Double the Fun with Inara LaVey and Dana Fredsti

I'm joining up with my pal Kit Marlowe to welcome the fabulous Inara LaVey and her fun loving pal, Dana Fredsti. We first met over at Ravenous Romance because Dana was the whiz who put together a wild and wonderful blog tour for a bunch of us writers. It was great fun and led to a regular Ravenous Wednesdays over at Un:Bound. Dana is a hoot and a half and Inara really knows all the ins and outs of the romance genre. They both have a fabulous sense of fun! You can catch up with the two on Facebook and Twitter as well as at Dana's blog.

CMK: If you were a book, what would your tagline be?

Come for the romance, stay for the zombies! Or vice versa.

KM: What inspired Ashley Drake, Zombie Hunter and Ripping the Bodice?

Let's start with Ripping the Bodice!  Holly at Ravenous mentioned they were looking for something humorous and contemporary; did I have anything like that?  I'd been culling through my old stories and screenplays for other ideas (stealing from oneself isn't stealing, right?) and found Passion's Purple Prose, a script I'd co-written with my ex-writing/murder mystery theater troupe partner back when we were in our '20s. The script, inspired by a combination of Walter Mitty and Romancing the Stone, was written with the intent of making our own movie (can you tell who watched a lot of Judy Garland/Mickey Rooney movies in our youth?).  We did indeed film some of it with one lone video camera, one light, and a group of actors who probably did it for the freshly baked chocolate chip cookies Maureen and I always supplied.  Anyway, the project died midway when our lead actor moved and the tapes and script were put away.  I re-read it and thought it would be easy to update and expand it into a book for Ravenous.  I suppose the root of the inspiration was all the '70s and '80s bodice rippers I read in my teens and the somewhat skewed view of relationships they gave me until I matured a little bit.

[Comment below to win a copy of this hilarious book]

Ashley Drake, Zombie Hunter happened because Lori Perkins called me and said, "I want you to write me Buffy, but with zombies instead of vampires.  The heroine should be named Ashley."  She didn't need to ask twice – I'm a huge fan of the Buffyverse (the humor and depth of characters make that show) and have been a zombieholic since I first saw Night of the Living Dead back… well, back in the mists of time.  So I had a concept and the name for my main character. The rest was up to me.  All I can say is there's something really fun about bringing about an apocalypse…

In what genres do you write?

Mysteries, erotic romance (contemporary and paranormal so far), urban fantasy, horror.

What started you writing romance?

I started writing little vignettes for fun when I was in my teens and early twenties. My first efforts were basically fan fiction (Three Musketeers and Star Wars). Then I started developing my own little worlds and stories. I took a break from romance when I started a mystery oriented theater troupe with my best friend, which led to my first mystery novel (which does have a romance in it, btw).  I got back into romance when I wrote a short erotic story for my boyfriend , which ended up as the basis for my Ravenous Romance novel CHAMPAGNE.

What writers and films influence you?

Oh dang…  that's one of those black hole type of questions – get me started and it will never end…  I'd say the biggest influence on me as a writer would be Elizabeth Peters and her romantic suspense novels. I love the humor and the characters.  There are so many other authors, both contemporary and not so much, who I just love.  I don't know that their work directly influences my writing style, but when I read something that transports me to another world, it rekindles the creative fire to write.  My muse sometimes goes missing and needs to be coaxed out of hiding or from some beach in Hawaii where she's lounging and sipping tropical drinks, and one of the things that gets her back on the job is reading a really good book.

Specifically for Ashley, I got inspiration from Jonathan Maberry, Roger Ma, Max Brooks, John Skipp, and a host of other authors who've written some great zombie books.  While writing it, I watched scads of zombie movies (my poor boyfriend now knows more about the shambling dead than he ever wanted to know) such as Dawn of the Dead (original and remake), Night of the Living Dead (same), Day of the Dead, Shaun of the Dead, Dead Set, Dead Meat, Dead … er… well, you get the picture.  I watched the good, the bad, and the rotting.  Multiple times.  Oddly enough my favorite writing music for this book was the score from Twilight.  No sparkly zombies in my book, though!

How did you develop your craft?

Lots of reading, lots of writing.  And by developing the discipline to schedule my writing time no matter how busy I am with work/excercise/etc.  The etc. would be 13 cats.

It's a lucky number, right? What's sexy?

Anything can be sexy when you're with the right partner.

CMK and KM would like to register their pea-green envy at the kilty goodness you have! Hmmmm, then we have to ask: Do you ever incorporate real people or events into your stories?

HAH!  Oh yeah.  My first novel, MURDER FOR HIRE: The Peruvian Pigeon, was written because I really wanted to kill someone I worked with.  A lot of people and events in that book are based on reality; actors I worked with, ex-boyfriends, random people I ran across while doing our MFH shows…  and so many of the events were based on real life that these days I have a hard time separating what really happened from what I made up. It's been a few years…    Heh. My first author appearance after MFH came out, my best friend and ex-writing partner Maureen was there.  I'd be talking about something that happened during our MFH theater troupe days and she'd shake her head sadly and say, "Dude, dude… you made that up for the book."  She helps keep me straight.

How do you balance writing with the rest of your life?

I grumble a lot, pour myself a glass of wine and sit my butt down on the couch to write every night after work and for a good six or so hours on the weekends.  I just do it. And when I really start to feel burned out (when my muse has run off to tropical climes without me), I take a few days off and catch up on my social life.  I also find long walks o the beach help refresh me.  Luckily friends and family are used to hearing "I have a writing deadline" when they ask me to do something.  And just as luckily, my boyfriend is also a writer so we spend a lot of quality time side by side on the couch with our MacBooks.

So cozy! What's the most common mistake people make about you?

Thinking it's okay to be rude to me just because I'm generally a very nice person.  And that my sense of humor extends to anything to do with hurting animals.  No dead cat jokes, thank you.   Not even in a zombie book.

What ambitions do you have ahead of you?

I'd say world domination, but you might take me seriously, which would then require me to kill you.  So I'll keep the ambitions a little more writer-centric.  I want to finish my Ashley Drake trilogy, have it be wildly successful amongst romance and zombie fans alike, and be able to write full time.  Although I do like my job and would happily work part-time, I just need more time to write.  I also would love to have enough money to have a non-profit cat rescue sanctuary, with a vet on staff.  And someone else to clean the litter boxes!

Now that's luxury. What would be your ideal vacation?

One where I didn't have to worry about the TSR scanning at the airport!  Seriously, I don't know. I can think of so many places I'd love to go, including the British Isles, Europe (I love castles!), Scandinavia to visit my relatives, Greece… Driving around the United States… visiting any and all beaches where there is beach glass to be found …  and visit as many wineries as possible.  And to be able to afford to have someone live in the house while we're gone so I don't have to worry about the cats.

What's next for you?

Right now I'm finishing up a novella for Ravenous that I'm co-writing with my boyfriend Kilt Kilptatrick (author of The Manny Diaries), and then it's on to the second Ashley book.  And then we'll see about world domination and such!

Enjoy an excerpt from Ashley Drake: Zombie Hunter and be sure to leave a comment to have a chance to win a copy of Ripping the Bodice. We'll take entries through Dec 9!

An awkward but not entirely uncomfortable silence fell between us. We looked at each other, that same awareness that had hit us out by the barricade making a return visit.

"Is this about the whole tofu thing?" I said, going for light-hearted normalcy.

"You'll be paying for that one for years." The husky tone of his voice made the threat the sexiest thing I'd ever heard.

"Says you…"

I became hyper aware of the warmth and strength of his hands on my arms, each finger pressing firmly yet gently against the waffle weave of my thermal shirt. The space between our bodies seemed charged with thick electricity, the air warm, almost viscous between us. Gabriel's eyes darkened from their usual denim blue to indigo as his pupils dilated with unmistakable lust. I knew my eyes reflected the same desire. I unconsciously moistened my lips with the tip of my tongue, giving a sharp inhalation as Gabriel growled deep in his throat. I felt a slow, lazy roll inside me that had nothing to do with nausea, heat coiling in my belly and spreading its tendrils between my thighs.

Gabriel took a step forward, then another, pushing me back against the wall, his hands shifting from my upper arms up to my face, fingers twining through my hair as his thumbs gently massaged my temples. My breathing quickened, but I stood stock still, afraid to break the spell as he lowered his mouth to mine in the most sensual kiss I'd ever experienced. His breath mingled with mine as he kissed me; gently at first, no tongues involved, just his lips against mine, his fingers massaging my scalp ever so softly. He slowly increased the intensity of the kiss, his tongue entering into play as he tilted my head back and slid it into my mouth.

I felt like I was following along in a dance, being led by someone who knew the steps much better than I did … and I was content to follow, matching the pressure of his lips with mine, letting my tongue play with his as he pressed his body into mine, letting me feel his arousal.

Wow. Gabriel was definitely packing heat and this time it wasn't his firearm.

I gasped and arched against him, arms going around his body to pull him closer. He made a sound that was half low laugh, half growl, took a quick step back out of the circle of my arms only to seize my wrists and pin them against the wall above my head with one hand. He insinuated a knee between my thighs to press against me.  Then he kissed me again, gentleness out the window, tongue exploring my mouth as his knee rubbed back and forth against my most sensitive areas. His free hand crept up beneath my shirt and he rubbed his palm over the peak of one nipple.

I nearly came on the spot when he did that. My breath came short and fast as I rocked my hips against his knee, my tongue doing some exploring of its own, teeth nipping his lower lip. He nipped me back, moving his mouth from mine down my jaw to my arched neck. He bit it, teeth on either side of the pulse that throbbed there, hard enough to hurt in the most pleasurable way possible.

Our minds had left the building at this point, but pure pheromone-charged animal instinct was still in residence. Maybe it was the near death experiences, but I wanted Gabriel like I'd never wanted anything before. I wanted him even more than I'd wanted that steak dinner. And that was saying something.

I think we were both close to the point of tugging off each other's pants and doing the nasty right there against the wall when a door slammed somewhere down the hallway.

The effect on Gabriel was instantaneous, as if someone threw his switch from 'on' to 'off.' One hand slid away from my breast and the other let go of my wrists as he stepped away from me so suddenly I would have fallen over if I hadn't been leaning against the wall. My breathing ragged with desire, I stared at him, bewildered.

Gabriel's breathing was a little choppy too as he said, "I'm sorry, Ashley."  Wow. Way to kill the mood.

Filed under: C. Margery Kempe, erotic romance, fantasy romance, Interview, Kit Marlowe, Mystery, mystery romance, paranormal, paranormal romance, Recommended Books, Romance suspense, science fiction with romantic elements, Suspense, Twilight, Warrior women, Writing Topics, ZOMBIE