Joining me today in The Loft is romance author Cameron Allie. Cameron writes contemporary, erotic, and paranomal romance. A fan of Happily-Ever-Afters (HEA), Cameron juggles life as the mother of two toddlers with writing romance. As she says, raising two little girls pretty much keeps her from writing, sleeping, eating, and pretty much everything else. New to the paranormal genre, Cameron's most recent book is a blend of paranormal and fantasy, and also represents her first self-published novel. She lives near Toronto with her husband, daughters, and Darcy, a cat she and her husband received as a wedding present.
Author Cameron Allie
S: Good morning, Cameron! Thanks for joining me today.
As a writer, did the pandemic and the subsequent isolation work to your benefit or detriment?
C: A bit of both. When the pandemic originally hit in 2020, my husband’s work didn’t have the necessary PPE when the first lockdown in Ontario happened. He didn’t feel safe at work, so he opted to stay home until that first lockdown eased up and his work started to implement some safety measures. While he was off, we managed to get into a groove which allowed me to write a bit in the evening. At that point we had a two-year-old and a six-month-old. Fast forward, and now we’re two years into this whole mess. It’s been up and down. I get time when the girls finally decide to sleep well, but my kids hate sleeping, so it’s been four years of sleep deprivation, which doesn’t make for a conductive atmosphere for creativity. At times, because of COVID, child care was hard to come by. That also limited my writing time, so my output has been much slower in the past two years., in part due to COVID, in part because we started a family and young kids take a lot of time and energy.
S: On the one hand, children are a gift, but on the other, parenting requires a lot of work. Thankfully, it gets a little easier as they get more independent.
Do you adhere to tropes when writing romance? Which ones do you enjoy writing? Are there any tropes that make you squirm?
C: In my contemporary romances, I’ve sort of jumped around a bit. I’ve done a few BDSM, a few friends-to-lovers, but I tend to write a lot of forbidden love stories--also known as the older brother’s hot best friend, the employee/employer relationship. I’ve done one military, and I’ve done one single mom. Now that I have kids, I have plans for a series down the road that will center on single moms, but it’s on the back burner right now, until I get some of the paranormal romance/fantasy stories out of my head. One trope you probably won’t see from me is the Daddy Dom trope. It’s not one I gravitate to. Age gap, sure, but likely nothing too far down that Daddy Dom path.
S: As open-minded as I try to be, when I am writing stories, I always ask myself, "Is that something I could do?" If not, I take a pass.
If you had to do it all over again, would you still choose to write books?
C: Definitely. I love writing. I’ve worked hard at improving my skills, and I’ve worked hard at trying to understand the business side of the job as well. I can’t give up on the characters in my head, and there are just so many of them that I’ll likely never get all of them written. I tend to write in series, and that means lots of stories. The Clayridge Chronicles series is my new obsession. I’ve left Easter eggs all over that book and I can’t wait to see how readers react as we get further into that world.
S: I also prefer to write a series. I think that provides the opportunity to really explore characters and their story.
Do you write in other genres?
C: Short answer, yes, as long as it’s romance. Longer answer--I write romance, but I have branched out across multiple subgenres. The bulk of my current stories are contemporary romance that tend to have higher heat levels. I have a few M/M stories. And I’m just beginning to venture into fantasy and paranormal romance. Next year I hope to also have some sci-fi reverse harem to release.
S: Those are always hot! Complete this sentence: “When one of my books is released, I…”
C: Obsessively check for ranking and reviews. I know I shouldn’t. A watched pot and all that, but it’s hard not to. You put a lot of work, and sometimes a lot of money into a release, so it’s hard not to watch the numbers. With my latest book, I’m self-publishing it, so I’ve invested a lot of money into the production. I’ve been working on the book for over a year, and it’s setting up a whole universe. This book has the potential to link to at least a dozen more stories. It’s a huge deal for me, and honestly, this release has me terrified, excited and anxious. I feel like the quarterback before the big game. So many butterflies. So many nerves.
S: 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, 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. One, I couldn’t complete my story in time for the publisher’s deadline and two, 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, released last fall: 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: As I mentioned, "Love Spells, Full Moons and Silver Bullets" is my first self-published story. So that means that rather than finish the story and hand it over to the publisher who then arranged for editing, cover art, proofing, formatting, and uploading, I had to do all that myself. I’ve hired professional editors and found a wonderful Canadian graphic artist and another wonderful Canadian proofer/formatter to help me make this book shine. I sent it to more beta readers than I have in the past. It’s been a tremendous amount of work and I’ve had to invest my own money into this project, and pray that I not only breakeven but can maybe turn a profit and finally start working toward this being a career. This book is also special to me because it’s a new genre. I started out telling people it’s paranormal romance, but I think it’s really a blend of paranormal romance and fantasy. It’s got a bit of graphic violence, which is new for me, and it’s a slow burn, another new element for me. It’s got a rich cast of characters and so much set up and Easter eggs for future books. I’m really looking forward to reader’s responses to not only this book, but the series as well. In addition, to celebrate the release of "Love Spells, Full Moons, and Silver Bullets." I will be giving away a moon pendant with chakra gemstones.
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: That sounds like an entertaining story! Where can readers buy your book?
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