Today I am joined by the lovely Tory Michaels . . . .
EM: Are you ready to play 20 questions? *Rubs hands together* Mwahaha!
Which do you find harder to write?
1. First person POV or Third?
Definitely first person. I don’t really like to read it, but I remember writing first person waaaaay back when I first started writing fiction. Those attempts no longer exist and I quickly moved from first to third.
2. As a male or female?
Much harder writing male perspective, though I enjoy getting out of my female lead’s head from time to time. They tend to be much more emotional.
3. Beginning, middle or end of the story?
It depends on which draft, I think. For my most recent, Blood-Mage Rising, I struggled for four months to come up with a starting place. Once I found the right spot, I blew out the first draft in 39 days. Second draft it was definitely the middle that was the hardest because I’d made some decisions about certain character arcs (I’d decided that my sociopath was capable of love, even if I didn’t intend on the two protags actually hooking up in BMR).
EM: There's nothing more irritating than wanting to write, and your muse refusing to cooperate with you. I've had a nice dose of that myself recently. Gotta love when it all clicks in to place though :-)
4. Fight scenes or smex scenes?
Smex. Definitely smex. They’re ALWAYS the last scenes to get written. Blood Rage was odd, in that I originally left the sex scenes out, fading to black. The initial offers I got to publish it both were dependent on putting sex scenes (at least one) through to completion. So, I put on my big-girl panties and managed to do it. It took a month plus to find the right way to do it, and I never managed to get a second one to completion. Blood Dreams (to be rewritten I suspect), I needed a ghost-writer to help b/c I just couldn’t manage to write them without a nudge. And in BMR…let’s just say certain scenes were cannibalized from the now-defunct Blood Dreams. I’m getting better at it though, or so I hope.
5. Synopsis or blurb?
Synopsis, now. Thanks to a recent article I read on the Fiction Groupie blog by Roni Loren, blurb/queries aren’t so bad any more.
As a writer, do you prefer:
6. Writing in the morning, afternoon or evening?
Depends on opportunity.
7. Writing with music, or in peace?
Music is peace. I always have music in the background if I’m writing.
8. Planning, or Improvising?
Improv. I might go in with a general idea where I want things to go, but there’s usually quite a few surprises along the way so I’ve stopped trying to outline in advance.
9. Juggling a few projects, or concentrating on one at a time?
One at a time. I may try to learn to juggle, but I do enough juggling off the computer (3 kids, a day-job, husband, writing and now promotion too) that I can barely concentrate on one WIP.
10. Sticking to one genre, or exploring many?
If you clump Urban-Fantasy with Paranormal-Romance, one. Otherwise, two. I’d like to play with a paranormal historical, but I just don’t have the interest in forcing myself to read the so-called classics to get a genuine feel for the era (I can’t stand what little I tried to choke down of Jane Eyre. Might give it another try some day though).
EM: Jane Eyre is a lot to handle, but when she accidentally causes Rochester to fall off his horse.... God I love that character. Basically, as soon as Mister broken & devilishly taunting comes in to the book, it gets goooood.
As a reader, do you prefer:
11. Story being told from female view or male?
Primarily female, though I like getting into the guy’s head from time to time too.
12. Good guys or bad boys?
The best are good bad boys.
13. Feisty females or fragile damsels?
Feisty, but not always out to kick ass. If they can talk their way out of it, that’s good.
14. Stand alone stories or series?
Depends. I like returning characters, but if the books can stand on their own, that’s all the better if that makes sense.
15. Quick reads or long stories?
Long stories. However, I will admit to an obsessive love of Harlequin Presents and I will down like 20 in a week when I get on one of those kicks.
16. Romance as a side dish or the main course?
Hrmmmmmmm. How do I put this? Both? I really can’t decide on that.
17. Erotica or soft romance or something in-between?
Between. I no longer care (as much) for the fade-to-black/behind-closed-doors sex that I used to, but neither do I want them boinking just for the heck of it (unless it leads to something deeper).
18. More action or humor?
Humorous action. Active humor?
Just for fun:
19. Vampires or Angels?
Vampires.
20. Werewolves or Demons?
Oooo, tough choice. I love me some Taylor whats-his-name (can’t stand the movies/books, but he’s a hottie all right, color me Team Jacob), but there’s something for the whole demon thing. I might be a bit prejudiced considering I have a half-incubus floating around that I’m rather fond of now that he’s manned up a bit.
What are you currently working on?
Promotion, primarily. I do have some ideas beginning to swirl for Book 3 in the Dream-Walker War series. It will take place a few months after Rage & Rising, while featuring a minor character for Rage & Rising, Ronnie Mansfield, and a new character, Trevor Kyle. It will lean more toward Urban Fantasy, but there will be some romance too.
Do you have any current release?
Blurb – Blood Rage:
For eighty years since the Great Awakening, humans and non-humans have lived in relative peace together. That peace is threatened when three bodies turn up less than a mile from the Bureau of Non-Human Affairs in Tampa bearing the signature of vampires who once terrorized Europe.
The Bureau’s chief liaison to the vampires, Dara MacKechnie, learns that the Tampa victims are not alone when her ex-lover, and head of the vampire’s Great Council, Anthony Caldwell comes calling.
The pair discover the lie that separated them two centuries ago only banked their passion, not extinguished it. Dara must decide whether she can trust Anthony with her heart a second time as they try to head off the war that threatens all they hold dear.
Purchase link: http://www.evernightpublishing.com/blood-rage-by-tory-michaels/
http://www.amazon.com/Blood-Rage-Dream-Walker-War-ebook/dp/B0076SNN8U/ref%3dsr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1328692791&sr=1-1
Any upcoming releases?
Blood-Mage Rising, second book in the Dream-Walker War series, is coming out in March (tentatively) from Evernight Publishing.
Blurb – Blood-Mage Rising (still a bit rough), the tale runs contemporaneous to Blood Rage:
In the eighty years since the Great Awakening, humans and non-humans have lived side by side, relatively at peace. In an attack that leaves his wife dead, Jordan MacNaught is caught up in the start of a war meant to turn the other races against the vampires. He knows the vampires of yesteryear are not involved in the attacks. They're all dead, except for him.
Jordan asks for Chris Javert's help in hunting those who murdered his wife. She's no stranger to hunting vampires. After all, she nearly destroyed Jordan when she ended the reign of his Aristocrats in Europe two hundred years ago.
Barely convinced of Jordan’s innocence, but determined not to let the interspecies peace she helped foster die, Chris joins forces with the man who once tried to kill her to stop the Aristocrats before it’s too late.
Where can readers find you on the internet?
Facebook: www.facebook.com/authortorymichaels
Series Page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Dream-Walker-War-series/160355797401525
Twitter: www.twitter.com/torymichaels
Website/Blog: http://www.torymichaels.com/
EM: Thank you so much for joining me, Tory! I hope you had fun!
Thank you so much for stopping by, Tory. :-)
ReplyDeleteThe book sounds fab, and is on my "too buy list."