Author Interview with Denise Verrico

Hello Denise, pleasetell us about you, as a writer.
My background is in the theatre.  Iwrote humor pieces and sketches in school, and I'd even tried my hand at achildren's play.  I didn't really startwriting seriously until I was in my thirties. My son was around two years old then and my husband in graduateschool.  Because of my husband's schooland work schedule, it didn't allow me to pursue roles in the theatre.  My muse was calling to me to do somethingcreative.  I began writing plays at thattime, but I was also reading a lot of vampire fiction, Anne Rice, FredSaberhagen, Chelsea Quinn Yarbro and some of the older tales.  The thought struck me that no one had reallytackled the female perspective of the modern vampire.  I actually had a dream about a young femalevampire that inspired Mia, the heroine of the first two novels in myseries.  My husband urged me to pursuethis idea and confront the fact that my protagonist was a woman and theobstacles she faced as a vampire.  Mialives in a man's world—an ancient  man'sworld at that.
Immortyl Revolution has a sci fi component.  The series plot deals with rival groups ofvampires trying to capture the secrets of immortality.  My vampires are essentially human with abiological mutation.  Some of them arebetter representatives of the species, but most are not.  A  lotof the human beings in the stories aren't much better than most vampires.  Nobody sparkles in other words. 
Your book My Fearful Symmetry is an urban fantasyvampire novel; perhaps you'd yougive us some insight into it in afew sentences.
A boy becomes a vampire and fights to become a man.  It's basically a coming of age story, about ayoung man from the most desperate of circumstances, plunged into the middle ofan even bigger nightmare.  In spite ofall this, he struggles for freedom.  It'sa tale of lust, intrigue and betrayal. That sounds sexier. 
How did you come towrite this particular book? 
When one is writing a series that involves rival political factions, it'sdifficult to pull off in a first person POV. I like the first person POV because of the sense of intimacy it createsbetween the reader and the hero or heroine. However, there are a lot of events that happen within the Immortylruling class that effect Mia and Kurt, the heroine and hero of the first twobooks, that would have to happen offstage, so to speak.  I needed a POV character that could movewithin the Immortyl ruling class as a close observer, yet is somewhatsympathetic to the aims of the revolution. I'd created Cedric, the hero of this book, a while ago, intending him asa love interest to a character to come later in the series, but he was just oneof those characters who demanded to be heard. 
I'd imagined the Indian origin for my vampire culture early on.  As I did more research, my world buildingexpanded.  I now had created a religionfor my Immortyls, a form of Tantra, and a class of sacred courtesans, calledthe adepts of the ancients arts. 
Why a male courtesan hero?  Well,my Immortyls are somewhat omnivorous when it comes to sexuality.  I've always enjoyed Mary Renault's booksabout Alexander the Great.  ThePersian Boy, the novel she wrote about Alexander's companion, Bagoas, isone of my favourites.  I thought it mightbe fun to write about a male courtesan who dreams of becoming a warrior. 
Do you have afavourite character from the book? If so, who and why this particular one?
Well, it would have to be Cedric. He's so irrepressible, even after all the hell I put him through.  But if I had a second favourite, it would beLord Liu.  He's an elder that Cedric isassigned to entertain for political reasons. Lord Liu is one of the oldest living Immortyls, very deep, very wise,very powerful.  The two of them developan interesting relationship. 
Where can people buyyour books?
They are available from Amazon and other onlineretailers in paperback and multi-format ebook.Links to buy: Nook:   http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/my-fearful-symmetry-denise-verrico/1103458345?ean=9781603184007&itm=1&usri=verrico B&N Paperback: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/my-fearful-symmetry-denise-verrico/1031480692?ean=9781603183994&itm=5&usri=denise%2bverrico Borders ebook:   http://www.borders.com/online/store/TitleDetail?sku=1603184007 Omnilit:  http://www.omnilit.com/product-myfearfulsymmetry-560466-139.html Allromance:  http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-myfearfulsymmetry-560466-139.html Fictionwise: http://www.fictionwise.com/servlet/mw
What qualities does awriter need to be successful?
Perseverance is very important.  Ittakes time to develop the skills.  A lotof writers I know never finish anything. One has to get that first novel down and prepare for rejection.  It's important to be able to acceptconstructive criticism.  I belong to twocritique groups, and they've helped me immensely.
What's your workingmethod? 
I tend to write dialogue first.  Mybackground as a playwright has a lot of influence on my novels.  I see everything like a movie in myhead.  Once the dialogue is sketched out,I fill in the details and revise. Sometimes, what starts out as dialogue is left unsaid and replaced bymeaningful action on the part of the character. Actors learn that much is said in silence.
What's the singlebiggest mistake made by beginner writers? 
The impulse to do too much.  Toomuch telling, descriptive language, dialogue tags and long, clunkysentences.  Less is more.  Simplicity is best. 
To what extent aregrammar and spelling important in writing? 
Ugh, you've found my kryptonite. I'm still struggling with the art of the comma.  The English language is a peculiaranimal.  I'm always looking uprules.  Poor grammar and spelling willtrip up a writer seeking publication. Always have several people look over your work for errors.
How much do you reviseyour MS before sending it off? 
I do a lot in the initial creative process. After my first draft is done,I put the book to critique with my writing groups.  Then I revise again and try to have otherslook at the book again before I send it out.  I'm revising up until the final proof.
As a writer of urbanfantasy, to what extent do you think genre is useful in the publishing world?
Well, it helped me. Although my books are nothing like Twilight,that series made vampires very commercial. I did a search for small publishers seeking vampire series.  However, my genre is overrun with vampires atpresent and publishers are looking for other creatures in urban fantasy.  Genre fiction has loyal followers.  Romance is the most published genre.  I wish I could write one, buthappily-ever-after endings seem to elude me.  Many authors seemarketing as a bind. What's your opinion on this, and how do you deal with it?
Marketing is a constant concern for any author, but doubly so for thesmall press author.  I'm usuallypromoting somewhere online on a weekly basis, and most months I have two orthree public appearances.  At the moment,with the release of the new book, I'm a bit overwhelmed, yet I still try tolimit my online time to an hour a day. 
What sort ofdisplacement activities keep you from writing? 
Working for a living always seems to get in the way.  This is the reality for most writers.  I know Bram Stoker winners who work full-timejobs.  Very few make their livingentirely from writing. 
It's important to take time for oneself.  When I'm immersed in a project, I get a little crazy and don't want tobe disturbed by things like eating and sleeping.  I'd live on nothing but coffee and toast ifleft to my own devices.  I try to go outand walk in the park as often as possible. Time with family and friends is vital to maintaining sanity.  My husband, son and I love to ride rollercoasters.
What support, if any,do you receive from family and friends, or a writing group?
My family is amazing.  My husbandand son are both creative people, and we support one another in ourendeavours.  My son even hands out mybusiness cards and promotes my books to other musicians on the blogs hefrequents.  I couldn't format my manuscriptsto save my life.  My husband does thisfor me and helps with keeping accounts etc. One of my nieces did my video trailer and helps me when I'm flummoxedwith my website or designing marketing materials.  She and another niece, along with one oftheir friends, are with me at some of the sci fi/fantasy conventions.  They cheer me on and point me towardfood.  I couldn't do without my critiquegroups.  I dedicated this book to them.
Is presentation of theMS as important as agents and publishers suggest? 
It's always best to be as professional as possible.  My niece interned for a New York agent thispast spring, reading queries.  A lot ofthe queries she received were badly presented. It's important to always carefully read the publisher or agentguidelines before submitting your work. 
How long does it takeyou to write a novel?
Cara Mia took fourteen years because I was learning along the way,but now it's about a year and a half.
Who or what inspiresyour writing?
 I gain inspiration from readingand the world around me.  Politics alwaysgive me something to ponder.  You neverknow where the next idea will come from. Sometimes it's simply the roguish grin of a good-looking young man.  That's my favourite source.
If there's a singleaspect of writing you find frustrating, what is it? 
Editing and proofing.  Very fewpeople can proof or edit their own work. I've learned it's okay to seek help and ask a lot of questions. 
Is there a particularfeature of writing that you really enjoy? 
Creating characters and world building. This is the time when the imagination runs wild.
Do you believecreative writing is a natural gift or an acquired skill?
A bit of both.  Sensitivity and anartist's view of the world are part of a person's character, but writing is acraft as well as an art.  The techniquescan be acquired through practice. Imagination, however, is a gift. 
What are you writingnow? 
The fourth Immortyl Revolution book and another urban fantasy that ismore magic based.  I'm also playingaround with a historical fantasy. 
Do you have a website orblog where readers can visit?
My website:  www.deniseverricowriter.webs.com Blog:  www.ImmortylRevolution.blogspot.com Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Immortyl-Revolution-Fans-of-Denise-Verrico-author/290431344200

Given unlimitedresources, where would you do your writing?
Maybe the Amalfi coast?  I'd settlefor Cape May, NJ in the summer. 
Where do you actuallywrite?
Sittingon the sofa in my apartment in suburban Ohio, surrounded by my six pet parrotsand cuddled up with my Lord of the Rings blanket.  Usually, I'm listening to Queen or DavidBowie. 

 PRESS RELEASE:  On June 11th, 2011,  L&L Dreamspell Publishing of Spring,Texas released, My Fearful Symmetry,Book Three of the Immortyl Revolution, the second novel of the urban fantasy vampireseries written by Denise Verrico.  Set in2001, India, Verrico's story introduces a new vampire hero, Cedric MacKinnon, atemple dancer in service to the Goddess Kali, who learns his beauty and speedrender him a lethal weapon.   As in theprevious novels, My Fearful Symmetrymaintains a science fiction twist on the genre, action-packed thrills and atouch of romance.  This installmentfollows up her debut novel, Cara Mia, which introduces the charactersand world of Immortyl Revolution and its sequel, Twilight of the Gods.  Formore information visit the author's website: www.deniseverricowriter.webs.com. Cara Mia , Book One of the ImmortylRevolutionMia Disantini is a vampire who wants to walk again in thesun.  Enslaved and plunged into theunenlightened Immortyl culture, fiercely independent Mia struggles forfreedom.  Trained as her master Ethan's"Bird of Prey", she becomes the pawn of their enigmatic elder, Brovik, in hisintrigues concerning the forbidden science.  Cast out into the streets of Manhattan byEthan, Mia finds the kind of love and compassion she hungers for in Kurt Eisen,who shares her slave status and discontent. Together the lovers steal their masters' secrets and deliver them toGenpath Laboratories.  Duped andimprisoned by CEO, Lee Brooks, Mia calls upon the aid of neuroscientist, Dr.Joe Ansari.  But Mia and Kurt are huntedfor their crime, and time is running out. 
Twilight ofthe Gods , Book Two of the Immortyl Revolution Narrowly escaping the implosion of Genpath laboratories,vampires Mia Disantini and Kurt Eisen are on the run from Gaius Lupus, theirrival in the Forbidden Science. When Kurt is captured by their enemy and rescued with the aid of feralvampire kids known as sewer rats, Mia witnesses first hand the charismaticspell her lover casts over these would-be revolutionaries.  Setting up base in Manhattan, Kurt builds hisforces to face off with Gaius, while independent-minded Mia navigates theminefield of sewer rat politics, which she finds very much a man's world.  The lovers' deep bond is put to the test byboth the beautiful Arturo and Kurt's followers, who see Mia as standing betweenthem and their beloved "Loki." Matters are further complicated when the chiefelder, Kalidasa, arrives from India to investigate rumors of heresy andrevolution.  With the threat of war with Gaiusdrawing ever closer, Mia ands Kurt prepare to meet the biggest challenge oftheir lives. 
Excerpt from Twilight of the Gods
Virginia2001
"Mee-ya? Darling, it's past nine."The kerosene lamp beside the old four-poster bedsputtered.  My eyes opened on Kurt's inthe flickering light. Paul Newman in his prime on a really good day couldn'tcompete with those big blues. "Hello, gorgeous."He chuckled and eased his slender body over mine, lipssearching my throat for the landmarks, while something warm, hard and smoothbegged for entrance below."I dreamed about Ethan."He paused in his delicious pursuit to scowl. "Again?""I still chose you."A smile fluttered over his alarmingly pale mouth. "I mustgo out tonight to meet Carol." He gestured to a plastic bag filled with redliquid sitting in a bath of warm water. "Only a pint left.""You take it. I had two last night." I stroked the warmthpoised to enter me. "Amazed you still manage. Better wait." His lower lippouted. "I'm not going anywhere."He pulled away sighing and sat up, stretching and runninghis fingers through tangled golden curls, a marble angel with a single blemish,inky and obscene on his left forearm, a vestige of his captivity long ago inDachau. He lifted the plastic bag out of the basin and inserted a straw,drinking it down. The white linen napkin he used to wipe his mouth came awaysmeared with red. "I'll take the bike.""I'd feel better if you took the car."Brushing damp hair back from my eyes, he kissed me. "Thewind feels like freedom." He pulled on a pair of jeans and a long-sleevedshirt. Despite the late August temperatures of Northern Virginia, it wasnecessary for him to conceal the tattoo. People might not take too kindly towhat looked to be a boy in his late teens making an apparent mockery of others'misery. Unfortunately for Kurt the misery was all too real and personal.  I rolled over on the huge bed, sheets stickingto my skin. "We really need an air-conditioner."Kurt frowned as he buttoned his shirt. "We been throughthis—no electricity—no noise.""I'm tired of tepid baths. I'm dying for a hot shower.Jesus, even Ethan believed in hot running water.""Darling, no one must know we're camping out here. I don'tlike it, either. Hopefully, it won't be much longer. Carol says she has ameeting with the Justice Department next week about a safe house.""Yeah, real safe—level four maximum security.""We simply won't agree to it. We'll figure out something."He lifted my chin to kiss me. His lips were chilly. He needed lots more thanthe pint he'd just consumed. "Back in half an hour." "Be careful. Take a gun." He patted a slight bulge underhis shirt in the vicinity of his hip. "Don't worry."Kurt left the room. Moments later, gravel crunched as hewalked Ethan's motorcycle down the long drive and through the gate to the road.The bike growled and then buzzed into the distance.  I worried about Kurt out there where ourenemies might be lying in wait. Where did he get off becoming so annoyinglymale and protective on me? He wasn't trained to fight. He was small and slightand against a bigger, stronger vampire he was no match.  I was a better shot than he, and I'd alreadysaved his life once.
My FearfulSymmetry, Book Threeof The Immortyl RevolutionA boy becomes a vampire and fights to become a man.Only the most gifted and beautiful Immortyls are chosen toserve Mother Kali as adepts of the ancient arts…
For nineteen-year-old Cedric MacKinnon, the promise ofeternal youth and celebrity sounds like a dream come true. It becomes a nightmarewhen a master vampire plucks the boy from the London streets and spirits himaway to India. In the fabled ashram of the adepts of the ancient arts, Cedricundergoes the grueling process of training as a temple dancer and courtesan.With the threat of revolution hanging over court, the chief elder employs theboy he names Shardul in dangerous games of seduction and intrigue. Hated by thechief's mistress and abused by those he entertains, Cedric struggles withvisions of a violent destiny that seem to come from Kali herself. The stakesare heightened when the rebel leader, Loki, is brought to India for trial andCedric is forced to choose between the protection and patronage of a powerfulelder and his love for a female adept.
Excerpt fromMy Fearful Symmetry I reached for the golden door tothe ashram, only to crumple to my knees again swooning and dizzy.  With the last of my strength, I inched my wayon my belly across the open courtyard to my room.  The sky above turned from black to purple tolavender.  In another thirty minutes, therays of the sun would cook my tattered flesh into Bolognese.  It seemed like a good idea.  I collapsed against the paving stones.  Deep inside of me a voice called my name—onlyit wasn't my name.Shardul!I lifted my aching head.  The sacred spring lay between my room andme.  The Goddess stood sentinel above thepool.  Hers arms beckoned.  The waters hastened healing.  I pulled myself over and eased in, lettingthe water bathe my broken skin.  It stungand burned, but at least I knew that I was still alive.  Kali's black face lookeddown.  Her long tongue stuck out as if totaunt me.I clung with what strengthremained to the pool's stone edge.  "Isthis what you mean about the tyranny of the flesh?" But she didn't answer.  She remained silent and oblivious asdeath.  "Bitch…" I lost my grasp on thelip of the pool and slipped below the surface, still gazing into her unseeingeyes.I thrashed, but couldn't pullmyself to the surface.  My body sank likea stone.  Water filled my throat andnostrils.  Consciousness dissipated intoan explosion of dots, like colored pixels. My Mum's voice floated in my head.Hush a bye, don'tyou cryGo to sleep my little babyWhen you wake, you shall haveAll the pretty little horses…The wavering image above medissolved into golden skin and waves of dark hair.  The Mother reached out two arms and pulled mefrom the water.  The avatar's supple,golden form suggested Parvati, consort of Lord Shiva.  An aura of pulsating color surrounded her.  I sputtered and coughed the liquid out of mylungs, collapsing into my benefactor's arms.  My head rested against a bosom soft and rounded, not hard and bony.  She lifted me as if I were achild, bearing me away to my room, and rolled me belly-down onto my bed.  My head lay on its side.  The hand stroking the wet hair away from myface felt warm.  Lips full and red withblood kissed mine.  Was this real, or wasI hallucinating?  The Goddess anointed and bandagedmy wounds.  She pressed her own wrist tomy lips restore me.  Blood never tastedso sweet.  Warm tears bathed my face asshe kissed my mouth again, a sweep of silken hair brushing over my arm.  As she drew back, my eyes focused and herimage became clear.A pained hiss passed my crackedlips.  "Sandhya?"