What inspired you to write your current release?
It all started with the title. I was on the phone with a writer friend, talking about options for upcoming Karmic Consultants books, and I called the sexy KC exorcist Rodriguez my "sexorcist". It was meant as a joke, but the name stuck and the idea snowballed from there. Demonic mischief, a sunny heroine with a unique perspective on life, and the usual cast of Karmic characters filled in the blanks.
What three things do you absolutely need in order to write?
1. My laptop - Like many of our guests I admit I simply could not have made it as a writer in the days of handwritten masterpieces. It's just so slow.
2. Diet Coke - It is an addiction. I know it isn't healthy and I just can't make myself care. I can write longer (and I swear the work is actually better) with a full glass of icy diet coke at my side.
3. A deadline - I know, I'm a freak of nature, but I actually work better when under pressure. When I have a deadline looming over my head I feel invigorated and driven. It's fabulous.
Who was the last author whose writing wowed you?
I love when authors surprise me. I recently read a young adult book by Gayle Forman called If I Stay. It was not at all what I expected, but it was a uniquely powerful book. It felt profoundly true and I remembered how much I love moments of truth in literature through reading it. It is not the sort of book I am likely to attempt to write myself, but I was definitely wowed.
If you could be a character and live through any book (yours or someone else’s), which would you choose and why?
No historicals because I love modern plumbing and hygiene. No paranormals because the fabulous things like flying and shapeshifting always come with nasty side effects like people trying to kill you or the looming threat of the end of the world. I'd have to pick a Jennifer Crusie novel. A sweet, funny contemporary where everyone speaks with witty, sparkly dialogue and I get the guy in the end sounds pretty darn good. I'll take Charlie All Night.
What’s next for you/what are you working on now?
After The Sexorcist, my next release will be the third shifter installment, Serengeti Lightning, in September. Then in November, the Karmic Consultants series continues with The Naked Detective - more fun than is strictly legal with a missing national treasure, an Altantic City dunk tank and a few go-go dancers.
Got a question of your own? Ask and ye shall receive. And you might just win something. Today one commenter wins their choice of an ebook from my backlist or a signed copy of the Tickle My Fantasy anthology. Good luck!
22 comments:
Hello, Vivi!
What is your opinion on book trailers? Do you think they help in book sales?
Thanks,
Tracey D
Hi! Nice post!
Do you like your book covers and how much influence you on the final outcome?
Where did you get the idea for your Karmic Consultants, and how many more do you have planned in the future? Loved the Ghost Exterminator and can't wait to get my hands on this one.
I love that title! It has made me look twice more than once. ;)
You mentioned a YA book you recently read that touched you. Do you read alot of YA? I find that I always want just a little bit more than the genre is willing to give.
Miranda ~ SweetVernal Zephyr
Hi Vivi,
Nice interview lol!
If you could be a character from any of your books who would it be?
Drea
It's a great title and hot cover. I see everyone is asking questions, so I will too. Does your Sexorcist hero wear boxers, briefs or go commando?
Do you have a favourite cover?
Oh, and I work better on a deadline too!!
Good morning, everyone! Great questions!
Tracey D - I think book trailers are like most forms of book marketing in that they're more about building awareness of you and your book than direct sales. If a creative, fun or striking trailer can catch a reader's eye and leave them with a positive impression of your work, it may lead to a sale down the line, but counting on a sudden jump in sales could lead to disappointment. So much of this promo stuff is cumulative.
host - I love my covers! With Samhain, I actually have a fair amount of influence, though the final decision is never mine. (And shouldn't be - since I know jack all about what makes a cover jump off the shelves.) I fill out a form with my character stats and vague suggestions for what I'd like. Then the cover art folks go to town and create a preliminary look to rock my socks. Sometimes I'll make a suggestion like "can we make the lion bigger so it accents the paranormal aspect?" The final covers almost always vary a LOT from what I initially write on my form, but I'm sooo not a visual person, so that's doubtless a good thing!
Nancy G - I'm so glad you liked the Ghost Exterminator! The Karmic Consultants idea evolved as I was writing the Ghost Shrink story. I had to figure out what kind of operation would pay Lucy to talk to geeky ghosts all night - and so a company specializing in the fixing of paranormal disasters was born. It snowballed from there. Originally I'd only planned on writing three more - The Ghost Exterminator, The Sexorcist & Naughty Karma - but my editor likes them so well I added a couple more novella-length stories to the bunch - The Naked Detective & my current work in progress, Finder's Keeper. So far the total is six - three full length, three short. We'll see if any more stray ideas burrow into my brain. I hope you continue to enjoy the series!
Miranda - Thank you! I do love reading YA, but I have to be in the right mood. Sometimes I love the way YA writing feels clean and spare--and intently focused on POV. I don't know if I could ever write that way, but I love the variety of it.
Andrea - Why, thank you! ;) A character from one of my own books, eh? Probably Zoe from the Serengeti Series. Independent, forthright and able to shapeshift into a lioness form at will... yeah, that sounds pretty good. Though I do love Jo from The Ghost Exterminator.
Kelly - LOL! Great question. I'm suddenly afraid of getting the answer wrong. I can't remember if I included any description of his underwear in the book, but I wouldn't be surprised if I had. Oh, the pressure! I think Brittany wears a pair of his boxers at one point, so I'm going boxers! (Though I could totally see him going commando or with those boxer-brief things that can't decide which they are.)
Natasha - Deadliners unite! ;) My favorite cover of my books or of every book ever? Of my books, my favorite changes all the time. At the moment, I'm really feeling the Ghost Exterminator cover - cocked-hip attitude and green ghost light are floating my boat this morning. Ask me again tomorrow and my answer may be totally different. And I think my favorite cover of every book ever probably changes even more quickly. :)
Francesca Hawley said she likes to cast her characters in the sense of having a real person's image in mind as she writes her hero and heroine.
Do you have that specific an image when you write? Who would you cast as the leads for The Sexorcist?
If your any of your books were make into a movie who would you want to star in them? Who would you not want to be in them?
sstrode@scrtc.com
Vivant & Sherry - you're going to stump me! I don't usually have a strong mental picture of the characters - more like a patchwork of characteristics pulled from dozens of different places.
If I had to cast the Sexorcist...
I think I would want Amy Adams (in a curly brunette wig) to play Brittany - she has a lock on sweet and bubbly. And for Rodriguez... maybe Nicholas Gonzalez? With lots of tattoos, of course.
As for who I wouldn't want... my nightmare cast... let's say Tom Cruise & Sandra Bullock - two people who are so completely wrong for the parts. And can you just imagine the chemistry between those two?
It must be weird to be in the hotseat, for once. :D And hurray for deadline adrenaline! Can't work without it. ;)
I'm interested in hearing about what do you do when the words just aren't coming, or something that you do to battle writer's block. Thanks!
Hi, Vivi! Lovely interview ;) So... do you eat while you write? If yes, what's your inspirational food of choice? Does it vary with the story?
Here's a question I've asked several authors lately. It's been great reading all the different answers.
-Do you listen to music while you write? If so, what? And do you listen for inspiration or to block the outside world?-
Which are your favs vamps or shifters? Do you get much say in the trailers and covers? What is your writing process?
Julie - When the words stop coming, it usually means I've messed up somewhere and my subconscious is throwing on the brakes. I'll take a shower or swim (something about the water?) and I almost always see where I went wrong. Not terribly scientific, but it works for me. :)
flchen1 - I do eat at the computer sometimes, but usually only when I'm so engrossed I can't bear to step away for sustenance. The best foods are the ones that can be eaten at room temperature because I invariably forget I'm eating halfway through the meal. I don't know that any of them are particularly inspirational - though I do sometimes get cravings for foods if I write a scene about them.
Beth - I don't listen to music while I write because the lyrics always sneak into my pages. I find most music distracting, but I don't mind background noise like people talking in a cafe or a television. I do like to listen to music to unwind or clear my head - usually of the classic rock jumping-around-the-room-singing-at-the-top-of-my-lungs variety.
Desi - I love the shifters, the way they are so in touch with instinct and their senses.
I get some say in covers but the final decision is out of my hands. But I make my own book trailers so I get to be the master of my universe there. :)
And my writing process... wow, that's a big question. I tend to brainstorm a bunch of ideas at once, then pick one I want to work on next. I'll set deadlines for myself and push-push-push through the first draft. Then it'll go to my beta readers who'll give me their reactions and let me know any weak areas. I'll go through it one more time, this time slow and rigorous and picking it apart at the seams. Then I submit and if accepted, the editing process begins in earnest.
Thanks for the questions, everyone! Keep 'em coming! :)
Which do you find better to write by seal oil or whale blubber? Does the barking from your dog sled team ever distract you? How do you keep your chair from scraping up the ice floor of your igloo?
:P
Kali - Seal oil definitely works better when I'm carving my stories out of the Alaskan ice with my ulu. ;)
I love your Karmic Consultants stories. The characters are great and the stories are so much fun. I'm glad to know there are four more for me to read.
Which of the KC characters has been your favorite so far? Will one of the three KC stories after The Sexorcist be about Karma?
Karin - Thank you! I'm so glad you like the series! I have such a hard time picking a favorite character. I love them all for different reasons. I admire Brittany's positive outlook on the world, Jo never fails to make me laugh, and Jake just makes my toes curl. It's hard to play favorites! And *yes* one of the upcoming KC books will be Karma's... but my editor wants hers to be the last book so we're going to torture you and make you wait for it. Patience is a virtue!
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