Interview: Jess Haines Author of Stalking the Others

On the blog Today, I am lucky to have Jess Haines, the author of the H&W Investigations

series. Her latest installment, STALKING THE OTHERS, really knocked my socks off!

My review will be posted after this interview. Along with this interview, there will be an

opportunity for one person to win a copy of STALKING THE OTHERS thanks to 

Jess and Kensington Books.

  

Let's get right to the questions!

GR- Where did you get your inspiration from for writing this series, especially a character like Shiarra Waynest?

JH - Many moons ago, I used to role play on AOL. ("Gasp!" I hear you say. "The horror! 

Say it ain't so!') In the late 90's, I went to the movies and sat down to watch something

involving lots of violence. A preview for Blade hit the screen-and I knew I had to have a 

vampire hunter character of my very own! I would love her and hug her and squeeze her and call her...Shiarra Waynest.

The Shia of today and the Shia of yesteryear are very different in terms of personality. 

She may be different than her original incarnation, but I kept her name, her kickass 

belt, and a few other odds and ends...

As for the overall inspiration for the series, in 2001, I started writing a super serious high

fantasy novel. Skip ahead to late 2007, and I was still writing that same book. However! I 

had an epiphany, and decided that I was so sucked in to making a deep and somber

doorstop that I'd lost the sight of the fun side of writing. I wrapped up the first draft of the fantasy novel and got rolling on HUNTED BY THE OTHER in early 2008. Within a few

months, I had a finished manuscript and started on my agent hunt while concurrently

editing the first book and starting the second. The rest of the series just came to

me-and hopefully you'll get quite a few more H&W novels out of me!

GR - Who is your favorite character to write about?

JH - I love them all for different reasons. It's hard to choose a favorite because they

all have behind-the-scenes significances and histories-not to mention strengths and 

flaws-that the reader haven't seen and color my perspective.

If forced to choose, I'd say it's a toss-up between Royce and Arnold. Royce is such a 

delightfully devious bastard, and so much fun to write, that it's hard not to love the 

vampire. Wouldn't want to be in Shia's shoes if I was faced with him, though!

On the other hand, there's Arnold. He's got a huge "look out for number one" mentality, 

but he's also a nerd with glasses and (channeling a bit of Genie here) phenomenal cosmic 

powers at his fingertips. C'mon, you know that's hot.

GR -  Which of the four books released in the H&W Investigations series (I’m including Stalking the Others) was the most fun to write about?

JH - The second book, TAKEN BY THE OTHERS. The last few years have been pretty

 stressful for me, and I channeled a lot of that into my work. Using it as a vehicle to

make vampires something worth fearing again was pure pleasure for me.

GR - If you could be any paranormal character or have any one supernatural talent, what would it be? Why?

JH- If I had a choice, I would totally be a dragon. Treasure, long lifespan, the ability 

to fly, magic and the biggest kid on the block. Need I say more?

GR -  Can you tell us anything about the upcoming books in this series? (IE how many more are you contracted for?)

JH - I'm currently contracted to write six books in the H&W investigations series. STALKING THE OTHERS, the book I am promoting for this blog tour, is number four. The next book tentatively titled FORSAKEN BY THE OTHERS, will most likely come out sometime next year.

GR - How would you feel if this series was bought and turned into a major motion picture?

JH - Chances are pretty good you could hear my screams of glee echoing through the hills of the Angeles Crest Forest. I would be pretty darned happy about it!

GR - What actress would play Shiarra?

JH - I would love to see Dina Meyer in the role. Alicia Witt or Evan Rachel Wood could also probably pull it off, but I have admired Dina as an actress for a long time, and I think she'd do a great job for the part.

GR - What actor would play the debonair vampire Royce?

JH - In the entirely theoretical HUNTED BY THE OTHERS movie, I would have to say my first choice would be Robert Downey, Jr. 

GR - What is your favorite place to write?

JH - I've learned to write pretty much anywhere. When I have a choice about it, I like to park it on my couch with my laptop and a movie playing in the background. Coffee and chocolate are delicious extras. *g*

GR - When did you decide to become a writer?

JH - I've wanted to be an author since I was a teenager in junior high school, but I never made any effort to realize that dream until I was in my late 20's. I went to college straight out of high school in an attempt to learn how to become a professional writer and get published. Unfortunately, my experience in school put me off so badly that I stopped writing for several years. It wasn't until fairly recently that I decided to give writing fiction another shot. As you can see, it has worked out well for me.

GR - What other genres do you enjoy reading?

JH - Aside from urban fantasy, I love horror, epic fantasy, science fiction, and the occasional non-fiction (covering a broad range of topics from travel to philosophy to memoir). My reading tastes, like my taste in movies, are very eclectic. If sufficiently intrigued by a sample or back cover blurb, I'll read almost anything.

GR - Are there any particular scenes that you have had edited out, that you would love to go back and have added to the story?

JH - Ah, no. Those scenes have all been edited out for good reason. *g*

GR - Thank you so much Jess for giving me the opportunity to participate in this blog and for taking the time out of your busy schedule to answer my strange questions!!

JH - Thanks again very much for having me, and for being part of the STALKING THE OTHERS blog tour!

Don't forget to check out the giveaway as part of this interview!

a Rafflecopter giveaway