Okay, I write Speculative Romance and some speculative short stories that have no romance in them. I love both science fiction and fantasy romance and am currently finishing the last installment in my Urban Fantasy trilogy, The Changeling Race.
What comes first for you when you sit down to write a book? Plot or Characters?
It’s almost always the characters. I get this idea or thought about an oddball character and the story just springs from that original seed. Sometimes the character doesn’t even end up as the protagonist, but the ideas all come from that thought. I like quirky, unusual combination's, and they seem to lead to plot formation.
Do you "cast" your characters using pictures or actors to help inspire you when you're writing?
Not usually. I can’t swear that I’ve never envisioned one of my heroes as someone famous, but I like to deny it. Usually my cast is just oddball enough that you’d be hard pressed to find them in the real world. I have some autobiographical heroines, who doesn’t? But I try to give each character their own, individual identity.
How long does it take you to finish a book from start to finish?
Most of the year it takes about six months for a novel and one to three for a novella. During November it takes 30 days for a novel, and I like to do at least one that way each year. (for NaNoWriMo)
What are you working on now?
I am currently writing the final book in my Changeling Race trilogy. The first one, Moth in Darkness, is due out from Mundania Press early next year. This final chapter has been a lot of fun and a great learning experience. I’ve never had to finish up a series before. There are a lot of ends to tie up nicely.
If there was a soundtrack to your latest novel, what genre/songs would be included?
Oh that’s a fun one! If it was the one Im writing now, I’d have to say a lot of alternative, Alanis style songs. Maybe even some space music, Enigma, Enya, Loreena McKennit. (the series crosses between the modern world and Fey). For Dimensional shift, I’d pick some They Might Be Giants or other such brilliant silliness.
Lockland, the elf hero in my Urban Fantasy. He was the first hero I wrote and he very much embodies my own fantasies. Plus, I just can’t resist that long, white hair!
What do you feel are the benefits of the new electronic readers such as Kindle 2 or Sony Digital Book Reader to the environment?
Don’t get me started there! I adore e-books and I’ve switched almost entirely to reading electronically. I know all the arguments and such, but you really do learn to love the sensual feel of the reader too, the weight, the little click click of the buttons. Ahhh. And yes, the trees for heavens sake, the unbelievable waste of millions of books that are returned and destroyed in the print business. All that can be avoided by reading E. Also, I’ve eliminated a huge amount of clutter in my home, and I can carry hundreds of books in my purse.
What character (s) in any of your books is most like you?
I’d have to say Stevie Roth from my Dimensional Shift sequel, Aspect Ratio. She’s a mess, but a lot of fun. Both Chloe (from book one) and Stevie are partly autobiographical, and the best part is, they can’t stand one another. It just worked out that way, and I ran with it, cackling the whole way.
What is the most ridiculous thing that you have thought about doing to any of your characters but never did?
If it’s ridiculous, I probably did it. Let me think. Chloe (Dimensional Shift) battles a giant, glow-in-the-dark bedbug in book two. That’s pretty out there. I have given my characters addictions, tortured them, killed off friends and family, lost them, sent them to unknown dimensions…but I have a great deal of trouble with the idea of ever splitting up a pairing once I’ve made it.
There’s my answer, I’d never have them cheat or kill off a main love interest. I’m too much of a happily ever after junkie.
What is your favorite Ice Cream flavor?
All of them. Hmmm. I’m a big fan of Pralines. Praline Pecan and Something Cheesecake in a double cone?
If you could have been the servant to any famous person in history, who would that be and why?
It most definitely depends on what “sort” of servant. I do write romance. But I suppose I’d say Shakespeare or Wagner, so that some of their talent might rub off on me. I really would love to write an Opera, but I have no idea about music. I’ll just stick to Space Opera and put the Wagner on in the background.
Where can we find you on the ‘Net?
http://francespauli.com
author@francespauli.com
http://francespauli.blogspot.com
Thanks for having me!
Available at Awe-Struck Publishing
Buy HERE
Blurb:
Chloe came to the Three Lakes area for the peace and quiet. She happily abandoned the world of retail management, suits and promotions to work as a hotel maid catering to the local tourists. Until Andrew Paige showed up—a suit of the worst kind, the kind that makes her knees tremble.
When Andrew offers her a job at his hotel, Chloe is hell bent on resisting, but the Dimensional Shift is no ordinary hotel, and Chloe is immediately tossed into the world of inter-dimensional tourists, their odd accommodations, and a string of thefts that threaten to ruin her chances at romance.
While learning the ropes, dealing with the Shift’s unusual guests, and trying to determine if the boss’ interest in her is strictly professional, Chloe uncovers a plot to steal the hotel’s dimensional keys. With the help of the town gossip, her alien abductee neighbor, and her new invisible best friend, Chloe confronts an inter-dimensional crime ring and a host of complications that make romancing the boss look like the least of her troubles.
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