Interview With Dee Ernst Author of A Different Kind of Forever

 Thank You So Much to Dee Ernst! I hope you all enjoy the interview! 

Q: What inspired you to write this novel?

A: I wrote this when I was forty-something , and all the romance books I was picking up were about young women finding perfect older men, and that didn’t have much of an appeal to me.  My idea of a great love story had a woman my age finding the perfect guy.  Making him a younger rock star was just more fantasy.

Q: Where did you get your inspiration for the Mickey Flynn character?

A: I wrote this when the Lord of the Rings movies were coming out, so part of Michael is Elijah Wood.  I admired his poise and confidence for one so young, and his eyes are an amazing blue.  I picked a great musician with a long and amazing career – Jon Bon Jovi (who is also very hot). The third part is an actor named Dan Futterman – he’s charming, quick-witted, and appealing.

Q: When you were a teenager which boy band heart throb did you have a crush on?

A: I loved Davy Jones (am I dating myself?).  I was also a huge fan of David Cassidy.

Q: So which was your favorite Monkees song?

A: Daydream Believer

  (For those who don't know the song! It's one of my Favorites Too!)

Q: Did you do any traveling for this book since some of it takes place in London?

A: No.  Sadly, I’ve never been to London, which is why the action there is limited – by my imagination.

Q: You had very intricate side characters with great personalities I bet they were a lot of fun to write! Which one of these side characters was your favorite and could you tell us why?

A:  I really liked Quinn.  As appealing as Michael is, I loved writing about a different kind of sexy man – the quiet, strong and unshakable. I’d like to think that his devotion to Diane makes the reader want to root for him, just a little bit. 

Q: Towards the end I almost thought Diane would end up with Quinn, what do you think would have happened if she had?

A: Life with him is what she had wanted, so she would have been happy.  Diane is tough and practical.  If she chose Quinn, she would have been grateful for the life he would have given her and her daughters, and there would have been no regrets about Michael.

Q: How long did it take you to write “A Different Kind of Forever”?

A: The original first draft was quick – less than three months, I think. But there were several revisions, so the total time was about a year and a half.

Q: Do you have any advice for those who have recently published or are going to publish soon?

A:  Don’t quit your day job.  Don’t take rejection personally.  Join an on-line group like kindleboards (Writers Café is wonderful) because writing is a solitary occupation, and after you spend hours writing one perfect scene, and you want to tell somebody, it’s good to have a group of people who can fully understand and appreciate all your effort.