BLOG TOUR # 60 - INTERVIEW WITH ELISABETH STAAB AUTHOR OF CHRONICLES OF YAVN SERIES - KING OF DARKNESS & PRINCE OF POWER - SOURCE BOOKS

I would like to welcome Elisabeth Staab to Novels On The Run , author of Chronicles Of Yavn Series. King of Darkness # 1 and Prince of Power # 2, published by Source Books.

Michelle:  Hi Elisabeth, thanks for taking the time to answer my Q & A’s , much appreciated.

Elisabeth: Absolutely! So happy to be here, thank you.

Michelle:   What 10 words describe Elisabeth the author?

Elisabeth:  Hmm... Dark, humorous, caffeinated, twisted, visceral, tangible, detail-oriented, profane. And, well... romantic.

Michelle:   I am really enjoying where you are taking me in the Chronicles of Yavn series. I have polished off book # 2, Prince of Power. I am a rather huge Lee fan and Xander just makes me want to give him a hug. Prince of Power releases 8th January 2013. Do you have a working title for book 3 and is there a possible non spoiler quote ( no names necessary) that you could give us as a teaser, please? If not, no worries.

Elisabeth:  Thank you so much, I’m thrilled you’re enjoying the series! The working title for Lee and Alexia’s book  is Hunter by Night book # 3.

I usually shy away from teasers this early, but I think I can give you one tiny quote: “I told you to fight!”

Awesome so somebody needs to fight......* happy dance* Love the title and it's Lee and Alexia's book....woot!

Michelle:   Speaking of Lee, there is just something that grabs me with him. I have had a bit of a crush on him from the start. I can’t wait for a possible cover visual. I know you have playlists. Do you have a song that describes Lee?

Elisabeth:  There is something about Lee, isn’t there? When he wants something even *I* have a hard time saying no. Interestingly, when I started writing King of Darkness, Thad was the first character I saw. Standing in the middle of that crowded rave, looking determined but confused, searching for Isabel. But... Lee was the first vampire I heard speak. He had my attention right away! I love Thad because he’s got a lot of beta in him and that softness inside of a hero can be SO sexy in its own way, but Lee has a heavy dose of badass motherfucker, and that too is terribly sexy. It may also be his undoing.

As for music, if I had to pick only one song for Lee, it would be “Clumsy” by Our Lady Peace. This song for me evokes dark angsty feelings, someone watching a person they care for going through a problem but unable to reach out and help. And I like the line in chorus, “you will be safe in here,” because more than anything Lee wants to protect . Most of all he wants to protect Alexia, even if that’s impossible for him to admit.

Michelle:   Xander is emotionally in a lot of pain through the first two books. I really love reading his scenes and how he is dealing with his loss. Or not dealing. I like what you are doing with the other character that you have slid into his life via mutual loss. It works very well. Pulls the heart strings. Is Xander easy to write?

Elisabeth:  NOooooooo. Xander has been a wonderful challenge. His character in King of Darkness plays a very small role. In Prince of Power, his story line took an unplanned turn. A beautiful turn, a turn that I think will result in a lovely outcome when the time is right, but Xander and Theresa have a rough row to hoe yet. Writing his story has been painful. At times while writing about the loss of his mate I was surprised to catch myself crying.

I can see that as ...well Xander and Theresa have lost a lot.

Michelle:   Siddoh! He grew on me by the end of King of Darkness. I LOVE him in Prince of Power. I love he has this big brother thing going on with Alexia. Now I gathered Hugh Jackman was your muse for Siddoh...nice one! That sits rather pleasantly in my visual. Siddoh is a bit of a lad, General to King Thad. He seems like the more playful of the guys. Likes the ladies, a few drinks, likes the ladies..... You are showing us a different side with him and Alexia. He is protective and treats her like a buddy. You aren’t aiming to peeve Lee off are you? 

Elisabeth:  Gun to my head, if I had to pick an absolute favourite hero it would be Siddoh. I loved Siddoh almost from the beginning, and I love him more and more the better I get to know him. He’s deeper than he lets on. Misunderstood. You’ll see new facets to him in book three. And yes, he’s scruffy. He’s not good about keeping himself trimmed regularly like the soldiers are supposed to, but gets away with it because he’s still so good at what he does.

And am I aiming to piss off Lee? No. But Lee gets pissed plenty under that still exterior. However, I think there’s a chance we’ll see Lee and Siddoh’s relationship change a bit after Prince of Power.

Michelle:   I am looking forward to seeing what you are doing with Alexia. You have hinted at a few things in Prince of Power with her character and her tattoos. I have my pom poms out for Lee and Alexia. I am assuming it won’t be an easy road? Not like Thad and his tattoo detecting Queen ...err....tattoo.

Elisabeth:  LOL. Well every good romance couple has baggage. In King of Darkness, the story may have been one of fated mates but the baggage was that neither Thad nor Isabel felt worthy of each other or of the responsibilities that being together would bring. For Lee and Alexia there’s an interesting push-pull: they simultaneously want and despise each other, and there’s a whole mess of other stuff that builds on those issues: Lee doesn’t just dislike humans, he sees them as inferior. Alexia can’t stand being “caged” by the vampires because they don’t trust her to mingle freely with her own kind. There’s deep pain in their pasts of course, and so on.

Michelle:   What song would you use to describe Alexia?

Elisabeth:  The first song that comes to mind for Alexia alone is “Titanium” – David Guetta feat. Sia. She’s very fierce for a small member of an “inferior” species.

I like this!!

Michelle:   I would like to ask Lee: What five words would he use to describe Siddoh?

Lee:  Cocky. Fucking. Asshole. 

Elisabeth:  Lee feels that he has used enough words.

Michelle:   I would like to ask Siddoh : What five words would he use to describe Lee?

Elisabeth:  Siddoh would probably stop at grinning and giving Lee the finger, because it would irritate Lee far more than anything he could say aloud. Vampires of few words, those two.

Michelle:  You teamed Tyra up with a character who is not a killer by choice. He would if it meant her safety and if he had no other choice. Tyra is a kickass chick and a trained soldier in her own right. She helps out at the Ashfalls Shelter. You have balanced out her kickass character with a softness, a caring side. What made you choose a couple where the male was not inclined to want to kill, a kind of reverse pairing?

Elisabeth:  Well for one thing it’s just not done in romance very often, and writers are always looking to do something a little different. Paranormal romance in particular is full of growly-alpha males, and God bless every one of them, but a male with a softer side can also be very sexy. Still, choosing Anton and Tyra for each other wasn’t completely conscious. Sometimes in plotting a book a pairing is created with a certain amount of strategy. “Oh, these two will make sense together because...” But Anton told me Tyra was his from the first scene in King of Darkness when he was waiting to be tortured for failing to kidnap her. Everything that unfolded moved them together even though their pairing didn’t immediately make sense. My basic premise for the Yavn world is vampires = good and wizards = unredeemable evil. When Anton showed up as the one lone exception he really gummed-up the works. But I am SO fond of a good forbidden romance, and the love story in Prince of Power—falling in love with a guy who’d helped murder your own kind?—that’s as forbidden as it gets.

Michelle:  You’ve got a bit of a possible crèche forming with each book. I like you doing this, bringing in mini bubba vamps. This will make for some funny scenes. I am sure it will make for some tense scenes too. Is there a possibility of more nappied bubbas joining the crèche in future books?

Elisabeth:   ... That is an excellent question!

I am all ears.....

Michelle:   I like that you use several character pov’s in each book. There is a main character the book is about, but you don’t hide the other characters away that have had their shot at the limelight. I like that! You have several burgeoning character stories going at once. It keeps the pages turning. Is it hard to juggle the several pov’s with their side stories on top of the main villain plot that is running through the series?

Elisabeth:  Thank you! And ohmygod, yes! I am still learning the ropes. King of Darkness was literally the first book I ever wrote and I think in hindsight it was probably overly-ambitious but I’m not sure what I would have done differently, either. I fell in love with series like Suzanne Brockmann’s Troubleshooters and Ward’s BDB = Black Dagger Brotherhood that also have those multi-thread plot arcs and multiple POVs. Those were the books that inspired me to write. I got a thrill out of seeing what was going on elsewhere in those characters’ worlds, so I set out to write something that would scratch the same itch for me as a reader. In a way King of Darkness was easier because it was book one. Prince of Power was a struggle because I’d never written a sequel, and suddenly all those multiple plot threads had to connect to keep going. Finally, book three, I feel like I’m getting the hang.

I have not heard of Suzanne's series...ooo straight on to the library reserve thingy ...but be still my heart with BDB, LOVE IT!!!! Suzanne's series is rather badass long. 

Michelle:  The villains....the WIZARDS. I like this original villain character vs Vampires. The Wizards are a tad gorey with what they do to vampires to get their powers. You have given this part of the plot a bit of a curveball. I am looking forward to where you take us. These gorgeous, big, muscle, six pack toting vampire soldiers needed a worthy evil opponent. What made you choose Wizards? Harry Potter is getting a bit of a bad rap...lol!

Elisabeth:  Ha! Yes, my critique partner pointed that out, but unfortunately not until it was too late to change. I wasn’t thinking Harry Potter when I chose wizards, I was thinking like evil witches/wizards/mages. Like the evil queen in Snow White, but different. More hands-on, and male. That kind of wizard. I love Harry Potter. I hope/assume nobody would confuse my wizards with Harry. ;-)

Michelle:   How many books in the series thus far have you mapped out?

Elisabeth:  I’m still working on my master plan, lol! Certainly I would love to see more vampires get their HEA. We’ll have to see what the future brings.

Michelle:  Have you ever found a character description by people watching? I’m talking everyday watching, not Celebs. If so, what character?

Elisabeth: Oh, sure. I watch people all the time. I think many authors do. Actually Lucas, the tattoo artist in King of Darkness and Prince of Power, he’s based loosely on a very attractive young guy I saw one night outside an IHOP.

Oh so you were having a bit of an ogle and Lucas was born...nice one!

Michelle:  Which 4 people/characters alive or dead, would you invite to dinner and why? Go for it, they can be real people, from movies, books, politicians, whoever you want. 

Elisabeth:  I only get four? Okay, Jenny Lawson, Damon Suede, Mary Calmes, and J.R. Ward. Jenny Lawson because she’s fucking hilarious and vulgar, she loves wine, and I value the company and insanity of a fellow author/mom. Damon and Mary are dear friends whose company, sense of humour, and brilliance I treasure but busy schedules and geography prevent face time. JR Ward, that’s kind of a given—I don’t know if I ever would have started writing were it not for her. And even though I almost never get tongue-tied, the one time I met J.R. Ward, I admit I totally froze like a dork. I feel like I should be picking people like Ghandi, Deepak Chopra, President Obama, Oprah... I’d love having dinner with those and many other amazing people too, but laughter and wine with dinner are the best things in the world.

Jenny Lawson, Damon Suede, Mary Calmes, J.R. Ward

Michelle:  Thankyou Elisabeth for joining me down under and answering my Q & A’s,  all the best with this series J 

Elisabeth:  Thank you so much for having me, you’ve been awesome! So glad you enjoyed King of Darkness and Prince of Power!