My Interview With The Vampire Queen

Recently I was lucky enough to have an interview with The Vampire Queen herself! Here is what she had to say about writing and her every day life. Please welcome the one, the only, Jodie Pierce to my blog.

TC: As a writer what is your typical day like?

JP: I sleep late, wake up and get some lunch/dinner with hubby, then sit in my recliner and type while he watches sports shows. During the football off season, we alternate nights where I write one night and watch our reality TV other nights.

TC: What is one goal you want to accomplish this year as a writer?

JP: Get my charity anthology published and promoted. Also, get at least one more story finished and published. I have so many I’m working on that it should be easy to get at least one done. Should be…

 TC: What is one thing you strive to accomplish as a writer, whether it’s in ten years or twenty?

JP: I, like most Authors, wish to be a best-selling Author. One day, even down the line is okay with me. I write vampire stories and just pray that the vampire craze never ends. Only time will tell.

What can readers expect in the future from you? I’m working on a charity vampire anthology with various Authors. It will be out on Halloween 2013 and all proceeds will go to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital. Let me know if you know anyone that would like to participate.

TC:  I’m unfamiliar with your work, tell me why I should read one of your books.

JP: My vampire protagonist is a female. Most vampire stories feature a strong, sexy male vampire with a helpless female human. My stories feature a strong female vampire and then a mish mash of humans/other vampires. Usually the boundries of sexuality are pushed too.

TC: What’s your comfort food and/or drink?

JP: I drink a lot of water but it has to be flavored with ‘Mio’. A year ago I started drinking water (with my husbands encouragement) and I lost 100 pounds. I didn’t exercise or change my eating habits but I found I was eating less and less and the weight just came off. I recommend it to everyone.

TC: Are you a night owl or an early bird?

JP: I’m a sleep owl. I usually sleep more than I’m awake. I have some health issues that interrupt my sleep so when I can get it, I take it.

TC:  Do you have an author you admire?

JP: If so, who and why? My favorite Author is Anne Rice. She is the reason I write about vampires. Before that, I wrote boring romance stories, looking for more. I read “The Vampire Lestat” and found my calling. I can only hope to reach her status one day. She’s an inspiration.

TC:Your story is perfect in your head. You know your characters better than you know yourself…or so you think. If your story takes a drastic turn do you go with the flow or try to keep your characters and plot on course? 

JP: I write as things come to me. There is very little plotting and no organizing. I write as things come to me. Many times, I dream stories or hubby comes up with a general idea and I take it from there. My latest, was a crazy dream I had. I came out and wrote it down in a paragraph style and it was so vivid it’s stuck with me. I’ve been working on it, developing it more as I go.

TC: What inspires you as a writer?

JP: My hubby, dreams, my crazy brain.

 

TC: Have you traveled the world? What was your favorite place?

JP: I’ve been to a few places: Live in Ohio, went to Pennsylvania, W.Va, SC, FL. Nevada but my favorite place was when I lived in Brasil in 1991 for 6 months. I was an exchange student there and would have been there longer had I not broke my foot. I missed Carnivale but I promise I will get back one day and see it. You will find many hints of Brasil in my stories so keep an eye out for them.

TC: What is your dream vacation?

JP: Ireland and Scotland. I would love to go with hubby and visit all those beautiful castles and walk among the Kings and Queens that walked those halls. My second dream vacation would be Transylvania…gotta follow the vampire myths and Dracula.

 

TC: Do you have any advice or comments about upcoming authors?

JP: Figure out your dream and goals, then go for them. Never let anyone tell you that you can’t do it. If you fail, keep trying if it’s your dream. I didn’t get traditionally published for a very long time. I then was unhappy and found Indie publishing and found my happy spot. If you can dream it, it’s out there waiting for you.

TC: As an author, what has been the greatest challenge for you?

JP: Getting published. I tried to get traditionally published first for I never knew you could publish yourself. Once I got published, I was unhappy and doing all my own marketing so I learned about self-publishing and it was all I’d been looking for. Now I’m happy with where I’m at.

TC: What type of genre do you write? Read?

JP: I write Paranormal, Paranormal Romance, Paranormal Erotica, Erotica and attempted a YA Romance. I read mostly Paranormal, a little fantasy, a little romance and that’s about it.

TC: Did you have a moment when you realized your born to be a writer?

JP: In middle school, I had a short story published in a local magazine and my teachers took note of me. When I got to high school, English was easy for me so I was moved into the Advanced classes. My teacher found that I could write well and encouraged me to write short stories. She took me under her wing, met with me after school and critiqued my writing and helped me make it better. I’ll never forget her for that.

 

TC: Do you have a favorite character, one you have written or from another author?

JP: My favorite character is my Vampire Queen. She was so much fun to write, develop and finish in my final story. I’ve even gone so far as to think about her as a movie character and I think Charlize Theron would make the best Vampire Queen!

 

TC: Are names in yoUr novel important? Why or why not?

JP: Yes, very important. I usually pick a first letter for a name and then consult my baby book/websites. I find a name that matches the personality of my character and then use that name.

TC: Do you have any hobbies?

JP: I like to read, watch movies, listen to music, go to dinner different places with hubby, visit with my parents, burn candles/incense, meditate, perform Reiki, etc.

TC: What does your family and friends think about your writing?

JP: My hubby is my biggest supporter. My parents are not very supportive however. Since I’m not making millions as a best-selling Author, they don’t consider me a ‘real’ Author. Also, since they don’t like to read vampire stories, they’ve never read any of my books. It’s disappointing really as I’m very close to them and it hurts sometimes.

Thanks so much Jodie for stopping by and giving us an insight into your life as a person and as a writer!

 

 

QUICK 5

Tell us a little about your newest release: I just finished the final book in my Vampire Queen trilogy, Demise of the Vampire Queen. It ties up books 1 and 2 and gives a sort of conclusion to the result of the Vampire Queen herself. A few new characters are introduced but are relevant to the story. Currently, I’m working on managing a charity anthology with various authors. The proceeds will go to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital.

What inspired this story: As for The Vampire Queen, books 1 and 2 were originally written as one but I broke them up when publishing to have two different books. I then decided I wanted to add to the story and bring some of it to a close as I only wanted to make it a trilogy, not a series. Thus, I sat down and wrote the book in about a week.

 

Was there a scene that was particularly hard to write: The rejection of the Queen’s female lover where she chooses a male lover over her female lover. I’ve been through that once and know how much it hurts.

Where can we buy the book: The whole trilogy, as well as my other books can be found on Amazon.com, smashwords.com, b&n.com.

Where can we find out more about Jodie and your Fangs-A-Lot Blog Hop: Go to www.facebook.com/jodie.pierce.779. I also have an Amazon Author Page, a website: www.thevampirequeen1.weebly.com and two blogs: www.thevampirequeen1.blogspot.com (my personal blog) and www.jodiepierceauthor.blogspot.com (my author’s blog).