1: If you had the power to control any of the 4 main elements (air, water, earth, or fire) which would it be? Why?
Probably water. My husband and I both scuba dive, so I have a great respect and affinity for the power of water. The oceans have tremendous strength. Who wouldn’t want to control that?
Besides, then I could be like a female Percy Jackson.
2: If you could travel anywhere in the world free of charge and free from harm where would it be?
Egypt. I’ve always been fascinated by Egypt’s complicated history. Plus, I’m a huge fan of the Amelia Peabody mysteries by Elizabeth Peters, which are set in Victorian Egypt. My kids love them too. I would love to see the Egyptian monuments, but I’m afraid with the civil unrest there now, it might be a long time before I’m comfortable going there.
3: If you could have 3 book characters over to dinner who would you pick?
Only three??? Oh, that’s just cruel. Definitely Harry Dresden from Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files. And then probably Harry Potter and Severus Snape. But I wonder if they would just spend the evening fighting with each other. So maybe I should just have Katniss over just so I could feed her.
4: If you had the above book characters over for dinner what would you have to eat?
Well, Harry Dresden likes good beer and a steak sandwich, so I might be tempted to feed him a steak sandwich. But I’m a Texan and I’m a firm believer that food doesn’t get much better than a perfectly cooked brisket. Anyone who loves a good steak sandwich will love that. Harry and Snape are British, which means they’ll be impressed by anything with flavor, right? And Katniss is starving, so again, anything will work.
5: If The Lair was made into a movie what would you want the theme song to be?
Hmm … I don’t know if this makes a good movie theme song, but I always listen to music when I’m writing (particularly if I’m at a coffee shop or something). When I was writing The Lair, there was one song I listened to over and over. It’s “The Famous Jane” from a local Austin band called The Arc Angels. I don’t know why that song spoke to me so much for this book, but it always put me in the right place to write.
6: Tell us a little bit about The Lair.
I know a lot of people are very curious about Mel, because she was turned into a Vampire at the end of the last book. In this book, we watch that transition. She has to learn how to function all over again, because her autism was affected by the vampire virus also. Plus, she’s separated from Lily for the first time her life. So there are lots of big changes for her in this book. And for Sebastian as well, because he’s used to living on his own and having Mel around changes everything for him.
But for me, this is still really Carter and Lily’s book. The biggest thing for them is the ripple affect of Mel’s transformation. Remember not everyone who’s bitten by a vampire turns. Only a small percentage of people have the gene that allows you to regenerate as a vampire. When Sebastian bit her, Mel turned. That means she has the gene. Which means Lily has the gene, too. And that gene also allows you to regenerate as a Tick.
By the time The Lair starts, Lily and Carter have both realized this. So for them, the question is: can they keep Lily from ever being exposed to the Tick virus? If she’s every exposed, she will turn in a Tick.
7: What character was easiest for you to write about?
McKenna and Joe have always been really easy for me to write about. Somehow their storyline has always just flowed very naturally for me. I loved their story in The Farm and I love how things
8: What character was most like you?
I think I’m probably most like Lily. I tend to be fiercely protective of the people I love. I’m direct and often no-nonsense. At the same time, I think I’m goofier than Lily, but then again, I haven’t lived through the vampire apocalypse. Give me time.
9: Do you plan on writing a followup to The Lair?
Yes! I’m working on it right now! It’s tentatively called The Vault. In fact, just today I wrote the first line. (First lines are hard, so they aren’t always the first thing you write.)
10: Do you have any more ideas for books?
I do. I just finished a proposal for an Urban Fantasy series. I’m about to send that off to my agent.
11: Who (or what) was your greatest encouragement as an author?
Definitely other writers. I grew up in a pre-internet world. I knew I wanted to be a writer, but I had no idea how or if that was even possible. Then I joined my first writers’ group and my world just exploded. It was fabulous getting to meet other writers.
All of my best friends are other writers. We hang out. We support each other. We chat on the phone. It’s fabulous. They are how I get through life.
12: Do you have favorite sayings that help you in your role as an author?
Here’s my favorite quote (for now):
“Don't wish it was easier - wish you were better."
To me, that’s so powerful and it applies to … well, everything in life. The things that are hard, that are really scary, those are the only things worth doing.
Yes, at the end of the day, there are lots of things we do just because it’s part of existence. We do the dishes and take out the trash. Whatever. But the things that define us a human and carve out our place in the universe, those are the things that are really darn hard. Writing is like that. Always.
I can’t wish that writing was easier, because then it would be more like taking out the trash or doing the dishes. But I always wish I was better.
The stories never come on to the page as flawless as they are in my mind, so it’s a constant battle to get the books good enough that they are worthy of the reader’s time.
Is that answer to geeky?
13: In a world overrun with vampires what would be your go-to survival method?
I would spend a lot of time hiding. I don’t think I could be brave enough to go out and hunt them down, Buffy-style.
Thank you so much Ms. McKay! I thoroughly enjoyed interviewing you and I'm positive that my readers loved the interview!
Now, as always, you readers can't run off before you check out these awesome links:
The Farm on Amazon: The Farm on Amazon
The Lair on Amazon: The Lair on Amazon
Emily McKay's website: http://emilymckay.com/
Emily McKay on Facebook: Emily McKay
Have a great day peeples! :)
~Greenie out
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