FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Where do you get your ideas?
I keep an idea pixie (very comfortably, mind you) in the bottom drawer of my dresser whom I feed pixie sticks in exchange for ideas. Actually I get my ideas from everything and everywhere. Music, books, movies, TV. Everything I watch/listen/read sparks all kinds of “what if” riffs and scenarios in my imagination.
What’s your daily routine?
I’m back to a fulltime day job at the moment (but hope to return to fulltime writing again soon), so after I get home, slurp some coffee and play with my cats, I write in the evenings. I have a daily word quota and once I hit that, I can stop for the night—if I want. Then I try to update all my social network contacts, answer email, blog, etc.My word count for weekend nights is lower than it is for weekends.
Why urban fantasy?
To which I say, why not? Urban fantasy allows a huge playing field with urban, paranormal, and fantasy elements. I enjoy reading urban fantasy and paranormal stories, and vampires, of course. I didn’t set out to write a particular genre per se, that’s just where my stories seem to belong.
What about other genres?
I’m very interested in other genres and plan to write mysteries and historicals as well as urban fantasy, steampunk, and horror.
When is the next book coming out?
A short, humorous urban fantasy novel, THINNING THE HERD, will be out in June 2014, the sixth Maker’s Song book, PALE BLUE FLAMES, will be out by the end of 2014. The next Kallie Rivière Hoodoo book, BLACK MOON MOJO, will be out in 2015 (date to be announced. And the first book of my new UF series, SONS OF DARKNESS, featuring brothers Sam and Sundown Taliesin, will be out also in 2015.
Who are your favorite authors/greatest influences?
My greatest influences are S.E. Hinton and Stephen King. Reading is one of my fave pastimes and I love reading books in all genres, including non-fiction. Just check my website’s sidebar for a list and links to my fave authors.
Who else do you recommend in the Urban Fantasy genre?
I love Jeaniene Frost, Jeri-Smith Ready, D.B. Reynolds, Rob Thurman, Jaye Wells, Devon Monk, Jennifer Estep, Jenna Black, Kelly Gay, Jeanne C. Stein, Phaedra Weldon, Mark Henry – among others.
Why don’t you have a movie/TV series made out of your books?
I would love to see my stories and characters on the big or small screen, but that’s not something I have control over. At this point, no serious offers have been made. But if that changes, y’all will the first to know.
Will there be more Maker’s Song books with Dante and Heather?
Yes, absolutely! I am currently working on book six of The Maker’s Song and I hope to continue with the series for as long as there are stories to tell.
Will Lucien and/or Von from The Maker’s Song ever get books of their own?
At some point in the future, yes. In the meantime, I’ll most likely post short stories about them.
Is Dante based on anyone in particular?
Music inspired the creation of Dante more than anything else—Nine Inch Nails in particular. As for which albums, all of them, but The Downward Spiral, The Fragile, and Year Zero played a larger role. Eric Draven (as portrayed by Brandon Lee) of The Crow and Trent Reznor were influences also, but Dante is uniquely his own.
Do you consider yourself a plotter or a panster?
Y’know, originally I was a panster. I created characters, then started writing their story. Now, because of all the complicated layers in The Maker’s Song series (and the Kallie Rivière Hoodoo series is heading that way), I’ve learned that a bit of plotting is necessary to keep track of all the sub-plots. So, currently, I’m both plotter and panster.
Do you have any advice you’d give to would-be authors?
Plant butt in chair and write. Discipline and perseverance are key to succeeding. Even if you only write ten minutes a day, do it every day. You need to view your writing as a job and treat it that way, especially if you hope to make a living at it some day. Believe in yourself and write every single day. Work for your dream – you’ll get it. And research the business!
What influences the creation of your characters?
Music is the biggest influence. It is an emotional soundscape as I write and a catalyst for creation. Music is my muse
What is the difference between hoodoo and Voodoo?
The main difference is that Voodoo is a religion, with priestesses (mambos), priests (houngans) and devoted practitioners who participate in ceremonies to summon the loa (natural spirits and those of the dead), while Hoodoo is a system of folk magic following the same belief system as Voodoo, including the same gods/loas/saints.
With hoodoo, there are no priests or priestesses or ceremonies, just root doctors and root workers (also known as conjurers) working out of their homes and/or botanicas
Can we expect to see more of Kallie, Layne, and Belladonna? How many books are in the series?
Yes, definitely plan on seeing more of Kallie and her friends. The series is open-ended, like The Maker’s Song series.
