Joining me today in The Loft is author Cameron Allie. Cameron writes in a variety of romance subgenres, including contemporary, paranormal, erotic, and M/M. The mother of two toddlers, Cameron claims she spends most of her time these days watching Paw Patrol, eating Goldfish crackers, and obsessing over whether she's doing a good job parenting and when she'll find more time to write. Cameron lives north of Toronto, Ontario with her husband and two daughters, as well as a cat named Darcy, who was a wedding present.
S: Good morning, Cameron! Thanks for taking the time to chat with me today. I know "toddlerville" can be very time-consuming. It's amazing that you can find any time to write.
What do people get wrong about romance?
C: I’m going to assume this question is about the romance genre and not romance in general. I think one of the biggest things people get wrong, or at least assume about the romance genre, is that it’s a lesser style of book. People often look down on the romance genre. Readers of romance often feel they need to hide the type of book they’re reading, or give an explanation as to why they’re reading that “trash." Additionally, a lot of people tend to point at the genre and say it's anti-feminist. Which couldn’t be more wrong. Romance stories are mostly written by women for women. Many of the authors who write within the genre hold some sort of higher education, often they’re teachers or lawyers. I remember reading a statistic once that said the average romance reader is a black woman with at least two years of college education. The readers are educated women, the authors are educated women, and the heroines featured in most of today’s romance stories? Well, they kick ass at whatever they’re doing. They hold a variety of positions, and often they’re key in the destruction of any villain in the story. I’d like to also take a moment to point out that romance is a billion dollar industry and the genre outsells the next several highest selling genres combined. Clearly, not only are there hundreds of thousands of romance fans out there, there is also a need for these types of stories. The days of apologizing for reading romance are long over for me. I’ll proudly announce to anyone that I love the genre, I read the genre, and I write in the genre. I mean, who doesn’t want to read a sexy story that empowers women, and has a satisfying guaranteed Happily-Ever-After (HEA)? In today’s world, frankly, we need these stories.
S: I couldn't agree more. I believe romance stories provide hope in a sometimes hopeless world.
What attracted you to your current partner?
C: My husband and I met when I was about 20. So wow, we’ve been together for 14 years now. Married for seven. There were a lot of things that I found attractive about him. One of the biggest was how forward he was. He was interested in me and wasn’t afraid to show it. Back then I tended to be oblivious to guys liking me, they needed to be blunt, and at that age they just weren’t. I loved his honesty. He’d told me before we even got out of my hometown on our first date all of his flaws. Yep, he listed them off, including the fact that he’d failed grade 2. Coming from an emotionally abusive relationship with a long time cheater, the honesty was refreshing. But what really drew me in? During our first date he told me about his little 5 year old niece. He pulled out his wallet showed me the picture of this cute little girl who was missing her front teeth. He carried her picture around with him. How could I resist that?
S: That's such a sweet story, and now he has two little girls of his own!
Do you remember your first kiss? What was memorable about it?
C: My first kiss happened when I was 15. I mostly remember how excited I was about it. I’d been anxiously waiting for that first kiss--I’m excluding the time I kissed a boy after kindergarten graduation when I was five--so I was thrilled when it first happened. Mostly, I remember the setting. I remember it was early June, the weather was nice, and it happened outside after the sun had gone down. I couldn’t tell you much detail about the kiss itself. I think it was good. I just remember how excited I was to have finally experienced it.
S: Do you write in other genres?
C: All of my stories fall under the romance category, but I do write within multiple subgenres within romance. Most of my stories are contemporary. I have a few M/M stories as well. My first paranormal romance came out in September, and "Love Spells, Full Moons, and Silver Bullets" will be out in March. I’m also planning to jump into the sci-fi romance horror genre, with a series that has already been contracted. I kind of jump all over the place with genre and tropes, but I will always deliver that HEA, though admittedly it might be a few stories in the making.
S: If you had to do it all over again, would you still choose to write books?
C: Definitely. I can’t quiet the characters in my head. They have stories to tell and I’m excited to deliver them. I can’t wait to hear what readers think of some of my upcoming series. However, I would likely do things differently. Right now, I’ve bitten off more than I can chew. I was pumping out stories very quickly at the beginning of my career, and I’m anxious to get back to such a fast pace, but in 2018, I had my first baby, and now I have two of them, and writing has slowed down drastically. So I might have planned releases and scheduling differently, but I’d definitely still be writing. Hopefully, one day I can make a full time career out of it.
S: From experience, I can tell you that as your children grow older and become more independent, you will find more time to write. Meanwhile, it's best to settle in and enjoy the journey. Kids aren't kids for long!
What inspired "Love Spells, Full Moons, and Silver Bullets?"
C: I brought up the idea of a joint story collection/series to a few author friends of mine. We had discussed the idea of each writing our own story that connects somehow. We ended up deciding that while each story would be totally independent from the rest, but each one would have a corn maze, a creepy scarecrow type figure at the entrance of said corn maze, and within each maze would be a portal that would push our stories into the paranormal romance genre. As with most things in life, our plans got a little derailed, but each of us has produced a story with those elements and we’re working as a team to celebrate each release and help the others succeed. I ended up separating from our original publication and release plan for a few reasons--I couldn’t complete my story in time for the publisher’s deadline and my story morphed into a full length novel, rather than the agreed upon novella, and has launched an entire series based in the paranormal realm I’ve created. The other authors and stories, if you’d like to check them out, are being released this October: VJ Allison’s "Eternity’s Gamble," Maggie Blackbird’s "Born for This," and D.S. Dehel’s, "Nine for a Kiss."
S: Is there anything special you would like people to know about "Love Spells, Full Moons, and Silver Bullets?"
C: Where do I start? This book is so special to me for so many reasons. It’s going to be my longest story to date, and my first big paranormal romance, not to mention it’s kicking of my first paranormal romance series. I’m so in love with the characters, and am excited to get into stories that follow this one. I know I have at least seven full-length novels planned in this series, and plan on writing bite-sized mini stories that will tie into the larger ongoing plot. They’ll be released in between the longer novels. But I image the series will be longer than seven books. I’m anticipating this being a project that I can come back to and write in often, as long as the interest is there from readers and the ideas keep flowing. This book and series is special to me because I’m writing stories that are more complex, with villains and an overarching plot and universe. I think it will show how much I’ve grown as an author over the last few years. I’m definitely excited to showcase the paranormal creatures and the unique twists I have planned on some old favorites.
Here's the blurb--
What do you do when your ex's werewolf boss wants to feast on the mortal you've sworn to protect?
Quinn was unaware of the love potion her meddling cat dumped into her tea, so when Ian Hannigan ends up injured on her property, she thinks she's dealing with another mortal, not the man who can help mend her heart. Her life becomes a balancing act as she attempts to keep him safe while hiding secrets better left buried with the dead.
In a realm filled with things that go bump in the night, Ian didn't expect to find security and happiness in the arms of a green-skinned witch, yet for the first time since his parents' tragic car crash, he's found some measure of peace. The rumors he hears in Clayridge aren't pleasant, but Ian knows there's more to Quinn than what people would have him believe. If he's placed his trust in the wrong hands, he'll be paying with more than just his heart. He'll pay with his life.
S: Cameron, it's been a pleasure chatting today. If you'd like to learn more about Cameron and her books, please visit--
Cameron's
Covey (FB Reader Group)
Cameron is offering a free short story in exchange for signing up for her newsletter. You can sign up here to get a free copy of "Arrested Valentine," which includes a sneak peek at "Love Spells, Full Moons, and Silver Bullets." Currently, the excerpt found at the back of "Arrested Valentine" is unavailable anywhere else
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