Pam Champagne

An interview by Sheila
 

Author Pam Champagne takes time out of her busy writing schedule to interview with Sheila for Wild on Books!

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Posted December 13, 2008

SheilaMonique:  Welcome to Wild on Books Pam. Can you tell us what is your favorite thing to do?  

Pam Champagne:  Thanks for having me Sheila.  Writing is my favorite thing to do, but reading runs a close second.  If I’m deep into writing, I don’t read, so every now and then, I have to take a break and catch up on my favorite authors’ books.
 

SheilaMonique:  Can you give us some information about your newest release, Dead Heat?  

Pam Champagne:  In my past, my first husband and I owned thoroughbred race horses.  We spent eight years on racetracks and I loved every minute of it.  Dead Heat was born of my experience there.  Blurb:  Jenna Green struggles to make a name for herself on the racetrack after her father’s untimely death. Rye Cameron’s offer of a job to train his horses comes out of the blue. Aware of his reputation with women, she accepts the job despite her doubts. Soon she discovers the real reason Rye hired her and finds herself fighting for her life.
 

SheilaMonique:  I read that you just signed a contract for Alaskan Heat with Samhain Publishing, who was the first person you told and why?  

Pam Champagne:  I immediately sent e-mails to my critique group and my RWA local Chapter.  Only other writers can share and appreciate your thrill and happiness.
 

SheilaMonique:  Can you describe a typical writing day for you? 

Pam Champagne:  No such thing as a typical writing day for me.  I work full time with a long commute so I leave early and get home late.  I carry a notebook and spend my lunch hours writing or plotting…doing something writing related.  When I go to bed, I open my laptop and if there’s any energy left in my body and brain, I’ll write for a while.
 

SheilaMonique:  Is there anything special you do to celebrate when one of your books is released? 

Pam Champagne:  I dance around the room until my husband tells me to sit down before I hurt myself.
 

SheilaMonique:  Who would you love to meet? What would your conversation be about? 

Pam Champagne:  The King of Rock and Roll, a young Elvis Presley early in his career.  I would do my best to convince him to make better choices in his life.
 

SheilaMonique:  If you were given a choice between a day at the spa or a maid for the day, which would you choose and why? 

Pam Champagne:  No contest.  A day at the spa.  I love being pampered.  I’d start off with a few hours in the hot tub and end the day with a long body massage.  I’d let the masseuse choose what happens in the middle. 
 

SheilaMonique:  Can you tell us about Bridge of Hope?  

Pam Champagne:  When Cyn Jenks loses her husband in Iraq, she considers suicide until Peter's spirit comes to her aid. He not only stops her from jumping off a bridge, he asks Major Mike Spencer to watch over her. A stunned Mike complies, only to find himself falling in love with Cyn. As she heals and begins to move forward, she's worried about her strong attraction to Mike. Is she relying on him rather than herself, or is she ready to give her heart to another military man?  

I’ve been a military sweetheart and a military mom, so I always keep our proud men close to my heart and in prayers.  Bridge of Hope was a story inside my head that fought for attention.  I hope it honors all military personnel.
 

SheilaMonique:  Have you ever based any of your characters on people you know? If so, do they know?  

Pam Champagne:  I’ll admit to their being a trace of someone I know in every character I create.  I always make my heroines part of me.
 

SheilaMonique:  Where do your ideas for your books come from?  

Pam Champagne:  An ocean of ideas swim constantly in my head.  Some are sparked by a news item or something I see happen in my daily travels.  Most are just my imagination.  I’ve been told I have an extremely overactive one.  Some nights I can’t sleep because my brain won’t shut off.  I never run out of possible book scenarios.
 

SheilaMonique:  What genre have you not written in but would like to try your hand at? 

Pam Champagne:  I love Stephen King and some day I’m going to write a horror story.
 

SheilaMonique:  Can you tell us about Bed of Lies?  

Pam Champagne:  Bed of Lies was born from a news clip about two toddlers abandoned in a car in the blueberry barrens during the winter.  Their parents were heroin addicts. 

Blurb:  Drug Enforcement Agent Ace Bear returns to Spruce Harbor, Maine to investigate a deadly drug ring.  He’s prepared to deal with the town’s bigotry against his Cree heritage, but when he comes face-to-face with the woman he loved twelve years ago, passion flares and he realizes the ties between them cannot be broken.   

Brenna McKenzie is furious the man who deserted her on the day their infant daughter died has dared to show his face.  She suspects her brother is addicted to cocaine and fear for her family forces her to swallow her animosity toward her former lover.  Ace’s return triggers a series of events and soon Brenna’s own life is in jeopardy. 

As Brenna and Ace struggle to understand the treachery that ripped them apart twelve years ago, they fight to stay one step ahead of the danger that threatens to put an end to their reunion and possibly their lives. 
 

SheilaMonique:  Your up coming book from Samhain, can you give us a peek inside 

Pam Champagne:  My husband and I traveled from Maine to Alaska.  I felt the wilderness in that part of our country needed a story so Alaska Heat came to be.  

FBI agent Sophie Branson has been lusting after Agent Joe Hawkins since the night he drank too much tequila, made love to her and then passed out leaving her sexually unsatisfied.  Now that he’s been framed by rogue agents, it’s her job to keep him and bring him home.  She picks him up on the Alaskan Highway and together they make the long drive to Eagle, Alaska where Hawk thinks his friends will help clear his name. 

During the trip on the trip, Sophie and Hawk get more than they’d bargained for, including fighting with the bad guys and the best sex either of them has ever had.
 

SheilaMonique:  If you were given super powers what would they be and what would you do? 

Pam Champagne:  I’d like to be a psychic and be able to communicate with spirits.  Great research for a paranormal!
 

SheilaMonique:  What was the most exciting thing that has ever happened to you?

Pam Champagne:  The birth of my two children.

SheilaMonique:  Do you have any words of wisdom for writers trying to get their works published?  

Pam Champagne:  Join a critique group and your local RWA chapter or other writing group.  Read about the craft.  And above all, NEVER give up.
 

SheilaMonique:  What do you enjoy doing when you aren’t’ writing?  

Pam Champagne:  I’m an outdoors person.  I love spending time way back in the wilderness where there’s no running water, bathroom facilities or people.  I enjoy fishing, canoeing, and hunting.  In the winter, I go cross country skiing or snowshoeing. 
 

SheilaMonique:  Do you listen to music for inspiration, if so what?  

Pam Champagne:  Nope.  I’m one of those weird people who loves silence when I read or write.  Perhaps I’m easily distracted.  I do love listening to rain pelt on the roof though.
 

SheilaMonique:  Can you tell us about The Enchanted Inn?  

Pam Champagne:  I had fun with this time travel.  I was curious what it’d be like for a modern woman to end up back when there were no conveniences.  So I put one there and found out. 

Blurb:  It's bad enough that a wrong turn in a snowstorm forces Gina to take shelter at an out-of-the-way inn. Her ex-fiancé Luke is stranded there, too. The man she left when she caught him in bed with another woman. 

A glass of wine at dinner, and Gina wakes up in a bed with Luke by her side. It's the same inn, but it's the year 1778 and Luke insists his name is John. And he says she's an indentured servant, Rachel. 

Gina has to quickly learn primitive tasks like dip candles and cook without a microwave. While John is delighted that his normally reserved lover has become a wildcat in bed, her outspoken opinions could put them all in danger. 

For Gina, it's like a second chance with Luke. But when an innocent mistake turns their newly discovered love upside down, Gina realizes how big a mistake she made when she left Luke.

Gina never gives up hope of going back to her own time, and she's determined to take John with her—whether he wants to go or not.
 

SheilaMonique:  Thank you for taking the time to visit with us here at Wild on Books, where can your fans find you on the world wide web?  

Pam Champagne:  Thanks for having me.  You asked some great questions!  You can e-mail me at pamchampagne.tds.net or I can be found at the following places: 

My website:  www.pamchampagne.net

MySpace:  http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=147493340

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