{"id":5823,"date":"2016-01-04T01:05:08","date_gmt":"2016-01-04T05:05:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/kate-hill.com\/blog\/?p=5823"},"modified":"2016-01-01T18:09:27","modified_gmt":"2016-01-01T22:09:27","slug":"interview-with-nicole-evelina","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kate-hill.com\/blog\/?p=5823","title":{"rendered":"Interview with Nicole Evelina"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Burgdorf<\/a>When you’re brainstorming for a new story, what usually comes first for you, the plot or the characters?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I write to tell the stories of people (characters), so for me, it\u2019s all about the characters. They have to be at least partially formed before the plot comes; sometimes they show up fully formed, like Isolde. If the characters aren\u2019t there, they story is going nowhere. It\u2019s like having an empty town with no one in it \u2013 there\u2019s no point.<\/p>\n

Because I primarily write historical fiction, the plot outline comes from the history and is usually filled in by my research and characters.<\/p>\n

Are you a plotter or a pantser?<\/strong><\/p>\n

A little of both. I have to have an outline before I start, but it doesn\u2019t have to be very detailed since I can add things in as I go. I am well aware that my characters will explode my outline by doing what they want at some point (or more than one point!) and I will have to work with what they give me. I learned the hard way not to fight them. Some of my best scenes have come when characters have done something unexpected.<\/p>\n

Can you write sex scenes at any time or do you have to be “in the mood?”<\/strong><\/p>\n

Most of the time, I can write them any time. That\u2019s because I\u2019m so into the story that the characters put me \u201cin the mood\u201d whether I am or not.<\/p>\n

What is the most difficult thing about writing?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I hate editing. With a passion. I think it\u2019s because I\u2019m a perfectionist and don\u2019t deal well with being wrong and editing points out all the places you were so very wrong in your first draft. But I love having edited because the book is so much stronger for it.<\/p>\n

What do you like about writing series books?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I love that you get to explore everything in more detail: the world, the characters and their arcs, the plot. I\u2019m also one who has characters pop in and out in unexpected places, and that\u2019s something that you can\u2019t do as much with a standalone. Those character recurrences may seem accidental, but trust me, they are well plotted. I don\u2019t have characters on the page for no reason; if they show up, they will play an important role at some point in the series.<\/p>\n

Do you find it harder to write novels or short stories?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Short stories! I\u2019ve started four and never completed any. They keep wanting to turn into novels. I apparently can\u2019t write anything short!<\/p>\n

\"neDaughter<\/a>Would you tell us about your latest release?<\/strong><\/p>\n

My latest release is my debut novel, Daughter of Destiny,<\/em> the first in a historical fantasy trilogy set in 5th century Britain telling Guinevere’s life story from her point of view. But she\u2019s not the fading wallflower of medieval legend. This Guinevere is a priestess who has the Sight and is trained as a warrior. Daughter of Destiny <\/em>chronicles the early part of her life, before she meets King Arthur, something very few authors have explored. I wanted to show you what led up to her becoming queen and how it affected her during the time of the legends we all know and love. All of us have a past and it affects our present and future, and Guinevere is no exception. If you read the whole series (book 2, Camelot\u2019s Queen,<\/em> covers her life as queen, including her affair with Lancelot and the quest for the Holy Grail, and book 3, Mistress of Legend<\/em>, shows the downfall of Camelot and Guinevere\u2019s life after Camlann \u2013 hint: she did not become a nun), you\u2019ll see how every choice she makes affects her future, often in ways she never expected, even with the gift of the Sight.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

A word of warning: because of the nature of Arthurian legend, not all the books have HEAs, but the series does.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Do you have an excerpt from your latest release you would like to share?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Prologue<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

I am Guinevere.<\/p>\n

I was once a queen, a lover, a wife, a mother, a priestess, and a friend. But all those roles are lost to me now; to history, I am simply a seductress, a misbegotten woman set astray by the evils of lust.<\/p>\n

This is the image painted of me by subsequent generations, a story retold thousands of times. Yet, not one of those stories is correct. They were not there; they did not see through my eyes or feel my pain. My laughter was lost to them in the pages of history.<\/p>\n

I made the mistake of allowing the bards to write my song. Events become muddled as ink touches paper, and truth becomes malleable as wax under a flame. Good men are relegated to the pages of inequity, without even an honest epitaph to mark their graves.<\/p>\n

Arthur and I were human, no more, no less, though people choose to see it differently. We loved, we argued, we struggled, all in the name of a dream, a dream never to be fulfilled. Camelot is what fed the fires that stirred us to do as we did. History calls it sin, but we simply called it life.<\/p>\n

The complexity of living has a way of shielding one\u2019s eyes from the implications of one\u2019s role. That is left for others to flesh out, and they so often manipulate it to suit their own needs. To those god-awful religious, I have become a whore; Arthur the victim of a fallen Eve; Morgan, a satanic faerie sent to lead us all astray. To the royalty, we have become symbols of the dreams they failed to create and Arthur is the hero of a nation, whereas to me, he was simply a man. To the poor, we are but a legend, never flesh and blood, a haunting story to be retold in times of tribulation, if only to inspire the will to survive.<\/p>\n

We were so much more than mute skeletons doomed to an eternity in dust and confusion. We were people with a desire for life, a life of peace that would be our downfall. Why no one can look back through the years and recognize the human frailty beneath our actions, I will never understand. Some say grace formed my path; others call it a curse. Whatever it was, I deserve to be able to bear witness before being condemned by men who never saw my face.<\/p>\n

It ends now. I will take back my voice and speak the truth of what happened. So shall the lies be revealed and Camelot\u2019s former glory restored. Grieve with me, grieve for me, but do not believe the lies which time would sell. All I ask is that mankind listen to my words, and then judge me on their merit.<\/p>\n

What three words would the hero of your story use to describe his love interest?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Determined, courageous, intelligent<\/p>\n

What three words would the heroine of your story use to describe her love interest?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Caring, strong, soulful<\/p>\n

Do you have a favorite character or characters you feel especially close to?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Isolde has always been my favorite. I think it\u2019s because she\u2019s the kind of woman I wish I was: completely carefree. She does what she wants, when she wants and who she wants. She\u2019s so much fun. She\u2019s the character I\u2019d meet if she were real. I also feel very protective of Elaine, who is mentally unstable and emotionally vulnerable. I don\u2019t want anyone to hurt her, yet I had to. Poor dear.<\/p>\n

Would you share one of the sexiest or most romantic lines from one of your books?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cAs our bodies came together, so did our hearts, our souls, permanently intertwined among our limbs like mistletoe in the boughs of an oak.\u201d<\/p>\n

Where can we visit you online?<\/strong><\/p>\n

My website: http:\/\/nicoleevelina.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Twitter: @nicoleevelina<\/p>\n

Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram & Goodreads: Nicole Evelina<\/p>\n

Do you have any particular writing habits? (Listening to music, best time of day to write, etc.) <\/strong><\/p>\n

I wear a special blend of essential oils on my right inner wrist that a dear friend and fellow writer made for me to encourage inspiration. I also have to listen to music. For this book I listened to a lot of Celtic music and movie scores. Alexandre Desplat and Rachel Portman are go-to composers for me. In the cooler months, I also light campfire incense to remind me of the wood-burning stove at a writing residency that I did.<\/p>\n

What is your favorite season?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Autumn. As soon as the crickets start chirping at night in August, I know it\u2019s coming. I love the cool breeze and the wide spectrum of tree colors, especially the oranges and reds. It\u2019s my most productive time of year, which may harken back to the beginning of the school year.<\/p>\n

What is your favorite comfort food?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Chocolate (dark and white are my favorites), wine and anything with cheese! They are my weaknesses!<\/p>\n

Do you have any pets?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yes. I have two sable Burmese cats, Connor and Caitlyn, who I call my twins, since they are littermates and I sometimes can\u2019t tell them apart. They are almost nine years old and truly are my babies. They sit with me when I write and fight with my laptop for mastery of my lap. I refer to them as my little editorial assistants. Connor has quite a mastery of English. He\u2019s been known to say \u201chello,\u201d \u201cmom,\u201d \u201cgrandma,\u201d \u201chome,\u201d and \u201chere I am.\u201d I kid you not \u2013 but perhaps you have to experience it to believe it. Yes, I am the crazy cat lady and I am proud of it!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When you’re brainstorming for a new story, what usually comes first for you, the plot or the characters? I write to tell the stories of people (characters), so for me, it’s all about the characters. They have to be at least partially formed before the plot comes; sometimes they show up fully formed, like Isolde….<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,656],"tags":[659,657,658,430],"class_list":["post-5823","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-guest-bloggers","category-nicole-evelina","tag-guinevere","tag-historical-fantasy","tag-king-arthur","tag-romance"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kate-hill.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5823","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kate-hill.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kate-hill.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kate-hill.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kate-hill.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5823"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/kate-hill.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5823\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5826,"href":"https:\/\/kate-hill.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5823\/revisions\/5826"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kate-hill.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5823"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kate-hill.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5823"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kate-hill.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5823"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}