Here's a link to Nina's website: http://www.ninabruhns.com/
I guess that’s how I’d describe myself (though it makes my husband crazy 
)
By profession, I’m really an archaeologist (an Egyptologist) but I’ve worked all kinds of jobs, from real estate to a fabric store clerk to a student counselor at the Fulbright Commission in Stockholm, Sweden. My favorite was a work-study job in grad school (go U of C!), reorganizing the ancient Egyptian pottery at the University of Chicago’s famous Oriental Institute. The pay was lousy, but holding ceramic jars actually touched by Ramses II and King Tut was awe-inspiring and unbelievably exciting.
I’ve lived all over the USA, and even spent six years in Europe. I love to travel. Maybe because my great-grandfather was an Hungarian gypsy–my only ancestor who was not Danish. A few years back, my family and I moved to Charleston, South Carolina, which has also been a wonderful adventure. It’s amazing here, and I’ve finally found “home.”
I love archaeology, but doing fieldwork in The Sudan, Africa (my area of specialty within Egyptology) isn’t too practical with children and a husband who has a normal job. So when I thought about what I’d like to do instead, I set out to fulfill my lifelong dream of being a writer. Now I have my adventures through my characters. I can give my heroines the thrills and excitement all women dream of having, but I never have to change out of my jammies to do it. My kind of job!
My novels to date have done me very proud by walking away with such prestigious honors as the National Readers’ Choice Award, the overall Daphne du Maurier Award of Excellence in Mystery/Supense (three times), the Dorothy Parker Award (five times), as well as being nominated for the RITA Award (twice), which is the equivalent of an Oscar nomination in the movie biz…to name just a few. My books have also made it onto the WaldenBooks Bestseller List, and been named favorite book of the year by Romantic Times along with several online review sites.
Sensually, I’ll admit I like to push the envelope in my stories. I think much of the appeal of romance is the seductive fantasy it allows women to indulge in safely. A woman whose days are filled with diapers or spreadsheets, PTA or sales meetings, wants to be swept away in a romantic fantasy for a few hours, into a world where she can quench her thirst for love and romantic adventure, and fulfill her dreams of a man who instinctively satisfies her deepest yearnings. I love writing about feisty heroines who do things I would never dare to do in real life. My heroes are dark and dangerous men who ooze sensuality–but who know how to treat a lady.
This year I’m starting another fabulous adventure, taking the plunge into the larger fiction arena with a romantic thriller trilogy coming out, starting with SHOOT TO THRILL in August ‘09, followed by IF LOOKS COULD CHILL in December ‘09, and A KISS TO KILL in April ‘10, all from New York powerhouse Berkley Publishing (part of Penguin/Putnam). I can’t tell you how excited I am to be stepping onto a broader stage with longer, more complex suspense stories. But not to worry, I will still concentrate mainly on the emotional and sensual sides of the relationship between the hero and heroine along with the page-turning suspense I am known for. For me, there is just nothing better than creating a heart-tugging love story along with a thrill-ride adventure. I hope you agree!
Please, drop me a line! I love to hear from readers.
Good reading!
Last month Nina did a very cool thing. Her very first Podcast! She was interviewed by one of her very fave Harlequin people, Toronto eHarlequin mogul Malle Vallik, about Nina’s June Silhouette Romantic Suspense release, KILLER TEMPTATION. In the Podcast, she talks about everything from the plot of the book, to continuities, to being an archaeologist. “It was incredibly fun to do, and came out really well I thought!”
The Podcast is available free to download from Collectik.com, or fromMediafly.com, or you can listen to it right on the eHarlequin.com website, or load it onto your iPod directly from iTunes (under Podcasts: Arts/Literature/Harlequin Author Spotlight: 14). She’d love to hear what you think of it!
WHAT'S YOUR THEME?
June 1st, 2009
I love a good challenge. It keeps me on my toes, and makes life interesting. True, some real-life challenges
I could definitely do without. But as a writer, I believe in pushing myself and expanding the horizons of my craft, in order to give my readers better stories. So, every year I try to learn something new, some aspect of writing that I haven’t consciously tackled before.
Last year, my project was “theme.”
Theme isn’t something that a lot of fiction writers (especially genre fiction) talk about. Or even think about.
In fact, a lot of us have no idea what theme really is. Not enough to be useful, anyway. That included me before last year. I still find it hard to define.
Every good book has a theme, but mostly an author does it by instinct, not through deliberate planning (unless you’re a screenwriter, which is a whole different ballgame).
Theme is not about the plot. Or a “message” the author wishes to convey. Often it’s kind of a philosophical hypothesis, which the story either proves or disproves…or sometimes it’s a broader human emotional need that the story simply explores.
For instance, the theme of my July SRS, PRINCE CHARMING FOR 1 NIGHT, runs something like: “Appearances can be deceptive. Look beyond the surface and you can find your greatest happiness.” Yep.
It’s Cinderella (could you tell by the title? ☺). One of my favorites! Like all great stories, the Cinderella faerie tale contains several themes that work on different levels. The appearances thing. The “If you’re mean to those less fortunate you will not prosper” thing. Or how about “True love will find each other.”
There are lots more.
As a reader, we recognize the theme or themes that speak to us, and we can enjoy that same story in different guises a thousand times and never grow tired of it.
But theme goes even deeper than that. Ever notice how your favorite author’s works all seem to have a similar thread running through them? That’s because as writers, who we are, what our hopes and dreams and fantasies are, they all shine through in our writing, in the form of our personal theme. At first a writer usually isn’t even aware she is writing to a theme. Not until she has six or seven books under her belt, and suddenly she notices a pattern.
For me, under the page-turning suspense and the sizzling sensuality found in all my books, I always write about the deep human need to find a place of belonging. The isolation we all feel, and the desire to seek connectedness, even in the face of overwhelming pain.
Pretty powerful stuff. Which probably would have taken years and years of therapy to bring out if I weren’t a writer!
Yikes.
Okay, so I’ve spilled mine. Now it’s your turn!
What is your personal literary theme? What theme speaks to you most as a reader, or a writer?
Good reading!!!
Nina's Facebook fan page is here:http://www.facebook.com/pages/Nina-Bruhns/41984254
Her regular Facebook page is here:http://www.facebook.com/nina.bruhns?ref=search&sid
This is from the eHarlequin page:
Nina Bruhns credits her gypsy great-grandfather for her great love of adventure. She has lived and traveled all over the world, including a six-year stint in Sweden. She has been on scientific expeditions from California to Spain to Egypt and Sudan, and has two graduate degrees in archeology (with a specialty in Egyptology). She speaks four languages and writes a mean hieroglyphic!
But Nina’s first love has always been writing. For her, writing for Silhouette Books is the ultimate adventure! Drawing on her many experiences gives her stories a colorful dimension and allows her to create settings and characters out of the ordinary. She has won numerous awards for her previous titles, including a prestigious National Readers’ Choice Award, two Daphne DuMaurier Awards of Excellence for Overall Best Romantic Suspense of the year, five Dorothy Parker Awards and two Golden Hearts Awards, among many others.
A native of Canada, Nina grew up in California and currently resides in Charleston, South Carolina, with her husband and three children.
She loves to hear from her readers, and can be reached at P.O. Box 2216, Summerville, SC 29484-2216 or by e-mail via her Web site or the Harlequin Web site.
Welcome back, Nina! A Kiss to Kill is coming out soon -- I'm excited to read it! (And I LOVE the cover!)
What's up next for you now?
Synopsis
Third in the red-hot trilogy following If Looks Could Chill.
Eight months ago, Dr. Gina Cappozi and CIA black ops commando Captain Gregg van Halen were lovers...until Gregg committed the ultimate betrayal. When her need for vengeance leads Gina back into Gregg's bed, she discovers that the power of betrayal and revenge is nothing compared to the power of love.
Eight months ago, Dr. Gina Cappozi and CIA black ops commando Captain Gregg van Halen were lovers...until Gregg committed the ultimate betrayal. When her need for vengeance leads Gina back into Gregg's bed, she discovers that the power of betrayal and revenge is nothing compared to the power of love.
Nina,
I have to say, I'm one of those women whose days are filled with diaper changes
I have 2 toddlers and work full-time in a bustling salon...could be why I turn to romance. I also turned romance into another career when I became a full-time author as well.
I am reading your books now and I can't devour them fast enough! Luckily for me, I'm not under deadline right now. I simply can't put your books down! I've added you to my auto-buy author list and have pre-ordered A Kiss to Kill. I can't wait for Gina's story
Keep writing and I'll keep buying!
Jules
Hi Becke!
Thanks!!! I'm so happy to be here!
Well, these days I am in the middle of writing a trilogy for Silhouette Nocturne. It's set in contemp Egypt, but features ancient Egyptian demi-gods as the heroes. The heroines are 3 American sisters, one an historian, one an anthropologist, and one an archaeologist, each with their own book. They get caught up in an ancient cult that serves the god Set-Sutekh (Seth)...the god of darkness and the night. All sorts of other things are going on, involving a mystery about their parents, plus a 5-thousand year-old feud between the gods Seth and Horus. As an Egyptologist myself, it's so fun to finally be able to use some of all that knowledge!!! I'm having a great time writing them!
Then last week, I signed another contract with Berkley for my next romantic adventure series with them. This series will be more stand-alone than the Thrill/Chill/Kill series that's out now. The first one takes place on a Russian submarine... I can't wait to get started with those books, too!!!
Thanks again for the welcome!
Nina
Hi Jules!
Thanks so much!!! I'm glad you're enjoying the series. I had a blast writing them, and I ended up really loving all the characters. It was so fun having the stories so entertwined--not something an author can do with most books. I took a chance making them so connected, but I really love how they turned out. Glad you do too!!!
Nina
Hi Debbie!
LOL! Well, I hope you'll like them! Actually, you can read any of the books as a stand-alone. I made sure any info you need is all included in each book. They're all connected, but not so you can't read one without the other. That wouldn't be fair to readers, I don't think... ;D So not to worry!
Nina
Nina-Bruhns wrote:
Hi Becke!
Thanks!!! I'm so happy to be here!
Well, these days I am in the middle of writing a trilogy for Silhouette Nocturne. It's set in contemp Egypt, but features ancient Egyptian demi-gods as the heroes. The heroines are 3 American sisters, one an historian, one an anthropologist, and one an archaeologist, each with their own book. They get caught up in an ancient cult that serves the god Set-Sutekh (Seth)...the god of darkness and the night. All sorts of other things are going on, involving a mystery about their parents, plus a 5-thousand year-old feud between the gods Seth and Horus. As an Egyptologist myself, it's so fun to finally be able to use some of all that knowledge!!! I'm having a great time writing them!
Then last week, I signed another contract with Berkley for my next romantic adventure series with them. This series will be more stand-alone than the Thrill/Chill/Kill series that's out now. The first one takes place on a Russian submarine...
Thanks again for the welcome!
Nina
Nina - I LOVE Egyptian-set stories -- romance, mystery, romantic suspense, it doesn't matter. I've been fascinated with Egypt since I read Agatha Christie's Egyptian-set stories. Please post an update here when your books come out!
I'm intrigued by the idea of a story set on a Russian sub -- how will you research the setting? How cool!
