1.
How do you build your character world? This was
the most challenging part of writing Phoenix Rising. I FEAR world building! I
knew the overall story and how I wanted it to go. As I sat outside, I took my
notebook and jotted down “The Realm”, which is one of the fictional lands. I
basically made a tree sort of outline, thinking “If I was to discover a new
place, what would it be like? What about the ruling class, the poor, the
shopping…?” Some of these things are unimportant, one would assume. In my
books, The Realm is just below the surface of the Mortal World, so it stand to
reason there would be some overlapping. So, as an example, The Realm doesn’t
have cell phones, (gasp… can you imagine?) but I needed to know how messages
would get from there to The Mortal World. Insert Robins. We have those birds
all over, pecking for worms after a rain or looking down at us from the trees.
So, what if Robins could actually talk, we just don’t understand it? Perfect
messengers! I think the overlapping of the worlds is crucial to making the
story believable. It is my biggest wish that, after reading my stories, you go
for a walk and think things like “I wonder if that fountain gives blood?’ or
“Shhh, I think that’s a revenant…”
2.
Favorite character you have written and why. Honestly,
it would be easier to pick my favorite child! All of my characters take traits
from those around me. I’d say Maggie, with her love of reading and her journey
to rise above challenges, reminds me of my youngest daughter. Seatha has a fun
loving nature and an admiration for those she cares about that mirrors my
oldest daughter. However, I think my very favorite character is Luc. Luc can be
snarky and crass, often misunderstood as he tries to hide his feeling under his
actions, yet, he would be the first one I would turn to in a serious situation.
Without a doubt, I think of my son and his personality when I write Luc. I
think there is a wealth of potential for the Luc character, and the sky is the
limit when it comes to him. That’s always a great character to have- one who is
as limitless as the sky.
3.
Any causes you are passionate about? I have
several, including Diabetes and heart disease ones. (My Mom suffered from
diabetes, and both she and my youngest daughter have/had heart issues,) but far
and away, a cause very dear to me is Autism. Following a car accident at the
age of 4 which broke the tibia and fibula in both of his legs, my son Sam was
diagnosed on the Autism Spectrum; specifically with Pervasive Developmental
Disorder. PDD mainly affects an individual’s social skills, making situations
that we take for granted, such as reading a one page book report in front of
the class, extremely challenging. The worst part for Sam, and even harder for
me to witness as his mother, is friends. I think many of us remember high
school- dances, hanging out at the movies without little clique of close
friends. This is something my son has never done. He conquered a major hurdle
last year, joining the football team. That may seem fairly minor to most, but
for Sam, having to figure out the social structure of a team, was one of the
best things to happen to him. I remember when he was in fourth grade- I came to
pick him up from school for a dentist appointment. His grade was at recess.
While all the other kids ran around, playing, Sam walked around by himself. I
honestly sat in my car, watching, and cried for a few minutes. Fast forward to
last fall, his junior year in high school. Sam, getting high fives from his
team, the “hey” from guys in the hallways at school. At one game, every single person
in the stands actually stood up and cheered for Sam as he jogged onto the
field. Everyone but me. I sat there and cried again. Not out of sadness, but
out of seeing how far he’s come. Most folks don’t know he has PDD, they assume
he’s just really shy. It is my plan to open a cafepress store with t-shirts and
stuff from my books, with the proceeds going to Cure Autism Now.
4.
Do you even watch the news and if so, does it
inspire you in anyway? I do watch the news, but mostly I read the
newspapers. It actually inspired a plot line in my stories. The villains,
revenants, look for recently deceased humans to turn into the creatures they
are. They can find these sorts of things in the news- a mine collapse, a ten
car pile-up, etc. As many times these tragedies take place before clergy can
arrive to bless the souls of the injured or dead, the revenants hurry to claim
them. There are also situations in all of the books where I have taken a spin
on actual history, shaping it into something. An example- the mythical
(probably) chupacabra. We’ve heard the legend of the small blood sucking
critter that feeds off livestock. Well, what if the chupacabra story was real?
I twisted that into a small section of Phoenix Rising. I am a firm believer
that all fairy tales or legends are rooted somewhere in history. It’s a lot of
fun to take those sorts of spins on things. In the second book, Phoenix
Burning, I played with the Lizzie Borden lore, as well as the Salem Witch
Trials.
5.
First kiss....passionate or awkward? You know, I
think it depends on the situation the characters are in. We all love reading
those tender first touches, but how applicable is that in, say, the heat of
battle? In any event, I’m all about the emotion behind the kiss.
6.
Why do you
think that the paranormal genre is so popular? I believe the paranormal
genre is popular because it’s a departure from our day to day lives. In many
paranormal stories, the characters have enhanced abilities and emotionally,
their feelings are deep and singularly focused. Who doesn’t want someone to
care for them with a depth that leaves you breathless? Even if it’s because you
have blood they need to drink? It’s an escape, and isn’t that really what we
are looking for in a great read?
7.
How do you feel about all the bookstores starting to
close? Do you think that it is just the corporate ones in trouble? Or do you
feel that the small/independent ones are in danger too? I love my e-reading
device, but you just can’t replace the feeling of a book in hand. It makes me
sad, honestly, to think about bookstores closing. Bookstores are my candy shop
and seeing so many closing their doors is terrible. I think it could cause a
trickledown effect in the long run. Many larger chain bookstores carry popular
titles, while smaller, independently owned stores can carry a wide selection of
novels that fit into what they (the owners) enjoy. If the bigger stores close,
eventually the smaller ones may have to as well. I hope that isn’t the case.
Locally where I love, we only have one bookstore. It’s independently owned and
carries used books. I could sit in there all day long.
8.
Anything exciting coming up in the near future? If
you mean something like my baby boy graduating high School in June, then oh
yes! J
As far as writing goes, the sequel to Phoenix Rising will be released September
23, 2012. I actually have written the first three books in the series and am
working on the fourth one now. So, not as exciting, but much editing is in my
near future… My publisher is also busy setting up things for Scarefest in
Lexington, KY, where authors, including myself, will be in late September. And,
of course, I’m really stoked to tackle the mountain of neglected laundry (if
you can smell my sarcasm here…)
9.
What is your opinion on Indie publishers versus Self
publishing? I feel that both are
crucial. I have read some fantastic self published works lately. I just hope
folks don’t think that’s the “easy” way. Self published authors usually don’t
have the benefit of editors or marketers furnished by their publishing house,
so it is all done by themselves or the pay to outsource those items. It can
become very expensive for someone struggling to get their work out there. I
think we need to embrace that, acknowledge that hard work and determination!
Indie publishers, or small press, have an equally challenging time, the benefit
being that in many cases, they have fellow authors who help support them by
spreading the word about the stories. I never judge a book by the publishing
house that puts the work out.
Links:
facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lisa-C-Morgan-Author/322116171151749
goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/LisaCMorgan
twitter: @iluvvikingvamps
getglue: http://getglue.com/iluvvikingvamps
