Hi y’all,
First up, a huge thank-you to the lovely Roxanne for having me here at Fang-tastic Books. I’ve been here before and had a wonderful time, so I begged her to let me come back.... And she’s such a sweetie, she couldn’t say no ;-)
I recently organised a poll where I asked commenters about their new book promo likes and dislikes. Interestingly enough, the majority of commenters are like me: they enjoy reading interviews where the author shares a little bit about themselves and their writing process. So rather than sticking to a traditional “here’s some stuff about my book, here’s the blurb, here’s an excerpt, hope you like it!” format, I thought I’d ask my newsletter subscribers and the charming LIST forum ladies to send me interview questions, and I’d answer them here at Fang-tastic Books.
Here’s what they wanted to know:
Q: Have you always written paranormals? And did you set out to be an erotic romance author?
When it comes to paranormal or fantasy elements in my stories, I just can’t seem to help myself. It must be the way my brain’s wired—scary thought! So yes, I’ve always written paranormals or fantasies. I do have an idea for a contemporary story with absolutely no weird stuff, but I’m not holding my breath for it to end up “normal”, LOL.
As for the erotic romance aspect? Believe me, I wouldn’t be writing erotic romance under my real name if I’d set out to be an erotic romance author! I’d definitely have some fabulously awesome pen-name, instead, LOL.
I’ve always just written “romance”—anything from YA, to sweet, to hot. I got the opportunity to be an erotic romance author when I spotted a call for entries to Red Sage’s Alpha Male Novella Contest, and decided to write something for it. I submitted Even Demons Get The Blues and wonder of wonders, it was a finalist and I was offered a contract! And I’ve loved working with my Red Sage editors so much that I’ll continue to write for them as long as they want me.
Q: How did you come up with the titles for your Red Sage novellas?
With Even Demons Get The Blues, it was easy. Take one jaded, 6000-year-old Drakon demon, who’s the last of his kind and fed up to his fangs with all the political crap that comes with being the demon king’s enforcer, and stir. Do demons even get the blues? Oh yeah. In my version of hell, they certainly do, LOL. Poor Rezon. He really was miserable until he found Leisa.
Let Sleeping Demons Lie was a different process. I was actually researching sayings about cats, because the heroine of this story is Naamah, a felinoid demon. And in the course of surfing various websites, I came across the well-known saying, “Let sleeping dogs lie”. And that got me thinking about a scene I intended to write, where Naamah first encounters Brennan, a lion shifter. She’s lying unconscious under a tree, and everything about her is a lie. So sleeping dogs became sleeping demons, with the added benefit of “lie” having two meanings ;-)
Q: What was your inspiration for your first published novella, Even Demons get the Blues?
In the TV series, Saving Grace, Grace is a cop who’s not a “good” girl by any stretch of the imagination. She’s heavily into booze and cigarettes, and she’s having an affair with her married partner. But Grace isn’t irredeemable, and her strength and vulnerability and determination really impressed me—even if I did want to wince, and smack her upside the head for some of her antics! So I decided to take a risk and write heroine who’s not at all a “nice” girl. Hence, Leisa, the heroine of Even Demons Get The Blues.
Q: Let Sleeping Demons Lie is the second novella in your Demons series. Can it be read standalone?
Absolutely! I couldn’t resist bringing back a couple of characters from the first novella. Most notably Asmodeus, the demon king. He’s become somewhat of a reader favourite, and I’ve had multiple requests for him to have his own story. I have no idea why readers like him so much. Could it be because he’s such a sarcastic, dreadfully amoral, painfully handsome devil? ;-) Leisa, the heroine from Even Demons Get The Blues, also pops in to put a spoke in Asmodeus’s devious plans.
And of course I’m hoping that readers will go back and read Even Demons Get The Blues because they’re curious about how Leisa became so powerful, considering she used to be human, and what Naamah did to get Asmodeus so riled in the first place.
Q: We love Asmodeus! When is he gonna get his own story?
Soon, I promise! I’m just waiting for him to pull some truly heinous stunt so I have an excuse to punish him as he so richly deserves ;-)
Q: If you could be one of the characters in your books, who would it be, and why?
I think I’d like to be Calista, the heroine of my recently contracted novel-length space opera, From The Ashes. Why? Well, she has her own space ship—awesome! And what woman wouldn’t want to encounter a gorgeous alien hero with an, er, added extra? (I can hear certain people in the know sniggering—hush, you lot!)
Q: When you start on a story do you just keep writing as the inspiration/ideas come to you, or do you jot them down in an outline and go from there?
I have a concept involving couple of characters in mind, a beginning scene, an ending, and everything in the middle is pretty much a surprise! That said, I have just completed a novella that was fully outlined. But it’s turned out to be a little heavy on plot and secondary characters, so I’m about to tackle a rewrite. See what happens when I plot? LOL.
Q: We love the humor in your books, and reviewers have commented on this, too. Do you consciously plan the fun stuff, or does it just happen?
Cross my heart, it just happens. I suspect I’ve got a huge store of inner snark just waiting to be liberated—perhaps it’s genetic? I’m not sure. But since I spend most of my time sitting in front of my computer, I take my snark out on my characters and force them to deal with it. It’s much more socially acceptable that way ;-)
Q: Tell us three things personal things about yourself!
I’m a Kiwi (New Zealander). I love really dark chocolate, good coffee, and excellent wine. And I suspect I’ve got what you Americans like to call a “potty-mouth” *hangs head in shame*
Q: You’ve mentioned that your characters often taken over and do some surprising stuff. Tell us about that.
Well, in my current wip, Kat On A Hot Tin Roof, I sure didn’t plan for Kat, the heroine, to be an interior decorator. She was supposed to be a lawyer, and I’d done a heap of background research, too, darnit! But she didn’t think much about that plan. So I ended up tossing the research and going with her chosen career, LOL.
I’m always getting in trouble with my secondary characters when I write novella-length fiction. For example, Kat’s grandmother organises a moon-hopper race up at her retirement village, and ends up spraining her ankle when she bounces right off the thing. And the sheriff and his deputy just about fall off their chairs laughing when Kat brings in yet another item that her cat has stolen. Did I plan any of that? Heck no! And ultimately, that last scene will have to go to make way for some more hot stuff between Kat and the hero, Jace. I’m hoping I’ll get to keep the moon-hopping old folks, though *VBG*
Honestly, when characters want to do stuff, I always let them. Naamah ended up with her own story because I had to scale back her scenes in Even Demons Get The Blues, and I couldn’t bear to leave her hurting after Rez and Leisa found their happily ever after.
Q: How do you figure out your characters’ physical characteristics?
Unlike some authors, who use pictures and photos as inspiration for their characters, I just have a hazy picture in my head, and I work from that. I don’t like to get too specific upfront, because my characters just write themselves as they want to be portrayed.
Q: Can you share some information about your new release with us please?
Let Sleeping Demons Lie is a May 1st Red Sage Presents release. Here’s the blurb:
Naamah’s been stripped of her everything—her memories, her demonic powers, and her clothes!—and dumped in a savage wilderness. She believes she is human and has no idea that non-humans even exist—just as well, considering that she’s got a phobic fear of Lycans and the man who finds her is a Lion shape shifter.
Brennan is a Prime, that most alpha of alphas, and he has no time for demon females—not when he can crook a claw and any Lycan female he chooses will come running. Even though he suspects the woman he’s named “Kitten” is not what she appears to be, he lays claim to her body… and her heart. When they’re ambushed by sadistic were-hyenas and Brennan is severely injured, Kitten’s only chance of saving them both is to reclaim her demonic heritage—even if it means revealing her true self and losing Brennan’s love.
You can also read a couple of excerpts on my website:
http://www.mareeanderson.com/books/let-sleeping-demons-lie
And if you’d like the chance to win an electronic copy of Let Sleeping Demons Lie, then please simply leave me a comment or ask me a question—I love answering questions! I’ll draw one commenter at random, so good luck, and I hope you enjoy Brennan and Naamah’s story.
Hugs,
Maree Anderson
(writing as Maree Anderson *g*)
First up, a huge thank-you to the lovely Roxanne for having me here at Fang-tastic Books. I’ve been here before and had a wonderful time, so I begged her to let me come back.... And she’s such a sweetie, she couldn’t say no ;-)
I recently organised a poll where I asked commenters about their new book promo likes and dislikes. Interestingly enough, the majority of commenters are like me: they enjoy reading interviews where the author shares a little bit about themselves and their writing process. So rather than sticking to a traditional “here’s some stuff about my book, here’s the blurb, here’s an excerpt, hope you like it!” format, I thought I’d ask my newsletter subscribers and the charming LIST forum ladies to send me interview questions, and I’d answer them here at Fang-tastic Books.
Here’s what they wanted to know:
Q: Have you always written paranormals? And did you set out to be an erotic romance author?
When it comes to paranormal or fantasy elements in my stories, I just can’t seem to help myself. It must be the way my brain’s wired—scary thought! So yes, I’ve always written paranormals or fantasies. I do have an idea for a contemporary story with absolutely no weird stuff, but I’m not holding my breath for it to end up “normal”, LOL.
As for the erotic romance aspect? Believe me, I wouldn’t be writing erotic romance under my real name if I’d set out to be an erotic romance author! I’d definitely have some fabulously awesome pen-name, instead, LOL.
I’ve always just written “romance”—anything from YA, to sweet, to hot. I got the opportunity to be an erotic romance author when I spotted a call for entries to Red Sage’s Alpha Male Novella Contest, and decided to write something for it. I submitted Even Demons Get The Blues and wonder of wonders, it was a finalist and I was offered a contract! And I’ve loved working with my Red Sage editors so much that I’ll continue to write for them as long as they want me.
Q: How did you come up with the titles for your Red Sage novellas?
With Even Demons Get The Blues, it was easy. Take one jaded, 6000-year-old Drakon demon, who’s the last of his kind and fed up to his fangs with all the political crap that comes with being the demon king’s enforcer, and stir. Do demons even get the blues? Oh yeah. In my version of hell, they certainly do, LOL. Poor Rezon. He really was miserable until he found Leisa.
Let Sleeping Demons Lie was a different process. I was actually researching sayings about cats, because the heroine of this story is Naamah, a felinoid demon. And in the course of surfing various websites, I came across the well-known saying, “Let sleeping dogs lie”. And that got me thinking about a scene I intended to write, where Naamah first encounters Brennan, a lion shifter. She’s lying unconscious under a tree, and everything about her is a lie. So sleeping dogs became sleeping demons, with the added benefit of “lie” having two meanings ;-)
Q: What was your inspiration for your first published novella, Even Demons get the Blues?
In the TV series, Saving Grace, Grace is a cop who’s not a “good” girl by any stretch of the imagination. She’s heavily into booze and cigarettes, and she’s having an affair with her married partner. But Grace isn’t irredeemable, and her strength and vulnerability and determination really impressed me—even if I did want to wince, and smack her upside the head for some of her antics! So I decided to take a risk and write heroine who’s not at all a “nice” girl. Hence, Leisa, the heroine of Even Demons Get The Blues.
Q: Let Sleeping Demons Lie is the second novella in your Demons series. Can it be read standalone?
Absolutely! I couldn’t resist bringing back a couple of characters from the first novella. Most notably Asmodeus, the demon king. He’s become somewhat of a reader favourite, and I’ve had multiple requests for him to have his own story. I have no idea why readers like him so much. Could it be because he’s such a sarcastic, dreadfully amoral, painfully handsome devil? ;-) Leisa, the heroine from Even Demons Get The Blues, also pops in to put a spoke in Asmodeus’s devious plans.
And of course I’m hoping that readers will go back and read Even Demons Get The Blues because they’re curious about how Leisa became so powerful, considering she used to be human, and what Naamah did to get Asmodeus so riled in the first place.
Q: We love Asmodeus! When is he gonna get his own story?
Soon, I promise! I’m just waiting for him to pull some truly heinous stunt so I have an excuse to punish him as he so richly deserves ;-)
Q: If you could be one of the characters in your books, who would it be, and why?
I think I’d like to be Calista, the heroine of my recently contracted novel-length space opera, From The Ashes. Why? Well, she has her own space ship—awesome! And what woman wouldn’t want to encounter a gorgeous alien hero with an, er, added extra? (I can hear certain people in the know sniggering—hush, you lot!)
Q: When you start on a story do you just keep writing as the inspiration/ideas come to you, or do you jot them down in an outline and go from there?
I have a concept involving couple of characters in mind, a beginning scene, an ending, and everything in the middle is pretty much a surprise! That said, I have just completed a novella that was fully outlined. But it’s turned out to be a little heavy on plot and secondary characters, so I’m about to tackle a rewrite. See what happens when I plot? LOL.
Q: We love the humor in your books, and reviewers have commented on this, too. Do you consciously plan the fun stuff, or does it just happen?
Cross my heart, it just happens. I suspect I’ve got a huge store of inner snark just waiting to be liberated—perhaps it’s genetic? I’m not sure. But since I spend most of my time sitting in front of my computer, I take my snark out on my characters and force them to deal with it. It’s much more socially acceptable that way ;-)
Q: Tell us three things personal things about yourself!
I’m a Kiwi (New Zealander). I love really dark chocolate, good coffee, and excellent wine. And I suspect I’ve got what you Americans like to call a “potty-mouth” *hangs head in shame*
Q: You’ve mentioned that your characters often taken over and do some surprising stuff. Tell us about that.
Well, in my current wip, Kat On A Hot Tin Roof, I sure didn’t plan for Kat, the heroine, to be an interior decorator. She was supposed to be a lawyer, and I’d done a heap of background research, too, darnit! But she didn’t think much about that plan. So I ended up tossing the research and going with her chosen career, LOL.
I’m always getting in trouble with my secondary characters when I write novella-length fiction. For example, Kat’s grandmother organises a moon-hopper race up at her retirement village, and ends up spraining her ankle when she bounces right off the thing. And the sheriff and his deputy just about fall off their chairs laughing when Kat brings in yet another item that her cat has stolen. Did I plan any of that? Heck no! And ultimately, that last scene will have to go to make way for some more hot stuff between Kat and the hero, Jace. I’m hoping I’ll get to keep the moon-hopping old folks, though *VBG*
Honestly, when characters want to do stuff, I always let them. Naamah ended up with her own story because I had to scale back her scenes in Even Demons Get The Blues, and I couldn’t bear to leave her hurting after Rez and Leisa found their happily ever after.
Q: How do you figure out your characters’ physical characteristics?
Unlike some authors, who use pictures and photos as inspiration for their characters, I just have a hazy picture in my head, and I work from that. I don’t like to get too specific upfront, because my characters just write themselves as they want to be portrayed.
Q: Can you share some information about your new release with us please?
Let Sleeping Demons Lie is a May 1st Red Sage Presents release. Here’s the blurb:
Naamah’s been stripped of her everything—her memories, her demonic powers, and her clothes!—and dumped in a savage wilderness. She believes she is human and has no idea that non-humans even exist—just as well, considering that she’s got a phobic fear of Lycans and the man who finds her is a Lion shape shifter.
Brennan is a Prime, that most alpha of alphas, and he has no time for demon females—not when he can crook a claw and any Lycan female he chooses will come running. Even though he suspects the woman he’s named “Kitten” is not what she appears to be, he lays claim to her body… and her heart. When they’re ambushed by sadistic were-hyenas and Brennan is severely injured, Kitten’s only chance of saving them both is to reclaim her demonic heritage—even if it means revealing her true self and losing Brennan’s love.
You can also read a couple of excerpts on my website:
http://www.mareeanderson.com/books/let-sleeping-demons-lie
And if you’d like the chance to win an electronic copy of Let Sleeping Demons Lie, then please simply leave me a comment or ask me a question—I love answering questions! I’ll draw one commenter at random, so good luck, and I hope you enjoy Brennan and Naamah’s story.
Hugs,
Maree Anderson
(writing as Maree Anderson *g*)
For more information on Maree and her writing, check out her website at http://www.mareeanderson.com/
You can buy a copy of Let Sleeping Demons Lie at http://eredsage.com/store/Let_Sleeping_Demons_Lie__Maree_Anderson.html
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