Amanda Carlson
Is there a book, author, story or person that inspired you to become a writer?
What type of bump in the night creature terrifies you? Which do you think would be the hardest to write about?
That’s a tough one. I’m not a big true horror fan, so writing something like SAW would be very difficult. I think the humans-gone-wrong in those movies is the most terrifying, much more terrifying than any vampire or werewolf.
The Urban Fantasy / Paranormal genres appear to be the genre that everyone is writing in these days (even authors that are well established in other genres) what do you think the draw to these genre is? How do you believe your novels stand out from the rest of the crowd?
I think the “urban” part of fantasy—the part where it could be happening next door and you don’t know—is the allure. It puts a contemporary spin on fantasy and makes it more accessible to everyone. Readers can place themselves in the world and think, “What if this happened to me?” I believe my novels are very much their own spin on the urban fantasy genre. I work hard to make the tropes fresh and as new as I can.
I do not know if you have noticed, but I have, there appears to be less authors writing with werewolves as their main creature in your books, why do you think that this has occurred?
It’s because editors have momentarily stopped buying them J All genres cycle in and out of fashion at some point. Werewolves and vampires will never go away ever, but when the market gets saturated, the editors stop buying. Then, when there’s almost none on the shelves, and the readers are getting restless, they will start buying again (most will anticipate the resurgence and buy a year before you get antsy). I think I’ve managed to find myself in a very lucky place, because readers looking for vamps and weres have less books to go through to find mine!
A common theme within several werewolf based books is that a female werewolf is rare, why do you think that this is common theme?
I think it’s a good way to heighten the stakes. All tropes, across most genres, have been used at some point or another. Our job as authors is to take something that’s been done and put our own unique spin on it. Introducing something new to a story is one of my favorite things to do, because when an author does it well, it makes the reader feel like they’re reading it for the first time.
What do you think would be the hardest or most challenging genre to write a novel in and why?
I’m not sure, since I’ve only completed urban fantasy novels, but I do know authors write what they love. They have a passion for the topic, and when the urge hits, they jump in. I wouldn’t say that one genre is harder than another—since every novel takes the author’s blood, sweat and tears to finish—I would just say every book is hard work in its own way.
In your second novel Hot Blooded, especially near the end of the book, it takes a dark turn once they enter into Selene’s liar. Is it hard for you to tap into the darker side of the novel? Do you think all novels need a touch of darkness?
I don’t think all books need a touch of darkness. I happen to love happy books! For Selene, and what happens in Hot Blooded, I was purely writing true to her character. She was dark, but at the same time childlike—a supernatural who’d never fully grown up. This was her turf and that’s what she brought to the table. I didn’t have a hard time writing it, but maybe because I knew my heroine would prevail
Jessica is one of the best well rounded characters that I have read in a UF/paranormal novel in a long time as she uses her head, heart and wolf equally to make her decisions. What went into the creation of her character?
Jessica, in many ways, is how I view anyone who is human suddenly making a big change in their lives. How would they handle it? How would I handle it? I strive to be as realistic as I can in fantasy. I also believe this makes the book more approachable to readers. When I write her, I’m not thinking werewolf, I’m thinking a twenty-six-year-old who just went through a major life change. Do you have any information on upcoming works or events that you are able to share?
The COLD BLOODED blog tour is running the rest of September and the entire month of October. I’m running 3 huge cross-blog giveaways, so stay tuned if you love awesome swag. More info about everything is on my website: www.amandacarlson.com I will also be at Coastal Magic in Feb. and I’d love to see you there! http://coastalmagicconvention.wordpress.com/
What is one book on your shelf that you cannot wait to read (can either be a new or old favorite).
*fingers twitch to pick up a book* I don’t get much time to read, but when I do I love Kristen Painter, Amanda Bonilla, Kristen Callihan and Julie Ann Walker. I don’t reread very often, but Harry Potter gets that prize for sure. Thanks for hosting me on the blog today! I had fun stopping by. COLD BLOODED releases in a few short weeks and I’m so excited to share it with my readers.
Thank you once again Amanda for being part of my Blogoversary and I think we can all relate about not having enough time in the day to read. You can enter Amanda's Cold Blooded Blog tour below (which she is running across a few blogs).
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