Getting to know Joyce DiPastena author of Dangerous Favor

Me: So here we sit, me in my fuschia and blue and you in your fuschia and teal. Romance authors at ease.
I just have to know, since we like similiar colors, do we like similair writing background noises too? What music groups/artists blast from your CD player, if any, blast while you write?
Joyce: I can’t write to music or any noise in the background. I write my best in silence. (I guess I have enough voices going on in my head to keep me company!)

Me: Me too. I'm smiling and ask: What or who inspires you to write?
Joyce: Reading other books. I guess creativity feeds creativity.

Me: So true, Joyce why did you begin writing?
Joyce: I had this story in my head that I wanted someone to write so I could read it. I remember in college how I kept going to the bookstore and looking for that book, but none of the ones I found ever came close to the story I had in my head. I finally decided if I wanted to read that story, I’d have to write it myself. At first, I never intended to share that story with anyone, but of course, once a writer finishes a book, that almost irresistible itch to share it sets in.

Me: Tell me about your latest book, how did you come up with your premise for Dangerous Favor?
Joyce: I had a pair of secondary characters from an earlier book, two young men who were best friends, and I decided I wanted to write a dual romance for them. It’s hard to say where the premise came from beyond that. I always start with some characters who intrigue me, but I rarely know where they’re going when I begin a story. They prefer to reveal that to me along the way.

Me: For those who are not familiar with this story, would you please give us the blurb?
Joyce: Mathilde de Reivelle's father has been accused of stealing from the king, an allegation that has reduced her family to poverty. She has one chance to find and marry a man who can help her prove her father's innocence. Lord Therri, heir to a rich barony, has the wealth and connections Mathilde needs to delve into the mysteries of her father's past. Furthermore, Therri embodies all her romantic dreams.
Etienne, the younger son of a disgraced family, has neither wealth nor connections, but is smitten with Mathilde at a glance. She finds the knight intriguing, but believes he is only out to seduce her. While she seeks for a way to win Therri's attention, Etienne tricks her into granting him her favor, an embroidered white ribbon, for a tournament, setting in motion a dangerous chain reaction of events. Can Etienne save Mathilde from a nightmare from her past and prove himself the true hero of her dreams?

Me: How did you decide on the setting?
Joyce: I’ve always been fascinated with the Middle Ages, and with King Henry II of England in particular. Henry also ruled large areas of France, and when I decided I wanted to set a book during his reign, I realized that all the exciting political action was taking place in his lands in France rather than in England, so I thought that would prove a fertile playground to set my characters in.

Dangerous Favor is available right now on Amazon for $18.99. http://www.amazon.com/Dangerous-Favor-Joyce-DiPastena/dp/159992806X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1328493177&sr=8-1 (But often it’s on sale, so check.) It should also be available soon on BarnesandNoble.com, DeseretBook.com, and in Deseret Bookstores.

Joyce Twitters  
Twitter: @JoyceDiPastena