SEELIE KAY: Postcards from The Ledge: This week in The Loft: Author J. Arlene Culiner!

Joining me today in The Loft is contemporary romance author J. Arlene Culiner. A social critical/satirical artist, and impenitent teller of tall tales, J. Arlene has crossed much of Europe on foot, living in a mud house on the Great Hungarian Plain, in a Bavarian castle, a Turkish cave dwelling, a haunted house on the English moors, and on a Dutch canal. She now resides in a 400-year-old former inn in a French village. Observing people in cafes, in their homes, on trains, or in the streets, she eavesdrops on all private conversations, and delights in hearing any nasty, funny, ridiculous, sad, romantic, or boastful story. She claims when she can't uncover really salacious gossip, she makes it up!

J. Arlene Culiner

S: Why did you start writing romance?

J: I enjoy writing realistic contemporary romances. Why? Because falling in love is such a wildly exciting, but turbulent, experience. When writing about love, I identify totally with my characters, thus get a chance to experience all the emotions again--from a distance, of course.

S: How do you determine the "heat level" of your stories?

J: I don’t determine anything. My characters decide the heat level. If they are unconventional free spirits, how they initiate sexual contact is going to be different from those who are staid or self-protective.

S: I have to agree with you. I never know what the heat level will be until I'm finished writing the book.

Are you self-published or traditionally published? Why did you choose that path?

J: I am traditionally published. I am not a marketing person, therefore the challenge of finding good beta readers, a good editor, a good book designer, and a good marketing strategy are far beyond my skills.

S: Do you write in other genres?

J: I write mystery, but I also write serious non-fiction about certain aspects of Central and Eastern European history. I find that doing intensive research in different countries is highly stimulating. For my last non-fiction, "A Contrary Journey," I did 12 years of research in Ukraine, Romania and Austria before finishing the book.

S: Researching history can be tricky. You never know where you'll be led. But the journey is so satisfying.

What is the worst thing that has ever happened to you as a writer?

J: I left far too early from a wonderful book signing in Winnipeg in order to catch a plane so I could make it to the next book signing in Saskatoon. At the second signing, however, no one showed up, and I sat around all evening feeling embarrassed and very sorry for myself.

S: I think most of us would throw a pity party if that happened to us.

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

J: Of course, I would. Why pass up the opportunity to do something so exciting?

S: Have you ever shelved or thrown out a manuscript?

J: I have quite a few of those abandoned manuscripts. Either the storyline hasn’t inspired me enough to work on them again, or they are too mediocre, or I just haven’t gotten around to them.

S: What inspired "Desert Rose?"

J: I wanted to again visit--in fiction--the semi-ghost town of Blake’s Folly, Nevada. I also liked presenting Rose Badger, a wonderfully exciting heroine. Rose had a very tricky, unpleasant past, but she has re-created herself in the most positive way possible. She’s clever, intelligent, and very charming… and all the local men are crazy about her. After her mother neglected her, Rose was raised by her grandmother, Polina. Polina appears in the first book in the Blake’s Folly series—"A Room in Blake’s Folly." Polina was a Russian singer who lost her son and husband in WWII. After her village was destroyed, she became a war refugee, and ended up in Blake’s Folly. Here, she fell in love with Cal, a gentle, intelligent local man. Writing about Rose, their granddaughter, I got to visit with Polina and Cal again and tell readers how their love story evolved.

S: Is there anything special you would like people to know about "Desert Rose?"

J: Rose is the very superficial local town flirt, but that’s only a way of hiding the person she really is--a very complex singer with a considerable knowledge about Russian song. Even Blake’s Folly, a rundown has-been, has a very interesting past, one that goes much further back than the old Wild West days. And because my gorgeous hero, Jonah, is half-Paiute, we learn about his world and his history, too. You can read a short excerpt on my website--https://www.j-arleneculiner.com/desert-rose.

Here's the blurb--

Secrets are the best protection against love

Rose Badger is the local flirt, and if the other inhabitants of backwoods Blake’s Folly, Nevada, don’t approve, she couldn’t care less. With a disastrous marriage, and a dead-end career far behind her, settling down is the last thing she intends to do. Newcomer Jonah Livingstone is intriguing, but with his complicated life, he’s off limits for anything other than friendship. Besides, Rose has a secret world of her own—one she won’t give up for any man.

The last person geologist Jonah Livingstone expected to meet in a semi-ghost town is the sparkling and lovely Rose Badger. But Rose, always surrounded by many admirers, doesn’t seem inclined to choose a favorite. So why fret? Jonah keeps his personal life well hidden…and that's the best way to avoid disappointment.