Interview & Giveaway with Virna DePaul

Books-n-Kisses is very happy to welcome back Virna DePaul to the blog today.  

Virna DePaul is a former criminal prosecutor whose debut paranormal romantic suspense novel, Chosen by Blood (Book 1 in the Para-Ops series), came out May 3, 2011 by Berkley Books. Chosen by Fate (Book 2 in the Para-Ops series) launches October 4, 2011.
In addition, Virna writes contemporary romantic suspense for Harlequin Romantic Suspense (Dangerous to Her, September 2011) and HQN (Shades of Desire, April 2012).
Visit her at www.virndepaul.com

Books-n-Kisses:  Hi Virna, Welcome back to Books-n-Kisses. Last time you were here we talked about Chosen by Blood.  But today we are going to talk about book two in your Para-Ops series Chosen by Fate.  Thank you again for taking time out of your busy schedule to sit down and talk with me about your book series.
Virna: I am so happy to be back!  Thank you for having me again.
Books-n-Kisses: Last time you were here we learned a little about you. Let’s learn a little more
Q1):  Can you share with us something off of your bucket list?
Virna:  I’d love to be able to spend months at a time in Europe.  Right now, I’m thinking France!  J

Q2):   Let’s talk about your newest book Chosen by Fate.  Can you tell us a little about your book without giving away too much?
Virna: The Para-Ops team, the first special ops team formed by the FBI to recruit both humans and Otherborn, was introduced in Chosen By Blood.  In that book, we met Wraith and Caleb O’Flare, who tried very hard to deny the sexual attraction between them. Wraith and Caleb are the hero and heroine of Book 2, Chosen By Fate.  Wraith is the walking dead with no memory of her human life.  She has blue-tinged skin, hazy-eyes, and can’t be touched without feeling pain.  Caleb is the team’s human psychic shaman.  He wants only to heal Wraith.  Wraith and Caleb have to deal with the tension between pain and pleasure, a dichotomy that is brought to the forefront when they set out on their next mission, investigating a series of crimes in the feline community.


Q3):  What did you find the hardest part about writing Fates?
 Virna: The story is much more relationship-based than the first, so I really wanted to delve into the relationship while still giving the reader the action, complex world, and fast pace of Book 1.


Q4):  In 140 characters or less tell us about Wraith.
Virna:  A prickly, foul-mouthed ghost with blue skin and hazy eyes can’t be touched without feeling pain but desperately wants to belong to someone. 

Q5): Wraith’s Awakening, is a prequel to Para-Ops series.  I really enjoyed this free read; it gave me a great insight as to who Wraith is going to be. Where can the readers find this free read? 
Virna: I’m so glad you enjoyed it!   It’s the first story I’ve written in the first person and I loved getting so “close” to Wraith.  Here’s the link: ttp://hipwritergirls.typepad.com/justsoldabook/2011/06/free-prequel-novella-to-chosen-by-blood-wraiths-awakening.html


Q6):  What would you say is the most challenging & rewarding part of being an author?
Virna: The most challenging part is the self-doubt and having to hear how you’re vision of the story didn’t quite work for someone else.  The best part, of course, is hearing that a reader loved the story and connected with the characters.


Q7):  What gives you inspiration? Places, Music, Pictures, People?
Virna: All of the above.  I love beautiful surroundings and all kinds of music, but nothing beats being around the people I love.


Q8):  Do you have any writing rituals, things you have to have while you write?
Virna: Other than my laptop, no.  I am so amazed by people who can write out their stories.  I get too distracted by trying to be neat and can never write fast enough to keep up with my thoughts. 


Q9):  If you could sit down and ask any of your characters and ask any questions and they HAD to answer.  Who would you ask and what would you ask?
Virna:  Well, that’s easy. I’ve created a goddess, Essenia, in the Para-Ops Novels.  So I’d ask her the tough questions about creation and death. 

Q10):  Have you ever thought about co-writing a book? If yes, with who & why
Virna: I’ve thought about it several times.  Many of my friends are writers who have different strengths than I do.  It would be fun to see the different directions we could take a story.  However, I’m more of a “binge” writer.  I write in huge chunks rather than a little everyday.  I’m not sure that’s conducive to co-writing.


Q11): Who has been your most challenging character to write?
Virna: Knox Devereaux, the leader of the Para-Ops team, because he is a bundle of contrasts.  He reveres duty but yet feels deeply, and his desires don’t always coincide with his duty.  He’s a powerful leader who goes after what he wants, plus he’s an immortal vampire; it was a challenge to make him relatable to a reader. 


Q12):  Do you ever get writers block?  What do you do to get past it?
Virna:  I definitely get stuck.  Usually it’s because something about the characters or plot is eluding me, and I need to figure it out before I can really become immersed in the story.  I have a lot of good friends I can brainstorm with and that’s invaluable.


Q13):  What would you say is your biggest vise? Books, Shoes, Coffee, Hershey Kisses
Virna:  Books, definitely.  I have a Kindle, but I still prefer print books.  I have a hard time letting go of books even if I know I probably won’t get around to reading them. 


Q14):  Do you prefer to write series or stand-alone books? And Why?
Virna: I love writing series because I get to amp up the layers and subtleties, weaving them into the current story while at the same time knowing they will gain even more significance as the series continues.  I also love the idea of readers becoming attached to the world and characters I’ve created.  With each book, I’m challenged to create something that fits what came before but also has its own unique and compelling presence.


Q15):   Favorite Supernatural creature and why?
Virna: I love how vampires are often portrayed as both elegant and primal.  Weres are great because they are more overtly savage, but vampires have more of a seething, mysterious quality.  Maybe because I’m quiet but also complex, I like that vampires are multi-faceted.


Q16):   When did you decide you wanted to try your hand at writing a book?
Virna:  I first tried writing a novel after the birth of my first son in 2000.  I wrote about seven pages and then let self-doubt stall me.  I didn’t begin writing again until years later, when I was miserable at my law job and unwilling to let insecurity derail me.