Liia Ann White in the Spotlight!

Hi everyone! I’m Liia *waves*

I’m an Aussie, I’m fun and a little bit crazy. My first release with Decadent is One Hot Australian Night (props to Rebecca Royce for picking the title for me), a hot little story I wrote for the 1NightStand series. It’s short, sweet and, yes, Australian.

So, I’ve answered some questions below so you can get to know me a little bit better J

How did you start your writing career?

I had my first short story published when I was 15, in a book distributed throughout national high schools. It was unedited, pretty terrible and definitely a tapped fantasy story, but it gave me the drive to get published.

I didn’t write for a long time – life got in the way. Then I decided I was going to have a story finished by my birthday last year (2010). That story was Elora’s Match, which – after a big rewrite and some help from wonderful friends – was submitted and published.

And the rest, as they say, is history J

Do you believe in ghosts?
Oh yeah. I’ve always been very open to the paranormal and all things weird and wonderful. I live by the rule that ‘every myth is based on a fact’, so I never dismiss anything.

I’ve had a few strange happenings, especially at my home. One which I blogged about where I saw a figure that I still think was demonic in some way – he had black eyes!

I believe in ghosts, other plains/dimensions of existence, aliens, demons, angels, banshees, shifters and all other kinds of creatures that we think up in our minds. Whether they exist now or not, I believe they did once.

The images and stories of them have to come from somewhere right?

If you could be an animal, what would it be?

I would love to be either a Great White Shark or a Wedge-Tailed Eagle. I love the ocean and have always wanted to fly. Apart from dogs, these are my two favourite animals.

If you could spend the night anywhere, where would it be?
Somewhere haunted. I’ve always wanted to travel to one of those really haunted castles or houses you can stay overnight in, but I’m too chicken to do it alone.

Tell us about your family.

I’m single and childless, so my family is my parents, siblings and pets. I’m only 26 so that doesn’t bother me.

My Mum and Dad have been married for 35 years – they married at 17 and 18 like a couple of crazies – and raised us kids to be very grateful for everything we have. They’re successful business owners and my Dad has been a podiatrist since before I was born running several successful surgeries of his own.

I have a brother 2 years younger than me who’s currently studying podiatry to follow in Dad’s footsteps (HA) and is an aspiring body builder who spends more time at the gym than at home.

My other brother is a year younger than me and plays professional Aussie Rules football. He lives in Melbourne where his team is based and I only see him two/three times a year, which is hard, but he’s living his dream. 

I have 2 dogs, a big Chihuahua cross, who is as temperamental as me but also as loyal and a Maltese/Shi-Tzu who is a big white ball of energy.

And finally two hand-reared Weiros and 5 feisty fish.

My family rocks and I love them all to pieces.

What was the scariest moment of your life?
I’ve never liked flying, mainly take-off and landings because I know they’re the most dangerous parts.

But on a trip to New Zealand, we had to stop off in Sydney to change aeroplanes. Keep in mind I’d seen Castaway days before so I was even more terrified of flying. There was a massive thunderstorm in Sydney and, as we flew in to land, the plane nearly got struck by a huge fork of lightning. We had to divert to Canberra, wait for the storm to pass, then flew back.

I’ve never been scared for my life until that day.

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
I wanted to be the female Steven Spielberg – still do. Film is a passion I’ve had since I was a young child. But since I don’t live in a city where there’s a big chance for filmmaking, I went for the next best thing -  writingJ

What are you passionate about these days?
Animals, animal rights and environment conservation. I’m a vegan, and while I don’t eat animal products myself, I don’t judge those who do. I do ask that people are conscious of where their product is buying from – is the animal treated humanely before death etc. and I think you should always buy locally, to keep your own economy going strong, which is especially important with today’s economy the way it is.

I’m a big dog lover, but an informed dog lover – as Cesar Millan would say. I believe no dog is born aggressive, anxious, fearful or tense, they learn those traits from humans. One day I want to run my own rehabilitation centre for dogs, specializing in aggressive cases and power breeds.

Morning Person? Or Night Person? How do you know?
I am definitely a night person. Once it hits 9pm, I’m wide awake, buzzed and ready to work. The majority of my writing is done from 10pm-2am. I’ve never been a morning person – it takes me about half an hour to wake properly and I’m so incredibly grumpy I’m amazed anyone talks to me!

Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?

I love feedback. Good or bad, I love hearing what readers think. Knowing what readers do and don’t enjoy helps me become a better writer. 

Tell us about your current release.

One Hot Australian Night is the first book I’ve written specifically for the 1NightStand series. I’d had a story running around my mind that involved a sexy, successful and sensitive hero who happened to be a widower looking to find love again – he just didn’t know how to. When a friend suggested I write a 1NS story so I could work with Decadent (something I’d been wanting to do for a while), I knew Xavier had found his home.

It’s 9,000 words of sexy, hot, smutty goodness. I had a lot of fun writing it and have plans for all the secondary characters mentioned in it.

One may even be in the works right now *wink wink*

On a side note, it’s my Dad’s birthday today – Happy Birthday Daddy! *hugs and kisses*

Thanks for stopping by!

And don’t forget to check out the Decadent website, I guarantee you’ll spend a lot of money on the fantastic books they have.