Interview with Tracie Banister

Today, I got something special again!!! An interview with Tracie Banister!! :)  I read Tracie's new novel, In Need of Therapy, a couple of weeks ago! HERE is my Review!!

 

 

The Romance Bookie: First, would you please tell the readers a little about your hilarious new novel "In Need of Therapy"?

 

Tracie Banister: I think that my book blurb says it best:

 

Lending a sympathetic ear and dispensing sage words of advice is all part of the job for psychologist Pilar Alvarez, and she’s everything a good therapist should be: warm, compassionate, supportive. She listens, she cares, and she has all the answers, but how’s the woman everyone turns to in their hour of need supposed to cope when her own life starts to fall apart? 

While working hard to make a success of her recently-opened practice in trendy South Beach, Pilar must also find time to cater to the demands of her boisterous Cuban family, which includes younger sister Izzy, an unemployed, navel-pierced wild child who can't stay out of trouble, and their mother, a beauty queen turned drama queen who’s equally obsessed with her fading looks and getting Pilar married before it’s “too late.” Although she’d like to oblige her mother and make a permanent love connection, Pilar’s romantic prospects look grim. Her cheating ex, who swears that he’s reformed, is stalking her. A hunky, but strictly off-limits, patient with bad-boy appeal and intimacy issues is making passes. And the sexy shrink in the suite across the hall has a gold band on his left ring finger. 

When a series of personal and professional disasters lead Pilar into the arms of one of her unsuitable suitors, she's left shaken, confused, and full of self-doubt. With time running out, she must make sense of her feelings and learn to trust herself again so that she can save her business, her family, and most importantly, her heart.

 

TRB:  How did you come up with the concept behind "In Need of Therapy"?

 

TB: I owe credit to my mother for suggesting that I write a "funny book about a female psychologist." It was a great idea because I've always been fascinated by psychology. I took Psych courses in school and even toyed with the idea of becoming a therapist myself, so writing for someone in that profession came naturally and I enjoyed playing up the comedic aspect of it.

 

TRB:  Did you put any personal qualities into Pilar?

 

TB: I always think that there's a little bit of me in all of my characters! Like Pilar, I am great at giving other people advice, but I’m terrible at solving my own problems. And I'm analytical like Pilar; my brain never stops working! 

 

TRB:  When did you first begin writing and why?

 

TB: I've always been a writer, going all the way back to childhood. It was just something that came naturally, and I enjoyed sharing my work with others. I wrote plays that my class performed in elementary school and continued on with essays, multi-part stories, and literary analyses all through my formative years.

 

TRB:  What are you reading right now?

 

TB: I am just about to dive into an ARC of my friend Susan Buchanan's soon-to-be-released novel, The Dating Game. Should be fun!

 

TRB:  What do you prefer: ebooks or Hardcopies?  Why?

 

TB: If you'd asked me a year ago, I would not have hesitated in saying "Hardcopies." I've always loved holding a book in my hands, admiring the cover, turning the pages, etc. However, I got a Kindle Fire for Christmas last year, and that e-reader has changed my life! Seriously. I adore it! Now I have the instant gratification of downloading a book I want and reading it immediately. E-books are less expensive, so I'm not breaking the bank with my reading addiction anymore. Plus, I love all the features of an e-reader, being able to look up definitions of words and highlight things.

 

TRB:   Any advice for aspiring writers?

 

TB: Focus on being the best writer you can be and don't rush to publish the first thing you write. Take the time to learn and grow as a writer. You will know when you've written the book that's "the one," then you can educate yourself on the different publishing avenues and decide what's best for you. It's the dawn of a new age for writers, and anything is possible!

To get your own copy of Tracie's In Need of Therapy, check out Amazon, Amazon UK, and Barnes and Noble!

 Bio of Tracie Banister:

Author Bio:  An avid reader and writer, Tracie Banister has been scribbling stories since she was a child, most of them featuring feisty heroines with complicated love lives like her favorite fictional protagonist Scarlett O'Hara.  Her work was first seen on the stage of her elementary school, where her 4th grade class performed an original holiday play that she penned (Like all good divas-in-the-making, she, also, starred in and tried to direct the production.)  Her dreams of authorial success were put on the backburner when she reached adulthood and discovered that she needed a "real" job in order to pay her bills.  Her career as personal assistant to a local entrepreneur lasted for 12 years.  When it ended, Tracie decided to follow her bliss and dedicate herself to writing full-time.  Her debut novel, the Hollywood-themed Blame It on the Fame, was released in January, 2012.  And she's following that up with the Miami-set Romantic Comedy, In Need of Therapy.  

For more Information, check out Tracie's blog 

Tracie's Twitter 

and Tracie's Facebook 

Thanks everyone! :)

The Romance Bookie :)