Lauren Dane is a well-published author who has written books in the genres of romance, paranormal romance, and erotica.  Her bio and her FAQ explain a great many things about Lauren.  Her latest book Laid Bare has received rave reviews.  Despite her aggressive writing schedule, she freed a few minutes for BookSwim.

When did you decide to use the pen name Lauren Dane and how did you decide upon it?  Did you have any that didn’t make the cut?
Lauren – I knew at the very beginning that I’d need a pen name. I live in a small suburb outside Seattle and my husband’s job is pretty public and high profile so I wanted to give them all some distance from my writing.  I have great, creative friends so I tossed it out to them, asked them for ideas and what they looked for or caught their ear when they heard names.  I wanted simple, easy to spell and a combo of syllables (yes, I am sort of obsessive that way) so we started going with two syllable first names and one syllable last names.

A few that didn’t make the cut: Anna Dane.  I thought it sounded sort of like a medication for high bloodpressure.  Laurel Reed was another that didn’t make it.  I liked the way Lauren Dane sounded, it’s pretty easy to spell so I figured people could find me easily enough at a bookstore and online.

Laid Bare – Your most recent book – has received rave reviews on Amazon and Good Reads (Averaging more than 4 on each).  Did you expect it to be so well received when you were writing it?
Lauren - I didn’t really know what to expect because I had one idea for the book and sold it that way but it changed so much when it started writing itself as a menage.  Laid Bare was not like anything I’d ever written before – not the menage part, I’ve done those before, but never a contemporary one and never where it doesn’t become a menage until about 70% in.  I chewed my nails until my editor wrote and told me she loved it.  Then I chewed my nails until I got the RT review.  To be totally honest, I’m a bit overwhelmed at times by the reaction to the book. It’s been so much more than I ever imagined it would be.  When I’m writing, I never really know how it will be when I finish. I go through “wow this is AWESOME” parts and then “this is the biggest piece of suck ever written” parts. By the time I’ve finished edits and polishing and critique, I have pretty much lost any distance and ability to know what others will think, LOL

What advice would you give to readers of romance novles – in specific, your romance/erotic novels?
Lauren - Hmmm, well gosh, I don’t know. I suppose I always sort of say up front, I use words some people may have issues with. Words have immense power in my opinion, and so when I’m writing a sex scene, I’m deliberate about my terminology. I use words to create a feel. But I use graphic terms and my characters usually also tend to be foul mouthed at least on occasion.  I like to hope my heroines are always strong and my heroes, even when they’re alphas, don’t cross into abusive territory.  In the end, individual stories connect with individual readers for a whole host of reasons. Some of my biggest fans might avoid my BDSM books while others love them to death.

Do you use rate R language in your normal life – or is it a fun escape while you write?
Lauren – I do.  I find the F word to be one of the most perfect words ever coined.  It can be a verb or a noun, you can add stuff  the end and make it silly and less hard edged.  I do have three kids so I make an effort not to when they’re around.  I like to switch it up here and there. In my house we say, “Stop poodling around and get your shoes on!”

Have you written any books that you have ditched halfway through?  If so – why?
Lauren – Oh sure.  This has changed over the years because the way I write has changed. I used to sit down and write a book from start to finish. I didn’t have other projects going and I didn’t outline or use a synopsis.  But then I started selling on proposal – so what happens is you write three chapters and a synopsis and then if it doesn’t sell, you have a partially finished story, or three or whatever.  Sometimes I’ll go back to a story I was very excited about at the time, and I can’t really get that feeling back.  I can’t connect and it’s forced so I let it be. And lastly, sometimes the story just sucks and isn’t going anywhere so I put it away. Later I may strip elements from it to use elsewhere if I liked a character or something.

With Romance/Erotic it seems that covers are very important.  Do you have a say in the covers of your books?  Has your publisher ever settled on a cover that you didn’t like?
Lauren – Covers are always important I think. If you can get a book into a reader’s hand, at least to look at the blurb, or if it stops them online enough to check you out, that’s a huge gift.  I do get asked what my opinion is when it comes time to conference a cover at Berkley (Spice also asked for input).  Samhain has cover request forms where authors can make suggestions, etc.  I have covers I adore and yep, there have been covers I’ve hated.  In the end, marketing has a lot of power in this arena so while they seek my input, they do their own thing when it comes to selling the book as a package.

I’m pretty blessed when it comes to covers though. Big or small publisher, I’ve had some total winners.  Berkley has really designed some gorgeous covers and series concepts. The overall book is packaged very well.

For you – is romantic fiction a way for you to explore something you may not be able to in real life?  Or is it a way of expanding on something that is real for you but to a further degree?
Lauren – I believe our relationships with others are a huge part of who we are. They brand us, shape us, whether we’re talking siblings or parents, children or best friends. Your romantic partner or even that woman at work you hate – connection to others is hugely telling.  I have that happily ever after, I’ve been with my husband 23 years, we just had our 21st wedding anniversary. I do use parts of my life in my books, but romantic fiction, like any other kind of popular fiction, is well, made up, LOL.
So I don’t write menages because I think they’d be awesome in real life. I write them because the particular story calls for it, those characters do, whatever. People’s most intimate moments are very compelling to create on a page.

You have a few series that have fictional universes “Federation Chronicles” “Witches Knot” and “Cascadia Wolves”  If you had to pick one of these universes to live in, which would it be?
Lauren - Hmmm, Witches Knot and Cascadia Wolves are pretty much set in a contemporary world with those realities still in existence.  Only with werewolves and witches, LOL. Not a whole lot different, but I tend to love my Cascadia world because it’s pretty similar to what I have now. It’s set here in the Northwest for much of the first story arc.  My Federation Chronicles are fun, because they present endless realities to inhabit. I like the idea of that, like the idea of a universe I’d be able to create from the ground up.

You mention in your expansive FAQ that all your books have a “Happily-Ever-After”  Have you tried the inverse?
Lauren – The unraveling of a relationship?  To answer the question though: I do have non romance ideas, though I would most likely use a separate pen name for one of those (writing one now actually). As I said, I’m fascinated by people’s intimate moments and life is filled with tragedy as well as triumph. So yes, I have and I do write those stories that show the slow disintegration of a character.

What is your favorite childrens book?
Lauren - Susan Cooper’s The Dark is Rising.  I love that book even today.  If I had to choose younger grades, Are You There God, It’s Me, Margaret by Judy Blume

Thank you again to Lauren Dane for your time.  If you leave comments here, I’ll make sure that she sees them – so comment away.

-Nick