Exclusive Bitten by Books
Interview with Author Molly Harper
A big welcome to our readers today! Be sure to read to the end of the interview to find out how to WIN the fabulous prizes being offered up. The contest runs today through tomorrow at 3:00 EDT time. Open to readers worldwide!
NOTE: This is not a fixed time event, the post just goes live at 10:30 am CDT. You can stop by any time during the day or evening and leave your questions and comments.
Interview:
Hi Molly!
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 Molly’s upcoming release Nice Girls Don’t Have Fangs
.
BBB: What do you find the most challenging aspect of writing?
MH: Reigning in my “tangents” and sticking with an effective, fluid plotline. I tend to develop these really interesting little supporting characters, who are fun and fascinating, but ultimately do nothing to move the story along. And because I’m so fond of them, I tend to take it personally when someone suggests cutting them. This is odd because cutting those characters inevitably makes the story better. I guess I am a slow learner.
BBB: What is the most rewarding aspect of writing for you?
MH: When I read something I’ve written aloud and someone laughs at just the right moment. There is nothing better than that.
BBB: What impact do electronic readers such as Kindle 2
or Sony Digital Book Reader 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?
MH: Like anything there are pros and cons, but any medium that delivers the books people want is a good thing. I’ll put it this way, before I bought an iPod, I bought maybe three CDs in a year. Since I bought an iPod
, I’ve probably increased my music consumption ten-fold. So when I actually get around to buy an electronic reader, my book consumption will probably increase, too. I don’t think people will buy fewer books just because they’re easier to carry around.
BBB: Will Jane ever kick her sister’s ass??? Or will we readers at least see Jenny get what she deserves?
MH: There is an ass-kicking royale on the horizon. You will have to wait for it. But that the foam bats and mud pit involved will be worth the wait.
Yes, I am serious.
BBB: What will Jane do now that she’s no longer a librarian?
MH: She will continue working with Mr. Wainwright at Specialty Books. She’s happy there. She has a purpose. The books, and Mr. Wainwright, need her.
BBB: How do you keep track of your world building?
MH: I keep my “rules” that I laid out in the first book I a separate document so I can refer back to it. It keeps me from violating my own vampire lore, like if Jane developed a sudden aversion to crosses when I’ve established that religious articles have no inherent power over vampires.
I do struggle with keeping up with names of minor characters, because I’ve renamed Zeb’s family members and Jolene’s cousins a half-dozen times. So I have to keep a list of those, too.
BBB: Can you tell us what your next release (s) will be? Do you have any more books planned for Jane Jameson and company? And do you have stand alone titles forthcoming?
MH: Nice Girls Don’t Date Dead Men
, the follow up to Nice Girls Don’t Have Fangs, will be released in September 2009. The third book, Nice Girls Don’t Live Forever
, is tentatively scheduled for release in January 2010. I have written a non-paranormal romantic comedy, which I hope sells soon. And when I put the finishing touches on the third Jane Jameson book, I want to finish a werewolf romance book I have outlined. I’ve really enjoyed writing the “one-shot” books. It’s amazing how quick writing a stand-alone title seems when you’ve been working on the same series for two years! It’s like instant gratification by comparison.
BBB: How do you dream up your characters and are they inspired by anyone famous.
MH: Jane came to me as the hapless victim of my question, “What would be the most embarrassing way possible to be turned into a vampire?” And now she’s become the friend I hang out with late at night, which just sounds sad. My husband insists that Gabriel Nightengale is based on him… and I don’t see the harm in letting him think that. All of the other characters seemed to blossom from the corners of my brain as I wrote. It was like they walked in front of my computer and introduced themselves, i.e. “Hi, I’m Aunt Jettie. You need me to be a stabilizing force in Jane’s life and provide paranormal exposition.”
And when I picture the characters, their mannerisms are uniquely theirs. When describing them physically, I try to think of the actor I would cast in their part. I won’t reveal my choices as I don’t want to come across as, well, creepy.
BBB: What is your all time favorite paranormal/urban fantasy book?
MH: Demons Are a Ghoul’s Best Friend
by Victoria Laurie. I always have high hopes for the “payoff” in a ghost story, the moment when you see the haunting’s backstory. And I’m usually disappointed because the ghost’s background isn’t scary enough.
Of the books I’ve read and movies I’ve seen, “Demons” is the only ghost story I’ve walked away from thinking, “There is no way to improve upon that. My expectations are totally fulfilled.” Even though the ghost is a sick, twisted $&#@, Laurie offers the reader an awesome piece of storytelling.
BBB: What do you like to do in between all the time you spend writing?
MH: Hmmm. Work full-time, raise my kids, and try to make my husband feel like he hasn’t been totally abandoned to my wild ambition? Oh, and sleep.
I’m a huge movie buff, but I have the world’s worst taste in movies. Seriously, I paid good money to see The Rage: Carrie 2
in theaters. The good thing is the DVDs I want are always available at the store… because no one else wants them. I love to read, but I have a harder time doing that since the book sold, because as much as I’m enjoying a book, the whole time I’m thinking, “I really should be working on my own stuff right now.” I used to cross-stitch and decorate really ornate cakes for fun, but it’s hard to justify spending three hours creating fondant flowers when you have a publishing deadline hanging over your head.
BBB: What did you do before you became a writer? Do you write full time?
MH: I worked for six years as a newspaper reporter, covering education… which ended up including courts, cops, quilt shows. I also got to write about bizarre happenings, such as the man who lost the full-grown bear he kept in his basement because he had to run inside to answer the phone while taking the bear for a “walk” in his backyard. I loved my job, but I left the paper in 2006 so I could keep a more stable schedule for my family. I had nights off for the first time in my adult life and suddenly had the time and energy to write!
I worked as a secretary as a Baptist church while I wrote vampire books at night. I still work full-time, writing for a medical advocacy group, then writing at night after the kids go to bed. At first, my goal was to sell one book. Now my goal is to write enough books that I can stay home and write full-time
BBB: Is there more to Zeb’s headaches?
MH: Yes, but you’ll have to read Book 2, Nice Girls Don’t Date Dead Men, to find out. But don’t worry, it’s not a tumor. This is Half-Moon Hollow, not Days of Our Lives.
BBB: Will we be seeing more of the werewolves? Or get some of their stories too?
MH: Yes, Jolene and her family will play a major role in Nice Girls Don’t Date Dead Men, as Zeb and Jolene plan their wedding. I didn’t mean to base the werewolves on any particular family, but several friends have accused me of character infringement because Jolene’s big loud, over-involved redneck pack reminds them of their families. The McClaines are fun to write about. Just imagine people who think Thomas Kinkade in fine art and live their lives by the tenets set forth in Walker, Texas Ranger. And they also happen to turn into wolves.
I’m all about the subtlety.
BBB: Will Dick Cheney get his HEA?
MH: Dick is my favorite character in the series, which is probably why he gets the best lines. So of course, he will get his happy ending. It won’t be the way he expects it to work out, but he will be very content by the end of his story.
BBB: How true are rumors that you secretly crave chocolate Yoohoo’s and Moonpies at the full moon? Favorite flavor?
MH: The rumors of my Yoohoo consumption are greatly exaggerated. Seriously, I don’t know why the Yoohoo intervention was necessary. I can quit any time I want!!
And chocolate Moon Pies, thank you very much. If you heat them up, they taste like s’mores!
BBB: What is your favorite quote of all time?
MH: If you’re normal, the crowd will accept you. But if you’re deranged, the crowd will make you their leader. – Christopher Titus
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Readers, learn more about Molly Harper here:
Read the Bitten by Books reviews of the author’s work here.
To visit the author’s website go here.
To visit the author’s blog go here.
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Readers, here’s how to enter the contest. You can do ONE or ALL of these things, and each one will give you additional entries at a chance to WIN. ONE lucky participant will win an amazing prize package that includes an AUTOGRAPHED copy of Molly’s upcoming NEW release Nice Girls Don’t Have Fangs. Also included in the prize package will be a signed cover flat, bookmarks and the absolutely necessary to survival in the south…An RC Cola and a box of Moonpies. Contest is open to international readers.
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Click here to head over to Bitten By Books to learn how to enter this contest.
Good Luck & Happy Reading!
~Willow
A big welcome to our readers today! Be sure to read to the end of the interview to find out how to WIN the fabulous prizes being offered up. Open to readers worldwide!
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