Author Interview: LEX VALENTINE

Author Interview by A.J. Llewellyn

Hi Lex, I am so excited to be talking to you today. Thanks for coming…hey, step closer, I won’t bite (unless you ask me to)…now I have to start this on a personal note. I was on an author chat with you one day and you kindly offered participating authors a free book trailer and I snapped it up – all for the exchange of my e book Phantom Lover. Somehow, I think I came out way ahead. The trailer is freaking gorgeous and I thank you for it. How did you come up with the idea of doing trailers for people and has it worked out well for you?

Thanks for having me here today, AJ! And nibbles and licks are always nice. *wink* I loved Phantom Lover so being able to do the trailer was an honor for me. I had a great time putting it together and finding the music. My friend David Simmer II of Blogography.com had some great Hawaii photos he took with his brand new camera and I couldn’t resist begging him to use a few. Dave’s a graphic artist and it comes out in everything he does from photos to toons. It was all a perfect karmic fit I think… you, me, and Dave!

I got into trailers by accident sorta. We occasionally have to make memorial videos at my work and the woman who does them showed me how. I took that knowledge and starting making trailers for myself for my WIPs to help prompt me along when I first decided I wanted to get published. It all just snowballed from there.

I have to say that doing trailers for other authors has mostly been a great experience. Not everyone has left me basking in the afterglow as you have, AJ. Right now, I’m only doing a few more and after that it will probably only be the clients whose series I adore like Renee Wildes’ Guardians of the Light and Bonnie Rose Leigh’s Serenity.

You and I both love vampires and your blog “Sunlight Sucks” always leaves me thinking. Who are your favorite cinematic vampires? When did you first become aware of them and did they influence your book Tales of the Darkworld series at all?

You know, movie vamps haven’t influenced the Tales vamps at all. The Darkworld’s Acerbian vampires are more a creation of things I’d already had in my head, bits from the serial story where I write (The Bar) and from books. I’m not much of a movie or TV person. However, I’ve read a lot of vampire books that had my wheels spinning from the moment my sister handed me Interview with the Vampire on my 17^th birthday. I will say that my favorite vampire movie of all time is the Fearless Vampire Killers by Roman Polanski and starring Sharon Tate.

I love that movie! Speaking of your series, there are two books so far: Shifting Winds and Hot Water. Will there be more books in the series?

Book 3 Fire Season is in edits currently for a July release. FS is full length, M/M, dragon shifters. No vamp love here but lots of hot man love instead! And there’s a cliffhanger epilogue! Actually, the Tales series is plotted to a total of ten books at which point I will probably wrap that series.

Your very first book Sunday’s Child: Wise Guy throws us headlong into the world of witches and mages. Will we be seeing more of the delicious Rand?

Rand as a child, probably. The Tales of the Magia have been bouncing around in my head for awhile and if/when I get around to it, I’ll probably start with the story of Rand’s godparents Zoe and August. I rather like the idea of showing Aug trying to turn himself into a cat for the very first time and not quite making it. LOL

You have a ton of stuff coming out…I’ve been checking on you Lex. Don’t look at me like that! I hardly stalk anybody anymore! What can you tell me about the following:

From Cobblestone Press - The Pixie Prince: This is the first of my Twisted Tales. It’s a twisted version of the Princess and the Pea. Max is a pixie and a supermodel who models underwear. His mate Bliss (Bellisandra) is a vampire and runs the club Carpe Noctem. My editor thinks the story is “utterly charming” and I have to say that like The Wise Guy, it’s a feel good story, very fun and filled with heat. We’re about to start our second edit pass and I’m working with an artist on the cover.

From Freya’s Bower - Mating, Runaways

These two are companion stories, shorts that run just under 8K. Mating was written for a contest for the cover by M.E. Ellis. It’s the tale of a werewolf, the Alpha, whose brother mates suddenly sending him into a slight tailspin. Wanting to ensure his brother is okay, he hires an agency called Watchers to follow his twin. The owner of Watchers (a white werewolf) turns out to be his mate. Mating is with the proofers and hopefully, will have a release date soon.

In Runaways, the Beta twin meets his mate (a vampire) on a train and they recklessly mate then have to deal with the consequences. Each story is a stand alone, but I think they work best together to give you a real sense of who these twin werewolves are. Runaways is with the editor who did Mating. M.E. Ellis did the cover so they would look related.

From Wild Child Publishing - Ain’t Nuthin But a Hellhound (in the Weirdly 3 anthology)

Hellhound is just finishing edits. It’s a dark tale about sex and power in the demon realm. Lilah, who is half demon, hunts hellhounds and saves the human souls they seek to take. Her father the Demon Lord and her ex-lover Xavion the Lord of the Hellhounds, both want her in their world. She resists, but then learns a lesson about power from a soul she saved. There is no sex in this story although the characters talk about it and it is integral to the plot.

From Midnight Showcase - Silver Lining

Silver Lining is in edits and should be out in July in the Thrilled digest. It’s rather a personal story that came from a little “what if” daydream I had about my ex. The heroine finds a man online who intrigues her and when she goes to meet him finds the greatest love of her life, a man from her past.

From Pink Petal Books - Fire Season

Fire Season is Book 3 in the Tales series, currently in edits. It’s a full length novel about a straight male dragon whose mate is a man. Holden Antaeus is a black dragon, a lawyer for his family’s company. Garret Renquist is a green dragon, a genius, stock market whiz. Their story is fun, hot, and will make you reach for the hankies.

So now I must start asking you a few really tough questions. Ready, chika? How old were you when you learned to tie your shoelaces?

Uhhhh… I don’t know. Probably rather young like 3 or something. My mother said I did everything early starting with arriving on Halloween instead of Christmas.

What was the worst date you ever went on?

What’s a date? I’d see a guy I liked, smile, and if he smiled back, I’d ask him if he wanted a blow job. Well, maybe I’m not quite that bold, but I was never the dating type. I did a lot of friends with benefits before it had that name.

Which living person do you most admire?

I admire the hell out of Marcus Schenkenberg. I can just stand there and admire those muscles all day long…

Which living person do you most despise?

Anyone and everyone who lies to me. Seriously, I’m not into the whole admire/despise famous people. I don’t know them. The people I dislike are the ones who have personally done something dishonest or mean to me. The people I admire are the ones who go out of their way to do something nice for me, despite their own hardships.

Tell me about your writing routine. Do you write every day? Do you listen to music? Any must-haves to get the muse to obey?

I’m actually pretty easy. I pop off paragraphs anywhere I have a computer to type on. I write with and without music. Mostly, I don’t write after work because I’m tired, but that’s not hard and fast. I’ll get an idea and the next thing I know I have 3K. I think I do my best work in Word Wars with Dee Carney and L. Shannon cracking the whip over me. Although, Moira Reed can sure crack a mean whip too! All the Word Wars ladies are such consummate professionals that I’m honored to be part of their group. With them behind me, it’s not unheard of for me to do 8K in a Saturday and repeat it the next day.

Have you ever snooped in somebody else’s medicine cabinet?

Maybe when I was drunk and looking for Pepto Bismal…

Hmmmm…okay, I sorta believe ya, Lex!

On behalf of the Dark Divas, I’d like to thank Lex Valentine for stopping by today. To learn more about this love, lovely and so talented author, please check out her links:

Official Author Website – http://www.lexvalentine.com/

Personal Blog Sunlight Sucks – http://www.sunlightsucks.com/

Tales of the Darkworld – http://www.talesofthedarkworld.com/

Follow me – http://www.twitter.com/lexvalentine

My Space – http://www.myspace.com/cemeterywinter

Trailers - http://www.youtube.com/user/lexvalentineauthor