First, I want to thank all book reviewers who brought Marni Mann into my radars. I remember last year when I started to spread my wings and read so many books that led me to know so many writers worldwide, especially in the romance area. One of them is Marni Mann.

If you want to read a hot and steamy romance novel, Marni Mann is one of your go-to authors. I knew her from The Lawyer. Yes, the Dalton Brothers Series made me into the Marni Mann fans. I love the story. It’s more than just hot and steamy scenes. The story is easy to read. Very page-turning. Her writing is matched with my liking. I love the characters, even though they are just your typical billionaire arc in the romantic world. But there’s something about her story that hooks you up from the first page.

It will make you giddy.

It will make you feel the love.

And the hotness level is very spicy so you need to be careful.

Here’s the thing. I lost count of how many times I read romance novels with explicit sex scenes. At first, it’s intrigued me. But later did I know, I felt bored. Because every book feels the same. The formula is the same. The way it is written down is the same. So even if I move to another book, the specific scene got me to roll my eyes because I already found it in another book.

But I can’t skip every sentence from Marni Mann. The formula is quite the same with another book from other writers but I can get something new from her book. That’s the reason why I want to read all of her books, especially The Dalton Brothers series (as of now, I already read 2 books).

It’s not easy (and quite expensive) to ship the book from America to Indonesia, but it’s all worth the pain. So, I imagine my excitement when Marni Mann agrees to talk with me and give us a glimpse into her creative works.

Let’s get to know more about Marni Mann.

Could you share about your journey as a writer? When was the first time you wrote your book?

MM: The first book I ever wrote, I had just graduated college (many, many years ago lol) and I thought I was Carrie Bradshaw and was determined to find a home in chic-lit. It took many years before I realized chic-lit wasn’t for me. In 2006, I was inspired by some true events and began writing Memoirs Aren’t Fairytales, which was released in 2011. The rest is history.

How did you get the idea to write? Do you have some secret to gather the ideas?

MM: Ideas are constant. They come in every day. I’m inspired by everything. If I only had more hours in the day, I’d be able to turn them all into books.

Could you share about your writing method? Are you an outline-kind-of-author or anything else?

MM: I outline my twisty, complicated, suspense-like books. I pants my erotic romance–but I have a general idea of the beginning, end, and the points that need to be covered.

You know that your books are loved from all over the world. Have you imagined that people from another country, very far away from you, will read your book?

MM: Never. It’s the most surreal, unexpected, never-in-my-wildest-dreams kind of thing. I just love to write, the fact that people actually read me is mind-blowing.

What is the hardest book to write (so far) and why?

MM: A book that hasn’t been published yet – and may never get published. I’ve been working on it for 3 years. It owns my soul.

Let’s Talk About the Dalton Family

You write romance novels. Are you the romantic girl in real life?

MM: Absolutely. I’ve been with my husband since I was 19 years old. He’s my soulmate. We’ve grown up together, we’ve experienced every type of moment imaginable. He wipes my tears and cheers the loudest for every one of my accomplishments.

I know you from The Dalton Family (The Lawyer) and I instantly fell in love with the series. Could you share more about the series? How did you come up with the idea?

MM: I find lawyers extremely attractive and dove into the three-book series, knowing where those books were going and how romantic each story was going to be. By the second book (The Billionaire), another character started to evolve and she began to scream at me (Hannah), so I added two additional books to the series, so I could write her tale and her twin brother’s tale.

You already published 5 books from The Dalton Family. Which one is the hardest to write? Also which one is the most enjoyable to write?

MM: The Single Dad was the hardest for me to write because I don’t have children, so capturing Everly’s voice was a challenge. The most enjoyable was The Intern. I love writing enemies-to-lovers.

Now, Dalton Brothers. Please rank in order based on your favorite 🙂

MM: That’s like telling you my favorite child, which I could never do. 😉 I love them all–equally.

Marni Mann’s Secrets to Write a Hot & Spicy Scene

Your books are so hot & spicy. Do you have any method or secrets to write a hot & steamy scene? Because this is what your readers love about your books (at least, it’s me :))

MM: I visualize the whole scene before I write it. From start to finish. And then I sit down and write it as though I was in the room, watching as an outsider.

Sometimes the sex scene could make the reader feel uncomfortable. What would you do to make the reader enjoy those scenes?

MM: I write sex scenes the way I would want to experience them as a female. Just because I find these positions and moves and foreplay sexy and hot, doesn’t mean everyone will. And that’s okay–accepting that you can’t please everyone is part of our job.

From your PoV, could you share some tips or dos & don’ts while writing a sex scene?

MM: Editing the scene out loud makes a huge difference. It helps with choppy sentences and flow. Have fun with the scene. Don’t make it so short that the reader can’t get into the moment. But don’t make it too long that it drags.

How to Write an Irresistible Characters

You also write about a hot & dreamy male character. No wonder all female readers will fall in love with your characters. What’s the secret to writing a dreamy character?

MM: For me, it’s about writing men I find irresistible. It’s really that simple. I just write men who I’d want to date.

From all your male characters, could you give me your top 5 favorites and why?

Your female characters are also strong enough so they don’t overshadow the male character. Do you have any specific message that you want to portray through your female character?

MM: All of my women are hard-working, which is something that’s extremely important to me. Just because they have wealthy, dominant men come into their lives, doesn’t mean they want to give up their identity, and I appreciate that. My women are powerful in their own way, they’re never silent and despite them being tolerated, they’re extremely loving.

Among your female characters, who is the hardest to write and why?

MM: Alix from When Ashes Fall. She was suffering from severe PTSD, which is something I’ve never written or experienced before. Her character, pain, and angst took a long time to understand and get right.

Could you share your top 5 female characters (from your book) and why?

Last question, What’s next from Marni Mann?

MM: Mr. Hook-up, published by Montlake, will be released in October. The Playboy, the first book in my new spinoff series, will be released in December.