Interview by Patti with Author Monique Domovitch

Hi Monique, thank you for taking the time to share a few things about you with us.

Where were you born and where do you call home?

I was born in Ontario, Canada, in a small town called Hearst, which nobody ever heard of. I am the oldest of ten children, which means I told a lot of bedtime stories to my brothers and sisters when I was growing up. You could say that was how I first became attracted to writing. Nowadays, I write on my laptop, which makes it possible for my husband and I to travel as much as we do. When we aren’t traveling, we and our three dogs, share our time between our homes in California and British Columbia, Canada.

How long have you been writing? And is writing your full time occupation?

Writing is more than my full time occupation; it is my passion. Having been a single mother, however, I came to writing as a career late in life. I had the financial responsibility of providing for my children, so I worked first as a fashion model during the 70s and 80s, and later on I reinvented myself as a financial advisor and planner with a practice and a national television show offering financial-advice to women. Her Money aired for four years until, in quick succession, my children left home, I met and married the love of my life and I retired from financial planning. Since then, I have been pursuing my life’s dream of writing full time.

What is the name of your most recent book and if you had to sum it up in 30 or less words, what would you say?

My recent book, Scorpio Rising, is my first novel, written a couple of years ago, and which I decided to self publish after signing a three-book deal for a completely different genre from my Scorpio series. This contract is for a murder-mystery series, of which Looming Murder will be the first, and which I write under the pen name Carol Ann Martin for Obsidian, an imprint of Penguin.

Do you have plans for a new book? Is this book part of a series?

Scorpio Rising is the story of the rise of Alexander Ivanov, an ambitious Scorpio, and the climb to success of Brigitte Dartois a beautiful French artist. It is also about the thin line between lust and love and ambition and greed, and what happens to two people forced to choose between love and career. The sequel, The Sting of the Scorpio, will be available in September, and I’m now debating a third installment which I would call The Son of Scorpio.

Have you based any of your characters on someone you know, or real events in your own life?

I’ve been writing most of my life, and like most authors, I tend to write about what I know, which is real estate—my husband and own a number of apartment buildings—and the world of art and fashion which was a large part of my early life. What I like to tell people is that since Scorpio Rising is about sex and ambition and greed, I guess that means that I’m sexy, ambitious and greedy. LOL

I should mention that all my characters are composites made up of a myriad of traits, qualities and flaws of many people. I borrow and expand on real people’s weaknesses, strengths, mistakes and successes to create fictional characters that are compelling and believable.

Would you like to giveaway a copy of your book on this blog?

I look forward to giving away a copy of Scorpio Rising on this blog and hope the winner will enjoy it.

Is there an Author that you would really like to meet?

There are so many Authors I respect that I hesitate to name only one I would love to meet, but…hmm…I have to say Jodie Picoult. She’s brilliant.

Where do you prefer to buy your books?

I buy books everywhere—online through Amazon, at the nearby bookstore. I’ve even been known to stop by garage sales and picked up books by the box load. Obviously, I still love traditional books, but I have also come to appreciate e-books. They make packing so much easier. And the instant download feature means I never have to wait for a book.

Is there a particular movie that you preferred over the book version?

What I like about reading is the freedom it allows to visualize scenes and imagine emotions. I prefer a good read to a movie, but having said that, I saw Sophie’s Choice with Meryl Streep years ago and her performance outdid the book. I love Meryl Streep.

I have a pile of books I hope to finish. They are waiting on my bedside table at the moment, but I limit my reading to Sundays now, otherwise I get carried away and forget to write.

Do you ever write in your PJ’s?

I am guilty of writing in my pajamas, my bathrobe and my workout clothes. Sometimes and idea for a scene will occur to me suddenly and I hurry to write it down before I forget it. Then, of course, I invariably get carried away and forget to go change.

What is the perfect evening for you?

A perfect evening is one, curled up on the couch with my husband and my three dogs, a book by Jodie Picoult, a bowl of vanilla ice cream topped with a few tablespoons of Grand Marnier and some crumbled walnuts—yum. I’m definitely a coffee person and like it hot, dark and rich and I love a good glass of oaky Chardonnay.

I can be reached at moniquedomovitch.com where you can read my blog and find links to my Twitter and Facebook pages.

Monique Domovitch is the author of Scorpio Rising and The Sting of the Scorpio. She also writes under the pen name Carol Ann Martin for Obsidian, an imprint of Penguin. She lives with her husband and her three dogs in Vancouver Canada and La Jolla California.