Q&A Interview and Giveaway with Darynda Jones

LITERAL ADDICTION Paranormal Book Club and Book Monster Reviews are very proud to welcome Darynda Jones to our sites today!

History shows that there wasn’t a time when Darynda wasn’t writing.  Even when she was a toddler, she would pick up a pencil and paper and scribble nonsense on it, asking her mother to read her literary genius aloud.  Soon after, she started writing plays for the neighborhood kids, making up stories for her brother, and creating age inappropriate fantastical stories for Barbie and Ken to enact.  In high school she almost finished her first manuscript, and even then, was dabbling in romance and the paranormal. 

Darynda took a break from actively writing for several years, wherein she got married, had a couple children, graduated Summa cum Laude from UNM and got a job as a teacher and sign language translator.  She missed writing though, and started up again in 2002 with the goal of getting a publishing contract securely in her mind’s eye.  After 3 complete manuscripts, she finally landed an agent, a three book deal, and won the 2009 Golden Heart award for Best Paranormal Romance in 2009.

In February 2011, “First  Grave On The Right”, Darynda’s first book in the CHARLEY DAVIDSON series was released.   It has been labeled the best debut novel in years, and a must read for paranormal lovers.   Book #2, “Second Grave On The Left”, is due out in August, and Book #3, “Third Grave Dead Ahead” is scheduled to be released in February of 2012. 

We’re hoping to learn lots more about Darynda in today’s Event!  Don’t forget, Darynda will also be available for a 2 hour Live interactive Chat over on LITERAL ADDICTION’s Contact Us Page Chatroom from 1:00 – 3:00pm EST (12 - 2 CT/11am - 1pm MDT/10am – 12pm PDT) to answer any additional questions you may have.

LITERAL ADDICTION/Book Monster Reviews:  Thank you so much for being with us today Darynda!  We’re very excited to have you, and hope that you enjoy your time with LITERAL ADDICTION and Book Monster Reviews.

Darynda:  Thank YOU so much for having me!

LITERAL ADDICTION/Book Monster Reviews:  We’d love to learn a little bit more about the author behind “First Grave On The Right” first.  We hope you won’t mind us grilling you a bit…

Q1):  We always start with this one because the answer is never the same… Can you tell us 3 things about yourself that we can’t find out on the Internet? 

Darynda: LOL, absolutely. 1) A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, I achieved blue-belt status in Tae Kwon Do. 2) I have a minor in psychology. 3) My first dog was a Dachshund named Killer. (Which could explain why I have a minor in psychology.)

Q2):  Do you have any quirky or unique habits?

Darynda: My habits are actually more annoying than quirky and/or unique. J

Q3):  What is your favorite movie and why?

Darynda: I have about 7,000 favorite movies, but in the interest of brevity, I’ll go with a current favorite, Sherlock Holmes (2009). First of all, it’s Sherlock. He’s the bomb. Second, I loved everything about that film, from the color palate to the mystery, not to mention the relationship between Sherlock and Dr. Watson and the unstable one between Sherlock and Irene Adler. Both Mark Strong as Lord Blackwood and Robert Downey, Jr. as Sherlock were brilliant. I loved all the actors and the gorgeous way Guy Ritchie filmed it, but the story and character arcs were a stroke of genius. Adored every minute of it.

Q4):  What was the last thought that crossed your mind when you went to bed last night?

Darynda: HAHAHA! Okay, honesty is the best policy. I was pondering the fact that I need to write a manuscript with a hero based on actor Kevin McKidd. (You asked.)

Q5):  What’s it like being married to a Rock Star?

Darynda: LOL. These questions are great. My husband is an amazing musician and has recently started playing again. He is doing some recording with a couple of friends and playing in a local band in a just-for-fun kind of way. It’s wonderful because we can compare our creative ventures. Though writing and recording may seem very different on the surface, you’d be surprised at how similar the process is. I can relate to almost everything he tells me about creating and recording.

Q6):  If they made a movie about your life, what would it be called?

Darynda: ADD: A Short Movie Based on a Short Attention Span

Q7):  When you’re just relaxing at home, what do you like to do?

Darynda: I read, watch TV or rent a movie, but since being published, I seem to do these things for different reasons than I did before. I scour the stations for fodder. I study character arc in a particular series or TV episode. I study dialogue and body language. I read like mad to learn how an author did this or pulled that off. I am always amazed at good writing in any form of media. So even while relaxing I get to kill two birds with one stone.

Q8):  What does a typical writing day for you entail?

Darynda: Well, I get up, make my coffee and check email. After putting out any fires that crept up during the night, I read a couple of blogs, take a shower, then start my writing day for real. When on deadline, I try to get at least six hours of writing in. When the deadline is right around the corner, I might write/revise for 10-14 hours a day, but that takes a plan. Writing 14 hours straight is not as productive as one might think. I just don’t write well when I can barely see the screen, so I split the time into two shifts with a 1-2 hour nap thrown in for good measure. Then I am fresh, can pick up where I left off, and can actually produce content that I don’t have to completely trash later.

LITERAL ADDICTION/Book Monster Reviews:  O.K, now we’ll get on with the more bookish type questions…  J

Q9):  Who does the cover design for your books?  Do you have artistic overrule powers for the final product?

Darynda: The team at St. Martin’s does my covers. While I don’t have much say going in, I do have the power to veto anything I don’t like. So far, I’ve loved everything they’ve come up with. What a talented group!

Q10):  What was the inspiration behind the names of your main characters?

Darynda: Well, Charley was originally named Harley Davidson. Yeah, my editor nixed that (it was worth a shot) and Charley was born. I stole the names Reyes and Garrett from kids at the school where I was working while working on this story. Farrow (from Reyes Farrow) was the last name of my middle school crush. Swopes (from Garrett Swopes) is my best friend’s last name. Cookie was the name of a very cool lady I used to know. And Misery was the name of my car at the time. (Yep, I really do name all my cars.) You can probably guess where Danger and Will Robinson came from. lol

Q11):  We’ve read comments about other authors being ‘happily angry’ about you grabbing on to the concept behind the series first.  What was your inspiration for the whole “I see dead people” plot and its twists?

Darynda: I have to say, it was that struggle to be different, to produce something unique that led to Charley being the grim reaper. I knew I wanted paranormal. I knew I wanted a character that was part Buffy, part Stephanie Plum, and part Lorelei Gilmore from the Gilmore Girls. But I needed her to be completely unique if I wanted to grab the attention of an agent and/or editor. Then it just hit me one day. What if she’s the grim reaper? And the rest is history.

Q12):  What’s the best thing about writing Charley? 

Darynda: Her quirkiness and random thought process. I love how she bounces all over the place. I also love her nature. She pretends to be uncaring when underneath she has a heart of gold.

Q13):  How is it writing a series, do you keep cliff notes to help you keep the flow throughout the series? 

Darynda: I have outlines for each story. They help with the little things that have to be brought over and continued in the next book. It’s fun but I do tend to forget things. Like in book four, I have several threads that are going to be wrapped up just so I can continue with others and I always end up having to take stuff out. I can never fit everything in that I want to.

Q14):  Do you find yourself waking up in the middle of the night to run out and jot down an idea?

Darynda: All the time. It’s very frustrating.

Q15):  Do you use real world experience as a basis for anything in the books, or is it all strictly from your imagination?

Darynda: For little things, absolutely. In Second Grave, I use something that really happened to my sister. It was just too funny not to throw in there somewhere. When she read it, she called me and demanded royalties. She recognized the scene instantly. It made me giggle. But all the paranormal stuff is strictly imagination. I’ve never seen dead people, a fact for which I’m grateful.

Q16):  With Fantasy being such a popular genre these days, what intrigued you most about the settings and characters in that world?  Did you know that your main character would be a Medium from the start? 

Darynda: I actually did know that Charley was going to be a medium even before I knew she was going to be the grim reaper. The original concept of the series was a little different than the final piece and the whole grim reaper thing came about in a later draft, mostly because I wanted something different. I love that in fantasy/paranormal anything is possible. The worlds and plots are limitless. As long as you can pull it off on paper and make your reader suspend disbelief, it can be done.

Q17):  What does your family think of your writing?

Darynda: They are very proud of me and I’m so grateful for that. I have an amazing support system and I would not be here without them.

Q18):  We LOVE Charley’s shoes on the cover, where can we buy a pair?  LOL  J

Darynda: LOL. Those are Alexander McQueen designer shoes. Unfortunately, they are impossible to find. Trust me, I’ve looked everywhere. I still check eBay occasionally, just in case.

Q19):  This is another of our staple questions… What question have you always wanted to be asked in an interview but never have, and how would you answer that question?

Darynda: How do I take my coffee? Sweet-n-Low and non-dairy creamer. J

Q20):  Is there anything you’d like to make sure to say to your Readers while we have you with us today?

Darynda: Just thank you so much for being here and for having me! I’m so grateful and hope everyone enjoys Charley’s story.

LITERAL ADDICTION/Book Monster Reviews:  Darynda, thank you so much for letting us talk with you!  We’re sure your fans and future readers alike will enjoy it just as much as we have!  We’re really looking forward to chatting with you Live a little bit later…

Darynda:  Thanks again! I’m really honored to be here. Everyone is busy, so I really appreciate the effort!

 To find out more about Darynda and her books, you can follow her on the following sites:

Darynda's Website:  http://www.daryndajones.com/

Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/darynda.jones.official

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/#!/Darynda

Goodreads:  http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4175419.Darynda_Jones

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CONTEST:  Darynda is giving away a signed copy of "Second Grave on the Left" (as soon as she gets them) along with a bag of goodies to a lucky Book Monster follower.  To enter, please click the "Join This Site" Button (if you are not already a follower) and leave a comment on this post with a valid email address.

Want a 2nd chance to win??  Stop by the LITERAL ADDICTION website http://www.literaladdiction.com/  and enter to win there as well.
L.A. is also giving away a SIGNED copy of "Second Grave On The Left" and a bag of goodies so head on over there now!!