I
first became acquainted with Dakota when I read Michele Bardsley’s book, I’M
THE VAMPIRE, THAT’S WHY, one of Dakota’s BFF’s. Michele thanked this other
cool chick named Terri (yes, *another* Terri!) in her book, so I checked out
Terri’s website (www.terrises.com) and found her to be uber fun. Terri asked
if I’d read Dakota’s book yet. I hadn’t. I was chastised profusely. I think
I even bled a little. One Friday night, I was getting dolled up for dinner
out with my husband, (which I was really using as an excuse for a trip to
Barnes and Noble) and after a few properly executed eye lash bats later, I
was the proud owner of Dakota Cassidy’s ACCIDENTAL WEREWOLF (and a delicious
coffee beverage). Don’t wait another minute. Do not pass go. Do not stop to
collect $200.00. Unless you need it to buy the book! Head to your local
bookstore and get your paws on Dakota’s latest book, ACCIDENTALLY DEAD. Or
I’ll sic Terri on you! Both of us!
Dakota, is it okay if I call you Dakota?
Sure—it beats
doodyhead, yes? LOL
Thanks!
1. Many of your readers think you sold cosmetics door to door like
your character, Marty Andrews in ACCIDENTAL WEREWOLF. Could I have run into
you as after ringing my doorbell schlepping a suitcase full of lipstick and
wrinkle cream?
That’s a popular
misnomer about me and I say a resounding, uh, nooooooooo followed by a
snort. I hate rejection and I can assure you, no one would buy makeup from
me because I’d lose my mind trying to make people happy all at once. The
concept of the makeup came partially from my love of the girlier things in
life, and a conference I attended where some Mary Kay ladies shared the
hotel with us. I found the whole multi level makeup selling thing
fascinating—I couldn’t leave those poor women alone—or the pink juice. Which
by the way, was yummy :-). So I took what I learned, threw in some parody
and wham—a cosmetic pimping werewolf
:-) So far, the Mary Kay ladies have been sooooo nice and I was really
relieved! I was just playin’ with them, but I’ve gotten several emails from
MK ladies who assume
2. I’m not sure if I’m a spring or winter. Can your color wheel
help me? I want to be as pretty as you when I grow up! (good place to pimp
your website where you have that cute color wheel thing)
If you go to my
website
www.dakotacassidy.com
you can put in the color of your hair (be truthful now LOL), and skin tone
etc, and it’ll give you a very basic idea of what colors best suit ya. But
be sure to read the disclaimer. It really is much easier to assess your
color junk if I can actually see you—and I call late spring for you—but
that’s just from pictures. If I’m wrong—don’t be all hatin’. LOL
3. Has being a former beauty queen influenced your writing?
LOLLOL—not so much. I
was a small-time BQ—ubersmall—like Miss. Dobson Dodge or something, but it
did teach me a great deal about all the stuff a girlie-girl like me craves.
And it taught me to never, evah piss off Miss Dutchess County. Ugly—verry
ugly. And I’m totally kidding because Miss Dutchess County can definitely
take me :-)
4. Do you have any fun stories of Vaseline on your teeth or using
hair spray on your bum to keep your swim suit from riding up or are you
saving them as material for future books?
Oh, do I ever have
stories, but I can only share a couple because we ex BQ’s have like a secret
code and if we leak—they take away our Aqua Net. Shudder-worthy stuff, my
friend.
So okay, I used
Vaseline on my teeth. Do you have any idea what it’s like to smile for 15
consecutive minutes without losing the skin on your lips? And duct-tape and
I are best friends. It’s like a cure all for everything. You can wax your
legs with it, glue your butt into a bathing suit with it—keep the girls from
winking at everyone from your evening gown with it—and even keep your hem in
place with it. It works well for tying up other contestants, too—but I know
nothing of this rumor :-)
5. You’ve been a published writer since 2004. Congratulations! What
made you decide to become a writer?
I seriously have no
idea how I got here. I didn’t study writing, I didn’t take classes or enter
contests. It just happened. Had an idea, or a “what if” moment and wrote it
down. I told it like I’d tell you a story at the bus stop, sent it to a
small e-press and here I am today. As I wrote, the actual craft, learning
about what goes into a book, the technique of it became my passion. I’d say
e-book 6 or seven was when I thought—now THIS is what I wanna do
:-)
6. Did any one person inspire you in particular? I’d like to send
them a thank you note.
LOL—I have some
awesome friends. Friends who wouldn’t let me stop writing when I was going
through an ugly divorce. Friends who got behind me in caboose like fashion
and pushed me up the hill my sorry butt and me were stuck on. Those friends
being, Angela Knight, Kate Douglas, Sheri Fogarty, Margaret Riley, Sahara
Kelly, and Treva Hart. Won’t that be a lot of thank you cards to write? Tee
hee.
7. How has your experience as a book reviewer influenced your
writing? Do reviews you receive have any effect on your writing?
Hmmm—reviewing
definitely taught me what I love in a book, and what drives me insane—like
no HEA. I think I need those because they’re so few and far between in RL. I
read some of the masters when I was reviewing who’re now on the USA and NYT
bestsellers lists. Like Cheyenne McCray, and Christine Warren and a whole
slew of others, Nina Bangs, Sandra Hill. Two of those women were small press
gals and I reviewed their e-books, fell in love, and glommed on every word
they wrote.
And typically, I
don’t get upset by a review if it isn’t favorable—like ever. I’m way okay
with people having an opinion that isn’t happy clappy about my work—not
everyone’s gonna love you. Humor is subjective—some people will stare
blankly at you and go, “Huh?” As far as I’m concerned—it’s all cool. That IS
something the pageants taught me.
I think the only time
it bothers me remotely is if the info is wrong in the review, or someone
says, “you just can’t do that” in a paranormal book. That’s the beauty of
the genre. Because you CAN do that—it’s not real, and if anyone knows a
werewolf pack and can prove me wrong—I want first dibs on the interviews J
But I do listen. I definitely hear what reviewers say, and if there’s a
general consensus on one point or another amongst them—I take it seriously
and work to make it better. But so far I haven’t hacked into a vein because
someone didn’t like my book J I keep everything in perspective -- or I try
to.
8. What are your favorite genres to write and are you planning on
expanding to others? (pimp your YA book, perhaps?)
I so want in on YA.
Like so bad I can taste it. Which proves I’m still 15 in my mind… and I’d
kill to do a contemp. I love the here and now. I’ve written up a proposal
for my agent for the YA—now it’s up to some poor editor who loves a good
eyeball bleed for a challenge to consider working with me.
9. Okay, time for the big controversial question… do you prefer
furry warm blooded werewolves, or sexy, hard and cold vampires?
If I say were-vamp,
is that copping out?
10. How did you celebrate when you were first published and were
tiaras involved? What does a celebration involve these days now that you
have ACCIDENTALLY DEAD on every bookshelf from Alaska to Argentina?
Oh, Lawd—we went to
Disney World, of course. LOL. No, actually, my man took me out to dinner and
I cried while alternately eating a rack of ribs. I was so humbled by it all
that it took a long time for it to sink in. In fact, it’s STILL sinking in
:-) And now that I’m up for my second go ‘round for AD, I’m going to do what
I did the last time TAW came out. Pray. A. Lot. With my Aqua Net and
duct-tape in hand :-)
11. Can you share with us what goes into the mechanics of writing
for you? Do you outline everything first or do you write your first and last
chapters and then fill it in as you go along? Do you create your characters
first and then the plot?
I am the pantzer from
HELL. I suck at plotting unless it’s someone else’s book. I’m the ultimate
in fly by the seat of my pants—which is why I have awesome BFF’s like Renee
George and Michele Bardsley. I call them up—I say—sooooo, I had an idea. I
give them like 12 sentences, then we spend a bazillion cell phone minutes
hashing it out. I dig myself a hole to China, they follow me with a shovel
and dig me out. And that’s the truth. They help me flesh out the nuances,
fill the holes, dig deeper. And sometimes a scene will come to me and I just
write it out, then fill in later. But I do have a fairly good sense of my
characters before I begin. Usually. Mostly…
12. What authors inspire you today? If you had them all to yourself
for five minutes, what would you say or ask?
Nina Bangs, Nina
Bangs, Nina Bangs—and Sandra Hill. Both of whom I’ve met, and thoroughly
frightened into therapy. With that done, there wasn’t a lot left to ask
their poor, quivering shells. LOL. As far as I’m concerned, they’re genius’
when it comes to taking stuff just a little further over the line of “what
if”. I so dig that. Oh, and Dean Koontz. And I know what I’d ask him—“Dude,
how do you sleep at night?”
13. Does your mother get embarrassed after reading one of your
books?
She calls me potty
mouth… but no. Eleanor (my mom) is a tough bird. She loves everything from
erotic to the chaste Regency. It’s me who’s embarrassed.
14. Now for the question everyone wants to know but is too afraid to
ask… What inspires you to write the erotic scenes in your book? Don’t worry,
all the children have left the room and my husband has his hands over his
eyes.
Is this the part
where you ask if I’ve wonked werewolves and vampires? Cuz that’s just plain
faaa-reaky. LOLLOL. What inspires me are the characters and letting them
chose the right place in the story and the right time to, ah, you know...
15. What does your writing space look like? Is it neatly organized
with Webster’s at your fingertips or are there stacks of “important” files
everywhere and post it’s decorating your computer monitor? Its okay, you can
tell us. We’ll keep your secret.
I’m a control freak.
I like everything all nice and orderly. So I have my dictionaries in a neat
cubby hole in my desk, my pens (all right side up) in my pen holder, and my
sticky notes outward facing in another cubby hole… yeah, again, I’m a
control freak about my desk :-)
16. Do you have any advice for aspiring new authors hoping to find
their dream publisher?
I guess the best
advice I can offer is be open to ALL possibilities. It’s so crucial to find
the editor that gets you. I can’t say that enough—and maybe he or she isn’t
at your dream publisher. The person who gets your stuff—who can tell you
you’re sucking major wind in a revision is the person you want to edit you.
The person who can tell you they love X about your work is your dream
publisher. Trust me, I know that after tangling with my editor. She’s
scrappy, but she gets me—like BIG. She gets my humor—she gets my faults. She
gets. That’s a dream come true.
17. Mom to mom, how do you keep your kids, cats, dogs, boyfriend and
mom occupied when you need to write?
Duct-tape :-)
18. Are there any similarities between you and the characters you’ve
created?
Weeeeelllll, I’m
definitely like Marty on the outside. I love clothes, makeup, shoes. On the
inside I’m a lot like Nina. I think some of the most crass, inappropriate
stuff—I just don’t say it out loud, and that’s where Wanda comes in. Wanda’s
very diplomatic and forever a buffer between Marty and Nina. I also don’t
like giving up control much like Wanda.
19. What advice do you have for any aspiring authors out there?
Shut. Up. I say this
over and over. Seriously—shut up and write. Write a lot. Get some crit
partners who not only love your work, but will point out your flaws and not
be afraid to tell you in the way you like to be told. Learn good grammar.
Take advice with some humble pie—EAT IT. You’re never going to be perfect,
but you absolutely must be able to take criticism because if you are
eventually published, you’re going to get a whole lot worse from perfect
strangers who won’t much care if you cry in your bubble bath over a bad
review. In essence, suck it up, Princess. Learn, listen, learn some more.
And don’t stop writing. Ever :-)
20. What’s next for Dakota and the Accidental series? Are there any
other books on the horizon we can look forward to?
Next up is The
Accidental Human in the winter of 2009, and that ends the accidental
series. Then there’s Kiss and Hell, a stand alone in the
summer of 2009.
21. Marty, Nina
and Wanda are like the Three Musketeers. They really seem to bring out the
best in one another. Did you have to work hard at their character
development and how they fit together, or did they arrive in your head one
day demanding your attention?
They just sort
of happened. Marty needed a nay-sayer, not only to make her ambition that
much more clear, but to prove that even with a force like Nina's negativity,
she was still devoted to selling cosmetics. She needed someone who'd thwart
her crazy ideas about how Bobbie-Sue Cosmetics is sold. There's one in every
crowd. You know, like the Amway meeting and the guy sitting in the back row,
snarking about how everyone's clapping and all stoked about selling dish
soap? That's how Nina came to be. She's the perfect foil to Marty's
exuberance and zeal over like lip gloss. Then I needed a buffer--someone who
could get between two women who're at not only opposite ends of the
spectrum, but down each other's throats because of it. That's how Wanda
happened. She's the buffer for all things catty-like between Nina and
Marty.
22. Nina had a
tough childhood which we learn more about that in ACCIDENTALLY DEAD. How
difficult is it to take these characters you’ve created and run them though
the ringer?
Oh, I love
that, and seriously, there had to be a reason Nina was such a hood. If she'd
come from a background like Wanda who's a little OCD and very diplomatic,
she'd have never flown as a bad ass. There'd be no reason to feel like she
always had to defend/protect herself from heartache. Some people hide from
it--others rail against it. Nina so rails, eh? LOL. I'm a firm believer in
environment, and how we're all about it--about how we grew up. Nina came
from some pretty crappy environs. It stands to reason she can look out for
herself, but what she's most afraid of is abandonment--so she avoids getting
too involved with anyone--even Marty and Wanda. Figuring that out, and
then throwing her in the deep end was awesome. It was getting her out that
was tough. So at times it was hard, and others, not so much :)
23. I was
surprised how much I enjoyed Nina’s story in ACCIDENTALLY DEAD. I liked her
in THE ACCIDENTAL WEREWOLF, don’t get me wrong! But… well, because she’s
such a stubborn big mouth! I hope she’d be okay with me saying that! She’s
definitely someone I’d want on my side, if you know what I mean. She’s also
beautiful and had a great sense of humor! She’s not mad is she? Whew! So, is
there anything about Nina in ACCIDENTALLY DEAD that surprised you as you
wrote it?
I was
surprised at how selfless she turned out to be. And that's all I'm sayin'.
LOL
24. Is there
anything you can tell us about ACCIDENTALLY HUMAN, next in the trilogy being
released in Winter of 2009? I’m seriously concerned here,
Dakota.
Throw us a bone, baby!
Well, I can
tell you that all is not well in Wanda's world. Like it's crazy bad, and
this is probably the most emotional of the three books. Nina had some
serious moments, but Wanda steals the serious bone right off Nina's plate.
There's still plenty of snark, because well, there's still Marty and Nina,
Heath, Wanda's love interest, and Archibald, Heath's buddy, but it gets
deeper than I've been with either of the other girls. All I can tell you is
you might think--OMG,
Dakota Cassidy, you did not
just do that :)
25. Is there any other news you’d like us to know about?
Uh, you want my stats? Weight—height? LOL And thank you, thank you for
having me—I totally loved doing this!
Read
reviews of Dakota's books:
The Accidental Werewolf
Reviewed by Debbie
Reviewed by Terri
Accidentally Dead
Reviewed by Terri
Interviewed by Terri
July2008
