Interview with Wendy Sparrow

World Weaver Press Assistant Editor Trysh Thompson interviews author Wendy Sparrow. We've been lucky enough to feature Wendy's stories in FAR ORBIT, FAR ORBIT APOGEE, THE NAUGHTY LIST, and the forthcoming COVALENT BONDS. (Stay tuned for full COVALENT BONDS Table of Contents reveal next week.)

Summer of Romance Blog Scavenger Hunt clue below the interview!

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TT: You have a tendency to slip a little romance into everything, including the Far Orbit anthologies. Tell me about how that went over with the anthologist, Bascomb James?

WS: Bascomb is so awesome. This has been the most hilarious experience ever with him. When I made it in to the first Far Orbit, he didn’t catch that it was a romance. Seriously. Somehow, someway, that slipped under his radar, and I felt like I’d pulled off the greatest con in the history of writing. I could add to “science fiction author” to my romance author bio. With the second Far Orbit I made it in, someone commented to him that it was good to include more diversity and mentioned that he’d included a romance. He wasn’t sure what they were referring to because I’d done it again! I knew that I wouldn’t manage it a third time, though. When he started taking submissions for his military science fiction anthology, my submitted blatant romance was prefaced with a near apology. His acceptance was basically chagrined. I pictured him slowly and methodically banging his head against a wall after hitting send. I’d done it three times. The hat trick! I’m not saying I’m a pioneer or anything, but I have made science-fiction anthologies safe for romance authors everywhere, so, yeah, maybe I am. (I’m kidding, of course, there are some fantastic science-fiction romance authors out there…who aren’t pulling a long con on poor Bascomb.)

TT: You’re on vacation, on a chaise on the beach and the kids are occupied (hey, perfect world, right?)—what are you reading?

WS: I binge-read like nobody’s business but I also read according to my mood and I’m drawn to certain tropes. Generally, Suspense is my go-to genre, but I love flawed or uniquely challenged heroes and heroines. I maintain a list of romances on my blog of books with “perfectly flawed” characters in them. I have a ton of books that fall into that category on my Kindle waiting for me to have a spare minute.

TT: Where do you draw your inspiration for your romantic leads?

WS: I’ve been with my husband for nearly nineteen years and his support has really helped me find the romance in everything. I think romance is easier to see when you’re living a love story. I’ve pulled inspiration for romance characters from news stories before. I’ve come up with elaborate romances from eavesdropping while in restaurants. Most of my stories begin with a challenging “what if” scenario. What if I wrote a contemporary Cyrano de Bergerac story—what would be the hero’s challenge? (Berg is an amputee in "Lip Service.") What if I wrote a story about Father Time’s son—how out of touch with reality would he be? (Explored in all the Servants of Fate novellas.) I like to challenge myself to push the envelope and find love for people who don’t necessarily feel they deserve or want a happily-ever-after.

TT: Of all your romantic leads, who is your favorite and why?

WS: Ahhhhhhh. I hate you a little. Picking a favorite romantic lead? Are you kidding me? A favorite? It changes so much because when I write or revise, I go in deep with that character. Also, I’m assuming you want a published lead. Probably my most lasting favorite is Travis from Crazy Over You. He’s attracted to and romancing a heroine with PTSD and deep psychological issues and, at one point, he screws up royally, and he recognizes it. He crawls through mental broken glass trying to find her in order to grovel. Also, he’s a genius…and I love a genius. (Both literally and figuratively.)

TT: What future romance-y things can we expect from Wendy Sparrow?

WS: Other than romance novellas, I’m shifting my focus to Young Adult for 2016 and 2017, but I do have adult romance novellas coming out in anthologies and on their own this year and next. They’ll be both contemporary and paranormal romances. And, of course, I slid another romance into a hard science-fiction anthology.

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Summer of Romance Blog Scavenger Hunt Clue: Time

What's This? See the rules and prizes for the Scavenger Hunt here.

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Wendy Sparrow’s childhood as a military brat instilled in her a wanderlust to travel, but with the possibility of bugs, lost luggage, germs, a lack of parking, she just prefers the cleaner and safer visits to exciting places in her stories. It has very little to do with her obsessive compulsive disorder—maybe.  She is a passionate advocate both online and in her community for the welfare of autistic children.  In addition to writing, she enjoys painting and sketching, spending time with her two quirky kids, and running with her dog. Her wonderful husband makes sure she has the geeky, tech aspects of her stories just right.  She can often be found on Twitter where she will strike up a conversation with anyone she happens across.

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