Author Interview & Contest with Molly Harper

Author Molly Harper is well known in the Paranormal genre for her vampire series featuring the funny Jane Jameson. I loved all three books in the series so far and was looking forward to the next episode. So when I saw a new book pop up in Amazon with the title AND ONE LAST THING, I was looking forward to another Paranormal delight. Then I found out that the book wasn't about anything Paranormal. No, Molly wrote a chick-lit book!

Of course I e-mailed Molly to ask her about the book. I was even lucky enough to receive an ARC, which I thoroughly enjoyed despite the lack of anything Supernatural. So if you liked Molly's vampire books then read the interview and see why AND ONE LAST THING saw the light of day while Jane is busy sleeping until night comes around.

Oh and make sure you enter the contest. You may win a copy of AND ONE LAST THING! If you don't win then make sure you check out this new release. It really is worth it!

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Amber - Welcome to Amberkatze's Book Blog! It is great to have you here as
a guest again! Could you start things off by telling us a little about your new book 'And One Last Thing ...'?

Molly – AND ONE LAST THING… is the story of Lacey, who uses her husband’s company mailing list to send a mass e-mail to everyone they know, detailing the special brand of “administrative support” Mike’s assistant provides. Faster than you can say, “instant Snopes article,” Lacey is exiled from her tiny hometown in the wake of her widely forwarded, anti-adultery hissy fit.

Lacey takes shelter in a remote vacation cabin, which doesn’t thrill her grumpy, but oddly hot, neighbor, Monroe. Her magazine-perfect life in shambles, Lacey has to re-build from the ground up, including figuring out how to earn a living. When presented with the opportunity to write her woman-scorned divorce announcements for a living, will she follow a lucrative, but less than enlightened path? Will she ever figure out her relationship with Monroe, a man who tells her exactly what he’s thinking, instead of what she wants to hear? And will she ever resist saying that ONE… LAST… THING.

Amber - Wait, stop! Is she a vampire? Is he a werewolf? What? Confused!

Molly – Nope, she’s just a really confused human. Though, I’m pretty sure Mike calls her a few supernatural names, i.e., harpy, blood-sucking she-demon, evil witch…

Amber - Okay...so why have you jumped genres? Doesn't the paranormal interest you any more?

Molly – Well, I was getting ready to go on maternity leave with our son, Carter, in late 2008. I’d just finished the fiftieth or so re-write on NICE GIRLS DON’T DATE DEAD MEN. (Seriously, my agent and editor deserve medals.) And I really wanted to write about people who could eat solid food and go out during the day. I pitched Lacey to my agent, who liked the idea. I believe her exact words were, “If you’re sure you can write and take a care of a baby, go for it.”

I had a lot of notes and scenes lined up before Carter was born. My mom says that when she thinks of Carter’s birth, she’ll always picture me lying on the couch, big as a house, waiting out contractions and reading passages of a bawdy divorce comedy out loud.

“Some mothers and daughters play cards while they wait for babies to be born,” she sighs. “We do this.”

While I was on leave, I fell into a really pleasant routine of writing while Carter was napping during the day. (Instead of, you know, sleeping, like a normal person.) It was probably the quickest book-writing period I’ve ever experienced – about three months.

Amber - So will you be sticking to 'chick-lit' or coming back to Urban Fantasy?

Molly - I’m applying for dual-genre citizenship. I love the paranormal. Most of the ideas I get are for the paranormal. But there’s something to be said for not relying on magic or mystic energy to carry you through a plot. It’s more of a challenge to focus on the emotions and the mundane motivations of humans. I’m not knocking humans, but in comparison, “My heart is broken” pales in comparison to “Sunlight makes me burst into flames.” I plan on alternating back and forth between the genres.

Amber - How did you come up with the idea for the 'And One Last Thing...'? Was it something you have been working on for a while or did it just come to you?

Molly – I’ll be honest. It started with a daydream about Hugh Jackman. Which is pretty darn good place to start anything. I had this scenario in my head in which a woman is arguing in a thunderstorm by a lake with a man who looks suspiciously like a non-mutton-chopped Wolverine. I built the first few chapters – the cheating, the e-mail, the fallout – from the question, “Well, why is she at the lake in the first place?” It’s sort of a backwards way to go about it, but I think it worked out.

Amber - Which genre do you prefer or are there other genres you want to explore in the future?

Molly - Like I said, I’ll always come back to paranormal romance. I’d like to try my hand at murder mysteries, but that kind of detailed plotting is not my strong suit. I tip my hand way too early, make my killer too obvious, and my red herrings are way too red. So it’s something I’ll have to work up to.

Amber - So what comes after 'And One Last Thing...'? More romantic comedy or more funny vampire librarians?

Molly – Actually, I have two werewolf romances coming out in March and April 2011. HOW TO TALK TO A NAKED WEREWOLF is about a woman named Mo who flees from Mississippi to Alaska to get away from her intrusive, hovering hippie parents. She gets a job, starts to build a life. She’s accepted by the locals, except for Cooper, the surly hunting guide seems to disappear every time there’s a full moon. Bear-trap injuries, nudity, and wacky antics ensue.

The sequel focuses on Cooper’s sister, Maggie, and her efforts not to fall in love with the paranormal investigator who is observing her pack.

I just finished a first draft of the sequel. And I have a couple of non-paranormal ideas I’m pitching to my agent. I’ll probably start working on something new soon. I can’t stand going without writing for any prolonged period.

Amber - How do you pick the names for your characters? Do they have any special meanings?

Molly – With the vampire books, most of my characters’ names have meaning. Jane is a plain Jane. Gabriel, her savior, is named for an archangel. Zeb is my sister’s middle name. Jettie is a several-time-great ancestor I’m said to resemble. Dick Cheney was chosen because it just made me laugh.

With AND ONE LAST THING, the choices were a little more character-based. Though, I did choose Lacey, because that’s what my brother, Matt, would have been named if he was born a girl. It’s sort of a shout-out to my mom.

Amber - What are you listening and watching lately? Is there any music or other media that influences your writing?

Molly – I usually listen to music or watch TV when I’m writing. The Office, Castle and CSI: NY are my current favorites. Something about Gary Sinise being all science-y makes me happy.

I have vampire and werewolf playlists on my iPod to help me set the mood. (There’s a shameful amount of Evanescence.) But Lacey is all about the ladies’ power anthems. I’m thinking about posting the “Lacey playlist” from my iPod after the book comes out. Lots of Kelly Clarkson, Lady Gaga, and Pink. “So What?!” was practically Lacey’s theme song.

Also, I have to say my husband, David, was a huge influence on this book. Most of the humorous male/female conversations in my stories are influenced by the way David and I speak to each other. He’s funny, sarcastic and sharp. And, thank the Lord, he laughs at my jokes. (We were high school sweethearts. He’s put up with me for a loooong time.)

However, his experience working as a police officer is an inspiration for Monroe, specifically, because I wanted Monroe to be a former cop. The funny “on-the-job” stories Monroe tells, the occasionally gruff, no-nonsense demeanor, and of course, the sexiness- that’s all David.

Amber - If you could be any paranormal creature, what would you be and why?

Molly – I would want to be an Immortal, like Duncan McLeod. (Seriously, not aging, without the blood-drinking? Where’s the bad? Oh, so you have to duel to the death a few times, big woo.) Or I would want to be a bad-ass multi-talented psychic like Emma Frost or Jean Grey from the X-Men…. Which brings me right back around to my Hugh Jackman/Wolverine fixation…

Amber - Thanks for visiting Amberkatze's Book Blog again! Good luck with the new book! I know I will be recommending it! Paranormal or not ;)



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Contest Time

Molly is giving away a signed copy of AND ONE LAST THING,

How To Enter

What Chick-Lit author would you like to see over in the Paranormal genre?

No Author = No Entry

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The contest will stay open until Sunday 8th of August 2010 4pm CET and the winner will be picked by a randomizer. Entrants should check back to see if they have won. I do not hunt down winners and will pick new winners for any prizes not claimed within 7 days.