Interview
What is the hardest part of writing
your books?
Finding the time! With two boys under
the age of 5, a full-time job in Corporate America that requires frequent
travel across multiple projects, it’s hard to stay on top of everything.
The second hardest part is my writing
approach. I love the writing process because it’s about 50% planned, 50%
unplanned for me, and it organically evolves as I write. It’s extremely
enjoyable in that sense because I—as the writer—am also breathless with
anticipation over what happens next—the characters and plot sometimes take a
life of their own. On the other hand, when there are many threads to weave
together into a coherent, well-designed tapestry, wrangling all the pieces
together can take some extra creativity at times.
What songs are most played on your
Ipod?
I listen to a variety of songs from
different cultures, usually all pop songs, many of which inspire my writing,
character and “mood” development. I like US and British pop, some Chinese, a
lot of Korean pop, Latin, etc.
When I think about my stories, it’s
like watching a movie unfolding. As with any movie, there’s a soundtrack. And
characters in my novels might be closely associated with certain songs. Here
are some of the songs that go through my head when the movie reel of my stories
play out in my imagination.
- Enigma
– “Sadeness”: Classic and haunting. I think of this when I envision the
“ancient ones” during the Akkadian empire, before the time of the Great
War.
- Linkin
Park – “In the End”: Almost any song by Linkin Park and Evanescence
conjures fighting scenes for me. Gothic, dark, slick and kick-ass.
- Nine
Inch Nails – "Closer”: This is, for me, Ere’s theme song J I’ll leave it at that.
- Hoobastank
– “The Reason”: This song reminds me of Dalair. We get hints in Book 1, Pure Healing,
that he might have done something regrettable or was in a difficult
situation in the past, and it might be related to a woman he loved/s. This
song might get at his POV a little.
- Jason
Chen – "Time Machine" (the version that’s remixed at a lower
octave): It’s less about the words and more about the voice (lower octave
version) and the melody that reminds me of Ryu Takamura (Book 3). See the
video of the actor from whom I modeled Ryu in a fan-made music video
compilation from one of his dramas. See him walk
(you’ll understand why I’m obsessed with his walk in Book 3). And hear his voice
(also part of the obsession).
Do you have critique partners or beta
readers?
For Pure Healing I did have a
fellow author critique partner, who was very helpful in her feedback. For
example, one suggestion was to let the world building unfold through the eyes
and voices of the characters, rather than launch into pages-long descriptions
about background and context. In some sense, my series, the Pure/Dark Ones, is
paranormal fantasy romance. There’s a lot of world building that epic fantasy
readers are familiar with and appreciate, but it’s not every paranormal
reader’s cup of tea. In striking the balance between the two, I might not be
able to please both. But it’s a balance I continuously try to strike.
What book are you reading now?
I pre-order just about anything from
Julie Anne Long, Tessa Dare and Mary Balogh. I love Regency/Victorian romances.
I’m also a huge fan of J.R. Ward.
How did you start your writing career?
Writing as a lifetime passion and love
probably started when I learned how to write. My father made me write a story
in my journal every day from the age of six, which he would come home to grade
at the end of each week. I’ve won every writing contest my teachers entered me
in all through primary, secondary education and college, but my family is extremely
“practical” and forbade me to pursue any type of creative or artistic career
(art is my other passion). To feed the writing demon inside, I just wrote for
the pleasure of it. My first novel was written by age thirteen; I finished 5
novels within the next 5 years. I can’t say now that they were any good, but
one literary agent told me there was a lot of potential.
I didn’t get much sleep as a teenager.
It would take many years after that to pick it up again, as I built a safety
net of “practicality.”
Dark Longing is the second book in the Pure/Dark
Ones series, told from the POV of the “vampires.” The first one in the series, Pure Healing sets up the
world of the Pure Ones and you get their POV about the vampires. Both books can
be read separately, though it might be more fun to read in order. In fact, I
recently read backwards from Book 4 to 3 to 2 to 1 and liked that approach just
as well.
Dark Longing is ultimately about star-crossed
lovers who triumph over seemingly impossible odds, including a few millennia’s
worth of time and distance! If you’re dying to believe in True Love, this book
will definitely provide the inspiration.
There are new and ongoing side
stories, all part of the larger world building, mysteries to be solved, a
baddie you can’t help but root for, and lots of really HOT sex scenes. J
On a personal note, I started writing Dark Longing immediately after Pure Healing, but my mother passed away
from cancer as I was about a fourth of the way in. Some of the events around
her last days fed into the book itself, and after she passed, my inspiration
dried up for about 5 years, which was why it took so long to come out with Book
2 when Book 1 was published in 2012.
When I picked it back up, the story
completely changed in my head—for the better.
So I hope you all like it!
As for Pure Healing, the book that
started it all, it’s still one of my favorites. At the center is the love story
between Valerius and Rain, both with terrible pasts and emotional obstacles to
overcome, which of course they do! True Love will always win the day!
Here’s the book description:
Enter the world of Pure Ones, a race of
immortal, supernaturally powerful beings who protect humankind, where sexual
intercourse with anyone other than one’s Eternal Mate leads to a slow, painful
death within thirty days.
The Healer of the race, Rain, is the
only exception to this rule. To harness and accumulate enough energy to heal
severe wounds, especially as the war between her people and the vampire hordes
accelerates, she must take a Consort once every ten years and draw strength
from his blood and body. But as the war wears on, few Pure-males who are strong
enough to serve as her Consort remain. Valerius, Protector of the race, is the
strongest candidate.
Despite their instant attraction ten
years ago when they first met, Valerius has staunchly avoided applying to be
the Healer’s Consort. The brutality and violence he suffered as a Roman sex
slave in his human life ate away at his soul, leaving a dark abyss of torment
and self-doubt.
Now, as Rain’s strength drains with
every healing act, Valerius cannot escape the fact that he may be the only one
who can save her, and in so doing, afford his people greater hope for the
future as battles intensify.
Will Rain and Valerius find their way
to each other as the struggles between good and evil evolve?
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