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An Interview with Kylie Griffin

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An Interview with Kylie Griffin

 

The Reading Cafe is happy to have the wonderful Kylie Griffin as our guest today.

Kylie today has released her second book in her awesome Light Blade series…Alliance Forged, which we reviewed yesterday

Let’s begin our super fun interview with Kylie.

 

 

Hi Kylie.  Thank you for taking the time to answer some questions today. We are always looking forward to reading about the author behind the book.

Kylie: Barb, what auspicious timing with it being my release day for ALLIANCE FORGED, so it’s wonderful to be here – thanks for inviting me! 🙂

TRC: We will start will some background information.

Kylie: Fire away!

TRC:  🙂 Will you please tell us about yourself?

Kylie: I’m a primary school teacher in a small two-teacher school here in a small village in north western New South Wales, Australia. My alter ego, Kylie Griffin, writes futuristic/fantasy/paranormal romances for Berkley.

Outside these two jobs I like to think I’m an easy going, happy person who has an equally shared obsession for cats and dragons.

(I celebrated getting my first book contract by getting a dragon tattooed on my forearm  not everyone’s cup of tea, and it shocked quite a few people, my family included, but it was such a huge milestone for me and this seemed appropriate). 🙂

I also enjoy pottering about in my garden and being out with nature when I’m not chained to my laptop. Oh, and I’m a bit of a chocoholic.

 

TRC: You have three cats, named Splat, Pandaemonium and Furball. Please tell us how you came up with those names.

Kylie: Splat & Panda are sisters. Furball is a cousin. They’re all long furred cats.
As a kitten Panda used to tear around the house like she was possessed and her antics would set the other two off, so she had a bit of a reputation for causing havoc, hence the name. Splat’s a tortoise shell and her tri-colored markings look like someone’s splattered paint on her, thus Splat. Furball is a long-furred tabby and when he was a kitten he was just a ball of fuzz. Fluffy sounds too girly so I had to think of something more masculine – Furball was the result.

TRC: Have you always liked to write?  Tell us your process in writing a novel.

Kylie: The earliest memory I have of writing stories was a fan-fic rip off of Star Wars as an 11 year old. Since then I’ve always felt the compulsion to write. Something. Anything. I have many, many unfinished manuscripts dating right back to high school sitting in crates in my office. One day I might sabotage the core ideas and finish writing them.

I’m a pantster – I write the story as I go, often directed very much by the characters – but I’ve had to learn how to semi-plot (I explain why in a later question). I usually know the beginning scene of my book and how I want the story to finish but not a lot in-between.

So, if you can imagine the main plot points as the tops of hills on a very foggy morning, I start on one, descend into the fog and make my way through it to another hill and so on, until I reach my final destination. The journey isn’t mapped out particularly well, I may take some deviations along the way but I do end up at the place I wanted to go. Eventually. 🙂

I try to set myself a daily word count and write seven days a week until the book is finished (anywhere between 90 000 -100 000 words). Some days are easier than others to get the word count out *grin*. I usually edit my work as I go so I have a fairly clean copy that I send out to some beta readers (one is a writer like me, the other two are readers). They comment on my work. I edit some more then send my work off to my editor. And usually amongst all that I teach, juggle revisions, copy edits for another book, and promotion and marketing.

TRC: How were you notified that Vengeance Born was to be published? What was your reaction when you saw your first published book?

Kylie: I entered the West Houston RWA Emily contest for unpublished authors with VENGEANCE BORN (or Bloodborn as it was known then). I won the paranormal section then the Best of the Best section. The prize was Leis Pederson from Berkley Publishing critiquing a partial manuscript. She liked VENGEANCE BORN enough to request the full manuscript then on Oct.16th 2010 I received an email from her offering to buy the book and the next in the series. An ecstatic moment to say the least.

As for seeing my book in print for the very first time – it was an incredibly emotional moment, something I’d spent almost 20 years working towards achieving. Leis sent me my author copies a few weeks before the release date. When I realised what was inside the box I opened it right there in my local post office.

Taking out the first print book was a moment I’ll never forget. It was like finding the Holy Grail. I smoothed my hand over the cover, flipped through it to see the words I’d labored over in actual print, then promptly burst into tears. Lucky the post office staff knew me and that I’d been waiting for this delivery, otherwise my outburst might have resulted in a call for some professionals in white coats. LOL

TRC: Will you tell us about the premise of the Light Blade series? How did you come up with the idea for this series, and how longdid it take for you to write this book?

Kylie: I’ll answer these questions in reverse order. ALLIANCE FORGED took five months in total – four months to complete the first draft and then another to let it sit and then edit.

Much of my fantasy writing up until the Light Blade series were stories based around human characters, human relationships, human conflicts and I wanted to try something that involved a non-human element. It’s as simple as that. At the time I was writing VENGEANCE BORN vampires, werewolves, and shifters dominated the market, and the stories were set in a contemporary world or very urban fantasy based. Creating a fantasy world with different races (al la Lord of the Rings style) really appealed to me.

But why demons? No idea. LOL All I can tell you is they’re not styled or based on any familiar mythology. While the series isn’t epic fantasy in its purest form, it does have similar elements. The world is entirely fictional, there are different races (not just humans), the plots employ typical themes such as a quest, a guiding deity, struggles against an opposing force, the threat of world domination, revenge and redemption, but readers also get to focus on a romance between the main characters of each book.

The demons, who are known as the Na’Reish, regularly venture into human territory on raids. The purpose for the raids is two-fold – to acquire human slaves, and from these slaves some will become blood-slaves, a convenient food source for the demons.

The humans have a warrior caste known as the Light Blade warriors – the paladin-like protector of their society. They’re able to use kinetic power to kill by channeling it through touch or via any blade or weapon. They’re a cross between holy knights and law enforcement, serving the Lady, the human’s religious deity, the one they believe responsible for Gifting them with their powers. They uphold the Blade Council’s laws and Her tenets and protect anyone who needs help.

The third race are the Na’Chi, a demon-human hybrid, who possess all the qualities of their demon ancestors yet are reviled by the other races for their mixed heritage.

The Light Blade series revolves around three different races coming to terms with their shared history – good, bad and ugly – and learning how to survive or at least get on with one another. So far, three mixed race couples play integral roles in this process, and, they also happen to fall in love in their respective stories *grin*.

If you’d like to know more about these characters I’ve written posts about Annika, Kalan, Varian, Kymora and some secondary characters for my blog (under the heading CAST OF CHARACTERS, you can also search using the label ‘character/s’).

TRC: How many books do you have planned for the Light Blade series?

Kylie: I’m contracted to write three for Berkley Sensation, but I have four other secondary characters clamoring for their stories to be told. Here’s hoping they’ll eventually reach a bookshelf. 🙂

TRC:  Can you please give us a brief description of Alliance Forged, which is being released today?

Kylie: ALLIANCE FORGED

Book #2 of the Light Blade series

There is no mercy in the demon realm. No escape. In this place of desperation and conflict, anyone who is not purebred is virtually powerless. Until a blind priestess lays claim to a half-breed warrior, body and soul…

Hunted and marked for death by Na’Reish demons for their half-blood heritage, the Na’Chi are searching for a new home—something an alliance offered by the human leader could provide. With both races divided by prejudice, when Light Blade rebels brutally attack the Na’Chi, the alliance seems doomed to fail.

Varian, leader of the Na’Chi, a hybrid race of gifted warriors, is cursed with the darker impulses of his demon heritage. Controlling the part of himself that craves the high of the battle is a struggle he’s afraid he’ll lose—until he meets Kymora Tayn, a priestess driven to serve her deity. While he’s unwilling to trust anyone outside his people, he finds himself drawn to Kymora’s strength and passionate nature, and discovers she has the power to calm the darkness inside him.

When the Na’Reish raid human territory for blood-slaves and kickstart a war, the key to the survival of both races—Na’Chi and human— is an alliance. However, when Kymora is kidnapped, pitting human against human, Varian realizes he must embrace his darker half, not only to save the alliance…but also the woman he loves.

TRC: You look at yourself as a Sci Fi, Fantasy, Paranormal. What drew you to that genre?

Kylie: I believe I might have been a changeling at birth because not a single other person in my family likes or has a passion for this genre.

I grew up watching TV or reading anything in this genre. Star Wars, Star Trek, Dr.Who, Battlestar Galactica, Buck Rogers, Andre Norton, Anne McCaffrey, David Eddings, C.J.Cherryh, Mercedes Lackey…the list could go on! Instead of playing with dolls like my sister, or good guys and bad guys outside with my friends or any other normal kid game, I’d engineer and organise complex empire wars with magical armies or turn a tree into a spaceship and use it to explore an alien world.

I just find the idea of something totally unknown or other-worldly fascinating. So inspirational, so creative. The genre is escapism at its best.

TRC: Do you have any thoughts of future series you would like to try?

Kylie: Absolutely! I’ve two science fiction romance series with Bk#1 in each already written, another fantasy romance series (again, Bk#1 is already written) and I’m dying to rewrite a post-apocalyptic series I’ve had sitting in a crate for years. These are all projects my agent and I are talking over with my editor, so I can’t give any real details yet. 🙂

TRC: Where do you like to do your writing?  What do you feel is the hardest part of writing and publishing a novel.

Kylie: When the weather is good I like to take my laptop out to the back area of my house. It’s an enclosed entertainment area for BBQ’s & I’ve a lovely outdoor setting I can use while getting fresh air, sun and hear the sounds of the bush around me. Otherwise I have an office/library I can work in.
For me, the hardest part of writing and publishing a novel is synopsis writing. I’m a die-hard pantster at heart – I begin writing and the story & characters just evolve – but having signed a contract I’m required to submit a synopsis to my editor. That means I have to know where the story is heading. So, I’ve had to learn how to semi-plot. My editor knows I’m a pantster and I have a little leeway in what’s produced for the synopsis and what I finally produce. As long as I don’t totally veer away from the main storyline, she’s happy. 🙂

TRC: On your website, you mention some of the authors you love to read, many of them are also our favorites.  You are a teacher, volunteer firefighter, member of the State Emergency Services, and you write. How do you find time to read?

Kylie: Sometimes I ask myself this same question! LOL

With teaching, I’ve been at it 20 years now, so most of my processes are streamlined. With my emergency services work I train once a week with my units. Call outs are sporadic. There can be nothing for a while then there might be a rush of them, and at all times of the day and night. I just roll with them and attend as I can. My other volunteer work fits in around the teaching & emergency service work (and writing, of course).

As for reading, BP (before being published), I used to have the evenings, odd weekend or time during the school holidays to read. AC (after contracting) my time to read was severely curtailed. The writing came first. That came as a bit of a shock and I think I went into withdrawal!

What I’ve learned to do is read in chunks (hard when you’ve been so used to reading a whole book in one sitting) but it’s the only way to stay sane and feed that craving. LOL Once I finish writing my latest contracted book I like to go on a bit of a reading binge/break and this really helps recharge me.

TRC: What’s next for you?

Kylie: Well, I’ve just finished ALLEGIANCE SWORN (Bk#3 in the
Light Blade series). Over the next few months I’ll be completing the revisions process for it. The book is tentatively scheduled for an April 2013 release date.

ALLEGIANCE SWORN

Book #3 of the Light Blade series

There is no mercy in the demon realm. No escape. In this place of desperation and conflict, anyone who is not purebred is virtually powerless. Until a demon leader seeks to unify the races…

With the alliance of the humans and the half-blood Na’Chi forged, the demon Na’Reish prepare for war by seizing human blood-slaves. Captured during a rescue mission-gone-wrong, Light Blade warrior Arek Barial finds himself claimed by a Na’Reishi female who offers him an unexpected choice.

Raised in the elite ranks of a society she abhors, Imhara Kaal lives a dangerous double life as a Na’Reish Clan-leader and an advocate for a caste-free life that honors the Old Ways. Openly rebelling against the Na’Reish would mean her death, unless she can find an emissary willing to present her petition to the human Blade council.

But Arek isn’t about to blindly follow a demon—despite the intense attraction growing between them. And while hatred for the Na’Reish is all he has ever known, Arek must learn to trust Imhara, or risk the destruction of all three races…

Also coming out in April 2013 will be the mass market version of VENGEANCE BORN.

LIGHTNING ROUND

Favorite Vacation Spot: New Zealand – I’ve been back there a good seven or eight times over the last 15 years. Not only do I have lots of friends across the ditch (the affectionate term we use for the Tasman Sea), the scenery is awesome. I think if Australia disappeared or never existed I’d choose to live in NZ.

Favorite Food: sweet – chocolate, savory – baked dinner, fruit – mango.

Favorite Author:

Now that’s just so unfair – do I have to pick just one? Hmm, Nalini Singh.

TRC:  Love your shirt  🙂

 

 

 

Favorite Movie: Lord of the Rings trilogy. Amazing movies! I usually have a back to back marathon of the series at least once a year.

Last book that you read: AFTERLIFE Joey W.Hill (another awesome author!).

Who is your favorite fictional character (not your own): Judd, the ex-Psy Arrow from CARESSED BY ICE by Nalini Singh.

TRC: Thank you Kylie for this fantastic interview, and answering our questions. The Reading Café wishes you the best of luck with Alliance Forged and your Light Blade series.  Keep us informed about your upcoming releases. We look forward to working with you again.

Kylie: Thank you, Barb, for having me. Great interview, I had a hoot of a time answering it! If anyone has any questions about the books or something I’ve chatted about her, please just ask. I’d be more than happy to answer them. 🙂

If you want to know more about Kylie, below are the links where you can find her.

Website: http://www.kyliegriffin.com
Blog: www.kyliegriffinromance.blogspot.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kylie-Griffin-paranormal-romance/152760788151938
Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/KylieGriffin1
GoodReads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4882841.Kylie_Griffin
Shelfari: http://www.shelfari.com/Kylie_Griffin-author
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Alliance-Forged-Novel-Light-Blade/dp/0425256014/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1324459468&sr=1-1
B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/alliance-forged-kylie-griffin/1107000571?ean=9780425256015&itm=1&usri=alliance+forged+kylie+griffin
Books-a-million:  http://www.booksamillion.com/p/Alliance-Forged/Kylie-Griffin/9780425256015?id=5244581890012
The Book Depository: http://www.bookdepository.com/Alliance-Forged-Kylie-Griffin/9780425256015
Fishpond: http://www.fishpond.com.au/Books/Alliance-Forged-Kylie-Griffin/9780425256015?cf=3&rid=7378568&i=1&keywords=alliance+forged
IndieBound: http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780425256015
Penguin: http://us.penguingroup.com/nf/Book/BookDisplay/0,,9780425256015,00.html#

****GIVEAWAY****

Kylie has graciously offered to give one member of The Reading Café a chance to win a copy of Alliance Forged.  There will also be a second prize of an Alliance Forged Totebag, with magnets. 

1.  You must be a member at The Reading Cafe. If you are not a member, please register using the Log-In at the top of the page, or by using one of our social log-ins.

2.  If you are using a social log-in e.g. Twitter, please leave your email address along with your comment.

3.  Please post a comment and say hello to Kyllie

4.  Giveaway open INTERNATIONALLY (wherever The Book Depository delivers)

5.  Contests runs from July 3-6, 2012.

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An Interview with Jeaniene Frost

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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

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An Interview with Clare O’Donohue

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An Interview with Clare O’Donohue

Clare O’Donohue worked as a freelance writer & television producer. She produced the popular television show, Simply Quilts, on HGTV.  Clare has done a variety of other shows and has used her experiences in writing her two series…Someday Quilt & Kate Conway series.

We are happy to welcome Clare to The Reading Cafe.  Let’s begin our interview.

 

 

TRC: Hi Clare.  Thank you for taking the time to answer some questions today. We are always looking forward to reading about the author behind the book.

Let’s start with some background information. Will you please tell us about yourself?

Clare: I’m the author of six books, four in the Someday Quilts Mysteries series and two in the Kate Conway Mysteries series. Someday is my more traditional series, and Kate is a bit more sarcastic and complicated. When I’m not writing novels I’m a television producer. 

TRC: When did you start writing?  Have you always liked to write?

Clare: I’ve always loved reading and making up my own stories, even before I was old enough to read. I started actually writing stories as a teenager, and I became a newspaper reporter when I graduated from college, then about 13 years ago, I started working in TV. In documentary and informational TV, (HGTV, History Channel, Investigative Discovery etc…) producers write the shows we work on. So I guess I’ve always been a writer.

TRC: Many writers bounce ideas and information with either a family member, a friend or    another writer.  Who do you vent with or bounce off ideas?

Clare: I usually talk over my ideas with my sister, Mary, who is also an author (of a non-fiction parenting book). It helps to say things out loud, and be challenged to explain why characters are doing whatever they’re doing. It makes me see where I’ve gone off track, and often sparks some new idea.

TRC: What was your first book published?  What was your reaction when you found out your book was going to be published?

Clare: My first novel was The Lover’s Knot, the first in my Someday Quilts series. I wrote it in late 2006 into 2007, and it sold in Sept. of 2007. It was published in 2008. It was a bit of a whirlwind. When I found out it was going to be published, I think I screamed. Probably jumped up and down. I’m not a particularly emotive person, so that’s big for me.

TRC: Will you please tell us about the premise of the of your Kate Conway series?  How did you come up with the idea for this series, and how long did it take for you to write the first book of this series ..Missing Persons?

Clare: Kate is a freelance TV producer, working on everything from home decorating shows to true crime. Kate and I share a day job, which is where I got the idea. I meet people from all walks of life and they invite me into their homes and answer my long list of sometimes invasive questions. It’s the perfect job for an amateur sleuth. For a long time, I had this idea of a woman in the middle of a divorce when her husband dies. I liked how confusing that would be for a character. And I had this scene of Kate at her husband’s wake when the woman he left her for shows up. It sounds like something out of a soap opera, but I wanted to play it as it might happen in real life. People not wanting to make a scene, all the tension beneath the surface. It told me a lot about Kate’s personality that she wouldn’t kick her out, even though she might want to. Once I combined the TV producer and the woman in the middle of a divorce, it took me about 10 weeks to write Missing Persons. It sort of fell out of me.

TRC: Life Without Parole is your latest book in the Kate Conway series.  Can you please   tell us something about the premise of this story?

Clare: In Life Without Parole, Kate is in that odd in-between stage. Her old life ended with Frank’s death, and yet she hasn’t exactly started a new life. She’s sort of frozen, working too much and eating lots of take-out. She gets two job offers at the same time and takes them both, which is pretty common in the TV freelance world. In one she’s working on a show about the opening of a high end Chicago restaurant, owned by the sort of people who appear to have it all. In the other, she’s documenting the lives of two men who are serving prison sentences for murder. She finds herself drawn to these guys, their lives being as stuck in neutral as her own. Then, when someone at the restaurant is murdered, Kate leans on the men in prison to help her figure out who did it, and in doing so gets dangerously close to people she probably shouldn’t.

TRC: Someday Quilts is your other series, also in the Mystery genre.  You have 4 books   currently published in this series.   Can you please tell us the premise of this series? 

Clare: My Someday books center around the lives of five women who meet weekly at a local quilt shop owned by Eleanor Cassidy. Eleanor’s grand-daughter Nell comes to their little upstate NY town in the first book in the series, and decides to stay. Nell is curious, some might say nosy. She’s a bit of a romantic, but also fiercely independent. She becomes very close to these women, and to the local police chief, and helps (whether she’s asked to or not) when there’s trouble.

TRC: You worked on a television show called Simply Quilts.  Did this give you the idea on  your Someday Quilts series?

Clare: Simply Quilts was my first TV job, and I got it because I’m a quilter. Being around the guests of the show, and in the years since meeting other quilters, inspired me. Women (and men) who have nothing in common other than quilting are really bonded by this art form. I wanted to write about that.

TRC: What made you decide another series, and how would you describe the difference between the two series?

Clare: Both of my series are about friendship, love, and death. In Someday, there’s an optimistic spin to those subjects. In Kate, they’re complicated and sometimes painful. Just like an actor doesn’t want to play the same role his whole life, I didn’t want to always write from one point of view. These two series allow me to explore familiar topics in very different ways, and I think it keeps me more excited and interested in the process.

TRC: On your website, you talk about your career in Television as a writer and producer.  How do you feel this helped with your writing career?

Clare: I’ve met lots of interesting people, from politicians to killers, and getting to know all of them has helped me imagine very different lives from my own. And probably even more important, it’s helped me have the discipline to write on deadline. There are no TV producers with writer’s block.

TRC: Is there any other genre that interests you to write in the future? 

Clare: At the moment, I can’t imagine straying too far from mystery. I think the immediacy of a dead body really sets the characters on edge. It makes everything very important, very tense. People’s true nature comes out in crisis, and that interests me.

TRC: What are you currently working on?

Clare: I’m writing the 5th in the Someday series, in which there are major changes in the lives of several of the characters. It causes Nell to rethink everything she’s been doing since she arrived in Archers Rest. And I’m also putting together my research for the 3rd Kate Conway, in which Kate delves into the life of a misunderstood historical figure and also makes a pretty significant leap in her own life.

TRC: Where do you like to do your writing?   In a quiet room…by yourself?

Clare: Generally I do write in a room alone. I will often say the dialog out loud to hear if it sounds natural, so being in a coffee shop just makes me look odd.

TRC: Would you like to add anything else?

Clare: I do want to say that one of my favorite aspects of being a mystery writer is the lovely people – authors and readers – that belong in this community. I’ve made so many new friends since my first novel was published and it’s been an unexpected bonus to the job.  

LIGHTNING ROUND

Favorite Food: Anything sweet. Dessert is my weakness. 

Favorite Author: Too many to list – I read everyone from Elmore Leonard to Charlaine Harris. Donald Westlake’s ability to write both funny novels and dark novels has been an inspiration to me.

Favorite Book: The Great Gatsby was the book that made me want to be a writer, so that probably fits the bill. I loved the words, the phrasing. But honestly, I have so many favorites, and hopefully will keep discovering more.

Favorite Movie: The Quiet Man. My parents are Irish, and it was filmed near where my aunt grew up. It feels familiar and fun, and I like to think I’ve got a bit of Maureen O’Hara’s attitude in me.

Favorite TV Show: Justified, Breaking Bad & Mad Men. There’s not a wasted minute in any of these well acted, well written shows. I’m also a huge fan of Big Bang Theory.

Last Movie that you saw: The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.

Do you have a favorite fictional character (not your own): Probably Nora Charles of The Thin Man. She was loyal, smart, could hold her liquor and knew how to patch up a bullet.

Thank you, Clare for answering our questions. The Reading Café wishes you the best of luck with your latest release, Life Without Parole.  Keep us informed about your upcoming releases. We look forward to working with you again.

If you would like to know more about Clare, please visit her at the following links:

Website: http://clareodonohue.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Clare-ODonohue/112467152159507
Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/clare_odonohue

 

 

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An Interview with Jessica Andersen

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An Interview with Jessica Andersen

 

The Reading Cafe is thrilled to have the fantastic Jessica Andersen as our guest today.  Jess is one of our favorite authors, and we have given you a glimpse into her books all week.  So if you have not read them, it’s time you did so.

Without further ado…Jessica Andersen

 

 

Jessica, we at the Reading Café would like to thank you for taking the time to answer our questions. 

JA: Thanks for inviting me for an interview!

TRC:Your website jessicaandersen.com has quite a bit of information about your foray into the world of writing.  Will you tell us something about you-the person?

JA: Well, I like traveling, outdoor sports, long walks on the beach … LOL. Kidding (though I do like all those things.) I guess my big take-home on me-the-person is that over the past few years I’ve gone from being a type A, goal-oriented stress ball to being a far more laid back human being who tries to enjoy each day, put family first, and not sweat the little things. I wouldn’t say I’m a hundred percent on all of it yet, but I’m definitely a much happier human being for learning to stop and take a breath now and then.

TRC: You say that you write ‘smart, sexy, high-impact romance’.  Do you consider yourself a ‘romance writer’ first or a writer of paranormal romance and why?

JA: I definitely consider myself a romance writer first and foremost, because the Happily Ever After is incredibly important to me, both as a reader and as a writer. I want to know that no matter what those characters go through (be it in regency, fantasy, romantic suspense, etc.), they’re going to have a wonderful, loving ending. I write lots of romantic suspense in addition to the paranormal romances, but both series are smart, sexy and high-impact romances!

TRC: You have stated that the Nightkeepers idea was basically an ‘ooh, shiny moment’.  Was it that simple,-while researching for an idea, and the Mayan calendar and its’ final prophecy, that triggered an entire series?

JA: It really was that simple. I was researching another idea, came across the idea of the 12/21/12 doomsday (this was back in ’06, when it really wasn’t in pop culture yet), and said “wow, I’ve got to write about that!”

TRC: The biography information on your website states you have an undergraduate biology degree and a PhD in genetics.  Has your education aided in the research and background information for The Final Prophecy series?  Have you been able to apply your education and knowledge to any aspect of your writing?

JA: My background has been invaluable in researching the Nightkeeper books (all my books, really). More importantly, it’s been a good tool for me to figure out when to stop researching. Just as a scientific paper only needs to contain the background info necessary for the reader to understand the experiments in that paper, a story only needs the details that are relevant to the characters’ experiences at that particular moment in that particular story. I try to keep that in mind when I’m writing, because there are lots of really cool details I’d like to include … but if I put them all in, the story would get lost!

TRC: You have a new series, to be debuted in 2013.  Will you tell us about your new series-such as genre and some background information?  Do you have a set number of books in this new series?

JA: Hm… I could tell you, but then I’d have to kill you. LOL- okay, just kidding on the death threat thing, but at the moment the new series is being kept under wraps. The only thing I can really say is OMG, I love writing it!

TRC: TYPOS FROM HELL..a wonderful and apt name for your mistakes and errors.  Many are so funny and humorous, and sexually suggestive.  Auto-correct is a nightmare and many people suffer at the hands of auto-correct.  When and why did you decide to let the readers into your editing hell? 

JA: I’ve been Facebooking my typos for several years now (and later upload them to my website at http://www.jessicaandersen.com/Typos-from-Hell.html), and it’s definitely a reader favorite. I don’t really remember when or how it evolved, but I think it’s a fun way to involve people in my (sometimes insane) creative process and the naughty stew that my brain becomes when I’m writing.

TRC: Harlequin Nocturne series-The Royal House of Shadows was a project between 4 very popular and prolific authors.  Will you tell us about your experience writing ¼ of a storyline?  Will you ever consider doing a similar project again? Was there any problem with compliance, fluidity and story premise between the 4 authors?

JA:  The RHOS series was a blast to write! Gena Showalter, Nalini Singh and Jill Munroe are gifted storytellers and a ton of fun to bounce ideas off of. I’ve done a bunch of other continuity series (where authors get together to each write a stand-alone story that fits within a larger story arc told across multiple books), but this was the first one where the authors came up with the world themselves. We had a fab time brainstorming the Kingdom Realm, the Blood Sorcerer, and four royal siblings who must return home to save the day. I would totally do it again! Harlequin even made us our own website, with bonus content and downloads: http://paranormalromanceblog.com/royalhouseofshadows/

TRC: Who is your Muse?

JA: I think I am my own muse … not to be all egotistical or anything, but because there’s a piece of me in each of my characters, and I use that to really put myself in their heads. Rabbit’s character has always been one of the easiest for me to write, because I’ve so often felt like him—the person who has the best of intentions, but who personifies Murphy’s law. 😉

 

LIGHTNING ROUND:

FAVORITE FOOD- Pizza, as long as it doesn’t have too many veggies or any hairy fish on it.

FAVORITE DESSERT- Chocolate in all forms except covering jalapeno peppers (that is just a cruel joke, in my opinion, especially when one finds its way into an otherwise harmless candy assortment … BTDT).

BOXERS, BRIEFS, COMMANDO- Boxers!

DO YOU HAVE A HOBBY– Mountain biking

FAVORITE AUTHOR- Linnea Sinclair

FAVORITE BOOK- Richard Bach’s BRIDGE ACROSS FOREVER

WHAT BOOK ARE YOU CURRENTLY READING- I’m in-between books right now, but just finished up Suz Brockmann’s latest Troubleshooter/Team Sixteen book, and give it two thumbs up!

LAST VACATION SPOT– Vacation? What’s that? LOL!

Thank you, Doc Jess, for this great interview.  It has been such a pleasure working with you, and wish you good luck on Magic Unchained. For all of you who have not read The Nightkeepers….what are you waiting for? It’s a phenomenal series, and Jess Andersen is a wonderful author.

If you would like to find out more about Jessica Andersen, below are links to her sites:

Website: http://www.jessicaandersen.com

Facebook:   http://www.facebook.com/DocJess

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/270312.Jessica_Andersen

  ************GIVEAWAY!!*********

Jessica is graciously offering a giveaway to one of our members.  She will send a copy of one of her Nightkeeper books to a lucky winner. Please note you must be a member of The Reading Café to have a chance to win (U.S. & Canada only). If you are not a member, please register today.  The contest will close midnight April 21, 2012.  Good Luck to all.

 

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An Interview with Elisabeth Naughton

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An Interview with Elisabeth Naughton

 

As most of you know, The Reading Cafe has featured Elisabeth Naughton this week. You have been able to read reviews on some of her books, to give you an idea on what you are missing, if you have not read them. We have also given an insight into Elisabeth with her Biography, as well as a detailed listing of all her novels. Now let us begin our interview.

 

Elisabeth, we at the Reading Café would like to thank you for taking the time to answer our questions. 

EN: Thanks so much for inviting me to stop by today!

TRC: Please tell us about yourself

EN: I always wish I had a really cool answer to this question:  A former Olympic gymnast who won three gold medals, then turned her attention to writing…but alas…that would just be fiction. The real me is not quite as exciting. I have a Bachelor’s degree in science and a Masters in teaching. I live in western Oregon with my hubby and three kids and most days pray for sunshine (If you’ve ever been to the Pacific Northwest, you know why). We have two Dalmatian pups who are just over a year old and who pretty much run our household, and when I’m not writing I’m either driving carpool, hanging out at the baseball field watching my kids play or trying to figure out a way to get out of running with my girlfriends who are marathon runners (I am so not a long-distance runner). I love to travel, I love to read and I love to get lost in my characters lives. (Hm…that sounds like I want to escape…some days I do!)

TRC: When and how did you first become interested in writing?  We understand you started this later on, after staying home with your children.

EN: You’re right, I wasn’t one of those writers who knew she wanted to write from an early age. I was a junior high science teacher in my previous life. Loved teaching, loved the kids, but burned out fast because I was one of those teachers who took on everything – student council advisor, coached multiple sports, outdoor school teacher, etc. I started writing after taking a years’ leave of absence from my job and fell in love with the written word. For a science geek, that was quite a stretch (my principal once asked me to teach a language arts class and I said no way!), but the change turned out to be the best thing for me. Ten years later I can’t imagine doing anything other than writing romantic fiction. I’m thrilled I finally found a career I’m passionate about, and which pays me to do what I love!

TRC: What was your first book ever published?

EN: My very first published book was STOLEN FURY. It released in January 2009 and was a 2010 double RITA nominee for Best First Book and Best Romantic Suspense. The RITA awards are like the Oscars of romantic fiction, so it was a total thrill to be nominated with my first book.

TRC: How did you come up with the idea for your Stolen trilogy?  How did you decide to use Archaeology in this romantic adventure?

EN: Well, like I mentioned before, I’ve always been a science buff. When I was teaching I used to bore my kids with a lot of chemistry and geology. The idea for the Stolen books really grew out of my love for adventure flicks like Indiana Jones and Romancing the Stone, and after I wrote STOLEN FURY I knew I wanted to write more linked books that featured treasure hunt themes.

TRC: The Stolen Trilogy is has been re-released as one book.  Can you give a brief description to those who have not read this series.

EN: Absolutely!

The Stolen books are three loosely connected romantic suspense books centered around an antiquities dealership in Florida. STOLEN FURY, the first book in the series, features a thief hot on the trail of three ancient Greek relics of the Three Furies, and the Archaeologist he teams up with along the way to find them. The second book in the series—STOLEN HEAT—features the owner of the antiquities dealership and the Egyptologist he fell in love with years before and lost. And finally, STOLEN SEDUCTION is about a race to find a rare and very valuable statue linked to a mysterious murder.

TRC: The Eternal Guardian series is Greek Mythology, what made you choose that theme?

EN: I actually came up with the idea for MARKED, the first book in the Eternal Guardians series, while I was writing STOLEN FURY. I’m a real sucker for Greek mythology and I did so much research during the writing of that book that I knew I wanted to write a new series linked to Greek mythology. One day while perusing a writer’s blog, someone commented that they’d love to see more about the heroes from Greek mythology, and bam, the idea for MARKED hit me out of the blue.

TRC: Enraptured is the 4th book in the Eternal Guardian series.  Give us a brief description of the book.

EN: ENRAPTURED is Orpheus’s book. Orpheus is not one of the Eternal Guardians. He’s Gryphon’s older brother, and because he was passed over to serve with the guardians, he’s had a major chip on his shoulder for years, usually to the point of doing whatever he can to undermine what the guardians do.  In TEMPTED, book three, Gryphon is injured in battle and his soul is sent to the Underworld. Orpheus feels responsible for what happened to Gryphon, and in ENRAPTURED he’s trying to find a way to rescue his brother’s soul. He doesn’t consider himself a hero, doesn’t want to be a hero, and doesn’t want to serve with the guardians. He just wants to set right a wrong that never should have happened. However, he never imaged he’d be distracted along the way by an attractive Siren—one of Zeus’s elite assassins—or that they would have an unexplainable connection that could just change everything about the Eternal Guardians.

TRC: How many books are planned for the Eternal Guardian series?

EN: I’m starting work on book six right now, and book seven will likely be the last book in this series. However, there are still three more characters I want to write books for in this world, but they’ll likely be part of a spinoff series. (At least that’s the plan right now.)

TRC: Wait for Me is different then either of the above series, being straight Romance. What made you write a standalone book?

EN: Every author has one book that is “the book of their heart”. WAIT FOR ME is that book for me. It’s not the book I wrote first, but it’s the story that got me writing. I wrote it years before I was published, but the published version is a hundred and eighty degrees different from that early version. Every time I’d learn something new about writing, I’d go back to WAIT FOR ME and revise. It is the book that’s been with me the longest, and it is the one that I could never let go of. I’m really happy with the final product and am so happy readers have a chance to read it. I’ve toyed with the idea of writing a full book for Mitch and Simone (a secondary couple in WAIT FOR ME) but haven’t yet decided.

TRC: Which genre do you consider your favorite to write?

EN: Anything with adventure! My first love will always probably be romantic suspense because that’s what I started out writing. But the transition to paranormal was easy because my paranormals include a lot of the same elements as my romantic suspense books–adventure, romance, fast-paced plots and lots of action. I really love both genres and enjoy bouncing back and forth between books. Keeps my muse happy and engaged.

TRC: What do you have planned for future books or series.  Are you working on any different series?

EN: Right now I’m working on a new romantic suspense series that will hopefully be available to readers in May 2012. I’m also working on a brand new paranormal romantic suspense series I’m super excited about.

TRC: Who is your Muse?

EN: Who? She doesn’t have a name. But if I had to describe her, I’d say she’s a lot like the Fates in my Eternal Guardians series. She’s wise, she wears diaphanous robes, and she never tells me what to do, just encourages me to get on with the writing and get busy writing romances my readers will love. 

 

LIGHTNING ROUND:

FAVORITE FOOD – Brie en croute

FAVORITE DESSERT – currently its vanilla pudding with sliced bananas, topped with whipped cream (like a low cal alternative to banana cream pie!)

BOXERS, BRIEFS, COMMANDO – Boxer briefs

RED OR WHITE ROSES – Neither. Roses die so fast. I prefer lilacs.

FAVORITE AUTHOR – Do I have to pick just one? Ack. That’s like asking which child is my favorite. I don’t have ONE favorite. I love too many…Judith McNaught, Susan Elizabeth Phillips, JRR Tolkien, Joan Swan

FAVORITE BOOK – Favorite romance(s): PERFECT by Judith McNaught and MATCH ME IF YOU CAN by Susan Elizabeth Phillips. Favorite non-romance is THE LORD OF THE RINGS by JRR Tolkien

WHAT BOOK ARE YOU CURRENTLY READING – I’m currently reading two ARCs – the first is ABOUT THAT NIGHT by Julie James and the other is WEST OF WANT by Laura Kaye

LAST VACATION SPOT  – Ka’anapali, Maui

LAST MOVIE YOU SAW – The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Thank you, Elisabeth for this wonderful interview. We wish you the best of luck with Enraptured, and look forward to working with you again. 

Thanks so much for the fun interview!

 

If you want to learn more about Elisabeth, below are the links to her sites:

Website: http://www.elisabethnaughton.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elisabeth.naughton1

Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/ElisNaughton

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2002988.Elisabeth_Naughton/

 

                        GIVEAWAY!!!

Elisabeth is graciously offering a giveaway for one of our members.  She will send a signed copy of either MARKED, ENTWINED or TEMPTED (winner’s choice).  Please note you must be a member of The Reading Café to have a chance to win. If you are not a member, please register today.  The contest will close midnight April  13, 2012.  Good Luck to all.
~~~~~~~~~~~CONTEST OPEN TO US and CANADA ONLY ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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