Bio: Siobhan Muir lives in Las Vegas, Nevada, with her husband,
two daughters, and a vegetarian cat she swears is a shapeshifter, though he's
never shifted when she can see him. When not writing, she spends time looking
down a microscope at fossil fox teeth, pursuing her other love, paleontology.
An avid reader of science fiction/fantasy, her husband gave her a paranormal
romance for Christmas one year, and she was hooked. She’s been writing since
childhood. Friends and family threatened to lynch her unless she published. Siobhan
believes in happily ever after, redemption, and communication, which you’ll
find in her paranormal romance stories.
The Interview:
GRACIE: I’m
excited to have you here at The G-Spot, Siobhan! Please tell us a little about
yourself (or a lot J) and how and when you got into writing?
SIOBHAN: I got
into writing when the bedtime stories I told myself had far more detail than I
could remember, so I had to write them down. I’ve been writing ever since,
spinning tales around campfires, dinner tables, and coffee shops for a long
time. My education is in geology, so fieldcamp was a great place to get people
hooked on my tales. I once had an 18 person field crew captivated with a story
I told around the evening fire, they insisted I tell the rest of it in the van
on the ride home. Talk about an ego boost. I wrote that one down, and you
should see it come out sometime in the next couple of years. J
GRACIE: Is there any one thing or person in your life that inspired your writing? Any one thing or person that influenced the genre you write in?
SIOBHAN: I’ve
always loved science fiction and fantasy, so I’m drawn to the paranormal for
that reason. I think I’d have to credit Anne McCaffrey with getting me into it
initially. I remember reading her Dragons of Pern novels, and the spin-off
series about the firelizards and I was absolutely hooked. Ever since then, my
writings have turned toward the fantastic and romantic.
GRACIE: You’re
mind kind of author! I love the fantastic and the paranormal J
When did you get The Call and what was your first published book?
SIOBHAN: My call
came December 31, 2011 and I was so ecstatic, I walked around in a giddy daze
the whole day. Happy New Year! :D The first published book was Her Devoted Vampire with Evernight
Publishing, and it was the first romance I tried to write with a more
scientific explanation for vampirism. I wrote it to entice my husband into
reading romance. I succeeded. *smug grin*
GRACIE: I don’t
blame you for being smug. Getting a man to red romance is quite a feat, LOL. What
do you know now about writing and the publishing industry that you wish you’d
known before you started?
SIOBHAN: I don’t
have anything I wished I’d known sooner because I don’t feel like I’ve missed
anything. I’m learning it now, and I’m sure there’s plenty more to learn as I
go. But for now, I have no regrets.
GRACIE: Please,
give us a little story behind the story and what inspired your Siren erotic
paranormal romance, Queen Bitch of the
Callowwood Pack.
SIOBHAN: Queen Bitch of the Callowwood Pack came
to me in a dream. Russell Crowe starred as Jeff Lightfoot and he showed up,
telling me I had to keep my true nature hidden from the humans while I competed
with the other females for the position of Luna. I saw the mugging scene at the
salon and another frank discussion about the why of werewolves on a scrubby
mountainside with Jeff, and the story built from that. The other characters
just showed up when I needed them. J
GRACIE: The heroines in both Her Devoted Vampire and Queen
Bitch of the Callowwood Pack don’t believe in the existence of supernatural
beings until each is faced with their reality. What in Bridget Shanahan and
Julianna Morris’ backgrounds or personalities do you think leads to each
woman’s skepticism?
SIOBHAN: Bridget
was raised Catholic and all the magic had been taken out of the world for her
with that mindset. She doesn’t see religion or higher powers as something to
enjoy, and she certainly never considered the existence of creatures other than
humans. I tried to take someone from our world and offer her a whole new world
to deal with.
With Julianna, she’s like most people. Humans are it for
this world, and while stories abound of other critters wandering around, we’re
pretty sure they’re just stories. Julianna was adopted and she spent most of
her formative years trying to fit in with the humans around her. That drive to
fit in made her set aside her true nature, which forcibly came out when she
turned 36.
GRACIE: In the Queen Bitch of the Callowwood Pack what
in Julianna Morris’ character do you think makes her the perfect match for Jeff
Lightfoot and is it the same thing that makes her perfect to be the Queen
Bitch?
SIOBHAN: Julianna
is a fighter. She never gives up, even when things seem impossible, and she
definitely doesn’t give up on something she really wants. And she really wants
Jeff. Plus, while she’s aware of appearances, her actions stem from her respect
and love for her family. She will protect the whole pack if necessary, but she
won’t play dirty. Sneaky, but not dirty. It’s that fighting quality that makes
her a match for Jeff and an excellent leader for the Callowwood Pack.
GRACIE: In Her Devoted Vampire what is Fredrick MacGregor’s
Achilles’ heel and how do you go about stomping it?
SIOBHAN: Bridget
herself. Once he finds her and connects with her, any mortal injury could take
him down with her. He’s more than just devoted to her emotionally. However,
because they are connected, she’s a lot stronger and resilient than she was
before she met Fredrick, so killing Bridget isn’t easy.
GRACIE: Of all
the stories you’ve written, which is your favorite and why?
SIOBHAN: That’s a
hard question. Each story attracts me (or I wouldn’t have written it) for
different reasons. I loved writing about Fredrick and Bridget because it gave
me a chance to address the whole swooning issue. Yeah, he’s a cute guy, but
would you really sleep with a guy who kidnaps you, just because he’s cute? With
Julianna, I loved the challenge of winning everything just by being yourself,
even if she had to figure out who or what her true self was. In my upcoming
dragon shifter tale, I wanted to address the “walk of shame/fame” issue. A guy
can sleep with anyone and society cheers him on. A woman sleeps with anyone,
and she’s castigated for being a whore. Uhm, how is that fair? That double
standard drives me crazy. So each story has its pet issues for me and I fall in
love with each one for finding a solution (at least for one couple). J
GRACIE: I know
this is like asking a mother which is her favorite child, but which of your characters
is your favorite and why?
SIOBHAN: Right
now, my current favorite “children” are Lieutenants Brickman, Hunter, and
Waters, from my upcoming Navy SEALS M/F/M ménage. I love Brickman’s
determination to be the only female SEAL, and her subsequent determination to
love both her Teammates. I love Hunter’s calm, steady love of both his woman
and his best friend, and I ache for Waters’ demons that keep him from his loved
ones. Right now, these folks are my favorites. It might change when the next
story comes along. ;)
GRACIE: What
about your characters makes them unique?
SIOBHAN: Most of
my female characters are strong and won’t quit, even when life gets really
black. They’re fighters and don’t need to be rescued (although they like it
when they are). I write the Megara version (from Disney’s Hercules) of damsels:
“I’m a damsel. I’m in distress. And I can take it from here. Have a nice day.”
I also write characters, male or female, who are true to themselves throughout
the story. I can’t stand it when characters flip-flop back and forth from one
core belief to another, and back again, without apparent cause. That just makes
me want to throw the book across the room (bad news for my Kindle, lol).
GRACIE: What is
your favorite aspect of the writing process? Your least favorite?
SIOBHAN: I love
the creative process when the words just pour out of me. I even love revisiting
the older stories and “fixing” them (read = updating them). It can be a long
and arduous road, but it’s worth it in the end. My least favorite: writing
query letters and synopses for publication. How the heck do I get a 60K word
story into just 150 words? Yeah, not my favorite.
GRACIE: Are you a
pantser or do you outline?
SIOBHAN: I do a
little of both. If I get an idea or a dream, I write down everything I can
remember so when I come back to it (if I’m in the middle of some other story) I
can get back into the flavor of what attracted me in the first place. This
becomes a basic outline. Then I let the Muse run with it and see how the story
unfolds. Queen Bitch of the Callowwood
Pack evolved that way. J
GRACIE: If you
weren’t a writer, what other profession would you have chosen to pursue?
SIOBHAN: I’d be a
dead things specialist. :D My educational background is in mammal paleontology,
particularly of fossil foxes, coyotes, and wolves from the Pleistocene epoch.
You’ve seen Ice Age, I’m sure. They didn’t show the dire wolves, but that’s the
age of animals I study when not writing fiction.
GRACIE: That
sounds like fascinating work and great fodder for your imagination ;) Who are
some of your favorite authors and why? Name some of your favorite books and why
they’re your favorites.
SIOBHAN: That’s a long list. However I’ll give you the genre
favorites that come to mind off the cuff:
Science fiction with romantic elements – Cara Michaels writes sharp, funny, and
adventurous science fiction that usually grabs me in the first paragraph. She
doesn’t have sex in her tales, but she gets me interested because you KNOW
where the characters are going to end up. ;)
Historical Romance – Monica
McCarty writes FBI/MI6 type romance set in the time of Robert the Bruce
Scotland. Her stories are pretty historically accurate AND have a great love story
attached.
Historical Romantic Suspense – Kris Tualla writes several historical series about Norwegian heros,
and my current favorite of hers is a hero who’s deaf.
Fantasy – Elizabeth
Kerner and Elizabeth Moon – both these ladies write great fantasy, usually
in trilogies that sweep you into new worlds and make you fall in love with
their characters.
Historical Erotic Romance – Kate Pearce writes hot, shameless erotic romance set in the 1800s
of England. She’s no holds barred and her characters have longevity throughout
her series.
Romantic Suspense – Roxanne
St. Claire writes gripping adventure and suspense woven around solid love
stories.
LGBT Romance – Suzanne
Brockmann writes great love stories, a few M/M, but she really captures the
love, respect, and compassion found in all loving couples, no matter the sex of
the individuals. My favorite by her is called When Tony Met Adam.
BDSM Romance – Kallypso
Masters has a gift for writing great BDSM love stories. Her Rescue Me
series focuses on Doms from the military and the women who rescue them from
their own demons. I love the role reversal on who saves whom.
GRACIE: What are you
working on now and what should readers be looking forward to from you in the
future?
SIOBHAN: I’m
working on final edits of a historical dragon shifter story that should be out
this fall, and another dragon shifter story (contemporary) that should be out
at the beginning of next year. Then there is the Navy SEALs ménage, a vampire
M/M/F ménage, and a vampire/dragon shifter tale about the original Dracula
coming in 2013.
GRACIE: Wow,
sounds like your fans can expect some exciting stuff from you. Do you have a
website and/or how can readers contact you?
SIOBHAN: I love
to talk to readers and they can find me in the following places:
Website: http://siobhanmuir.com
Blog: http://siobhanmuir.blogspot.com
Facebook: http://facebook.com/Official.Siobhan.Muir
Twitter: http://twitter.com/SiobhanMuir
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5760938.Siobhan_Muir
Google Plus: http://plus.google.com/u/0/118081545120488658410/posts
Romance Novel Center: http://www.romancenovelcenter.com/siobhanmuir
GRACIE: Where and
how can readers purchase and/or read samples of your work?
SIOBHAN: You can
find Her Devoted Vampire here:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Her-Devoted-Vampire-ebook/dp/B007BVNMDI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1330357146&sr=8-1
All Romance Ebooks: http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-herdevotedvampire-727991-139.html
Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/her-devoted-vampire-siobhan-muir/1109506015
Bookstrand: http://www.bookstrand.com/her-devoted-vampire
Evernight Publishing: http://www.evernightpublishing.com/her-devoted-vampire-by-siobhan-muir/
Kobobooks.com http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/Her-Devoted-Vampire/book-MZhU7hzhF0erkDH5Pq8KVA/page1.html
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/135426
And you can find Queen
Bitch of the Callowwood Pack here:
GRACIE: What advice do you have for beginning writers?
SIOBHAN: If you
want to write and publish, don’t talk about writing or think about writing.
WRITE. And never give up, never surrender. There are plenty of people willing
to tell you you’ll never make it as a writer, but you can choose to believe
otherwise. It takes persistence and drive, but it can be done. Like anything,
you get out of it what you’re willing to put into it. If you love it enough to
go all the way through, even when you’re sick of your own story, you’ll be a
huge success.
On the more practical side, you should get your blog,
Facebook fan page, and Twitter account up right now, before you publish.
Publishers and agents will look to see what kind of online presence you have
when they’re deciding to take you on as a client. The more you get your name
and voice out there, the more likely folks are going to remember your name and
your writing.
GRACIE: Anything
else about yourself or your writing you’d like to share with your readers?
SIOBHAN: I love
to talk to readers, whether in person at conferences, or online through
Twitter, Facebook, or Google Plus. This year I’ll be attending Authors After
Dark in New Orleans in early August, and I’ll definitely be back at Arizona
Dreamin’ 2013 in Chandler, AZ next year. Come visit me online, drop me a line,
and I’m happy to chat.
GRACIE: Siobhan, thanks so much for taking time from
your busy schedule to share yourself and your work with us at The G-Spot and
giving us a little insight into your writing and the writing process! We’ll let
you get back to writing those wonderful books you write! All the best!
SIOBHAN: Thanks
so much for having me. J
1 comment:
Thanks so much for having me this month, Gracie. :)
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