Today I'm pleased to be interviewing author Jourdan Lane, the author of such books as Soul Mates: Bound by Blood and Soul Mates: Deceptions. Welcome to FAR! Thanks for taking time out of your busy schedule to answer some questions for us today!

Thank you, Amanda! I'm glad to be here.

To start, will you please tell us a little bit about your current projects?

Well, I just wrapped up the 3rd book in the Soul Mates series, Soul Mates: Sacrifice, and am currently working on the 4 th book, tentatively titled Soul Mates: Ascension. I've also got a contemporary story I'm rewriting with undercover action and DEA agents. Oh! And I've got a few short stories in progress for various anthologies that I need to whip into shape and get out the door.

Do you outline your stories or do you just write as you go?

I've tried doing the big outline thing, but it didn't really work for me. I would get so caught up in what was supposed to be happening, that I wasn't letting the characters tell the story. There are times that I get blocked on a certain scene or situation and need to sit down with a pen and notebook and scratch some things out, but it's more of a sequencing thing and not so much an outline.

Do you feel as if the characters live with you as you write? Do they haunt your dreams?

Boy, do they ever. There have been times when my characters have been so strong that I expected to see them lounging on the couch when I walked into a room. They're always there, always talking, even if they aren't giving me actual words on the page.

As for dreams? Well, only two characters of mine have really haunted my dreams to an extent that they've been memorable. One of them is Lucien Delacroix, my Master vampire from the Soul Mates series. I had this very weird half-asleep, half-awake dream with him that literally made me scared of the dark at nearly 30 years of age. I went on to use that experience in a scene in Soul Mates: Bound by Blood.

The other is, oddly enough, Antoine Chavarria, Lucien's former Master. I spent three months writing his story (that's in revision and not yet with a publisher) and he was so real, so alive that even when I left the computer for the day, he was still right there with me. In dreams, he would call me to him and I would find myself sleep-walking out into the middle of a dark pasture. The dreams with him were never quite scary, but there was that whole 'he's a vampire and still dangerous' thing to them.

Yep. I now sound certifiable ;-)

What would you like to accomplish with your writing career?

To get all of the stories that are in my head down on paper – and to be able to share them with others.

How do you know what to name your books or the characters?

Book titles? Lord, titles are something I agonize over. I'm a sucker for those one word titles that both say something about the book as a whole and are memorable. Sometimes if I wait long enough, the title will come on its own. Other times? I have to bug everyone near me for a little brainstorming.

Character names? Sometimes the names come with the characters when they show up in my head. When that happens, there's * no* changing the name. Other times, I get characters that pop up randomly that have a story, but they won't tell me their names. So, I pull up my massive list of names (pulled from census records) or I go online and find naming generators to play with. The characters let me know when they like something.

Of all the individuals you have created, do you have a particular favorite? What appeals to you the most about this character?

I love all of my characters, so I can't really pick a favorite. I like my characters to be strong. Not so much strong physically, but as an individual. I like it when they stand up and tell me who they are and fight me when I try to change them. They may not make the right decisions 100% of the time, but they mean well and they try hard. That matters to me.

Characters without motivation would be my least favorite.

A little secret here… I didn't really like Peter when I started writing the first Soul Mates book. I could never quite pinpoint why, but he grew on me before I had a chance to wonder about it too much. Now, he's one of my most treasured characters, but I guess it goes to show that they don't always have to be instant favorites to become a character you love and treasure.

As a female author, what was it that influenced you to write stories based on the m/m genre?

There are two answers to this one.

One: I'm not sure anything really influenced me other than just my inner self wanting to get out and play. I've always considered myself as one of the guys and I will swear to my death that I got stuck with a male brain inside a female body.

Two: I like men. I like them as friends, as comrades, as partners, and especially as lovers. There's just nothing like two alpha men in lust and/or love with each other, burning up the pages with hot, steamy sex, all while trying to get the bad guys put away. And even when there aren't bad guys, I like the dynamics of men in a relationship – how it's totally an equal partnership thing. Now, I still like a certain few m/f stories, but the heroine has got to be one tough cookie and there has to be action.

And explosions.

Guns are a big plus.

And blood. The other guy's blood, of course, unless they're vampires or a vampire's donor. And then? Giving blood is just fine.

*grins*

I think I got lost in the action there…

Who are your influences in regards to other authors?

I like such a variety that I can't say any one author influenced me. After some trial and error on what I wanted my writing to convey, I think I just found my own style and went with it.

What would we find on your bookshelf?

A ton of paranormal romances (Christine Feehan, Kelley Armstrong, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Maggie Shayne, J.R. Ward, etc.), action/adventure/thriller novels (Randy Wayne White, Tom Clancy, Harlan Coben, etc), gay erotica anthologies, non-erotic gay fiction, research books – police procedure, FBI and DEA manuals, military handbooks, criminalistics and forensics textbooks, books on different mythologies, magics, and rituals, various books on ancient Egypt… I think I could go on and on.

I've also got one entire bookcase that's filled with books I've yet to find time to read, not to mention the ones in the boxes I've got stacked behind the office door.

What is the best advice that anyone ever gave you?

Believe in yourself and keep writing.

Could you describe for us your idea of the perfect man?

Strong, intelligent, funny, sarcastic, compassionate… balanced. Handsome men may draw my attention, but it's what's on the inside that keeps me there.

Why do you think erotic fiction is so popular right now?

I can't really guess why with the readership as a whole, but generally, I think people are more open about sex and sexuality now than they have been in the past.

If you suddenly decided to stop writing for your genre...what other genre(s) strikes your fancy enough that you would enjoy writing?

Well, I already write in a number of genres to start with, so I don't think I'd be doing anything different. While I love paranormals and urban fantasy, I'm also a big fan of cowboys, contemporaries, law enforcement and military fiction, etc. The only thing that might change is that I'd be writing more m/f stories.

When did you first start writing? What made you want to become a writer?

I didn't start writing until around 1998. We'd moved pretty far into the country and I needed a way to occupy my time. I'd always been a big daydreamer, having these long elaborate movies playing in my head. One day, I figured I might as well write them down. I haven't stopped writing since.

If you could meet any one person (past or present) and ask them only one question - Who would it be, and what would your question be?

Hmm… Nora Roberts. How do you manage to write so much so quickly?!

Thanks again for taking time out of your busy schedule to talk with us today Ms. Lane. I have really enjoyed hearing more about your work.

It was fun! Thanks for having me!

If anyone would like to read more about Jourdan Lane, you can get info on the books, read excerpts, or read Ms. Lane's bio at www.jourdanlane.com or at http://jourdanlane.livejournal.com

Interviewed by: Amanda H.