cheri589
- Jul 13, 2017

Getting Down & Dirty with Romance Author Tricia Leedom – Day 4

Happy Thursday everyone!

The weekend is almost upon us and, even better than that, Rum Runner’s release day is only 5 days away! #squeeee

Today we’re going to wrap up our interview questions for Tricia Leedom and tomorrow, we’ll take a look at an exclusive excerpt from Rum Runner before the book’s release. #oohlala #staytuned

So without further ado…

INKY: Are your characters based off real people or did they all come entirely from your imagination?

TRICIA: The characters all came from my imagination. However, the hero Jimmy Panama was actually inspired by a song: Jimmy Buffett’s cover of Southern Cross. When I listen to that particular version, I picture Jimmy Panama on his boat in the Florida Straits, gliding across the water at high speed, the wind in his hair, and the sun setting in the distance. If you haven’t heard the song before, give it a listen. If Rum Runner was a movie, I could totally hear it playing over the opening credits.

INKY: What made you want to become a writer?

TRICIA: I’ve always had a big imagination. As a child, I enjoyed telling elaborate stories. As a teenager, I wrote and acted out skits with my friends. My grandmother was an avid romance reader for as long as I can remember. She would keep her favorite novels and rate them on the title page using her own system. She passed away when I was fifteen and her books were boxed up and put into storage. A few years later, I found the box of books and spent the summer devouring every single one of them. Reading my grandmother’s favorite books, knowing which ones she liked best, made me feel closer to her. It inspired me to try my hand at writing a romance novel of my own. And though my first attempt wasn’t a brilliant success, the experience motivated me to go to college to learn the craft of writing. From there, my appreciation for the written word grew and I knew I wanted to be a writer.