Reader Choice
Author: Christina Henry
Were Vamps Romance would like to thank Slappylilly (Pam) for putting in her reqest to share her favorite author with all the readers/members of Were Vamps Romance.
Reader Interview:
1. I noticed that your pen name is a combination of your husband's, son's, and your name. How did your family react when you told them of your choice?
Everyone I know enjoys the fact that it’s a combination of our names. My real last name is Italian and has many vowels, and I didn’t want to inflict that on anybody!
2. How old were you when you knew that writing was what you wanted to do?
I was twelve. I read “The Lord of the Rings” for the first time and decided then and there that I wanted to be a writer.
3. what is your story how you became a published writer?
I wrote BLACK WINGS in the fall of 2008, and then spent six months trying to find an agent. It’s really, really difficult to get an agent in the current climate. There are way more writers than there are agents to go around.
After six months without any success I decided to submit the book directly to Ace/Roc. Most of my favorite writers (Jim Butcher, Charlaine Harris) are with them, and I’d always wanted to be published by Ace anyway. One week after I submitted the query and first ten pages an editor asked to read the whole book, and a week after that I was offered a contract for three books. It was pretty amazing.
4. I noticed that Maddy is a strong but nurturing stubborn person, Is the a little of you in Maddy? She almost treats Beezle like a mother would demanding spoiled child.
I think there is probably a little bit of me in every character, but I’m actually more like Beezle than Maddy. I’d rather eat cinnamon rolls than fight evil any day.
5. where did Beezle come from? I meant where did your muse find him? I love how he always tries to take care of Maddy but it always comes out wrong or her taking care of him.
Since the books are in first person, I wanted someone around who could talk to Maddy and break up that endless flow of thought. I didn’t want a character like a roommate or a family member who would come and go and have their own life. I wanted someone who would always be around when Maddy needed someone to talk to, so I came up with the idea of a home guardian.
6. will we ever know who gets to keep Maddy's heart? she has quite the smorgasbord to choose from. Even she doesn't admit to wanting anyone but Gabriel.
Yes, you will find out. Eventually :)
7. Could you please do a family tree for Maddy? I sometimes get confused who is her brother, cousin and so on?
I’ve had a few requests for a family tree, so I’m hoping that this winter (after I finish writing book 4 in the series) that I’ll have some spare time to make one up. When I do I’ll put it up on my website so it will be easily accessible.
8. I love how you have used a large variety of paranormal creatures. Chicago seems to be the HUB of paranormal activity in the books is there a underlying plot to this?
I like the idea of seeing how so many different creatures interact with each other and interact with the fallen. I think it creates an interesting dynamic, and it also makes Maddy’s life more complicated (which is always fun for a writer).
9. where did you and your muse get the ideas for Maddy's stories? you do have a MUSE right? I assume every good writer has one.
No, I don’t have a muse. I’m more of an aural person than a visual person, so I usually hear the character’s voice before I see them. That’s happened with every character in the BLACK WINGS world so far.
When I’m writing a book I have a general idea of what has to happen at the beginning and at the end, but I don’t plan out the middle. I just kind of go along and let things happen organically.
10. How do you motivate yourself and your muse? If you don't have one just yourself. Do you eat chocolates and drink lattes in a serene quiet room filled with roses and Beethoven playing in the background? Just a example off course.
I have a 5-year-old, so it isn’t a question of motivation so much as a question of time. Usually I have a very limited amount of time to write so as soon as I drop my son off at school/camp/a playdate I have to get right down to working and get as much done as I can.
I wrote 100 pages of BLACK HOWL by hand (over the course of several days) in a notebook while my son was playing in the sandbox at the park. I really have to write as much as I can when I can.
11. Is there anyone person place or time that influence you to write paranormal books or to write in general?
I’ve always wanted to write fantasy, because I loved the idea of creating a world beyond the mundane. J.R.R. Tolkien was my first and most lasting influence.
12. Do you feel that there is still a stigma on female writers in the SCI-FI, Fantasy or paranormal genres?
I think that female writers are dominating the urban fantasy field right now, so I don’t think there’s any lingering stigma.
13. One last off the wall question. If you could travel back in time for one day and observe any event in history yours or the history of the world, what would it be?
I’d love to speak with Jane Austen. It took incredible courage for her to be a writer a time when women weren’t permitted to do anything more exciting than needlepoint and shop for dresses.
Thank you for indulging me in the picking of your brain. Please give Beezle a great big hug for me. Heck give Gabriel and JB one too if Maddy doesn't mind.
Thank you also for the hours of fun and escape your books have given me and others. I can't wait for the next book in the series.
Thanks so much for picking me for Reader’s Choice, Pam!
You can follow this author at:
Website: http://www.christinahenry.net/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Christina-Henry/152170358141765
No comments:
Post a Comment