Rhys was one of the very first readers I had contact with when I first stumbled into online interaction (back in the days of LiveJournal!). She was always friendly, supportive, and very funny. And now she's a talented writer in her own write...er...right. If you don't know her work, you should -- especially if you enjoy crime and mystery novels.
So without further ado...
Where
did we first meet? Wasn't it that funny little café in Monte Carlo? Weren't you
running guns at the time?
I think it was in Paris. It was raining. You
stole my espresso from the waiter’s tray and told me I’d ordered it for you, I
just didn’t know it at the time.
Wow. When did we first meet? I think I
dropped you an email after I read Fatal Shadows when it first came out. Wow,
long ride, no?
Last
movie that made you cry? STOP CRYING, YOU BIG BABY!!!
Huh… Brave? I tear up like a big baby at
movies. Hell. Commercials sometimes get me. Dog rescue videos…yep, bawling.
Are you
a full-time writer?
Yes and no. I do graphic design work on
contract. Writing…ah, it sucks the brain, doesn’t it but oh so addictive. Heh.
I write a hell of a lot.
What's
the last piece of music you listened to? Did you sing along? Were you in key?
Last piece of music? Misirlou as played by
2cellos (Sulic & Hauser). Nope I didn’t sing along…no words. But um… last
song I sang along to? Metallica’s Outlaw Born…and yes I sang along. And define
in-key.
We play Rock Band a lot. I’m the designated
singer. Mostly because the scrolling up streams for the instruments make me
motion-sick.
What do
you think is the most important thing to remember when creating fully realized
main characters?
Make a personality. Fill in the back story.
Even if I never show it on page, a main character should have a back story. But
write to the personality. Fill in the blanks and hell, define even some of the
little things like coffee or tea? Emboss characteristics and traits. Flaws as
well as virtues.
What's
with all the nekkid in your newstream? Come on, explain. Don't hesitate to use
visual aids.
I’m not even sure how it happened. One day I
found myself in this daily posting thing of hot men. It’s an odd thing.
Suddenly, it became a thing. :D
Um… David Gandy is always a favourite.
One of
the great strengths of the Cole McGinnis series is the way you your own
cultural heritage is reflected in the characters of Jae and Cole and Miki and
Kane. Was this a conscious decision or was it instinctive? What has the
response been from readers?
For the Dirty Series, it was deliberate.
It’s actually harder for me to write for Cole because it’s first person and I’m
writing it from the viewpoint of someone who doesn’t know much about Asian
cultures. A lot of Cole’s responses and reactions are borrowed from friends who
were experiencing things for the first time.
Most responses have been positive although a
few times people have left me comments asking why I didn’t just choose “normal”
names for the Korean characters. But really, everyone’s been welcoming of the
culture clash between Cole and Jae.
The Morgans are… they’re really fun to write. It’s a good sprawl of a family and I’ve enjoyed bringing them and their brash Irishness to life.
Do you
believe in ghosts? Have you ever had a ghostly encounter?
Ah, there’s too much in the world for me to
say there’s no such thing as… whatever. Ghostly encounters? I’d say boo-wiggly
things but nothing definitive. But oh, I can spin you a few old tales from my
people.
Would
you describe the Sinners series as mysteries or crime novels?
Wow. Crime? Suspense-thrillers? There’s a
bit of romance in them but oh, I’d say crime.
Can you
cook?
I’d say yes. No one goes hungry at my table.
I like cooking. It soothes the savage beast. I actually enjoy cooking a lot.
It’s like therapy. Food is always a unifying thing among people.
I love
that you've really pushed yourself to try a variety of things -- steampunk, for
example. Is there any genre you'd like to try but are kinda, sorta afraid of?
Contemporary. I’m writing one now and man
it’s kicking my ass. I keep thinking… you know what would be good right now? A
nice murder! A dead body! Really. Always a good thing.
I do want to stretch out and try new things
on. I’s good for the soul and mind. *grins*
Do you
still own that crazy classic car?
Oh yes. He’s my baby. Not crazy at all. It
can do the Kessel run in less than twelve parsecs. Heh. I just
did a road trip up to Ontario, Ca from San Diego. It’s a good car.
What
scares you? Does that fear ever find its way into your stories?
So much fear. Probably leaving nothing
behind of worth. I think I work that into my stories. Fear of relationships,
trusting — a lot of those trails in my books. A lot of people have those fears
and I think by exploring those issues, it brings characters to some kind of
closeness to the reader.
What
are you working on now?
That contemporary I’m cursing out right now.
Down and Dirty—Bobby and Ichiro. Then after that, a new series I’m currently
trying to let cook in my brain.
Tell us
something surprising. Anything. Go on. Surprise us!
I like canned peas and mayo.
Wow…um… I have a fondness for really bad
reality shows about fashion.
Thank you for having me along for the ride.
Now get to work. I need some new Lanyon to read :D
