Welcome to my interview with author Elaine Calloway. I would like to thank Elaine for taking the time to do the interview. Now lets get to know her....
Did you always wanted to be a writer? If not what did you
want to be?
Yes. Writing was always my default option
when I’d tell people what I wanted to be when I grew up. I love stories in any
medium--books, puppet shows, films, etc. Writing brought me a kind of peace, a
sense of happiness.
When did you first consider yourself a “writer”?
Probably after I completed several short
stories and had a few published. Maybe it was having someone external
acknowledge my work, but that was when it felt real to me. Now, years later, I
believe a writer is someone who writes, who has to write, to tell stories no
matter what.
How long did you write before deciding to publish?
I tried the traditional publishing route
for about six years. In the end, it came down to getting agent/editor industry
feedback that was very positive, but they never knew quite how to market my
book. Some of my books cross genres, and traditional pubs wanted something more
clear cut. So I took the plunge in 2013 after several of my favorite agents
complimented my stories, and here I am!
Do you do another job except for writing and can you tell us
more about it?
Yes and no. I’m a technical writer by day,
and a fiction writer by night and weekend. So yes, I get to use writing skills
in my day job, but it’s nowhere near as much fun. Basically I’m writing
computer software manuals. The fiction writing is my passion.
What is the name of your latest book, and if you had to
summarize it in less than 20 words what would you say?
Water’s Blood. Nature’s Elementals and
Fallen Angels battle each other in a good vs. evil war for the souls of
humanity.
Who is your publisher? Or do you self-publish?
I self-publish through my LLC, which is The
Writers Canvas.
How long does it usually take you to write a book, from the
original idea to finishing writing it?
Depends on the book. On average, about
seven months. I don’t plot out everything beforehand but I do know my
characters and their conflicts. I’m prolific, so I can get out a rough draft in
a few months if I stick to a schedule. Then there’s the revising and polishing,
both of which take time.
What can we expect from you in the future? ie More books of the same genre? Books of a
different genre?
Water’s Blood is Book One of the Elemental
Clan Series. Book Two, Raging Fire, releases summer 2013, with the remaining 2
books releasing in late 2013/early 2014. After the Elemental Series is done, I
plan to return to ghost stories. I have several books written but they need
polishing before I put them online.
What genre would you place your books into?
Paranormal with romantic elements.
What made you decide to write that genre of book?
I’ve always been fascinated by the
supernatural. Not in an over-the-top way, but I do believe it’s possible to be
visited by ghosts in your past, that maybe there are some beings walking around
this Earth who are not who we think, etc. There’s so much room for fiction with
a hint of truth in the paranormal genre.
Do you have a favorite character from your books? And why are
they your favorite?
Hmm…not 1 specific favorite, no, but I do
tend to be drawn to the “mentor” character in most of my books. I like the
mentor character and the relationship to the protagonist.
How long have you been writing?, and who or what inspired you
to write?
Most of my life, but in the hopes of
publishing, I would say twelve years. I started keeping a journal at age 12 and
I loved it. That spurred me onward to keep writing, no matter what form. Now, I
draw inspiration from everywhere, but particularly from tenacious people who
never give up.
Do you have a certain routine you have for writing? ie You
listen to music, sit in a certain chair?
Yes I always use music. In fact, I create
a soundtrack for each book with songs that fit the character, mood, or story.
Sometimes I stick to my office chair, which has a view of shelves with
inspirational icons on them. Other times, I do best writing in a café. Depends
on the day.
Do you read all the reviews of your book/books?
Yes. I like seeing which parts of the story
people respond to, and if someone doesn’t like a part of the book, I want to
know that as well.
Do you choose a title first, or write the book then choose
the title?
With Water’s Blood, I chose the title last.
With some books, I knew the title before I even had the story clear in my head.
Guess it is one of those “it depends” answers, but I would say that most times,
the title comes later.
How do you come up with characters names and place names in
your books?
With place names, I tend to use real and
iconic places rather than fictionalizing a city. So I don’t need to create a
name for a place. For characters? Lots and lots of research. I like those web
sites which list names and their meanings, for I want to choose character names
which describe some aspect of their personality or trait. Sometimes I’ll get a
top 5 list and ask friends to pick their favorite; this method occasionally
helps me decide on a character name.
Are character names and place names decided after their
creation? Or do you pick a character/place name and then invent them?
I’d say that I pick the character name
first and then create them. In Water’s Blood, there are three villain
characters. I knew I needed three villains, all of varying degrees of evil, so
I chose three names that meant evil and then fleshed out their characteristics
from that point.
Do you decide on character traits (ie shy, quiet, tomboy
girl) before writing the whole book or as you go along?
I decide what I think the defining traits
should be for the character, but as I write the book, the character always
surprises me. So I’d say I have a very basic approach in the beginning; I know
what the character wants and their basic personality. But it’s only after
writing the book that I truly know the character’s inner soul.
Are there any hidden messages or morals contained in your
books? (Morals as in like Aesops Fables type of "The moral of this story
is..")
I don’t really like stories that are only
meant to communicate a moral. However, if I were to pick a theme for this
series, it’s about the importance of choice, how our choices affect our lives.
Water’s Blood is about fighting to protect
free will. Book Two, Raging Fire, is about defending your choices once you have
free will. Books Three and Four will have something similar but overall, the
theme is the importance of the choices we make, and which paths they lead us
toward.
Which format of book do you prefer, eBook, hardback, or
paperback?
Once I owned an e-reader, it has become my
favorite type of reading. I will still read hardback, paperback books, but I
much prefer the eBooks.
Who are your favorite authors and why?
I love any writer who can use language to
make a beautiful picture and tell a story. Some of my favorites who do this
well are Dennis Lehane, Cornelia Funke, Pat Conroy, Kami Garcia.
Do you think books transfer to movies well? Which is you
favorite/worst book to movie transfer?
I think books and movies are two different
mediums and therefore, sometimes need to be told differently. I like how some
of my favorite books by Dennis Lehane (Mystic River, Gone Baby Gone, etc.) have
translated to film. I like how Kami Garcia’s Beautiful Creatures translated to
film. The worst movie transfer was probably Pat Conroy’s The Prince of Tides.
The film focused on too much other stuff rather than the main story of the
book.
Your favorite food is?
Seafood! I’m originally from New Orleans.
Your favorite singer/group is?
I have too many to list, but right now, there are several
songs by PINK that are on my book playlist.
Your favorite color is?
Purple
Your favorite thing to do other than writing is?
Photography. I enjoy capturing a moment or
an image on camera, whether it’s today’s digital technology or if I use my old
manual camera with all the bells and whistles. I think photography also teaches
me to see things differently, which can be a useful exercise for a writer.
More about Elaine -
Elaine
Calloway is originally from New Orleans and can still do a decent Cajun accent
upon request. She is currently writing the Elemental Clan Series, a series of
paranormal tales set in iconic cities such as New Orleans. Book One, WATER’S
BLOOD, is available now on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Smashwords.
Book
Two, RAGING FIRE, will be released summer 2013.
For more
information or to connect with Elaine online, visit her web site at www.elainecalloway.com
Website
and blog : www.thewriterscanvas.com
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/writerscanvas
About Water's Blood -
Water’s Blood
The Elemental Clan Series
The Elemental Clan Series
Book One
Elaine Calloway
Genre:
Paranormal Romance / Fantasy
Publisher:
The Writers Canvas, LLC
Date of
Publication: February 1, 2013
ISBN:
9781301515226
ASIN:
B00B7NQLIE
Number
of pages: 511
Word
Count: 95572
Cover
Artist: Taryn Knight, Leafbreeze Creations
Book Description:
Nature’s
Elementals—Earth, Wind, Fire, and Water—have lived for countless millennia.
Disguised as humans, they are charged with one mission: protect the innocent
from fallen angel clans, who reap human souls and force them to do their
bidding.
Brooke,
a Water Elemental stationed in New Orleans, broke the rules once—she mated with
a human. For her indiscretion, she is forbidden to share a life with her loved
ones: NOPD officer Alex and their half-breed daughter, Ella.
Now Ella
is about to turn sixteen, and the local clan of fallen angels is determined to
snare her soul by Halloween.
Brooke
broke the rules once by allowing love to interfere with her mission. Now she
and Alex must put consequences aside to break the rules again—if they wish to
save their daughter’s soul.
Short Excerpt
“Hell is empty; all the devils are here.”
― William Shakespeare, The Tempest
CHAPTER ONE
Brooke gripped the bar’s
wooden edge until her knuckles turned white. Nausea and trepidation washed
through her human form. Not now. Please. Not when her New Orleans pub,
Armand’s, was filled with Friday night locals. She couldn’t keep walking away
from her cover job. And she definitely couldn’t tell her customers the truth.
Her mission was critical:
protect innocent humans from the Minare, a local clan of Fallen Angels. Who
knew dealing with a teenager would be the more difficult job?
The nausea grew stronger,
churning in the depths of her stomach. For one hopeful moment, she wondered if
the Shrimp Creole she’d eaten for lunch could be the culprit. A sense of
uneasiness snaked through her veins. No such luck. All signs pointed to the
distress call.
Images in her line of vision
began to spin. Gold, purple, and green Fleur de Lis emblems on the bar walls
blurred into a kaleidoscope haze. Oh, yes. She recognized this feeling—the ole
Tilt-O-Whirl-from-Hell. She shut her eyes, wanting her equilibrium to
stabilize, but the famed Mardi Gras colors danced behind her eyelids.
Breathe. She inhaled deep.
Beer, tobacco smoke, and lemon polish overpowered her nostrils.
The impending doom intensified.
Your daughter is in danger. You have to go.
Panic churned inside her like
a tornado. She’d been afraid this would happen.
What was she supposed to do?
Family and her mission were mutually exclusive in her world. She couldn’t kick
her customers out. Her only option was to leave someone in charge. Someone
trustworthy.
Quinn, one of her favorite
regulars and a self-professed hippie, approached and plunked his shot glass
down. “Refill when you get a chance. Life treating you okay?”
Perfect. Quinn and his wife
had helped her rebuild the pub after Hurricane Katrina. They were good folks,
the kind of humans Brooke could trust her customers with.
She tilted the amber whiskey
bottle and poured. “I’ll make you a deal. Watch the place for thirty minutes,
and you can have all the refills you want.”
“Works for me. What happened
to John?”
Brooke grabbed her keys and
jacket. She didn’t have time to get into the particulars. “Quit on me
yesterday, said he’s moving back home to care for his parents. I haven’t had
the chance to place a want-ad for someone new.”
“I’ll hold down the fort. Go
do what you need to do.” Quinn strolled behind the bar, his body moving in tune
to the Zydeco music coming from the speakers. On any other day, she liked the
New Orleans locals and their leisurely way of life. Just not now. She needed to
go.
She sprinted for the back
exit. “Thanks. I’ll be back soon.”
“Is everything okay?” he
called after her.
Not really. She didn’t turn
around, only said, “I won’t be gone long, thanks,” and ducked out the back door
to avoid further questions.
Brooke ran down the crooked
sidewalk. Live oaks draped with Spanish moss lined the narrow street filled
with shotgun houses. Fortunately, Alex only lived two blocks away. The short
walk made it easy to keep watch over him and Ella.
Darkness covered the
sage-colored home with black shutters, but the full moon’s beams slanted
through a rear side window. Brooke crept alongside the long narrow house, which
extended back for almost a city block. These old Mid-City homes had more rooms
than she could keep up with. Over the years, she’d learned which ones she could
easily peer through.
Peeking inside, Brooke saw
Ella tiptoeing across the study, headed straight for the cabinet.
Brooke’s neck went tight.
Holy hell, this was no false alarm. Ella was a mere twenty steps away from the
cabinet. Or rather, from disaster.
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