Monday, October 24, 2011

Tattered Pages Welcomes Author Silver James!


Thank you so much for being here, Silver. Tell us how your writing career began.
English class in the eighth grade. In a spiral bound notebook with a black and white plaid cover. I would scribble madly and then slip it to my best friend, Angela, so she could read it. Titled “The Talisman”, the book was a time travel wherein two teenage girls were transported to King Arthur’s court. And fell in love with two lovely knights. With much hi-jinks and hilarity along the way. Needless to say, it was abysmal. Luckily, I grew up and learned more about the craft. ;-)
Oh my gosh, that's an awesome story. So you started out in the time-travel romance genre. Are you still there?
I often describe myself as a cross-genre writer. My reading tastes are eclectic so I had no choice but to chase after my Muse in my writing. Paranormal and Urban Fantasy, Romantic Suspense with paranormal elements, SciFi and Fantasy, straight mystery, and even a couple of straight contemporaries have all shown up in my WIP pile.
Wow! So what heat level do you prefer to write? What about the heat level you prefer to read? Are we keeping that bedroom door open or closed here?
As a reader, I tend to skip over the lusty parts. There are only so many ways to insert Tab A in Slot B. That said, if a writer gets into the emotions of the participants, that’s a different story. As for my own writing, a lot depends on the story and the characters. I have some that go behind closed doors. I have others that will ignite a room and never do more than simply look at each other.
Sounds awesome! Of the characters you created, which one is your favorite and why?
That’s like picking a favorite child. I guess it’s a good thing I only have one of those. LOL Taking the easy way out, I’m going to say whichever character’s head I happen to be in at any given moment. Right now, that’s Rory MacDermot, the hero in my current WIP. He’s surprised me on more than one occasion.
I love it with my characters surprise me. That's gotta be the best part about writing. Have you ever considered self-publication?
I have, yes. I have two series, an Urban Fantasy and a Romantic Suspense, my agent is shopping around. If no one bites, I’ll be very tempted to go the self-pub route. I believe very strongly in these series and would like to see them out there in the “wild.”
It is VERY intriguing, I agree. What are you working on now?
I’m working on the final book in my Faerie Trilogy with Wild Rose Press. FAERIE FOOL revisits many of the characters from the first book, FAERIE FATE, though in this lifetime, rather than the past. I still have elements of reincarnation, time travel, and those wonder feuding fae, Abhean and Manannán mac Lir, mucking about in mortal lives.
After finishing a manuscript, do you take some time off or dive right in to the next story?
That depends on the To-Do list from my agent. When I finish a manuscript, I send it off to my critique partner, so I don’t work on it again until she sends it back. I might take a day or two to read a book, because it seems like I never have enough time to read for pleasure. However, there are times that Iffy, my Muse, is running around waving her scissors and threatening dire results if I don’t leap into the next project.
LOL! That's too funny! Gotta love Iffy! What’s on your nightstand (or downloaded onto your Kindle) right now?
What’s not? *looks guilty* My TBR pile is HUGE—I mean like over a hundred books. I’m currently working my way through Regan Hasting’s VISIONS OF SKYFIRE and Kat Henry Duran’s EMBRACEABLE YOU from the Class of ’85 Reunion series from The Wild Rose Press.
Too many books, not enough time, my friend. Which Superhero would you most love to date?
Uhm…none of them. Men in tights aren’t my thing. Sergeant Rock? Now HIM I’d go out with! (Does anyone besides me even remember Sergeant Rock?)
Uhhh...not me. Anyone else? What about your husband Has he read your work?
He does if I ask, though he used to read my WIPs quite often. He is wonderful to brainstorm with, and I find that much more valuable than his thoughts on my writing.
Favorite cocktail?
Margarita on the rocks with lots of salt. MmmMmmm, good!
What about hobbies?
Hobbies? Who has time? *gigglesnort* Okay. Seriously. I read every spare moment I have. I used to needlepoint and I did some handpainted clothing once upon a time. But then I started writing in earnest and that’s my…passion. It is both job and hobby and all-consuming attention whore.
I hear ya there. Any pets?
I am owned by a full-blood Newfoundland dog (all 150 pounds of him!) named Cooper, a half-Newf/half-Golden Retriever named Boone who is the doobie of all dogs. Boone’s mantra is, “Can’t we all just get along? So pet me!” And of course, there is Adidas, the cat who rules us all.
Thanks for being my guest, Silver! Glad to have you at AJ’s Tattered Pages!
Thank you for inviting me, AJ. I’ve enjoyed my time here at Tattered Pages. And to celebrate my work on the final book of the Faerie Trilogy, I’m giving away the first book, FAERIE FATE to one lucky commenter, picked at random.
Whoo Hoo! Hear that, folks? Keep reading to learn about Silver's Give-Away, FAERIE FATE!!
BIO: With a rampant imagination aided and abetted by a Muse who runs with scissors, Silver James loves to share the stories created in that vast comic void pretending to be her mind. Over the course of her lifetime, she's been a military officer's wife, mother, state appellate court marshal, airport rescue firefighter and forensic fire photographer, crime analyst, technical crime scene investigator, and writer. Retired from the “real world” now, she lives in Oklahoma and spends her days at the computer with her two Newfoundland dogs, the cat who rules them all, and myriad characters all clamoring for attention. To find out more about Silver, visit her at www.silverjames.com
BLURB:

If you could go back, do it over again, would you take a chance to find true love?

What if you had no choice?

On her fiftieth birthday, the faerie catapult Rebecca Miller a thousand years into the past to find her happily ever after with Ciaran MacDermot, Chief of Clann MacDermot, the last Fenian warrior in his line. In the twenty-first century, Becca is old enough to be Ciaran’s mother. In the tenth, she’s young enough to be his bride.
The fae forgot to mention one slight stipulation. The lovers must be bound before the Festival of Light, or Becca will forever disappear into Tir Nan Óg, the faerie Land of the Ever Young.
Will they discover the binding words before time runs out and they’re torn apart forever? Or will their eternal love defeat their Faerie Fate?
Without the words, history is doomed to repeat itself.
EXCERPT:
The little clock she’d received as a present on her twenty-fifth birthday whirred and chimed the time. One small, tinkling chime. Two. Finally, twelve in all. Midnight between March twentieth and March twenty-first. The vernal equinox. The day when light and dark, good and evil, love and hate all balanced on the finely tuned axis of mother earth.
Voices, strange with lilting accents, whispered somewhere in the darkness of her dream.
****
“She sleeps,” said a soft voice, feminine, one Becca didn’t recognize.
“Aye,” said the second voice. This one was deep, male, arrogant.
“Will she remember?”
“Nay, she’ll not.”
“How then will she know what to do?”
“She’ll know.” He sounded confident.
“What of him?”
“Aye, he’ll definitely know now. He should have known the last time, but she was too afraid, and he was too full of himself.”
“What is so different this time?” She was skeptical.
“She was young then, not matched well to him. Now, she’s no young soul. She’s had all those lives without him, the lonely nights, and the ache in her heart for all time. This time, she has courage born in the fires of suffering. She’ll know not to run from him, but to him.”
“You’re sure with the knowing of it this time?”
“Aye.”
“And, if it doesn’t work?”
“Ciaran dies. Again.”
A sharp intake of breath came from the woman. “That cannot happen. Too much went wrong the first time.”
LINKS:
Twitter: @SilverJames_

Hi, AJ. Thank you so much for inviting me to visit you here at Tattered Pages.

17 comments:

Calisa Rhose said...

Hey Silver! Great to see my fellow Outlaw Okie here. Don't you just love AJ's Tattered Pages? So worn and comfy. I already have Faerie Fate (thank you again) so I'm just stopping in to watch Iffy chase you around the room. :)

Great interview ladies!

Silver James said...

Hi, Calisa! Shhhh. Iffy's still asleep so maybe I can get some work done today. ;)

Suzanne G. Rogers said...

Very cool excerpt, and such a wonderful cover! Great post.

AJ Nuest said...

I'm so glad you're here today, Silver! And I'm cracking up about "Iffy". You're too funny!

Silver James said...

Hi, S.G. I've been very lucky in my covers! The fabulous Rae Monet has done both of my Faerie covers and I'm crossing my fingers that she'll do the third one. Thanks for stopping by today!

Silver James said...

Don't encourage her, AJ. Iffy is a real pain in the tush. And dangerous. Very, very dangerous. *looks shifty eyed* I've got her distracted with brownies and ice cream at the moment.

AJ Nuest said...

ROFLOL! Oh my gosh, you CRACK ME UP! Do you write comedy? Tell me you write comedy, Silver. If not, you should. You're a natural.

Alicia Dean said...

Great interview, Silver. Congratulations on the book. Can't wait to read it. I read the first one and it was wonderful. Best of luck...

Hello AJ...just getting ready to start on Jezebel's Wish...looking forward to it!

ev said...

Well don't enter me in the contest. What would I want your book for? Oh, nevermind, already have one. snerk....

Iffy seems to be infecting others today.

Janet said...

Great interview, Silver (and AJ). Of course I knew most of this already (no, I'm not a stalker, but pretty close ;) with the exception of the eighth grade writing (will make a note in my Stalker, er, Facts about Silver book :)

Don't worry about the draw - I already have my own copy of Faerie Fate.

Luna Zega said...

What a wonderful interview! I was expecting a set list of questions that every author answers and this was so personalized I was sucked in. Great job! Thanks!

Silver James said...

I'm so glad I can make you laugh, AJ! Nope. I don't really write comedy. Most days, my life is a sitcom so I get all serious and stuff in my books. No. Really. Sh'up, Iffy. I hear you snickering over there!

Silver James said...

Hi, Alicia. Thanks for dropping by! I'm so glad you enjoyed FAERIE FATE. The 2nd book, FAERIE FIRE, stepped away from these characters, but for Abhean and Manannan mac Lir. It's fun to revisit Ciaran and Becca and especially Rory.

Silver James said...

Ev, you win stuff all the time. Of course, I wouldn't enter you! So there. *pbhthhh* But thanks for dropping by anyway. I'm tellin' ya, Iffy is a major pain today. Can I send her over to spend the night?

Silver James said...

Ahhhh, Janet. My favorite stalk...er...fan. Glad to see you peeking your head out. Iffy keeps threatening to find that book and make me update it as YA. Nope. Not gonna. Uh huh. She can't make me!

Silver James said...

Hi, Luna. AJ is a marvelous interviewer! I had so much fun answering her questions and it's been a blast visiting with folks here at Tattered Pages. Thanks so much for dropping by!

Calisa Rhose said...

Ok Wait a minute... this is a drawing for book number TWO? I want back in then! I only have book one! I NEED BOOK TWO! Put my name back in the hat, please!