Tuesday 13 May 2014

Cherry0Blossoms ~ Interviews ~ Samantha Fontien





CB, Tell us is there anything about you that people don't all ready know?

SF, Ohh good one, hmmm… I’m a huge Titanic nerd. I have some first editions and collectors editions on the Titanic.. I could actually do a degree on the subject of Titanic. My adopted grandmother who was ‘head seamstress’ to Queen Mary (The queen before the Queen mum). Well her brother was a master carpenter on the Titanic and I used to play with his carpentry tools all the time, she used to tell me the stories of the Titanic, it always moved me, it became a life obsession, that and when she stood watching Queen Victoria’s Funeral procession as a young child. And the World Wars 1&2. I spent a lot of time with her, that’s probably where my love of history comes from and why I know so much about them. I’m a devil for researching.

CB, Your books are so emotional. How long does it take for you to be able to get the characters out of your mind and move on to the next?

SF, Never lol. There is a lot of me in my characters whether they are male or female and they also have traits from people I love. But I do really think Rubin Miller has scarred me for life… God I love that man…

CB, Are the names of the characters in your novels important?

SF, Yes, to me they are, my characters are very real to me. Once I have the idea of who they are. I do a profile, which builds and makes them like, very real. So when I talk about them, they ARE real hahahaha. They have even their own tastes in Music. Yes I know, I’m sad lol.

CB, What are the most important attributes to remaining sane as a writer?

SF, For me, it’s my Ladies… These ladies are writers too and bloggers. They understand how scary and exposing, this whole process can be. Especially when your nerves go into overdrive of self-doubt, when you know someone is reading your work.
I am SO very lucky to have the BEST group of Ladies out there. WE ALL support each other in ANY way we can. It’s a very cutthroat world out there and they are the ones how have your back. So in short my answer is my AWESOME FRIENDS who are my five a day lol.

CB, What is the most demeaning thing said about you as a writer?

SF, Errm I don’t know lol Do you know something I don’t hahaha.
No seriously, for me it’s the personal attacks on reviews you see out there, rather than it being about the book or story.
I have seen a lot of very UN- Necessary personal attacks on writers, it’s cruel… It’s Horrible and utter bullying, something that I have so much disdain for. I cannot abide bullies or ANY form of bullying.
I was brought up to believe’ If you have nothing nice to say… Don’t say it. It takes MORE to be nasty to someone, than it does to be nice.


CB, How do you react to a bad review of one of your books?

SF, I’ve been very lucky I haven’t really had a bad review (touch wood). I try not to take things to heart unless it’s an attack on a personal level. Constructive criticism is good, it’s how you learn and perfect your skills and that’s good for anything you do... I know I’m not going to be everyone’s cup of tea… Hell, even I drink coffee lol.


CB, What was the hardest part of writing your book?

SF, Handing it over to the beta readers for the first time. OMG, for me, it makes me feel sick with nerves and want to bite off my long nails lol.

CB, Did you learn anything from writing your book and what was it?

SF, I believe in learning something new every day, or it’s a day wasted. I think I have learned SO much since my first book. Learning is improving… and NO ONE is perfect. One thing I have learned from book one… is not to be too over descriptive, I may like information, not everyone does though lol.

CB, Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?

SF, My message in Book one, was there is life after an abusive relationship. Book one, was based very much on my own personal circumstances. I had stayed in an abusive relationship for 7.5 years. It shouldn’t have lasted that long, but I was scared to restart my life. Thankfully I had a friend like Lucy, who created a MONSTER of an ICE QUEEN lol. Ohh and not all mothers are sweetness and nice or wonderful mummy type figures. lol.
My message would be…There is a life, should you wish to choose it.

CB, Have you ever read or seen yourself as a character in a book or a movie?

SF, Yes, in all of my books in some shape or fashion. Lucy for example, has my balls and dirty and very warped sense of humour, as does Rubin Miller I’m afraid. Loyalty is another thing I will hold my hand up for lol.

CB,Who designed the covers?

SF, My first Book was a lady called Shelly Pratt based in Australia believe it or not. The publishers just recoloured the second book, as I plan to have a rainbow of colours for the Butterflies series.
My Dragonflies series which will consist of three books in total have had x2 designers. The cover picture for The Duncan Peters Files was actually found by Leia Madison (Author) USA… God I love that girl, a wonderful friend of hers put the cover together for me (See!!!! I so have the greatest friends in the world) And for The Rizzo Protocol and the last Book of the Dragonflies Series – The Cousins has been done by an amazing artist and fellow writer Kaye Helm (Aussie) who is also one of my five a day. I’m very blessed.

CB, Are there any authors that have grasped your interest?

SF, Easy… Clive Cussler… I LOVE that man. He made me fall in love with Dirk Pitt at the tender age of 14 and I still love him... I love how Cussler writes and your literally there, experiencing everything with Dirk and Al. He and Ian Fleming are my all time writing hero’s.

Describe in 5 words, your writing

Emotional, Funny, Naughty, Game Changering, Not hearts and flowers. (yes I know you said only 5 words, but I was stuck on answering this one…hahaha)

CB, When your were a child what did you want to be when you grew up?

SF, An actress and a writer but I was always told you needed a career first. Both of my parents were musicians so I was MADE to learn classical guitar…I hated it… wanted to play the drums. At school I
wanted to be a chiropodist… (Yeah I hear you recoiling and screaming ‘feet’, but hair does that very same thing to me.) I actually ended up in a Recruitment Agency which I loved.

CB, What do you use to write your book?

SF, I hope I am answering this correctly when saying a laptop and an endless supply of Dirty Martini’s and cigarettes (Yes I’m a filthy smoker)

CB, Do you listen to music while you writing or reading?

SF, YES and YES. I listen to music ALL the time, even in the bath.

Tell us your latest news?

Ohh I’m just finishing up the Rizzo Protocol and will be starting the final Book – The Cousins, of the Dragonflies series.



CB, What book are you reading now?

FS, I’m not reading at the moment.(Hangs head in shame) I don’t read when I am writing, so I haven’t read for just over a year now.
When I do read it’s normally a Titanic book or English history or monarch’s I have a thing for Queen Victoria and her children, or anything on Henry VIII. Yeah I’m a history buff. If it’s not history it’s Clive Cussler.

CB, Do you have a nickname?

SF, Yes, lol. I have many depending on who you are talking to and what stage of my life they know me from. And yes, I still hear them, I’ve got friends from primary school I still speak to.

CB, What are your pet peeves?

SF, RUDENESS, bad manners or general nastiness. Eating with your mouth open, Men not lifting OR putting the seat down…there is an endless list.

CB, Do you ever write naked?

SF, NO lol.

CB, What is your favourite Starbuck’s/coffee shop drink?

SF, Gingerbread latte from Costa. Shhh don’t tell Starbucks they are not here in Athlone.(Ireland) hahahaha

CB, What's your favourite fruit?

SF, Strawberries or any berries, I have a sweet tooth.

CB,What's your favourite tv show?

SF, Suits (Yummmm Harvey Spector) and Vikings (Ragnor…drooool.)

CB, One of your favourite quotes –
SF, It is what it is…

Do you enjoy giving interviews?

Yes either as me or characters lol

Top Ten Book Boyfriends

Rubin Miller (The Duncan Peters files), Dirk Pitt & Al Giordino (Clive Cussler Novels), Duncan Peters , (The Duncan Peters files), Jackson Harvey & Christopher Harper (How to catch Butterflies books 1&2), Michael Crestmore (Leia Madison’s letting Go series), Breccan Alexander Caldwell (Jessica Spoon’s shattering the Darkness series)
I haven’t read properly or any mainstream books bar the above authors, so this is the best I can do sorry.

Top Ten Love Triangles

Oh my reading isn’t mainstream so only one really … Henry VIII you gotta love real life lol.

Five Fun Facts:

1. I hate creepy crawlies
2. I don’t DO camping or sharing bathrooms thing like communal showers or toilets YUCK!! I’m quirky sorry lol
3. I love to sing especially if I’ve had a drink which isn’t very often (for the drink thing only), I actually torment people as I tend to sing the same song over and over again, then everyone else sings it with me like an earworm. hahaha..
4. I’m the girl you don’t dare to do anything, as I go into ‘Challenge Accepted mode’ lol
5. I have a few party tricks, like putting on my lipstick perfectly, with my cleavage to name one. lol

Anything else you would like to say to the readers

Yes reviews… please write them, they are NOT just for the professionals, they are SO much for you, the READERS. If you read a book, tell the world how it made you feel. Your voices count too and are sometimes the most important ones that are heard.
One thing I would ask though, is… if you DO leave a review, please be kind, be constructive. It takes so much to sit down and write over 80k in words, The sacrifices made are many, time spent doing the writing, or researching for the book. These are times we have to manage being away from our real lives, from work or family so on...
I have many friends that do three jobs at once or even more, the paid ones, the parent and running their homes ones and the ones doing the writing.
Try to be constructive in your criticisms NOT Personal, I’ve had people crying hard at nasty things that are unnecessarily said. If you can’t say anything nice… Say NOTHING lol
Remember, you can’t un-ring a bell !!

Thank you so much for taking part, I loved reading all your answers. xo





This book contains explicit sexual scenes and is recommended for readers 18+






Who is Duncan Peters?

He is a Scholar from Cambridge University, a calculated killer, in Her Majesties Armed Forces. He can

blend into any surroundings and uses these skills to his full potential. He is a ladies’ man that believes in

the motto love 'em and leave 'em.

We also meet his best friend, Rubin Miller, his brother in arms, who has been there, through everything,

from attending the same University, to fighting alongside him, in the Armed Forces. There is nothing

these two have not shared, women included. Can these wild men be tamed?

Join these two men on the roller-coaster that is their lives and get a better feeling of why Duncan is,

well, Duncan.




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COMING SOON!!
Dragonflies - The Rizzo Protocol





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 Samantha Fontien

I'm a Happily Married,MUM of 2 very loved children One is a teenager so far (fingers crossed) a great one. I LOVE Music, I am the daughter of Musicians, I was reared with a Guitar in one hand and a pen in the other. 

My goal was to write my first novel. That's done and it was released on 27th May on Amazon 






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