Author Interview with Rachel Caine (Includes Contest)

Halloween isn't over yet so that means there is still time for a couple more author guests and contests!

Next up is an author that, I hope, needs no introduction! Rachel Caine is one of the big names in the Paranormal Urban Fantasy genre and if you haven't read any of her books then you should be ashamed of yourself ;)

I hope you enjoy the interview and also take the time to enter the contest! Oh and keep tuned! There is still more Halloween fun to come!

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Amber - Welcome to Amberkatze's Book Blog! It is great to have you here as a guest! The Morganville Vampire Series is still going strong! Ghost Town is nearly here and I can't wait. What can we expect from the new installment?

Rachel - Lots of twists and turns, for sure ... and lots of romance and scares and heartache, too. I really wanted to explore the whole idea of how people would react if parts of their memories began to disappear ... would you still be the same person? Would you still fall in love? And how do you survive when you no longer know who your friends and enemies are?

Amber - Ghost Town is book #9 in the series and #10, Bite Club, is due out in the Spring. Where is the series going? Will there be more? Do you see an end in sight?

Rachel - Well, right now, we have a contract for 12 books in total, so we'll have to see if (a) everybody is still interested in reading them at that point, and (b) if I still have more stories to tell! But there will be at least 12. I can promise that much.

Amber - How did the series come about? Did you always want to write a Young Adult Vampire series?

Rachel - I didn't! In fact, I didn't intend to write YA at all. I'd done vampire stories early in my career, in the early 1990s, and I didn't really think I had anything new to say about that ... but when I was given the opportunity, I did keep thinking about vampire stories, because those were some of the first things that really got me interested in reading and writing at a young age. Once I figured out that the story was really about this mysterious town, and all of the hidden agendas, it made sense to go ahead with it!

Amber - The Morganville series has had some amazing covers so far. Do you have a favourite?

Rachel - So many choices! I still love the US cover for FEAST OF FOOLS because, hey, look, a guy on the cover! And he's awfully cute, too. It's a lovely thing in design terms, too. But I love the new compilation covers for the 2-in-1 editions, and I love the green cover of GHOST TOWN, too. Argh!

Amber - There has been a lot of paranormal books made into films or TV Series. Would you like to see the Morganville Vampires on screen? Who could you see playing Claire, Shane, Michael and Eve?

Rachel - I'd love to see it come to the screen, but honestly, as to casting, I have no clue. I think it would probably be better to look for unknowns in the parts, although an awful lot of people are rallying for Alex Pettyfer, which is cool ... and if I could have David Tennant for Myrnin, I would be a happy, happy person.

Amber - The Weather Warden series is sadly over. Do you miss Joanne? Will we ever see her again?

Rachel - I do miss her, but we had some good, crazy, tough times together. And yes, we'll see her again, but I'm letting her have a happily ever after, for now. :)

Amber - So the Weather Wardens have earned a break after all that Earth saving. However the Djinn are still around. How is the Outcast series doing?

Rachel - It's doing very well! I've still got two more books coming in that series ... UNSEEN is already turned in and in production, so I just have UNBROKEN, the last in the series to write. Cassiel's been a heck of an interesting challenge, she's so different from my other characters.

Amber - Will we be seeing more of Cassiel and the other Djinn?

Rachel - Almost certainly, but probably not for a while. I'm going to move on to another series in August 2011 with the release of WORKING STIFF.

Amber - You are a busy bee but I know you have a lot of fans! I feel kind of cheeky asking but are you working on anything else? I know your readers can't get enough :)

Rachel - Aha, see, I already teased it, didn't I? Yes, a new series called The Revivalists, and the first novel is called WORKING STIFF. It's about a young woman in her first job as a funeral director who discovers that her bosses are reviving the dead down in the basement ... for profit.

Amber - How long on average does it take you to write a book? Do you have a process you follow? or do you just start at page one and see what happens?

Rachel - It takes about two months, generally. I always write from outlines, these days, which means of course that I have to stop and write the outlines at some point prior to starting the book. I usually write two or three outlines in a burst, so that I have them in reserve. But I try to leave plenty of room for improvisation, too.

Amber - How do you decide what to throw at your characters in each book?

Rachel - I think a lot of that comes from the characters themselves. In any given situation, a character will react according to their nature ... and sometimes, that drives the plot. For instance (and this is not a character I've written) ... what if you had a moment of decision and you could run out into traffic and save a child from getting kit by a car ... but you don't? How does that affect the rest of your life? In this situation, I can see the parents hating you, blaming you ... and maybe that drives the story. So you go from there.

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

Rachel - They used to, when I was just starting, but now it's more a matter of what are good, solid names that don't start with the same letters, and preferably aren't too close to names I've already used before!

Amber - What have you been reading and watching lately? Do you have any recommendations for us?

Rachel - I love The Vampire Diaries. I'm a huge fan of the BBC series Being Human as well. Warehouse 13 is a personal obsession, as is Fringe!

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

Rachel - I would definitely have the power to bend time. Because then I could get my deadlines met without ever asking for an extension. But I'd probably end up a villain, yeah. :)

Amber - Thank you so much for taking the time to answer my questions! I hope you will come back to visit again another time!

Rachel - Thanks, Amber, it's been great! Happy Halloween!











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Contest Time

I am offering up a Rachel Caine book! Winners choice! That means you can pick the book you are missing or get the newest release (includes the omnibus books but excludes the anthologies. Winners choice must be available on Bookdepository or Amazon).

How To Enter

What is your favourite spooky movie to watch on Halloween?

No Answer = 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.

Advertise Amberkatze's Book Blog on your site and get an extra entry for this and every other contest!

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You can also earn extra entries by emailing your friends about the contest. Just make sure you send a copy of your email or receipt to me at Amberkatzes_book_blog at gmx dot net.

Make sure you post your links here so I can confirm your entries.

Keep the contests going by using the Bookdepository.com links/Banners below and around the site!



The contest will stay open until Sunday 7th of November 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.