Writers Who Read: Tamara Lush

The Writers Who Read series continues this week with romance author Tamara Lush. Welcome, Tamara! 

Who are you?
I’m Tamara and I’m a journalist and romance writer. During the day I write news for The Associated Press. I’m based in Florida, so those stories you read about alligators, sinkholes and wrestlers? They’re probably written by me.

At night I’m a romance novelist. I’ve written three books: Hot Shade, Into the Heat and Tell Me a Story. The first two are with Boroughs Publishing Group, and they’re stand-alone novels set on a fictional Florida island. Tell Me a Story is my self-published novella about a bookstore owner who reads erotica to a billionaire at a literary event. It will be in an upcoming anthology called Sizzling Florida Heat. All of the stories in the anthology are set in the Sunshine State and are written by Florida romance authors.

Which book or series was your gateway into the world of reading?
I was a reader from a very early age, all because my parents read voraciously. My father has a graduate degree in history and was always buried in a book when I was a girl. My mother loved early 20th Century American literature. They encouraged me to read whatever I could get my hands on; there were never any banned books at any age (even when I started reading steamy stories like Erica Jong’s Fear of Flying as a young teen).

Probably the most instrumental book of my childhood was Harriet the Spy. It got me to write (I began keeping a journal when I was around eight) and after I read the book, I started to observe people, like Harriet did. So it’s probably no surprise I became a journalist.

Nowadays, what makes you crack open a book instead of pressing play on your favorite Netflix show?
I don’t watch a lot of TV or movies. I try to read widely both in and out of the romance genre, but I’m always looking for an interesting, well-told, sexy tale.

Which authors are auto-buys for you? Why?
Lisa Kleypas’ historical romances. Her writing is my catnip. I’m not normally a historical romance reader, but something about her turns of phrase and pacing make me want to gobble everything up at once. She also tends to walk a fine line between a hero who is wicked, and who also comes undone for the heroine. Kleypas writes the best complex, tortured heroes.

What is your book kryptonite–those unique settings, tropes, or character types that make you unable to resist reading?
If it has the words “Italian,” “rogue,” and “revenge,” then I’m one-clicking.

What is your ideal time and place to read?
Generally at night, when I should be writing. Usually I curl up on the sofa with one of my dogs and have a glass of wine or tea.

Are you a re-reader? Why or why not?
Usually, no. There’s a lot of books waiting to be read and there’s only so much time.

Which books have had the biggest influence on your writing?
Stephen King’s On Writing was instrumental, both for my fiction and non-fiction work. For those that haven’t read it, he gives people the one key to good writing: read. My favorite quote: “If you don’t have the time to read, you don’t have the time (or the tools) to write.”

What makes a book a satisfying read for you?
A satisfying read leaves me with two things: overwhelming emotion (usually reserved for romance reads) or a larger, difficult truth about life and humanity. Sometimes I can only take so much of the latter, though, and need to escape into the fantasy of romance.

What are you reading right now?
I try to read a romance novel and a non-romance novel every week. My recent books have both contained the word “Secret” in the title. (I didn’t plan it that way, honest!)

First, I read Burning Secret by Stefan Zweig. It’s a novella written in 1914 and set in pre-WWI Austria. The plot: a rich baron at a resort sets his sights on a gorgeous woman with a 12-year-old son. He’s a rogue and she’s intrigued by his charm. The baron befriends the boy so he can have sexytimes with the mom. Sounds kind of like a Harlequin Presents, no? NOPE. Turns out the baron is a serial seducer and the woman is married. The son, initially thrilled at making an urbane and charming friend, realizes that the mysterious man and his mother want to be alone. He just can’t figure out why. The story is heartbreaking, really, because it captures the moment a child loses his innocence. This was a beautifully written story. I can’t stress that enough. Gorgeous prose that remained fresh and modern after 100 years.

For a romance writer, though, it was a somewhat toxic book — and it had nothing to do with the infidelity theme. I’m quite happy to read about the complexities of marriage and relationships. My issues were with the brutal honesty about the characters. Some of the descriptions made me squirm, which means the writer really did his job. The baron’s pursuit of women was described as “the stalking of the prey, the excitement and mental cruelty of the kill.” His character arc was never redeemed in the story. The woman’s “glowing sunset colors of her beauty offer her one last, urgent choice between maternal and feminine love.” Gah. That part made me think of Amy Schumer’s Last Fuckable Day skit, and also about how things haven’t changed much for women in 100 years. No, Burning Secret was a tad too lifelike, I guess, and it frankly depressed me.

So. From there I turned to The Dirty Secret by Kira Gold, which I’m still reading. I was inspired to check out this fairy-tale like romance because it’s set in Burlington, Vermont, where I used to live. It’s about a quirky architect who works with an interior designer to decorate his model home.

I realize my description makes this book sound fussy and twee. It’s anything but. The characters are original and fun, not overly angsty and not horribly broken. They seem like people I would know, and like. And the sex scenes, so far, are perfection. I’m a big fan of erotica that’s not crass. Gold’s prose is elegant and delicious. The hero, Killian, isn’t a filthy-talking alpha hole, he’s more like a smart, respectful geek who talks dirty at all the right times. The heroine, Vessa, is refreshingly open about what she wants sexually, and seduces Killian first with her decorating prowess.

Another reason why Gold’s book is so interesting: it contains lavish descriptions of interior design. The story is making me want to alternately redecorate and have sex. If you like house porn and erotica, this is the book for you.

~

Tamara Lush is an award-winning journalist with The Associated Press. She also writes fiction. Her debut novel, Hot Shade, was released in September 2015 by Boroughs Publishing Group.

When Tamara isn’t writing or reading, she’s doing yoga, cooking for her Italian husband or chasing her dogs on a beach on Florida’s Gulf Coast.

Tamara is represented by Amanda Leuck of Spencerhill Associates.

You could find out more about her on her website, Facebook, Pinterest, or Twitter.