Author Spotlight: Alta Hensley

Alta Hensley was awesome and agreed to answer some interview questions for me. Thank you so much for agreeing to do this for me Alta!!!

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Alta Hensley is a USA TODAY bestselling author of hot, dark and dirty romance. She is also an Amazon Top 100 bestselling author. Being a multi-published author in the romance genre, Alta is known for her dark, gritty alpha heroes, sometimes sweet love stories, hot eroticism, and engaging tales of the constant struggle between dominance and submission.
Website

Amazon

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Random Questions:

• Are you a very organized person? I think so. In many ways I am. I like to schedule out my year, plan my books ahead of time etc. I do things my way though, which to some may seem very unorganized. But I would say that I am.
• How many siblings so you have? 5
• How often do you curse? Way too fucking much
• If you could have dinner with anyone (dead or alive), who would it be? My Nana (Alta Hensley) who passed before I became an author. She’s the first Alta and would just love seeing her name be a USA Today Bestseller and having all these books with her name on them. We would have an amazing dinner together.
• If you could tell your 18-year-old self one thing, what would it be? Your dream will come true. Keep at it.
• What is your favorite food? Does that count as a food?
• What is your favorite movie? I don’t really have one. I never watch a movie more than once. I love movies, but I don’t like watching movies that I already know the ending to.
• What is your favorite TV show? Whatever I am binge watching on Netflix, Prime, or Hulu. I love watching a series all at once and become an addict.
• What three words best describe you? Wow, that’s a hard one. Let me think… Dreamer, Determined, Gypsy soul
• When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up? I used to say RICH. But then it became author, movie director, lawyer, Peace corp, but settled on author.

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This or That:

• Fireman or Policeman? My husband is a fireman so I better say that. Hahhahah
• Vodka or Rum? Vodka unless I’m on vacation sitting by the pool.
• Toilet paper: Over or Under? I have no idea. I don’t pay attention. I’m just happy it’s there.
• Fruits or vegetables? I don’t think there is one kind I don’t like.
• Puzzles or board games? Board games I suppose.
• Plan everything or Go with the flow? I like to say I can go with the flow, and I can… but I prefer a plan.
• Piercings or tattoos? I have a large one that covers my entire ribcage. Hubby has full arm sleeves.
• Online shopping or in-person shopping? I like Amazon for things I know, but when it comes to clothes, I have to actually feel the fabric. But Amazon during Christmas time because I hate crowds.
• Mac or PC? Mac baby!!! My Mac is one of my prized possessions.
• Christmas or Halloween? I’m a scrooge.

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Book Related Questions:**SPOILERS AHEAD**

• I have read 6 of your books so far. I started with Delicate Scars and I am so happy I started with that book because I loved it!! What gave you the idea for Quinn to kind of be undercover in the book? Why not just tell him up front what her job was? Oh wow! Six books? That amazes me. It always amazes me that people read my books. I haven’t gotten used to that. So back to Quinn… well, if she told him up front there wouldn’t be much of a story and angst now would there? Hahahhahah
• His Caged Kitty is unlike any book I have ever. Where did the idea for this book come from? The depths of my twisted mind. Hahahha. Seriously, you don’t want to know the twisted and dark things that go on in this mind of mine.
• What was the hardest part to write in this book? Staying focused and finishing. It’s always fun starting a book when it’s all new, fresh and pretty. It’s really hard to finish. My mind starts to come up with other book ideas, and I want to start other projects before I have finished the one I started. It’s like this for all my books.

 

• Captive Vow….WOW…What a plot twist. How hard was it to keep from giving the plot twist away? SO hard!!!! In fact, I wouldn’t tell my editor or betas about the book because I wanted to see if they saw any hints or saw it coming when they read it for the first time. I had to be very careful to give little hints but not too many. When my editor read it the second time, she then saw what I did and was impressed. But she didn’t see it coming the first time around.
• What was your favorite scene to write in this book? Any scene with “Momma’s watching. Momma’s always watching.” So freakin’ twisted and wrong. Ha!

 

• Lets talk about The Top Shelf Series. Where did you get the idea for Spiked Roses? Again, the dark and twisted depths of my mind. Ha! But I do love New Orleans, so the club was based on the overall vibe of some of the buildings there.
• In the first book, Bastards & Whiskey, what made you send Kenneth to the aid of Anita? Why not let Anita deal with her own issues? She knew what she was getting when she signed up for the Tasting Room. Because Kenneth is a control freak and perfectionist. And I know (from personal experience) that control freaks and perfectionists sometimes feel that if the don’t do it themselves, it doesn’t get done, or done well. It fit his character to want to fix everything.
• Villains & Vodka is probably my favorite book of yours ever! This book probably has one of the most epic plot twists I have ever read. What made you come up with the idea for Harley to plan the abduction? Why not have a real abduction? Ha! Yeah when I came up with that (dark, twisted depths of my mind), I was super worried that it would make readers HATE Harley. But then I wanted to do it even more. I really did sit on that for awhile because I was so worried that Harley would truly cross over into villain state and never could be redeemed from that. But I also really liked the idea that readers would FEEL something, even if it was truly disgust and hate. My editor actually sent me a message when she hit that scene that said “NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO”. I laughed and knew I had to keep it. Villains & Vodka may be my favorite book that I have written too. That one… well that one just bled from my fingers.
• You could feel the pain Marlowe felt when she found out the truth about what Harley had done. Why did Harley think she would say “Red”? Why did Harley think she would know that this was part of the weekend? Honestly, he didn’t. He knew she wouldn’t. And he knew she had no idea. But it was sick, twisted, and even fueled him more. He truly believed he was the villain in his fucked up story of life. Basically, he then could say, “Well… you could have said RED.” But then it all changed when he realized he wasn’t that person… at least not with Marlowe.
• I went into Scoundrels & Scotch a bit nervous. I was worried about Victor and his dolls. Where did the idea for the dolls come from? Again… no one wants a peek into my mind. Hahahhahaha. I absolutely love the twisted and creepy nature of Victor and his dolls. I mean… dolls! Hahahahah
• Why do you think Victor got feeling for Ivy and he didn’t for any of his other dolls? I think he saw her natural submissive nature. She wasn’t faking it. She wasn’t pretending to be the doll. She had everything he truly wanted and craved in a woman. She was genuine and true. It wasn’t just about the money with her. It was about finding out who she was.
• Devils & Rye is next in this series. What can your readers expect out of this book? Forbidden love. Dark, sinister secrets. Southern roots that are so deep that they will forever haunt you. This one goes DEEP in the south and is pretty dark and gothic in vibe. I really like Alec and Makayla’s love story. It’s wrong but so right.

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Random Ending Questions:

• Is it hard to write duel POV? No, not at all. I love this way to write. Both my two main characters demand to be heard.
• Who are your one-click authors? Soooooo many! I pretty much one click all the new releases of my friends. I love reading and supporting my author friends. So much so, that I created Hot, Dark & Dirty Romance page on FB so I could share my love.
• What is the most difficult part of writing a sex scene? Finding other ways to say the word “cock” and “pussy”. Also wondering if you went too far, or need to go further. Usually in my case… I go too far. hahahahhaha
• Do you feel authors should put trigger warnings in their books? I always put a creative warning that lets readers know this isn’t your sweet romance. I don’t feel I have to go into all the reasons why, but I do put a little disclaimer. Do I think it is necessary? No. I don’t feel authors should have to.
• If you had to write yourself as a villain in one of your books, what type of villain would you be? Dark and twisted!!! Just when you think I can’t get worse—I do! Muahahahahahhaha

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Last Question:

What would you like to say to your readers? Thank you, thank you, thank you! I still haven’t wrapped my head around the fact that I have readers. I mean, someone is buying my books, but it is still weird for me. The support, encouragement, kind words… it really is everything. I wouldn’t be able to live my dream without the readers, and I can’t thank them enough.

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Alta’s Books: