Nancy Kilpatrick Writer: Get to Know Writer...JN MOON
JN Moon
NK - You se...: Get to Know Writer... JN MOON JN Moon NK - You set your vampire series in Bath, England, which is your home base. Bath seems li...
Thursday, September 26, 2019
Get to Know Writer...JN MOON
JN Moon
NK - You set your vampire series in Bath,
England, which is your home base. Bath seems like a nice, quiet, historic city,
the kind of place not prone to drawing vampires. Besides knowing your city well, what other
reasons do you have for setting novels there?
JNM – Yes, as a teenager visiting night clubs,
in the early hours of the morning the city held the most magic, like a backdrop
from Sherlock Holmes. The Georgian houses, cobbled streets and antiquated
street lamps fueled my imagination.
In the Royal Victoria Park, massive stone
lions guard the entrance. So this was the perfect backdrop to a vampire story,
and along with it, a wealth of history predating Roman times, all with its own
folklore and legends, which I researched and used in my books, especially for
magical scenes.
NK - Lots of people watched the Hammer films
but not everybody rooted for the monsters. Why did/do vampires, Frankenstein's
monster and his spouse, and all the other supernaturals appeal to you more than
the 'heroes', aka 'humans'.
JNM – I asked myself this recently, why do I
love vampires, werewolves so much? Aside from their power, strength,
immortality and unyielding beauty, and usually wealth, I think the core attraction
is strength. If I were a vampire, or dating a vampire, then nobody could hurt
me, the apex alpha male! I would be safe forever from harm. I guess as well,
they have all this but are outsiders. I’ve never been one to run with the pack.
It’s not something I tried to do, I just never fit the box.
NK - You have a 'real' job and you are a
writer. Do both parts of your life impinge on one another?
JNM - Yes, it’s frustrating having to do the
day job but I work around it. I commute for an hour three times a week, so I
write on my phone, (probably about 600K words so far) using Google docs and I
write on my lunch breaks.
I don’t get ideas for characters in my day to
day life, my characters are too big for that. But that said I do work with really
lovely supportive people, and as such have recently started teaching creative
writing as a volunteer which my Department Head is fully supporting. (I get
special paid leave for this) but the opportunity came by chance, through work
helping homeless and vulnerable people.
I absolutely love it! And I get other
personal development opportunities to help with confidence/communication and
business skills that transition into my business. This goes both ways. Cheesy
as it is, I invest my time as much as possible. Time, after all, is all we got.
NK - You've described your novels as
containing 'a
smattering of the philosophical'. Having read your vampire series, I'd say
that's an understatement. Your main
characters, especially Anthony, seem to think about how everything does and
doesn't fit together and how it all came to be.
This is reminiscent of Anne Rice's vampires, but with a big difference:
most of your undead are working-class or middle class, not the highbrow elite
of Rice world, which is refreshing. Can you say how these type of characters
fit into your world view?
JNM –
With my first book, I thought if the main character was the guy next door, it
would be scarier and readers could relate easier. Most of us don’t know Princes
or Lords, (and in the UK, in real life they’re usually seen as pompous, to be honest!).
My
vampires try to justify their existence and as a writer, I’m looking for the
balance between fantasy and reality, so if you were a vampire, chances are at
first you’d battle with your humanity. But over time, after losing all your
friends and family this humanity would become eroded, leaving you emotionally
cold and perhaps searching for some semblance of it. Existence alone would be chilling
indeed.
I
grew up on Aesop’s fables, so often I’ll add messages in dialogue that I’ve
learned, and aim every day to live by, for example not living from hate, and a
biggie, even when you’ve done everything wrong, failed, how you live after that!
You can use that to turn life around, to make an impact.
So,
it was natural that my vampires, to justify themselves, to be righteous and feed
only on the evil...well that could change in my current work in progress!!
NK -
Besides vampires, tell us about your newest series that includes: Wolf Born; Dragon Born; Shadow Born.
JNM –
I have two new series being released this year, both trilogies, both with
female protagonists.
Again,
my main characters are ordinary women thrown into extraordinary circumstances. The Blood Moon Series starts off loosely based on Red Riding Hood, and features
lots of British and Scottish Folklore, most of which readers won’t be familiar
with, (I always add additional information in the Author Notes).
Book 2, Dragon Born features Luke Philips, (he’s in most
of my books—I forget he’s not real!) He’s a dragon shifter, but this story has
Greek, Scottish and British mythology woven together, again with some mythology
not often written about. A lot of the story was set under the sea! Fascinating
research for this, and my main character, Emma, really is pushed beyond her
limits.
Shadow Born is darker, taking historical religious
sects and knights from history, along with theology—Grigori angels, or The
Watchers, and pushes my main character to her limits. I took ideas from kung
fu, where when a person fights and is completely at one with everything, Mushin. A person’s mind is free from
anger, hate and the complexities or the nonsense of life. The kung fu theme
runs through my books because I used to do it. It also represents living
outside constraints pushed on us or, living outside ‘the matrix,’ though we all
get pulled in from time to time.
The
other series, The Blood Oath trilogy
is based in Bristol. I got the idea a few years ago on my commute, passing a small
patch of woodland that was set in front of a rough-housing estate...I could almost see the monsters! This main
character is a paramedic and does martial arts, also fast-paced, with a side
helping of romance.
I
should state that though the latter series have romance in them, there’s no
time for much and heads roll, and hearts are ripped out. Literally! It’s still
dark fiction.
JN Moon contact
Books
Universal Book Links
The book
links are from Genius Links, so where-ever in the world you click on the link
it opens at the appropriate Amazon store.
Wednesday, August 28, 2019
Nancy Kilpatrick Writer: Get to Know Fiction Writer. . . TOSCA LEETosca L...
Nancy Kilpatrick Writer: Get to Know Fiction Writer. . .
TOSCA LEE
Tosca L...: Get to Know Fiction Writer. . . TOSCA LEE Tosca Lee NK - Tosca is an opera by Puccini, a place in Italy, a type of calcium, ...
TOSCA LEE
Tosca L...: Get to Know Fiction Writer. . . TOSCA LEE Tosca Lee NK - Tosca is an opera by Puccini, a place in Italy, a type of calcium, ...
Get to Know Fiction Writer. . .
TOSCA LEE
Tosca Lee
NK - Tosca is an opera by Puccini, a place in Italy, a type of calcium, and a soft coral. And your name. What does
your name mean to you?
TL – It’s a type of calcium and coral?? I had no idea! To me, as a biracial kid growing up in the mostly white
Midwest in the 70s and 80s, it was another way that I was a little different—something I struggled with at that age,
but am so grateful for and celebrate today at almost 50.
NK - You were a ballet dancer and a model and now you are a best-selling author. What are the difficulties of moving
between diverse careers?
TL – Strangely, they’ve all been things that kind of help one another. The ballet helped with my stint as a
pageant queen (which happened when an acquaintance suggested I try
it out and I said, “Okay!”), which led to modeling. My time as
Mrs. Nebraska is also when I learned to interview on TV
and radio and started public speaking—experiences that have been
greatly helpful as an author.
NK - With 11 published novels,
all big stories, they seem to fall into two categories. The vast majority feature
either a fictionalized character from history and/or
mythology and are set in a historical time period, or the stories are
set in a post-apocalyptic/dystopian world which is not this
minute but lean towards the very near future. One could say you
focus on the past and the future in your work. What draws you
to both?
TL – I hadn’t thought of it
that way but you are very right! I think what intrigues me about the past is that we
tend to think of historical figures in glamorized or
larger-than-life terms sometimes, and we forget that they were people just
like you and me with similar hopes and dreams. And I just like
drilling down into the lives of people and times in history that
interest me. Likewise, I’ve always loved speculative fiction, supernatural stories, and dystopian ones in particular. It’s very intriguing to me, in this crazy-busy world, to imagine what
life might be like without all the things that vie for our
attention. When there is only one simple goal: survive!
NK - Wynter Roth is the protagonist of your current series. She is struggling to overcome a peculiar past plus cope
with existence during a pandemic while desperately trying
to save individuals and humanity. It's a compelling tale.
What's the connection to your daughter, who is also named
Wynter?
TL – Thank you for being an
early endorser for Wynter’s story! My daughter was the same age as the Wynter in the
story when I wrote it, and I’ve always loved her name. And Wynter
really enjoys reading. So I wanted to write a story with a
character she could identify with in some ways, if only for
the difficulties that come with being 22 and trying to
figure out what your life as an adult is going to be about.
It’s been fun for both of us to read reader comments about how
much they enjoy Wynter as a character.
NK - Your newest novel, A Single Light, is a continuation of The Line Between, both featuring Wynter Roth.
Tell us about the new story.
TL – The sequel starts up
directly where the first leaves off, at a time and place where Wynter and those with her
believe they are safe. Until they realize that nothing has gone
as planned. It’s the continuation of the story with twice as
much action and a brand new character I just love.
With the duology in development for TV, I’m open to
writing a third should there be demand for it. For now,
though, I’m very happy with where the story leaves off, and think
readers will be, too.
Fun
Tosca says: "I did something fun in The Line Between.
I hid a code in it. Those readers who find the code and figure out what it
stands for and enter the answer at toscalee.com/code/ unlock
the first chapters of A Single Light and can begin reading it
right away."
Books
Contact
Thursday, July 11, 2019
Nancy Kilpatrick Writer: Get to Know Fiction and Non-Fiction Writer...ELAI...
Nancy Kilpatrick Writer: Get to Know Fiction and Non-Fiction Writer...
ELAI...: Get to Know Fiction and Non-Fiction Writer... ELAINE PASCALE Elaine Pascale NK - When did you write your first fictional story, wh...
ELAI...: Get to Know Fiction and Non-Fiction Writer... ELAINE PASCALE Elaine Pascale NK - When did you write your first fictional story, wh...
Get to Know Fiction and Non-Fiction Writer...
ELAINE PASCALE
ELAINE PASCALE
Elaine Pascale
NK - When did you write your first fictional
story, what was it about, and was it soft and sweet or dark as hell?
EP – I have been writing since before I could
write. I can remember begging my parents to teach me to write words so I could
write down the stories in my head. The first story that I can remember the plot,
though, was a short story I wrote in elementary school—maybe fifth grade—and it
was definitely dark and creepy. Something about demonic children. Fortunately,
my parents were always very supportive and encouraged me to keep writing (even
if the work produced was a little disturbing). They also took me to the library
and allowed me to check out any books I wanted (which were usually horror). My
mom is a big yard sale/consignment store fanatic and she would bring home any
horror books she found. It wasn’t until I went to college and was in a Creative
Writing program that I was first told that I should write something other than
horror. One professor even said he was going to 'save' me from horror as I was
a better writer than that (whatever that means).
NK - You have a full-to-bursting academic
background in English lit but that doesn't always lead to good fiction writing.
How did you make the transition from studying literature to a Ph.D. level, and
teaching and tutoring and writing non-fiction all the way to the other side and
turn into an outstanding creative writer and not just a conduit for others?
EP – I believe that writing and reading go hand
and hand. I consider myself a 'word nerd'. I love good writing. I have seen
student papers where I stop and think, “My God, that’s a beautiful sentence.”
There is an artistry there that I really admire. Working with other people’s
writing, as a literature teacher or tutor, has helped me to deeply analyze what
makes writing interesting.
In terms of being a conduit for others, I am
learning how profoundly satisfying that can be. Every February, I try to do
some activity for Women in Horror Month. This past year was the 10th
anniversary and I published short stories by women writers on my blog. I worked
very hard to acquire much-deserved attention for the women involved and the joy
I felt during this project is hard to describe. Granted, this is different from
teaching literature where many of the writers are already lauded; but there is
a great deal of pleasure in turning readers on to new (or new to them) writers.
NK - You've got a wonderful novella, The Blood Lights, and a fabulously inventive
short story collection, If Nothing Else,
Eve, We've Enjoyed the Fruit. What
propelled you to write these two works? And how did you come up with the title
for the collection?
EP – The Blood Lights was was inspired
by a true event where my cousin, my husband, and I were sitting on the beach at
night and this unexplainable light hovered for the longest time. We
could not figure out what it was, so I set out to explain it. I had also
recently vacationed in Bimini with my family and that was a place that really
stole my heart. I had a need to put it into a story, so it wound up in that
novella.
If Nothing Else, Eve, We’ve Enjoyed the Fruit is a
collection of stories of mine that I enjoyed compiling. It’s funny in that the
stories that I feel the most disassociated from, or question the quality of the
most, are the ones that sell the quickest and receive the best feedback. If I
had the time, I would examine the disparity between what I want to write and
what people want to read! The title came from the first story of the collection
that acts as a preface (actually a bookend with the prologue) to the
collection. I guess I have always felt that the snake and Eve got a bad rep for
their collaboration in the garden of Eden.
NK - What's up next for you in the way of
fiction writing?
EP – I shy away from talking about writing
because, like sex, those who talk about it the most do it the least. I have not
been prolific lately, due to many changes in my life, but I have been
participating in a picture prompt/flash fiction activity sponsored by Ladies of
Horror that appears on spreadingthewritersword.com and this keeps me sharp. I
wrote and sold two short stories in 2019 so far and I have been working on a
novel for a while now. It is probably the most commercial piece of writing I
have ever committed to, but I am fighting above my weight class in terms of
remaining motivated with it. I think I may have to buckle down and join Nanowrimo
or some other group that forces me to finally finish it.
Books
Friday, July 05, 2019
Nancy Kilpatrick Writer: HORROR ADDICTS' Naching T. Kassa interviews me on ...
Nancy Kilpatrick Writer: HORRORADDICTS.NET' Naching T. Kassa interviews me on ...: HORROR ADDICTS' Naching T. Kassa interviews me on Chilling Chat: Nancy Kilpatrick Interview
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