SEELIE KAY: Postcards from The Ledge: This week in The Loft: Author Luanna Stewart

Joining me today in The Loft is Canadian author Luanna Stewart. The author of spicy romantic suspense, paranormal romance, and historical romance, Luanna enjoys torturing her heroes and heroines. When not writing, she's in her kitchen baking something delicious. Luanna lives in Nova Scotia with her husband and two spoiled cats.

Author Luanna Stewart

S: Good morning, Luanna! Tell me, what's your favorite thing about writing romance?

L: Creating "what if" scenarios is something I’ve done for as long as I can remember. My Barbie doll went on all sorts of adventures of my devising and when I could borrow my brother’s G.I. Joe, Barbie had some romance in her life. I love creating people from the ground up, not only what they look like, but their entire life story, particularly the moments that formed who they are when the story opens. I also enjoy making their lives difficult, giving them obstacles, physical and emotional, to overcome. The best part is granting my characters their well-earned happily-ever-after.

S: I doubt my brothers would have surrendered their G.I. Joes to play with my Barbies!

What is your perfect romantic evening?

L: I have simple tastes and I’m an introvert. I crave silence. So my perfect romantic evening would be spent camping in the back country with my hubby, listening to the loons call their "good nights," enjoying the flickering light of a campfire, and just being.

S: Complete this sentence: When one of my books is released, I…

L: Put a bottle of Prosecco in the fridge to chill, pat myself on the back for a noteworthy accomplishment, sigh in relief that all the hard work is done, and worry that no one will enjoy reading the book I put months of writing, editing, and tears into creating. And then I get to work on the next book.

S: If you had to do it all over again, would you still choose to write books?

L: Absolutely. I can’t imagine not making up stories and playing with words. I have great fun writing myself into a corner that often leads to an interesting twist in the plot.

S: What’s the best advice you have ever been given?

L: Do it now while you still can. There is no guarantee that you’ll have a tomorrow. Don’t wait for the "right time" because it may never come. Whoever said carpe diem however many millennia ago was spot on.

S: That's great advice, for writers and everyone else.

What do you consider your greatest achievement?

L: That’s a difficult question to answer because choosing one thing sort of diminishes the others. Raising our two boys and guiding them into adulthood is definitely something I’m proud of. Staying happily married for 34 years, and counting, is laudatory. We celebrated that milestone recently by buying a new freezer.

S: Wow, 34 years. That's quite an achievement!

Tell me about your latest book, "Love Proof."

L: Sure. Here's the blurb--

Unemployed photojournalist Raynor Elliot stops at a bakery near the famous Deerbourne Inn. Not only does he get a lead on a job but the bakery’s owner is that awkward kid he knew in high school, only now she has fabulous curves and an irreverent sense of humor. The cozy bakery, with its aroma of sugar, vanilla and spice, has more to offer than tasty cookies.

Fiona MacLeod has been plagued for years by the need to make amends for telling The Big Lie. When the lie’s victim strolls into her bakery with his icy blue stare and killer charm, she feels like she’s standing too close to a hot oven.

Between running her bakery and frosting cupcakes for the Mad River Garden Party, she's pretty sure she's falling in love with this infuriating, sexy man. Can Fiona dredge up the courage to confess, face the consequences, and hope for forgiveness?