Interview with Author Amanda Young

My cat does an interview series at my home blog, but sometimes authors just don't know what to say to a cat! Plus it's not like Meankitty is particularly FRIENDLY. Sometimes I do non-felinious interviews with authors.

Samhain author Amanda Young writes paranormal romance, m/m romance, erotic romance and various combinations of the three.

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1) If you were captured and tortured by evil book pirates, what would be your authorial equivalent to name, rank and serial number? (IE What is the most general description of your writing focus?)

Amanda Young, smut writer extraordinaire.

2) If the evil book pirates, using some hideous method, forced you to write books that were not paranormal romances, what do you think you would write?

I would write contemporaries. While I enjoy writing about all things that go bump in the night, I also like writing stories in a contemporary setting.

3) Why are you drawn to include speculative elements in your fiction? How do you think it enhances the plots or characters?

Writing paranormal fiction is an adventure of sorts. It enables me to write outside the box, using elements that would be never be allowed in contemporary fiction. Characters can be bigger than life.

4) What paranormal book or movie would you like to be dropped into the middle of, to experience the world if not the entire plot?

I really loved the Underworld series. It would be awesome to step inside any of the three movies. However, I’d definitely want to be a predator instead of the prey. =D

5) If some famous director were going to cast you in the movie version of a speculative or paranormal romance novel (and you had the acting chops to carry it off), which book would it be and what character would you play? (Note: doesn't have to be the hero or heroine...but certainly can be!)

I couldn’t act my way out of a paper bag, but if I could I wouldn’t mind playing Sookie Stackhouse in True blood. Man, is she ever surrounded by gorgeous men. :D

6) Do you have any writing rituals, quirks or requirements, like background music, flavored coffee, meditation--medication!--or what have you?

No, I don’t have any requirements to write. Whether there’s noise or quiet, I’m pretty much good to go (knock on wood). The only thing I need is something to write with (laptop, pen and paper, or what have you) and plenty of caffeine to keep me awake.

7) What were your favorite childhood (as in pre-teen, even) books or movies? Can you spy the seeds of paranormal romance budding even then?

I read a lot of Goosebumps and VC Andrews books as a young teen (like 12-14 or so) before I branched out into romance novels. Before that, I was a bit of a tomboy who hung around outside and climbed trees.

8) Are your books your babies? And do your characters "take over"?

I wouldn’t say my books are babies, but rather that they’re cherished friends which occasionally take over my life. I’ve found that when I try to make them do things they don’t like they’ll revolt, so I generally go with the flow and give them what they want.

9) Marketing and promotional responsibilities (or imagined responsibilities) vary from author to author. What are your favorite things to do to get your name out there beyond sell great books to great publishers? What are your least favorite?

I love running contests and doing chats, anything that gives me an opportunity to talk with readers. On the flip side, public appearances are still a bit of a struggle for me. I always want to throw up a little beforehand. Thankfully, I’m always glad I came by the end of every event.

10) Tell us about some interesting or offbeat research you've done for some of your stories. This is an invitation to infodump!

For my upcoming series, Chicken Ranch, as well as a romantic suspense novel I have coming out later this year with Michelle Cary titled Don’t Look Back, I had to do a ton of research on brothels. Naturally, I turned to what research I could find online regarding the legal brothels in Nevada. There was also a show in HBO, I believe, that inspired a thought or two for what it must be like to sell your body for a paycheck. Although it was all in the name of research, honest *wink*, it was certainly interesting to find out how much money some of those people bring in per client.

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For Meankitty's interview series you can click here: http://blog.jodywallace.com/search/label/interviews

Thanks for stopping by, and thanks to Amanda for being so patient with me.

Jody W.
http://www.jodywallace.com/