The Giveaway is Over! Thanks so much for Participating!
Result will announced this week!
Hey Guys! How was your weekend? I had a lot of fun this Saturday with Terry’s Online Radio show and my BFF’s bday in the evening all through the night. I ended up sleeping throughout all sunday and only woke up Monday morning LOL.
Well, today is Tuesday and I have the pleasure of welcoming another great author in my Tuesday’s Lala’s Book Corner Presents!
I have here today Kelly Gay, Author of the new Charlie Madigan series, with its second book, The Darkest Edge of Dawn, coming out this August 31st!
I have yet to write my review of the first book, The Better Part of Darkness, but I loved the book and I just can’t wait for the sequel…
Kelly has also been super kind and is giving away a signed copy of The Better Part of Darkness… Giveaway deets at the end of this post!
Now on with the interview!
Enjoy!
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Larissa: When did you first start writing?
Kelly Gay: Ho boy. Long, long time ago. :) I started writing when I was a kid, then with career intentions when I was in my late teens with plays and screenplays. So, *cough* almost two decades ago. I made the switch to fiction when I completed my first novel in 2003.
L: Have you always enjoyed Fantasy?
KG: Always. From my earliest memories, fantasy was a part of my life. My mom and grandmother would tell me stories about fairies, show me places in the woods where they lived (old, jagged tree stumps make the best fairy castles), and really opened my mind to ‘Things Unseen’ from the beginning.
L: Why writing Urban Fantasy?
KG: I love the blend of our world with that of another, whether it’s a secret ‘other’ or out in the open like in my books. There’s something really cool about combining a world we all know, relate to, and understand with the fantasy world. Making all those myths and legends into reality, and blending modern with ancient, is a fun process and one full of limitless possibilities. The other part I love is writing about strong women -- compassion, strength, perseverance… All those things that make us who we are and define us.
L: Were there any Books, Movies or Writers that have inspired you?
KG: Tolkien. Marion Zimmer Bradley. Anne Rice. C.S. Lewis. Huge inspirations for me as I was developing as a writer/creative thinker.
L: What is your favorite subject in the Urban Fantasy Realm?
KG: That’s a hard one! I love writing and reading about gods. The idea of them from any culture/pantheon being brought forward into a modern urban fantasy setting is so intriguing to me. Another favorite is love—finding it, holding on to it, and all the trials that come with placing that emotion within a dangerous UF world.
Favorites:
L: Favorite Paranormal themed Movie?
KG: So hard to chose just one! I think this time I’ll go with The Fifth Element.
L: Favorite Paranormal themed TV Show?
KG: Right now I’m stuck on SyFy’s Merlin.
L: Favorite Paranormal themed Book?
KG:The Mists of Avalon
L: Favorite Author?
KG: Anne Rice.
L: Favorite Paranormal Romance Author?
KG: Karen Marie Moning
L: Favorite one of your Books?
KG: This changes depending on what I’m working on and how much trouble it’s giving me, but right now I’d have to pick The Darkest Edge of Dawn. It’s done. It’s about to release, and I’m really excited about the direction Charlie and company have taken in this book.
L: Who is your favorite of your own characters?
KG: Well, besides Charlie, I’d say Hank.
L: Why?
KG: He’s hot. (I felt it was important to get that one out of the way first). :D He’s so unique, and playing around with the male siren mythos has been a lot of fun for me. He’s been surprising me a lot lately, too, demanding more time in Charlie’s world. He has a shadowed past, and is pretty frustrated right now because his greatest power is contained, and because he wants things he cannot (or should not) have, even though he still make steps to have these things. So, he’s been a tad erratic lately. ;-)
L: Which was the hardest to write?
KG: As far as characters, Charlie has been the hardest to write. There are so many elements and levels to craft and develop when it comes to her. I want her to grow and evolve (and also to make mistakes) at a natural pace throughout the series and not have things always resolved too conveniently.
The hardest book to write has been this second one, The Darkest Edge of Dawn. I felt a ton of pressure. The book was bought before I’d written a world. I had a deadline not my own, and an editor to wow for a second time. With the first one, it was done and out there. People would like it or they wouldn’t. But the second, there is this hope and worry of pleasing those who put faith and money behind me, and as well pleasing the readers who liked the first book. To make the second even better than the first. It left me unable to write for a while. But thanks to my editor who totally understood the whole second book hump, I realized there was no way to please everyone, and I just had to do what I did with the first book: write the story *I* wanted to tell. The kinds of scenes and events that I enjoy, that move me, and make me really excited to be a writer.
L: What would you be if not a writer?
KG: In my Anything Is Possible Scenario, I’d be an archaeologist. Because putting my hands on the ancient past and immersing myself in ancient cultures would be like heaven and is as close as I’d ever get to the mysteries of the past. Realistically, if I couldn’t write, I’d be a stay-at-home mom. In which case, I’d still write. Ha! Writing feels right, the only job that fits me perfectly.
Quickies:
L: Coffee or Tea?
KG: Coffee
L: Up or Down?
KG: Up
L: Virtual or Real?
KG: Real
L: Right or Left?
KG: Left
L: Vampires or Werewolves?
KG: Vampires
L: Angels or Demons?
KG: Angels
L: Friends or Seinfeld?
KG: Seinfeld
L: Rolling Stones or The Beatles?
KG: The Beatles
L: Reading or Writing?
KG: (I just stared at this question for over a minute, LOL.) Writing.
L: What is your favorite part of the writing process?
KG: Creating things no one has before. New aspects, new traits, new beings. I love world building, and creating new characters.
L: What is your least favorite part?
KG: Writing description. Always want to bypass that and head straight for the action and dialogue.
L: The Charlie Madigan Series in your own words?
KG: Crazy-ass thrill ride? :D
L: Any plans for more Books in the series?
KG: Yes! I’m planning two more at least. And I’d love to write some stand alone novels featuring other characters in the books.
L: What is coming up next for you?
KG: The Darkest Edge of Dawn releases Aug. 31st, then I’ll have my new YA, Darkness Becomes Her, releasing under the name Kelly Keaton in Feb of 2011.
L: What are you working on right now?
KG: I’m a few chapters into the third Charlie Madigan book. Need to have that done by this fall, and then write the second YA in my contract, which is due this winter.
L: Do you have any advice or tip to those like me that want to become a published Author someday?
KG: My biggest piece of advice has always been to keep writing. Finish that first book (and write through the crap if you need to because it’s way easier to go back and have something to edit versus not having anything at all), rewrite, polish, and start submitting. And always start on something else. Don’t spend years and years of your life on one single project. By no means does that mean you have to give up selling your ‘firstborn’, but stay fresh. Write new material as well. Because you might not sell that first novel; you might sell the fifth. The point is to keep writing. Keep honing your craft.
L: Anything you would like to say to your fans out there?
KG: Most definitely. I adore my readers. And quite honestly I can get a bit choked up when I think about the people who have given Charlie and me a chance, who have spread the word, or written to me, and paid hard-earned money to read a new author. It’s very humbling. And thank you never seems to convey how I feel about that.
L: Thank you so much for being here!
KG: Thanks for having me, Larissa! It’s been a pleasure, and here’s to Happy Reading!
Now, the part I KNOW you guys are dying for…
The Giveaway!
You can win a SIGNED copy of The Better art of Darkness by Kelly Gay!
To Enter:
- Leave a comment about anything on this post.
- Leave an EMAIL for contact! (if you don’t feel comfortable leaving it here, email me at larissa@larissaslife.com)
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International!
Ends June 21st!
Good Luck!
Don’t Forget to vote on my Poll on the Top-Right Sidebar!
and
Don’t Forget to enter my Creative Writing Contest:
Doing It Write!
Re-Write the end of your favorite Book or Series for a chance to win somegreat prizes!
Top 5 will be picked by Authors:
Larissa Ione
Dakota Cassidy
Angie Frazier
&
Stella Price
Click HERE or on the image bellow for more info!
Thanks so much for tuning in and I’ll see you soon!
xoxo,
