Fangtastic Friday – Interview with Kristen Painter

Posted by Dawn McClure on September 11, 2009 · 25 Comments 

 

 

 

Please welcome Kristen Painter, Samhain author of All Fired Up, and co-founder of the popular website, Romance Divas.  

ETS – Please tell us a little about yourself.  

I’m cranky when I’m hungry. My husband can back this up. Also? I like to shop. Clothes, shoes, handbags, accessories…adore all of them. Oh wait. Did you mean writing type stuff? ‘Kay, lemme see.  All Fired Up just released from Samhain, and in 2011 my urban fantasy vampire series launches from Orbit with the first three books out back to back.

Also, my three cats insisted I give them a shout out, so hi to Sam, Scooter and Max. Now maybe they’ll stop trying to use my Twitter account. 

ETS – Can you tell us a little about All Fired Up?  

It’s loosely based on the legend of the Phoenix bird and the premise of “what if” you could change past events in your life? I think everyone wonders about that sometimes. 

ETS – What inspired you to write this story?  How did the idea come to you? 

The idea came from a drawing an artist had posted on Deviant Art. You can see that picture on my website here: http://www.kristenpainter.com/readers.html 

ETS – What’s your writing process like?  Are you a pantser or plotter? 

Yes.  I’ve kind of been forced into plotting a little due to the fact that my urban fantasy series went out as a 3 book proposal with only one book written. I’ve had to do that before and I don’t mind saying it’s hard. Not to mention, the stories that follow don’t also adhere to the synopsis as written. 

By nature, I’m more of a pantser. (I actually like to say I’m an organic writer.) I love the twists and turns that crop up in the story as I’m writing. Really and truly, those surprises are what keep me writing – my desire to see where the story is going pushes me forward. 

ETS – You can only have one for the rest of your life – Chinese food or Italian food.  Which would you pick? 

As I am Italian on both sides of my family, I am honor bound to pick Italian. But I probably would anyway. Spaghetti and meatballs is quite possibly my all time favorite meal. Actually, pasta of any kind makes me extraordinarily happy. Did I mention linguini with white clam sauce? Oh my. Yes. That too. Wow. Now I’m starving. 

ETS – You’re co-founder of the Romance Divas, a wonderful online forum that features Authors of the Month, and includes articles, tips and resources for writers.   How did that site come about? 

Jax, my co-founder in that site and one of the best writing buddies anyone could ask for, and I met online at another writer’s forum. We got into trouble for having too much fun, so, long story short, we built our own forum where we could have as much fun as we wanted. Apparently, others felt the same way ‘cause that place is rockin’! 

ETS – I couldn’t agree more.  🙂  As writers we often hear that we should ‘get our name out there.’  What advice would you give to aspiring writers who are new to networking? 

Be kind. Be gracious. Be appreciative. People’s time is so valuable these days. If someone helps you, help them back. You might think an unpublished writer has nothing to offer a multi-pubbed author, but that’s just not true. Buy their books and then leave them some reviews on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, that kind of thing. If they have a signing in your area, show up and buy a book! Better yet, bring a friend and make them buy a book too! 

Beneficial relationships don’t happen overnight, they’re cultivated. Remember that. 

ETS – Describe your idea of the perfect date.  

One of our favorite things to do is spend the day at Universal Studios. Because we live so close, we’re season pass holders and I have to tell you, there’s something so fun about spending a day like that with my husband. Even in a park full of thousands of people, we get to be together in a way that’s intimate. We’re both big kids at heart and we connect on that level so well. Despite the fact that I beat the pants off him at Men In Black. Seriously. Every. Time. SCORE! 

ETS – Is All Fired up going to be part of a series?  Can you tell us what you’re working on now? 

Originally, yes, it was. Now that’s kind of up to whether or not Samhain wants another one and what my writing schedule will allow. I’m hard at work on the second book in my urban fantasy series, Flesh And Blood. Following that, I’m going right into the third book in the series, Bad Blood. After those two are done, I have a YA proposal I’m desperate to write. Really, I just need more hours in the day. 

ETS – What final piece of advice would you give to aspiring writers? 

Write. Forget everything else, like what your pen name is going to be and which agent is right for you and if you should be on Myspace or Facebook. Nothing matters but the writing and finishing the book. You can figure everything else out after the book is written, polished and ready to be submitted. Until then, everything else is just fluff. You can take that to the bank. 

ETS – Thanks so much for taking the time to chat with us. 🙂 

Thanks for having me! I’ve enjoyed it. 

ETS – You can visit Kristen’s website, and learn more about her books by going to her Author Page. 

Kristen Painter is a former college English teacher, personal trainer, advertising exec, maitre d’, and runway model. When not building fantastical worlds, creating new characters or plotting herself out of a corner, she hangs out in the forum at Romancedivas.com, the award-winning site she co-founded with Jax Cassidy, blogs at www.kristenpainter.blogspot.com (except for Tuesday’s when she’s on deck at www.fictionistas.blogspot.com) or tweets at http://twitter.com/Kristen_Painter. She’s represented by The Knight Agency.

Twitter | Blog | Yahoo Group | Romance Divas

 

 

Kristen will be giving away her book, All Fired up, to one lucky commenter today.  Don’t by shy!  Winner will be announced tomorrow.   

Filed under book give away, Contest, Fangtastic Friday, Interviews · Tagged with All Fired up, book giveaway, Contest, Kristen Painter, paranormal romance