An Interview with Dawn Thompson
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1. Your latest effort is a unique paranormal read. Can you tell us where you got your ideas for this story? I’ve always been a fan of vampire tales, especially those in a historical setting. But I wanted to put my own stamp on the legend and create something historical that was fresh and different, something other than the same old, Bela Lugosi type vampire, with flowing cape and stand-up collar. I studied the old traditional concept, and Saberhagen’s take on vampires, then came up with a few elements of my own that I hope will breathe new life into an old classic and please even the most dedicated vampire purist. I put it all together, and BLOOD MOON, the series, was born. 2. This is the first in a series. Is there anything you can tell us regarding the upcoming titles? The second in the series, THE BROTHERHOOD, will be released August 27th, and the third book, THE RAVENING, will be released in March 2008. Except to say that they are dark, sensual, and build in intensity, I won’t give away any of the story; that would spoil things, but there is one element I can tell you about. Though each of the books is a romance with its own hero and heroine, there is a central figure who plays a major role in all three. You will want to watch Milosh, the enigmatic Gypsy vampire/vampire hunter whose romance is the subject of book three, THE RAVENING, and you will see a hero like no other! More editions are planned. 3. Did you always want to be a writer? I knew I had to be a writer at age twelve, when my mother gave me Emily Bronte’s WUTHERING HEIGHTS to read. I used to write stories and cast them with my favorite actors and actresses. Both my parents were avid readers. My mother had a passion for romance, and my father’s library was filled with Zane Grey westerns, and the Ellery Queen and Sherlock Holmes mysteries. I loved them all, but Historical Romance was what I wanted to write, and I followed my dream. 4. How much research do you have to do before you start a story? That varies with each book. I’ve been researching vampires and Norse and Celtic legends for years. I do as much research as is necessary to write for the most part uninterrupted. I don’t like having to stop writing and research something before going on. It interrupts the flow. I only do this when my characters decide to have their own way and lead me down a path I wasn’t prepared to travel. I like to do my research before I begin, make notes and keep them handy to use as needed. I never leave blank spaces to go back and fill in later, either, and I never write out of sequence. 5. How would you describe your writing style? Except that I have a definite historical voice, I wouldn’t know how to describe my writing style. Others have said I have a lyrical voice, and a British voice. When I write, I put myself inside each of my character’s skins, so I guess it’s safe to say that I have many voices, all of them historical. 6. Are there any author’s that have inspired you in your writing? My inspiration to write came early from such authors as the Bronte’ sisters, and Jane Austen. Then later I was particularly inspired by Daphne du Maurier, and Mary Stewart. There is one author, however, that I particularly admired, Anya Seton. The way she handled the touch of paranormal in her historical novel GREEN DARKNESS so inspired me that in each book I write, I slip those words in there somewhere as a tribute to that inspiration. So, when you pick up a Dawn Thompson title, you can have fun looking for the words “green darkness” somewhere in the narrative. You heard it here, folks! 7. Was it easier to write a story where the “couple” was already established or is it easier to craft a romance where they are strangers to each other? That’s an interesting question. In all my books to date but one, the hero and heroine are strangers to each other when the book begins. In BLOOD MOON, it was necessary to have them established and about to be wed when the book begins in order to build conflict, tension, and momentum. I can’t say that one situation is more difficult than the other to write. It’s just a matter of how I work out the plotlines and which works best for the story. I write primarily Regency-set historicals, and the disciplines were such during the Regency period that it was difficult, and improper for young ladies to meet gentlemen except under strictly supervised conditions. I don’t stick to that. I have several very unconventional meetings occurring in my books, but that the hero and heroine are strangers when they meet has always been more in keeping with the sensibilities of the times, and with the plot. 8. So far you’ve written time travels, shape-shifters, fey, with historic backdrops. Do you think you will ever pen a Contemporary? Well, I’ll never say never, but right now I haven’t any plans to write a contemporary romance. I have a historical voice, that is where my heart is, that is what I love, and we always do best what we love most. All my titles through 2008 will be historical. 9. What is the most difficult part of writing for you? The synopsis. UGH! 10. How long does it take for you to finish a title? It takes me a couple months from typing that first word to boxing it up and sending it out. An accident nine years ago caused me to take an early retirement, so I write full time, and I average four books a year. Last year I did five, plus two short stories for the Highland Press Blue Moon Magic and Blue Moon Enchantment anthologies. This year, it looks like I’ll be doing five again, also. 11. Can you tell us about future project you have planned? Aside from the books under contract now, which are: THE BROTHERHOOD (being released at the end of August), THE RAVENING, and THE BRIDE OF TIME (a time-travel) for Dorchester, and my straight historical romances, THE MARSH HAWK (being released in July), THE PRIVATEER, and PRISONER OF THE FLAMES, also from Dorchester, but writing as Dawn MacTavish, LORD OF THE DEEP (being released Sept. 7th), and LORD OF THE DARK, erotic fantasies for Kensington’s Aphrodisia line, I have quite a few new things cooking. I plan to do more vampire books, and more erotic fantasies. I also have three more straight historical romances, a mainstream historical, and a fay trilogy in the works. 12. What comes to you first the character or the plot? All of my work is hero-driven, so it’s the hero who materializes first, but he usually arrives in some sort of trouble, do I simply take it from there. 13. Where do you like to write? I write at my computer in a section of my bedroom that I have fashioned into a comfortable little office. Tea is always brewing, there’s a lovely view from the window, and everything I need is close at hand. 14. Do you have a “ceremony” you go through when you finally finish your story? No Dom Perignon and a cigarette for me. I treat myself to a nice gooey Linzer tart and a cup of Earl Grey tea then I buy myself something symbolic of that book…for luck. 15. What about the creative process do you like best? Which one do you like least? I love creating characters that walk off the pages. I love the challenge of creating heroes and heroines that will stay with you long after you close the cover on the book. That is my most exhilarating challenge. On the flip side, it’s very scary trying to keep them in line when those characters decide to do their own thing; keeps you on your toes. 16. What advice would you give to an inspiring writer? OK, here comes the soap box! I have two bits of advice that I would like to share with everyone who wants to write and publish… First: BE READY! When you enter that contest, or query that agent/editor, don’t just polish those first fifty pages. Write the book! Finish it first, or be sure you can do it in a couple days and produce the best work you possibly can. If you win or place in a contest, or query, and that editor requests the full manuscript, you need to be able to deliver. Hundreds of manuscripts cross editors’ desks every week. They have slots to fill. If you are ready and they like your book, you get slotted then and there. If you aren’t ready, someone else will take the slot you could have had and by the time you do finish that book and turn it in, it’s very likely that editor will have forgotten who you are or lost interest. You have to strike while the iron is hot. Second: NEVER give up your dream! I am the poster child for this. Everyone comments on how I sold so much so fast, but I didn’t. There are thirty years of blood, sweat and tears, and those nasty rejection letters behind what I’m enjoying now. I wouldn’t give up, so don’t you. Hold onto that dream until it comes true! To learn more about Dawn's books, hop on over to her Website. Interviewed by
Kristi
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