ABOUT A. Wilding Wells is an author, storyteller and creative visionary that writes provocative adult contemporary romance novels. AWW's first novel, A Mess Of Reason, is now available. The sexy and compelling story of the brilliant and sassy Tess Harlow and her best friend, Scout Steele - country rock star. Friends since forever, they've never found "their time". Now she's about to marry Scout's nemesis. But not if Scout has anything to say about it. His best friend may soon become his best lover. AWW is now working on several more books. Stay tuned! She describes herself as a passionately-obsessive, balance-seeking, oxymoron-living, modern-day dirty-minded woman. She lives on a ranch on the west coast with her husband, four boys and about enough animals to sink an ark. ABOUT MY WRITING I’ve written for years on end. I wrote my first books in the sixth grade, one of which was about finding luck…glass half-full don’t you know! Novel writing is new to me and a delicious addiction. I can be found writing 15 hours a day…easily, happily. All of which ends with a stiff cocktail. I’m addicted to reading when not writing. I can’t flip a pancake without my kindle in hand. I’ve been an avid reader my whole life, so this writing thing (which mind you is only part of what I do for a living) makes sense and is a huge part of my DNA. And the bonus is, it bodes well for one’s marriage (wink, wink). I live with my characters day and night. Most of the time I feel like a voyeur in their lives, which magically seem to unfold right in front of me. They’re in my dreams and on my brain non-stop. I’ll spend weeks editing and revising one book with the next plot swimming through my head and being scribbled onto endless reams of paper. When I write I feel everything - and I do mean EVERYTHING - about them. I’m turned on by them. I laugh at and with them. I get pissed at them. I bitch at them. I cry if something awful is happening to them. My heart speeds up when they fight. I get goose bumps because of them. And holy-smokin’-Jesus-take-the-wheel, I’m wildly thrilled when they have great make up sex. I’ll admit it sometimes feels a little like I’m playing God when I write (either that or a puppeteer). I love writing about strong characters that have flaws and imperfections to deal with, work on or resolve. My characters live well, because they can and it’s way more fun to fantasize about them in this way. Delicious sex is a part of every book, as is wit, zip, and boatloads of sarcasm. I don’t do vanilla, nor do I like to read it. I adore twists, turns and funky plot oddities that make life the crazy thing that it really is. I love putting my characters in awkward situations that allow for interesting, heated and often sexy dialogue to play out. And, while I’ve written several books in other genres under a different name, this is by far the most fun a girl could have without breaking the law (even though orange is my color). FAQ’s Q. How did you start writing? A. I’ve always loved writing. But novels are a different beast. It all comes down to committing to it. I make time and I want to write - I NEED TO WRITE. I crave it terribly, so I do it. It’s really not more complicated than that. Where you begin the process and where you end are worlds apart. Trust me. Q. Are the details of food, décor and fashion pulled from your life? A. Some of it yes. Some of it from childhood memories, etc…. The food part especially is us. We dig good eats. Q. How do you balance four kids, writing, another business, a ranch and all the animals? A. Define balance….ha! Things slip…my garden looks like a wonderland of weeds at the moment. Thank goodness for wildflowers. Laundry gets cumbersome, so I make the kids do it. I balance as well as I’m able and I also learned to ditch any form of guilt 98% of the time. I also happened to be married to a fabulous man that is super supportive of my creative endeavors. This would be impossible without him. It’s a marathon not a sprint, and I’m enjoying every millisecond of it. Q. Why the “Adult Contemporary Romance” genre (a/k/a “smut”)? A. Why ever not? I read many genres but adult contemporary romance is my favorite. I read close to 150 books a year which includes lots of genres and a very wide range of authors. When I decided to write my first novel I knew my genre was romance that very second. The day I made the decision to write was early September 2014. I sat down that night and five weeks later had my first book. Then editing took months. It was a learning curve; still is. But I love the amount of learning I’ve done in the short time since that day I began. I’m working on my fifth book now and have never been happier with how things are progressing. Q. What inspires your characters? A. Music has a huge influence over my characters. So do costumes, art, food…it’s endless, and these characters come in droves. Q. How does Pinterest play a role in your character development? A. Pinterest is where I begin to envision my characters when I create my plot. It helps me as a writer to see the entire story unfold. It can also help the reader see my vision. That said, readers tend to have pretty lively imaginations anyway from what I’ve learned!
