(Author Q&A) Lisa Mondello

Today I am super excited to be on a blog tour for the book The Marriage Contract by Lisa Mondello. Not only was I able to review this fantastic book but I also got the chance to ask Lisa a few questions.

I really enjoyed the book as you will see in my review which will be posted following this interview.

About The Book:
What would you do to get a second chance at love? Sometimes fate needs a little helping hand...

When Ruthie Carvalho finds an old birthday card with a marriage proposal scribbled on the back, she figures she's hit pay dirt and is destined to get her 35 year old daughter married.

The trouble is, Ruthie can't stand Cara's boyfriend and Cara is just stubborn enough to push in the opposite direction of what her mother wants.

When Devin Michaels gets a phone call from his old friend's mom, he knows Ruthie is up to something. But he's at a crossroad. It's been 17 years since he's seen Cara and memories of their soulful talks and walks on the beach make him long to reconnect.

Going back to the seaside town of Westport Massachusetts to reconnect with Cara seems like just the thing to do. One look at Cara and the years seem to melt away. With a little help and “creative” planning from Ruthie, can these old friends become lovers and have a second chance at happiness?

I have to thank Lisa for taking the time out of her very busy achedule to answer my questions. I really have to thank her for answering them as quickly as she did because I was late in getting them to her so thank you Lisa.

Please help me welcome Lisa Mondello to Cindy's Love of Books.

Cindy: How did you come up with the idea for The Marriage Contract?

When I was in college I had a male friend who I was very close to. Our relationship was completely platonic, but after a night of talking about the future we jokingly said that if we were both single by the time we were 30, we'd marry each other. I was married at 27, so we were never in danger of revisiting that marriage pact. On April 6th my husband and I will be married 21 years!

Cindy: Happy Anniversary to you and your husband Lisa. How long did it take you to write The marriage Contract?

I wrote The Marriage Contract in 1999 so I don't know exactly how long it took me to write it, but I think it was about 4 months. The Marriage Contract was originally published by a small press in 2000 in trade paperback and ebook. But ebooks were still so new back then so there was only a limited audience. I am glad that the story is reaching so many new readers today.

Cindy: What inspired you to become a writer?

I honestly don't know. I just have always written since the time I was very little. I always say that writing chose me, not the other way around.

Cindy: If The Marriage Contract was optioned for a movie, who would you want to play Cara and Devin? I loved Cara and Devin together.

I had a reader email me and tell me that she thought Matthew McConaughey would be perfect for Devin. But I'm thinking Gerard Butler! There are so many fantastic comedic actresses that it's hard for me to picture who would be the right one for Cara.

Cindy: That would be a tough roll to cast on both parts. Do you have any future books coming out?

Oh, yes. This year I'm releasing at least 5 books, possibly six. Two have already been released. They are the first two in my Texas Hearts series; Her Heart for the Asking and His Heart for the Trusting. Book 3, The More I See, was scheduled for last month but it's been moved to April. Then I have a Young Adult story called No Strings Attached that I wrote with my oldest daughter and then my first single title romantic suspense under my pen name L. A. Mondello called Material Witness.

Cindy: Wow! Lisa you have been busy and I see there is a few that I will have to check out. What is a typical day like for you?

LOL There is no typical day. I have 4 children. One has already moved out. The next is in college and the youngest two are seniors in high school this year. So there is a lot of running around with them. But I usually take time while everyone is in school or work to write. I write every day. Next year they'll all be at college and my husband and I will be empty nesters. It'll be very different for me without all the normal activity in my house!

About The Author:
Lisa Mondello is the best selling author of 13 published books. Her first published book, the award winning ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS YOU, was recently reissued as an ebook and has had over 226,000 downloads worldwide. In addition to publishing her Fate with a Helping Hand series, which includes THE MARRIAGE CONTRACT and THE KNIGHT AND MAGGIE'S BABY, she is releasing her popular Texas Hearts Romance series as ebooks in early 2012. She currently writes for Harlequin Love Inspired Romance and is collaborating with a film producer/screenwriter on a screenplay.

She loves to hear from readers. You can email her at LisaMondello@aol.com, find her on her blog talking about writing, movies and music at http://www.lisamondello.blogspot.com or chat on Twitter at @LisaMondello.

Thanks again Lisa, it was so much fun reading your book and being able to talk with you. Wishing you all the best.