1. Can you tell us a bit about Golden?
One night I was shutting my laptop down for the night but I wasn't quite ready to to bed yet. I flipped through a few TV channels and just happened to catch part of the movie Curse of the Golden Flower starring Chow Yun Fat and Li Gong. I was absolutely captivated and stayed up after midnight to watch the end, even though I had to work the Evil Day Job the next day. I bought a copy as soon as I could and watched it too many times to count. I loved everything about it, and decided I had to write a Tang Dynasty inspired story myself.
2. What makes this novella stand out from others you’ve written?
Definitely the historical elements! I'm not an historical writer at all, but I've always loved mythologies and ancient histories, everything from Greek and Egyptian to the Maya. My research shelf was pretty scarce when I decided I had to write a Chinese-inspired story, but I corrected that as quickly as possible.
3 Golden is different then anything I've read before-was it difficult to write?
The historical elements were very difficult to write, because I wanted to be as correct and true to the Tang Dynasty as possible. Then I began mixing in elements of BDSM, and I wanted them to make sense and be meaningful to the characters and the setting. Golden is one of the shortest pieces I've written but it was definitely the hardest.
4. What would you like your readers to come away with after reading Golden?
I'd love it if people came away with a feeling of Imperial intrigue and the magnificence of the Tang Dynasty. It truly was a Golden Age that eventually revealed that not everything golden on the outside was as beautiful on the inside (the theme of the inspiration movie, Curse of the Golden Flower).
5. If you could have a music playlist for Golden, what would be on it?
The only playlist is the movie -- I watched it dozens of times as I worked on revisions!
6. Do you have a favorite comfort read?
My comfort reads are Harlequins, usually Presents but not always. There are some real gems that I really adore, like India Grey's Powerful Italian, Penniless Housekeeper, which made me bawl like a baby. One of the oldest HQs I still treasure is The Australian by Diana Palmer.
7. Do you have any upcoming books that we should keep an eye out for?
The second Connagher book (contemporary BDSM) will be coming out in print next month from Samhain, and Vicki's book (#3) will be out May 2012.
8. Where can we find you on the web?
Be sure to stop by for a variety of http://joelysueburkhart.
GIVEAWAY!!!!
Joely is kind enough to giveaway one EBOOK Copy of Golden! Giveaway is open until 8/29/11 @ 11:00pm. You do not have to be a blog follower to enter, but it would be nice! To enter either leave a question for Joely or tell us a book that wowed you when you didn't except to be wowed by it! If your email address is not on your blogger profile, please leave it (buckeyegirlreads at gmail dot com) or your twitter name so I have a way to contact you if you are the winner. If I do not hear from the winner within two days of contacting them, I will unfortunately have to pick a new winner.
