A Date with Danielle Shipely... And a Few Other Characters

 First on the Blogger Book Fair Tour is an author interview with Danielle Shipely.  She brought with her a few characters of her own.  Enjoy the fun!

 

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Who is your favorite character from one of your novels?

Including those as yet unpublished?

“It would have to,” points out Sigmund, the eponymous Swan Prince of the first of my Wilderhark Tales. “As yet, you haven’t published any novels; only a novella.”

“Suppose only published works count,” chimes in Sula, The Swan Prince’s female lead. “Who would you choose as favorite from our book?”

Well, no offense to you two – (who am I kidding? Sula’s about to be totally offended) – but I’d have to say Villem.

Doctor Villem Deere nods in gracious acknowledgment, while Sula harrumphs in displeasure. “Do you care to go into why?” he asks. “Or do you prefer to pace yourself? There’s still the rest of the interview to drive up Sula’s temper.”

I can answer it in brief: It’s because you possess the wisdom and imperturbability I lack – at barely more than twenty years, no less. It’s darn unfair of you, and that’s the kind of unfair I respect.

 

If you had a super power, what would it be?

I would love to have Mystique’s power. (From Marvel’s X-Men, for those who don’t know.) She can shape-shift to look like absolutely anyone, and even perfectly match their voices. Being able to look and sound like my characters would rock my world!

“Characters like Villem?” Sula asks sourly.

I was actually thinking more along the line of my minstrels from stories yet to launch. Oh, man, to sing like Allyn-a-Dale… It would be bliss.

 

Self publish or traditional? Why?

I’m going the self pub route with The Swan Prince and its sequels because I want complete control over its follow-up series, the Ballad of Allyn-a-Dale trilogy (coming … sometime after I’ve finished The Wilderhark Tales!). I’m also happily anticipating the March release of my debut novel, Inspired, through J. Taylor Publishing, because there’s something to be said for having a team at your back to give your book the best chance you all know how. It’s early in the game for me to know for sure which route I’ll ultimately like best, so I’m waiting on time to tell.

 

What is your favorite mythical creature?

I wanna say the kraken.

Sigmund gives me a slant ways look. “Why in world do you want to say that? In a fictional universe of horned and winged horses, spectacular hybrids, fay and jinni, dragons and vampires… why an oversize squid?”

Some have accused me of having a weird thing for tentacles. There may or may not be truth to that; and if there is, we can blame Pirates of the Caribbean 2. All I know is, it’s fun to say, “Release the kraken!”

 

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Wind up and short Pitch your book to the audience!

Oh, goody – the official Swan Prince pitch is short:

Catching her leg in a bear trap proves the least of Sula’s worries. Haunted by an enchanted monster from a past she dare not reveal, and hounded by the perilously perceptive young village doctor, Villem Deere, the headstrong girl of the woods gambles with fate by binding hers to that of Sigmund, the captivating orphan boy with mysterious nightly business of his own.

 

What is your current WIP?

I’m dedicating my Camp NaNoWriMo July to completing my biggest project to date. It’s a reduction of The First Series I Ever Wrote 2.0 into one massive dark fantasy family saga. I’ve got parts 1 and 3 pretty solid; now it’s just a matter of cleaning up part 2 and linking it all together. I’m curious to see what my readers will think of the book; it’s a huge departure from my quick and much lighter-hearted Wilderhark Tales.

“You might have gone darker with our stories, if you wished,” Villem notes. “Fairytales have some grisly roots.”

True enough. But I’m not really one to go either wholly dark or wholly light. I like a lively mix of comedy and tragedy. It’s all just a matter of which side will gain the upper hand in any given work o’ mine.

 

What do you do when you need a spark of creativity?

So far, it seems one of the best methods is to brush my teeth. As soon as I’m busy at the sink, bam, all of a sudden I’ve got all these words in my head, demanding to be typed out verbatim. Where were all these bright ideas when I was at the laptop three minutes ago?!

“Sounds as if your muse has a sense of humor,” says Sigmund.

“Sounds as if her creative faculties benefit from changes in scene in stimuli,” says Villem.

“Sounds as if some people can’t just let a person enjoy their flight of fancy,” Sula snips at Villem.

My money’s on a bit of all three.

 

Is there anyone you would like to write into your next novel, so you can plot their demise?

“Yes,” says Sula.

So much for Sula’s authorial aspirations. As for me, no. If I hate a person that much, I doubt I’ll be much tempted to spend my writing time with them. It’s supposed to be my happy place.

 

What time of day is best for your writing?

The beginning and the end. I like to get started in the morning, so I don’t feel as if I’m somehow putting it off like a chore. Bedtime, on the other hand, is a chore I’m often glad to put off in favor of slaving away on the page.

 

In your current novel, who would play the leads if Hollywood came calling?

Ooh, could Sula be played by Jennifer Lawrence? I’d love to pal around on the set with J-Law. And Skandar Keynes can have my vote for Sigmund. As for Villem… nobody jumps to mind for him. I’m surprised names came so easily for the first two, actually; I usually struggle with any attempt to match actors to my characters. If any of The Swan Prince’s readers have any ideas, I’d be interested to hear about it!

 

What habit do you have that annoys those around you?

Well, gang?

“She writes us into horrendous situations and then wants to socialize with us after, like nothing happened,” Sula volunteers. “Or worse: She makes us talk about our experiences, with the not-so-secret hope that somebody will burst into tears!”

I am known to do that, I admit.

“The unwanted therapy sessions don’t rub me contrary as much as the bouts of pointless silliness,” says Villem. “Talking us through our issues has proven worthwhile to parties on both sides of her unlicensed psychoanalyst’s couch. Rowdy games of Truth-or-Dare, on the other hand…”

Those may have been worth something, too! …Possibly.

“Perhaps I should be most annoyed that you’ve never expressed an interest in watching me weep or dance around naked,” Sigmund says blandly.

Consider yourself invited. Always room for one more at the party. Bring a dish to pass.

 

Where is the weirdest place you found inspiration?

I’m pretty sure my own head is the weirdest place I’ve ever been.

 

Connect with Danielle E. Shipley

Website ~ Blog ~ Facebook ~ Twitter

 

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Danielle E. Shipley’s first novelettes told the everyday misadventures of wacky kids like herself. …Or so she thought. Unbeknownst to them all, half of her characters were actually closeted elves, dwarves, fairies, or some combination thereof. When it all came to light, Danielle did the sensible thing: Packed up and moved to Fantasy Land, where daily rent is the low, low price of her heart, soul, blood, sweat, tears, firstborn child, sanity, and words; lots of them. She’s also been known to spend short bursts of time in the real-life Chicago area with the parents who home schooled her and the two little sisters who keep her humble. When she’s not living the highs and lows of writing young adult novels, she’s probably blogging about it atwww.EverOnWord.wordpress.com.

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A Date with Danielle Shipely... And a Few Other Characters