Author Interview with Linda Wisdom (Includes Contest)

This week author Linda Wisdom is back on Amberkatze's Book Blog to talk about her books, the characters she has created and when we will get to read more about their adventures!

Linda's books always make me laugh and if you haven't already given them a try then maybe after reading the interview you will be adding them to your wishlist or shopping basket. Fans of the books will find out a little bit more about what the future holds for the series. Whichever group you belong to...everyone can enter the contest :)

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Amber - Welcome back to Amberkatze's Book Blog! It is great to have you here as again as a guest! How all the witchy girls are doing? Are Jazz and Nick ok? Bunny Slippers still busy eating everything? Blair and Stasi happy?

Linda – Thank you for having me back, Amber! They’re all doing well. Jazz and Nick are settling in very well as a couple. Blair and Stasi have the perfect guys in their lives and as for Fluff and Puff, trouble is still their middle names. Do you know I never find my bunny slippers in the same place? I dread to think what they’ve been up to when I’m not around.

Amber - I was expecting to see the girls again this Autumn? What happened to Best Hex Ever?

Linda – The book is coming out with a new title. After my editor read the manuscript she told me she loved the half fire demon so much she wanted to repackage the series with new titles and covers. So the book had to be rescheduled to next April.

Amber - Demons are a Girls Best Friend is due out in April. What can we expect from the new book?

Linda – Maggie is a total kick ass witch and works for an organization that protects all the Supes. In this one, she’s dealing with a sexy half fire demon who owns a club that defies the imagination, discovering that an ancient Mayan curse will be released unless she can stop it in time, and it all comes down to a mouthy teenager girl. Maggie’s no mom figure either. A lot of new characters and creatures. Maggie’s got a diamond covered black widow spider tattoo named Elle who wants to keep a mate longer than one night of sex and surfs the web for just the right spell. The Librarian is also returning.

Amber - The gals have seen a lot of action so far. How do you decide what to throw at them in each book?

Linda – I think about what their special gift is, what kind of hero will work for them, and I take it from there. Such as with Maggie I knew I needed someone strong enough to take her on and I felt a demon would be just the right thing. From the beginning I knew that Declan was a perfect fit.

Amber - How did you come up with the idea for the Hex series? Was it a long process or did it just come to you?

Linda – It started with Jazz. I had the idea of a witch who banished curses and I thought of a witch who owned a lingerie boutique that also offered romance novels. At first, I wasn’t sure I’d put them together, but then the idea of 13 witches banished from the Witches Academy popped into my head and it took off from there. The fun part is that each witch is so individual, so it’s writing a series, yet not writing one. I think they surprise me too.

Amber - I love Fluff & Puff and Horace! How did those cute characters come about?

Linda – When I first visualized Jazz I saw her dressed in pj pants, tank top, and bunny slippers complete with razor sharp teeth and wild grins. She stood in front of a smoking microwave oven because it just seemed right. Horace came about after my agent gave me a gargoyle figurine one Yule. I looked at him, said his name was Horace (I have a habit of naming everything) and I just knew he belonged to Stasi. Plus, I loved the animated series, Duckman, who was about as politically incorrect as you could get and that worked for Horace.

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

Linda – Sometimes I think they choose their names. Fluff and Puff just worked for the fuzzy bunny slippers. Innocent name, not so innocent slippers.

Amber - If the series was going to be made into a Tv programme or Film who could you see playing your characters?

Linda – I think about that and I always see a mesh of faces, so I really can’t see one person. Right now, I’d just love to see it happen!

Amber - The cover for Demons are a Girls Best Friend is quite different from what your fans are used to. I personally think it looks good! Very sexy and steamy! What do you think of it?

Linda – I love it. The funny thing is I suggested this scene for the cover when it was The Best Hex Ever because I wanted sexy and edgy. When they asked for suggestions for Demons Are A Girl’s Best Friend I asked for it again and got it! The illustrator is the same one who designs Yasmine Galenorn and Anya Bast’s covers.

Amber - Do you get much say in what happens in the publishing process? Do you choose covers? Do you have any say about release dates etc?

Linda – We are asked for cover suggestions and naturally give them the info on the characters. Not really a say on release dates. Such as the book after Demons, Undercover Demon, will be out in January, 2012.

Amber - I am sure that being an author has its ups and downs. What experiences have you had so far?

Linda – This December is the 30th anniversary for the publication of my first book, Silhouette Romance, Dancer in the Shadows. I’ve had a lot over that time. Mourning when a line I wrote for was closed down. But also having fun with books, meeting people, and making incredible friends who are still around. It’s been an amazing learning experience and I feel that I’m still discovering new things along the way.

Amber - What have you been reading, listening to and watching lately?

Linda – A friend suggested Simon Green’s Nightside series and I’ve been reading all the books so far. I got a Nook a few months ago and it’s very addictive. I’m happy that Supernatural is back, I love Haven on SyFy Channel along with some cancelled shows, American Gothic, All Souls, Special Unit 2, Haunted, and Brimstone. I’ll be working up a new playlist for the new book soon.

Amber - If you were a superhero, what powers would you want? Or would you be a villain?

Linda – You know what? I always thought villains have more fun, but I don’t want the heroine to take me down, so I’d have to find a way to balance the two, wouldn’t I? Hm, if there’s antiheroes, why not an antiheroine?

Amber - Thank you so much for being a guest on Amberkatze's Book Blog! I hope you will come back again ;)

Linda - Thanks Amber!



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Contest Time

The winner of this weeks contest can pick which Linda Wisdom book they would like to have! (If available on Bookdepository or Amazon).

How To Enter

So many book covers! So many different styles! Are there any book covers that you really like? Or really hate?

No Book Cover = No Entry

Earn more entries for each link you place about this contest on the net. You can post on Facebook, Twitter & MySpace but make sure you add links here for me to confirm your entries! However please do not make individual postings for each entry. Please post all your entries in one post.

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The contest will stay open until Sunday 24th of October 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.