Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Interview With Author Silver James

Please help me welcome paranormal romance author, Silver James.

Silver, how did you get into writing as a career? Do you write full time or still have a day job?


I wanted to be an actress when I grew up, but you know...that whole had to be skinny thing? And moving to California? Not going there! I always told stories in my head and in school, I started writing them down. Making a living as a writer is a chancy thing, so I had several careers while I continued to write—both fiction and technical articles. Now that I'm retired from the real world, I can devote as much time as I want to my imagination.

What do you hope your writing brings to readers?

Escape. That's what reading did (and does) for me. I hope my readers are swept away to a different world where they can experience life through my characters, and enjoy both the thrills and the chills, all the while safely ensconced in their favorite chair.

I love that answer, Silver. Your current release is FAERIE FATE. What attracted you to write Paranormal?

Ever since I peeked behind the curtain of the Wizard of Oz, I've been intrigued by what's hiding behind the Veil. Faeries, witches, shifters, and magical folk of all ilk fascinate me. I enjoy giving them a voice.

Good heavens, I guess that's when I became hooked on paranormals, too. I used to have nightmares about the witch. Whew! I digress, back to you--is paranormal the only genre you read?

I grew up reading westerns and sci-fi, a love learned from my dad. Then I discovered Andre Norton and her Witch World series. I still read all across the board—thrillers, romantic suspense, and paranormal!

Great, another eclectic reader. Who are some of your favorite authors?

J.D. Robb, Roxanne St. Claire, Leslie Kelly (especially writing as Leslie Parrish), Jennifer Lyon, and Jayne Castle (Jayne Ann Krantz) in the romance genre. Robert Ludlum and Tony Hillerman, Andre Norton, and Anne McCaffery. Just to name a few.

Tell us about your writing process. Are you a plotter or a pantzer?

I heard a term the other day—plotzer. I think that's a good description. I start with well-defined characters, usually, and I let them tell the story, though I have a end point I nudge them toward, sort of. The fun part of the process is the detours I end up following. Most often, a character will present her/himself and I'll spend time getting to know her/him. The plot evolves as I learn more about the character, especially when additional “critters” line up to be introduced, thus filling out the story. My critique partner calls me an “organic writer”—whatever the heck that means. She says I get immersed in the story and live vicariously through my characters, thereby breathing life into my words. I hope she's right!

What great terms, plotzer and organic writer. Do you have a writing schedule?

I tend to write every day, even on weekends, though I don't always manage that schedule if real life decides to intervene. If I'm under a deadline, then it's Katie-bar-the-door stay-the-heck-out-of-my-way. Everything is put on hold until I'm done.

Are you attending any conferences this year or scheduled as a speaker?

I'm headed to three this year. First up, I'm actually at the OKRWA Summer Heat Mini-Conference this weekend. Today, in fact, I'm at an Oklahoma City area Barnes and Noble, signing with three other terrific authors attending the conference: Lucienne Diver, Alicia Dean, and Amanda McCabe.

In July, I'm headed to Orlando for RWA Nationals and over Labor Day weekend, I'm going to New Orleans for Heather Graham's Writers For New Orleans conference. Good times ahead!

Oh, I am so jealous! Any guilty pleasures or vices you’d care to share?

Homemade bread—baking AND eating! Starbucks Mocha Frappicinos. And lobster tail dripping in lemon butter. Coffee. I must have my coffee fix in the mornings.

Now you've made me hungry. LOL What advice would you give to pre-published authors?

If you love writing, write. Write for yourself. Write what you enjoy reading. Study your craft and become the best writer you can be. Keep sending out queries. Don't give up. Someday, the right manuscript will land on the right desk at the right time—and you'll get the call.

Silver, that's very good advice. Is there anything else you’d like to tell us about yourself?

I have a warped sense of humor. I'm owned by two Newfoundland dogs and the lolcat who rules us all. I hate doing laundry. In fact, I know I'm REALLY suffering writer's block when I start doing the wash! And when I say I've been there, done that, I'm not joking (or bragging). I'm older than dirt and have been lucky enough to do some amazing things in my life.

Hmm, all that sounds normal to me. Tell us about FAERIE FATE.

Time travel. Reincarnation. The mystical folk of the Tuatha Danaan. In FAERIE FATE, the first of three inter-related books, we meet Clann MacDermot, Clann O’Connor, and a feisty woman from the future, returned to the past to make things right. FAERIE FATE is a tale of love and loss, of lessons learned, of feuds and fealty.

Celtic, one of my loves! Can you give us a blurb?

If you could go back, do it over again, would you take a chance to find true love? What if you had no choice?

On her fiftieth birthday, the faerie catapult Rebecca Miller a thousand years into the past to find her happily ever after with Ciaran MacDermot, Chief of Clann MacDermot, the last Fenian warrior in his line. In the twenty-first century, Becca is old enough to be Ciaran’s mother. In the tenth, she’s young enough to be his bride.

The Fae forgot to mention one slight stipulation. The lovers must be bound before the Festival of Light, or Becca will forever disappear into Tir Nan Óg, the faerie Land of the Ever Young. Will they discover the binding words before time runs out and they’re torn apart forever? Or will their eternal love defeat their Faerie Fate?

Without the words, history is doomed to repeat itself.

Intriguing! Would you share an excerpt with us?

The little clock she’d received as a present on her twenty-fifth birthday whirred and chimed the time. One small, tinkling chime. Two. Finally, twelve in all. Midnight between March twentieth and March twenty-first. The vernal equinox. The day when light and dark, good and evil, love and hate all balanced on the finely tuned axis of mother earth.

Voices, strange with lilting accents, whispered somewhere in the darkness of [Becca's] dream.

****

“She sleeps,” said a soft voice, feminine, one Becca didn’t recognize.

“Aye.” The second voice was deep, male, arrogant.

“Will she remember?

“Nay, she’ll not.

“How then will she know what to do?

“She’ll know.” He sounded confident.

“What of him?

“Aye, he’ll definitely know now. He should have known the last time, but she was too afraid, and he was too full of himself.

“What is so different this time?” She was skeptical.

“She was young then, not matched well to him. Now, she’s no young soul. She’s had all those lives without him, the lonely nights, and the ache in her heart for all time. This time, she has courage born in the fires of suffering. She’ll know not to run from him, but to him.

“You’re sure with the knowing of it this time?

“Aye.

“And, if it doesn’t work?

“Ciaran dies. Again.

A sharp intake of breath came from the woman. “That cannot happen. Too much went wrong the first time.

Wow, you sold me there! Where can readers find your books?

The Wild Rose Press

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

How can readers learn more about you?

They can always find me at Penumbra, my blog and website: www.silverjames.com and they're welcome to poke around in the shadows there. If they tweet, I'm silverwriter on Twitter.

Silver, thank you so much for sharing with us today. Please leave your comment or ask Silver a question. A comment will enter you in my Saturday drawing, so be sure and leave your email address.

19 comments:

Caroline Clemmons said...

Silver, thanks for stopping by. Your book sounds intriguing.

Jeanmarie Hamilton said...

Hi Caroline and Silver! Enjoyed the interview. Your book sounds mysterious and fun! Love the cover too. Congratulations!

Jeanmarie

Avery Michaels said...

Ohhhh....I can't wait to get this one!!! Faeries, celtic lore, time travel, romance, paranormal...all my favorite things! I so enjoyed this post and meeting Silver James!

Sandy Behr w/a Avery Michaels

P.L. Parker said...

Good Morning Ladies - Good post, book sounds wonderful. I love time travel.

Bobbye Terry said...

The book sounds great, Silver! I think I'd like to read it. I;m knee-deep into mapping out a very sketchy outline of my next romantic fantasy with Irish lore. I'm a plotzer too, BTW. I think we should have tee-shorts with "Plotzer's have more fun" on them.

Good job interviewing, Carolyn!

Bobbye

Isabel Roman said...

Silver, my grandfather used to read westerns and got me hooked on Louis Lamour and John Jakes. Could never get into Zane Grey, though.

Congrats, Silver, on your release. I'll be sure to add this to my TBB pile!

Silver James said...

G'morning, Caroline. It's a pleasure to be here today! Thanks for having me.

Silver James said...

Jeanmarie, I've been so lucky with my covers! The very talented cover artist Rae Monet designed the covers for FATE and the upcoming FAERIE FIRE. I love them, too!

Silver James said...

Hi, Sandy/Avery! You can add a dash of Celtic reincarnation to the mix, too. *grin* Let me know what you think when you read it!

Silver James said...

G'morning, P.L. Nice to see you out and about on the webs today!

Silver James said...

Bobbye, I love the sound of Plotzer tee shirts! I'd wear mine with pride. Good luck on plotzing your next one. I have to admit, that's one of my favorite parts of the process.

Silver James said...

Hi, Isabel. I read a lot of Grey's work, mainly because Dad had them in the house and I was always looking for something to read. But when he discovered L'Amour, I never looked back! And he was a romantic at heart! I hope you'll enjoy FATE when you read it!

Ruby said...

I admire authors whose imagination can vear into other realms. How much preparation and development of characters and their world do you do before you plotzer?

katsrus said...

You are a new author to me. Love the book cover~very pretty. Your books sounds really good. Wonderful interview.
Sue B
katsrus(at)gmail(dot)com

Silver James said...

Hi, Ruby. That's a very good question! Most often, a character walks in, pulls up a chair and starts chatting. Over a period of time, other characters related to the story appear and I visit with them until I get the bases of the plot line. I know everyone is at Point A and that they are going to Point Z. Getting from one place to the other is where all the pantzing comes in. And for me, that's the fun part--seeing what roadblocks and detours occur along the way.

I tend to research a lot if I'm unfamiliar with a place, time, or situation. As a history major, I'm lucky enough to have a working knowledge of many time periods and I'm enough of a nerd that I love researching just for the heck of it. Many times, something I looked up purely for fun will appear in a later book.

Silver James said...

Hi, Sue B. I love the covers I've gotten so far! I hope you'll check out FAERIE FATE and the second book, FAERIE FIRE (coming in September). I'm hard at work on the third book, FAERIE FOOL. Thanks for dropping by today.

Paisley Kirkpatrick said...

Great blog, Silver. So nice to have had the chance to meet you today. And I thought I was the only one older than dirt! ;)

When I have writer's block I usually clean a room or paint a wall. Fortunately for me, I've gotten over it without too much extra cleaning.

Best of luck with your stories.

Silver James said...

Hi, Paisley. I actually enjoy "remodeling." I can plot and talk to my characters while painting or banging away. I've never figured out why laundry in particular bugs the stuffins out of me, but it truly is the activity of last resort. ;)

And welcome to the older than dirt club. We old broads rock! Just sayin'...

heidi330 said...

Thanks Silver for the great blog...I really enjoyed it. Your Faeries series sounds great, I can't wait to read it. Please include me in your giveaway...

heidijohnjeff@verizon.net


Heidi