UFI welcomes Michelle Rowen Author of Nightshade and Bloodlust. Thanks for Joining us!!
What can you tell my readers about yourself that they might not know from looking on your bio or reading in another interview?
That I’m a total and complete control freak! Ha! Just kidding. *shifty eyes* Gee, let’s see...something they might not know about me, huh? I’m kind of a WYSIWYG kind of person. At least, I think so. I’m an Aquarius. A cat person. I prefer Diet Coke to Diet Pepsi.... Hugh Jackman is my imaginary boyfriend... I’m Canadian and told by my American friends that I say “about” funny, although I can’t hear it. That’s me in a nutshell, really....
What do you enjoy doing on your down time?
As I’m answering these questions, I’m also watching the Bachelorette season finale (this season has sucked so bad, I can’t even tell you). I’d probably say that I’m a reality television junkie. I’m not proud of it, since most of it is trash, but it’s a good escape. I also love going to the movies whenever possible, although I have yet to see the last Harry Potter movie. I don’t want to see it because then it means it’s officially over!
What is your Favorite part of writing?
My absolute favorite part of writing is what I call the “zone.” It doesn’t happen very often, but sometimes when you’re writing you hit this spot where the words just flow and story pours out of your fingers onto the keyboard. It’s the closest thing to magic I’ve ever felt in real life! I just wish it happened all the time, but unfortunately it’s a very rare occurrence. Still, it makes everything worthwhile!
Do you have any certain routines you must follow as you write?
The only thing that I really need when I’m writing is silence since I’m very easily distracted. For routines I follow as I’m writing a novel, I do work from an outline. I have no idea how “pantsers” manage to write a book with no real map to lead them in the right direction. I get lost way too easily.
What are some of your Favorite books or Authors in the Urban Fantasy/ Paranormal Genres?
Right now I’m absolutely in love with Karen Marie Moning’s Fever series. I’m reading it for the second time, which never happens for me. I’m a very picky reader, but when I really love an author/book I turn into a real fangirl and gush to just about everyone and I’ve been gushing about this series for some time now.
How would you pitch your Nightshade series to someone who has not heard of it before?
First of all, I’d tell them if they’re familiar at all with my work, that it’s darker than the stuff I normally write...much more violent...and maybe a little bit sexier (well, a lot sexier, really). It’s about a woman named Jill Conrad who’s injected with a prototype serum that makes her blood both irresistible and deadly to vampires. The only thing standing between her and certain death is a scarred up, one-eyed, dangerous-as-hell, unemotional dhampyr who is strongly affected by her scent. Chaos ensues.
Can you tell us a little bit about the world that the series is set in?
I set the books -- Nightshade, the novella Bleeding Heart from the Primal anthology, and Bloodlust, in California. I think I did that because I live in Southern Ontario and I wanted to vicariously visit somewhere nice and warm in the winter as I was writing them. In this world, vampires are not nice or funny like in my Immortality Bites series, they are dangerous predators. Still, I do enjoy playing with the notions of good and evil, and shades of gray, so things aren’t always what they seem and one’s enemy might become an ally when one least expects it. Jill has a very hard time figuring out who to trust and who’s lying to her in this strange new world she’s thrust into kicking and screaming.
Do you have a favorite scene in Bloodlust?
There’s a scene where Jill needs to deal with a situation involving a locked coffin and a very injured vampire that, even though it was a horrible experience for my characters, I took a great deal of pleasure in writing. I guess I’m a masochist that way. I also particularly love the way Bloodlust ends...it’s one of my favorite endings to a book I’ve ever written.
Which character was your favorite to write about? What about the hardest to write about?
I loved writing Jill’s story in the Nightshade books. It was a bit of a departure for me to try for a darker feel and I’ve really liked the feedback I’ve been getting from readers. They like my dark side, too!! I’m thrilled! My favorite character to write about is one I’ve just recently rediscovered, and that’s Sarah Dearly from my Immortality Bites series. She’s proved to me that vampires really are immortal by coming to life again in my new paranormal mystery series that launches next year. Hers is such a strong voice for me that she almost writes the books herself. Almost. The hardest character to write about...I don’t think I’ve had one of those. There can be hard scenes, but overall I’m really in the character’s head whom I’m focusing on, so none of them have been a real chore (that I can remember!) However, I’d say Thierry, the hero from my Immortality Bites series was the most challenging, since he never wanted to give away any of his secrets and really open up. He still doesn’t.
What Other Projects can we look forward to reading from you?
I have some new stuff in the works which will be out next year, but coming up this year the third and final book in my Living in Eden trilogy (much lighter fare than Nightshade!) That Old Black Magic is out in December. Next year I have the first book in my new series for young adults, starting with Dark Kiss, in June. In August, the first book in my paranormal mystery series, (featuring fledgling vampire Sarah Dearly) starts in August with Blood Bath & Beyond.
__________________________________
National bestselling author Michelle Rowen writes paranormal romance, urban fantasy, and young adult fantasy. She was the winner of the 2007 Holt Medallion for Best First Book and the 2009 Romantic Times Reviewers Choice award for Vampire Romance.
Michelle lives in Southern Ontario. Please feel free to contact her at michelle@michellerowen.com. She loves hearing from readers!
Michelle lives in Southern Ontario. Please feel free to contact her at michelle@michellerowen.com. She loves hearing from readers!
__________________________________
Bloodlust
Nightshade #2
July 5, 2011
Jillian Conrad's blood has killed the vampire king. Now an enemy to all vampires, she is targeted for elimination. So is the infant daughter of the dead king. If Jillian doesn't stand in the way of her death, then everyone, living or dead, is in great peril.
__________________________________
Nightshade
Nightshade #1
February 1, 2011
Jillian Conrad never believed in vampires-until she was unwillingly injected with a serum that was supposed to act as a deadly poison to them. Now, tormented half-vampire Declan Reese wants her blood to destroy the undead kingdom. Unfortunately, the serum has also made her blood irresistible to all vampires-including Declan, whose desire for Jillian is more than mere hunger.
