The HEA Cafe

Author Archive

This past year has been an adventure to say the least. I managed to do book research with a bunch of Harley riders and their dogs – without falling off a bike once (at least not while the bikes were moving). Then I met a building inspector for the city of Henderson, Nevada, who took me down into the bowels of the Hoover Dam to research the second Accidental Demon Slayer book, The Dangerous Book for Demon Slayers. And then The Accidental Demon Slayer hit the New York Times bestseller list, prompting me to utter the words “Get out!” over and over to my agent before making her email me to make sure I wasn’t phone hallucinating.

They say you’re only as good as your next book, though and I have to tell you I’m really excited about this next one. Lizzie and the gang are going to Las Vegas to confront a she-demon who has her eye on world domination – and worse, Lizzie’s man. It’s chock full of biker witches, smart aleck fairies and steamy romance.

Plus, I love quirky research and The Dangerous Book for Demon Slayers gave me an excuse to do it. The climax of this book takes place inside the Hoover Dam, and of course in order to write about it, it was necessary (and fun) to talk my way into some behind-the-scenes places. An engineer took me far down into the inspection tunnels they used in the 1930′s and 40′s, when the cement was still curing. It was amazing to see the notes these inspectors made on the walls, to hear the stories of those that didn’t quite make it out and to walk the same old metal steps that they did. All of that made it into The Dangerous Book for Demon Slayers, along with lots of things I had a blast making up (this is fiction after all).

And to celebrate the upcoming release of The Dangerous Book for Demon Slayers, we have the highly un-scientific Are You Part Demon Slayer? quiz. Post your score on my blog and enter to win a walk-on role in the next Accidental Demon Slayer book. Good luck!

One of my favorite things about writing The Accidental Demon Slayer series is coming up with names and personalities for the geriatric biker witches that inhabit a good portion of the pages. These are hard riding, quirky gals who know how to have a good time. And in honor of them (and because it amused me), I bring you the What’s Your Biker Witch Name? quiz. Are you a Mantrap Marcie Lusty Drawers? Is your husband otherwise known as Wino Wally No Brakes? Now’s your chance to find out.

I admit I have a weakness for werewolves, vampires and anything else that goes bump in the night. But I picked up a book recently that is completely different from what I normally read and – wow – I love it. It’s called The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory and, yes, I’m probably the last person on the planet to have read this book.

Instead of dark hunters, vampire brotherhoods and immortal highlanders, I’m reading about sisterly rivalry, court intrigue and a few beheadings. It’s so good – and different – that now I’m wondering how many other great books I’ve missed because they’re not in my usual genre.

Of course I can’t read everything. As it is, I burn through 2-3 books a week and my TBR (to be read) stack is probably about as tall as I am. But still, it’s hard to think about the one that got away.

So in an effort to topple my already wobbling TBR stack, I ask you this: Have you read anything recently that’s made you stop and take notice? If so, tell us about it. And if I slip your recommendation up on top of the TBR pile, I’ll even send you a cover flat of The Accidental Demon Slayer.

I don’t know if any of you are guilty of this or not, but when I start tinkering with something, it’s hard to stop. Even when I dress my four-year-old daughter, I’m always adding a little headband or maybe a ribbon or adding a sweater. And yesterday, before sending galleys back to my publisher, I had to call Chessie, my critique partner, and quiz her about a single word. Do I scratch it out? Do I leave it in?

The kicker is, I don’t think our books will ever be as perfect as we want them to be. There will always be something to adjust, tweak, change or think about way too hard. To the point where I almost drove right past the UPS store last night and kept my galleys for one more day. After all, they’re not due until tomorrow. I could have overnighted them today. Taken one more look, thought more about that one word.

So how do you tame your “perfectionist” streak when it comes to your writing? Or do you? Does the same drive that makes us crazy also improve our work? Or do we just need to stop overthinking, stop the car and let our books go?

The first author who resonated with you, made you want to rush out and read the rest of a series, the author who made you care?

For me, it was Anne Rice, during the fall of ’92 at the University of Missouri. My roommates and I were talking one night and it turned out they’d all read this amazing vampire series.

Vampires were cutting edge at the time. My friend Shay handed me a copy of Interview with the Vampire and an obsession was born. I missed every one of my classes that week as I read Interview, and then The Vampire Lestat, Queen of the Damned and The Tale of the Body Thief. I couldn’t put those books down. And my friends, like the enablers they were, ate it up.

Now, sixteen years later, I don’t remember much about Economics 51 or Calculus (thank goodness), but I can still call up that giddy feeling I had when I discovered a new series, heck a new genre, that I knew I’d read again and again.

Do you remember the first time you discovered a new genre? Or a series that made you the reader or the writer you are today?