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PROFILE: ONE ON ONE
INTERVIEW
Thank you for agreeing to be interviewed for the subject column. We hope that this column will provide our members with an opportunity to know you better. This article will appear in Reviewers International Organization's newsletter, which is for members only and not for public disbursement. You will, of course, receive a copy. Interview by Brenda Thatcher. 2003.
Please briefly answer the following questions:
About Your Writing :
Because it would take me far too long to become a bard and tell my stories town by town. Besides, I can't play the lute for beans.
2. How long have you been writing?
Ever since I sold my first article, at the age of 12 (and boy, are my hands sore!)
3. What single thing or things stirred your interest in writing?
OK, I'll get serious now. (Or, as serious as is possible for me.) I became interested in writing because my mom is a writer, and she always encouraged me from when I was quite young to read great books and write short stories of my own.
4. What excites you about writing?
If I were JK Rowling or Anne Rice, I could honestly say, The Paycheck. However at my slow but steady rate, it's the satisfaction of knowing that the readers enjoy my stories. I wear a lot of professional hats, but nothing is as soul-satisfying as writing a novel or a short story and getting great feedback.
5. Why paranormal romance?
I have always been a fan of the supernatural, and there is something really exciting in dreaming up the marriage of two diametrically opposed worlds.
6. What is your biggest obstacle to writing? How do you try to overcome this challenge?
I'm a "do it all" kind of person, and I spread myself too thin. But when I do plunge in and start writing, particularly fiction, the hours just melt away and I forget about all those other items on my to-do list.
7. What do you view as your greatest writing strength and also your weakness? What are you doing to address your weakness?
My greatest strength is in dialogue and setting a mood. It's practically effortless for me. My weakness is in the more mundane aspects that go along with writing -- filling in the details ("opening doors"), and especially in proofreading. I cannot proof my own work; so to compensate for that, I must rely on others to catch typos and whatnot. Sometimes they do... sometimes they don't!
8. What category are you currently interested in, e.g. contemporary, single title, historical, regency, paranormal, etc.
I enjoy writing horror, paranormal and fantasy, but what I really love to read is true crime, mystery, and historical fiction.
9. Tell us about your current project. What's it about and how far along are you on it?
My next two books to be published, later this year, are horror (Ghost Writer) and paranormal romance (Dark Lullaby). Ghost Writer I am describing as "a tale of insanity, murder, fear, dolls, and nudie Polaroids", and Dark Lullaby as "a story of romance, bloodlust, an ancient voodoo curse, murder and heavy metal." Ghost Writer is the scarier of the two; Dark Lullaby has a lot of romance and mystery in it.
10. Have you had any books published? Romance or other-please specify.
Books:
Horrors of the Holy (Running Free Press) - anthology
The Horse's Choice - non-fiction (Running Free Press) - nonfiction
The Dance (Xlibris - a division of Random House) - romance
Rock & Roll Fantasy (Double Dragon Publishing) - fantasy
Horses By eMail (Amber Quill Press) - young adult
The Life & Times of Rapunzel (Amber Quill Press) - fantasy
Dark Lullaby (Amber Quill Press) - paranormal
Ghost Writer (Amber Quill Press) - horror
Anthologies I have stories in:
Seductions (Dutton Books)
Horses and Their Women (Little, Brown)
Nasty Snips (Pendragon Press)
Horse Tales for the Soul, Vol 1 (The Complete Pet Productions)
Horse Tales for the Soul, Vol 2 (The Complete Pet Productions)
Tourniquet Heart (Prime Books)
Dark Delicacies Presents: The Altruistic Alphabet (Dark Delicacies)
Dark Delicacies Presents: Conjuring Dark Delicacies (Dark Delicacies)
Dark Delicacies Presents: FRAMED (Dark Delicacies)
The Night Has Teeth (Dark Vesper Publishing)
Femme de la Brume (Double Dragon Publishing)
11. Do you have a short and long-range writing goal? If so, explain.
Short term: get published. Long term: make a living at it.
12. Do you belong to any other writing organizations that have helped you further your writing goal and career? If so, explain.
I belong to the Horror Writer's Association. It's a great community, and I've made lots of wonderful contacts and friends through my membership.
About You :
1. Are you new to the area or a long time resident in the L.A. area?
I was born in Hollywood , and raised throughout various parts of Southern California . I'm fortunate that I've been able to travel and see the word ( England , France , Japan , Mexico , and Canada ) a little bit.
2. Careers?
I work as a graphic designer, freelance writer (nonfiction), and as an entertainment reporter (you've seen those red carpet interviews with the stars at the big premieres? That's what I do!).
3. Do you have any hobbies or special interests?
I love animals with all my heart. Especially horses, cats, and ferrets.
Thank you for taking the time to complete this interview for Cactus Rose Sandscripts.
