Sunday, March 20, 2011

Interview with Theresa Meyers, author of The Truth About Vampires

Hi everyone. Have you adjusted to the time change yet? We are, slowly. Makes you wonder if vampires hate this time of year? Less time for them to go hunting :-) #don'tneedgrouchyvamps

With us today is Theresa Meyers, author of The Truth About Vampires. What would happen if the world found out that vampires really existed? If you want to know the answer, you'll have to read the book. She is giving away a printed copy to one lucky commenter. Don't forget to leave your email address in your comment so we can contact you. This contest ends Saturday, March 26th at Midnight PST. Now, let's get to the interview.


PYN: What interested you most about writing?
Since about junior high, I found writing to be a fantastic way to express ideas. At first I thought I was going to be a journalist, then in college I looked for a major that I could use my writing no matter what industry I went into and ended up in public relations. But I’ve always been a story teller. I just get to make up the stuff in my stories now instead of reporting about other people’s stories. And let me tell you truth is sometimes stranger than fiction.

PYN: Who is your favorite author?
Not a fair question because I have so many! I love to read (which is really saying something since it took me until about fifth grade to be able to read well with my dyslexia). Right now I’m enjoying Gail Carriger’s Soulless series, Yasmin Galenorn’s Otherworld series and a new book by James Rollins. I love reading P.C. and Kristin Cast’s House of Night books. I’m a huge fan of historical romance author Julia Quinn (and have all her books on my keeper shelf). I’m also reading Zoe Archer’s Blades of the Rose series.

PYN: How long did it take you to write The Truth About Vampires?
I keep a day by day progress log for my writing so I keep on track with my deadlines. Looking at that it took me 2.5 months to write the story. Usually I try to schedule it so I’m writing 5-7 pages a day and give myself two weeks for editing. I can write 10-15 pages a day if I really push myself, but then my family doesn’t like me too much because mommy gets “grouchy”.

PYN: What intrigues you most about vampires?
I suppose it’s their grasp of immortality. The search for immortality (or at least a life after this one) has been the root of every major religion of the world. It taps into the very basics of who are we and what happens to us after we die. In lots of ways vampires are kind of the ultimate when it comes to looking at the question of immortality because they have fears and needs and passions just like us, but they also have eons to get it right.

PYN: How many times did you query before an agent/publisher picked you up?
Bwahaha. Want to see my rejection file? It’s about six inches thick with single page rejection letters from agents and editors. You know what they say about persistence? Yeah, that. I went through two major agent hunts. Had my first agent from 1996 to 2004 and my current agent since 2007, both times required lots and lots of queries. I found tracking them with an Excel spreadsheet help me know who I’d sent to when, what I’d sent, what their response was and what they requested. Being organized makes all the difference. I also recommend www.querytracker.com

PYN: Have you ever pursued any other artistic venues?
My friends laughingly refer to my other artistic interests as playing Martha. I love to sew (and make all my own steampunk costumes), I enjoy painting and love to dance. I love to listen to music, but I have a really hard time reading it so other than plinking on the piano now and then I don’t play an instrument. I’m just lucky everyone else in my house does!

PYN: Besides writing, what are you passionate about?
Life! Ok, I suppose I should break that down a little more, hum? My family, definitely. I love history and folklore/mythology. I enjoy spending time gardening and growing green things. I’m a bit of a nut about tea and have an entire kitchen cupboard that’s just my tea and tea things. I enjoy costuming and painting, canning my own produce from my garden, watching movies and cooking-particularly baking.

PYN: How many books have you written?
I’ve written about 15 books, but only some of those went on to be published.


PYN: Do you have any other project you’re working on?
LOL. Lots! Right now I’m in the middle of the third book for the Sons of Midnight series, tentatively titled The Half-Breed Vampire (which will be done by May). Then I’ll be working on the second of my Legend Chronicles steampunk trilogy, titled The Slayer (which will be done by mid-July). After that I’ve got a dark fae novella in a new Shadow Sisters series to write before August titled Shadowlander, then I’ll be working on my next story for the Sons of Mindnight series which will be done by Nov. And that’s just this year! Currently I’ve got contracts for three dark fae novels in the Shadow Sisters series, and the final book in the steampunk trilogy secheduled to be written in 2012.


PYN: Where can readers purchase your books?
Anywhere Harlequin books are sold – bookstores, grocery stores, Walmart, online at Amazon, Barnes & Noble and eharlequin.com

PYN: Where can readers connect with you on the web?
The best place to find out what I’m working on is my website www.theresameyers.com but readers can usually find me Twittering in the mornings at www.twitter.com/Theresa_Meyers and occasionally on Facebook at www.facebook.com/TheresaMeyersAuthor   I also teach a lot of online writing classes (one on writing Steampunk starts today at www.SavvyAuthors.com)

PYN: Can you share a small excerpt of your work? 
“Why don’t you get her a Vampire.” The sexy-as-hell male
voice, with a slight Italian lilt, soaked into Kristin Reed’s skin
and elicited a flutter in her stomach.
She glanced behind her and found herself face to broad
chest. Encased in a crisp white shirt and fitted black jacket,
the plane of muscle led to a deeply tanned throat, firm jaw
and sinfully sculpted lips. She turned her gaze upward and
found herself staring into a set of intense brown eyes, so dark
they looked nearly black, and so deep they seemed soulless. A
jolt, like caffeine from a double shot of espresso, raced down
her spine and made her limbs tingle.
“Don’t look quite so appalled,” he offered in a deep, rich
voice laced with amusement. “I think you’ll enjoy it. No, put
that away, this drink is on the house. Anastasia, please prepare
a Vampire for our guest.”
Kristin returned her wallet to her purse. “Thanks.” Lord, he
had a great mouth. What would it feel like to brush her mouth
against his? To have his mouth crush hers in a soul-stealing
kiss? Whoa, put on the brakes, she warned herself. This guy
is a total stranger. Sexy and great to look at, but still a total
stranger.
He put out his hand, and Kristin suddenly found her fingers
enveloped in the coolness of his. “Dmitri Dionotte, manager
of this establishment.” He brought her hand up to his mouth,
brushing dry lips across her skin. A shiver, part fear, part
fascination, raced down her spine.
Still holding her hand, he lifted his head, his eyes all pupil
as he held her gaze. He was like no one she’d ever met before.
Darker, more imposing in a way that filled up the room, not
just with his size, but also with the power radiating off him
in pulsating waves.
She’d never had her hand kissed in her life and the contact
alone was making her body buzz. “Kristin. Kristin Reed.” Her
pulsed kicked up double time, as if she’d made several trips up
and down the staircase to the newsroom. Kristin swallowed
and pulled herself together, kicking her brain back into gear,
and withdrew her hand from his. She was here to find a lead.
That’s what she should be concentrating on. Not Mr. Tall,
Dark and Delicious.
“Want that Vampire?” The bartender jarringly interrupted
the silent connection shimmering between them.
Eyes still locked with his, Kristin pushed out something
vaguely intelligent, though her brain had shut down and her
body went into lust mode. “What’s in it?”
The mountain-size guy beside her answered, “Chambord,
peach schnapps, red Vampyre Vodka, a splash of 7-Up and
some cranberry juice.” The words were prosaic enough, but
he made them sound like seduction.
The drink sounded harmless enough. The man was anything
but. “Sure, I’ll try it.”
The bartender slid across a hurricane glass filled to the rim
with ruby-red liquid and capped off with a black straw and a
pair of plastic vampire-costume fangs on the rim. Cute, but
a little tacky.
Kristin took out her wallet, pulled out a ten and tucked it
in the tip jar. Good information was hard to come by and the
man at her side was more a distraction than a good source. She
forced her attention away from him and back to the bartender.
“Have you worked here long?”
The bartender popped her gum as she sliced lemons and
limes and dropped them into a container behind the bar.
“Since they opened in October.”
The sharp smell of citrus overwhelmed some of the
mouthwatering cooking scents, which were making Kristin’s
stomach grumble. She’d forgotten lunch again.
She swizzled the straw in her crimson concoction, casting
a glance under her lashes at the hunky guy beside her. “Yeah,
I heard you had the best Halloween costume party in town.”
“We get some real characters in here,” the bartender
confirmed.
As she took a sip of her drink, the fruit flavors burst on
her tongue. A delicious combination of sweet and tangy. She
glanced at the manager and gave him a little smile. “Hey, I
think I like Vampires. Thanks for the suggestion.”
The bartender snorted.
“You say that now,” he said. The smoky quality of his voice
both tempted her and put her on edge at the same time. “But
watch out. They seem harmless, but they’ve got some serious
bite.”
Kristin paused a beat. There was no point in seeming too
eager to talk with him. She took another sip, then looked up
at him. “I’ll try to remember that.”
“Welcome to Sangria.”
He sat down on the stool beside her, his focus on her so
intense it wrapped around her like a warm down jacket.
Comfortable. Heated. Welcoming.
“Interesting decor.” She glanced around, taking another
sip of her drink, acutely conscious of him sitting beside her
and how it was making her light-headed. Maybe it was the
alcohol on an empty stomach, but somehow she doubted it.
“A place for the curious.”
“You mean vampire wannabes.”
His lips stretched into a subtle smile over very white, very
even teeth. His eyes made her feel as if he was reaching inside
her. Searching the deepest corners of her mind, her heart. “Not
exactly.”
His wavy dark hair curled over the edge of his collar and
she resisted the urge to slip a ring of it around her finger.
Maybe that Vampire drink was stronger than she thought.
A wave of dizziness crashed into her and Kristin sucked in a
gulp of air. She smelled the clean scent of starch, the spiciness
of cloves and something darker, rich and sweet like brandy
laced with dark chocolate. It reached out and coiled about
her senses, both arousing her and making her wary of how
relaxed she seemed to be.
“What are you really here for?” The tenor of his voice
stroked her skin, making her shiver and, odder still, making
her desire to tell him everything. Every secret she’d ever kept.
Every thought she meant to be private. “A man?” His eyes
glittered with invitation.
“No, information. I’m just curious.”
“So you’ve heard about the club.”
She nodded, then peered intently into his eyes. “Only a
few stories. But I hear that you cater to people who are a little
more exotic in what interests them.”
“Really, like what?”
A rush of heat washed over her skin. Just how much should
she reveal? Interviewing was a delicate balancing act. Give
too much and you got nothing. Give a little and sometimes
you got a lot more.
She turned and peered at the kaleidoscope of colors in
the bottles that lined the back of the bar and wondered for
a moment what exactly was in them. Some of the red ones
appeared more dense and opaque. Her source had said people
with vampire fantasies, or kids into cutting, were regulars at
the club. Either way, blood was a big deal. It had seemed like
the best place to find a lead to the weird Bloodless Murders,
since the cop shop had been less than helpful. Again.
Perhaps she ought to go for broke. “Is that blood?” She
indicated a bottle of opaque dark red liquid on the shelves
behind the bar.
He didn’t even flinch. “We try to appeal to all our customers.”
Her curiosity spiked. “And is any of that from donors?”
Dmitri stiffened, turning guarded. Bingo. Her pulse sped
up, this time not from attraction but from excitement. If she
could score a lead on the Bloodless Murders, even just enough
to write up one article, it would give her time.
“So you’re interested in the backroom activities we
offer?”
“Perhaps. I’m a little picky about who I’d partner up with.”
He inclined his head. “Naturally.”
“And I’d like to know a little bit more about what you
offer before I decide if I just want to watch or would rather
participate.”
Oh, God. Had she just said that? Smooth, Reed. Real
smooth. She covered her flub by taking a last sip of the drink
and found herself loudly sucking air instead.
“You really do like Vampires.” He motioned for the
bartender to refill her glass.
Kristin held up a hand. “Oh, I don’t need another right
now.” His eyes bored into hers, searching, weighing, but
revealing nothing. Kristin gave what she hoped was a smile
rather than a grimace. “So, about these other activities?”
“Of course.”
He held out his hand. Grasping it, her hand tingled. She slid
off the high bar stool, and quickly released his hand. What
was up with that? Sure, she’d met cute guys before, but her
body was in overdrive and it shocked her. Grabbing her purse,
she slung the strap over her shoulder and tried to cover how
flustered Dmitri Dionotte seemed to make her. He led her to
the row of crimson-draped rooms on the far side of the club.
“These would be our tasting rooms.”
“Tasting what?”
“Our clientele is interested in unusual vintages. Hard to
obtain wine like, say, a 1945 Mouton Rothschild Pauillac that
retails for about nine thousand dollars a bottle, if you can find
it.”
“Oh.” Who had swung by and stamped a giant L on her
forehead? Her reporting career seemed to be shriveling before
her eyes and her tongue was completely uncooperative. For
some insane reason, she’d hoped she would stumble upon a
solid connection to the murders, a lead that could take her
somewhere with the story and save her ass in the process. Her
editor, Rex Hollander, had been very specific—get a frontpage
investigative story or get a pink slip.
Dmitri lifted one of the heavy velvet curtains aside and
gestured her ahead of him. As a last resort she straightened
her shoulders and tried the vapid smile that got her far more
information than direct questioning ever had. Especially from
a guy like this—cool, reserved, with just enough swagger to
think, or rather know, that he was worth a second look.
“It’s pretty,” she said, keeping her voice artificially highpitched,
shaving another ten points off her IQ. She glanced
around the room, pressing as many details as she could into
her memory. Honestly, it was more like some Goth sitting
room tricked out in crimson faux leather on the walls, soft
black leather couches and lounge chairs, chrome-and-glass
tables, with an enormous flat-screen television on one wall.
A tall black lacquered cabinet stood in one corner. “What’s
in there?”
“Supplies. Glassware, napkins, trays.”
“May I see?”
He moved his hand with a flourish. “But of course.”
He didn’t move to open it, so she took it upon herself to do
the honors.
The doors hid a bit more than napkins and glasses.
Hermetically sealed razor blades, tubing, individually wrapped
packets of gauze, tape. She picked up a plastic-encased blade
between her fingers. “And this would be for slicing…”
“Olives.”
“Riiight.” She tapped her finger on the cabinet door.
“They make the best practice,” he added, his lips tipping
up in the corners in a knowing way.
Kristin’s stomach dropped to her shoes. “Come again?”
“If people are interested in blood activities, we have them
first practice on olives, or grapes. Either tends to simulate
the necessary balance between pressure and precision that’s
required.”
“For…” Kristin rolled her hand, wishing she could pull the
words out of his mouth faster.
            “Some people like to drink blood.”
“Annnnd we’re back to the vampire wannabes.”
He stepped closer, making the room seem all of a sudden
way too small and intimate for her taste. “Not all of them.” He
slipped the cabinet door from her fingers and lightly closed it,
the clicking sound echoing through the hollow in her chest.
Kristin could feel her heartbeat fast and thick in her throat.
His lips twitched and his eyes seemed to take on a golden
glow. A trick of the light, Kristin was sure.
“Some are wannabes. Some, my dear Miss Reed, are the
real thing.”

***

We'd like to thank Theresa for taking time out of her busy schedule to talk with us about her book. We will be interviewing her live on Blog Talk Radio, Monday, March 21. Be sure to listen in or call us with any questions you might have.

Next week we're bringing you some more vampire love when we interview Katie Salidas, author of Karma & Melodies. Until then, we'll see you on the stream.

8 comments:

  1. I admire Theresa for having a schedule and sticking to it. Deadlines work miracles with me, only if I was able to set some.
    I am already quite curious about the Truth About Vampires, both to read and to know what it is.

    Good luck in all future work, Theresa!

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  2. Thanks, Mary! If you need deadlines to get yourself going, set them for yourself. The biggest waste of time I had as a writers was waiting for a contract to set a deadline. I found once I started setting my own deadlines and tracking my pages completed every day on a calendar I started producing more.

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  3. Ooh! This likes uber interesting....and engrossing.....Exciting!! I can't wait to read the whole thing!

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  4. Wow. Thanks for sharing that scene from your book. I wasn't sure whether I should drool or be afraid...but it ends up mostly drooling. And a whole head filled with questions! lol Well written! I want to read this! Bookmarked your site too.

    Thanks for having this interview PYN!

    wulfshado AT gmail DOT com

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  5. Ok now I'm hooked and need to read the rest of the book. Great interview, I love reading how each author works and what drives then or what they are passionate about.

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  6. Theresa, it was such a pleasure to interview you, even though the thunderstorm struck, lol. Your book kicks butt! ;-)

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  7. oh, up there, in my first comment, I forgot to put down my e-mail to get counted for a chance to win a copy of Theresa's novel.
    Here it is now: forestlove@abv.bg

    And, Theresa - thanks a lot for your response to my comment. True, if one doesn't help oneself, no one else can!

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