Author Interview with The Black Rose
I’m interviewing The Black Rose today, author of romantic supsense “The Killing Game”. Enjoy the interview!
Author Interview
When did you know you wanted to become an author?
I knew this from when I was a child. I was always writing something but never had the courage to let anyone read what I had written.
What inspired you to write The Killing Game?
The inspiration to The Killing Game is a bit unnerving. Most readers don’t realize that the story came into being just as it’s written in the novel itself. A man, I had never seen before, approached me in the Mesquite branch of the Phoenix Public Library, and asked me to write a book about illegal sports gambling and the mob. How he knew I was an author, I have no idea. I didn’t dwell on it. The idea intrigued me, and by the time I arrived back at my house (about a 15-minute drive), my mind had developed the story.
What is your editing process like?
In short, my editing process is long. To break it down, I have several editing processes. The benefits are twofold: the story and the end product (both physical and digital books).
First, for the story editing, I review what I’ve written on the screen. I then run the text through editing software to clean it up.
When I feel the story is complete, I have a proof printed. Not loose-leaf, but a physical book to hold in my hands as a reader would. I read the story. I make notations in the margins, and chapter by chapter, I make the edits to the story.
Once those edits are incorporated in the story, I have another proof printed, and again, I read it as an avid reader would. As I find changes, I make them on the final copy. If I feel I’ve missed anything, I’ll print another proof and repeat the entire process.
If I’m happy with my edits, I send the copy to my editor, who tears it apart and sends it back. I review those edits, make them where needed, then I send the book through to the printer to be released for sale.
As mentioned, the benefit of reviewing a physical proof is part of a twofold process. Since there is usually lag time until I receive my proof, my mind has time to rest from the story. When I receive it, that’s my opportunity to review the story and the physical attributes of the finished product. I scrutinize everything. I examine the cover for color, text, alignment, appropriateness, look, feel, the texture of the laminate, etc. After that, I move onto the interior. I check margins, headers/footers, text size, line spacing, paragraph flow, etc. I look at everything and attempt to imagine what readers will think when they hold that book in their hands.
It’s the same for eBooks. I upload them to the sites I sell from and then download them once their systems have converted them into their standard. I then go through them to be certain everything works. Of course, it’s impossible to have every available eReader on the market, but I have several, and I use them to analyze the work and produce the best possible final product.
My goal is to create beautiful end products, filled with intriguing stories and captivating characters that readers will come to know, relate to, and want to follow as my series’ continue to unfold. I do all this because the greatest compliment I get is when a reader says they can’t wait to find out what happens next!
What do you find the most challenging about being an author?
Finding a great editor. I’ve gone through several, and some of the things they did to my work were ridiculous. A great editor, like the one I currently use, does the basics as well as reins you back in when you lose your way. I think what makes a good author/editor relationship is respect for each other’s point of view and experience and also not getting too bent out of shape when advice is given or not taken.
Are you working on something now?
Absolutely! I’m working on several stories. I’m finishing up The Last Hope (book four in The Killing Game Series) for release in December 2016 and continuing with The Lesser Evil (book five in the same series). Formulating the storyline to the fifth book in that series, and trying to get back to work on The Yugoslavian, In Search of Tess (the second book in The Yugoslavian series) as well as the third book in that series. It’s just a matter of getting them out of my head and onto paper, so to say.
About the Book
Title: The Killing Game
Author: The Black Rose
Genre: Romantic Suspense
A seductive story about corruption, sin, lust, and redemption. The series opens as Ives Andrich, Special Agent in Charge of the New York Division of the FBI, is confronted with investigating the woman he has waited a lifetime to find. Because of her more than accurate novel about an Italian crime lord, the Bureau, against Ives’ wishes, asks for her help in infiltrating the internal organization of the nation’s most nefarious Mafia don. When the Bureau’s plan fails, and she becomes dangerously entangled in the private life of the United States’ most wanted criminal, Ives tolerance for Bureau mishaps vanishes. No holds barred, he puts everything on the line to save the woman he loves in the first book in The Killing Game Series, a suspense thriller series by The Black Rose.
Author Bio
The Black Rose is an author, photographer, and filmmaker. Born in Chicago, she currently resides in New York with the love her life, her Hokkaido Dog, Kuma. She began writing at the age of seven and dabbled until she woke up one day and simply had to write a novel. She has several 5-Star reviewed novels, both part of individual series.
She categorizes her novels very directly; “My writing is deeply rooted interpersonal relationships: people’s feelings, thoughts, emotions, and the intimacies between two people that truly love each other despite the circumstances surrounding them.” Her genres are suspense, thrillers, crime, romance, and espionage. As she says, “I write about love, honor, and doing the right thing, even when it seems disadvantageous, even when it’s not the popular path to take.” She sees her writing as a gift from God, and appreciates and learns from her stories.
Her writing passion stems from her immense love for art, which began with drawing at age five and moved into oil painting by age eight. Her love and study of photography soon became a professional passion, and she spends hours photographing and laying out her book covers. Readers can visit “Privé with The Black Rose” showcasing behind-the-scenes insights into her writing, novels, characters, photography, and films. She films and produces her book trailers and, in the future, plans to make short films.
For more information on The Black Rose and The Black Rose NYC brand, visit these links:
The Black Rose’s Website: http://www.theblackrosenyc.com
The Killing Game Landing Page: http://ow.ly/JLPTK
The Black Rose’s Amazon Author Page: http://ow.ly/PbDUX
The Killing Game Series on Amazon: ow.ly/wCyj303Qjly
The Killing Game on Barnes and Noble: http://ow.ly/BqkB305PvV0
Twitter: @theblackrosenyc
Facebook: www.facebook.com/theblackrosenyc
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/TheBlackRoseNYC
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/theblackrosenyc/
Google+: http://ow.ly/mukb305PumW