An Interview with
Alyssa Day
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This month we will be talking to Alyssa Day about her upcoming November release, ATLANTIS AWAKENING, her career, and her future plans. Thanks Alyssa for taking time out of your busy schedule to chat with us. 1. Congratulations on your newest release, ATLANTIS AWAKENING. Each book in your Warriors of Poseidon series just gets better and better! Can you tell us a little bit about the story and Ven? Thanks!! I’m so excited and can’t wait for November 6th!! I hope everyone loves Ven as much as I do. The Warriors of Poseidon are centuries-old Atlantean warriors on a quest to save humanity from the dark forces threatening to overwhelm us. Ever-changing alliances of warriors, shape-shifters, and even some vampires complicate the epic battles. The discovery of human women with ancient Atlantean Gifts thought lost for more than ten thousand years adds spice to the mix. But, ultimately, what centers and infuses the entire book is a love story. Ven serves as the King’s Vengeance, and he’s a lethal warrior -- dark and deadly – and meeting a beautiful witch is not on his agenda. 2. Atlantis has such a sense of mystery surrounding it. What prompted you to focus a series around Atlantis? I have been fascinated with Atlantis since I was a little girl!! When I was five or six, I promised my mother that I would discover Atlantis one day. Now I have! 3. Your world building is phenomenal as you have a whole host of supernatural beings. How do you keep track of them all and what sort of research went into creating the Warriors of Poseidon series? I am a total history and mythology buff. I have several bookshelves filled with nothing but my research materials, which I used to call “fun reading.” “Research materials” are tax deductible, though . . . 4. Alaric is one of my favorite Warriors. When will we see his story? Any teasers you want to offer us about the upcoming books in the series? Alaric is the most powerful high priest in the history of Atlantis and Poseidon guards his own quite jealously. Alaric’s sense of duty and honor, and his vow of celibacy, are quite substantial obstacles to his deep and fiery passion for Quinn. I will definitely write Alaric’s book and I promise not to make you wait five years for it!! At the end of Atlantis Awakening, there is a shocking twist that will make some readers mad at me!! Let’s just say that all of my threads do not tie up neatly at the end of the story and some very important characters are left in some very bad places. 5. All of your Warriors are very much Alpha males. How would you describe the ideal romantic hero? My perfect romantic hero is strong, fiercely protective, but one who cherishes the strength and independence of his heroine. And a sense of humor is essential!! 6. Each one of your female heroines is also quite feisty and strong willed. How much of Alyssa do we see in each one? That’s an interesting question, because there is some of me in every character I write. Ven’s obsession with old B movies is all me. I have the Attack of the Killer Tomatoes poster in my office!! Perhaps Erin’s feeling that she has to take on the world all on her own is something that comes from me. I only wish I had her magical powers . . . 7. I almost hate to ask this question, but is there a projected length to the series? I’m not sure I’m prepared to see the last of the stories featuring the Warriors…. I just signed a contract for the next three books, beginning with Atlantis Unleashed, Justice’s book, which will come out in May of ’08. The series will last as long as the stories continue to make sense in the world. I’m a big believer in not jumping the shark and ending on a high note. J 8. Do you outline your stories ahead of time or do you start writing and see where the characters lead you? Both. 9. Which authors have influenced you? If we were to peek at your own bookshelves, who would we find? I read vastly and eclectically, so you would see so many different authors on my many, many bookshelves you would be amazed. I couldn’t begin to list the many, many authors whose work has inspired me to work harder and be better at my storytelling. 10. 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? Like most writers, I’ve always been writing. But I never thought I could make a living at it, so I worked as a trial lawyer in class action litigation for 8 years. Then 9/11 came and my husband was in one of the first Navy squadrons sent to Afghanistan. I wrote a nonfiction book about how hard that was, to be separated while your spouse was at war, and then I quit practicing law to write full time. That was four years ago and I’ve never looked back! 11. What would you say is your signature or trademark in your books? My first thought is my humor – all of my characters (at least the ones I like!) must have a sense of humor, since that is often the only thing that got me through the very tough times in my life. My friend Caridad Ferrer is sitting here in the conference hotel in Cincinnati with me and informs me that my “larger than life heroes who are still very human” is my signature in the Warriors books. I don’t really analyze my own work in terms of having a signature, but my editor does say that I have a very strong voice that shines through no matter what genre in which I’m writing. So humor, alpha-yet-human heroes, and voice. Yeah, that’s it. J 12. What is the average length of time for you to complete a book, from beginning to write the book to actually seeing it in print in the store? There is no such thing as average in my life. In the past five years, I’ve moved across country three times and written 14 books. It’s crazy. Totally crazy. I’ve written one page in a day and I’ve written for 20 straight hours in a day. What I’m not, is consistent. 13. Where is your favorite place to write and what does it look like? In my office with my two pugs snoring at my feet. My new office has freshly painted goldenrod walls and features a giant antique horse that was a prop at a Halston fashion show that was held at Macy’s New York years ago. It took the pugs a few days to quit barking at it, but we all live in peace now. 14. Do you have any particular rituals you go through when writing? Any particular ways you celebrate when a book is finished? Not really, in terms of ritual. My family always takes me out to dinner when I finish a book!! Yay!! 15. Some may be unaware that you write under two other names, Alesia Holliday and Jax Abbot. Why have you chosen to use two different pseudonyms? Alesia Holliday is my real name and I write my comedy under it. Jax Abbott was for the two young adult books I wrote and I didn’t want the kids to go search out my R-rated comedies after they read about my superhero teen. And the Warriors series is totally different in tone – very dark and sexy and twisted, so I wanted a new persona for those books. The pen name or no pen name is a very personal choice; this is just what worked for me. 16. You write in quite a few different genres. Do you have any one genre in particular that you prefer? Is the preparation process any different? I love every one of them and they’re all wonderful and challenging and fulfilling. 17. Can you tell us a little bit about any other books you have coming out? Any teasers you want to share? Please invite everyone to my website to see the excerpts from upcoming books and enjoy bonus materials for members: www.alyssaday.com. Thanks!! Thank you so much Alyssa for taking the time out of your busy schedule to chat with me. Is there anything you else you would like to say in closing? Just thanks for inviting me! It’s always fun to talk about my Warriors and the strong women who try to tame them.
Hugs,
Read reviews of Alyssa's books:
The Warriors of Poseidon: Atlantis Rising The Warriors of Poseidon: Atlantis Awakening
Interviewed by Debbie |