Q&A With Angie Fox - Enter to WIN!!!

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One of the funnest parts of hosting authors on here is getting to get a sneak peak, as it were, behind the scenes to their books, writing process, and other fun details that make up the life of an author and then sharing them with all of you. So, grab a cuppa and sit back and read this Q&A I have with Angie. Make sure to post any questions for her in the comments and earn entries into this weeks GREAT contest!

Tell us about The Dangerous Book for Demon Slayers.

The Dangerous Book for Demon Slayers is the story of what happens when you take a bunch of biker witches to Las Vegas. Well, it’s more than that, I suppose. Lizzie and the gang head to Las Vegas to save her uncle from marrying a succubus.

As she experiences all kinds of new (and weird) things in Vegas, Lizzie is determined, once and for all, to master her powers. In fact, she’s going to write the book on demon slaying. So she begins a journal, The Dangerous Book for Demon Slayers, where she records what she’s learning, starting with newfound discoveries about demons, gargoyles and a particularly mischievous live spell named Beanie who likes to fill Lizzie’s boots with pumpkin spice latte.

Things get dangerous when the demons get their hooks in Dimitri. He’s much darker and sexier in this book. And we introduce a new character, Max, who is half demon and 100% yummy.

Did you have to do a lot of research for the book?

Loads, actually. First off, the biker witches ride Harleys, and I’d never been on a motorcycle before. Second, I had to figure out how to get Pirate the dog onto a bike.

I went online and learned about the Biker Dogs Motorcycle Club, made up exclusively of Harley riders and their dogs. I ended up meeting some of them, along with a few other bikers along the way. These bikers were so great to me. They hoisted me onto the back of their Harleys (with dogs in tow). They took me to biker rallies (note to self: don’t wear pink). And they laughed at me when I tried to put my helmet on backwards (I still say I was distracted by the Pomeranian wearing a tiny pair of motorcycle glasses). After a few outings with my new biker friends, I was able to make my geriatric biker witch characters a lot more realistic. And I took home some great pictures, too.

My second favorite it of research was the behind-the-scenes tour of Hoover Dam. The climax of The Dangerous Book for Demon Slayers takes place down there, and I was lucky enough to be invited to see first-hand what I’d be writing about. A guide took me far down into the inspection tunnels they used in the 1930’s and 40’s, when the cement was still curing. It was amazing to see the notes these inspectors made on the walls, to hear the stories of those that didn’t quite make it out and to walk the same old metal steps that they did. All of that made it into The Dangerous Book for Demon Slayers, along with lots of things I had a blast making up (this is fiction after all).

What was your reaction when you learned The Accidental Demon Slayer was a New York Times bestseller?

Complete shock. The phone rang on a Friday afternoon, as I was writing the climax of The Dangerous Book for Demon Slayers. I almost didn’t answer the phone. After all, who would call in smack dab in the middle of a demon invasion?

Luckily, I picked up because it was my agent, saying that The Accidental Demon Slayer would be #34 on the New York Times list the next day. I didn’t know what to think. Heck, I’d just wanted to sell enough books so that I could keep writing about biker witches, demon slayers and talking terriers. I had to ask my agent to please email me too, just to make sure I wasn’t phone-hallucinating.

What comes first: the plot or the characters?

For me, it’s both. For example, when I sat down to write these books, I had no notes about a sidekick for my heroine. But in the second chapter, when she’d learned she was a demon slayer and all hell was after her, she took comfort in her dog. As I was writing, I thought, ‘This is a sweet moment. Now how do I throw her off?’ Simple. I made the dog say something to her. Nothing big. After all, he’s only after the fettuccine from last week. And he knows exactly where my heroine can find it (back of the fridge, to the left of the lettuce crisper, behind the mustard).

It amused me, so I did it. Thanks to her unholy powers, my heroine can now understand her smart-mouthed Jack Russell Terrier. So did plot influence character? Maybe there it did. But I can tell you that as the book evolves, Pirate the dog does his share of influencing the plot too. Bottom line? I think the most important thing when you sit down to the keyboard is to be willing to follow your story in new directions, because if you’re enjoying the surprise, chances are your readers will too.

If you weren't writing, what would you be doing?

Reading…way too much. Oh wait, I do that anyway.

How does your family feel about your career as a romance author?

Well I admit I had these fantasies of my husband saying things like, “Oh let me fix dinner. You look like you’re really focused on getting that dialogue right.” Or my kids saying, “Wow. Mom is a published author. We’d better not use her laptop cord as a jump rope.” Alas, my home life hasn’t changed at all. Well, other than the fact that it might be a bit strange that my four-year-old knows what an editor is. She gets calls from her “editor” on her Tinkerbell play phone.

What do we have to look forward next?

Right now, I’m writing book 3 in the Accidental Demon Slayer series, tentatively titled A Tale of Two Demon Slayers. In it, Lizzie and the gang travel to Greece where they learn more about Dimitri’s past and a threat that could destroy them all. I’m having a ball with it because it’s so much fun to explore Dimitri’s home, his family and his juicy past.

I also have a story in The Mammoth Book of Vampire Romance 2, which comes out on Halloween. And then I’m working on a voodoo novella for this amazing anthology that I’m not allowed to announce yet. But when it is out, and when I do have copies, I’ll be sure to give some out right here because, let’s face it, Charity rocks.

Awe! Thanks Angie! I think YOU ROCK! I've always wondered though, on those anthologies? How do those come to be? Do you the authors get together and decide to pitch it or is it something the editors do? I've just always been curious!

Thanks so much for joining me over here again, Angie. I know you're at RT right now, and what a great time to for it in the ways of promoting, but I know it's tough trying to keep up with us over here! And speaking of RT, how's that going? Has Dimitri been on your heels all night yet?

Take Care

Novel Talk With Author Angie Fox

My biker witch name is Skullcap Sue Windy Pants. What's yours? Take the quiz and find out. After all, we need to know what to call you when you park your Harley next to the pool table.

http://www.angiefox.com

So, as you can see, you may now call me Skullcap Sue. I LOVE it! What's your biker name? Just click here to find out, leave me a comment letting me know your name and you are entered to win a "Kiss My Asphalt" Tee Shirt!

Now, the original contest is over, and winners will be announced tomorrow night. Be warned, it could be very late, we have an out of town swim meet for Bear tomorrow, so I'm not sure what time I'll get home. BUT, I will announce the winner as well as my review of THE ACCIDENTAL DEMON SLAYER, so check back to see if you won and to hear my wonderfully insightful thoughts on this great book!

In the meantime, Angie was wonderful enough to sit down with me and answer a few questions. So kick back and learn more about this amazing new author, as Novel Reads proudly introduces Angie Fox!

Hi Angie, thanks so much for taking the time to talk with me! I'm so super excited about The Accidental Demon Slayer, I was wondering though if you could describe it in three sentences or less?

I’ll do it in one:

Newly anointed with demon-fighting powers and suddenly able to hear the thoughts of her hilarious Jack Russell terrier, a preschool teacher finds a whole new world of dark and dangerous, including a sexy shape-shifting griffin she’s not entirely sure she can trust.

TADS is your debut novel, what was it like to get the news that you were going to be published?

It was a complete shock. I’d finished the manuscript on Thursday, sent it off and then “the call” came on Tuesday. An editor had taken it home with her over the weekend, read the whole thing and decided to buy it. So I basically went from figuring out the last chapter to having a book contract in less than a week.

Is TADS the first in a series, and can you give us any juicy tidbits of what we can expect in the future?

The second book in the series, The Dangerous Book for Demon Slayers, is going to be released in April 2009. In it, the straight-laced Lizzie decides she’s going to learn everything about her powers, and at the same time, write the proverbial book on demon slaying. As you might have guessed – things don’t quite go according to plan.

Also, thanks to the influence of some local succubi, Dimitri (the hero) becomes darker – and sexier. We meet some unusual fairies. And (this is one of my favorite parts) one of the rough-and-tumble biker witches even manages to find love.

What type of books do you find yourself reading? Any favorite authors?

I read a lot of paranormals, both light and dark. Right now, I’m addicted to the Sookie Stackhouse series. I loved Undead and Unworthy (although Undead and Unwed will always be my favorite). I read Katie MacAlister, Tate Hallaway, Stephanie Rowe, Michelle Rowen, Lynsay Sands, Elizabeth Peters, Laurell K Hamilton, JR Ward. I just discovered Kathy Love’s “Young Brothers” books (yes, I’ve been buried under a rock). I’m blowing through those right now. That’s actually kind of fun to know I have the next three books already on my shelf. I also have Erin McCarthy’s vegas vampires, the latest Michele Bardsley and Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files series on my ever-growing TBR shelf. And I just read a really great cozy mystery by Rhys Bowen.

Where do you get your ideas from?

Out of my warped brain. Seriously, sometimes I’ll think of an idea or make a character do something and it seems pretty reasonable to me. Then someone will say, “How do you even think of that?” Whoops.

But I will tell you this – I’m a big believer in really thinking things through before starting a book. I can’t tell you how many decent ideas I rejected before saying, “What if you had this accidental demon slayer…” Because you have to be 100% invested and downright entertained by the book you’re writing. As a reader, I can always tell the authors that love what they’re writing. And those are the ones I buy.

Have you always wanted to be a writer and if so, did you always want to write paranormal?

I don’t know if I’ve always wanted to be a writer because I definitely went through the “veterinarian” stage as a kid, but I have always enjoyed writing. My degree is in journalism and I’ve worked as an advertising writer for more than ten years now.

I started off writing mysteries, because I love to read those too. But I was doing everything wrong. I’d outline, I’d write pages and pages of character notes, I’d force myself to do those little note cards. And I hate note cards. In retrospect, I was fighting my voice. I’d write these serious, research-heavy chapters and then sneak off to read the latest Stephanie Rowe book, or giggle through a few chapters of MaryJanice Davidson. It took a while for it to click and for me to realize that hmm…maybe I should write the kind of books I love to read.

I had this spark of an idea about a preschool teacher who is forced to run off with a gang of geriatric biker witches and The Accidental Demon Slayer was born. Instead of a 20-page plot outline, I had a 5-page list of ideas, one of which included “but little did they know, all the Shoney’s are run by werewolves.” Instead of following the rules, I broke a few. Instead of painstakingly writing over the course of a year, I grinned my way through the book and had a complete manuscript in five months.

The opening chapters did well in contests and caught the eye of an editor, who asked to see the whole thing. That same editor bought the book less than a week after I finished it. And I didn’t write one single note card.

Do you have writing ritual? Something you do to get ready for actually setting down to write or maybe something you do while you write that helps keep the creativity flowing?

Well, I write at a certain time every day and I think that helps keep me focused. I have two small kids and as soon as they go down for their afternoon naps, I whip out the laptop. I write in the same place – this green couch in the living room and I always have a Diet Coke on hand.

Are you a plotter or do you fly by the seat of your pants?

Both, actually. How’s that for an answer? *grins*

I’ve found that if I outline too much, my books lose the energy that is generated when a writer is discovering the book along with the reader. So, now, I figure out where the book is going in general terms, like we’re heading towards the huge scene in the werewolf cemetery, but I don’t know exactly how a scene will unfold until I write it.

What advice would you give to other writers out there wanting to be published?

The key for me is to have that certain time, every day, when I sit down and write. Sure, the laundry may be piling up and I should return my mom’s phone call, but not during writing time. Giving myself the space to create is important. My brain is trained to know when it’s writing time.

Also, I think you need to give yourself the permission and the freedom to make the story as big as you can. I had a lot of trouble with this one initially, because I didn’t know what it meant. I had to push my writing to a level I had never gone to before. My characters had to take bigger chances, have more to risk and lose. It’s easy to say, but a hard thing for a writer to do. It’s a vulnerable, risky place to be. I knew my story was big enough to sell when instead of ending my writing sessions thinking, “I hope that’s good enough to impress an editor.” I ended them thinking, “No. I didn’t not just write that. I did not just make my character defend herself with a toilet brush and a can of Purple Prairie Clover air freshener.”

And just for fun FIVE SILLY QUESTIONS:

What's your favorite color?

Hot pink

Is that a demon in your closet or are you just making it all up?

Yes, that is a demon in my closet and I’d really like to know why he’s trying on my shoes.

If you could have a night on the town with any three people, living or dead, who would choose and why?

Oh you know I should probably say something deep, but my first thought is that if I’m going out on the town, I want to have fun. So hop in the car: Chris Farley, Tina Fey and Will Ferrell. And Christopher Walken can drive. He can play Blue Oyster Cult and tell us when we need more cow bell.

Favorite drink? Why? (that doesn't count as two questions, don't ask me why, I don't make the rules I just follow them)

During the day, it’s Diet Coke. If you’re talking alcoholic beverages, I love a nice, strong beer. There’s a local brewery, Schlafly, that has some amazing microbrews. I’m partial to their Pilsner.

Say Ed McMahon just showed up at your door with his posse, what would you do with the winnings?

Oh gosh. I have no idea. I’ve always wanted to own a really cool bookstore, so maybe I’d start there.

Take Care