Interview with Kerrelyn Sparks and my PUBLIC apology

I was supposed to post an interview with Kerrelyn Sparks, amazing author of the Hearts at Stake series, but I totally blanked and did not. I am posting now and I hope that she gets a chance to stop by.

Kerrelyn: I apologize profusely, it was unprofessional of me to totally forget.
Readers: I apologize to you as well, you were expecting an interview on the 2nd and it wasn't there.

Here is a bit about Ms. Sparks:
Kerrelyn Sparks’ first paranormal romance, How to Marry a Millionaire Vampire, zoomed out of the bat cave so fast it became Borders bestselling debut romance of 2005.   Each book in the Love at Stake series has become a USAToday bestseller.  When the fourth book, The Undead Next Door, landed on the New York Times bestseller list, even the Undead sat up and took notice, which made Kerrelyn a bit nervous. She lives in the Greater Houston area with her husband, children, and a house full of garlic.  So far, there are no vampires in her family. Werewolves are another matter entirely.

On to some questions shall we:

(BBB): So...as I have to ask, why vampires?

(KS): Why not? I’m having so much fun with them!  Are they are dead or not dead or somewhere in between?  Vampires are vague enough to give me a lot of freedom in writing them.  I can give them special powers and vulnerabilities.  I can build their world however I like.  It’s a challenge, but so much fun!  And then, vampires have that sexy, bad boy appeal that makes them perfect for romance.  They get to do everything your momma told you not to do:  sleep all day, party all night, and play with their food!

(BBB): Can you tell us a bit about your upcoming book?

(KS): The next book, number 8 in the Love at Stake series, goes on sale March 9, 2010.  It’s titled The Vampire and the Virgin.  Robby MacKay is the hero (he’s the vampire, not the virgin).  If you read book 7, Forbidden Nights with a Vampire, you’ll know that Robby is captured by the bad guys and tortured.  Poor guy!  He needs some lovin’!  Please drop by my website at www.kerrelynsparks.com to find out more. I’ll be posting an excerpt sometime in January and starting a contest to win free books (prior books in the series).

(BBB): Who is your favorite character from the whole series so far?

(KS): Tricky question!   My favorite hero and heroine are always the ones I’m writing at the moment.   I have to dig deep into their personalities, and I spend several months in their heads, thinking their thoughts and feeling their emotions.  Since I’m living in the heroine’s shoes for a few months, and she’s falling in love with the hero, I fall in love with him, too.  I always think he’s the best and sexiest hero ever, and that the next hero couldn’t possibly be better.  But then, I get into the next book, and the next hero surprises me when I fall for him, too!

(BBB): What is your favorite thing about being a famous, celebrated author?

(KS): Ha! There may be a few readers who show up at a booksigning who are excited to meet me, and I am equally excited to meet them, but the majority of the general public has never heard of me.   I still clean house and do laundry.  My kids still want to know what’s for supper. And even though my books are hitting the bestseller lists, they didn’t magically become easier to write.  The writing is tough and a little lonely, so I’m always thrilled to received encouraging e-mails and letters from readers.  

(BBB): What's your favorite food?

(KS): Chocolate!

(BBB): Do you plan on writing any other genres? or even any other paranormal offshoots?

(KS): My very first published book was a historical romance titled For Love or Country.  I’d be happy to try other things, but for now, my friendly vamps are taking up all my time.

(BBB): What is your favorite book...as a reader?

(KS): Impossible to choose just one!  I have different favorites for whatever mood I’m in. If I want to immerse myself in another world, then I turn to the Lord of the Rings trilogy or the Harry Potter series.  If I want to laugh, I read Janet Evanovich,  Amanda Quick, Lynsay Sands, or Sandra Hill.  For a historical fix, I like Roberta Gellis, Dorothy Dunnett, or Anya Seton.  I have a whole bunch of favorite romance writers—Julia Quinn, Christina Dodd, Eloisa James, Linda Lael Miller, Jayne Ann Krentz, Gaelen Foley, Laura Lee Guhrke, Linda Winstead Jones, and list goes on and on.  I actually avoid reading other vampire books because I don’t want to be subconsciously influenced in any way.

(BBB): What inspired your parallel vampire world?

(KS): The real world, and the crazy things all around us.  If we can have fusion cuisine, then the vamps can have Vampire Fusion Cuisine.  They can also have their own Digital Vampire Network with their own reality shows and soap operas.

(BBB): Are your vamps ever going to come out in open to the humans?

(KS): I could tell you, but one of my Vamps would have to kill you—or change you.

(BBB): If you could re-do any of the books you have written would you? why? or if not...anything you wish you have changed?

(KS): I’m sure if I read through the books again, I’d find a sentence here or there that I’d want to rewrite.  But as for major things, like the way the world is built—no, I wouldn’t change a thing.

Ms. Sparks. Thank you so much for agreeing to do an interview with me! It was a blast.

Check out Kerrelyn Sparks' book at her webpage.