Monday Author Interview with Gabrielle Bisset

:::Kealie skids through the door, hands fat baby over to Cabana Boy, along with diaper bag and kicks off shoes:::
:::kiss kiss to baby… kiss kiss to CB:::
:::drops down on the couch next to Megan:::
I’m sorry, I’m sorry to be late! Welcome, welcome, Gabrielle. So glad you could join us this morning!

You’re always a little behind, but we love you, Kealie. So Gabrielle, tell us your latest news?

My latest news is that I began a new paranormal romance series entitled the Sons of Navarus, and I'm scheduled to release the first two books this year. The series technically begins with Blood Avenged, the novel I released in December.
Each book will be a stand-alone, but it will also work within the series. It's got vampires, power struggles in the vampire world, and very steamy sex. What more could one ask for?



Seriously, I couldn’t ask for more! Congrats on such an awesome undertaking.

Absolutely. I know how hard a series can be. Do you have a specific writing style?

It's interesting. Now that I encounter so many other writers, I realize I have a very odd style compared to them. Or maybe I'm just meeting pansters, but I'm quite ordered in my writing. I begin with an outline that can take days to create. It's always very specific and details every major plot point. Then I begin writing at the beginning and move through the story. If I struggle at some point, I don't jump to another part of the story, even if I have ideas for that other part. Others have told me that this would drive them insane and kill their creativity, but it's just the way I am. If I allow myself to jump around, I'll never get back to that part I was stuck on. I know me. Without a great deal of discipline, I'd be all over the place.

LOL, I’m one of those pantsers myself, and I have that exact problem. Granted, I don’t jump ahead, but I do have moments where I wonder where the heck I’m going with something. I admire your discipline. When it comes to dance, I’m disciplined (or I used to be anyway), but writing… not so much, lol.

I plow ahead and skip when I get stuck. Love those comment bubbles. Hate when I forget WHY I needed one. How did you come up with the title?

It took a while to get Blood Avenged's title. Looking back, I guess it shouldn't have since it's about one man's revenge against a fellow vampire that's been brewing for almost 400 years. But for the longest time, the book had no title, which I find very frustrating. If I could, I'd have a title the minute I began writing each book, but sometimes it doesn't turn out that way.

Again with the discipline! I’ve found myself just saving something as “Cowboy” or “Alpha” because of one character until I can figure out an appropriate title. And yeah, that title seems to be very apropos.

You’re waiting on me to kick your butt on Cowboy. Just sayin’. Name one entity that you feel supported you outside of family members.

I have great friends who have been there for me every step of the way. They tell me they're living vicariously through me and my new career. They really have been so fabulous. I can't count how many times they've been there when I was frustrated about something or when I wanted to share a big milestone in my writing. I'd be lost without them and their support.

Yup, it’s awesome to have friends that help like that. I can’t say how many times Megan or I have turned to each other when we’ve written ourselves into a corner, “Ummm… help?” It makes this insane writer’s life so much easier when you have a friend or friends to turn to. Wow! How sappy did I just sound? LOL

Not to mention the fact that I am really, really good at writing myself into corners. I just wonder why I can’t write myself into a corner with a CB? Do you see writing as a career?

Although I still work my day job as a college history teacher, I do see writing as a career. I'd love for it to be my only career sometime soon, but for now, it's what I do in addition to what supplies me with health insurance.

*snort* Hey, don’t knock the health insurance.

No kidding. Can you share a little of your current work with us?

Blood Avenged stemmed from a novella I wrote entitled Vampire Dreams. In that story, Vasilije was the villain, and a delicious one at that. I knew almost immediately that I would write him his own story, and from that came Blood Avenged. Here's the blurb:

I am everything you desire. I am vampire.

Powerful and manipulative, Vasilije does as he pleases. A vampire beholden to no one, he takes what he desires, drinking deeply the pleasures this life has to offer.

When one of his own is staked, Vasilije must travel to New Orleans to exact his revenge. There he meets Sasa, a beautiful woman who arouses him like no other has for centuries. Vasilije’s need for vengeance is equaled only by his passion for her, but what he finds in his revenge is just the beginning...

The story is an erotic paranormal romance and just the beginning part in the blurb refers to the fact that the Sons of Navarus series begins with the end of Blood Avenged.

Sounds delicious!

My TBR list grows each time we do an interview! Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?

Fight scenes. I always struggle with physical fight scenes. My ex is one of my beta readers specifically for this reason. All my other betas focus on the relationships and other issues in romance, but he is there particularly for the physicality issue. It's quite amusing when he says, "You do know you have this character doing something that in his position is physically impossible, don't you?" I always laugh and say, "Well, that's why I have you read these things. So what do I have to do to make him less like Stretch Armstrong and more able to fight like this?"

LOL, I find myself doing that with more than fight scenes! “Wait, where is his hand again?” And wow, you have a much better relationship with your ex than I would want with mine, lol.

I’m not saying a word. I don’t want Kealie to show me she can fight like the MMA guys. Do you have to travel much concerning your book(s)?

For Blood Avenged, I traveled to New Orleans around Halloween, and what a time that was! I took tons of pictures to refer to as I was in edits, and every scene set in New Orleans was one I visited. I'd love to travel for the next book in the Sons of Navarus series, Blood Betrayed, since it's set in France. That would be incredible.

Ooooohhhhhh…. France would be amazing! Hey, we could be more friends living vicariously through you! Take us with you… on your laptop!

I dunno, I’m rather interested in The Big Easy over Halloween. Do you hear from your readers much? What kinds of things do they say?

I love hearing from readers, and their comments really make me see the stories in a different way. For example, I never thought my writing was truly erotic until I started hearing that the stories were "smokin' hot". I honestly thought they were just paranormal romance, but my readers showed me I was writing much steamier scenes than I thought. Go figure. And here I thought I was going to have to turn the heat up a bit. :)

Hey, you won’t hear us complain if you decide to turn the heat up even more… just sayin’.

And now… our “Ummm… what does this have to do with writing?” questions!

This is when we pull out the fun questions. Do you have any strange handwriting habits, like capitalizing all your “r”s or dotting your “I”s with heart (or anything like that)?

I handwrite my stories first, and that means a lot of handwriting in a 300+ page book. Years of parochial school when I was a child means I have very clear and neat handwriting. I think my strangest handwriting habit occurs with my name. I always make the first letter of my first and last names much bigger than the other letters. I get that from my father, who did the same thing but left handed.

I like to write out scenes every now and then… something about the flow of writing it out makes you slow down and think about the words you really want to use. But the whole thing? I’d get serious hand cramp.

Hand cramp in your situation would suck. The baby would not appreciate it. I’ve been known to write out the beginning of a scene on paper... then forget where I went. Yeah, I have a LOT of notebooks. Speaking of men (Like that intro? Totally off topic – grin) Boxers, briefs, boxerbriefs…. Or commando? Why?

I'm a fan of a man in boxerbriefs, but commando works just as well. I think both are incredibly sexy, but I've heard from men that commando sometimes is a bit uncomfortable. I always think to myself when they say that, "But the men in romantic fiction never have a problem." Real life is rarely as sexy as fiction.

Awwww… a goyle after my own heart! And yeah, that’s why it’s called “escapism”… I still love that my hubby considers them “instruction manuals” instead of unrealistic expectations on my part. I know, smack me… please! ;-P

It’s unrealistic, but as I’ve tried commando, it gets itchy. I’ve also been told there is a lot to say for that barrier from the zipper. What’s a saying you use a lot? Where did it originate from ?

You can't plant peas and get corn. I have no idea where it came from, but the person I share my office with at my day job is from Hawaii, and she'd never heard it before I said it. But I can't think of anything more true. You can do many things to alter who you are, but you can't fundamentally change who you are.

Huh… that sounds almost like a southernism… just not one I’ve heard before. Granted, I haven’t heard them all, but that’s a great one!

It’s very true though. Dad always said he’d do things when the corn grew in the soybeans. Boy did he have to pay up when he had a field with last year’s corn growing in the soybeans. Soybeans has nothing to do with pizza, but what is your favorite pizza?

I love pizza with sausage and green peppers. The flavors just mix so well, and with a great sauce that's not too sweet, it's just one of my favorite foods to eat.

MMMMmmmmm…. Pizza…. *sigh* Sorry.. ahem…

You would drool over pizza. Ahem, CB? Yes, Kealie needs something to drool on. Thank you. What stereotype would you label yourself as?

I'm a type-A person. If I do something, it's 100% and it's done yesterday. I've been like this since I was a child. If I say I'm going to do something, then hell or high water, it will get done. I put far more pressure and stress on myself than anyone else does.

Hey we know a couple of those types!!! People like me and Megan just irritate those types though… sorry ahead of time!

And we do well at irritating. Are you a morning person or a night person?

I'm very much a night owl. I hit my stride sometime after dark, so having to work during the day isn't great. That said, I love that time in very early morning when no one else is up and I can get so much done.

Sounds like me! Granted, lately, I’m up with little man, so it’s not all by my lonesome, but I can totally relate to the night owl!

And then there’s me who stays up until it’s ridiculous because I’m waiting on you and the little man. Nice. Do you like thunderstorms?

Sometimes. The storms that make me think my windows are going to shatter aren't favorites of mine, but a nice thunderstorm in the summertime that breaks up the heat and humidity of the day is refreshing. Thunderstorms are definitely a show of what nature can do, so in that way, I like them too.

I like a good thunderstorm… from the safety of my home.

Safety is good. Okay, so you want to know more about Gabrielle Bisset? Look no further than right below!

Romance...from sensual to decadent...whatever your desires
Website: Gabrielle Bisset
Blog: Gabrielle Bisset: A Writer's BlogFacebook
Twitter
Amazon Author Page

I am everything you desire. I am vampire.

Powerful and manipulative, Vasilije does as he pleases. A vampire beholden to no one, he takes what he desires, drinking deeply the pleasures this life has to offer.

When one of his own is staked, Vasilije must travel to New Orleans to exact his revenge. There he meets Sasa, a beautiful woman who arouses him like no other has for centuries. Vasilije’s need for vengeance is equaled only by his passion for her, but what he finds in his revenge is just the beginning...

Buy Links:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Blood-Avenged-ebook/dp/B006L8S59S/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1323735434&sr=8-1

Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/blood-avenged-gabrielle-bisset/1107957636?ean=2940013838154&itm=1&usri=blood+avenged

My books:
Blood Avenged-Available now
The Victorian Erotic Romance Trilogy
Destiny Redeemed
Stolen Destiny