What are your favorite genres to read and write?
To read – Almost anything! Science Fiction and well-written fantasy are my favourites, but I also read historical, literary fiction, children’s books, the backs of cereal packets…. I also read a lot of non fiction. I pretend I’m reading it for research, but I have yet to fit any “research” about the history of Monopoly or travelling with a rock band into any of my novels. But I might!
To write – heroic fantasy. All three of the novels I’ve written so far have been heroic fantasy, and I’ve enjoyed writing them. I tend to be more adventurous when writing short stories, I’ve written all kinds of things, but my favourite short stories to write have been a serious of comedy fantasy shorts that affectionately parody sword and sorcery clichés. I’ve had a lot of fun with those, and some of them appear in a short story collection, “The Feline Queen”, which is to be published by Wolfsinger next March.
To you what type of hero/heroine is the hottest?
I like my heroes to be messed up, a little confused, a little battered by life but standing up to the punches. There’s something about a vulnerable, screwed-up boy coming good that makes me cheer inside. And point me in the direction of skinny boy with messy hair, a frown and a big sword (no pun intended, ladies!) and I go a little bit wibbly at the edges….
As for heroines, I like a feisty girl, who knows what she wants and isn’t afraid to go after it! Of course, what she wants is often the skinny boy with the sword, and there’s lots of fun in the chase!
Share one of the sexiest or romantic lines from one of your books.
Oh gosh! I find that when I take sexy or romantic lines out of context they might sound a bit cheesy. I don’t know if that’s just me…
I was fuddled by this question, as it’s so hard to make judgements on your own work, but readers have told me that a scene involving skinny dipping from my second book, “In Exile”, is quite sexy, so here’s a short extract.
Meganne agreed, and swam over to the shallows, where Bale would be in easy hailing distance. “Bale!” she called. “Why don’t you come in? It’s beautiful in here!” She stood up.
Bale’s mouth fell open. The water reached her waist, but it was clear and blue and accentuated, rather than concealing, what was beneath it. Her hair fell down her back in long damp tendrils, and the water ran off the curves of her body like silver highlights. He swallowed, and tried to look anywhere but at her, but she drew his eye like a sudden flare in the night sky. Lydia, whom he had seen naked regularly, and whose body had no disturbing effect of him at all, held herself more modestly under the surface of the water. “Aren’t you coming in?” she asked.
Meganne took another step forward, and Bale hastily closed his eyes. “I don’t think you should be parading yourself like that,” he told her, sternly, but he could feel himself trembling at the thought.
“Why not? Come on, Bale, we’re all friends here!”
He shook his head. He needed to get away. He couldn’t be around her while she displayed herself so freely; it was bad enough that she invaded his dreams at night. She didn’t need to display her body so blatantly , the body he knew he could never hold. He ached at night to take her in his arms, feel her breath soft against his face; all his fool dreams, and now she was taunting him with what he could never have, not maliciously, perhaps, but because he was a friend, and that was all he could ever be. “I’m going to take Sev and find food,” he said, trying to keep his voice steady. “I’ll swim later, on my own.” He called to Sev, and walked away, head down, fighting not to look back.
Speaking as one of your characters, describe in a sentence or two what makes your partner irresistible.
Speaking as Nasira, the heroine of “The Art of Forgetting, which is the book I’m writing at the moment. She’s the hero’s wife.
I shouldn’t love Rhodri. Everything about him is foreign to me, and our tribes are sworn enemies. But from the first day we met, when I was so afraid and he comforted me with that shy, ready smile, I was drawn to him. His eyes are so dark, they draw you in. Looking into them is like falling through space. He’s sometimes maddening, always untidy, but I know he cares about me and our daughter more than his own life, and that’s a powerful love.
Visit Joanne online at http://www.hierath.solveithosting.co.uk/.
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