Today I have the pleasure of speaking with Heather A. Fowler who also writes as H.A. Fowler. Thanks for being here today Heather, welcome to FAR!

Thanks, Tammy! I'm happy to be here.

To start, will you please tell us a little bit about what you’re currently working on?

I have a couple of projects going on right now. First is the sequel to The Veil, called Otherworld. I'm also working on another project for Cobblestone, City of Night.

The Veil is being released from Cobblestone press in October. Can you tell readers about this story and what has been changed from the original version?

The Veil is the story of vampire Detective Devon Harrigan, who is assigned to protect a powerful priestess named Helene DuSolaire, who is the only survivor of a serial killer they believe is out to destroy the barrier that protects Earth from the hell dimension next door. Naturally, things aren't that simple -- they have to deal with their attraction to one another, and the fact that they think Helene is the key to the killer's plan to overrun the world with monsters.

The original version of The Veil was a cliffhanger -- the new book has a definitive ending. That made things a little difficult for the second book, which I had already started. I've tried to leave as much of the original structure of the second book as possible intact so that people who read the cliffhanger would still get essentially get the same conclusion to the story. It won't be exactly the same, unfortunately, but... there wasn't really much I could do! I hope people who read the original version will check out Version 2.0, because I really like the ending I wrote for the latter. :)

Is there any one book out there that you read that you could say, I want to write like that some day? Or, did you just decide that someday you wanted to write books.

Oh, there are DOZENS. When I was younger, I wanted to be Anne Rice -- she was the first vamp author I read as a kid. I worship Diana Gabaldon's writing, Sherrilyn Kenyon's style (and yummy heroes), Laurell K. Hamilton's world building, Angela Knight's erotic scenes... There are so many amazing authors out there; it would take weeks to list them all. Every time I read something great, it makes me want to make my writing better!

When you begin writing a story, do you have a pre-planned idea of where it will end, or does it change as you go along?

Heh. Well, both, actually. I write extensive notes and outlines before I begin writing in earnest, but the story inevitably goes in directions I never could have imagined when I was brainstorming. Characters go where they want to go, do what they want to do, and I have to believe the story is better for it, as long as good plot structure isn't violated.

Why do you think vampire stories are so popular?

They have been since the 19th century, in some circles. This question is actually one of those that drives me academically (I'm working on a degree in English Lit/Writing) -- what is it about vampires? Some people think they represent some of humanity's deeper desires -- immortality, eternal beauty, that kind of thing. Some just think they're hot. I think it depends on the reader.

As far as this latest wave of vampire mania goes, I think the credit falls firmly in the lap of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel -- they took the "heroic vampire" (as opposed to the strictly monstrous vampire of most movies) and brought him mainstream. Vampire romance has been around forever -- I remember reading Linda Lael Miller, Amanda Ashley and Maggie Shayne years ago, but after Buffy came along, the genre exploded.

If you could pick any celebrity to be on the cover of your book, who would it be and why?

Oh, I have a few -- usually one for each novel. For The Veil, though, I didn't have a single celeb in mind... he's a sort of combination between Kenneth Brannagh in his younger days and comedian Donal Logue from "Grounded For Life"... only in better shape. ;-)

My all time favorite cover model was Rob Ashton. SO so hot. I miss seeing him on covers!

To you, what makes a great romance hero?

I'm an alpha girl all the way -- I like a really butch hero who kicks butt (I confess to a sword fighting fetish!), but who has a soft spot for the heroine. I also love dark, "tortured" heroes, and smart-alecks.

Sword of Regret contains two vampire stories, could you tell us a little about both of these stories?

Sure! The first one, "Sword of Day," is about a vampire queen who created the Sword of Regret to kindle the conscience of both vampires and humans to make them stop and think about their needless millennia-old war. The greatest vampire hunter in history ends up touching the sword, and is brought to her as a broken man. She finds, ironically, that he looks exactly like a human lover she had to kill when she was young. Smut ensues. :)

The second story, "Sword of Night" is about a human museum curator who worked for years to obtain the legendary sword for the museum's collection. A vampire thief tries to steal it... and then tries to kill herself. The curator finds her burning in the sunrise, and...

Well, you'll have to read it to see what happens.

What is your favorite part of a book to write?

Love scenes, by FAR. The first meeting between the hero and heroine, and the first declaration of love are close behind!

What would you like to accomplish with your writing career?

To make enough money to live, and to make a lot of people happy.

Do you have any special rituals to help you get in the mood to write?

*laugh* I wish! It's usually more forcing myself to sit in a chair and write until my goal is done for the day. Although... I do like to sit out on my back porch during the summertime with a cup of coffee and go over my notes. That's a sort of ritual.

If you could go anywhere, be anyone, do anything for 24 hours, what would it be?

Oh, my. Well... spending a day with one of the hot exotic dancers from Thunder From Down Under wouldn't kill me. Or... maybe it would! What a way to go, though...

My other fantasy is to have a bottomless gift certificate and a shopping cart in a giant bookstore. *sigh*

Is there anything else you would like to share with us?

Keep an eye out for more of my projects coming next year! Please feel free to join my mailing list. for more details and a schedule of my online appearances. I love getting feedback on my work, and hearing from readers. As an old fanfic writer, I miss that interaction!

Thanks again for taking time out of your busy schedule to talk with us today Heather.
If you'd like to read more about Heather, you can visit her website.

Interviewed by: Tammy