An Interview with Alexis Morgan
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This month we will be talking to Alexis Morgan about her upcoming December release, DARK DEFENDER, her career, and her future plans. Thanks Alexis for taking time out of your busy schedule to chat with us. Question 1: Congratulations on your newest release, DARK DEFENDER. I am thrilled to see Blake Trahern’s story in print! Can you tell us a little bit about the story and about Blake? Blake Trahern returns to St. Louis where he grew up when an old friend and Regent dies in an explosion that also injures the one woman Blake ever loved. Blake knows he is rapidly losing his hold on his humanity, but he’s willing to risk it all to protect Brenna Nichols. The two of them try to solve the mystery of her father’s death, which is tied to the continuing influx of blue stones from across the barrier. Question 2: I feel like I know all of the characters, including the secondary characters, as you do such a fabulous job with character development. How do the ideas for your characters come to you? Most of the time, I become aware of someone new moving around in the back of my mind. When they are ready to make themselves known, they step out of the shadows and sort of introduce themselves. I usually start a book knowing the main characters pretty well, but the secondary characters almost always surprise me with their stories. In DARK PROTECTOR, Trahern came sauntering onto the stage, all sharp edges and darkness. In DARK DEFENDER, Jarvis walked into Brenna’s hospital room at the beginning and became a major player. Seeing who shows up is always one of my favorite parts of writing. Question 3: Both of your female leads in the Paladins of Darkness series are very strong women, willing to stand up for what they believe in and determined to protect the men they love. How much of Alexis do we see in Laurel and Brenna? I’m not sure, except they have traits that I admire—humor, intelligence, and loyalty to those they care about. I share their interest in the sciences even though I was an English major. Maybe they are who I would be in a more perfect world. Question 4: DARK DEFENDER is the second book in the Paladins of Darkness series. Any teasers as to what we can expect to see in the future in this wonderful series? Any hints as to what kind of woman will be see past Barak’s Otherness? I can foresee books in the future for Cullen and at least one Paladin who won’t appear for another couple of books, at least as I have them planned out. I’m working on an idea for D.J, too, but the woman who is destined to love him hasn’t quite adjusted to the idea yet. I’m working hard to convince her, though. As far as Barak goes, I decided that for a woman to love him, she would have to have an insider’s view of the life that the Paladins live. Is that enough of a teaser? Question 5: Both of the Paladins of Darkness books have flawed and yet very heroic male leads and I think fans are beginning to expect this, particularly knowing that Barak’s story is next. What would you say is your signature or trademark in your books? I think the strongest heroes are the ones who have been tested by what life has thrown at them, but still managed to hold onto their center core of honor and strength. They’ve had to make the hard decisions, often at the cost of their own soul. Yet they pick up their sword or their rifle or wear the badge and take their stand to protect the innocent from the ugliness in their world. Question 6: What sparked your desire to be a writer? Was being an author your first choice in career or was this career path a surprise for you? Not very many people can point to the one person who significantly changed their life, but I can. When I met Superromance Author Janice Kay Johnson about twenty years ago, she had already sold several books by that time. I watched in awe as she wrote story after story. When I started calling her with ideas, she told me she didn’t have time to write my stories for me and that I needed to write them myself. With her help, I did exactly that! You’ll notice that DARK DEFENDER is dedicated to her for her constant support of my writing. Question 7: Which authors have influenced you? If we were to peek at your own bookshelves, who would we find? Again, Janice Johnson has been an enormous influence in my writing, although our styles are quite different. I’ve been blessed to learn so much about the craft and the business of writing from her. I love dark, complicated heroes, so I would say my influences have been Anne Stuart, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Charlaine Harris, Linda Howard, and so many others. Glancing at my bookshelf of “keepers,” I see books by all of them, as well as Jim Butcher, Robin McKinley, Susan Sizemore, and Suzanne Brockmann. Question 8: Where is your favorite place to write and what does it look like? I have an office in my home where I work most of the time. I have three bookcases full of reference books, one of favorite books, and stuffed animals tucked in and around the room. I try to keep the room organized, but I’m pretty comfortable with the clutter. I also have a stereo within easy reach because I listen to all kinds of music when I'm writing. Question 9: Do you outline your stories ahead of time or do you start writing and see where the characters lead you? I write about a 6-8 page outline of the story, so my editor will know where I’m headed with a story, but it isn’t very detailed. I can usually see the beginning of a book pretty clearly and have a good idea where it will end up. However, I love letting the story unfold as I write. For me, the journey is the joy of writing, not that I don’t run into the occasional panic moment wondering where the characters are going to lead me next. Question 10: Do you have any particular rituals you go through when writing? Any particular ways you celebrate when a book is finished? I guess the closest to a ritual I have is that I pick out a notebook that will hold the hard copy of the story as I work. I get pretty excited when I find a new color of notebook that I haven’t used before. I keep diagrams of the characters’ homes, offices, etc., and any pictures or maps that I need in the notebook. When I finish a book, I usually kick back for a few day and indulge myself with a reading marathon of all the books I haven’t had time to get to while I was lost in the world of my writing. Question 11: Some may be unaware that you write under another name, Pat Pritchard. Why have you chosen to use a pseudonym? Like a lot of writers, I wanted a clear division between the two different kinds of books I was writing. Question 12: You write in a variety of genres, from the paranormal to western romances. Is there a particular genre you prefer? Any you haven’t written in that you want to write in? I loved writing my western romances and hope to get back to writing them again because I know some characters whose lives I want to explore. I love outlaws and the lawmen and the women who love them both. However, I have to say that I love the freedom of writing paranormals where I can create my own world and make the rules. I would also like to try my hand at writing fantasies one of these days. Question 13: Blake Trahern is quite obviously one of my favorite characters in your books. If you had to pick a favorite character from any of your books, who would you choose and why? What about a favorite character from someone else’s books? I have to admit that I love Blake Trahern, too, because he’s such a powerful warrior in a modern world. However, it’s D.J. who makes me laugh. Out of my westerns, it was Luke Gibson in The Outlaw Groom who really spoke to me. As far as characters from someone else’s books go, my favorites are the ones I think about long after I’ve finished the book. Eric Northman in the Sookie Stackhouse books has such a zest for living (if that’s not an oxymoron considering he’s a vampire) that I love. When I finished reading Suzanne Brockmann’s INTO THE STORM, I worried about Izzy for days. Sherrilyn Kenyon has several books I reread because I like Zarek, Vane Kattalakis and his brothers, and so many others so much. Most recently, I was amazed by J. R. Ward’s Zsadist in LOVER AWAKENED. Question 14: What advice would you give to an aspiring writer? Read, read, read—anything and everything. Study the best at what you want to write and learn from them. Then tell your stories your way and let the readers understand what it is about your characters that make them unique and memorable. Thank you so much Alexis for taking the time out of your busy schedule to answer our questions. Is there anything you else you would like to say in closing? I want to thank everyone for their enthusiastic response to my Paladins. Telling their stories had been a real labor of love for me. Take care, Alexis Morgan Read my review of Dark Protector and Dark Defender To learn more about Alexis' books, hop on over to Alexis' Website Interviewed by
Debbie |