Thank you for inviting me. I live in Los Angeles with my family, which include two very large mutt dogs. We're not sure what they are, but they take up a lot of space in the bed. I took my B.A. and M.A. at the University of Colorado and taught in the English Department at the University of Winnipeg in Manitoba, Canada before moving to Toronto to pursue an acting career. We moved to L.A. to escape the winter snow, and one day I started writing. I'm probably not the usual personality type for writing, but, surprisingly, I really enjoy the process. I still do the occasional commercial or film or TV-- not enough to boast about.
Q What’s the hardest part of this business for you?
Q Tell me about a time that you had to step outside your comfort zone either in your writing career or in your personal life?
A Oh, that's easy. I recently began narrating erotica (available on Amazon.com and Audiolark.com) for an audiobook company in Canada, and I thought it would be easy and fun, especially since I've done lots and lots of voiceover work, and I write erotic romance. Boy, what a surprise when I got the first script. There were words that had never before passed my lips and situations that gave me pause. I found myself embarrassed at actually speaking the dialogue, uneasy at the narrative, and stymied at the storyline. But my husband, ever helpful, said , "Just Go For It!" So, I gathered myself together and gave it my absolute best. BUT I use a pseudonym.
Q What’s one tip you could share with shy and introverted people that’s helped you?
A Well, I'm not introverted, but I have two children who are, so I know the stumbling blocks. I think the most important thing that helped me throughout my life was my mother's reminder that "Sharon, the world is not focused on you. They have their own lives to deal with." When we keep that mantra in our heads, we can relax with the knowledge that we're not being scrutinized, appraised, or judged. And if those shy people are writing, they're in a safety zone that's like sitting in a hot tub in the dark under a magnolia tree with a glass of chilled white wine. If they don't want to risk exposure, there are always pseudonyms. It's like protective cloak.
Q Would you please share a short blurb of your book and where my readers can buy it?
A Velvet and Topaz is available at Freya's Bower and Amazon.
When Caroline Benning's husband summarily divorces her on the eve of her 40th birthday, she's devastated. Best friend Marjory treats her to a month-long visit to England to visit castles and historical sites. At Hampton Court a bearded cavalier in black leather and velvet moves Caroline to unexpected sexual longing. In a shadowed closet, they make anonymous love unlike anything she has experienced. Adam Carruthers is a high-powered attorney who enjoys reenacting Tudor history. When he sees Caroline, he can't resist her and soon finds himself in an unlikely but highly-enjoyable position. Later, at a protest rally over gentrification of London's East Side, they find themselves on violently opposing sides, fueled by a trauma in Caroline's childhood. Can their passion overcome their differences? Or will their fundamental beliefs keep them apart?
Q Where can my readers find you on the web?
A My highly out-of-date and unfinished website is http://www.sharon-noble.com/. My husband began building it a year ago when I had only one book, then abandoned it when he got very busy. So my other two books are not there, but there are a few of my paintings on the website.
Thanks for being here today, Sharon. I love your cover!
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