Loading ...Interview and Contest With Author Joey W. Hill
Exclusive Bitten by Books
Interview with Author Joey W. Hill
A big welcome to our readers today! We have LOTS of fun stuff planned, so hang on to your coffee cups and don’t wander too far away from your computer. Be sure to read to the end of the interview to find out how to WIN one the great prizes being offered up today, including an amazing prize package to one participant including AUTOGRAPHED copies of her amazing books, The Vampire Queen’s Servant
Interview:
Hi Joey!
Welcome to Bitten by Books, we are excited to have you here today!
I would like to thank you taking the time to join us for the question and answer session with our readers. It has been very interesting to get to know more about you and what makes you tick as a writer! Readers, if you haven’t done so already please stop by and get your copy of Joey’s latest release The Mark of the Vampire Queen
BBB: What do you find the most challenging aspect of writing?
JWH: Finding enough time to do it. When I was working a full-time day job in addition to meeting writing deadlines, I had to be very creative to get the proper amount of writing done – during the work commute, lunchtime, evenings, weekends, while waiting in the doctor’s office, etc. When I started doing it full-time, I thought I’d have more time, but I went from a 6-months-per-book deadline schedule to a 3-month deadline schedule. Amazingly, I didn’t seem to have any more time. Yeah, for those of you laughing, math is not my forte. Of course, it doesn’t help when you make the mistake of letting people know you’re working out of your home.
I strongly recommend leading a double life, like a spy. Convince friends, family – even your spouse - that you still have your day job, and personal phone calls will get you fired. Okay, the spouse thing is going to be challenging, but it’s doable (laughter). Just sneak back into the house after he/she leaves. They get the compensation of sharing the benefit of your royalty checks, which might ease the guilt of the teeny-weeny lie (wink).
BBB: What is the most rewarding aspect of writing for you?
JWH: There are two of them, really. The first is what I’ll call being “in the flow”, for lack of a better term. It’s that point when you’re writing a story, and suddenly, there isn’t any real thought to it – the words, the characters, all of it is just flowing like a river, easy, sparkling and beautiful. The second is receiving reader email and hearing how much one of your stories means to them – telling you that the flow feeling is real and worthwhile. It closes the circle.
BBB: What or who was your muse that got you started writing?
JWH: That’s a really good question. I’m not sure. My mother taught me to read when I was very young. I was reading books before I ever entered school, and I loved being swept away by a story. Up until I was almost in middle school, I didn’t really attach to many specific friends, but I vividly remember my books during those early years. I wrote my first novel length story in sixth grade, and I suspect it was just a natural extension of loving books, wanting to create my own.
BBB: What do you feel are the benefits of the new electronic readers such as Kindle
JWH: I like holding a favorite book in my hands as much as the next person, but I am more than willing to give up that indulgence to minimize our impact on forests. E-readers are obviously an invention which can do that. The less adverse impact we make on our natural environment, the better. And I love my e-reader – it not only makes carrying and reading books easier, but it allows me a much more convenient way of editing my books or those of my critique partners.
BBB: What impact do electronic readers create on the bottom line for authors in the end? Do you feel they have a negative impact or positive, or no impact at all that you can see?
JWH: Very positive, as long as people respect that authors are trying to make a living and don’t post the books on Internet file share sites for 20,000 of their closest friends (laughter). Digital books typically have a lower cover price, so readers are more likely to take chances on new authors than with the more expensive print books. This will introduce more and more diverse offerings into the publishing world, which is great for everyone. In fact, I think it’s fair to say that paranormal and erotic romance are the expansive genres they are now because e-publishing took a chance on cross genre work and the readers responded to them enthusiastically.
BBB: Who among your characters is your favorite and why?
JWH: This is always a really tough question for me, because they are all part of my heart. Many represent time periods in my life and that gives them special meaning. However, among my vampire stories, I think it would be Devlin right now. He’s my Aussie bushman hero of A Vampire’s Claim
BBB: If you had to pick a secondary character as a favorite, who would it be and why?
JWH: Gideon, who was introduced in The Mark of the Vampire Queen
BBB: We would like to know what inspired Lyssa - who is a dominant, sexy vampire?
JWH: I guess the kernel for it was in my subconscious, building as I read the myriad books with strong male vampire protagonists. Strong female vampires seemed most often portrayed as villains. So I began to envision a heroine who was a vampire, a queen. I already had an interest in the vampire-servant relationship, and since many of my erotic romances have a Dominant/submissive theme, the characters started shaping in my mind – a thousand-year-old vampire queen who, while facing overwhelming enemies/political challenges in her world, acquires a new young male servant, Jacob. Jacob happens to be a former vampire hunter, but also carries a strong code of chivalry toward women. She’s able to tap into the submissive streak of this otherwise alpha warrior, because he ends up willing to do anything to protect and love her.
BBB: Can you tell us how many more books are planned for the Vampire Queen series and when we can expect the next one?
JWH: Right now two others are scheduled to be published. A Vampire’s Claim
I’ve also submitted proposals for two more in the series. When you read A Vampire’s Claim
BBB: What genre would you classify your Vampire Queen series? Urban Fantasy, Horror, Paranormal a mixture?
JWH: Always a fun question. I’ve seen these genres defined a hundred ways on different lists, to the point I think the easiest thing for an author is to think like a reader–think about what interests they have–and then use those interests to describe the book so they aren’t misled when they’re considering it. Which is why I would call the Vampire Queen series paranormal erotic romances, featuring vampires (wink).
BBB: Do you have any plans to write any YA paranormal in the future?
JWH: At the moment, the muse hasn’t suggested anything to me, but I’ve learned “never say never”. That’s the wonderful thing about being an author – you can’t anticipate what kind of story idea is going to smack you between the eyes from day to day. That said, I didn’t really understand young adults when I was one, so I’m not sure I could ever write anything that would do justice to their interests. If I ever do, it will likely be something I wrote because the muse drove it, and then my agent or publisher will have to clue me in by saying, “Hey, this is a great YA!” There was just a great author interview with Lynda Sandoval in RWR Report, where she indicated she doesn’t approach writing young adult any differently from adult fiction – just the age of the characters are different. I think that’s a great perspective – and a far less daunting one (laughter).
BBB: Would you consider Jacob an alpha or beta hero?
JWH: Jacob was an intellectual alpha. He was a warrior, and took his responsibility to protect Lyssa very seriously. However, because she was an immensely powerful vampire, his manner of protecting her and exerting his will against hers had a very different flavor. Lyssa was most vulnerable emotionally, and in that area, he had to bully her into letting him help her, even while serving her needs domestically, sexually, and politically.
When I call him an intellectual alpha, I’m not saying my other alpha males are idiots, but Jacob couldn’t afford the “kill everyone in the room threatening my woman, ask questions later” mentality that some of them could have (grin). He had to think about the best ways to defeat her enemies and persuade her to accept a lasting love that would ease the loneliness she’d carried for so long within her.
BBB: What is your favorite paranormal book of all time?
JWH: Wow, that’s going to be a hard one. The funny thing is, as a reader, I don’t really seek out time travel novels, but probably my two favorite paranormals are time travels. And here we get into that sticky idea of the definition of paranormal, because some folks may consider these primarily non-paranormals, with just a paranormal element thrown in. Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series (the first three) and Audrey Niffenegger’s The Time Traveler’s Wife
BBB: If you could be any paranormal creature, what would it be and why?
JWH: A mermaid. Love the water, the endless mystery of the oceans. It makes up the majority of our planet, and wouldn’t it be marvelous to live in it and explore to your heart’s content? Can you imagine how many fantastic things are in the depths of the water, blissfully beyond human reach?
BBB: How did you come up with the idea for A Mermaid’s Kiss
JWH: You know, I read an interview a long time ago, where a famous author said something to the effect that “the source of inspiration is the hardest question for a writer to answer”. I didn’t understand the answer as much then, but I sure do now. I haven’t a clue (grin). It goes something like this. Imagine floating on your back in the water, staring at the blue clouds above, the current carrying you along, and then suddenly, you just “see” an angel up there, the clouds darkening, because he’s engaged in a battle. Lightning is forking across the sky and a chill goes over your skin because the types of battles angels fight can affect all humankind. Then you think, what if this angel has been fighting this way for centuries, and he’s heartsick, tired of death and killing and losing his friends, no matter how noble the purpose? He needs someone in his life, someone to be his heart and soul, to give him a far more personal reason to fight. And maybe he’s so weary, he gets careless and his enemies make a lucky strike, cleaving one of his wings from his back. He spirals down and down, falling deep into the ocean. A young mermaid finds the wing, follows the trail to the fallen angel, and knows he’s the most wondrous thing she’s ever seen. In a split second decision, she realizes she’ll hide him from his enemies, no matter the cost to herself…
That’s pretty much how it goes. I run, still dripping, to my towel and scribble down the idea, and that soggy and sand-encrusted piece of paper goes into my computer later. That’s kind of how Anna and Jonah were born. Though the thought process was even more simplified than that – sometimes the ideas come in really nonsensical, kindergarten-like phrases : “Angel, fights a lot. Depressed, lots of dead friends. Mermaid finds him.” LOL. Seriously, the initial ideas are rudimentary, but in my head, the muse has much more complex ideas and scene images unfolding, so often I have to get to the computer fast to get it all down before it’s here and gone, like the fall of the tide.
BBB: What did you do before you became a writer? Do you write full time?
JWH: I’ve worked in administration for a long time – secretary, administrative assistant, administrative manager, etc. It’s always been the way to pay the bills while pursuing a different dream. For ten years, that different dream was being active in animal welfare/animal rights causes. Then, once I’d done what I felt I needed to do there, I turned back to writing. Up until November 2007 I was working for a large property owners’ association. Thanks to the foundation blocks laid over eight years of writing professionally, and the tremendous support of my husband, I made the leap to full time at that time. So I’ve been doing that for about nine months now (and given birth to about 3-4 babies, if we count the books as progeny – lol). It takes awhile to get used to it. Not sure if I am yet – it’s only been in the past couple months I’ve thought “wow, this feels incredible, doing this full time”. The money stuff still makes me nervous, but at least I have a skill to fall back on if needed (wink).
BBB: Will Mina have her own HEA in another story following A Mermaid’s Kiss
JWH: Oh, for certain! <Hopping up and down in anticipation>. Sometimes when I’m writing a book, secondary characters slowly evolve, and by the end I know they will have their own books. Mina pretty much settled that when she appeared in the first chapters of A Mermaid’s Kiss
BBB: Do you have any pearls of wisdom you would like to share with our readers here today?
JWH: Authors love hearing from you. We write because the muse tells us we must, but there are an incredible number of reasons to quit this business. Anne Lamott said an author must first and foremost love to write, because otherwise no one in their right mind would do it (grin). So, if you love an author’s work, please find a way to tell him/her. Hearing from a reader that our hours of solitary toil, our neglect of our friends and family, and dealing with the incredible amount of BS this business can dish out, was well and truly worth it, is more valuable than making the NY times bestseller list or earning a seven figure royalty check. And no, I’ve done neither of those yet, but I’m pretty sure you won’t hear any of the authors who have disagreeing with my comment. You guys are the key to all of it for us, because at its heart, writing is all about the storyteller at the village campfire, whose overriding desire is to draw the listeners into his or her tale.
On the flipside of that, your negative feedback is also very important. It’s very easy, with deadline pressure, to start recycling storylines and forgetting that the muse should always drive us, first and foremost. Let me know if I’ve disappointed, and be specific as to why. The whole point of craftsmanship is to continue improving.
Thanks for having me here today, and I’m looking forward to any questions you have, or comments you want to share with me!
If you haven’t visited Joey’s website over, click here to check her out there. You can also read reviews of her books here.
Questions and Contest: Now, I am going to open up the internet floor so to speak and let our readers ask some questions. Feel free to post as many questions or comments as you like. Joey will be answering them at intervals the rest of the day.
Readers, here’s how to enter the contest. You can do one or all of these things, and each one will give an additional entry and thus MORE chances to win. This is to win either the prize package including AUTOGRAPHED copies of Joey’s amazing books, The Vampire Queen’s Servant
1. Ask the author a question (max two questions count towards entries) and, your name will be entered for a chance to win one of the fabulous prizes mentioned above.
2. SUBSCRIBE to the Bitten by Books newsletter here on the right hand side of the site. This is for new subscribers only.
3. Post links to the interview here today at another blog or website and you will be given additional entries to win. You MUST post those links in one response here in this thread. The more places you post the event, the more entries you get, so spread the word!
4. Purchase copies of any of Joey’s books here:
The Vampire Queen’s Servant
The Mark of the Vampire Queen
A Vampire’s Claim
A Mermaid’s Kiss
A Witch’s Beauty
and send us a copy of the receipt for your purchase to: racoo.smith @ gmail.com (no spaces) for an additional entry. You get an entry for each of Joey’s books you purchase. NOTE: We do not share the receipt info or use it in ANY way. Once your entry has been logged we delete the info.
5. Add us as your friend on Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/bittenbybooks
Add us as your friend on Facebook: http://www.new.facebook.com/profile.php?id=614064436
Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/weirdstuff
6. Stumble, Digg or share the post with any social networking sites. There is a button right at the end of this post that says share that you can use. 
7. Read any of the reviews at Bitten by Books of Joey’s books here;
The Vampire Queen’s Servant
The Mark of the Vampire Queen
Then leave a meaningful comment that shows you read the review, not just a post that says “sounds good” or “nice review”, a couple of sentences would be great! Simply share your thoughts, ideas or opinions. You get an additional entry for each one you post on. You only need to comment one time to get an entry on one or both reviews.
Be sure to include an email and name where we can contact you if you are a winner.
We will be awarding the prizes and posting the winners to the Bitten by Books website later this week.
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Again, I’m delighted to be here, and am looking forward to all questions and comments. Have my usual “Sensible Sweet” hot chocolate, Celestial Seasonings Raspberry Zinger Tea, and the smooth jazz channel on to placate the fuzzy children (all seven of them), so I’m ready to go! :>
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Wonderful interview! I would like to know what kind of research Joey has done for her books?
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Another question I have for Joey is: If you could collaborate on a book with any author of your choosing who would you choose and why?
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Hi Joey! Welcome to BBB! What a great interview. While I haven’t had a chance to read your books yet, they are most definitely on my wishlist!
My question for you would be, what prompted you to write erotic romances using dominance/submission?
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Cherie, good morning! I’m one of those people who avoids picking up a non-fiction book on most days, but give me a topic related to one of my books, and I’ll happily immerse myself for hours. Think my Type A personality just has to have a “purpose” to the nonfiction reading, if that makes sense.
The most recent Vampire Book, A Vampire’s Claim, is set in 1953 Western Australia. I’ve therefore had to do a lot of research on the 1950s time period in Australia, as well as study the Australia vernacular and culture. I’ve been helped tremendously with that by fellow author Denise Rossetti, a resident of the Queensland area. In fact, she saved me from making a couple terrible political gaffes related to the Aboriginal people, so bless her a dozen times over. She also sent me many, many links to help me get the cadence of the Aussie language. In fact, I got a little too fascinated with that, so when she read the manuscript, she told me when I was going into overkill with the colloquialisms (grin).
However, this just underscores that, when I’m going into a fairly unknown area like this, it’s critical to have one “insider voice” look over my work. Now as far as other types of research, I use the Internet for a lot of the factual information, but then also read a plethora of fiction from the specific time period and area. I read anthologies of miners’ stories from the Outback to help me imagine how Dev feels, living in the Outback on his own so much. I also read classics like A Town Like Alice and even New Age books like Mutant Down Under. Reading fiction in Oz settings or by Oz authors gives me a better sense of the people, the way they talk, what their values are, etc. And it also gives me a layman’s view of the physical features around them, less polished and more real “feeling” than a factual documentary.
For the mermaid books, my challenge was the underwater environment. Again I went to the Internet for some factual info (types of sea plants, etc.), but primarily I used a friend who is an experienced and well traveled diver to help me see what it’s like when deep sea diving. I also used the DVR to pick up a lot of documentaries about undersea exploration to get more visuals.
The one thing research couldn’t help me with was remembering that, when my characters are underwater, their body movements are not the same as on land - my diving friend helped catch a lot of those, but I’m sure some escaped our notice (eye rolling).
Finally, for the current one I’m working on, A Vampire’s Promise (tentative title), it starts in the Sahara, so I DVR’ed some info on the Sahara, used the Internet to seek out cultural information on Bedouin tribes etc. As long as I’m careful about checking sources of information, I can’t think of a better time to be a writer doing research, now that we have the Internet.
Let me know if that doesn’t answer your question adequately!
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Hey Joey,
have read you Holding all the cards and have Vampire Queens servant just haven’t gotten to read it yet. ~winks
my questions:
1)When writing a book do stories/books come to you for the secondary characters?
2)and why do you seem to like the point of view of the woman always being the Dom. ~~nudge nudge wanna tell us something~~snickers
okay you don’t have to but, thought it worth an ask ~hee hee
Thanks for writing and feeding my need!
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Glad to see you here today, I’m always looking for new authors in the Paranormal genre to read! Your vampire series sounds like something I need to check out. A couple of questions for you. First how long does it usually take to finish one of your books? The second is how do you go about picking names for the characters for your reads?
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Virginia, thanks so much and good morning as well! That’s always an interesting question for me. Back when I wrote my very first one, which was a contemporary (Make Her Dreams Come True), I didn’t necessarily envision where it was going to go. But I’d always been drawn to the strongly alpha male stories, and I think when I started writing Meg and Daniel’s story, I had the subsconscious desire to move from that subtle form of dominance into the overt one.
This was over a decade ago, and as you might guess, it was also during a time of personal exploration for me. You’ll hear authors say that sometimes our stories are our personal form of therapy. I found a lot of answers for myself in that book, and fortunately the writing and the personal life merged in a very positive and synergistic way - my explorations fed the writing/stories, and the stories fed the explorations (grin).
Now, years later, it was a given that when I turned to vampires, it would be the vampire and servant relationship that would most fascinate me (smile). Of course, my critique partners laugh at me, because some of my D/s underpinnings even creep into my sensual work (the mermaid/angel series) in subtle ways. ;>
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Hi Joey!
Looks like I will be here today with you after all.
Thank you so much for stopping by and taking time out of your busy schedule to be with us!
I am really interested in your upcoming book set in the desert. Does it have an Egyptian theme or is more nomadic?
Rachel
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Are you inspired at all by people or events in your daily life? How hard is it to transfer people that you know or meet to the written page? Does putting some people on paper make them easier to deal with?
Thank you,
Becca
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Angela, hope you’ll enjoy Lyssa and Jacob’s story, and it will “feed the need” beyond expectations (grin). You asked…
1)When writing a book do stories/books come to you for the secondary characters?
Oh yes, bless them. In fact, it’s rare these days I don’t write a book that doesn’t become a series, because someone pops into the storyline who insists on having their own book. I don’t plan for them - their voices tend to evolve naturally. I have some books, like A Mermaid’s Kiss, where a secondary character comes in so strongly, so quickly, I know immediately she’s going to have her own book - that would be Mina, the irascible and dark seawitch who will be the heroine of A Witch’s Beauty. Then, there are others, like Mason, the hero of the upcoming A Vampire’s Promise, who wrote one letter in Vampire Queen’s Servant, and showed up in the last couple chapters of Mark of the Vampire Queen. So it’s more the strength of their presence than how much they’re in the book that tells me they’ll have their own book.
2)and why do you seem to like the point of view of the woman always being the Dom. ~~nudge nudge wanna tell us something~~snickers
okay you don’t have to but, thought it worth an ask ~hee hee
Chuckle - I don’t mind answering this one, because I think when you write D/s, you open yourself to some “how did you come up with that, or why do you write this?” questions that deserve reasonably honest answers. ;>
Ironically enough, I am a sexual submissive, not a Domme. My first D/s book was a Male Dom, female sub book. However, the next two books the muse gave me were FemDoms. I have switched before in my personal life to see how it feels. What I discovered in that minimal exploration and then in my own heart, is that my form of D/s is driven by the relationship between the two characters, the way love grows between them. Because of that, their D/s isn’t always the textbook club scene roles. This is a lifestyle that has many different approaches. I have compared it in the past to a faith, because I believe the way we love each other is very similar to that.
Since after the two Fem Doms, the muse then threw me two Dominants (a male and female) to fall in love, then had me redeem a truly bad man (Mistress of Redemption), followed by a male/male D/s book, I decided the muse was agreeing. If you understand what D/s is about in your heart, you don’t have to be limited to your own preference in writing about it, and particularly when first and foremost your intention is to write a love story. That’s just my opinion of course (smile).
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Hey Joey, it’s great to be able to “chat” with you. When people ask me about BDSM books, I give them Natural Law and Rough Canvas as the best BDSM books I’ve ever read. Do you have plans to continue this series as well? Did you have a tough time getting the m/m aspects of RC “right”?
Can you suggest any other BDSM *romance* books/authors who are on a level with your exploration of the *emotional* aspects of BDSM?
Keep writing, you hear! Love your books.
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Teresa, glad to have you here as well and hope some of my books will look interesting enough to try! As far as how long it takes to finish one of my books, currently it takes about 3-4 months, now that I’m writing full time. Before that, when I had a “day job”, it was about 5-6 months. If I had to say what the optimal amount of time was, I’d say 4-5 months. I’ve had to write one of my books in 60 days, and hope to NEVER do that again (laughter). Most of my work is well over 120k words.
As far as how I go about picking names for the characters for your reads, that one is purely out of the thin air - sometimes I’ll write down interesting names I hear, but most often I just sit and sort of let my head go to empty space mode (not really hard for me, if you ask my husband - wink), and the name appears there. I have a terrible time with last names though - wish I could eradicate the need for those altogether. And I’m also bad about choosing the same letter to begin names - Matt and Maggie, Mason, Mara, etc. Usually have to go back and change some secondary character names.
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Hello Joey! So nice to finally blog you! I am a new writer and I agree if feels like I am leading a double life. I do have a question do you prefer sequels or single story books?
Sisses,
Caden
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Just dropping in to tell you how incredibly talented I think you are and how much I admire you, as an artist and as a person. It’s so satisfying to watch your star rising. Keep writing those exquisite stories, Joey!
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Hi Joey! Great interview! How do you get your story ideas? Do you have a writing routine?
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Rachel, good morning! Glad to have you here with us in the midst of YOUR busy morning. :>
You asked about the desert location for A Vampire’s Promise. I never pin down the actual location, because it’s supposed to be deep in the uncharted areas. I was amazed to learn about the vastness of the Sahara - there are legends of entire armies being swallowed by it, and current day villages fighting erosion, where dunes are trying to bury their towns. I was intrigued by the idea of a vampire who would choose the sunsoaked desert as his home, but because of the plotline, the book moves to a South American estate after the first couple chapters. There are periodic flashbacks throughout the book, however.
In a nutshell, Lord Mason, my vampire hero, fell in love with the daughter of a Bedouin sheikh 300 years ago. Terrible things happened as a result of that, and she was killed. Her tomb is buried in the Sahara, and he has watched over it all those years, visiting it to ensure it stays hidden, maintained, etc. Jessica, my heroine, is a terminally ill archaeology student who found Farida’s story and was so inspired by it she decided she wanted to die in Farida’s tomb, so she started looking for it. And did I mention Jessica is a fugitive from the vampire world, because she was a second-marked servant who killed her master? She doesn’t realize the man Farida spoke of so passionately in her writings was a vampire!
A lot of the desert flashbacks have to do with Farida’s writings in her personal journal, because Jess can’t handle reality very well and goes there in her head when things get very stressful.
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I posted about the interview on my myspace blog.
http://myspace.com/amysmith98
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Becca, First off, thank you all for these great questions! It actually helps me, to think about how I do all this stuff (laughter).
For the first question, absolutely, I’m inspired by what I see and hear daily, but in a very jigsaw puzzle kind of way. Very rarely will I transcribe whole situations into a storyline. Most of the time, I’m inspired by a brief gesture, a comment, a flash of emotion on someone’s face that opens up a deeper idea to me.
2) How hard is it to transfer people that you know or meet to the written page?
As above, since it’s just bits and pieces, not that hard. What’s difficult is helping people understand that - people who know me tend to look for people that I know, or family or friends, in my characters. Sometimes, there are elements of them there, or emotions we’ve struggled with together, such that I’ve even dedicated a book to a certain person, but the characters themselves evolve into unique individuals, much like how children have DNA from their parents, but are their own people.
3) Does putting some people on paper make them easier to deal with?
One of my critique partners indicated she once integrated a particularly lecherous coworker into a villain just so she could dispatch him (lol). Writing in a lot of senses is my escape from mundane struggles, so I don’t usually bring difficult people in my reality into my writing (unless aspects of their personality would be useful to the plot - ha!). Probably the most difficult person I deal with in my writing is myself, because some of the emotional turmoils I’ve worked through in the pages are my own. And yes, occasionally I’ve been tempted to turn myself into a villain and off myself out of sheer frustration (grin).
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Howdy Joey, Thanks for being here today. My questions are:
1. What made you stick to classic Hollywood vampire: no sunlight, no reflection, death by staking?
2. Where did the idea for the Delilah virus come from?
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Sarah, love having you here!! Hello. :> Thank you for those wonderful compliments.
1) When people ask me about BDSM books, I give them Natural Law and Rough Canvas as the best BDSM books I’ve ever read. Do you have plans to continue this series as well? 2) Did you have a tough time getting the m/m aspects of RC “right”?
Thank you for that! Yes, the Nature of Desire series will certainly continue. Right now I’m finishing up my Berkley contract and waiting to see if they want more vampires and mermaids/angels, but hope to write Brendan and Chloe’s story in this upcoming year if I can fit it in. I love revisiting the NOD characters - I’m working on a baby shower vignette right now for Mac and Violet of Natural Law that I’m going to offer to my guestbook list in September (so if you’re interested in that, definitely sign up for the guestbook!).
As far as Rough Canvas, that book just flowed onto the page. I think it’s because, as I said earlier, the love story is the main thing - doesn’t matter what our gender, orientation, preferences - each person has certain needs and desires that are seeking a fit, a connection, with another. Thomas had that from the very beginning with Marcus, and their chemistry just swept me along. The book was a pleasure to write.
3) Can you suggest any other BDSM *romance* books/authors who are on a level with your exploration of the *emotional* aspects of BDSM?
I’ve read some beautifully emotional erotic romance (Shelby Reed, who has posted here today, is one of them - her Fifth Favor and A Fine Work of Art are on my keeper shelf), but I admit I have not found much out there that I would say has an emotional exploration of BDSM as deep as those books took me. Closest one that comes to mind is Exit to Eden by Anne Rice (aka Anne Rampling).
Please know, I don’t say that to be egotistical at all! Quite frankly, I just don’t do a lot of reading in my own genre, because when I read, it’s primarily to improve style, and a lot of authors do that by reading a wide variety of books outside their genre. So other readers may have some great suggestions in that area. I have enjoyed lighter BDSM fare - Ann Jacobs’ Mastered and Bittersweet Homecoming are also on my shelf.
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Caden, hello back! And good to have you blogging with us. Congratulations on being a “new” author, though I suspect, like most of us, you’ve probably been writing for a long time. :> Good luck on all your endeavors.
You asked: do you prefer sequels or single story books?
I like them both, really. Of course, it’s always fun to revisit similar settings, and characters you’ve spent time with in earlier books. And they do build a following better than single titles (that’s the savvy business persona coming forth - it raises its head very rarely, but occasionally has something to say before the artistic side of me, utterly horrified by its appearance, shoves it back down - lol).
But so much of what I do is muse-driven. I have a few titles that stand alone, and I think I enjoyed the freshness of writing about entirely new places and people as much as revisiting old ones in the series.
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Hey, Amy - you guys are making the interview wonderful, for certain. What great questions!
1) How do you get your story ideas?
I forget what author said it, but he/she basically indicated writers often have SUCH a boring answer to this question, because 99% of the time, we have no real clue where our story ideas come. I think the more you write, the more you tune into a creative consciousness flow of some kind, so the oddest things - a snippet of conversation, an expression on someone’s face, will spawn a story idea. In the interview, I gave that example for A Mermaid’s Kiss, and that’s really how it happens. I think that’s why I resort to saying “the muse the muse the muse” for so much, because really, I don’t know what else to call it (chuckle).
2) Do you have a writing routine?
Yes, and the entire universe works to disrupt it daily. I never realized I was the center of the cosmos until I tried to maintain a writing schedule in my innocuous corner of the world (laughter). Seriously, optimal days, I answer email from 8:30-9:30am, then write until 4:30 with a 90 minute lunch break to play with the animals. I do that M-F, and if I’m under a tight deadline, I write on M-W-F nights for two hours, and 6 hours on one weekend day. If not under a tight deadline, I use those times for marketing work.
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Right, I’ve only read one of your books so far (the Vampire Queen’s Servant), but now due to your tantalizing tidbits I’m feeling the urge to buy them all. My book fund isn’t going to be very happy with me this month
On to my questions:
1)Do you like to write while listening to music, and if so, then to what?
2)What is the toughest part of the writing process for you? editing, proofing, research, etc…
Great interview btw. I loved your answer about the double life, I’ll have to try that sometime
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Amy, thanks so much for posting the link on your blog!
Cander, I’m delighted to be here. Thanks! You asked -
1. What made you stick to classic Hollywood vampire: no sunlight, no reflection, death by staking?
I liked those elements of the traditional vampire - they’re challenging to work with, increase the mystery and “otherness” of the species, but they’re not huge obstacles to pursuing a relationship with a human. Plus, I thought it was just intriguing, one of the reasons a vampire needing a servant being that they’d need someone to tell them if their hair looked right, or they had a smudge on their nose (grin).
2. Where did the idea for the Delilah virus come from?
Originally I had it as an AIDs related blood disease that had impacted the vampire race. However, my editor wisely suggested (probably realizing that I am quite scientifically-challenged, and if I swam too deeply in those waters I’d drown), that I take out the connection with a disease we know and convert it to something similar, but vampire-specific. And of course the name - Delilah, a mere mortal woman, taking away the exceptional strength of Samson just by cutting his hair, connected to how the disease worked - it has to be transferred by a human donor to a vampire.
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Hi Joey, it is so great to have you here, loved the interview. Your stories were some of the first ebooks I ever bought and I have since read all your books. So glad to have more of the Vampire series coming our way. They are some of the best paranormal erotic romance stories that I’ve read, and so emotional, the writing is truly superb.
How many books do you have planned for the Mermaid series?
And will continue to write for EC?
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Hi, Sarai - oh, you definitely have to read the rest of Jacob and Lyssa’s story in Mark of the Vampire Queen - lots more happens to them (grin). Hope you have the chance to enjoy them all, when time and budget allows (wink). And hope trying the double life works - wish I’d had that hindsight!
1)Do you like to write while listening to music, and if so, then to what?
I’m not sure if I can write WITHOUT music. The Ipod is the greatest invention of the universe, in addition to ITunes and the ability to create playlists.
As to what, it depends on the scene. For action/fighting, movie scores are big - Kull the Conqueror, Braveheart, The Postman, etc. However, I recently noted I wrote a fight scene (in A Vampire’s Promise) to Hillbilly Shoes by Montgomery Gentry. That was primarily because, in that fight, Dev and Danny were visiting (from A Vampire’s Claim), and with Dev’s background as an Aussie bushman, which to me is somewhat similar to our mountain hillbilly/ranger types, it worked perfectly.
For romantic parts, depends on the emotions involved. I’ve used everything from Lifehouse to Daughtry to Staind. And I have a tendency to put the songs that inspired the scenes in the book as part of the background. For instance, in A Vampire’s Promise, Jessica goes to a club with Mason, and their very passionately charged interactions are fueled by Quiet Riot’s Bang Your Head (really!) and Marc Antony’s I Need to Know.
2)What is the toughest part of the writing process for you? editing, proofing, research, etc…
Editing - I’m OCD in a terrible way about this process, and I can break it down so much I lose sight of whether the story is any dang good or not. Enter my wonderful critique partners, who tell me if I’m screwing with it too much. However, it’s a double-edged sword. In some ways, that first full edit, after I put in the first draft, is my favorite time, because it’s the first time I get to “read” the story and see what’s been created.
But the following two edits, then the senior edit changes, followed by the print galley - it all just makes me crazy, because I get so bogged down in minutiae I sincerely believe that sentence 10, Par 4 on Page 255 is going to make or break the book for readers (laughter).
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Yes, I have been writing for a bit, but now I am braving the big bad world of critics! LOL I did notice you have several new titles coming out, do you find yourself, working on many projects at one time? I enjoy your books so very much! And it almost boggles my mind to think of you jumping from one story to the next like switching TV channels. And I have to say most books I have of yours the covers are very worn as my friends and I change them up between us, I guess you could say your books are like catnip to us felines.
Sisses,
Caden
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Cathy M - thanks tremendously. I’m so flattered to hear that, and hope to continue to deserve your praise.
1) How many books do you have planned for the Mermaid series?
Right now two are scheduled for publication - A Mermaid’s Kiss (Nov) and A Witch’s Beauty (Jan 09). I have a proposal submitted to do three more - one focuses on Jonah and Anna’s daughter, Alexis (A Mermaid’s Fire). I’m anxious to write this one - she’s a shapeshifter like her mother, but far more grounded in the human world - she has an apartment, attends college classes, etc and has a clairvoyant friend, Clara. Lex has a special empathic gift that connects her to a vampire of all things, trapped in a hellish world. He’s going to pull her across to him and try to use her as a bargaining chip with the angelic host to get back into our world, but he didn’t bargain for how Alexis would make him feel.
The next book is about her friend Clara, and the rather stiff and stodgy angel Marcellus, who is assigned as her guardian angel. (You’ll meet him in both of the first two books.)
The final book focuses on two secondary characters, both human, introduced in A Mermaid’s Kiss, and who also came from a very old short story, which is still posted on my site (Home is Where the Heart Is). This book focuses on Matt and Maggie’s relationship after the short story concludes, and how they end up in Nevada, married and helping a shaman protect a magical fault line.
2) And will you continue to write for EC?
I wrote for several wonderful e-publishers (most of them now gone) before EC, but EC was truly the launch pad for my career. I also tremendously respect what the company did for erotic romance, and continues to do for it. So I hope I always have a connection to/relationship with EC. As far as whether any of my future titles will come out with them, that has a lot to do with my commitments to NY (Berkley). They’ve kept me busy for the past year or two with contract commitments, and as I grow my career, I know that’s likely where my focus needs to be for now, as long as they’ll have me. However, I have friends who’ve reached the point they write for several publishers, including an EC and NY mix, so if a good opportunity presents itself to do that in a way that benefits all of us, I would certainly take it.
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Caden wrote
JWH - just remember, don’t let them stop you from writing. Best thing to do is determine if they have any good advice in their criticism to improve your craft, and then keep at it. :>
Caden:
When I handwrote my first drafts, and was working a day job, I always had one being created during the day (hand draft), while the other was being typed in and edited at night. Now that I’m writing full time, I’m typically only working on one at a time, though I might have to take a few days in between to draw up a proposal for my agent/publisher (which requires a couple chapters/synopsis) etc. When I’m on my treadmill, I’ll brainstorm on the next book and put the ideas into a holding queue in Microsoft Notes to be unscrambled later.
Caden: .
It’s a great deal like going from one place to another. Your bedroom versus your living room, for instance - each has a different feel, different features, setting, memories, etc. so it’s not to hard to switch for me on most days.
JWH - Oh, love to hear that! :>
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Hi Joey, I’m a big fan. I was wondering if you had anything in the works for Julie from Rough Canvas. She’s one of my favorite characters.
Also, what’s next, if anything, for the Nature of Desire series?
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Whoops, not sure what happened to my pasting feature on that one, Caden! However, if my answer is too muddled, let me know and I’ll repaste!
Joey
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Jamie, thrilled to have you with us today. :>
You asked if there was anything in the works for Julie from Rough Canvas. I love her, too! Yes, most definitely. She’ll be a book in the NOD series. Probably the very next one I’ll write will be Brendan and Chloe from Mirror of My Soul, followed by Julie, then Rory and Daralyn (remember Thomas’s handicapped brother and the girl his mother wanted Thomas to marry?)
I think Julie resonates with a lot of us - wanting so much to find the man of her dreams, but reaching her 30s and starting to despair, such that she’s settling for the platonic affections of gay male friends. I’m eagerly waiting for the muse to bring her hero forward - he hasn’t identified himself yet to me, but I know he will.
As far as when these books will come to fruition, I hope to get started on Brendan and Chloe sometime next year, and work the others in soon thereafter.
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Okay, I couldn’t stand it, Caden - had to just reprint it and resend - ignore the earlier gobbledy gook post - Rachel, if you can remove one, you may want to remove that one - not sure what happened there!
Here goes again -
With respect to the big bad world of critics, just remember, don’t let them stop you from writing. Best thing to do is determine if they have any good advice in their criticism to improve your craft, and then keep at it. :>
You asked whether I find myself working on different projects simultaneously. When I handwrote my first drafts, and was working a day job, I always had one being created during the day (hand draft), while the other was being typed in and edited at night. Now that I’m writing full time, I’m typically only working on one at a time, though I might have to take a few days in between to draw up a proposal for my agent/publisher (which requires a couple chapters/synopsis) etc. When I’m on my treadmill, I’ll brainstorm on the next book and put the ideas into a holding queue in Microsoft Notes to be unscrambled later.
As far as switching from project to project, it’s a great deal like going from one place to another. Your bedroom versus your living room, for instance - each has a different feel, different features, setting, memories, etc. so it’s not to hard to switch for me on most days.
With respect to my books being like catnip to felines to you, LOVE to hear that! :>
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I am taking questions in order, by the way, so if anyone thinks I’ve missed their question as the day goes on, don’t hesitate to let me know!
It’s wonderful to have you all here. :>
Joey
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Great interview! I hope to read some of your books. Do you think Lyssa is as forgiving as Davidson’s Elizabeth seems to be?
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Albert, I assume you meant Betsy of Mary Janice Davidson’s series? Well, I think Lyssa, having been alive for over a thousand years and part of a far more hierarchical system, might be a little more intimidating and unapproachable on some issues, but she’s fair and of course there’s nothing she wouldn’t do for Jacob, even break her own rules. :>
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Thanks for stopping by and talking to us. You talk about inspiration coming to you in everything you do. My question is as a writer do you have a routine before you sit down and start your story? Do you plot the characters or do you go with a stream of consciousness?
Good luck on all future endeavors.
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Oh No! It was the perfect response! I agree in full, sometimes with my different projects I start writing then I am like, I wonder what is going on with the Silvers today! And I go back and forth my husband says it is like I have created my own little erotic world! of course I catch him picking up and flipping thru my priceless fav authors quite a bit. He is very surprised when we women capture the male point of view right on.
Sisses
Caden
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Marnie, I typically start with brainstorming. Whatever initial concept has gotten me thinking about the story, I’ll mull on that while I’m treadmilling, or before i go to sleep at night, etc, and I’ll start making copious, random notes, which I then put into Microsoft Notes and organize (it’s like an index card program). Once I have that, I have the plot and the basic outline of the characters, and I’ll sit down and start the book. Under my contract, one of the requirements is delivering a synopsis and first three chapters of the book by a certain date (I think to prove I’m working on the book and not eating bonbons and watching ER reruns every day - lol), so this process helps meet that clause tremendously.
Just as additional information - I had a great opportunity to conduct a workshop called “Plotting Erotic Romance”, over at Romance Divas on August 2, where I went into my plot process in more detail than anyone could ever want, but if you’re interested in more on this, it would still be in their archives, along with the Q&A sessions. If you can’t find it, just email me and I’ll be happy to send you the link and or the workshop notes. And good luck on your endeavors as well!
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Caden, that is intriguing - can’t get my husband to touch a romance with a 10-foot pole, erotic or otherwise. He’s very well read though - likes a lot of mystery, suspense and speculative fantasy, so he’s great to bounce ideas off of.
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Just gotta say, Joey, I was thrilled to find out you’ve been involved in animal advocacy issues. It’s a cause near and dear to my heart. Bully for you!
Any plans to write some exclusively M/M fiction?
You bet I’ll be posting a link to this interview on my blog (accessible via my name on this post). It’s a pure delight to spread the word about authors who are not only enormously talented, but also have their s**t together!
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Joey, I have not yet read your books, but this interview has me running out to buy them. Thank you.
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KZ - it’s great to see you here, and I’m flattered by that compliment, particularly coming from a peer author! Thanks for posting the link.
Yes, I think most of us have causes that call to us from the beginning - I remember one of my earliest activist efforts was writing a letter with a friend to the governor, when I was in elementary school, asking him to lower speed limits so there would be less squirrels hit in the road (smile). He was very nice - sent me and my friend a return letter (which I do not recall what he said, though I dearly wish I had - sure it was a carefully worded letter, for certain - laughter), and a new flag for our school.
My understanding of animal rights has of course matured a bit since then, but the base motivation - the feeling that we share this world, we don’t own it, or the creatures in it, has persisted. Glad to hear of another animal advocate. :>
You asked if I had any plans to write some more exclusively M/M fiction? The answer is absolutely. I loved writing Rough Canvas, and I have another one already percolating in my head, involving a building inspector and a wedding caterer, of all strange combinations (grin). There will be some male/male in A Vampire’s Embrace (a future book in the series), though not exclusively, for my hero is bisexual (Alistair).
I guess because my primary interest is telling a great love story, I don’t see ever being limited by one definition of who (or how many) can fall in love (wink).
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Thanks for the scoop on The Mermaid’s Kiss. I love paranormal storylines and can’t wait to start this series.
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Beth, thank you for that!! I hope you’ll like them. As my long term readers know, I practically beg them to give me bad feedback when it’s deserved - I live in terror of becoming a formulaic writer, or losing that quality that makes my books worth buying. I think it’s a common nightmare for a lot of authors, and a very real one, because once you’re in an upward spiral of deadlines, marketing, etc. it is way too easy to forget why you write, and to remember to tap into that passion when you sit down at the keyboard.
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So nice to see you here today, Joey. Okay many of the things I would have asked have been answered already!
If you had the choice, what time period would you have liked to live in and why?
I see you are very vampy now. Is there another paranormal creature you will be giving us a story about soon?
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[...] September 9, 2008 at 6:56 pm (Uncategorized) Interview and Contest With Author Joey W. Hill [...]
Laura, I thought I might see you today (smile). Always a pleasure. You asked:
1) If I had the choice, what time period would I have liked to live in, and why?
This is a tough one - what I’d really like is to live inside the world of a favorite book, with those characters. The first time I read the passage about the Forest of Lothlorien, with Tolkien’s elves, that’s where I wished to be.
Whenever I consider different time periods in history, I’m too aware that there was a dark underlayer to those times (disease, poverty, brutality, etc). Of course, regardless of time period, I would love to live on that island in Greece where Mamma Mia was filmed, running the Inn (laughter).
Okay, if I have to choose, I’d say I’d like to be a Native American living here way before America was “discovered”, perhaps part of the Cherokee or Sioux tribes, a very simple, quiet existence. It would be hard, but it would be living with the least amount of negative impact on my surroundings, which is appealing, and very close to nature.
2) Will I be writing about paranormal creatures other than vampires in the future?
I have the two upcoming - A Mermaid’s Kiss and A Witch’s Beauty both feature an angel hero, and a mermaid heroine. Really looking forward to reader’s reactions to them. They took me to some unexpected places (smile). I’d love to do a book with Fey (or Fae) characters, though. I’ve dabbled in that with Lyssa’s character in Vampire Queen’s Servant (she’s part Fey), and in A Mermaid’s Kiss, there is some fairy involvement. I haven’t done a werewolf book yet, and nothing’s called to me on that, but it doesn’t mean it won’t in the future!
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Hi Joey!
I want to say I LOVE MERMAIDS! I totally get how you can just be floating in the water and imagining a story taking place. I’m looking forward to your mermaid series.
I also like how you even asked for constructive criticism so you can improve your literary artwork. Very classy and very professional.
Now as for my questions:
1. What is your dessert of choice? That when you take a bite all is well with the world?
and
2. What is the best advice you could give for aspiring authors?
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Thanks for sharing your thoughts - this really does feel like a chat. Are your fuzzy children rescues? We’ve raised 2, both German shepherds. Back to writing - How do you know when you’ve included just enough, and not too much, sexuality in your story? Seems to be so many paranormals right now where it’s just overdone.
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Hi Joey
love all your work pls don’t ever stop writing!
what is your favorite erotic paranormal writer and book?
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Hello,
Were did you get your inspiration for your latest writing project?
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Lyda, glad we share a love of mermaids. I’ve recently discovered David Delamare’s mermaid artwork and I’m in love with it. In fact, I’m going to give away one of the prints in my next guestbook/newsletter (think I mentioned that earlier, but can’t remember - so if I didn’t, be sure and hop over to my website and sign up for my guestbook if you want a chance to win it!). So whimsical.
Anyhow, you asked what my dessert of choice is when all is well with the world. Well, given I have a ravenous sweet tooth (if I stopped eating sugar, I’d weight 50 pounds - we’ve decided I was an ant in a past life), it’s usually when all’s not well with the world that I take MANY bites (laughter). However, my dessert of choice is Nestle Toll House breakapart chocolate chip cookies, fresh and warm from the oven. I think in some recent interview I noted I was getting a little obsessed with them - they show up in A Witch’s Beauty AND in A Vampire’s Promise!
In A Witch’s Beauty, Mina is trying to decide what she can give her young angel protector, David, because what do you give an angel? She realizes, since she’s a witch, she can give him the ability to taste human food for awhile, and gets him some warm chocolate chip cookies (smile). I’ll let you find out how they figure into A Vampire’s Promise - it’s a little more complicated (wink).
For more moderate sweet indulgence, I like the bite-sized Dove dark and milk chocolates. There’s also a local baker who does the most incredible cinnamon rolls…oh, and did I mention I love golden cake cupcakes, without the frosting? And the list goes on…
2. Best advice for aspiring authors?
It has three parts - 1) HONE YOUR CRAFT. Keep practicing, practicing, practicing. Read all you can about the craft of writing, read all sorts of genres and styles of writing, good and bad. Let critique partners read your work and really listen to their feedback. If you have to, stand on your own lips - do not EVER argue with someone telling you what they think of your book. If you get the invaluable gift of a reader’s pure and honest reaction, that can help your work grow by leaps and bounds. 2) Once you feel well on your way to being a decent writer, KNOW THE BUSINESS - go online, participate in writer’s groups, chat loops, attend conferences, read industry mags, ask lots of questions, etc. Remember that this is a business, and you must know it to succeed in it. You can’t hide under your desk and say “I’m a creative person, I can’t deal with that.” If you want to succeed as a published author, you learn to deal (grin). 3) NEVER GIVE UP. One of the most important of the three, because there are times, your mind will say “why on EARTH are you putting yourself through this?!”
Oh, and as a corollary to these three, as you progress in this business, remember that to many you interact with - publishers, editors, agents, it IS a business, so when they make suggestions to you to change your style, your story, your cover art, your title, etc. you have to figure out the balance between preserving your art and helping them produce the most salable work possible. Don’t take things personally, and use every setback as another opportunity to learn and get closer to success. There are no words to describe how hard it is to be successful at this - so if you get there, you will have earned it, in spades - treasure chests of chocolate chip cookies (lol).
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Joey Hill is not only one of the nicest people I’ve ever met … she writes the most fabulous books. I mean, REALLY fabulous. She’s so good at creating an emotional connection with her characters. Seriously. You should be able to take a knife and fork to her words and just eat them, they’re so delicious.
Anyway, I don’t need to enter the contest. I just wanted to pass along my adoration for Joey.
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Shirley, you asked if my fuzzy children are rescues. All but one. Our Golden Retriever was my husband’s mid life crisis (the young blonde he HAD to have - lol), and so Jake came from a quality breeder. Love the sweet boy, though of course knowing how many pets are in shelters, I did my best to get him to go with a rescue, but sometimes you lose the fight. The rest have come to us as rescues, and as a result, give me the least opening and I will hammer you about the head with the Spay/Neuter your Pets message (lol). Oh, and I love shepherds. We had a mix for many years - we rescued her from a drug dealer, but that’s a story for another time. Sweetest dog.
Your writing question was how do you know when you’ve included just enough, and not too much sexuality in your story?
For me, it’s got to be intrinsic to the storyline, to fit. I don’t want the sex tacked in just to make it qualify as an erotic romance. Now, my vampire stories are erotic D/s - basically in the vampire world, human servants are expected to perform as sexual submissives as a part of their normal duties. It’s a key issue for Jacob, when he comes into Lyssa’s service, because he’s an alpha warrior type, a former vampire hunter. He’s trained to serve her for months, but there’s still something in his personality resisting it that must be resolved. In short, it’s part of the plotline. My mermaid books are sensual romance - at the beginning, when Jonah needs healing, he doesn’t want to use the type of angel-level magic that will attract unwanted attention, so he calls on Anna to help him heal with an earth-based form of magic - Joining Magic, which is essentially like Great Rite magic in Wiccan practice, or raising energy through sexual connection. The sex is handled much more romantically and gently in this book, but again, it is woven in, not just thrown at it to make it more titillating.
That said, readers are very specific in what they want when it comes to sexual content, and even integrated in well, if they don’t like it at a certain level, they’re not going to be happy. Which is why is good when the different lines try to make it clear how much to expect.
Hope that helps answer the question!
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Sorry, all - just noticed I’m starting to be more frequent on the typos - I’ll try to catch those, but if something comes through garbled, bring it to my attention so you don’t think I’ve started to speak in fumble finger language (equivalent to speaking in tongues orally!) :>
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Nadine, thank you! Boy, you all are doing my ego a world of good today! ;>
You asked who my favorite erotic paranormal writer and book was - that would be Denise Rossetti’s Gift of the Goddess, with Tailspin, her second book, a close second. Love her work, adore her work, and the woman herself is a treat. I go to her blog regularly just to laugh and relax - she’s the most creative thing, and I wish I had her world building skills. Because she’s one of my favorite authors, I’m always tickled pink to have her as one of my critique partners. She and Ann Jacobs (my other CP and another very talented lady) make my work far better as a group effort.
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Michelle B asked ?
Michelle, which one? The mermaids? If so, that one came about from me floating around in the ocean, looking up at the sky - in the interview with Rachel, I go into much more detail about it, but basically I was looking at the clouds and started seeing an angel fighting, then imagined him falling into the ocean and being rescued by a mermaid… As noted earlier, I love mermaids, and think I’ve always wanted to write a story with one. On my website, I have a free short story I wrote some years ago (Vision Quest, I think it’s called, about two male mermaids seducing a lone hiker when she comes to a secluded watering hole) and in some way, subconsciously I may have been working on the storyline ever since.
Now, if that wasn’t the one you meant, just let me know! :>
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Michele Bardsley - you are too kind! That was a lovely, lovely compliment, and particularly from a very talented fellow author. Plus you made me smile. I’m pleased to find I’m a nice person - working by myself every day, I must say that’s not always my opinion of myself (chuckle), particularly when I’m grumbling and snarling over that 3rd edit. :>
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Hi Joey, I’ve read your EC books but haven’t ventured to your mainstream publisher. It seems quite a departure to go from contemporary Ds to paranormal. I wondered if you find it harder to write and what your inspiration is?
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Dawn, what a good question. You asked if it was harder to write paranormal than contemporary D/s, in my transition from EC to Berkley.
Yes, contemporary is easier. It’s our world, our language, all the settings and trappings with which we’re familiar. Plus, in my contemporary D/s, the focus was almost solely on the relationship and it’s progress. There might be a side suspense element of some kind, but there was no doubt the book was erotic romance, and the suspense was primarily to further that relationship.
Paranormal, even if set in our world, is kind of a world inside our world that’s unexpected and needs to be structured. The paranormal usually needs a reason to exist - some kind of life-or-death struggle, or some type of non-romance related issue happening. So more room and integration is needed between the romance and paranormal plotting.
As many know, I write LONG books for the genres I write. My current one is at about 165k, and growing (A Vampire’s Promise). So from that standpoint, I’m comfortable integrating more plot points and world building. And while it is harder, I do love the paranormal as well as contemporary genres.
I didn’t decide to write the vampires or the angel/mermaids as a career step - it was simply a muse decision. When I got hooked up with an agent and she asked what I had in terms of proposals, the next idea percolating in my head was about a 1000 year old vampire queen. And since it was an erotic D/s romance, it was a smooth transition in that respect from the contemporaries I was writing.
Interestingly enough, my writing career started with an epic fantasy - in 2000 I had an ebook published called Guardian of the Continuum, which won the Dream Realms Award for Fantasy and finaled in the EPPIEs. The publisher folded, but I still have that book, and the outline for the rest of the series (5 books), which I hope one day to find a home for, when the time is right.
So in a nutshell, yes writing paranormal is harder than contemporary for me, but if the muse says write it, I’m ready to pour my heart into it. :>
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Oh, and PS on that - if you do decide to try one, Dawn, let me know what you think!
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I have not read your books, but am putting them on my ToBuy list.
Do you plan on writing about any other paranormal creatures?
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when thinking of a new storyline, how do you keep it fresh something we would never expect?
How do you come up with characters names?
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Estella, you and Laura K must be on the same wavelength (smile).
Right now, angels/mermaids and vampires are all I have in process, but I think it very likely I will have future books about the Fae/Fey (which is right? hmmm), because I’ve been exploring the edges of that world in the vampire and angel/mermaid books. I’m also intrigued by dragons, and of course I finished Shana Abe’s Dream Thief recently and it’s only piqued my interested further.
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Tina b. would like to know:
“what inspired the mermaid series?
and how far do you see the vamps going?”
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Hi Joey. I have said this before - you are one of my very favorite writers. I totally adore your work, and I have yet to find someone who can absolutely connect with the characters as you do. Add that to the fact that you write a lot of D/s , and I am in reader heaven! My question is kind of hard - do you have a favorite one of your books, and why if so? (not just the vampires, but all the books)
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Tina B asked, when thinking of a new storyline, how do you keep it fresh, something we’d never expect?
JWH - Do you know, this is something I NEVER think about? When I get an idea, I just follow my creative “nose”, so to speak. I guess there must be some subconscious avoidance of recycling storylines I’ve heard or read recently, but mostly I’m tracking what it is my characters need and want to find for that ultimate connection with one another. The settings, occupation or nature of my characters is something that evolves with that.
2) And how do I come up with characters’ names? That one just comes out of the empty space between my ears. I’ll jot down interesting names if I hear them, but typically I just think, okay, what’s the best name for this character, who happens to be an angel, who is the Prime Legion Commander, second only to Michael…he’s conflicted about all the battles he’s been in, all the friends he’s lost…and then out of that vacuous space I hear a name - Jonah. (smile)
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Tina b would like to know 1) what inspired the mermaid series? Well, you may have just read over my earlier response, where I indicated it was just an idea that filtered in my mind during a day on the beach, but on a higher level, I was intrigued by an angel’s search for faith when he’s lost it. I mean, here he is, aware that there IS a truly divine being - no question, no gray area, he knows She exists (in my mermaid/angel books, the angels serve the Goddess). But because of all the battle he’s been in, all the angels he’s led to their deaths, he’s feeling lost. His life has been about a higher purpose, and with that sense of purpose slipping through his fingers, it takes a mermaid, who is facing a tragic end at a very young age, to help him see what is worth fighting for still. It was an intriguing concept when it slid into my brain, and I had to follow it.
2) How far do you see the vamp series going? Right now I have two other books planned and two scheduled for release, which brings them to a total of six. Honestly, when I write, secondary characters who want their own book pop out of the woodwork, so I guess it will go on until they run out, or the publisher says the readers don’t want any more (smile). I have a situation building for change in the vampire world, because in my books, the vampires often have to acknowledge that they have feelings for their human servants, far beyond what is acceptable to the vampire world, which views humans as valuable but inferior in status. So if the books continue, there will likely have to be some acknowledgement or paradigm change in the Vampire Council, if all these vampires in love with their servants are running around (grin).
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Sheila, thank you so much, and am glad you take the time to keep me on track with that…
You wanted to know if one of my books is my favorite, and why? You’re right, that’s a very hard question for me. In the interview, I answered it for the current time period, because it really does vary as time passes, due to my frame of mind, what I’m working on, etc.
But if I step back from all of that, and think of the one I return to the most to re-read and be guided by the muse that inspired it, that would be Ice Queen and Mirror of My Soul (I name them both, because they were really one large book broken into two). As to why, I guess it was because the heroine drew me in so deeply. Marguerite was so damaged, I wasn’t sure if Tyler was going to be able to find that connection with her. An author doesn’t always have control of her characters - they often tell her where the book is going.
That gives me an opening to tell you all a secret, however (which of course now ceases to be a secret - laughter) - in A Mermaid’s Kiss, there is a character that is connected to those two books. I’ll let you all discover who it is, though… ;>
Something that would interest me is what book YOU would have thought is my favorite? (grin) Did this choice surprise you?
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Please don’t stop posting - I may just be gone for a little while to feed the dogs and cats and take them out to play in the yard, their usual routine. But I’ll be back shortly.
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Joey I think we might have been related in another life lol.
My first word ever was “cookie” and Nestle cookies are AWESOME ::as she stuff a cookie in her mouth::
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Joey, I really didn’t know what you would say about a favorite, but no that choice didn’t surprise me one bit. Why? Because those books delve the deepest into the emotions of any of your work (in my opinion of course!)
Second question; since you do write such emotional characters most of the time, is it harder for you to write one who is somewhat “colder” for lack of a better term? For instance, Dona in MOR?
And now, I will have to go buy more copies of IQ/Mirror because I must reread them AGAIN to attempt to figure out who is going to be in the new book, and mine have been loved to death……..
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I am happy to hear that this is going to be an ongoing series. Hope to see many more books. The new series sounds very interesting too. I am going to have to check out that one too.
Looking forward to it being released.
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Lyda, few foods say “comfort” like chocolate chip cookies. :>
Sheila, you asked if it was harder to write “colder” characters, like my Mistress of Redemption, Dona? I guess in some ways, Lyssa, my vampire queen, had an echo of Dona in her, because having lived as long as she had, and having made some very difficult decisions for the good of vampires, and for the wellbeing of those she loved, including her psychotic mate, Lyssa had some of that detachment.
People who are emotionally cold are often numb from something they’ve had to face, or worse, accept, that might be unbearable. That was Dona’s case. Knowing what lay beneath the harder exterior made her possible to write and explore. However, I do admit I enjoy my softer, more romantic characters.
But obeying the muse isn’t always about enjoyment, and Mistress of Redemption was one of those books that, once it was suggested to me, just had to be written - redeeming a truly bad man couldn’t tap into the same, softer emotional states of people who have been through bad things but still have an intact moral core. Jonathan’s core had to be rebuilt.
Intriguing question…hmmm…
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Okay, when you’re writing, do you need complete silence or is there background music playing that keeps you focused or inspired? (If so what do you listen to?)
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Erin, I much prefer music. In fact, I prefer earphones to lock me into a musical world, so I can be swept away by whatever mood I’m trying to fashion with the tunes. Plus, with so many dogs and cats running around (and a noisy husband on weekends), it really helps (lol).
As far as what tunes, it depends on the scene. Earlier I mentioned I do movie scores a lot of times for battles, like Braveheart, Postman, Kull the Conqueror, Matrix Revolutions, etc. For more emotional scenes, I have a huge variety, because it depends on the type of character and the level of emotion. Like for instance, I was recently working on an emotional scene between Danny and Dev in A Vampire’s Claim, and the Celtic Woman CD seemed to work well!
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Well, it’s about 9:30pm here, and I’m going to sign off and have about 30 minutes to visit with my husband before I go to bed. I have REALLY enjoyed being with you all today to talk about mermaids, angels, vampires and erotic romance. I will check back in the morning to see if there are any last, lingering questions or comments to answer. You’re also welcome to email me through my website if have any other questions, http://www.storywitch.com. Thanks again for letting me be with you!
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Thanks for being with us Joey! It was a VERY interesting day. I really learned quite a bit.
We will let the contest run through noon Pacific time tomorrow, so please feel free to post questions and what not until then. Winners will be announced later in the week.
Thanks to Joey and everybody who made it out today!
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i enjoyed the interview, and love you website!
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Sorry I am late to comment.
My question has already ben answered too. lol It was about you have woman as the dom and the male as a sub. I have always shied away from those types of books but now knowing why I think I just might have to give them a try.
I have read Virtual Reality and loved the emotional part of it so much. Mark and Nicole have to be two of my favorite for that reason. I am not a cryer but it got me teary eyed.
Also, I have always made it a point to write authors and let them know that I enjoyed their book. You have always answered back quickly and that too makes a difference for readers. Thank you.
I didn’t make you jump through those hoops. Darn! Thank you for stopping by and good luck on the rest of the series.
Katie
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Hi Joey!! Can’t tell you how excited I am on the MERMAID book! So been looking forward to that one since I heard it was coming out! Reading your interview and how MERMAID came to you while floating and looking up in the sky, you had me picturing it all (yes you floating, but too, those angels up there, smile). With this being a two part series, is there plans for another series and if so, what theme will it be? I did see at your site all you are doing! So much to look forward to, its so exciting. Really, thank you for all you do, its really so much a joy having your reads to cherish.
One quick fun question since so many are here and hope its not a repeat. Given where the inspiration came from, floating in the water, whats the second strangest place you’ve came up with ideas for a book and which one?
Thanks. Cathie tbranxiety @ yahoo . com
(For the contest info):
1. Comments/questions are above!
2. All subscribed to BYB newsletter!
3. Posted the link to this interview with Joey on my MySpace blog at: http://www.myspace.com/auntcaffey
4. I have all of Joey’s books! Just waiting for the new ones to come out!
5. Added you to my MySpace!
6. Still figuring out how to do the share part but working on it!
7. I posted on the reviews up on Joey’s. Really my wishlist is huge from visiting this group with all the reviews here, its great.
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Hi Joey,
My question is how did you come up with the idea of Devlin being an Aussie bushman?
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Hi Joey! You’ve gone to bed now, but maybe you’ll answer these questions tomorrow! I’m another mermaid lover, and have felt that they were underrepresented in paranormal and fantasy fiction (though that’s starting to change). I was wondering whether there were any supernatural creatures you’d like to see more of in paranormal fiction? I also wonder whether you have given any thought as to which actors would portray any of your characters in a hypothetical film.
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Hi Joey,
Have all your books and waiting reathlessly for the next…I understand that I am late. Time difference is a bugger (LOL)What a wondrful insight into your realm this interview has been…there isn’t a lot left that hasn’t been asked or answered already.
Do you find it a head spin to put yourself in another place altogether different from what you know so well…. How challenging is it for you to write of a place that you have no experience, even with all the research?
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Thank-you to BBB for letting us into the wonderful world of the StoryWitch
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Thanks, Joey. You know I actually have Guardian of the Continuum. I’d completely forgotten you wrote that. LOL. I’ll have to dig it out and refresh my memory.
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Thank you Joey for an inciteful interview. I have read several of your books, but I keep going back to the “Board Resolution” in the anthology “Behind the Mask”. I just loved the sensual interaction between Matt and Savannah, which allowed her to finally realize her own happiness. What an amazing dance you created! Any plans for further books for the gentleman..Lucas, Peter, Jon, etc.?
Thank you for doing what you do!
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I’ve never had the pleasure of discovering your books, but after reading this interview today I am definitely making a note of them so I can add them to my TBR.
That said, do you think you’ll ever branch out into another genre beside paranormal? I know you said you believe in the motto “never say never”, but I wondered if you had any definitely thoughts on the matter either way.
Thanks so much!
RebekahC
littleminx at cox dot net
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Hello Joey my question is what is the first book you read that inspired you to read more?
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Left a comment on both book reviews.
Thanks
RebekahC
littleminx at cox dot net
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Meant to mention earlier and forgot… I just had to say I love your name! My oldest daughter (5) is actually named Joey too. Is Joey your real given name? You don’t see too many girls with the name, and to find a female author with the same name is just too cool. Yep, another good reason to check out your books. LOL
Rebekah
P.S. I STUMBLED this post. Thank you.
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Meant to mention earlier and forgot… I just had to say I love your name! My oldest daughter (5) is actually named Joey too. Is Joey your real given name? You don’t see too many girls with the name, and to find a female author with the same name is just too cool. Yep, another good reason to check out your books. LOL
Rebekah
littleminx at cox dot net
P.S. I STUMBLED this post. Thank you.
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I have just worked my way to the end of this interview and my eyes have been getting wider an wider. Even after all this time, Joey, you never cease to amaze me.
Thanks for the compliments and thanks for letting me nibble just the slightest bit on Dev. *sigh* You’re a generous soul.
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Tam, thanks so much!
Katie, it’s a pleasure to see you here, and glad we covered one of your questions. It really does make a difference when I hear from the readers. You can’t believe the number of times I think - God, I need to be a greeter at Wal-Mart (laughter). Then I get a wonderful email in from a reader like you and recommit myself. I’m also glad you’re going to give the FemDom a chance. I have readers who have expressed that, while they have their own preferences, what they really like is my style of writing, regardless of genre and who is holding the reins. And that is music to my ears - I hope to keep offering that experience, as long as the muse is kind.
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you amaze me- really many of the questions are already asked and answered- I just wonder how hard it is to keep it on line or does your mind wonder and start new stories, try to correct already done stories, etc.
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Caffey, thank you so much again. Very glad you were here!
1) Do I have plans for another series after the angel/mermaid and vampires?
Oh, I hope so. Whenever I reach a “finishing point” with a book, there always seems to be another story within reach. Right now I certainly have enough series going (vampires, angel/mermaids, Nature of Desire and Knights of the Board Room), but I know there will be others coming. As I noted earlier, the Fae/Fey world interests me a great deal. The muse hasn’t given me anything specific yet (probably because she’s sitting back with her arms crossed and a gimlet eye, saying “don’t you have ENOUGH to do right now?”), but I suspect she will in the future.
2) You also asked for the second strangest place I’ve come up with an idea for a book. It actually wasn’t a book, it was a short story, a free one posted on my site, called Halloween Knight (it’s a bit older, so the writing’s likely a little rough, but it’s still one of my favorites on the site). I wrote it entirely in the hospital, the evening my husband got in a serious head-on collision. Fortunately, he only had a compound fracture of one leg, but they had to take him into surgery. It was very odd -you know how busy hospitals are, but the waiting room I was in was completely deserted, so for the hours I waited between surgery and recovery, I scribbled that first draft. Think I would have gone mad otherwise.
While I would certainly never wish that to happen again, it was the perfect mood to write Sam’s story - poignant, remembering how awful things can become at the blink of an eye, but also how wonderful and resilient the human spirit can be as well. And thank the Light for guardian angels. :>
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Lilly, good morning! Sorry I didn’t get to your question last night. You asked how I came up with the idea of Dev being an Aussie bushman. He and Danny showed up as secondary characters in Mark of the Vampire Queen, and for whatever reason, the first time he spoke in my head, I knew he was Australian. As Mark of the VQ continued, I started thinking about the type of person who would have the right mindframe to be a vampire’s servant in Australia, and of course a bushman made so much sense - resourceful, living on the edge of civilization, etc. Of course that means he also comes with a conflicting broad streak of independence, but that’s what made his and Danny’s story so much fun to write. I’m going to post another excerpt on the Raven Vampire Night Club loop today for their Reader’s Bash if you want another taste of him (grin).
I also liked the idea of them first meeting in the 1950’s, and having him be a WWII veteran, because the history of the Australians’ participation in WWII was so interesting to me.
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Hey, Kimberly B - okay, you asked 1) if there were any supernatural creatures I’d like to see more of in paranormal fiction?
I agree with you - mermaids, for certain, but I’m now more understanding of why we don’t - writing underwater is not easy! (laughter) I wouldn’t mind seeing the dragons make more of a comeback, like the days of Anne McCaffrey. And same for Elves - feel like they’re a bit underrepresented, and I did love those Elves of LA books. Okay, and yeah, I went a little crazy over Haldir and Legolas in the Lord of the Rings’ movies.
As to 2) whether I’ve given any thought as to which actors would portray any of my characters in a hypothetical film, oh, most definitely. I love movies - they’re my therapy for most things. Now, I’ll tell you just a couple I’ve thought of, because I don’t want to destroy who readers imagine when they read my characters. :> Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and once I give the book to you, the characters can be imagined any way you wish. Even I prefer to preserve a unique image of them in my head, whether or not a certain actor makes me think of them.
So, that said, for the vampire books, Jacob was easy for me - David Wenham, or rather the character of Faramir he played in Lord of the Rings - that character screamed Jacob to me. Kate Beckinsale (the look she had in Van Helsing) would make a good Lyssa.
For the upcoming A Mermaid’s Kiss, I could see Hugh Jackman doing a great job with Jonah (sort of a mix of Wolverine’s ferocity and Leopold’s awesome beauty). The girls are harder. Maybe Anna Paquin going blond to be Anna? Though I suspect my husband might prefer she be played by Jessica Alba or Biel (lol).
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Maryde, no worries - the great thing about these kinds of interviews is there’s time to get in questions, and read the previous posts, no matter when you get here. Glad you stopped in!
You asked if it was a head spin to put myself in another place altogether different from what I know well, and how challenging is it to write of a place of which you have no experience, even with research?
I think, as long as I fall in love with the story, it might be challenging, but it’s doable. Like with A Vampire’s Claim, for several weeks all I did was read, eat and breathe Australian history, vernacular, jump around to all sorts of Aussie sites, watch Aussie movies, etc. and bug poor Denise to death (she really deserves more than a nibble of Dev, per her later comment - Danny should loan him to her for a full meal - wink).
As long as I believe the story is clamoring to be written, as long as I feel the connection to the characters when I put pen to page (so to speak), I don’t get too nervous about whether I’ll be able to pull off an unfamiliar environment. Because it’s familiar to the characters, if that makes sense, and once I have that strong research foundation, I let them guide me a lot. Of course, all that said, once it’s all written, it really is invaluable to have someone who does know your setting read it over, just to smooth things (wink).
As far as unfamiliar paranormal settings, I grew up a fantasy reader, imagining and wishing I was in those worlds, so those are probably easier than the ones where I have to check historical facts. And my husband has a crate full of old D&D gaming books that help if I do need to check about the parameters of certain creatures (before I deliberately decide to break those parameters -grin).
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DawnM - you have an old copy of GOTC? How excellent! Smile. It needs quite a bit of updating - it’s amazing how our world has changed in 10 years, but I’m looking forward to polishing it up one day and finding it a new home, as well as the second book in the planned 5-book series, Legacy of the Raven (paranormal meets historical with 17th century pirates - wonderful tale).
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Loretta, thank you! You wanted to know if there are going to be further books about the boys from Board Resolution (the Behind the Mask anthology). Yes! In fact, I’m excited to tell you one is coming out in December - the Unlaced anthology contains Controlled Response, my story, along with three other great tales by Jaci Burton, Jasmine Haynes and Denise Rossetti.
Controlled Response is Lucas’s story, and there’s an opening excerpt on my site if you want to check it out, under Peek Inside the Cauldron(grin). However, I’ve submitted a proposal for the other three “Knights of the Board Room”, Peter, Jon and Ben, which will be standalone novels. They’re going to be incredibly diverse in the women they choose. No more hints right now, until the proposal’s accepted, but I’m looking forward to giving my readers another dose of my contemporary D/s with these three.
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This is an amazing prize:
Quote:
“AUTOGRAPHED copies of her amazing books, The Vampire Queen’s Servant and the sequel, The Mark of the Vampire Queen; OR, a copy of A Mermaid’s Kiss, her sensual paranormal coming out November 2008 (reader’s choice). In addition Bitten by Books will be giving away a $20.00 Amazon.com Gift Card to one lucky participant.”
I have been wondering if Joey plans on ending the series at a certain point or will she continue on with sequels?
I would love an autography copy! A big fan here!
Thanks Amy
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Rebekah, delighted to be discovered by you, and hope you enjoy the books. You asked if I’ll ever branch out into another genre besides paranormal?
Right now I write in three primary genres - paranormal erotic romance, paranormal regular heat-level romance, and contemporary erotic. Contemporary erotic actually built the foundation of my current career, but I’ve always crossed between contemporary and paranormal comfortably, and I can do varying heat levels without difficulty as well - just whatever the story demands.
My agent has talked to me about both young adult and women’s mainstream fiction, and I have ideas in both those areas, so we’ll see. Nothing for the immediate future while I move the other ideas forward, but I expect those ideas will come to fruition in time.
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Rebekah, sorry - you asked about my name! Yes, Joey is my given name, not a nickname. My mother named me after Joey Heatherton, the dancer. Of course, as a result, my dancing is only good for comedic relief, but I don’t blame her for that (grin).
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Joey!
Do you have other paranormals out besides the Vampire Queen Series and the Mermaid Series? If so, can you list them here? When you get a chance that is.
I saw something about paranormal meets pirates and about came off my seat! LOL
Thanks!
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Sandy, hello! You asked how hard it is to keep my mind focused on the current project, or if my mind wanders onto new stories, tries to correct those already done, etc.
At one time, that was a problem. But once I signed a contract that put me on a fairly demanding deadline schedule, it was easier to keep my brain on track. I’m intensely Type A - in fact, some might suggest a little on the OCD side of the line (but we’re not interviewing my husband here - lol), so I just know when I sit down in the morning, there’s a certain time for email, certain time for working on the current project, etc. Then at night there’s more flexibility for new story brainstorming, etc. And the other good thing about being under contract is that you do editing rounds. After it leaves your hands, you can’t do anything more, so it’s a moot point. ;> Thank goodness, otherwise I’d edit the poor things to death.
Despite how regimented that all sounds, there is a great deal of room for creativity - it just becomes balanced with the necessity of discipline to meet the business requirements (bluck!).
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Ack, Dorothy, I almost skipped over you! So sorry about that! You asked a great question - the first book I read that inspired you to read more?
Bambi, by Felix Salten. Nope, this isn’t the Disney version. This is the one that had serious adult themes about death, cycle of life, etc. It was so moving to me. I think I was about seven or eight. I was already reading regularly, but that one just captured my imagination, made me realize books could change my perspective on my life and the world around me.
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Amy, I wish you luck in the drawing!! You asked if I was planning on ending the vampire series at some point or will it continue? For right now, the books will keep coming. A Vampire’s Claim and A Vampire’s Promise will come out in 2009 (VC already has a scheduled date of March 2009). There’s a proposal submitted to my publisher for two more after that - I think I described them earlier in the Q&A, but basically they will pick up secondary characters from A Vampire’s Claim that I want to explore further. Since I always seem to be blessed with intriging side characters, I think the series will be around for awhile, as long as the readers want them. :>
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Good morning, Rachel! You asked for a full roster of my available paranormals, other than the angel/mermaids and vampire series.
I have a handful of paranormal free short stories on my site, and several of my Ellora’s Cave titles have paranormal themes/elements -
Choice of Masters (part of the Enchained anthology) - medieval setting where a knight goes to a wizard’s castle to save an ensorcelled woman
Threads of Faith (part of the Faith & Dreams anthology) - a man visits a witch’s home in the woods to seek a love potion, but is there for far different reasons.
If Wishes Were Horses - my hero is a Wiccan priest who runs an erotica shop, my heroine is a small town police chief, and they’re working on a murder with paranormal elements.
Now, a little more explanation on pirates meet paranormal. Guardian of the Continuum was the first book in a 5-book planned series. As noted earlier, when it was published in 2000 by Dark Star Publications (a wonderful small e-book start up that didn’t make it), it did very well with awards and reviews. However, because non-erotic e-books have, as yet, not really gained wide distribution unless offered by a well-known name, eventually I offered it for a small fee on my site, and then my agent suggested I pull it, update it and we’d market it for a new print home sometime in the future. During that time, I’d also started and completed the second book in the series, Legacy of the Raven.
GOTC has a traditional high fantasy premise, mixed with contemporary life - a powerful magic user from another world comes to an American college, seeking two priestesses of his world, working there in secret, who have disappeared. By the time the book ends, we’re facing apocalypse and all sorts of fun challenges. There’s a prophecy at the end of the book, that five Guardians will come from different worlds and time periods, to join with our original Guardian, to help save our world.
Therefore, the second book, Legacy of the Raven, introduces the Guardian that will come through time and water - he’s a young boy, who, through a series of events, is kidnapped by a notorious pirate, the Raven. Setting is the 1690s, the Golden Age of Piracy. During the story, the Raven becomes the boy’s Protector (all Guardians have one) and helps him get to the Continuum doorway. The boy’s governess becomes the pirate’s lover, because you know all my work has a strong central romance. :> The work of course has strong historical elements, as well as the paranormal.
That’s it in a very small nutshell, but the other three books will bring forth Guardians from a vampire world, a world with dragons and princesses, and a Guardian from an entirely unexpected place - the home of the original Guardian. As you can see, each of these books pulls from different genre settings, but they’re all driven by romance and paranormal elements.
So, in short, they’re not available right now, but I really hope they will be one day. I can’t imagine I wrote them for no purpose other than to hone my craft. Some books end up in dusty drawers forever, as memorabilia of a writer’s career, but I don’t have that feeling about this story. ;>
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Thanks Joey! That is awesome. I can’t wait to read the other books.
And hurry up on that pirate series. LOL (just kidding).
BTW I LOVE the word ensorcelled! Hardly anybody uses it which is a shame.
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Nice prize. Count me in!
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Joey~ checked out the excerpt on your website for Lucas. Yummy!! I’ve pre-ordered the book on B&N. I just love those gentleman, so I’ll be keeping my fingers crossed that the proposals are accepted. Also have your mermaid book ordered too! Love to see what you do with that concept.(grin)
Take care!
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Thanks, Rachel - I’d love to give you the pirates in the near future. Glad you signed up for the prize, Terry! And Loretta, thanks so much for the preorder. :>
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Sounds like a neat book
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I love this genre of books!
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Wanna win!
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looks spooky
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When you were young, did you watch Dark Shadows? Did you know at a young age what you wanted to do when you grew up and did you always have an interest in vampires? I love reading books in this genre because it temporarily takes me into a fantasy world that is so totally removed from anything in my real life that it actually keeps me a more grounded person when I return from it! Does that make sense to anyone else?
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[...] Joey Hill, author of The Vampire Queen’s Servant, by Bitten by Books. There’s also a contest for a couple of her novels as well as a $20 Amazon Gift Certificate, so make sure you get over and check it out. The contest runs until midnight tonight. [...]
After reading through everything here, including the comments, I am waiting with bated breath for payday to get here, so I can go out and find these books, so I can read them, and catch up on all I have been missing! Darned military paydays! I have to wait til Monday! LOL
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what’s your opinion of the new vampire series on hbo?
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Do your character become real to you and do you still think about them once you have their story written?
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Joanna, Barbara, Christopher and Belinda - my apologies! I swung back by today and didn’t realize I had a few lingering questions. Let me meet my page quota today and then I promise to come back and post answers either tonight or sometime this weekend. Thanks for your patience, and the great questions.
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Joanna, you asked 1) If I ever watched Dark Shadows? I caught a part of one episode one night by chance, because I’d heard so many good things about it. When it came to my attention, it was gone from TV – I bet the series is still available, though.
You also asked 2) Did I know what I wanted to do when I grew up and did I always have an interest in vampires? I started writing when I was in 5th grade, and held onto the idea I would be a writer all the way into college. Then I took an unexpected hiatus into the animal rights/welfare field for ten years. I’m glad I did that for a couple reasons – one, it’s a cause that’s still close to my heart. Two, it gave me time to gather some life experiences I feel enriched my writing exponentially.
And yes, vampires have always intrigued me. Don’t laugh, but it started with George Hamilton’s portrayal of a vampire in Love at First Bite. Yes, it was comedy, but there was a sexy undercurrent to it that really caught my attention. Follow that up with Chris Sarandon in Fright Night and LKH’s Guilty Pleasures, and my interest in the sexy, mesmerizing vampire was intensified. Oh, and would Buffy have been as good without the introduction/conflict of her love for Angel? Sigh.
And Joanna, you expressed my thoughts about fiction like this perfectly! I’ve always felt that with the challenges we face in real life, the ability to escape into a marvelous story with an HEA, wonderful characters and relationships, helps us face those challenges with a much more balanced feeling. It’s always helped me that way. Well said!
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Barbara, I’m so happy to hear we inspired you to buy, and am flattered you’ll spend some hard earned money on my work. Hope it doesn’t disappoint!
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Christopher, I haven’t yet seen the new vampire series, because I don’t have HBO, but I hope Charlaine Harris is happy with it. Often I look at those from the author standpoint – so frequently, they use the concept of the book only, and discard the rest, so it really doesn’t resemble the book. This can be good or bad, depending. For instance, I love Bones, the series. While I haven’t read a Kathy Reich book, I understand her fans say the series has virtually almost no similarities to the book, even to the age and marital status of the main character, and that was disappointing to them.
I’m a big Nora Roberts’ fan, and what they did with her movies on Lifetime was so abysmal it made me wonder if they even read the books, or understood what romance was about.
I hope to get ahold of Sookie’s series when it runs on cable or is available on DVD, though, and see how they did with it. There have been so many great paranormal series lately, I have more hope they’ll do a good job with it. :>
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Oh, very much so. A psychologist might have a field day with this, but I’ve always believed that an author is just tapping into a different world, where the characters are real, wanting to have their stories told (maybe that’s why I hope that the afterlife is just a leisurely journey through our favorite books, interspersed with reunions with our loved ones). And the writing process lends itself to that idea, because how many times do you hear an author talk about arguing with their character, or the dang stubborn hero or heroine insisted on going an entirely different direction than the author intended (smile).
And you do think about them long after, because in truth, writing a book is a lot like being thrown into some kind of intense survival training with a stranger. By the time you’ve eaten, slept and lived practically on top of each other non-stop for however long it takes the book to be done, they’re a part of your life. Plus, we give our characters parts of ourselves – our experiences, our hopes and needs, depending on what kind of character they are, so that makes the bond between you even stronger.
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Whoops, sorry - that last comment was answering Belinda’s question as to whether the character becomes real to me, and whether I think about them long after I write him/her!
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