N.J. Walters, Author Interview
N.J. Walters, Interview
By Michelle Pillow, www.michellepillow.com
N.J. Walters loves to write in all genres of romance including contemporary, time travel, futuristic and erotic, but most especially the paranormal. She has always been fascinated with the paranormal and even once lived in the caretaker’s house in a cemetery. Her newest release, Howl of the Wolf (Samhain Publishing, Oct 2013) is part of the Hades’ Carnival series. The story delves into the world of shapeshifters, where a group of immortal warriors are cursed to remain in their animal forms until they are set free. That’s when the fun really begins.
N.J. has authored over 60 books. She was awarded a 2008 Eppies for Best Erotic Romance Contemporary/Suspense Mystery and nominated for the 2010 RT Book Reviews Small Press Erotic Romance award.
Q: Why did you want to write about shapeshifters for the Hades’ Carnival series?
Walters: It’s funny, but the idea for this entire series actually came from a blog quiz I did a few years ago. The quiz told you what carnival ride you were most like. Not surprisingly, I was a carousel. That got me thinking about carousels and I started asking questions. What if the animals on the ride weren’t horses, but were more exotic? What if they were really immortal shapeshifting warriors who’d been cursed and were now stuck in their animal form? What would it take to release them? Who cursed them? It didn’t take long for the ideas to start flowing and the Hades’ Carnival series was born. What’s wonderful about this series is I get to delve into not just one shapeshifter but many, including a white tiger, bear, lion and wolf.
Q: Did you base Howl of the Wolf off of known myths throughout history?
Walters: I’ve built worlds around known myths throughout history. One of my favorites is the Legend of Sleepy Hollow, which figures prominently in my book Out of Shadows. For the Hade’s Carnival series, I did include some of the Greek gods as well as a little known goddess—The Lady of the Beasts. I don’t like to tie myself too much to known myths. I much prefer room to play.
Q: What myths or legends inspired you?
Walters: Like many authors who write paranormal romance, I have to credit some of the classics like Dracula, which inspired my erotic contemporary Harker’s Journey. Then there is The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and the Beauty and the Beast fairy tale. I’ve written several books in which the heroes are wounded beasts in need of taming. These classic tales are so original and have held up all these years. Then there is the whole myth of the werewolf. What writer can resist tapping into a creature as elemental as a wolf who is also a man.
Q: Why do you think readers, and society in general, are fascinated by the paranormal?
Walters: I think it’s the fact the paranormal is outside the realm of the everyday, the normal. They tap into the more primal aspects of our nature in a safe and socially acceptable way. Plus, they’re just fun to read.
Q: What are your favorite paranormal shows, movies and books?
Walters: I absolutely loved the X Files and Fringe. Kindred: The Embraced was short lived, but really good. And, of course, Ghost Hunters. For movies: Dracula, Lost Boys, The Crow, and the Underworld series are at the top of my list. I could go on and on and on. There really are so many great paranormal shows and movies to watch.
Q: Do you believe in the supernatural or are you a skeptic?
Walters: I’m a believer. I’ve had several experiences in my life, one positive and the rest scary, that make me believe in the paranormal.
Q: Can you tell us about this scary paranormal experience?
Walters: I lived in a haunted apartment back when I was eighteen years old and that was unnerving. I was sharing the place with two other people and none of us was saying anything about our experiences to the others until one night it all came out. All of us had some strange experiences. I woke one morning to see purple flames coming out the top of my clock radio. Another time I saw something looking back at me from the mirror. A chair used to turn around on its own and face away from the room. It’s the one place I’ve lived where I’d reach around and turn on the light before entering a room. Needless to say we moved out within a few months.
And I’m not someone who is easily frightened as I did at one time actually live in the caretaker’s house in a cemetery. The house faced the road
but three sides faced into the graveyard. I used to walk through the cemetery every day to get the bus and I wasn’t bothered at all.
Q: What kind of paranormal creatures do you wish you could meet?
Walters: That’s a tough one. An old vampire would have so much to share, so many stories to tell. But a shapeshifter would be a fascinating creature. If I have to pick one, I’d say a werewolf.
Q: If given the chance, would you become a vampire?
Walters: I’d love to live forever, or at least a heck of a long time. So many books to read and places to visit. It would be fun, but it would be hard to see everyone around me age and die. If given a chance, I think I’d say yes.
Q: How would you react if you came face to face with a vampire?
Walters: Honestly, if I came face to face with a vampire I’d probably be so scared I wouldn’t be able to run. Either that or I’d set a new land speed record. Ghosts don’t frighten me as much, but a vampire would. A ghost won’t look at me as a possible meal.
Q: What does the future hold for your writing?
Walters: I’m currently working on a new werewolf series for Samhain Publishing—Salvation Pack. The first book is Wolf at the Door. I’m planning at least five books in this series and am having so much fun writing it.
Q: Have you ever been to a psychic and/or a past life regression?
Walters: I visited a psychic with some friends when I was a teenager but nothing she said came true. I did meet a man who was psychic. (He was a friend of the people I was boarding with at the time.) I was a teenager, but he looked at me one day and told me I’d just met the man I was going to marry. I’d just started dating the man who would become my husband.
Thanks for joining us, N.J.!
You can learn more about N.J. and her books at her website, www.njwalters.com.
Sampling of other paranormal titles
Alexandra’s Legacy—(E-book) ISBN: 978-1-60504-803-1 (werewolf)
Damek’s Redemption—ISBN: 978-1-61921-290-9 (vampire)
Mark of the Bear—(E-book) ISBN: 978-1-61921-435-4 (shapeshifter)
Harker’s Journey (E-book) ISBN: 1-4199-0138-9 (erotic/vampire)
Out of Shadows (E-book) ISBN: 9781419929212 (shapeshifter)
A Touch of Magick (E-book) ISBN: 978-1-60928-240-0 (paranormal/magick)
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