Lovers of Paranormal discussion

Greetings Lovers of Paranormal!

We're always honored when one of our Book of the Month Club authors answers our LoP Interview to give us an idea of the inspirations behind their story. Veronica Del Rosa, author of our BOTM group read Magic Resistant has answered our nosy questions to give us a hint of the magic behind the story.





So without further ado, I'll turn you over to Veronica for the interview. And be sure to check out this month's group read, Magic Resistant.

HERE: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Be epic!

Anna Erishkigal
LoP BOTM-MOD


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1. What books have most influenced your life?

Ooh, that’s a toughy. I’ve read so many books over the years, hundreds upon hundreds of them. It started off with romance, then Christopher Pike and Dean Koontz, then Forgotten Realms (a D&D based series) before finally settling on paranormal romance and urban fantasy. Each genre opened me up to new ideas.

As for specific books, I’d have to say Immortals After Dark series by Kresley Cole and the Dark Hunter Series by Sherrilyn Kenyon. Both of them have complex characters and worlds that I admire.


2. How do you develop your plots and characters?

In a lot of cases, I think about the character, how they’d react in a given situation, what their emotions are, who they trust and why. Then I figure out how to screw with them, toss them a curve ball like someone who doesn’t agree with them, or a plot to create civil war. I like to examine the ins and outs, see why one action would cause another action.

Some of my plots have come about because of a line or two that I wrote and couldn’t understand why I felt it was important. As I continue writing, I get an “Ah-ha!” moment and realize my subconscious is way smarter than me.


3. Tell us about your Lovers of Paranormal book?

Magic Resistant is the first book I wrote and it started with the idea of “What if magic and paranormal existed, but there was one subset of a race that was feared above all else?” Julia is magic resistant which means that magic does not affect her the same way it affects everyone else. It’s like it washes off her and that frightens the other mages. They rely on their magic to keep them at the top of the food chain, especially when you have vampires, werewolves, demons, and the Fae roaming around.

Jackson is part of the Mage Enforcers who hunt demons but was accused of summoning a demon and losing control of it. He’s now hunted by Julia and her Enforcer partner Markus. Nothing is quite what it seems, though. Who’s on whose side and what really happened with the demon summoning?


4. We all need a hero! Tell us about your protagonist(s)? Was there a real-life inspiration behind him or her?

My inspiration for most of the men in my books is my husband. Each one has an aspect of him: his sarcasm, his nerdiness, his sense of humour, his sex appeal. I took each trait and then built a character around that trait. I’ve even stolen pieces of conversations I’ve had with my husband and used them with the characters. He’s told me he expects royalties. ;)

As for the women, the only one I had a real life inspiration for was Dawn. A co-worker and good friend wanted to be in one of my books and get a happily ever after because she’s not married. I promised her she’d get one hell of a story and I hope I’ve lived up to that promise. Funny thing is, Dawn doesn’t look or act like my co-worker at all, but she’s the driving force behind the character.


5. A good villain is hard to write. How did you get in touch with your inner villain? Was there a real-life inspiration for him/her/it?

I don’t have any real life inspirations that I can point a finger at for my villains, although I think it’s my own inner evil that I do get in touch with. I’ve always said if I got superpowers, I’d become the villain since it’s more interesting then always saving someone. And I’ve come to realize that given the right circumstances, anyone can become the villain of the story even though they feel they are the hero of the piece. I try to keep that in mind when I write the bad guy/girl, because no one is every fully evil, it’s all shades of grey and which side of history you’re on.

6. What real-life inspirations did you draw from for the world building within your book?

I live in Toronto and that’s where I’ve set much of this world. Truth be told, I’m horrible with geography and describing things I haven’t seen, so it was natural for me to use Toronto. Plus it’s a beautiful city full of diversity – different cultures, people, and foods.


7. What was the hardest part of writing this book?

The ending. I seriously didn’t know how I wanted to end it. So much had happened in the story, so do I tie it all up in a neat little bow or leave some loose ends?


8. What was your favorite chapter (or part) to write and why?

Dawn was my favourite part, both when I first wrote the book and when I revised it. She’s such an interesting character and I love her dynamic with Julie. They care for each other and, I hope, gives a look at female friendship without one of them being labelled, like “the bitch”, or “the quirky one”, etc. They have a genuine liking for each other and enjoy spending time together with no pressure.


9. Did you learn anything from writing this book and what was it?

That editing is extremely important. I first released Magic Resistant without an editor and while it wasn’t horrible, it wasn’t great either. I wrote two more books, which were both edited, and I begged her to go over Magic Resistant as well. She ripped it apart, I cried a little, and then it transformed into a polished piece of writing. I will not release another book without my editor.


10. What are your future project(s)?

I’ve already released 3 books for the Enforcers and Coterie series and I’m currently in editing stages for the 4th book, Chained in Desire, which is Victor’s book. I’m also writing the next two novellas, Love of a Good Fae and Dabbling in Magic, and finished off a series of short stories that will show the turning point for secondary characters. These short stories will only be available through my mailing list though, as a thank you to my fans.


11. If you couldn’t be an author, what would your ideal career be?

I always wanted to be an artist, expect I suck at drawing. I’d probably stick with something computer related. Honestly, I’d loved to just much around in computers, fixing and replacing parts without having to talk to customers. I’m a people person, but I don’t like customers. *laughs*


12. Do you have anything specific that you want to say to the Lovers of Paranormal community members?

I’d like to say thank you for reading my stories and for the reviews, the good and the bad ones. I enjoy them all, even though technically reviews aren’t for the authors. ;) I’ve met some great people through this community and I think it’s fantastic to see a group who are passionate about indie authors.

LoP Interview granted: 2016/02/09

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Don't forget to check out our BOTM Group Read for Magic Resistant, see what others think, and find a Book Buddy to read along...

HERE: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

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