Beneath the Covers Past

Kristie Leigh Interview
 Review: Desert Triangle

The Spice of Life
An Interview with Kristie Leigh Maguire
By Suzie Housley

Margie K. Tovrea writes romance under the pen name of Kristie Leigh Maguire. After a whirlwind romance of only eight weeks she and her husband were married, against the better judgment of most of her friends and family. They proved their friends wrong, and have been happily married for eighteen years.  While following her husband’s career, they have lived all over the United States and many foreign countries. Since the early 1990's, they have lived almost exclusively overseas in such places as St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands, Aruba, Thailand, Japan and twice in Saudi Arabia.  Originally from the South and still a devoted Southerner at heart, she and her husband discovered their love for the desert southwest during one of their many moves. They now reside in a small town in Nevada between international assignments. 

While living in Japan, she found it very difficult to find books to read that were written in English. Since she was an avid reader who has been known to read cereal boxes if nothing else was available, this situation was intolerable. In desperation, she began writing her own books just to have something to read.  With this, she discovered a new passion and a career in writing was born. 

When she first turned her hand at writing, she tried to imitate the style of some of her favorite romance writers. She soon discovered that this did not work for her.  She had her own style and voice which lead to the birth of her recent  ultra-sensual romance novel, Desert Triangle. Desert Triangle does not fit the 'mold' that the majority of the traditional publishing houses think the public wants to read. By becoming an Independent Author, she has much more control over the finished product - the actual book itself. 
 

Suzie Housley: How did the idea for Desert Triangle come to you?

Kristie Leigh Maguire: I realized that everyone, women as well as men, are prone to fantasizing.  I see nothing wrong with that. How many of you women out there have had a crush on that handsome boss of yours? How many of you have longed to throw caution to the wind and have just a teeny little bite of that forbidden fruit? What if you could have your cake and eat it too? The story idea behind Desert Triangle is based upon just that premise; what if -----??
 

Suzie Housley:  What do you find comes to you first - the characters or the situation/plot for a  new story? Once the basics are in place, what do you do next?

Kristie Leigh Maguire: Each book is different. With Desert Triangle, the situation/plot came first. After I had the plot of Desert Triangle firmly placed in my mind, I had to create characters that would be believable in this unusual romance story. 

Marcie, the main character, had to be a very strong willed woman to go against the norm to achieve her dreams. She also had to be a savvy businesswoman capable of running an office; but, at the same time, she had to be beautiful and sexy in order to be believable in the situation in which she found herself. After the character of Marcie was born, I had to give birth to two men who were capable of loving Marcie just as she was; thus the other two main characters, Steve and Jim, were born. 

Have you noticed that I use the term ‘born’ when speaking of my characters? That is just what happens when I create characters. I, as a writer, create the characters but it doesn’t take long before they take on a life of their own. They become living breathing people to me. In fact, they end up taking over my story and telling me how they want it written, what they will and will not do.
 

Suzie Housley:  Have you created any secondary characters that you'd like to feature as the main character in a book yet to be written?

Kristie Leigh Maguire:  Not with any of the secondary characters but Jim, one of the main characters in Desert Triangle, does not want to go away just yet. 
 

Suzie Housley: Are there any groups or projects you are involved with which you would like to mention and tell us more about them?

Kristie Leigh Maguire:  I am the founder of a writers support group at Yahoo Clubs. The name of my club is NUW – Not the Usual Way. I formed this club so that authors who are published by any means other than traditional would have a place to meet and share their ideas with each other - a place to come to for support.  We all need to have a place to network with others in our line of work. NUW is just that - a place to share your triumphs and your successes; however, it is also a place to come to when you need a shoulder to lean on, when you need that little moral booster to keep on going. 

I just started a new web site. I have spent over a year researching the web trying to find information that would make my life as a writer easier. Since I prefer to spend my time writing instead of on the Internet, I figured that other writers probably felt the same way. Therefore, I decided to share with my fellow writers all those little tidbits of information that I have discovered. With that premise in mind, I formed the site, ‘Help Site for Writers – Tidbits of Useful Information’. I invite all writers to come have a look at the site that I have put together; perhaps I have already discovered that little tidbit of information you need to make your life easier.  ‘Help Site for Writers’ can be found at http://www.geocities.com/kristieleighmaguire/index.html.

I am also the publicity director for another project. A group of e-authors got together and created a free cookbook to show our appreciation for the support of our works. “Now We’re Cooking – 43 Authors in the Kitchen” is a cooperative effort of authors whose books are published in electronic bindings. Eva Kende, project coordinator, says “This cookbook, composed of contributions by a community of authors, is like the cherished and collected church and community cookbooks of yesteryear. The recipes are as diverse as the authors' usual genres are. The Internet made it easier for the contributing authors from various corners of the world to get together in this cooperative effort and technology made it possible to offer this exciting collection free as an ebook to readers and collectors."  This delightful cookbook is NOT for sale. Information and a FREE download of this collector’s item can be found at my cookbook web page .
 

Suzie Housley: You are both known as an epublisher and also a print on demand author.  Which do you prefer?

Kristie Leigh Maguire: That is a very difficult question to answer. Both the e-book and the print book have a place in today’s world. I would just prefer to be called an independent author. I write and I publish my writings by means other than traditional. I have not tried to have Desert Triangle published by conventional means; the story line of Desert Triangle does not fit the ‘mold’ that the traditional publishing houses think the public wants to read. The path that I have chosen as an independent author allows me more of a say in my finished product - the actual book itself - than I would have been allowed with traditional publishing. I write stories that I myself would enjoy reading whether they fit someone’s preordained ‘mold’ or not. 
 

Suzie Housley:  What did it feel like to sell your first book?

Kristie Leigh Maguire:  I finally felt like a ‘real writer’. I felt like one of those angels that you see in pictures floating around on Cloud 9. I felt like a balloon soaring high in the sky after some kid released it to the wind and watched it float out of sight on its journey around the world.
 

Suzie Housley:  Where there any major obstacles which stood in your way of becoming a writer?  If so what?

Kristie Leigh Maguire: The major obstacle that stood in my way to becoming a writer was myself, the self-doubts. Who did I think I was to think that someone might actually want to read what I written? The major obstacle to writing Desert Triangle was the fact that my husband works international. We lived on three different continents while I was working on DT. Each time we had to pack up and move to another country, it took me a while to get back into the flow of the story. We lived in Japan, the United States and in Saudi Arabia while I was working on the manuscript of Desert Triangle. I guess you could say that Desert Triangle is really a story with an international flavor, couldn’t you? I’m just kidding about that. The setting of Desert Triangle is in the Mojave Desert of Southern California in the good old U.S. of A.
 

Suzie Housley:  What is your writing schedule? Could you briefly tell your fans about a typical day in your life?

Kristie Leigh Maguire: Contrary to the popular image of the lonely writer locked away in a dimly lit room slaving over that new manuscript, a lot of my time as a writer is taken up with promotion. My day usually begins around 5 a.m. when I stumble out of bed, turn on the coffee pot and the computer. I usually spend 3 to 4 hours in the morning on the Internet with promotion work. After all that eyestrain, I take a break away from the computer and the whole writing world. I come back to the computer in mid-afternoon to spend time writing. In the evening, I am back at the computer for another 2 to 3 hours either writing or on the Internet doing promotion work. Sometimes, if an idea is flowing, I have been known to get up from my bed in the wee hours of the morning, turn on my computer and work on my manuscript.
 

Suzie Housley:  What type of author are you? Do you plot and plan the story before you actually sit down to write it, or are you more of a "fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants" writer?

Kristie Leigh Maguire:  I am more of the ‘fly-by-the-seat-of-my pants’ writer. I have the idea for the story; I create the characters and start writing the manuscript. If the story is good, the characters take over and tell their own story for me. I’m just along for the ride until they tell me that it’s finished. Sometimes I get really upset at my characters because they just won’t play along with how I intended for their story to be told. I try to tell them not to go that route but they tell me that it is their story and they know how it should go. Well, I guess that’s fine with me; just let me know when you’re through and I will edit your story :)
 

Suzie Housley:  What is the best advice you have ever received in regard to your writing/career?

Kristie Leigh Maguire:  That’s an easy one for me to answer. The best advice I was ever given came from a dear friend of mine. She told me not to worry about how the story would be perceived by the public, to write it to please myself. She told me odds were that if it pleased me, it would please the reader.
 

Suzie Housley:  What can your fans look forward to in the next twelve months from you?

Kristie Leigh Maguire:  I am really excited about the coming year. I recently signed a contract with Merlinhouse Publishing Company for the exclusive print rights to Desert Triangle. Merlinhouse Publishing is a blend of the old and the new; they are an independent publisher who combines the conventional standards of publishing with print on demand technology. Although the story line of Desert Triangle remains the same, I have completely reworked it for publication with Merlinhouse. I’m really excited about the new and improved Desert Triangle. Since Merlinhouse does not offer electronic publishing, I am currently searching for the proper home for the e-book version of Desert Triangle. I will always be grateful to GreatUnpublished.com for giving me my start in the writing field by publishing Desert Triangle first in September 2000; however, when I was offered the contract with Merlinhouse, I decided it was time for me to move on. 

I am currently working on Cabin Fever, the sequel to Desert Triangle and the second novel in The Marcie Series. I anticipate it being finished and published this year.  The third and final novel of The Marcie Series is still in the idea phase. I have another novel which is not part of The Marcie Series that I have completed and hope to publish in the coming year
 

Suzie Housley:   How can fans get in touch with you? 

Kristie Leigh Maguire:  I always enjoy hearing from my readers. My email address is KristieLeigh777@aol.com

To join my mailing list, go to my author’s page .

My Desert Triangle page is at http://hometown.aol.com/kristieleigh777/index.html



DESERT TRIANGLE  by Kristie Leigh Maguire 
Merlinhouse - March 2001
ISBN: 1-58776-310-9 - Paperback 
$12.00 US

Reviewed bySuzie Housley, MyShelf.com

Kristie Leigh Maguire DESERT TRIANGLE is a wonderful book which explores the possibility of answering the question "What if..".  From the beginning of time woman has been presented with the temptation to sample forbidden fruit.  In Kristie Leigh Maguire's DESERT TRIANGLE the fruit comes in the form of a sexy supervisor. 

James "Jim" McGregor transferred from Wyoming to assume the position of Manager of the Public Relations and Administration Department.  With many ideas on how he can change and improve the Public Relations department he is unprepared for the immediate attraction he feels toward his Secretary/Administration Supervisor, Marcie.  Knowing it is against company policy to make his feelings known, he is torn whenever Marcie is present.  Will he be able to resist the urge to tell Marcie his true feelings? 

Marcie, newly promoted to the position of Supervisor of Administration, finds herself instantly lost in the eyes of her newly appointed supervisor, Jim McGregor.  Although she is very happy in her marriage, she cannot help herself from allowing her mind to wonder to forbidden thoughts and fantasies concerning Jim.  Will she act out her fantasies and seek to make them a reality? 

Kristie Leigh Maguire does an excellent job in maintaining contact between the main and secondary characters.  The office setting is a great realistic choice readers can readily adopt.  DESERT TRIANGLE is a beautifully constructed ultra-sensual romance which will have you reaching for the ice water.  It is just the type of read everyone needs to experience in order to start off the hot summer months ahead.



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