Good morning Luisa, and welcome to Fallen Angel Reviews. It’s a pleasure to interview you for our readers today.

Hi! Thank you for having me.

Why don’t we begin with an icebreaker? If you had to choose, would it be… music from the 70’s or the 90’s, money or love, a rollercoaster ride or driving down a quiet country road?

My taste in music is a bit eclectic. I like songs from just about every decade (though I do have a soft spot for the 70’s. There’s just something about Neil Diamond’s Stones that gets to me).

Love or money . . . right now, I’d go for money ;) As a writer, I’d like to say it’s so I could take my loved ones on awesome trips (the better to do research, of course). The practical truth is that I’d love to pay off my roommate’s student loan and then set the bills for automatic payments so I wouldn’t have to think about them anymore. Then, though, there’d be an awesome research trip.

Oh man, driving down a country road any time. I actually like to go on those every week :) I find them very helpful for my writing.

Please tell us a bit about yourself.

I’m the eldest daughter in my family. My parents came over from Mexico when I was a year old, hoping to do the “give my child a better life” thing. I’m the first one to attend college and the first to become a published author. Of the two, my parents are most proud of the writing thing. I was really surprised when I found out. I think it’s because it’s surreal to them (just about everyone they know has had a kid go to college. Being published, though? Way cool).

Luisa, I just finished reading two of your books, one being Written in Blood. What a fascinating plot. Collin Foster is a wonderfully written character. What lead to you writing the story?

Thank you :) A couple years, I went to England for a weekend with a friend (ahh, research trips). We’d planned to spend a couple days in Avebury, one in London, and then go home. Right before we left Avebury, I got sick. I ended up spending our last day curled up in bed, napping.

When I was awake, I stared at the walls of our hotel room, in love with the place. I began wondering what kind of trysts could’ve happened there. I made up Collin and his mysterious lover (though, being sick, the sex was a bit fuzzy). Since I was in London, thoughts of its history crept into my mind. I thought of Maurice, Oscar Wilde, and Dracula (I’m a huge fan of horror film studies and one of the things I’ve picked up is that, in horror movies, the monster is often the “other.” The good guys are the patriarchy, fighting for their version of family values, keeping the monsters from stealing their women/property/view of life. Have you ever seen Frank Langella’s Dracula? Lucy wants to be with the vampire but the men know what’s best for her and fight her. How about Bela Lagosi’s Dracula? When he kills the flower girl, no one cares. It isn’t until he moves into their social circle that the heroes decide to stop him).

The more I thought about Dracula and its many incarnations, the more I knew that Collin’s lover was a vampire. He’d lived (unlived?) through a chunk of time, seeing the world he’d fought for twist and change. Some of the changes were bad, but many others were good. The good guys may have been able to stop Lucy from becoming a vampire in the Edwardian era, but twenty years later they wouldn’t have been able to. And while Van Helsing didn’t care that a poor flower girl was murdered, a handsome young reporter would.

The cab scene was erotic and suspenseful. You have a way of attracting your main characters slowly adding sexual tension and heat in small doses.

I’m glad you liked it :) I was really happy with how that scene turned out.

Given the time the story was set, I knew I would have a bit of a challenge getting Collin to consider sleeping with de Sonnac. I asked myself what would make me do sleep with someone I’d just met, but I’m pretty dull and would never do it (I’d be tempted, but after studying all those horror films, the mood would be killed). For Collin, I wanted to create a moment where the desire outweighed the fear. He’s had to live this quiet life, never daring show who he really is. He’s smart and knows how to survive, but he’s surviving, not living.

For me, the sexual tension began there. Collin wants to live, but he knows if he’s caught, he’ll be ruined. He’s a reporter and knows how ugly the world can be. He’s lonely, though. He wants this, wants to know what it’d be like to have someone in his life, if only for a little while.

Collin’s brave, so he goes back with de Sonnac. It’s a horror movie no-no, but here’s another thing about horror movies: if people don’t risk things, they don’t live. In that, I think it’s similar to romance (you can’t fall in love if you don’t risk getting hurt). As scary as horror and romance can be, risks need to be taken.

I’ve been told there is a great deal of research that goes writing, but especially when you are creating a historical book. You write both contemporary and historical stories, so how true is that statement?

I’m tempted to say it’s very true, but I think it also depends on the characters. For example, if Collin went into a coffee house, I’d need to think about more than just what the room looks like/smells like/what people were wearing. Since he’d been a reporter, he’d care about what was happening in the world. He might be thinking about the Spanish-America War or Marie Curei’s work.

If Dominic (from Ergot) went into one, he wouldn’t care about whether or not NASA discovered evidence of water on the moon (well, he’d be curious, but it wouldn’t be a passion). Dominic thinks food unites people (we all have it in common), so for him, I’d go into a brief thing about the history of coffee.

Do you have a preference, and are you drawn to write one era more than others?

Contemporaries are my favorites. The world is pretty much created for me, allowing me to focus on the story. I can create a sprawling story, resting assured that I can write, “he drove to Safeway,” without needing to get into what a car or grocery store are.

That said, one of the things I love about fantasy and historical settings is that they’re both flexible (I can do horror or any shade of fantasy) and challenging (if I’m wrong about a setting detail, people will tell me. I’m honored they tell me but I wish I could’ve been better for them).

Most author’s excel when the write what they love. Is that what helps you create such fascinating M/M stories?

Yes :) I first began writing when I was in junior high. I had a lot of fun with it, but when I wrote my first m/m in high school, I LOVED it. I was excited and scribbled notes during classes. I even did research for it, something I usually only did for homework.

The thing was, when I did research for school, I was bored. After I did wrote that story, all research became interesting, because I never knew when I might later use that information in a story.

*whisper*

My fascination with history began with the History Channel. They took things that I took for granted and brought it to life. I’m really fond of What the Victorians did for us because I find it neat to see how that time and this one are connected.

You also are the author of Cooking with Ergot. This is yet another illustration of your talents as an author. You’ve paired to men from the opposite sides of the spectrum for this story. How did you come up with the characters?

For Dominic (and Blaise), I began with Calvin and Hobbes. I loved Calvin’s spirit, his willingness to believe in things no one else could. I also like watching the Food Network. I’m fond of Alton Brown’s whimsy and intelligence. I appreciate how down to earth Rachel Ray is. I’m fascinated by Iron Chef’s pageantry.

My mind tends to bounce, and while I was thinking about food, I remembered being in Salem, Massachusetts a few years ago, where I had a really awesome salmon dinner I don’t know how to recreate. What I do know is the city’s history. It’s macabre and sad and oh so intriguing. Where I’m intrigued, Dominic (as a witch) would be affected. Those stories aren’t just words in a book, they’re real.

Whiles witches once hid in shadows, Dominic hides in plain sight. No one believes he can do magic. His powers help make things smoother on the show. He’s charming and funny and people like him. Will it make everyone more open to witches? Maybe a little. He hopes, anyway.

For Carter, my mind moved along similar paths. He has no comic inspiration but he cares about food. Remember how I said Dominic thinks that food connects people? Carter also thinks it, but he’s going a step further and wants to show it. There’s lots of things he wants to talk about (he’s a little like Collin that way), but he knows people don’t want to hear about it. Yes, there are bad things happening in the world. Yes, people died in Salem. There’s nothing we can do. Tell us how to make a nice steak.

Hah. Little do they know that Carter intends to do both.

Since Dominic was personally affected by the witch hunts, I wanted Carter to be as well. He’s angry and wants to bring people’s attention to things they’d rather ignore, so I began wondering why. What first made him feel angry? Why doesn’t he just walk away? If his soul mate was a witch, what would be the worst thing to have in his background?

I was surprised when I realized it was because he was descended from witch hunters. It fit, though. He cared deeply because he knew he was related to people who hadn’t. There aren’t enough cookies in the world to make that situation better.

If given an opportunity to travel and conduct research for an upcoming book, where would you go?

*giddy*

I love traveling :) Right now, I’d want to go to England. Avebury is my favorite place in the whole world (they’ve got standing stones just like at Stonehenge, only you can walk up to these and touch them). Afterward, I’d want to go up to Vindolanda (it’s a Roman fort near Hexham), and then Whitby, for the whole Dracula thing.

Are you currently working on any stories?

Oh yes. I’m currently focusing on the After series. I also have the sequels to Ergot and Written in Blood outlined.

I recently finished the edits for my next release, Dark Designs. It’s the first in my Half Lives series. The book is awesome and is going to be released in both e and print.

As an author, which is harder for you, writing the beginning charter or a synopsis that would capture a reader’s attention?

Hands down, the synopsis. I love writing the story itself, but when it comes time to do blurbs and synopsis I have to stop myself from repeating what happens in the first two chapters. Despite that, I keep at it until I can do it (for example: Dark Designs is about a group of reincarnated mages and their struggle against an ancient evil known as the Darkness. It took me forever to be able to condense the story like that. Now, though, I can recite it in my sleep).

What finally gave you that push to start submitting your stories?

*chuckle*

Nothing, really. I’d wanted to be a writer forever so it was very easy for me to begin submitting. I probably would’ve benefitted from waiting a little bit, though. When I was in my teens and early twenties, I’d stay up all night writing, print out the story, and then send it out. I’d then be surprised when my story was returned (I sadly wouldn’t discover the art of revision until my mid-twenties).

My track record changed after I went to the Odyssey Writer’s Workshop in 2002. I still got rejections, but they were personal. I felt like I was getting closer so I began attending more workshops (my favorite being the Writing the Breakout Novel Intensive).

If you could give an aspiring author a single important piece of advice, what would it be?

Delve deep into your character’s POV. What is that character afraid of? What does he hope for? What would he never do? What would make him do it?

When I first heard these questions, I was like, “yeah, yeah, I know my character.” Then I stopped to think about them and I discovered new things about the character. Not only did it help me tie the character deeper into the story, it allowed me to make things worse for him (yeah, tension!).

What would we find on your bookshelf?

I keep a small stack of books on my desk. I like having them there, so I can quickly look things up. The books change, depending what I’m working on or what’s intrigued me. Currently I have:

When Jeff Comes Home (great book. Very scary)

The Dread of Difference (the best book on horror film studies, EVER).

Horror Films of the 80’s (the second best book on horror films. The author also did one on the 70’s, and now I’m hoping he’ll do one on the 90’s).

Wicked Gentleman (it’s my fourth copy. I keep giving them out and then end up needing to buy more. I LOVE this book).

The History of Underclothes (sometimes, research is just awesome)

My black cat, Darian (she naps on a blanket I set on my desk, beside my keyboard. In theory she has plenty of room. In practice, she nudges the books aside, trying to take over the area. As long as she isn’t trying to take over the mouse pad as well, I don’t mind).

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

I’ve been gathering more recipes for the future Ergot sequel. The book will be yummy.

Do you have a website or blog information you would like to share with our readers?

Yes :)

My website: http://www.luisaprieto.com/

My blog: http://l-prieto.livejournal.com/

My much neglected yahoo group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/darkdesigns/?yguid=66114520

Luisa, I wish you much success and thank you for taking time out of your schedule for this interview. I enjoyed spending time with you this evening. Your charming characters and well-plotted stories have made you one of my favorite authors’ to read, and I look forward to reading your new releases in the near future.

*hug*

Thank you :) I had a blast talking to you.

Interviewed by: NeNe