Interview & Giveaway with Pamela Palmer

Books-n-Kisses is pleased to welcome back the wonderful Pamela Palmer to the blog today.  We are getting to know Pamela a little better and helping her celebrate her new release A Blood Seduction (released May 29th). So please make Pamela feel welcome.  

Q1) Can you please share with us a little about yourself

Pamela: Sure! I’m an ex-IBM engineer turned full-time writer. I live with my family in the suburbs of Washington, D.C. (which is why all my stories are set around here). My official log line: I’m the New York Times and international bestselling author of three dark paranormal romance series – the Feral Warriors, Vamp City, and the Esri.

Q2) Have you always wanted to be an author?

Pamela: Not at all. Writing never even crossed my mind until after college. I grew up wanting to be an astronaut. Or captain of the Starship Enterprise. Okay, so I was always a dreamer. My first attempt at writing was an utter failure—I had no idea what I was doing and assumed that meant I had no talent. I finally realized it just meant I had a lot to learn.

Q3) Who are some of your favorite writers? Who do you feel has influenced your writing?

Pamela: My favorite writers change all the time, but my current favorites are Larissa Ione, Karen Marie Moning, and Nalini Singh. As far as who influenced my writing, I never know how to answer this question (and I get asked it a lot). I suspect the correct answer is some literary icon, but I pretty much shunned anything that even looked like ‘literature’ when I was a kid. In college, my engineering curriculum was entirely devoid of literature. Freshman composition was it for ‘writing’ courses. But if I had to choose one author, I’d probably say Kathleen Woodiwiss since she was the one who turned me into a true romance fan.

How did you get into writing in this specific genre?  Have you ever thought about writing in a different genre?

I’ve always loved anything out of the ordinary. Sci-fi, fantasy, urban fantasy, paranormal. Those are the things that excite my imagination, so as long as readers remain hungry for them, those are the kinds of books I’ll be writing.

Q4) What are some of your writing rituals?

Pamela: They’re always evolving, but my latest: When it’s time to write, I turn on a computer program called Freedom (http://macfreedom.com/, though I suspect there’s a Windows version, too. $10 download.). I locks me out of the internet for however long I ask it to, generally 60 mins. at a time. Then I set up my laptop in either the dining room or on the treadmill desk (which I adore). I crank up the music (either movie/game soundtracks like Twilight, Inception, Halo-3 or new age jazz like Keiko Matsui), and I’m ready to write!

Q5) Can you please tell us about your latest book(s)?

Pamela: My latest (which just came out May 29^th), is a bit of a departure for me. A Blood Seduction (a Vamp City novel) is book 1 in a five book vampire romance, which makes the book itself more of an urban fantasy since it doesn’t end with a happily ever after. The series will, though. I’ve been wanting to do a bigger story for awhile, one that doesn’t require the entire romance to come together in a single book. One that gives the characters a lot of room to learn and grow. And one that gives me lots of space to explore. The Vamp City series is that story.

From the back cover:

Vampires live only for lust and pleasure in the eternal twilight of Vamp City. But the city’s magic is dying. The only person who can restore it? A beautiful woman from the mortal world…one who knows nothing of the power she wields.

Quinn Lennox is searching for a missing friend when she stumbles into a dark otherworld that only she can see–and finds herself at the mercy of Arturo Mazza, a dangerously handsome vampire whose wicked kiss will save her, enslave her, bewitch her, and betray her. What Arturo can’t do is forget about her–any more than Quinn can control her own feelings for him. Neither one can let desire get in the way of their mission–his to save his people, hers to save herself. But there is no escape from desire in a city built for seduction, where passion flows hot and blood-red. Welcome to Vamp City…

Q6) How did you come with the idea for this story?

Pamela: I’d been playing with the idea of a dark urban fantasy vampire otherworld for some time, but with both the Feral Warrior shape shifter series and the Esri series for Nocturne, I didn’t have time to start a third. But with the Esri series completed, I decided the time was right to start exploring my vampire idea. I knew I wanted the otherworld accessible from our world (the vampires can come and go as they please…or they could until things started to go wrong). So I played with ideas, at first thinking I’d set it in Florida, or someplace different. Then I thought about Washington, D.C. (my go-to local). The moment I realized Vamp City would be Washington, V.C., I knew I had my place. I called my editor that morning to run it all by her and she loved the idea.

Q7) Can you share with us your current work(s) in progress?

Pamela: I finished the seventh book in my Feral Warriors series, A Love Untamed, a couple of weeks ago. This one is Fox/Kieran’s and Melisande’s story as they search for Kara. A Love Untamed will be out December 26^th. Now I’m starting work on Vamp City book 2, which is rather a daunting task. I figured out enough of the entire story to write book 1 with A Blood Seduction, but now I need to know the rest in detail so that I can be certain to set everything up correctly. When I write a book, I figure it all out, then write the first draft, then layer in important threads after that. With Vamp City, I’m writing one story that will span five books, which means there’s no going back to add things into earlier scenes after I’m done. If those earlier scenes are in earlier books, they’ll already be on shelves. It’s an exciting, nerve-racking way to write.

Q8) What would you be if you were not an author?

Pamela: I’d probably still be an engineer, but I’m much happier being an author.

Q9) What is in your To Read Pile that you are dying to start or upcoming release you can’t wait for?

Larissa Ione’s Lethal Rider and Nalini Singh’s Tangle of Need. I love both of these authors and both of these series.

Q10) Is there anything else you would like to add?

If you’d like more information about any of my books (including excerpts), or if you’d like to see the book trailer of A Blood Seduction, visit my website www.pamelapalmer.net. If you’re in the Chicago, Tulsa, Plano, Anaheim, or New Orleans areas, check out my Media and Events page for appearance information. I’d love to meet you!

Thanks for having me! I’m happy to give away a signed copy of one of my Feral Warriors novels (winner’s choice). To be included, tell us what books are on your can’t-wait-to-read list.

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Book Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYS8ayK5B0M

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