Charmaine Ross's first foray into romance was as a fourteen-year-old where she fell hopelessly and eternally in love with her hero as only a teenager can. Instead of watching movies and staying up late, she would go to bed at eight thirty and continue her very romantic, very safe, love affair.
Since then, she has fallen in love with many heroes, some less safe than what her teenage brain could possibly imagine. After earning a Fine Art’s Degree, a Diploma of Secondary Education and a Diploma of Marketing, she now works in Internal Communications for a global company. Despite her day job, she always returns to writing.
Although she has travelled, she always returns to her home town of Melbourne and lives with her husband, two children and two cats in the ferny-greens of the Dandenongs. If she’s not working on her latest romance and falling in love with yet another hero, you’ll find her reading, watching and basically indulging in her addiction to any story on any media type she can get her fingers on.
Since then, she has fallen in love with many heroes, some less safe than what her teenage brain could possibly imagine. After earning a Fine Art’s Degree, a Diploma of Secondary Education and a Diploma of Marketing, she now works in Internal Communications for a global company. Despite her day job, she always returns to writing.
Although she has travelled, she always returns to her home town of Melbourne and lives with her husband, two children and two cats in the ferny-greens of the Dandenongs. If she’s not working on her latest romance and falling in love with yet another hero, you’ll find her reading, watching and basically indulging in her addiction to any story on any media type she can get her fingers on.
Where does most of your Character inspiration come from?
I like putting people in a situation and then think about what type of person would find it particularly challenging. I think that makes for interesting characters. I want my characters to freak out, be uncomfortable. Be tortured. Bwa ha ha.
Do some qualities of your characters come from real people?
I look at past hurts, past events, and how their backgrounds would have turned them into the people they are today. How life, life’s choices and decisions lead to how they are at the beginning of the story, and then through the choices they make, how that might shape them through the journey of the story.
What was the inspiration for your book?
Often romance stories focus on the journey of falling in love. Two people meet for the first time and the fun begins. In my short story, I wanted to take a look at life down the track, well after the first blush of romance has worn off. A time in life when romance really should be a priority but often isn’t. It’s a part of life I’m sure a lot of women can sympathise with. I wanted my story “Operation Marriage Restoration”, to be a humorous snapshot of life when there’s not enough time for anything, let alone romance. Romance is beautiful, but it can also lead you astray.
What is your favourite spot to write?
I love writing in my favourite local café in the main street of Upwey. I let them bring me coffee and muffins and they let me use their electricity. Win—win situation.
What advice would you give budding writers?
Don’t give up. Only listen to constructive advice. Don’t ask your mum or your best friends for their opinion of your books. Be open-minded about honest advice. Join a critique group. Join a writing group at your local library. Join the RWA. Write every day.
Thank you so much for having me here. I hope you’ve enjoyed reading a bit about me. As a thank you, I’m offering a free contemporary romance ‘Love in the Highcountry’ from my web site: www.charmaineross.com
 Coming soon in 'Taste of Romance' anthology |  Click cover to access your free copy! |
Excerpt from 'Operation Marriage Restoration'
Nancy took a deep breath and held it for a moment, resisting the urge to crawl back into the safety of the car. She was here to get her priorities straight and her marriage was worth the uncomfortable feeling of the G-string that rode so high it may need to be surgically removed.
This was the reason she was here. Re-igniting her marriage that had slowly dimmed over years of familiarity, finances, children.
Today she rebelled.
She missed the closeness they’d once shared; the intimate evenings when they’d only needed themselves. She missed her best friend. She missed the sex. The mind-blowing, earth-shattering sex of her pre-kid, pre-flab, carefree youth.
The body might be older, a little flabbier — who was she kidding, a LOT flabbier — but she had given birth to children. Her body had matured into a tool of her life. It had the scars to prove it. Besides, she loved her children, her family, her husband.
But not the distance it had brought between Mike and herself.
She kept this in mind as she tottered across the carpark and into the warm interior of the reception area. She ignored her pinched toes jammed into the red shoes she’d bought to match the under-things. They were the perfect slutty finish she’d wanted. Unfortunately they were a size too small. However, who was she to care about a little thing like walking properly. Her toes weren’t the body parts that were going to give her the orgasm she planned to have.
Nancy took a deep breath and held it for a moment, resisting the urge to crawl back into the safety of the car. She was here to get her priorities straight and her marriage was worth the uncomfortable feeling of the G-string that rode so high it may need to be surgically removed.
This was the reason she was here. Re-igniting her marriage that had slowly dimmed over years of familiarity, finances, children.
Today she rebelled.
She missed the closeness they’d once shared; the intimate evenings when they’d only needed themselves. She missed her best friend. She missed the sex. The mind-blowing, earth-shattering sex of her pre-kid, pre-flab, carefree youth.
The body might be older, a little flabbier — who was she kidding, a LOT flabbier — but she had given birth to children. Her body had matured into a tool of her life. It had the scars to prove it. Besides, she loved her children, her family, her husband.
But not the distance it had brought between Mike and herself.
She kept this in mind as she tottered across the carpark and into the warm interior of the reception area. She ignored her pinched toes jammed into the red shoes she’d bought to match the under-things. They were the perfect slutty finish she’d wanted. Unfortunately they were a size too small. However, who was she to care about a little thing like walking properly. Her toes weren’t the body parts that were going to give her the orgasm she planned to have.
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