’ll have to research a certain weapon being used, or the typography of a country or state to find what I need for the story. There is also the BDSM lifestyle in the Trident Security Series and I do not take part in it. I’ve joined chat rooms and groups online, and have researched many sites to get a better understanding for the lifestyle—some of the emotions involved, equipment, types of play, etc. I must be doing something right, because I’ve been contacted by several readers who are in the lifestyle and they tell me they’re impressed with how I write about it.

Why do you write? What inspired you to become a writer?

I’ve been a voracious reader since I was little, sometimes reading 2 books at a time lol. I never thought I could write a book, but after a car accident on the job ending up requiring four knee surgeries, I began playing around with some stories I had in my head. About four or five years ago, I gave it a try as I was recovering from one of the surgeries. While the story lines were good, my writing sucked lol. It was flat out horrible. Every author “don’t” I did. And I actually stopped writing for a few years. Then in February of 2015, I began to get this whole series bouncing around in my brain and by the time I got the courage to put the first book down on the computer, I basically had the whole thing written in my mind. It took 1 week to write the first draft of Leather & Lace. But my writing still had a lot of issues. Thankfully, I hooked up with several beta readers and other indie authors who took me under their wings and pointed out everything I was doing wrong. I owe them a lot!

What keeps you motivated during creative slumps? How do you deal with Writers Block?

I really don’t have them often. As a matter of fact I have story lines for 8 or 9 books from now lol. If I do hit a spot in a story line that I’m not quite sure of, I do one of two things. One is to skip that scene and move on to a later one that I know will work. I will then go back and try to join the two scenes. Another way I move past any blocks is to take my dogs for a long walk. I’ll start playing the last few scenes I wrote in my mind like a movie and usually by the time we get back to the house, I know exactly what will happen next in the plot.

How do you spend your free time when you are not writing?

I do a lot of social media networking, but I also spend time at my camper with friends, and of course, I read a lot – lol!

Tell us more about your upcoming projects. Are you working on anything specific or have plans in the pipeline?

Oh, I have a lot going on! My next release that I’m working on is Book 2 in my Malone Brothers series—The Devil’s Spare Change. After that comes Book 7 in the Trident Security Series—Absolving His Sins. I’m also collaborating with the talented JB Havens for a two-part crossover novel uniting my Trident men with her Steel Corps team—No Way In Hell.

(Ed Note – JB Havens will be featured in a future interview later this month).

We are having so much fun with combining our characters that I’ve mentioned some of her team in Absolving His Sins and JB is having some of my characters pop up in her new work in progress. I also have a few stand-alone novels that I would like to finish up. Hopefully, I’ll be able to squeeze them in during the New Year.

Finally, are there any nuggets of wisdom that you can impart to other aspiring writers?

Lots! I’ve learned so much in the past year and a half, and I love passing that on to aspiring authors.

One—find beta readers who don’t know you to give you honest feedback about your writing. Don’t rely on friends and family because they will feel obligated to tell you it’s great when it really needs a lot of work.

Two—develop a thick skin. Take constructive criticism and use it to make your books even better. Learn from your reviews. Never, EVER, respond to a bad review unless it is to say something like “Thanks for pointing out that error. I’m going to fix it right now!” I’ve seen several authors tank their whole career under whatever name they were using because they rudely told the reviewers that they had no idea what they were talking about. Not everyone is going to love or even like your book, so get over that idea right away.

Three—never give up. Some of the most famous authors in literature were turned down dozens of times before getting their break. And nowadays it’s getting easier and easier for indie authors to succeed without a traditional publisher.

Four—don’t be afraid to ask other authors to point you in the right direction if you’re unsure of something. There are some great groups on FB that are non-promo author groups where you can get plenty of input from authors with a wide range of experience.

Five—when you do get your book out there, PROMO, PROMO, PROMO. And whatever you do, don’t harass other authors to buy your books. It’s considered rude and we are not your target audience. Why? I’m a prime example. Before I started writing, I read ten to twelve books a month. Now I’m lucky if I read 2 or 3 and that’s including my favourite authors who keep coming out with must reads! Target bloggers and voracious readers instead.

And that’s a wrap! Thank you for being a wonderful guest.

Thanks again for having me!

Bio:-

Samantha Cole is a retired policewoman and former paramedic who has started her third career as an author. She has lived in the suburbs of NYC all her life. She is planning on becoming a ‘snow-bird’ soon and splitting her time between New York and Florida. Her two dogs keep her company and remind their ‘Mom’ to take a break from writing every once in a while and go for a walk, of course with them in tow.

She has been an avid reader all of her life and was often found with one or two books in her hands as a child (yes, she was reading two books at the same time!) After being gifted with a stack of romance novels from her grandmother, her love of the genre began in her teens and blossomed further in adulthood. She is continuing to work on the Trident Security series and also has a few stand-alone books planned as well.

You can connect with Samantha on the following Social Media platforms:-

Subscribe to her newsletter:- The Sexy Six-Pack’s Newsletter – Samantha A. Cole
Amazon Author Page:- Samantha A. Cole (Amazon Author Page)
Booksprout:- Samantha A. Cole (Booksprout)
Facebook:- Samantha A. Cole (FB)
Goodreads:- Samantha A. Cole (Goodreads Author)
Instagram:- samanthacoleauthor (Instagram)
Pinterest:- Samantha A. Cole (Pinterest)
Twitter:- Samantha A. Cole (Twitter)
Website:- The Website of Author Samantha A. Cole
YouTube:- Samantha A. Cole – Author (YouTube)

You can buy her books here:-

Canada:- Buy Samantha A. Cole’s books in Canada

UK/Europe:- Buy Samantha A. Cole’s books in UK/Europe

US/Rest of the World:- Buy Samantha A. Cole’s books in US/Rest of the World

If you too would like to be interviewed on my blog at TooFullToWrite and you have a book or a series of books that you would like us to chat about then fill out the Contact Me form here with your details and we can arrange a future interview slot.

Still want more? Well, Samantha’s novels have characters who are military experts and she is very well qualified herself. We all strive to be experts in our given fields and writing is no exception therefore a suitable prompt over at The Daily Post would be ‘Expert’. For more blog posts on this particular theme then check out the links below:-

1. Angels & Demons (book and movie) – jessicasblog45
2. Her students – zorazebic
3. HarlemATL Inner City Blues – The Black Files: A Slither of Truth
4. Musings of a Mediocre Mormon Mommy – MEDIOCRITY Level: Expert
5. Shiver me timbers, “it’s cold in Sri Lanka?” – Uma’s life and thoughts
6. Travel Much? – Coupon much?
7. quiet time journal – I am no expert….
8. blacklightauthor – Level
9. Making Up For The Days Lost – Melolontha by the River
10. Intelligent Life – A Different State of Mind
11. Expert: Coffee, Please! – Shelby’s Starlit Crossing
12. Here we go again! – When I thought I was fat
13. Jesus on Adultery / Annulments & the Roman Catholic church – Let The Light In ~ Reflections
14. Journey of Roo – Living Words
15. Louiesse – On Chances and Changes
16. Expert – LazyHaze
17. theempathyqueen – Seeking Expert Advice
18. The night I pretended to be an expert chef – Sascha Darlington’s Microcosm Explored
19. Le Drake Noir – Know-how is just knowing how
20. Expert – ‘Practice Makes Perfect’ – rachyba8e
21. Mark V. Bettencourt Writer/Producer – I’m Just Another Hack With A Blog
22. I Will Fight Site – A Life Haiku
23. The Lazy Wanderer – Need Help
24. MY ENDURING BONES
25. “Expert.” – Nomadic Adventurer
26. How to be an expert in everything – A Beginner´s Blogger Diary
27. Mainline_Matter – Trained Automotive Expert
28. This is Another Story – 41st First Day
29. Is it healthy to treat disease with prayer? – Holy Addiction
30. Unstoppable – THE FIFTEENTH CONCESSION
31. I Am An Expert at Knowing Myself – Positive Reflections
32. tuckedintoacorner – river + stone + expert
33. Expert – The Inkwell
34. Experto – apserranoblog
35. EXPERT OF ALL TIMES – thepunkpenblog
36. Magnanimous Word – These Veterans of Motherhood
37. Blind Guy – An Incorrigible Optimist
38. Tracing the Brownings! Family Expert! – Chronicles of an Orange-Haired Woman!
39. What Makes An Expert? – thelifeshelf
40. What are you good at? – mum’s going nuts
41. Nanotale #15 – maybeiamsure
42. Maak eens een Slideshare // Take a SlideShare Theo Herbots – Wie is Theo Herbots ? // Who is Theo Herbots?
43. Expert or Bust – Mac’s World
44. The cathedral of Porto – Don’t hold your breath
45. Quick Fiction (almost) NSFW – Asleep At The Wheel
46. Expert – Round Table News
47. Haiku: Running Experts – whippetwisdom.com
48. Troop of monkeys troop in – And the penny drops…
49. Exclusively Mine – Life at 17
50. Expert Advice on Writing – TAwrites
51. Demonology – True_George
52. Of Writers and Poets – Cynthia Goes Online
53. kindergartenknowledge.com – Dr. Anita L. Archer. Literacy Expert.
54. Life With Brown – Expert of None
55. Just tell your story… – It Is Still Real
56. Myammy! Moving in together at 50… – No expertise needed?
57. helen meikle’s scribblefest – Daily prompt: I’m back
58. inspiration in progress – Expert
59. The Showers of Blessing – You Can Be Your Own Expert
60. An Expert At Being An Expert – Simple Existence
61. Expert by Vermont Book Works – Vermont Book Works
62. trappedamazingness – Expert
63. Ideas for Teaching Ag – Expert
64. Tear down your Cottage – aYoKa
65. Making it write – You can’t have that
66. April’s Perspective – Breaking the Chain Rant
67. Leanne Murphy – Ten words #24
68. My Expert – Asleep At The Wheel
69. In – A Short Conversation
70. Daily Post Prompt: Child, I am Barely an Expert – Sumyanna Writes
71. Devil Doll Musings – The Candy Man
72. Lisa’s Journal Blog – Experts in Ham Radio
73. It’s All in Finding the Right Words – EXPERT
74. Leandra Knott Poetry – Fallible Expertise
75. artifiswords – EXPERT
76. Cancer Healed by Jesus. Angela McCauley – Be an Expert in Prayer
77. Your Nibbled News (c) 2016 YNN – Cleaning ocean crabs an acquired skill
78. The Player Of The Game – Leigha Robbins
79. Teacher, Tailor, Soldier, Spy. – skippythebushbbq
80. Mastery – The ink drop
81. Like the Lamp – Twenty Five Years After the Blind Date
82. Pandit – Making Sense of Complications
83. Hot White Snow – The Writer Pyramid
84. It Spits Out – Justus Books
85. Smart or not? – Mr.Brb_blog
86. At home with Fatima – Stories from A Closet of Errors
87. Life in a Few Words – Who Knows?
88. prompt: expert – the Fox
89. Missing Pieces – Odyssey In Atlantis
90. What I Gotta Say About It – Shocking Revelation: We’re All Worthy
91. Runner’s Pain, Injury & Illness – Sneakers on Pavement
92. Citation de la vie – Mr.Brb_blog
93. Are the Boomers causing a Business Bust? – The Mono-Economy of the New Millennium
94. Signs of the Times #4: Killer Apps – The Mono-Economy of the New Millennium
95. Expert Quality of Les Mis – Meg’s Magical Musings
96. Lakeland Musings by Irwin – What is an Expert?
97. iamdeltapositivenegative – Expert
98. Daily Word Writing Prompt: Letter to a Stranger – KimKnight_Author
99. Anirban Blogs – Fake it Till you Break it
100. ATG Successful Living – How to Position Yourself as a Blogging Expert
101. The Big Me – Episode 01 : Class S – MeRoar
102. Expert – Live, Laugh, Love Writing.
103. When On Meth – thebesotted7muses
104. Writer 873 – The Expert Witness
105. Expert – Grace Adulting
106. The Line For COCK Starts Here – Insidious Temptation
107. Musically Reviewed – Playlist: Expert
108. Feeling Hopeful – Onto My Next 40 Years
109. The Expert Heart – Writcrit
110. Jibber Jabber with Sue – My Top 20
111. Crossing Colorado – How You Can Become a Weight Loss Expert
112. Good Humor – Jennifer Nichole Wells
113. the FLAVORED word – O to the M to the G!! Here’s proof that teenagers listen to their parents …
114. Travel Much? – #Rock the Red! Capitals vs. Coyotes
115. Obvious signs – Awordseeker
116. Original-Dante – And Then There’s Me.
117. Cheating at Life – It’s Time to Talk – A Mile In My Shoes
118. Read and Write Here – What are you an Expert In?
119. That’s It, I Quit – A lot from Lydia
120. Love Lesson – Caillen James –Author
121. copypower – EXPERT – The Trial & Error Game
122. Expert, no apologies – Life of Di
123. a bliss of birds – Ascend to the Dungeon: Those Scary Places Inside the Head
124. It’s ok to Learn – thepathtocreativity
125. The Passing Lane – Ellies Little Adventure
126. Books and their Covers  – A Patient Nurse
127. Insach – Experts
128. Expert – Crusty Monkeys
129. lifelessons – a blog by Judy Dykstra-Brown – Expert
130. Writer Sanctuary – Do You Need to Be an Expert to Be a Ghostwriter?
131. Life with Jess – I Lived
132. The Gad About Town – I’m No Expert
133. Daily Word Post-Expert – juantetcts
134. Never Doubt Yourself – littleflamesblog
135. Expert Versus “Expert”…And Gaining Experience – Allison’s Written Words
136. Go To God – Pete Gardner Psalms
137. Anonymous in Cali – Jack and the Skyscraper
138. Writing and Works – Expert
139. Not an Expert. – If but a dream within a dream
140. SERENDIPITY – EXPERT ON MYSELF
141. Turn That Radio Up – Smells Like Teen Spirit
142. Expert – Ripples N Reflections
143. Expert is Certainty – eddaz
144. Expert – Threewheelergran
145. YOU CAN PUT THAT SALT GRINDER DOWN – Words We Women Write
146. Tease – indisputably inconclusive
147. Trained – indisputably inconclusive
148. My Little World – Not an Expert.
149. Expert – disue
150. The Lost Symbol – jessicasblog45
151. The Cliffhanger Chronicle – Expert Opinions!
152. I wrote a book. Now what? – The ‘been there, done that’ people
153. wordsareallihavesite – Expert
154. Serendipitousbloom.com – Be an expert at being You
155. 3 Ways to Become An Expert in Your Field – SUCCESS STRATEGIES
156. Grammy Writes – I Want to be That Wise
157. kStan(ly) kSays – the squirrel who lived in our shed
158. A Tested and Proven Expert – Ms Skyfall
159. Mundane Monday  – pins & ashes
160. The Cliffhanger Chronicle – Love and War : Part 3
161. Scott’s Place – Expert
162. Expert – Covert Novelist
163. Expert – Image & Word
164. speaking up for myself – Picture Perfect
165. A Decade with Dusty T. Dog – Where’s the Windmill?
166. EXPERT – My QuotesVilla
167. We all are Expert  – Writer’s Blog
168. Call an Expert – Postcard from a Pigeon
169. Michael J. Fite – How Can You Be And What Makes You Capable Of Being An Expert?
170. thelonerose – Experts
171. Aquarian woman – Bloggers Paradise
172. B_ up to date – Expert on experts
173. The Cat Chronicles – Daily Feline Prompt: The Feline Expert
174. At The Corner Of Unicorn Lane – My God, My Music, My Life
175. LiteYourSoul – Expert on Living in Hell
176. Devil Doll Musings – It’s Raining Men
177. Mango – somerberry
178. There Are More Poets than Stars in the Firmament – sometimes talking about it helps
179. Our Random View – Expert
180. I am the Expert.. – Random Thoughts and Musings
181. kristinakoti – Blogging and the list
182. I might need a drink … – writemebad
183. Chronicles of an Anglo Swiss – Who wants to be an expert
184. La Tour Abolie – Oh, my Grace I got no hidin’ place (1)
185. To The Girls Who Sleep With Guys Who Have Girlfriends. – LIVING AND LEARNING
186. The Expert Can Be Wrong – My Second Act, Scene One
187. Expertise on emotions – rheakhaira
188. Christine’s Collection – Monday Morning and Life’s A Puddle
189. Shell’s Studio – “I’m an expert” he said!
190. Expert – Think Out Loud by Aida
191. The Artist – Some More Fiction
192. Who is the Expert Anyway? – My Degrees of Separation
193. Not the Damn Expert! – Redhead Reflections
194. We are all experts – yasminmay
195. Lost Property Repository – Big Bear Episode 17
196. Southern By Design – Everyone’s An Expert
197. List Making Expert – The Soler Power Life
198. Copper Cranes – The Hanged Man
199. The Expert Question – A Devious Mind
200. I am No Expert (at Marriage) – Jerome Danner
201. domestic diva – Magic of Soda and Vinegar
202. An expert on drugs and alcohol ⋆ Obsolete Childhood
203. Learning from Other Great Writers – Is It Okay to Try to Imitate Another Writer’s or Artist’s Style? – Blog to Memoir
204. kStan(ly) kSays – oh, my feet
205. Waste Of Money – psychedelicwizard
206. Zombie Flamingos – Random thoughts for a Monday morning
207. An Upturned Soul – Half a Good Day… musings and whatnot
208. Ask And You Shall Receive – Asleep At The Wheel
209. Boring Bug – How to be Irresistibly Attractive?
210. DaringToJess – A Man From the Next Town with a Briefcase
211. Things I’ve learned from a birdwatching walk. – sheetalbravon
212. Madeline Scribes – In Business, always Heed the Signs!
213. Master of None – Just Writing!
214. Expert – Bits of Poems
215. The Wandering Poet – An expert…Public speaker?
216. Frank Prem – reserve one to Marysville
217. A Vibrant Palette – What does your Hi mean
218. Lantern Words – Consult The Expert
219. Lost Property Repository – Expert