Author Interview with B.R. Kingsolver
I’m hosting an author interview today with B.R. Kingsolver, the author of paranormal romance novel Succubus Rising. Thanks for answering my questions, B.R.!
Author Interview
1) When did you know you wanted to be an author?
I think I’ve always sort of daydreamed of how neat it would be to write books and be able to travel and work on my own time frame. But that’s all it was, a daydream. I only started writing about two years ago. It’s kind of like winning the lottery. Everyone wants to win, but you have to buy a ticket.
2) What are your writing goals for 2013?
A lot more ambitious than I’ll probably achieve! I have the detective story to finish. I’m about one-third finished with the first draft of that. I also have a completely different YA/NA paranormal romance outlined. The main character is a Valkyrie, and it’s set at Oxford University. And then there’s the fourth Brenna book. If I get all that done, I’ll be both happy and amazed.
3) What inspired you to write Succubus Rising?
It’s the third book in the series. The first book, The Succubus Gift, was inspired by a combination of the other succubus books that are currently popular. What bothered me about so much of current paranormal heroines is that for them to break out of conventional sexual morality, they had to be working for the devil. I set out to find another explanation for the succubus myth, and found it in Goddess worship and telepathy.
4) What was the most challenging part about writing Succubus Rising?
I had so many ideas, and so many ways I wanted to tell the next phase of Brenna and Rebecca’s story, that the first manuscript was a bunch of scenes without a clear plotline. I actually had three major plotlines and a couple of minor ones, and the book was a mess. It took quite a bit of time to trim and revise and stitch the pieces together so that they made sense.
5) What is your editing process like?
I tend to re-read and edit at various stages when I’m writing. When I finish, I go through and do an end-to-end edit, then send it to several friends who beta read it for me. Some are other authors, two are professional business editors. When I get back their critiques, I try to fix the problems they’ve found, then send it out again. When I finally have the story in shape, it goes through a first and second edit by a middle-school English teacher.
6) Do you have any advice for aspiring authors?
No one is qualified to edit their own work. There is no substitute for a good editor. I have been editing my entire working life, including newspapers, professional journals, and two text books. What I miss in my own writing is astounding.
The second piece of advice is to write what you would enjoy reading. Don’t try to fit someone else’s ideas of what you should write.
7) Do you have anything you’re working on right now? Can you tell us more about it?
I’m working on a detective, suspense story set in the same world. The main character is a telepathic private investigator, and not a succubus. A few of the characters from my other books make an appearance, but the focus of the story is away from the O’Donnell Clan.
About Succubus Rising
Title: Succubus Rising
Author: B.R. Kingsolver
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Book 3 of the Telepathic Clans Saga, Succubus Rising
The Goddess has plans for Brenna and Rebecca, and the Goddess has a wicked sense of humor.
Rebecca Healy is a true wilder, growing up with no contact or knowledge of other telepaths. Discovered by a Clan member on the streets of San Francisco, she felt like she’d hit the jackpot. Finally, she knew what she was, or at least she thought she did.
When Brenna O’Donnell, long-lost heir of the O’Donnell Clan, and the strongest telepath in history, is returned to her family, she and Rebecca form a tight bond. Brenna has it all, looks, money, power, and men falling all over her.
Rebecca isn’t jealous, but it would be nice to find someone who would really love her and stick around in the morning. She’s intrigued by a handsome South American general, but of course, he has his sights set on Brenna. Carlos de Vargas wants more than love. His Clan has its back to the wall, and they hope for an alliance with O’Donnell. An alliance that would lead to war.
The story began in The Succubus Gift and continued in Succubus Unleashed. In Succubus Rising, questions are answered and new mysteries are revealed.
Author Bio
I made silver and turquoise jewelry for almost a decade, ended up in nursing school, then took a master’s in business. Along the way I worked in construction, as a newspaper editor, a teacher, and somehow found a career working with computers.
I love the outdoors, especially the Rocky Mountains. I’ve skied since high school and I’ve hiked and camped all my life. I love to travel, though I haven’t done enough of it. I’ve seen a lot of Russia and Mexico, not enough of England. Amsterdam is amazing, and the Romanian Alps are breathtaking. Lake Tahoe is a favorite, and someday I’d like to see Banff in Canada.
I have a very significant other, two cats and two Basset Hounds. I’m currently living in Baltimore, nine blocks from the harbor, but still own a home in New Mexico that I see too infrequently.
Links
Twitter: @BRKINGSOLVER
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/brkingsolver
Web site: http://brkingsolver.com/