May 2008 – Gena Showalter

New York Times Bestselling author Gena Showalter writes it all - breathtaking paranormal and contemporary romances, cutting edge young adult novels, and stunning urban fantasy. The Playfriends are very excited to welcome Gena to the Playground.

Smarty Pants: Welcome to the Sandbox, Gena. To start off, how about a little background on yourself?

Gena Showalter:  This is always the hardest thing for me to do in an interview: talk about myself, rather than my books J  But here goes, I’ll give it a try.  I’ve always been a mix of the wallflower who wants to remain in the shadows and a quirky, attention-hogging wild child.  How’s that for variety?  I married my high school sweetheart, have three English bulldogs I adore (Mary Ann, Ginger, and Lovey), and am an avid romance reader.      

SP: You sold your first book at 27. (I feel so unaccomplished and I’m only 29. Sigh.) What was the spark that caused you to make the leap and write your first book? How long were you writing until you finally sold? 

GS:   The first spark was desperation.  I could not decide what I wanted to be when I “grew up” and it was way past time I figured it out.  I had jumped from major to major, unhappy, and always ended dropping out because what I’d picked wasn’t “it,” the one, the only career for me.  I had a love of romance novels and had tried to write my own a few times, but it was major work so I had always stopped.  But when I truly thought about it, weaving my own love stories was the only thing I could see myself doing for years to come.  So I sat down, started writing, and didn’t allow myself to quit.  I was determined to make a success of it, no matter what was required of me.       

SP: Unlike some who go from category to single-title publishing, you jumped straight into the single-title market. Many of us get trapped in the “need an agent to publish single title, but need to publish before you can get an agent” loop of despair. How did you break the cycle?

GS: Each time I finished a book, I would query agents.  I’d get a lot of rejections with a few requests to read the book in the mix.  Those ultimately ended in rejection, as well.  I would then send that book to the publishing houses I thought it fit.  More rejection.  By that point – this can be such a slow business -- I had usually finished another book and I’d start the cycle all over again: agent hunting, and when that failed, editor hunting.  Finally, I sent the right project to the right agent at the right time.  She signed me.  Took us two years, but we made a sale.  Then another.  And another. My dreams were finally coming true!  

SP: You seemed to go from unpublished to multi-published in a flash – 13 books in 4 years with 11 more in the hopper. Did you have a bunch of manuscripts hidden away under your bed or do you really write that quickly? Any tips for those of us who manage 1 book a year?

GS:  I sold the seventh manuscript I’d written, so I did have some books under my bed.  However, about half of those have not and will not see the light of day.  Here's the breakdown: of the 6 other books I’d completed before selling, only 2 ½ have since been published.  (The 1/2 is for a book I had written and then completely rewrote, using only the idea.)  As for writing quickly, I’ve changed my methods.  Used to, I would write the entire rough draft longhand and then type everything in, editing as I did so.  That really freed me from that nasty internal editor who likes to hover over my shoulder and tell me “the book is crap, I’m crap, how could I have written that?” 

But a time came when I had to write a book in 2 months (Savor Me Slowly).  I didn’t have time to use my old method (which took me 3 months).  So I typed a chapter a day until the rough draft was done.  That took me about a month and a half.  Then I spent the next two weeks reading over what I’ve done, editing, adding, layering in things I’d previously missed.  I totally fell in love with the new method and have been writing that way ever since (though I do allow myself 3 months now).      

SP: You write in several different genres – urban fantasy with a sci-fi twist, paranormals, contemporaries...even YA fiction. How do you juggle all those different writing niches? Do you have trouble switching back and forth, you know – any aliens itching to pop up in your contemporaries?

GS:  I think writing in so many genres keeps me from burn out.  With each genre, I’m able to tap into a different part of myself.  The urban fantasies unleash my darker side.  The paranormals, my quirkiness.  The contemporaries, my fun side.  The young adults, my inner kid.  (I think my mother just shuddered) 

The biggest mistake I’ve made because of my love of all those genres happened while I was writing The Darkest Pleasure, the third in my Lords of the Underworld series.  An Atlantis novel was up to bat next, and its world/mythology kept trying to creep into my brain and thereby into the non-Atlantis story.  I had many “Hades” references that had to be deleted.        

SP: What is your favorite genre to write?

GS: Without a doubt, the paranormal romances.  I love the possibilities, the “what if” factor, the alpha men and hell, I just love everything about them.   

SP: Let’s talk about process.  Are you a plotter or a pantser? Which comes first for you—characters or the situation?

GS: I am a pantser.  Lately I start with the flash of a scene in my mind, almost like a bit of a movie trailer playing over and over.  I see bits and pieces but don’t know the whole thing until I actually sit down and dive in.  I figure if I’m surprised, the reader will be too.

SP: What was the best advice you received as you were starting out (you don’t have to tell us whether you heeded the advice or not, but we’d love to know!)?

GS: Write what you love and never write to trend.  The trend will end, but if you’re writing what you love that love will shine through and there’ll be magic in your book.

SP: What was the one piece of advice you wish you’d ignored?

GS: Write category to get your foot in the door.  I just didn’t have the voice for it, and my attempts failed miserably.  However, I have since developed a love for several of the series lines and think I could do a much better job now.  I even have some ideas. . .

SP: What advice would you give to an unpublished author trying to break through in today’s market?

GS: Do not heed every piece of advice you’re given for “fixing” your work.  Sometimes, people are dead on right.  Sometimes, they are absolutely wrong.  Learn to take what works for your story and discard the rest.

SP: Your new release schedule is jam-packed, starting with the first of the Lords of the Underworld Trilogy – The Darkest Night, followed by The Darkest Kiss and the Darkest Pleasure. Can you tell us a little bit about this new series?

GS: My new favorite subject!  The backstory is that the gods entrusted Pandora, the greatest warrior of her time, to guard the sacred box.  But a group of immortal warriors fought and won it, opened it, and unleashed the vile horde of demons locked inside.  Because of this, the gods punish each warrior to house a demon inside his own body.  So the warriors become the box, so to speak.  It’s not an easy pairing, either, for the demons make themselves known and thirst for things the warriors abhor.     

Maddox, the hero of The Darkest Night, is possessed by Violence.  I tried to stay true to his character and show his fierce struggle with the demon.  Sometimes, he does not win that struggle and the demon overtakes him.  And because of past actions, he’s been given a second curse: to be stabbed and killed every night, only to awaken the next morning knowing he has to die again.  His heroine, Ashlyn, is able to stand in one location and hear every conversation that’s ever taken place there. 

Lucien, the hero of The Darkest Kiss, is possessed by Death.  He’s been ordered to escort the goddess of Anarchy’s soul to the hereafter.  The tempestuous and fun-loving Anya views his attempts as a game.  (At times, Anya’s somewhat warped sense of humor had me rolling on the floor.  She steals unabashedly, spent some time in an immortal prison, and isn’t afraid of the Lords.  To me, there’s just something so magical about her.) 

Reyes, the hero of The Darkest Pleasure, is possessed by Pain.  He’s forbidden to know pleasure.  Actually, pain has become his pleasure.  Danika, his heroine, is being chased by his best friend, the demon of Wrath, for reasons the warrior does not yet know. 

SP: Last year at Nationals, you offered a drawing to win the worst prize ever – a garden gnome. I lost. I can’t even win the worst prize ever. What do you have in store for everyone in San Francisco this year? One of those pink, plastic flamingos, perhaps?

GS: You know, Jill Monroe and I never plan these things.  They just happen.  We’ll be talking, laughing, one of us will say, “You know, we should do.  . . ”  And then the trouble starts happening.  

SP: Complete this sentence:  My readers…

GS:  Are dear to me.  I would not have a career without them and I know it.

SP:  Ok, now for a couple fun questions...Coffee or tea?

GS: Coffee.  Tea sucks.  (sorry, but it does)

SP: Something most people would be surprised to know about you?

GS:  I live in sweat pants, no make up, hair pulled in a bun.  If that’s not surprising enough, I’ll add this: I can eat anything while talking about anything, gross factor doesn’t matter.  
           
SP:  Dream vacation spot?

GS: Ireland, maybe. 

SP:  If you couldn’t be a writer, what would you do for a living?

GS:  Sponge off my parents.

SP: What are you working on now?

GS: Twice As Hot, the sequel to Playing With Fire.  Belle, Rome and the gang are back and, well, hotter than ever!

SP: Thanks for stopping by, Gena! Come back any time.

Absolutely my pleasure!  I had a blast.

Be sure to check out Gena’s upcoming releases – The Darkest Night, the first book in the Lords of the Underworld Series, available in stores now. The 2nd - The Darkest Kiss, comes out in June 2008 and the 3rd - The Darkest Pleasure, is out in July 2008! You can also learn more about Gena, her writing, and more at www.GenaShowalter.com or blog with Gena at genashowalter.blogspot.com.