An Interview with Jeaniene Frost
The Reading Cafe is thrilled to have the wonderful Jeaniene Frost as our guest today.
Jeaniene is one of our favorite authors, and on Tuesday, she released her new Night Prince series, with “Once Burned”, which we reviewed yesterday.
Let’s begin our interview with Jeaniene.
Hi Jeaniene. Thank you for taking the time to answer some questions today. We are always looking forward to reading about the author behind the book. As you are one of our favorite authors, it is a pleasure to have you here at The Reading Café.
Jeaniene: Thank you so much for the kind words and for having me on your site!
TRC: Will you please tell us about yourself?
Jeaniene: I’m the author of the Night Huntress series, the Night Huntress World novels, and the brand new Night Prince series. I’ve been fortunate enough to have my books published in nineteen different countries. My books are best described as urban fantasy romance, with the primary paranormal element being vampires, though you’ll also see some ghosts, demons, and ghouls pop up, too.
TRC: When and how did you become interested in writing? Have you always liked to write?
Jeaniene: Ever since I fell in love with reading at age twelve, I wanted to write my own book. Problem is, it’s a lot easier to want to write a book than to actually do it, so I didn’t fulfill this aspiration until I turned thirty.
TRC: How did you come up with the idea of the Night Huntress series, and our favorite couple Cat and Bones?
Jeaniene: I’ve always had very vivid dreams. When I was younger, I used to write them down and make little unfinished stories out of them. Right around the time I had my epiphany of “You’re thirty and you’ve done nothing toward your goal of finishing a novel” I had a dream about a half-vampire woman arguing with a Master vampire man about why she’d left him years before. In the dream, I knew she still loved him but felt it couldn’t work. I also knew he’d been looking for her and wasn’t about to be brushed aside. Wondering who those people were and how they’d gotten to that point led to my writing my first novel, Halfway to the Grave.
TRC: Did you ever envision how popular Cat & Bones would become, after your first book Halfway to the Grave was published?
Jeaniene: No. Of course I hoped the first book wouldn’t bomb because if it did, my publisher would not have continued the series, let alone allow me to do spin-offs. I’m incredibly blessed with how well my novels have been received, and it’s this support that has allowed me to write more stories set in the same world.
TRC: We see that you plan to end the Night Huntress at Book 9. Why did you decide to end it, and any chance after it ends that we will see Cat & Bones again in a future novella, anthology or part of Night Huntress World or Night Prince series?
Jeaniene: I’ve known the end of Cat and Bones’s story since before their first novel hit the shelves, so each book moves them closer to that final resolution. Once it happens, I’ll be sad to see them go, but glad that I got to tell their story in its entirety. Cat and Bones may pop up as side characters in other books, as they’ve done before with the spinoffs, but I don’t know about a novella featuring them. By the time I write the last Night Huntress book, they will have earned some time away from the evils of my keyboard. 🙂
TRC: Tell us a little about Once Burned, which is the first novel in the Night Prince series. How many books are you planning in this series?
Jeaniene: Once Burned features Vlad as the hero and a new character named Leila as the heroine. Vlad’s ability to control fire makes him one of the most powerful vampires in existence, so do not call him Dracula unless you want to get scorched. Leila is mortal, but after an accident when she was thirteen, her whole body gives off electricity and she can pick up psychic impressions through touch. It’s these psychic abilities that throw Leila and Vlad together, first out of necessity, then out of a growing attraction.
Right now, two books are contracted, with the possibility for a third. Night Prince book two, Twice Tempted, comes out in March 2013.
TRC: With the end in sight for the Night Huntress series, can you give us any ideas what you have planned? Do you have any thoughts of a new series in a different genre?
Jeaniene: I can’t really say too much about the last Night Huntress books without spoilering. However, I can say that breadcrumbs have been dropped in previous books about the resolution, and in the final novels, some prior events will come full circle.
I’d like to do something unrelated to my vampire world and I have some ideas, but nothing concrete yet. Once I draw closer to finishing up Cat and Bones’s story, plus Vlad and Leila’s, I’ll have a better idea of where I want to go next.
TRC: Who is your muse?
Jeaniene: I don’t have one in particular. I get inspiration from countless people, places, and things. Sometimes overhearing a conversation or seeing an unusual street sign can spark a subplot or new character, sometimes a strange dream can. I try to keep myself open to inspiration however it comes.
TRC: Would you like to add anything else?
Jeaniene: If readers are interested in sampling Once Burned for free, the first 20% is available to read here: http://tinyurl.com/6sj2f53
TRC: Thank you, Jeaniene for answering our questions. We look forward to continuing to read your books, and to work with you again in the future.
Jeaniene: Thank you for taking the time to interview me and to let me talk about my books! I very much appreciate it.
If you want to learn more about Jeaniene, feel free to visit her at the following sites:
Website: jeanienefrost.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/JeanieneFrost
Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/Jeaniene_Frost
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/669810.Jeaniene_Frost
