Author Interview: Heather Thurmeier

Today is my last post for the Falling for You tour organized by CLP Blog Tours! So far I've already reviewed  Heather Thurmeier's novel (loved it!) and she wrote a great guest post for the blog yesterday. Today's treat is an interview with the lovely Heather! Enjoy :)

Favourite movie?

Oh, so, so hard to pick just one. So here’s my current top 5:

Die Hard

Armageddon

40-Year-Old Virgin

Tommy Boy

The Notebook

Favourite author/book?

OMG, this is like picking a favorite child. Again, you get my top 5:

Jill Shalvis’ Lucky Harbor series

Karen Marie Moning’s Fever series

Nicholas Sparks’ The Notebook

JK Rowling’s Harry Potter series

**I'm actually going to stop at the top 4 instead because I think there are way too many books/series/authors that could be my number 5.

Favourite (or dream) travel destination?

Paris. I went once with my husband and we have the best week ever! We really want to go back with our girls.

Favourite indulgence (food to eat, store to shop in, etc.)?

Books. Lots and lots of books. Was there supposed to be another answer? Handbags. I really love handbags. I don’t own that many of them (regardless of what hubs says!) but I covet many. It doesn't matter what size or shape you are, a new handbag always fits!

Favourite reality TV show?
I have a top 3 (and a whole bunch of other that I love *almost* as much!):

The Amazing Race

Survivor

Bachelor/Bachelorette

What made you want to write romances?

I don’t know. I wanted to write a book for a long time, but never thought I could. I didn't have an idea for a book, just a desire to write one. Then one day an idea came to me, and it sort of festered in my brain for a while, taking shape. When I finally thought I had an overall idea and characters come together, I couldn't wait to write it. It just so happened to be a romance! I'm not surprised really. I love to watch romantic comedies, I love to read romance and chick lit, and I'm a huge romantic in real life!

Do you ever find characteristics of yourself or your friends and family creeping into your characters?

Yes! I think there is a little piece of me in every single one of my characters in some way or another. None of my characters are based entirely off of people I know in real life… that would be awkward! But each character has a little trait from someone I know, or in most cases, from many people I know.

What is your writing process like? Do you have a favourite place or time of day to write?

I write mostly in the morning and early afternoon while the kids are at school and the house is quiet. I find I'm very motivated in the morning to get my word count in and I usually have lots of energy to sit and focus on writing for a few hours. Once the kids come home, it gets harder to focus because they need a lot of attention. And after they go to bed, I'm beat! I get very little to nothing done in the evenings!

What’s your favourite thing about being an author?

I have two answers to this. First, I love that being an author allows me to set my own schedule. I like working as much or as little as my family life allows. It great to be able to work and still be home with my kids after school, to run them to activities and take them for playdates. And I love being able to do the job I love from the comfort of my home.  Secondly, I LOVE creating characters and telling their stories. It’s such a good feeling to be able to put down on paper these stories I have in my head and to have people actually read my books and enjoy them! I didn't realize how fulfilling this career would be when I started my first book, but every time I finish a book it gives me a sense of accomplishment I've never felt any other way. Being an author is incredibly rewarding and satisfying. I can’t imagine doing anything else as a career and I feel blessed that this is my job.

What kinds of things do you like to do when you’re not writing?

When I'm not writing I like spending time with my family and friends. We enjoy going to movies, hiking, bike riding, and playing video games. One of our favorite outdoor activities is geocaching. We use a handheld GPS unit and a set of longitude and latitude coordinates to find hidden ‘caches’. Caches are containers that people hide and inside is always a logbook we sign with our geocaching name and usually there are other little trinkets inside too. Sometimes there are tiny toys for the kids that they can take, and sometimes we bring little things with us to leave in the cache as well. The kids call it treasure hunting! The second book in my reality TV romance trilogy is called Stuck on You and it’s a reality show loosely based on The Amazing Race but with a geocaching twist! I can't wait to see what readers think of it!