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Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Booty Magazine Exclusive! Nika Riley dishes about NYT lifestyle!
Happy second anniversary RWR. I have enjoyed every minute aboard the ship and have wonderful friends because of this opportunity. Now enjoy this little show of affection because it's not going to happen again for another year.
I sighed. "Really? Dishing on the NYT life? You make it sound like I'm high society now."
Sita crossed her legs and leaned forward. "At least pretend for me that you have some class now that you are famous."
"I'm going to pretend like I didn't hear that only because I am not famous, Sita!"
"You're so in denial. Have you been to your fan websites? Every day there is at least a dozen new fan fiction stories posted about Ryla, Cass and Fallon. You've hit the big time."
"Gah, it's like talking to a brick wall with you."
"Pot meet kettle."
I flipped her off and crossed my arms over my eyes.
Booty Magazine (Sita): Nika, so great of you to have agreed to this interview! I hear you're big on music. So first things first, what's playing on your iPod right now?
Nika Riley: "Cold" by Crossfade. It's Kiki Michaels, my current heroine in Double Vision, theme song.
Booty Magazine (Sita): Does music play a pretty big role in your writing?
Nika Riley: I would say yes. Music is the key to my creative well being. All of my characters have theme songs. All of my scenes have individual playlists even if it's only a few songs. Music is my Zen.
Booty Magazine (Sita): I heard through the grapevine that you majored in journalism in college. Is that what pushed you to become a fiction writer?
I snorted. "You gotta be kidding me. You're not actually going to put that as an actual question in the magazine, are you?"
"You knew what you were getting yourself into asking me to interview you. Deal with it."
I took a deep breath and tried to settle into my writer persona. I looked over at Sita and offered the biggest fakest smile I had ever accomplished. It made my face hurt. "I had a best friend I wanted to kill and the only way to do it legally was to write her in a book and off her."
"Gimme a break. You love me."
"That's debatable."
"Just answer the question."
Okay. I was a big girl. I could do this.
Nika Riley: "I've always enjoyed fiction. I was consumed with the reading bug early on in my life and since I'm prone to daydreaming there was always a story or two running wild inside my head. I suppose it was only a matter of time before I realized maybe I was supposed to be writing fiction instead of just reading it."
"You effectively avoided the journalism question."
"I plead the fifth."
"You can't plead the fifth in an interview. It's unconstitutional."
Booty Magazine (Sita): You didn't start truly working on At First Taste, the first book in your Blood Wars series, until just a couple of years ago. Did you work on other fictional outlets before you started this series? Anything gathering cobwebs underneath your bed?
Sita grinned like the Cheshire cat.
"That was below the belt, babe."
"Only because you don't want to admit you've been writing since you were a teenager."
"Ms. Yount's English class crap doesn't count."
"I'm not talking about that."
I had a bad taste in my mouth. I was in a hell of my own creation.
Nika Riley: "Yeah, AT FIRST TASTE was a fluke accident while I was working on a fan fiction story at Halloween. I heard my heroine, Ryla, telling me about her life as a captive when she was a kid and couldn't get it out of my mind. Obviously that story line wasn't suited for a fan fiction story involving bounty hunters."
"While, everyone writer has a novel underneath their bed gathering cobwebs, I have two. Three years ago, I got this overwhelming urge to pick up a pen and write. I'd just finished reading, ELEVEN ON TOP by Janet Evanovich, and was determined to write something between the heroine, Stephanie, and the reluctant hero, Ranger that suited me. One little chapter turned into about 80,000 words. From there, I wrote about 25 stories under a fan fiction pseudonym."
"You didn't talk about the sci-fi fantasy book you were working on out of high school. Dude, it was classic."
"Classic crap. Next time we have a bonfire, it's getting pitched in."
Booty Magazine (Sita): Interesting. So, I've heard rumors of an upcoming tour.
I leaned up from the hammock. "How did you hear about that?"
She shrugged, "I read it on a fan site."
I blew out a breath and laid back down. There was no such thing as privacy anymore.
Nika Riley: "The tour dates were finalized this week and I couldn't be more excited! Some of my fans have been with me since my first fan fiction chapter. It's truly a blessing to have such great fans."
Booty Magazine (Sita): Talk to me a little about how each of these places inspired your books. What is it about Phoenix that captures At First Taste? I got a preview look at Double Vision and was pleasantly surprised to learn the story has been set in Columbia, Missouri. Any particular reason for setting the story in a small town?
Nika Riley: "It's more character driven moments that capture each location for me than plot oriented. In DOUBLE VISION, the story is based off a family- three of the Michaels' sisters in particular- who were born and raised in Missouri. I'm from Missouri, grew up loving everything about country life but always wanting to get out of the small town. Kiki grew up knowing she didn't want to stay and was going to get out as soon as she was old enough. Kady grew up knowing she was being groomed for something more than a sedate country life and Sadie spent her time daydreaming in hay fields never thinking about more than one day at a time. The sisters are so very different from one another and Missouri is a state that is in constant change from the seasons, the beauty of the first thaw in the spring, the blistering humid summers, the breathtaking colors of autumn, and the crisp arctic air as snow falls gently from the sky in winter. I just wanted that to reflect in their personalities."
"In AT FIRST TASTE, the main thing I wanted to capture the complete antithesis of change. These characters are Otherworldly, unchanging for centuries, customs old and barbaric. Cold, unfeeling, impersonal. I wanted to convey all this through imagery of barren landscape from harsh temperatures and the only way I could do that and still keep a little piece of reality was to mesh it with my idea of the desert. It's one of the most beautiful places in the world without being ostentatious and that's the way the Otherworlders live."
Booty Magazine (Sita): You have a bit of a mysterious and hard to crack reputation. What the readers of Booty magazine really want to know is what kind of life are you out living in-between writing these bestsellers that gives your story such a real feel?
"Sita," I warned. "I told you..."
"Just go with it."
Nika Riley: "A writer's life is mostly spent in solitude with your thoughts to keep you company. The only way to actually write about life is to live some in-between all those nights spent staring at the computer screen."
"I can't believe you expected me to answer that."
"Miracles do happen."
"Not in this lifetime."
Booty Magazine (Sita): Since it's obvious you're going to keep your air of mystery, how about throwing your readers a bone. Do any of your personal preferences translate to your characters? Do you write the romance you have in your life or the romance you'd like to have in your life?
"Oh hell."
"Oh, c'mon, it's hardly a taboo subject."
Nika Riley: "A good friend once told me: Write what you know. Write what you love. And write about who you loved and lost. Writing relationships, regardless if it is a romantic relationship or purely physical, is mostly about role playing inside your head. It's not about being the school teacher to the student, or client to the stripper, or captive to the pirate. It's about that brief second in time; you have the opportunity to completely fulfill everything you've ever wanted with a few brief strokes of your fingertips on the right keys. What I enjoy is taking advantage of that opportunity not necessarily because it's a reflection of what I've had or what I would want, but simply because I enjoy pushing buttons."
Sita sat the paper down and laughed. "I hate when you avoid questions."
I gave her a look that said I really didn't care. "What did you just tell me at the beginning of this interview? Deal with it?"
"I really dislike when you toss my own words back in my face."
I shrugged. "Learned from the best, babe."
Booty Magazine (Sita): Don't we all like to push some buttons. Talk to us about the difference between emotional mindsets of the Double series and Blood Wars. You write characters that definitely aren't afraid to push some boundaries.
"That was sweet, Sita. Did you just give me a compliment?"
"I can play nice sometimes. Unlike some people I know." She gave me a look.
I flipped her off. "I wake up in the morning thinking about playing nice. I get an A for effort, right?"
"Keep dreaming."
Nika Riley: "Each series is different for me emotionally. Nothing about Otherworlders are human like because they don't feel the same sort of emotional attachment to one another. Writing that separation is a challenge because being human myself, emotional attachment is unavoidable no matter how hard you try. So while writing the Blood Wars books, it's a constant battle for what I want to write, and what needs to make it to the page. When you flip the coin back to Kiki and Sadie, I have the opportunity to write about emotional redemption and second chances. Everyone deserves a chance to right an emotional wrong in the past and a guilty conscience is a great motivator."
Booty Magazine (Sita): Alright, I'm dying to know more about Sadie and Kiki in Double Vision. I think all the readers will want to know more about the dynamics between them.
Nika Riley: "Sadie and Kiki have a unique relationship as sisters. When I first started the Double series, the story was of Sadie, a sister dealing with the gift of precognition during her REM cycle. It gave me the opportunity to write about a heroine who had completely shut herself off from any sort of emotional life for fear she was psychotic. In the beginning of DOUBLE VISION, you're faced with her day to day life and how she copes with it as her imaginary world comes crashing down."
"I had a parallel story I was working on that involved a thief by the name of Kiki, who was looking to go legit and live a normal, respectable, somewhat law abiding life. Once DOUBLE VISION evolved more in my head, I threw Sadie and Kiki together as sisters knowing that they could offset and keep each other from going past redeemable characters. Kiki keeps Sadie grounded in a life where she sees nothing but death. Sadie keeps Kiki from becoming too cynical and distant about living life."
Sita looked up at me. "Why does Sadie and Kiki's relationship sound a bit like ours?"
I grinned. "When you can't make it up, borrow from real life."
"Great. I don't know whether to be flattered or pissed that I didn't realize it when I was reading the book."
I laughed, "That means I'm an awesome story teller."
"Whatever."
Booty Magazine (Sita): Well I must say Nika, you've certainly given your fans something to look forward to. I personally, can't wait to get my grubby hands on your next installment of your Blood Wars series. Can you reveal the title?
Nika Riley: "The second book in the Blood Wars series has yet to be released yet; but in honor of my first interview- SECOND NATURE."
Booty Magazine (Sita): Second Nature, I like it. Can you tell us how many books you have planned for the Blood Wars?
Nika Riley: "As of right now, there are three planned books of the Blood Wars, with the option of three more depending on the sales."
Booty Magazine (Sita): Then let's drink to all six making it to the shelf! Look for Nika's genre bending novel, Double Vision, coming out soon in a bookstore near you.
I want to thank you for granting us access to your wonderful ship here, RWR pirates and thank you to Nika for giving us a sneak peak at all things Nika. Until next time, this is Sita saying rock some ships, and steal some booty and raise the Jolly Roger- now where's my rum?
Any questions for Ms. Nika Riley that you didn't get answers for? Do you enjoy when an author writes two different genres or prefer when they stick to one thing and perfect it?
PS. I just want to say a huge thank you to my BFF in real life, Manda, for really bantering back and forth as if we were really doing an interview for a couple of days. I heart you, babycakes. Thanks for always believing in me no matter what the situation and making me buckle down and do this.
Now, someone turn up the music and let's have us a party!
*****
I sighed. "Really? Dishing on the NYT life? You make it sound like I'm high society now."
Sita crossed her legs and leaned forward. "At least pretend for me that you have some class now that you are famous."
"I'm going to pretend like I didn't hear that only because I am not famous, Sita!"
"You're so in denial. Have you been to your fan websites? Every day there is at least a dozen new fan fiction stories posted about Ryla, Cass and Fallon. You've hit the big time."
"Gah, it's like talking to a brick wall with you."
"Pot meet kettle."
I flipped her off and crossed my arms over my eyes.
Booty Magazine (Sita): Nika, so great of you to have agreed to this interview! I hear you're big on music. So first things first, what's playing on your iPod right now?
Nika Riley: "Cold" by Crossfade. It's Kiki Michaels, my current heroine in Double Vision, theme song.
Booty Magazine (Sita): Does music play a pretty big role in your writing?
Nika Riley: I would say yes. Music is the key to my creative well being. All of my characters have theme songs. All of my scenes have individual playlists even if it's only a few songs. Music is my Zen.
Booty Magazine (Sita): I heard through the grapevine that you majored in journalism in college. Is that what pushed you to become a fiction writer?
I snorted. "You gotta be kidding me. You're not actually going to put that as an actual question in the magazine, are you?"
"You knew what you were getting yourself into asking me to interview you. Deal with it."
I took a deep breath and tried to settle into my writer persona. I looked over at Sita and offered the biggest fakest smile I had ever accomplished. It made my face hurt. "I had a best friend I wanted to kill and the only way to do it legally was to write her in a book and off her."
"Gimme a break. You love me."
"That's debatable."
"Just answer the question."
Okay. I was a big girl. I could do this.
Nika Riley: "I've always enjoyed fiction. I was consumed with the reading bug early on in my life and since I'm prone to daydreaming there was always a story or two running wild inside my head. I suppose it was only a matter of time before I realized maybe I was supposed to be writing fiction instead of just reading it."
"You effectively avoided the journalism question."
"I plead the fifth."
"You can't plead the fifth in an interview. It's unconstitutional."
Booty Magazine (Sita): You didn't start truly working on At First Taste, the first book in your Blood Wars series, until just a couple of years ago. Did you work on other fictional outlets before you started this series? Anything gathering cobwebs underneath your bed?
Sita grinned like the Cheshire cat.
"That was below the belt, babe."
"Only because you don't want to admit you've been writing since you were a teenager."
"Ms. Yount's English class crap doesn't count."
"I'm not talking about that."
I had a bad taste in my mouth. I was in a hell of my own creation.
Nika Riley: "Yeah, AT FIRST TASTE was a fluke accident while I was working on a fan fiction story at Halloween. I heard my heroine, Ryla, telling me about her life as a captive when she was a kid and couldn't get it out of my mind. Obviously that story line wasn't suited for a fan fiction story involving bounty hunters."
"While, everyone writer has a novel underneath their bed gathering cobwebs, I have two. Three years ago, I got this overwhelming urge to pick up a pen and write. I'd just finished reading, ELEVEN ON TOP by Janet Evanovich, and was determined to write something between the heroine, Stephanie, and the reluctant hero, Ranger that suited me. One little chapter turned into about 80,000 words. From there, I wrote about 25 stories under a fan fiction pseudonym."
"You didn't talk about the sci-fi fantasy book you were working on out of high school. Dude, it was classic."
"Classic crap. Next time we have a bonfire, it's getting pitched in."
Booty Magazine (Sita): Interesting. So, I've heard rumors of an upcoming tour.
I leaned up from the hammock. "How did you hear about that?"
She shrugged, "I read it on a fan site."
I blew out a breath and laid back down. There was no such thing as privacy anymore.
Nika Riley: "The tour dates were finalized this week and I couldn't be more excited! Some of my fans have been with me since my first fan fiction chapter. It's truly a blessing to have such great fans."
Booty Magazine (Sita): Talk to me a little about how each of these places inspired your books. What is it about Phoenix that captures At First Taste? I got a preview look at Double Vision and was pleasantly surprised to learn the story has been set in Columbia, Missouri. Any particular reason for setting the story in a small town?
Nika Riley: "It's more character driven moments that capture each location for me than plot oriented. In DOUBLE VISION, the story is based off a family- three of the Michaels' sisters in particular- who were born and raised in Missouri. I'm from Missouri, grew up loving everything about country life but always wanting to get out of the small town. Kiki grew up knowing she didn't want to stay and was going to get out as soon as she was old enough. Kady grew up knowing she was being groomed for something more than a sedate country life and Sadie spent her time daydreaming in hay fields never thinking about more than one day at a time. The sisters are so very different from one another and Missouri is a state that is in constant change from the seasons, the beauty of the first thaw in the spring, the blistering humid summers, the breathtaking colors of autumn, and the crisp arctic air as snow falls gently from the sky in winter. I just wanted that to reflect in their personalities."
"In AT FIRST TASTE, the main thing I wanted to capture the complete antithesis of change. These characters are Otherworldly, unchanging for centuries, customs old and barbaric. Cold, unfeeling, impersonal. I wanted to convey all this through imagery of barren landscape from harsh temperatures and the only way I could do that and still keep a little piece of reality was to mesh it with my idea of the desert. It's one of the most beautiful places in the world without being ostentatious and that's the way the Otherworlders live."
Booty Magazine (Sita): You have a bit of a mysterious and hard to crack reputation. What the readers of Booty magazine really want to know is what kind of life are you out living in-between writing these bestsellers that gives your story such a real feel?
"Sita," I warned. "I told you..."
"Just go with it."
Nika Riley: "A writer's life is mostly spent in solitude with your thoughts to keep you company. The only way to actually write about life is to live some in-between all those nights spent staring at the computer screen."
"I can't believe you expected me to answer that."
"Miracles do happen."
"Not in this lifetime."
Booty Magazine (Sita): Since it's obvious you're going to keep your air of mystery, how about throwing your readers a bone. Do any of your personal preferences translate to your characters? Do you write the romance you have in your life or the romance you'd like to have in your life?
"Oh hell."
"Oh, c'mon, it's hardly a taboo subject."
Nika Riley: "A good friend once told me: Write what you know. Write what you love. And write about who you loved and lost. Writing relationships, regardless if it is a romantic relationship or purely physical, is mostly about role playing inside your head. It's not about being the school teacher to the student, or client to the stripper, or captive to the pirate. It's about that brief second in time; you have the opportunity to completely fulfill everything you've ever wanted with a few brief strokes of your fingertips on the right keys. What I enjoy is taking advantage of that opportunity not necessarily because it's a reflection of what I've had or what I would want, but simply because I enjoy pushing buttons."
Sita sat the paper down and laughed. "I hate when you avoid questions."
I gave her a look that said I really didn't care. "What did you just tell me at the beginning of this interview? Deal with it?"
"I really dislike when you toss my own words back in my face."
I shrugged. "Learned from the best, babe."
Booty Magazine (Sita): Don't we all like to push some buttons. Talk to us about the difference between emotional mindsets of the Double series and Blood Wars. You write characters that definitely aren't afraid to push some boundaries.
"That was sweet, Sita. Did you just give me a compliment?"
"I can play nice sometimes. Unlike some people I know." She gave me a look.
I flipped her off. "I wake up in the morning thinking about playing nice. I get an A for effort, right?"
"Keep dreaming."
Nika Riley: "Each series is different for me emotionally. Nothing about Otherworlders are human like because they don't feel the same sort of emotional attachment to one another. Writing that separation is a challenge because being human myself, emotional attachment is unavoidable no matter how hard you try. So while writing the Blood Wars books, it's a constant battle for what I want to write, and what needs to make it to the page. When you flip the coin back to Kiki and Sadie, I have the opportunity to write about emotional redemption and second chances. Everyone deserves a chance to right an emotional wrong in the past and a guilty conscience is a great motivator."
Booty Magazine (Sita): Alright, I'm dying to know more about Sadie and Kiki in Double Vision. I think all the readers will want to know more about the dynamics between them.
Nika Riley: "Sadie and Kiki have a unique relationship as sisters. When I first started the Double series, the story was of Sadie, a sister dealing with the gift of precognition during her REM cycle. It gave me the opportunity to write about a heroine who had completely shut herself off from any sort of emotional life for fear she was psychotic. In the beginning of DOUBLE VISION, you're faced with her day to day life and how she copes with it as her imaginary world comes crashing down."
"I had a parallel story I was working on that involved a thief by the name of Kiki, who was looking to go legit and live a normal, respectable, somewhat law abiding life. Once DOUBLE VISION evolved more in my head, I threw Sadie and Kiki together as sisters knowing that they could offset and keep each other from going past redeemable characters. Kiki keeps Sadie grounded in a life where she sees nothing but death. Sadie keeps Kiki from becoming too cynical and distant about living life."
Sita looked up at me. "Why does Sadie and Kiki's relationship sound a bit like ours?"
I grinned. "When you can't make it up, borrow from real life."
"Great. I don't know whether to be flattered or pissed that I didn't realize it when I was reading the book."
I laughed, "That means I'm an awesome story teller."
"Whatever."
Booty Magazine (Sita): Well I must say Nika, you've certainly given your fans something to look forward to. I personally, can't wait to get my grubby hands on your next installment of your Blood Wars series. Can you reveal the title?
Nika Riley: "The second book in the Blood Wars series has yet to be released yet; but in honor of my first interview- SECOND NATURE."
Booty Magazine (Sita): Second Nature, I like it. Can you tell us how many books you have planned for the Blood Wars?
Nika Riley: "As of right now, there are three planned books of the Blood Wars, with the option of three more depending on the sales."
Booty Magazine (Sita): Then let's drink to all six making it to the shelf! Look for Nika's genre bending novel, Double Vision, coming out soon in a bookstore near you.
I want to thank you for granting us access to your wonderful ship here, RWR pirates and thank you to Nika for giving us a sneak peak at all things Nika. Until next time, this is Sita saying rock some ships, and steal some booty and raise the Jolly Roger- now where's my rum?
Any questions for Ms. Nika Riley that you didn't get answers for? Do you enjoy when an author writes two different genres or prefer when they stick to one thing and perfect it?
PS. I just want to say a huge thank you to my BFF in real life, Manda, for really bantering back and forth as if we were really doing an interview for a couple of days. I heart you, babycakes. Thanks for always believing in me no matter what the situation and making me buckle down and do this.
Now, someone turn up the music and let's have us a party!
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74 comments:
Well... man am I glad that turned out well.. and the cover was amazing. I think we did a decent job. And.. I'm still missing my rum
We never give pixies rum. They *CANNOT* hold their liquor.
This blog was a riot. I'm torn if I love the interview or the magazine cover more. Now I want to go into publishing Booty Magazine. *LOL* Hysterical.
Sin & Nika, thank you for agreeing to do the interview--and thank you, Pixy-Manda, for making her play, you're always awesome.
I do enjoy authors who write two very different genres. Sherrilyn Kenyon frequently writes different series and genres, although many of them do contain at least a thread of the paranormal. (Your series both contain paranormal elements, even though the DV series is primarily romantic suspense/thriller.)
If the author has a compelling voice, I'll read whatever he or she writes, no matter the genre. (Though I might draw the line if you start writing bonnet rippers because I'm afraid of what you'd do to those poor Amish boys...)
GPS, wench, I only worked on the cover because you insisted that it must be up for the interview.
*laughing*
GPS used to be able to hold her liquor. Now she knows what it's like to be a lightweight. Huzzah, wench!
Hells, thank so much. GPS likes to steamroll over me and even though I didn't want to do the cover, she pretty much got me wasted and told me act like I'm at work and look pretty. *laughing* Not only should you not let pixies near liquor you shouldn't believe them. Ever.
*thinking* I could write some Amish bodice rippers. You know that Amish romance novels are hot right now.
What a fabulous interview. And as always, Nika, a big tease. Just enough to give a little but never full disclosure.
:)
Hellie, what is a bonnet ripper?
Nika, I can't wait to get my hands on both your suspense and paranormal series. Particularly the Blood Wars. I love me some paranormal, especially dark para with some alphas in it.
And GPS, great to see you here.
Marnee, what can I say? I've been a tease my entire life. Now is not the time for change. *laughing*
I consider it a very high compliment when you say you can't wait to read my Blood Wars. You write some pretty dark paranormal. I hope it can live up to your standards.
A bonnet ripper is an Amish "romance". Ripping off the bonnet is about as racy as it gets. Considering some of the things Sin/Nika writes, a lot more than the bonnet would be ripped off if they went buggy parking.
Nika - I'm blushing. I'm such a fan of your work, to hear that you're a fan of mine, well, that's just making my day. :)
Hells - LOL! "Ripping off the bonnet is about as racy as it gets" That definitely is living on the wild side.
Nika, the cover DID turn out amazing, as well as the entire interview. I loved the pre-interview (blog commercial? LOL) of last week and you delivered big time in the actual interview. :)
I think I'm most intrigued by DOUBLE VISION and the relationship between the sisters Sadie and Kiki. I loved hearing how these characters evolved to balance each other. So this is the DOUBLE series and separate from the BLOOD WARS series?
When it's done well, as in your stories, I definitely love it when an author bends genres or writes two different genres. But I also love reading authors who stick with one thing and perfect it. Some are just better at one than the other. When an author crosses over is when I have a problem. I do think I'm probably one of those readers who expects more of the "same" from a writer. Not "same" as in a predictable plot, but continuing to write in the same genre or mix of genres and delivering on a promise of what kind of a book a reader is going to get.
I'm drifting into the topic of auto-buys by author name and authors using different pen names for different genres, but what I'm curious about is if you consider your stories under the paranormal genre? I have a suspicion you rebel at a label! :)
Great interview! I honestly can't wait to read DOUBLE VISION and the rest!
Hey! I could attempt to write sweet. Do you think they'd mind if I left the lantern on while they got it on in the back of the buggy or would that be too much?
Bonnet rippers are Amish romances. *snort* That is so funny! LOL
Marnee, I'm quite the fan of all your characters, but I have a massive girl crush on Ice. She is fabulously hardcore.
I have a girl crush on Ice too. Especially when she's riding around on a Hyabusa *g*
Awesome interview Nika. I've adored every hint of Sadie I've seen, and I can't wait to get more of Kiki too. Both these series sound awesome.
Melissa! Thank you so much for the props on the blog commercial (that would be so cool if I was the first to ever do that) and the interview was all GPS. She really let me settle down. And thank you for all the wonderful compliments. Especially the rebel one. LOL
The DOUBLE books are completely separate from BLOOD WARS. There are a few paranormal elements in the DOUBLE books, but BLOOD WARS is full out Urban Fantasy complete with an alternate universe.
While Kiki and Sadie are sisters, their mother left them with their father when Sadie was 4 (Kiki was 8) and mother took Sadie's twin sister, Kady with her. Sadie has always had dreams of the future and this perturbed their mother to the point she wanted nothing to do with her. So Kiki stepped into the mother role for Sadie. Kiki is Sadie's hero. Kiki feels like she's failed Sadie.
Cam, I do love your name. So fitting too.
Thanks so much for the love of Sadie. If I had to liken Kiki's personality to anyone, she would be like my idea of Jeanne Ellen in the Plum series. Ice cold, ruthless, and utterly devastated to the core of her being but never allows it to show.
Now that I get the differences in the DV and BLOOD WARS series, *trying to extract foot from mouth...again* I didn't mean to make it sound an author couldn't write both, under the same name, a romantic suspense thriller with a paranormal bent and a dark paranormal. I think the thread of a paranormal is key and a distinct voice that comes through.
Glad I didn't offend. (I hope.) I'm thinking more of times I've been disappointed to auto-buy a book and it be very different than what I expected. Yes, I do buy that way, without even glancing. And when it's a contemporary when I expected a historical, it's my own fault for not reading the back of the book blurb. LOL
*LOL @Melissa* Don't worry about hoof and mouth disease here. We all suffer from it; and we're all opinionated about what we like to read. You're fine.
You didn't offend. I didn't even read it in a way that might have been construed as offensive. You're right. Writing two separate genres under the same pen name can/could be tricky. You could completely alienate most of your fan base that you're hoping to pull over to your other side. While BLOOD WARS is the mainstream hardcore UF, DOUBLE will not be para-heavy. It's not like Sadie stops in the middle of the sidewalk while people rush past her and she just says really creepy like "I just had a vision." Please. I'd die laughing writing that. I mean, I giggled quite a bit when I even thought about typing it in a comment. And I'm not knocking anyone who does write that, it would just seem a little odd in my storyline.
I'm like you. If I see an author that's an autobuy for me on the shelf, I tend to just buy without reading the back. Case in point- I was at Target the other day and say a Lisa Kleypas book with a cover I didn't recognize. So I snatched it up, took it home and lo and behold, I had the damn book. First in print, WAY different cover. Tricky, tricky. LOL
Amen, Hells. I'm the worst about foot inserted into my mouth. GPS will tell you. I've said some classic stuff. Really classic.
Whew! Reassured. :)
Yep, I am fascinated by the relationships between the sisters, Kiki, Sadie and Kady and how they became such different people. Kiki's character is kind of reminding me of Ziva's character on NCIS, who I adore but she's damn ruthless, a killer. Still, she's a hugely sympathetic character. I can see that your Kiki could be hard to love as well, but tug at the reader's heart.
Wow, now that's a compliment.
I'm a fan of NCIS, can't say that I get to see it often (I'm not much of a TV watcher during the night) but I hit up the marathons of NCIS when I can. Ziva is VERY kick ass. I guess I never put much thought into Kiki being like that. I think that ruthlessness was bred into Ziva's character, whereas Kiki's was out of necessity at the time. She likes to think she's without much of a conscience, but damn does she ever have one. I see Ziva like that. She doesn't want to admit she makes mistakes.
A fabulous interview, Nika! And the Booty cover--wow! Talk about grabbing the reader's attention. LOL. The relationships among the sisters do sound fascinating.
I think writing under two names is a good idea if a writer is published in very different subgenres and the voice is likely to be equally different. I'd hate to buy a Nora Roberts book and have it turn out to be a J. D. Robb novel. On the other hand, Christina Dodd, Lisa Kleypas, and Connie Brockway all use the same name for their different subgenres, and I happily buy whatever they put their names on.
Lisa Kleypas' differences between her contemps and her historicals are night and day (voice wise) but you can still tell its her. I love that about her novels.
The interview had a mind of it's own. LOL
Melissa did you watch NCIS last night? I love Ziva! It was exactly what you're talking about - her wishing she didn't have a conscience, but realizing she did and she had to deal with that. I LOVED those moments between her and Gibbs at the end. *sigh*
Hal! Yes, I watched NCIS last night. Oh! It was so great, and I'm wishing I could figure out what Gibbs whispered in Ziva's ear at the end. Did you catch that?
You know, I get kind of lost in the complicated plot (sound familiar? lol It's definitely just ME)
Oops, sent before I was ready (again!) but meant to say even if I get lost in the plot, it's the characters that make the difference. :)
He didn't! He started to whisper something, then stopped and just kissed the top of her head. At least, I'm pretty sure. That show often has a complicated plot, and I tend to do three things at once while I watch TV, so I rarely understand how they solved the case :) But I love the characters so much I keep watching every week anyway. That says a lot for those writers!
Btw, what has happened to Terri today? Hope she's not stuck with the co-worker with suspicions of bodies in the basement...yikes.
See, Terri? Your absence will be noticed. LOL
Oh, I thought Gibbs said something and I'm like how am I supposed to read his lips? Then it was gone and I missed it because my son was standing right in front of the tv at the time asking me something about fish or trains or transporting fish on trains..lol Something. I don't know. He's always asking something in the middle of me watching a show. So, maybe it's no wonder I miss the plot. LOL
I really wish I would've watch NCIS. I will get the scoop from GPS at lunch as she is pulling into my parking lot now. Thank god. I'm starved. It's hard to be creative when all you can think about is food.
Ter has quite possibly been kidnapped by the worker drones. I know this issue. I've had it happen to me quite often. I hope her sucker punches them and runs away before they rot her brain into thinking she actually has to work at work.
I've never seen an NCIS episode...am I missing something good? Please say no, I don't need to add any more shows to my list!
Great interview and love the cover!
I do hate it when work turns into work!
Also, Chance, wherever you may be, I hope your flight from DC back to California yesterday wasn't delayed too long!
I'm here! Flight be bumpy, but made it in 30 minutes late. Drive home be hairy...but I made it! Now I gets ta turn around and head back ta SFO ta pick up the DH this afternoon.
Now, time ta foller that pixie about... I gots a tiny little brush and a bottle... She shakes her tail and I gets some glitter fer the hoohaas... Figure that extra kick will be worth it. I gots a mask so I won't inhale any... ;)
Lookin' forward ta readin' the books, Niki!
Sabrina, yer missin' a good show! Sorry!
*wipes a tear* Y'all really do miss me when I'm gone. Be still my pirate heart.
Yep, the work got in the way. Though not the serial killer coworker, so that's good. This is a great interview, cracked me up all the way through, and that cover is AWESOME. Amazing likeness!
Real quick - Melissa - My kiddo does the same thing! She'll be totally quiet and then a part comes up that you REALLY want to hear and she must start talking. She's been doing it since she could walk and it makes me CRAZY! So happy to hear I'm not the only crazy mom around here.
Marn, back us up here.
I'll be honest and say I'm more likely to enjoy Double Vision and get the scoop on Blood Wars second hand. LOL! Urban Fantasy is not my thing. But I love Nora without having to love the Robb books or even the para series she wrote as Nora.
Oh, and I'm reading the latest Kleypas historical and think this one is closest to having the punch of her contemps. Harry could totally be Hardy and Jack rolled into one. But a little more ruthless, if you can believe that!
Now, I want to hear about the men in Kiki and Sadie's lives. I know you write uber-awesome-alpha males, so spill it.
Cannot watch NCIS. I'm trying to limit my TV addiction and you people are not helping. I'll make do with Bones and Castle. BTW, did you know you can really buy the book Castle wrote, HEAT WAVE? Really? I don't know who really wrote it, but they are selling it as by Rick Castle.
Could I have typed the word "really" a few more times? Really?
Did ya overdo wit' really? I really didn't notice! But it's really easy ta do.
Hey there, Chancey! Great to see you made it back in one piece. How'd ya like the falls?
Terri, my son can out talk anybody. People just kind of blink in amazement and look at me (when he takes a breath) and ask if he does this all the time, like they think I don't let him talk and he's stored it up or something. Nope. All the time. LOL
Oh, and I’m reading the latest Kleypas historical and think this one is closest to having the punch of her contemps. Harry could totally be Hardy and Jack rolled into one. But a little more ruthless, if you can believe that!
I also just read Kleypas' Tempt Me at Twilight this past weekend. I do love the Hathaway family! I came away thoroughly inspired and intimidated at the same time...the inner critic telling me I need to be more wicked in my love scenes, must have my characters be more witty and intelligent. LOL But I'm doing a contemporary now (or trying) so I may be comparing apples to oranges. I haven't read any of her contemps yet and I should. Like I need more intimidation? Nah, I'm kidding, sort of. I'm not trying to copy, of course, but it takes a certain bit of time to come down from, wow, that was great, ya know? :)
Niki, I also want to hear about the men in Kiki and Sadie's lives. And what about Kady?
Melissa - Lisa's historicals don't tie me up as much since I can keep it separate from the contemp that I write. But I get the "Why am I trying to write a book when I could never be this good?!" voice going off in your head.
I highly recommend reading Lisa's contemps...after you finish writing your own. :) She's a confidence killer if there ever was one.
My kiddo's mouth is ALWAYS moving. Which she gets from me so people aren't usually too surprised. She's a mini me. Or rather, a nearly same sized me. We bought more new shoes this weekend - ladies size 9. *sigh* Did I mention she's 10?
So I finally get here and everyone else clears out? Nice.
You know, I showered this morning...
The falls were very wet, Bo'sun. Hee, hee. Some a' me impressions be in me Friday blog. Glad ta be home, even if it be nearly as wet here! Wow, that be one massive storm came in while I was gone. 9 inches in the Santa Cruz mountains. Which is hellishly impressive fer here!
Great ta be back in me own bed...now, the Dh home tanight...heaven.
Niki, great cover, BTW!
Kady's dead.
Sadie's spent a good portion of her adult life drugged up in an insane asylum. Her emotional maturity level stopped at 16.
And Kiki, well, Kiki takes the cake. She is completely in love with this man who she tells herself she can never have. Does everything in her power to push him away from her only to regret it every waking moment.
There are three main heroes. Ashton Montgomery Walker III (Ash), Juan Antonio Rivera Ruiz (Ruiz) and Dexter Sebastian Smith (Dex).
When did Dex show up? (He's not a serial killer is he?)
I dunno. Dex and Kiki were fighting one night and it was all about this stake out they'd gone on and got shot at and Kiki fell through the floor and busted her ankle and he was telling her if she had let him handle it, nothing bad would've happened. It's incredible. The relationship they have together. I'm simply amazed at the two of them when they are together. Think Steph and Ranger, but more apt to acknowledge it and act on it.
Sabrina, thanks for the props on the interview and cover!
Would you like me to lie to you and say NCIS is a horrible show? LOL
I have to scroll up to see what I missed while I was away. You guys sure were busy.
And that should've been pixies. Not pixy's. *forehead smack*
Chanceroo, I'm glad you made it home in one piece last night!
GPS might not be so happy to have some of her glitter taken away today. She might have you for a midday snack if you touch her glitter. You know how pissy pixy's can get.
Nika, only YOU could have THREE kinds of Rangers alphaing up your novel.
Wow, Nika! Loving that magazine cover. I'm liking the name choices too - very original. I especially like the names for your heroes. It always fascinates me when heroes/heroines name extend beyond the obligatory first and last. Middles and multiples are interesting. I'm thinking there are always reasons and the backstory is usually pretty interesting.
I never mind an author switching genres and or changing names to go along with it. Just so they make it pretty clear to the reader. Like Janga said I'd hate to buy a Nora and get a JD Robb by mistake.
I'm pretty sure there are at least three personalities to Ranger. The one he has on the street. The one he has with Steph. And the one he's got with his family.
Ter, so glad to see the serial killer workers did not get a hold of you today. That sounds like a great working story for zombies.
I know you've told me to watch Castle but I still haven't. They are marketing a book he supposedly wrote? Interesting. I wonder how well it sells.
"Castle" also writes on twitter - they have someone acting like the character talking evyerday there.
I don't watch TV, unless of course I catch Nick Jr. or the Disney Channel as I'm walking through the room. I did catch an ad for "Castle", though, and thought I think I might just have to get back into it. I really like Nathan Fillion. His character seems like such a smarta$$ - I love those!
I adore smart-ass characters as well. Not because I am one myself or anything.
Irish, dear! I would love to take credit for the oddball names of the characters, but my characters come pre-named before I have a chance to alter them. Since I hear it all in my head, I hear their names as I hear their voices.
Niki - I 'ope her fangs are sharp, I be tough! And I ain't takin' much. Think she'd appreciate 'avin' her leftovers used ta spice up the drinks!
Hurrumph!
I recently started watchin' Castle. Damn it. Another ta keep an eye on! I love the books they put out based on series. Read the one from Bones. Interestin' path there. A series based on an author who writes books about a forensic anthropologist...and they wrote a book about the series...which is based on an author who writes books...
*deep breath
Ya see what I mean?
Ahhh, I love CASTLE!
To everyone who's liked the "cover" of Booty magazine- I was told several times if I didn't have it ready for the blog today I was in severe trouble. So last night at the last minute I did it. LOL
It would be great if we could do a cover every month. That could get interesting.
Chanceroo, I'm pretty sure I could make hella money off a fight between you and GPS. I have to take GPS in the odds. I've been at the mercy of her nasty dirty fighting. It ain't pretty and her damned fangs are sharp.
Well, I learned me knife skills from Jack and Hector tutored me on sword fightin'... He's world reknown wit' the blade, ya know!
But I'd rather not fight her... What she take in trade fer some bits a' glitter? It's all fer a good cause...gettin' pirates drunk and all...
(I do love the cover. I had fun makin' me book covers last week... Even if'n they weren't as good as I'd like to have had them... I think we ought to do something long those lines once a month... ;) )
It was not pretty, me making the cover. Since I have the new laptop and don't have photoshop anymore (I have PSP now, which I loathe with every fiber of my being) and also I'm without my font program with all my graphic fonts, it was a trial and error process with lots of foul language used. Something like that usually would take me 20 minutes, took me over an hour last night. Felt like a newbie trying to handle software way over my head and PSP is NOT over my head. Ugh.
I already know the answer to that. GPS will take gold in compensation for her glitter.
Gold what? ;)
Or pasties. Because that would be kinda hilarious.
The kind you plunder from treasure chests. LOL
Gold pastries... got it! :)
What? Stuck on the 68th comment? Jeez what's wrong with you Pirates?
Fine. I'll do the 69.
69th comment that is! ;)
LMAO. Really? Did you get it on tape Jules?
Great cover. Great interview.
Get it on tape? Hell SIN darlin' not only did I not get it on Tape ...
BTW SIN
Loved the interview!
And Nika Riley
I have to tell you that your books sound very interesting. I can hardly wait to get my hands on them ... as stories about redemption and second chances are my favorite!
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